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Night Court: Wheelers of Fortune (2024)
What I was hoping for
When it was announced that this show was coming back with John Larroquette reprising his role and that Richard Moll had been extended the same offer, I was hoping that we would see Brent Spiner and Annie O'Donnell again as well, especially after Marsha Warfield's cameo return.
By and large I wasn't disappointed. This season's episodes have been light years better than last season's as the writers have found the "secret sauce" so to speak with what made the original show so good. The Wheelers were only a part of the eccentric cast of characters to parade through the courtroom during the original run but they were among the most memorable and their return and bringing Kate Miccui with them added to the fun.
The show is really starting to hit the same stride that the original did. Hopefully all three can make another return as the series goes on.
The only minor quibble I have is, June Wheeler used to say something that made Christine Sullivan uncomfortable. She didn't make anybody uncomfortable in this episode, but hopefully she will to either Abby or Olivia in future appearances.
Night Court: A Night Court Before Christmas (2023)
Best Episode of the Revival Yet
Just like the original series took a couple of seasons to hit its stride, is the revival is taking the same track? We don't know yet, but they're off to a much better start than the pilot episode provided Season 1.
Kapil Talwalkar as Niel the clerk is out and while no explanation was given, it is probably for the best as his character was all kinds of awkward and creepy in Season 1. He's replaced by Gary Anthony Williams who is a fine comedic actor in his own right and I hope he stays with the show going forward. He was fantastic as Flobert.
However, the biggest change is that they finally found the formula "secret sauce" that made the first series work so well. The writing on this episode was better than anything they did in the first season and I'm proud to say, the Dan Fielding we all knew and loved from the original run is mostly back.
The rest of the cast are much better in their roles as they seem to understand and execute them better now than they did in Season 1. While John Larroquette still outshines everybody; he doesn't carry the whole episode, his costars (Melissa Rauch especially) hold their own and you get the kind of legit laughs that remind you of the original run of the show.
The only drawback is that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar seemed to be reading directly from the cue cards even though he was playing himself. One of his jokes deserved a much better laugh track than it was given too. But it was still a very enjoyable cameo.
Hope this portends good things for this going forward.
Heels: High Flying (2023)
Botched Ending
So after an entirely slow and disjointed first season, the second season covered a whole lot of ground that should have been covered in the first. Such as the reasons why Tom killed himself. What led to Wild Bill and Willie's split that threw Willie for a loop, etc.
We get all those answers in a fantastic second season of this show and when it comes to the final moment, they botch the ending.
And maybe we should have seen it coming. After all, botches are not only a part of professional wrestling but also what the Spade Brothers seem to specialize in. But this botch is something that is going to take a ton of creative power to get out of in a realistic fashion.
The whole season was building towards the cross-promotion finale in which FWD meets DWL to end the feud started when Jack slugged Gully in the middle of his ring during an FWD show bringing about a lawsuit from Gully to Jack.
We're shown only three matches of this card. One involving "defector" Crystal going over "Ell Dorado" played by AJ Mendez recreating her AJ Lee character (I give her low-talent husband Phil credit for coming up with something different with Rickie Rabies instead of his usual character). A tag team match won by Diego Cottonmouth and Wild Bill which leads to Wild Bill clutching his chest a couple of times and leading all watch the show to believe that he's about to have a heart attack and join his old friend Tom.
Finally we get to the main event. The Condammed (Ace) vs. Another DWL defector in Rooster Robins in a Last Man Standing Match. Gully has his guys come down and string Ace up and wants Rooster to finish Ace off with a baseball bat. Crystal saves the day as she and Rooster both turn only for Jack to come out and reveal a turn of his own.
Jack says he sold the DWL to Gully and if Ace can beat him, Ace will own the DWL, if Jack wins, he's burning the whole thing down. Jack and Ace proceed to bring the house down with their third match over the run of the series. Jack was supposed to go over but with the crowd being so hot, Jack goes for one more high flying maneuver and looks to nail it properly.
