pd78w Reviews

The Lost City (2022)

Please give me MIchael Douglas and Kathleen Turner

[22 May 2022]

I don't care how old and/or fat they are now. They could have done a better job with this weak, flawed attempt to remake Romancing the Stone. Do yourself a big favor and skip this.

Don't Look Up (2021)

The art of satire has been lost.

[19 February 2022]

Airplane!, Dr. Strangelove, Being There... These were classic satires. Don't Look Up was only a shameful attempt. The writers wasted a golden opportunity to do an important film during a real crisis in America. How sad.

Killing Fields (2016– )

Should have been a one-hour TV movie

[16 December 2021]

I have a hunch the entire reason for Season 1 was to supplement the retirement fund of detective Rhodes "Rodie" Sanchez. Painfully slow, scripted. Identical redundant "previously on" flashbacks were annoying. Basically had enough actual material for a one-hour TV movie. Instead, it was dragged into 301 minutes of tedious repetition.

My advice: Watch the first episode, then skip to the final. You will not miss a thing.

The Stand (2020–2021)

Huge disappointment.

[15 November 2021]

The book was epic. I read it at least three times. To me, it was like a modern version of John Milton's Paradise Lost, the quintessential story of good vs. Evil. Although this TV show somewhat retained that theme, the story jumped around so much that anyone who had not read the book would be completely lost. And not in a paradise sense! What was "lost" was an opportunity to finally get this story right. It kills me to say this, but I honestly preferred the old mini series with Gary Sinise.

Adverse (2020)

Hard to watch...

[14 April 2021]

... if you remember Mickey Rourke in 9 1/2 Weeks, Diner, and Angel Heart. In that respect, this is simply heartbreaking. BTW, the movie itself is awful.

Sanditon (2019–2023)

To anyone who was expecting to relive the pleasures of watching Pride and Prejudice...

[31 July 2020]

,,, turn back now.

I was so looking forward to another series written by Andrew Davies. Unfortunately, Sanditon fell short and flat. The characters were forced and unnatural.

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy had been brought to life in Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps it was the actors... or maybe Simon Langton is truly a master director. Whatever the case, it's impossible to compare the vapid Sanditon with Pride and Prejudice without cringing.

So, if you're in the mood for a satisfying period drama, skip Sanditon - and dig out your old DVD to rewatch Pride and Prejudice.

You can thank me later.

Midway (2019)

Travesty

[3 June 2020]

Trav·es·ty; noun: A false, absurd, or distorted representation of something. Those of us whose fathers and grandfathers served in WWII should be ashamed that this film ever saw the light of day. Screenplay was excruciatingly painful. Even the better actors were made to look ridiculous. If you want the real story, head over to History Channel's Battle of Midway.

Frankie (I) (2019)

Huge disappointment

[11 March 2020]

As someone who can watch Brendan Gleeson in anything, this movie left me completely unmoved. None of the characters seemed to have their hearts in their roles. The 3-star rating is solely because Gleeson at least gave it a go. But I wouldn't be surprised if he's sorry he has this clunker on his resume.

Line of Duty (2019)

So bad... it's funny!

[2 March 2020]

Actors did their best with a ridiculous, far-fetched script. Was the screenplay written by a high school kid? Oh, well, it gave us a few laughs.

Howards End (2017–2018)

Please forgive me, but...

[26 February 2020]

... I much preferred the 1992 Emma Thompson/Anthony Hopkins/James Ivory movie version. Perhaps I'm too much a fan of Merchant Ivory films. It's a pleasure watching Matthew Macfadyen in anything. And I look forward to future roles for Hayley Atwell. It's not that this mini-series version is inferior. It simply didn't arouse as much of my sympathy for any of the characters as the 1992 version.

T-34 (2018)

Unintentionally hilarious

[18 August 2019]

Watched this with English subtitles and English dubbing. The subtitles didn't match the audio dubbing. That alone made watching it a unique experience.

Manifest (2018–2023)

So where were they for five years?

[18 August 2019]

And why did they come back the same age as when they left? There was a giant clue early in the show. Think back to watching "Close Encounters": "They haven't aged a day. Einstein was right." "Einstein was probably one of them." Alien abduction. I wish "Manifest" were half as interesting as "Close Encounters" was.

The Vanishing (II) (2018)

Story contrived from conspiracy theory

[6 June 2019]

I prefer to think the three lighthouse-keepers disappeared because they were simply washed away by a big wave.

P.S. Instead, read the poem by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson. It's more absorbing than this movie.

Escape at Dannemora (2018)

Twice as long as it needed to be.

[30 April 2019]

The story would have been much more riveting had it not been stretched into seven episodes. The tension factor was diluted by too much unnecessary fill. A shame, because it distracted from the excellent job done by the actors. When an hour-long episode feels like two, something's not right. An interesting story despite all that, but the "5" rating reflects all the time that was killed for no obvious dramatic effect.

Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators (2018– )

If you enjoy shows like "Murder, She Wrote"...

[3 April 2019]

... or "Miss Marple," then you'll probably like this. Very lightweight stuff, not much real drama. Shows like "Happy Valley" and "Vera" are not complicated but still have more meat on their bones.

Prince Avalanche (2013)

Certified Rotten

[19 March 2019]

Don't trust other review sites. This film was awful. Very slim, witless plot -- and what there was of it, made no sense. A complete waste of time for Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, whose talents were relegated to speaking lines in a film that never should have been made.