kendahlj-55 Reviews

The Catch (2016–2017)

The kind of dumb writing that forces a suspension of disbelief

[2/10 · 24 February 2022]

This show has a nice premise ruined by poor writing to move the plot along. In one of the very first scenes they are tracking an engineer who is selling company secrets. They show him surveillance and say "he eats a sandwich at The same spot every day." So instead of having a guy watching this spot, they have people following him and of course they lose him. Hmmm...maybe just go to where he eats his sandwich every day? The first episode is littered with this kind of stuff. I might power through more episodes to see if it gets better but this con artist they've been chasing forever and he ruins her life but she still loves him? Come on...

Alex Rider (2020–2024)

Avoid if you have trouble suspending disbelief

[7/10 · 21 December 2021]

I enjoyed this show. The acting was decent. The mystery was intriguing. The writing was okay. However, you really have to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. If you can't do that, just avoid. Even the premise is a stretch...a boy's uncle is killed and they recruit him to go undercover at a nefarious boarding school. With no training or information, they throw him into a dangerous situation without the slightest care. There are a million plot holes you could nitpick but don't...just relax and enjoy.

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Don't believe the hype

[3/10 · 12 June 2019]

I saw this movie had garnered some positive user reviews so I gave it shot. Man I wish I had that 90 minutes left. The characters are awful. Neither of the main leads is likable. They are childhood sweethearts who have drifted apart and now are living completely different and incompatible lifestyles but somehow end up back together. So predictable and so underwhelming. And full of holes. We're expected to believe that the woman, who has loved the man since she was a child, hasn't been in contact for 16 years. It's just unrealistic. The girlfriend Jenny...they made her so unlikeable that there's no way to believe the main character dated her for five months. I'd advise you to find something else...this type of movie has been done 100 times and each of those is better than this. The only reason it got three stars from me is there's a pretty unexpected cameo that totally cracked me up. I won't spoil it in case you don't heed my warning and watch it anyway...

Limitless (2015–2016)

One of the better season premieres of the fall season

[8/10 · 28 September 2015]

I have not seen the movie Limitless, but was aware of the premise. I wasn't really interested in the pilot for the new TV series, but I happened to catch it by luck. I was glad I did.

The show follows a man who hasn't done much with his life. In a temp job, he runs into an old band mate, who sees in him potential and gives him a super pill that unlocks the deepest recesses of his brain (makes him really, really smart). The plot follows him as he is chased by the FBI who want him for murder, while he tries to clear his name.

There's really nothing new to the show that we haven't seen in other shows in the crime procedural genre, but it works. The acting is good. The pacing is good. The possibilities are there for some twists. It sets up a good overarching mystery. Overall, if you like TV dramas like Mentalist and Chuck then you'll like this show.

As an aside, I thought it was WAY better than Minority Report, and that was one I really looked forward to when it was announced. Of the pilots I've seen, Lucifer was better. Player was okay for some silly action fun. Quantico has a better mystery. But Limitless is in the top three.