However, Jack somehow didn't. Calling back to the opening scene where Jack attempts a shooting star press into a dumpster full of foam padding and botches it. Tom tells Jack not to bother with something like that because that's not who he is. But Jack does it in this match and then tells Ace, he can't get up, he's injured. Ace beats the ten count and is declared the winner by the FWD referee and Stacy goes to check on her husband and the last words we hear are "I can't feel my legs."
Now one thing I've always enjoyed about this show is they make an effort to show all the parts of wrestling. The good, the bad, and the ugly. They even took time out in a first season episode to explain if a real injury occurs in the ring, the referee will make an X above his head with his arms to signal to the back that there's a real injury in the ring.
And this is where they lost me. Yes, the referee knows that Jack, not Ace, is supposed to beat his count. The referee also knows to keep tabs on the wrestlers, especially after some kind of high spot like a guy going off the top rope or guys smashing through a table. But our referee does not do this. He doesn't even check on Jack after the count has been made and an arm has been raised. No actual professional wrestling referee would ever do this.
So now we're supposed to believe that Jack is at least a temporary paraplegic? Bobby Pin had his leg broken in the first season and hasn't returned to being a wrestler yet. Now the DWL is going to be down another headline wrestler? Gully is going to inherit the financial mess that is the DWL with his lawsuit? Continuum is going to want to be a part of the whole thing and make the two promotions work together?
That's a lot to unscrew in the upcoming season should there be one.
Overall a bit sad given that what this season offered compared to the first. I'll say this much though, it was compelling television to watch even with the dead Tom in the crowd yelling at his son for not listening. So 6 out of 10 stars with the deduction being for the major, major botch at the end.
The potential pitfall of a sale to Continuum along with having to permanently work with Gully and FWD would have left a good enough cliffhanger for the third season. Jack being partially paralyzed is just like him and his matches, one step too far leading to a botch.
Creed III (2023)
Took a risk, came up short, very short
Creed III is the latest installment of the long-running Rocky franchise but the first one without any appearance of Rocky or clearly input from Slyvester Stallone.
By itself, it is an ok movie and let's be honest, there's some real turkeys in the Rocky franchise prior to this movie. But it falls short of the standard set by the first two Creed movies because of the final fight takes a large risk but ends up coming up short which drags the whole movie down.
The movie starts off well enough with some more backstory to Adonis' past and introduces us to a new character. As the trailers let us know, Adonis has retired and this new character comes back from his past to cause the main conflict of the movie.
We lose another character with Mary Anne Creed dying off after an argument with her son and Adonis learning the truth about his old friend.
The whole movie leads towards a final fight between the old friends but instead of the usual gritty boxing action the Rocky movies treated us to, we get a near psychedelic trip through about ten rounds leading to advice Adonis' corner man should have been giving him about 10 rounds earlier.
While the lack of Rocky appearing is an understandable choice given where the characters left off after the previous film, I have to think that Stallone would never have done the final fight scene the way it was done. It was a risk and maybe some people liked it, I however didn't.
Outside of that final fight scene, I thought the movie was pretty good, but just a sour note to send us home with.
Succession: With Open Eyes (2023)
A Finale Like Many Other Finales
Why is that Series Finales are often so disappointing?
Succession wasn't like other series that thought that they were coming back for another season, but were abruptly cancelled. It wasn't a show that tried to straddle a line of maybe they're coming back or maybe they aren't so they need the flexibility.
No, that wasn't the case here with this episode. The cast and crew knew that this was it. This was going to be the last episode, the last time we see this characters and instead of wrapping things up, they leave more questions unanswered than they answered.
First of all, I don't think anybody who watched this show expected any of the Roy children to get the company. It was only question of how would they fail. And fail they do, however it feels unsatisfying.
The writers and producers and director try to make Kendall into a tragic figure here, but I think by and large they fail. I don't necessarily feel bad for him at the end and honestly, expected him to hit the water only not to come back this time as he did earlier in this episode and a previous one from this season not to mention some other trips into the drink.
