Bronco46 Reviews

Colosseum (2022– )

Amazingly good television!

[10/10 · 4 November 2022]

I just happened to notice the first episode in the channel guide and decided to give it a chance since it was a topic that's usually interesting. So I used my DVR to grab all the episodes and then I forgot about it.

When I got around to watching the first episode, I was stunned by the quality of this production. I learned things in each of the episodes that I did not know. And I thought I had a pretty knowledge of the subject.

They hit the ground running with the first episode "The Gladiators". This first episode was full of information that is not widely known about these men and the lives they lived. After this first episode I was hooked. I watched all the rest in quick succession. And none of the rest of the episodes were a let down. All in all it's a very compelling production. If you have any interest in history, and especially the Roman Empire and specifically the Colosseum. This is a great show to grab. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Roadworthy Rescues (2022– )

Another MotorTrend Hit

[10/10 · 4 November 2022]

At first I thought of Roadkill, but that's not fair at all.

Derek is a charming guy that's almost impossible to not like.

He and his brother roam around the country side finding cars that have been given up on, and he gets them going in his own way. They do some remarkable work, while Derek does a running commentary that only he knows where some of those words came from.

I'm on my fourth episode and they're becoming more entailing not less. One hour of smiles. This is the kind of work many of us can identify with. Recommended! My earlier remark about Roadkill was because every once in a while they do something similar on that show. But they don't do it with the same style. This is fast becoming a favorite of mine.

Evil Lives Here: What If He Was Innocent? (2021) Season 9, Episode 1

Outside meddling!

[10/10 · 4 October 2021]

A clear-cut case of a group of people and or companies interfering with another state's rights to govern itself. Which is assured by the Constitution of the United States.

This man was given a very fair trial and was allowed appeals. He was convicted by the weight of evidence that he did in fact commit this crime. But the people whose only reason for getting involved is their ability to profit from dragging this poor woman through the court of public opinion for what was clearly nothing. This one was hard to watch.

If you believe in our Justice system it will be for you too.

The Food That Built America: Chip Dynasties (2021) Season 2, Episode 6

History Channel Hits it Out of the Park... Again!

[10/10 · 26 April 2021]

I loved the first season of this series.

And actually I thought it was a one time deal. I was so glad to see they decided to dig deeper into the compelling stories of some the largest segments of the food industry in this country.

And the many corporations that sprang up for various reasons over the last 130 years or so. Until you've seen one of these episodes. You can't imagine how interesting the many stories that make up that history are. And a big part of the reason these are so good is. The History Channel has done a great job with the production values of the stories they're telling. This particular episode is about snack food that I am helpless around. I absolutely love potato chips. I proved a long time ago, "you can't eat just one." This episode is predominantly about the two biggest a most successful chip manufacturers, C. E. Doolin (Frito's) and Herman Lay (Potato Chips). Obviously there are many regional manufacturers, but these two went on to form the biggest Potato chip company in the world. And it's an interesting story. Along with a lot of facts about the history of making chips in the United States. Highly recommended!

Rust Valley Restorers: The Reckoning (2020) Season 2, Episode 10

Car destruction instead of restoration.

[9/10 · 3 April 2021]

These guys are always entertaining. But this is the third episode that has involved racing at the local track. In this episode they take part in a demo derby again and those are always fun. But they seem to do things differently in Canada, aye! In the states we use the back of car. They start the race most cars take off in reverse to hit with the rear of their car, they last longer that way. But in both episodes involving demo derbying in Canada, the run front end first into each other. And as you world expect it takes a toll on radiators and the ability to turn your front wheels to steer. It's still fun. But, puzzling.

Murder in the Heartland: Love on the Rocks (2021) Season 3, Episode 5

I Would not want to live in Montrose!

