isaacimages Reviews

Suits Webisodes (2012–2014)

Bingeworthy up until season 4.

[6/10 · 19 October 2023]

I didnt care for the premise when it originally aired on TV, thought I'd give it a try. The first 3 seasons were fast, characters developed well, it was was funny, tense, and actually had a few courtrooms scenes. There were several guest stars I was glad to see again.

The characters are all very human, some morph into the other a bit, and they are all dysfunctional. Almost every time victory presents itself, these folks snatch it and turn it into defeat.

Patrick J Adams plays Mike - the rogue stoner genius fraud with a heart of gold who morphs into Gabriel Macht's Harvey - accomplished yet conceited, stoic macho man.

Rick Hoffman as Louis steals the show IMO as the scheming, neurotic n'er-do-well with facial and body tics. This actor has probably done Shakespeare. In fact, in one episode (that almost Jumps the Shark) he professes a memory of every line from every Shakespeare play.

Donna Paulsen as Donna is a goddess in the true sense. She runs the place.

Starting around season 4, some lines, phrases ("What are you doing here?", "Are you ok?", etc) and situations started to feel too familiar and predictable as if the show's writers were recycling previous episodes. I found myself either fast-forwarding or increasing the pace on Netflix to 1.5x speed. I've grown weary of the in-fighting, back-stabbing, and the smaller crumbs of legal talk and courtroom drama.

Halfway through season 5 I decided to limit my viewing to maybe once a week; originally that's how the show was originally presented.

Avenue 5 (2020–2022)

High Quality Production, Fast-paced, Cutting Wit, Funny in Spots

[4/10 · 15 December 2022]

The sets look huge, with lots of Extras onboard. The effects are good.

Hugh Laurie gets to display his comedic talents.. HOWEVER, there's no letup of the SNARK, everyone's character is super self-centered and they all hate each other. The first two episodes play out like a dysfunctional condo board meeting, or (I'm guessing...sessions of Congress).

The corporate honchos on board spend all their time on THE SPIN, making sure the blame for the constant unfortunate events does not land on them.... Every time a discussion ensues, feelings get hurt, everyone feels disrespected, and nothing gets done to fix the problems at hand.... A LOT like watching The News.

Small spolier: Hugh Laurie's accent changes from American to British; the other characters notice and mention it, which was very funny.

I'll give this series another episode or two before disconnecting. I hope the mood shifts.

I Need You to Kill (2017)

Way Too Long

[5/10 · 22 November 2019]

Interesting in parts, but repetitive. Very detailed depiction of the business and creative theories of what makes a standup comedian successful.

Patch Adams (1998)

Fairytale

[5/10 · 17 May 2019]

Although the opening credits mention this is based on a true story, the premise and ending are absurd. A murder/suicide at a location that Patch Adams was head "doctor", and at his expulsion hearing, he gets exonerated. Really?? I watched this for the first time since seeing it in the theater, and it still doesn't make sense. Still, it was a good vehicle for Robin Williams to do his thing, which was improvisation. Since Robin Williams' suicide, the scene where he rants at God at the edge of the cliff and considers jumping is very poignant, and made me cry. But that's apart and separate from this flick, which tried really had to be a feelgood movie.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Good film until the ending

[7/10 · 4 March 2019]

Great story, lots of irony. Good acting. Characters could have been developed more. Flow of movie a bit uneven. I caught all the references and catch phrases along the way relating to the current racial struggle in our country. I didnt need the Spike Lee Soapbox at the end. Yeah, we get it. Race relations were, and are shitty. Are radical changes needed to reverse hundreds of years of stupidity? Yes. Will they happen? Not likely, since most of us are more concerned with Spike's tantrum that best picture went to a more positive movie about racism made by mostly white people.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Well Done, But Becomes Predictable

[7/10 · 22 February 2019]

Each episode has great dark Coen Bros humor. Great photography. Just wish something good could happen to some of these folks. Each episode is tense because I'm waiting for the rock to drop, the gun to be shot.

Happy! (2017–2019)

Something Different, Sometimes

[6/10 · 8 February 2019]

Christopher Meloni is maniacally different than his usual straight arrow cop. Patton Oswalt is in great voice. This series is good fun most of the time. A lot of it is predictable....a cross between Bad Santa and and much darker Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Ya got yer mob boss, human trafficker, demented Santa Claus, demented assasain, crazy mob family, and idiot henchmen that repeated allow Sam to get away. I binged this on Netflix. I thought it could be three or four episodes shorter. Situations began repeating themselves, there's a side plot involving the mob family that made no sense, and there were a few loose ends at the conclusion.

After the Wizard (2011)

This movie really tries....too hard

[4/10 · 23 January 2019]

It makes sense that the lion doesn't come to Kansas with the tin woodsman and the scarecrow. The three of them would have been carted off right away. Due to the universal knowledge of the Oz adventures, people they meet in our world are able to accept, and even help the two find Dorothy.

There are some clever points....how they obtain money, train tickets, and their scene at the dog pound.

This movie makes some good solid points about the world, and people in general, but it repeats things over and over. Maybe it is aimed at very young children. Others who have reviewed it say the acting is terrible, but I think the acting plays down for younger children. Young children may not catch the flashback aspect of the story, or maybe the editing could have been better.

Could it have been better? Sure. If it had been shortened 15 minutes, to make it seem faster paced.

Limitless (2015–2016)

Upbeat, Fast, intelligent and....Funny!

[9/10 · 23 October 2018]

I never saw the movie so I don't have to compare. Unlike so many tv shows that have main characters that are a**hole anti-heroes, this series has a good guy up front. Good detective stuff, like Sherlock Holmes on steroids, or NZT IN THIS CASE. The shows are written in a way that very little is taken seriously. Characters have mini fantasies that play out, and the Fourth Wall gets broken a lot, which I enjoy. I'm most of the way thru binge watching the first season and am totally enjoying it. Great cast, well written, well rounded characters that are LIKEABLE!