We've seen Ken fail and fall down many times in the course of the show, in some ways, we know he'll figure something out and get back into the thick of things even if it isn't his father's company.
Roman almost becomes a piece of the background like Connor. Which is probably what he's always been and his fate after his public breakdown at his father's funeral. However, him sitting in a bar sipping a martini just doesn't seem right.
Then there's the appropriately nicknamed Shiv. Once again, she lives up to it. But what was her motivation for shivving Ken at the board meeting? Her line of "you killed a guy" came out of nowhere. What, NOW she realizes that her brother isn't an honorable man? Did she get bought off Matsson when he went to battle stations after finding out he was losing the vote? Did she and Roman decide that this was how they were going to "kill" their older brother?
Shiv clearly doesn't have any new found love or emotions for her husband who ends up as the "winner." He puts his hand out to her in the back of the SUV and she merely places her hand on top, she pointedly doesn't take it. But did finding out that Tom waiting in the wings convince her to take out her brother?
We don't know. We're left to guess and that is what is so maddening. Yea, it makes for a great climatic scene in the board room but the viewer is left wondering what just happened, and the answer is never going to come which is why this is such a disappointment.
That being said, it was still riveting television. They touched on all the notes that they played throughout the run of the show with the exotic locations and the lifestyles of the filthy rich and the brief moment of operating as a family before tearing each others throats out.
We get one final look at Logan, alive and well, and unlike himself throughout the entire run, we see a human side of him that hadn't been shown before. That was a nice touch.
Just tell us why, even with a throwaway line, Shiv did what she did. Because Kendall accidentally killing a waiter at a wedding where she told her husband after it was over that she wanted to keep her options open wasn't the real reason why and I think everybody who watched this show knows that.
Night Court (2023)
Unnecessary Revival
That's what I thought when I heard that this show was being "brought back." Most of the cast from the original run have passed away and of those still available, only John Larroquette returns.
And Thank Goodness he did because if he hadn't this show would be totally unwatchable.
Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone started off as the annoying boss and has gotten a little better but still doesn't have the charm that made Harry Anderson so great in the role as the caring judge.
India de Beaufort as Olivia Moore as seems to have the best shot of going somewhere with her role but the writing here is so bad, she's just spinning her wheels for the most part.
Kapil Talwalkar as Neil got a bit of a creepy storyline with him having a crush on his boss, Abby. They give him a girlfriend towards the end of the first season (who is nearly a carbon copy of Abby) but now his crush is no longer engaged to another man? Total trainwreck of a storyline.
Lacretta grew on me as the first season went on as Gurgs but she seems to be too much the focus of the show at times and when they make her a mash-up of Bull and Roz from the original run, it just doesn't work, especially since both original actors are still alive. The bailiffs often had a Waldorf and Statler role in the original run and Lacretta really needs a partner to play off.
Larroquette carries this show and is hopefully helping this cast learn the comedy ropes, but the writing is just bad and there's only so much a seasoned pro like Larroquette can do to bail it out.
The first season finale was not only stupid, but having Dan Fielding and Gurgs leave New York makes no sense in terms of the show going forward.
Finally, Marsha Warfield's cameo as Roz deserved much, much better than what we got.
Hopefully in Season 2 we can at least get cameos from Richard Moll, Brent Spiner, Annie O'Donnel, and Denise Kumagai if we can't get better writing. Otherwise, the show won't get enough ratings to avoid being cancelled.
Windtalkers (2002)
A Wasted Opportunity
Windtalkers is ostensibly about the Navajo Codetalkers and the important role that they play in helping the United States win the war in the Pacific in World War II. However, what we're left with is a Nicolas Cage in full emo mode dealing with PTSD while babysitting one of the Codetalkers.
And it is a real shame because the Codetalkers deserve a proper telling of their story. Instead the two that get the most screen time are almost afterthoughts and not much is done to build up sympathy for either one or demonstrate just how important they were to the fighting cause.
