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CobraGuy
Reviews
The Mole (2022)
Season 1: Too much "Survivor" and not enough "The Amazing Race"
First of all, production matters. The editors can manipulate the scenes to make you perceive whatever truth or lies that they want you to believe, but several elements still have to ring true, and those are what turned me away from the show.
The original 2001 series started off lighthearted and grew in tension as the series went on and players were eliminated. Everyone--including The Mole--appeared to be having a great time and were genuinely sad to see people they barely knew have leave the game. I had hoped the same for this series.
But I was wrong.
From day one, the show was nothing but seriousness, manipulation, and deceit by the majority of players, taking so much potential joy out of the "game" part of the show. Most players, if not all of them, made attempts to sabotage the game, just to draw suspicion toward themselves and away from who that particular person thought truly was The Mole. The reasoning was that if a player who was not The Mole tricked everyone into voting for him/her, then that person had the upper hand in not being eliminated. But the strategy never worked. Because everyone used the same sabotage strategy, everyone was eventually suspected by at least one other person, and the votes were always split. Then, one by one, those who were suspected were eliminated, making the sabotage all for not.
The locations were beautiful. The challenges looked fun and stressful. But the game play manipulation by too many players through all ten episodes made the show a chore to enjoy.
The Masked Singer (2019)
Season 8: "Ken, sit your a** down!"
New, Season 8: review:
Eight seasons and hundreds of songs later, I still enjoy this show for being just a fun competition, not one driven by a life-changing recording contract. As always, there wee some great singers as well as not-so-great singers, but trying to guess who is under the mask is entertaining. I'm not so much a fan of changing the format each season, but I suppose it keeps each season fresh. The costumes, set dressings, and production were top notch this season.
My only gripe this season... well, every season, is Ken Jeong's endless, annoying rants. I don't know how the judges were chosen for the show, but at least Robin Thicke and Nicole Sscherzinger have a background in music. Jenny McCarthy I sometimes find entertaining, Nick Cannon finally doesn't annoy me as much now as he did the first four or five seasons, but for the past six seasons I have resorted to recording each episode to watch later so that I can fast forward through most of what Ken has to say. There must be something positive about him off camera that I am not aware of, but it isn't his comedy. He behaves as though he is more important than everyone else and more than he actually is. He also lacks any wit, (hence saying, "How dare you" with every insult thrown at him each episode, "Hear me out" and "Little known fact, look it up" with every boo from the audience for the ridiculous guesses that he gives, and the fact that he goes on and on talking, getting louder and louder, talking over the crowd's groans like a child who got his feelings hurt makes me cringe.
Of course he won't be replaced, so I will continue to watch every episode a night later.
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My original February 2022 review:
Title: "A fun singing competition with a more game-show-esque quality "
Each celebrity performs wearing a beautiful costume (I give high praise to the costume designers) and the judges try to guess who they are by their voice and clues given between performances about who they are. Some of the performers are professional singers, but most live a variety of celebrity lives: from actors and dancers, to athletes, to reality show and social media personalities. While the quality of the non-professional singers can range wildly, some of them have surprisingly great singing voices.
Where the show truly shines, though, is the looseness of its purpose. The show does not take itself seriously. There are no huge stakes. There is no monetary prize. None of the singers are trying to begin a career in music. They just want to sing. The host and judges make quips, the audiences dances in place and laughs. And after each celebrity is "unmakesd" to show if the judges and fans guessed his or her identity correctly, all of the celebrities smile and talk about how much fun they had performing. The anonymity gave them a unique life experience.
It's worth a watch for anyone who just wants a bit of silliness to enjoy.
Alter Ego (2021)
Sob stories and a misleading gimmick with a bit of singing in between
First of all, the gimmick that makes the show different--avatars being on stage in real time--is a fallacy. There is no commercially-available technology that can achieve that or there would be holograms standing in every store trying to sell you something.
The avatars are added in post-production and the judges overplay the false "I can't believe this is happening in real time!" angle. Eliminate that, and it is like any other singing show.
... Well, not quite. Every singer has a sob story about lack of confidence at singing in front of people which makes you feel bad for them. With no way to prove that their insecurities are real, they "nervously" sing backstage, hidden from everyone, but once they are eliminated, each steps onto the stage, belting out a song, with all of the pride and confidence in the world.
Public speaking/singing/dancing as well as body shaming oneself is a real, often crippling fear for millions of people. Very rarely can a single, four-minute performance liberate someone completely, from a lifelong fear, which is how the show presents it, and I detest it being used to drive the "story" as it were.
I will give two stars because, like all other singing competitions, some of the music is enjoyable to listen to in the background while I do other activities.
Contact (1997)
When science meets faith, which will prevail?
Science or faith? Devotion or recognition? Which of these is more important? Contact makes you question them all as Eleanor Arroway (Jodie Foster) searches the stars for alien life and answers to her own questions.
This movie does a wonderful job of showing truths about human nature, how some people take their believes to extremes, and how the little man is sometimes pushed down by those in power to rise anther inch toward their own selfish goals. The story is excellently told with little useless filler and just enough science fiction to make the story somewhat plausible. Several twists and surprises will truly leave you wondering until the very end who will come out on top.
One of my all-time favorite stories.
Phineas and Ferb (2007)
The perfect show for this day and age
At a time when everyone from age two and up has a smart phone or tablet within arm's reach at all times, this series presents an important message in an entertaining way that children and their parents alike should head: go outside and play.
From the entertaining stories and catchy songs to the clever ways that the A and B stories tie together to eliminate the boys' daily inventions and foil Candace's crusade, this series is innocent entertainment at its best. And while unspoken, rather than being turned into a plot line or focus to be thrown in the viewer's face as is done with other shows today, I appreciate seeing the racial and social diversity of the characters on this series. In spite of race, religion, or customs, all are friends, willing to help each other on any task. I can think of no other cartoon where the main characters' parents are together as a result of divorce from previous marriages, made known subtly by their last names alone without the need to explain the details to a child. Children are often much smarter than cartoon creators give them credit for.
The series is a much watch for all.