Instead we're treated some of the usual war movie tropes. The enemy forces are comically inept, unable to hit targets while holding higher ground while Cage stands up, waves his machine gun back and forth, and kills every Japanese solider in the process. Noah Emmerich plays the obligatory bigoted white solider. Frances O'Connor was clearly cast because they needed some sort of female representation in the movie but ends up being mostly wasted.
Maybe worth watching once and then forgetting about.
Counterpart (2017)
Fantastic Show, Ended Just in Time
Like many of the other folks here, I find this show to be very well done, from the acting, to the writing, to the directing, to the story itself. And while I found out about this show's cancelation prior to watching what ended up being the series finale and was just as disappointed as every other fan of the show, having seen the finale, I think the show ended at just the right time.
The first season focuses on J.K. Simmons playing a dual role and he does it to perfection. Howard and Howard Prime are such opposite characters it is hard to believe that they are the same person. The second season, Simmons takes a backseat to the lady playing his wife Emily, Olivia Williams, and she masters her dual role of Emily in a way all her own that is just as enjoyable to watch. Both seasons feature "showdowns" where the two sides face each other and the showdown between the Howards in the interface room is the height of the series. The showdown between the Emilys in a "special" interface room (no glass between them) doesn't hold the same weight and introduces a major plot hole into the series.
As the series comes to an end, there is the unresolved question of did the Primes exact their revenge on the original world and release their flu to the same devastating consequences? However, what made the show click, one actor playing two roles through an entire season was pretty much gone. Only Emily Prime remains as the original Emily dies, at least one of the Howards wants completely out (it is unknown if the Howards switched again), and the only other character to have his original and Prime still alive is Harry Qualye who we learn over the course of the series is a man completely out of his league in a spy game, no matter what side he comes from.
For as much fun as this series was over two seasons, I have to think a third would have dragged them down.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Certainly a Masterpiece
Not sure why I took so long to see this movie, but having seen performances from all the main actors in this film, I don't think any of them have done any better since this film.
While the movie is formulaic, the performances of Robin Williams, Matt Damon, and Minnie Driver allow you to overlook that. Williams very much deserved his Oscar and I can't think of anybody who could have played his role any better than him. Damon has always struck me as a smart and cocky type of person but for a few fleeting moments, shows real vulnerability. And with the way the movie ends, we don't have to judge Driver's performance based on how her character reacts.
But overall, a movie that is very much worth seeing if you haven't seen it before.
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Outstanding Film
I finally saw this film for the first time and I'm kinda kicking myself for not seeing it sooner.
This is a great movie and I totally understand why Al Pacino finally won an Oscar with this role. Pacino is fantastic in his role and avoids the overacting that has plagued many of his performances over the years since this movie. Pacino deserves all accolades and probably many more with this performance.
Chris O'Donnell, who I usually find annoying, does a great job as a "wrong-side of the tracks" kid who gets a crash lesson in living life to the fullest from Pacino who actually learns from O'Donnell as well.
Really well done film and one that if you haven't already seen, you should see.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Regret Waiting So Long to Watch This Movie
Let me start out by saying I am not a fan of Ben Stiller. For whatever reason, I've never found him funny or even entertaining.
That being said, I still very much enjoyed this movie and laughed quite a bit. Just not at any of Ben Stiller's antics which I thought were way to over-the-top to the point of detracting from the movie. I happen to think that his White Goodman character would be have been much better if he had just played it straight up like pretty much everybody else in the movie instead of trying to chew the scenery.
Vince Vaughan and Christine Taylor do a really good job carrying the movie and the supporting cast wisely avoids the overacting that Stiller commits in spite of their characters easily allowing them to do it.
Really, if Stiller had done this role like he did Mr. Furious in Mystery Men, I'd probably give this 10 stars, but because Stiller decided to do one of his "funny characters" it detracted from an otherwise great movie.
The Shining (1980)
Kubrick + King = Really Good
Reading some of the trivia notes here, I kinda get why King wasn't happy with Kubrick's take on his work but the results here never the less were phenomenal.
Jack Nicholson already looks insane so when he starts his descent into madness, it isn't really a surprise and he does an outstanding job with the role. Kubrick does a great job of blurring reality with hallucinations and comes up with a very creepy movie where you yourself don't feel scared but you are certainly scared for the characters.
The only flaw in this movie for me is Shelly Duvall. Little if anything was done to make her into a sympathetic character that you root to survive the ordeal. Danny Lloyd really carries this movie and makes it what it is which is remarkable considering how young he was in this movie.
However, Kubrick is able to bring it all together in a great movie that is very much worth seeing if you haven't seen it already.
The Delta Force (1986)
Good 1980's Cheese
Lee Marvin and Chuck Norris, what else really needs to be said?
Ok, I'll say some more, Chuck as a one-man wrecking crew commanded by Marvin not only rescuing hostages but taking down the kidnapping terrorists in the process. Outside of the obvious requirement of suspension of disbelief on many different fronts needed for any action movie, the only real flaws with this movie are the lack of motivation of the terrorists hijacking the plane and taking hostages and the TV Network "Movie-of-the-Week" feel to it. It seems as though the producers and director assume everybody already knows the source material for this movie and just decides to take everybody for a ride watching Chuck go to town on the terrorists.
But still a very much enjoyable movie with lots of good star power put to good use.
Masters of the Universe (1987)
Worse Ways to Kill Time
So looking to kill time during the pandemic I've been going through my On Demand section and picking out movies that for one reason or another I haven't gotten around to seeing. I dialed up this one last week and (in addition to being glad it was free) I wouldn't have finished it if I had anything better to do, which at the moment, I really don't.
I remember watching the cartoon as a kid and thinking that they should have just gone with making a feature film from the cartoon rather than trying to do live action. I have no idea why this is considered a "cult classic." Frank Langella's performance as Skelletor is why this movie gets even 3 stars. Without it, I would have given it only one. Dolph Lundgren clearly ended his career as a leading actor with this performance and the rest of the cast couldn't quite figure out if they were doing something totally campy and cheesy like the 1960's Batman television show or trying to do something remotely serious and as a result, come up with neither.
The only characters given anything resembling a backstory are the ones who were specifically created for this mess. I barely remember the cartoon so the lack of backstory for the main characters had be wondering me lost. Furthermore this movie really puts the "special" in "special effects" and the sad part is, it really isn't worth laughing at because it is just so pathetic.
Color of Night (1994)
Cheap Material for Self-Gratification
I remember watching this movie when it first came on cable television and feeling sorry for Jane March as this movie was clearly nothing more than an excuse to show her naked. The plot is basic, the dialogue awful, the acting, in spite of having decent actors, is pathetic, and the "Oh no! Didn't see that coming" plot twist, isn't surprising or even one that you the viewer really cares about. But back to Ms. March, when one gets to the point of looking at a woman as attractive as Ms. March is.
If you haven't seen this movie, don't bother, you're not missing much.
Counterpart: You to You (2019)
Not sure what they're doing here
Earlier in the day I was talking with somebody and brought up the old adage "no plan survives contact with the enemy." Yet, once again, we find out that Mira was one step ahead of everybody else and got Ian/Wesley to release her from her cell so she could go and kill all of Management, just as she had planned all a long (and this was after she talked about "flexibility"...
Then they try to create a "cliffhanger" for the season finale. We know she wants the doors closed forever and so the only question is does the final cell release their flu virus before they're stopped? Why not show Mira's orders at the end of the episode?
However, this isn't the say that it was all stupid. The showdown Olivia Williams had with herself was downright masterful, better than the showdown JK Simmons had with himself last season (and really cemented that this season was about her and not Simmons) even if you ignore some of the obvious plot holes (like why are goods exchanged across interface.and not the crossing itself?) and show kept me in suspense the whole time so I'll give a decent score for that.