[7/10 · 19 January 2021]

I watch a lot of this type of show. I like fact based shows, especially crime genre. And I usually like this particular shows episodes. But, I found some of people in this town, so dislikable that I just couldn't wait to get to the end of episode. As they always do in this type of show they look for people close to the people who lived through the events being covered. But some of these people just ASSUMED that one particular person had down it, and even when it was proved this person wasn't involved. These people continued smear the one they thought was involved with no more evidence then a feeling on their part. It got to the point when I saw their face come up on screen, I'd find myself saying "oh God, not again" to myself. It's a very sad case, that happened several years ago. And of the family involved, only the children remain alive. And I found the townspeople's comments unnecessarily cruel to the remaining family members. The girls involved knew their parents weren't perfect, but it sounds like separately they would good to the sisters and that the sisters loved both their parents. It's worth watching. But if people jumping to conclusions about things they could not know bothers you, you may find so the statement irritating.

Garage Squad: Phoenix Firebird (2020) Season 7, Episode 3

Masks

[1/10 · 21 October 2020]

A TV show with masks is a complete waste of time. Why should we have to try to listen people talking with their mouths covered. My mother taught me not to talk with my mouth full. They should just keep showing rerun until they're not afraid to go near people anymore. I don't think I'm alone in this. There's a name for what's going on here. But, I doubt they would publish this review if I use that phrase. So, I'll just. I'll be back when I can see faces and her voices clearly.

United We Fall: You're Doing It Wrong (2020) Season 1, Episode 6

Sam McMurray is great!

[9/10 · 30 August 2020]

Sam McMurray is a great addition to the series. It looks like they've only planned two episodes for him. But in the future, they should find a way to give him a bigger role in this series. He's a funny talented man on his own, and here, working with Jane Curtin they're great together. Is this episode we get to see the conclusion of story lines started in the last episode. Will Sasso continues being the comedic anchor for this enjoyable series.

United We Fall: My Favorite Marta (2020) Season 1, Episode 5

Dealing with a helicopter parent!

[9/10 · 30 August 2020]

A story about the clash of ideas between a normal family and one where they control every moment of their daughters life. They thought they'd give a young girl some freedoms she doesn't get in her parents home, and the consequences of their actions. And Bill decides to get his long lost father back together with his live-in mother with interesting outcomes.

United We Fall: Participation Trophy (2020) Season 1, Episode 4

A common problem in this era of cell phones and tablets!

[9/10 · 30 August 2020]

Another meaningful story about a family coping with raising child, when all they want to do is stay inside and play with their devices. It's such a relief to see a family situation comedy with a normal family! Not a bunch woke kids and parents that are dumber than those kids. Will Sasso is hilarious as the father-figure in this otherwise all female household.

United We Fall: Date Night (2020) Season 1, Episode 3

Batterygate!

[9/10 · 6 August 2020]

So great to see relatively normal parents in a situation comedy that aren't going completely over-board to be politically correct and/or woke. And it's always good to see Will Sasso, like most of his work. He's truly funny in this. In this episode Bill & Jo have to trust gramma to babysit in spite of Bill's concerns.

United We Fall: The Biter (2020) Season 1, Episode 2

Common Sense vs Today's Values

[9/10 · 25 July 2020]

It's good to see a show that shines a light on some of the all to real child rearing problems seen in the United States. Problems that actually started showing up 20 years ago or more. The family that's the focus of this show is just a normal family with the usual kinds of quirks here and there, and the kinds of things they run up against with two small children. One of the children is completely new to school the school seems to be run in a way that would more than please the most radical helicopter parents. Which clashes with the way this family has been raising these two little girls up till now. Will Sasso is terrific and has the usual rough edges on his personality that you might find in working man. And he and his wife have agreed, for the most part, no how their kids have been brought up so far. Through in the VERY quirky grandmother (Jane Curtin) and so far there's a been a lot of laughs. And some very welcome to see more traditional values in the home and as it relates to the way their children are schooled. This is only the shows second episode. And as the title makes clear one of the kids has a biting problem at school. And in the current environment where everything is a crisis and problems are blown out of all proportion. The writers manage to come up with a well written episode that is sensitive to both sides. But definitely leans towards a more common sense approach, all done humor. Just watching Sasso's expressions is a lot of fun.

United We Fall (2020)

It will be good to see Will Sasso on a regular basis.

[9/10 · 16 July 2020]

If you enjoy Will Sasso you will almost certainly enjoy this show. For a pilot, they did a pretty good job. Most other pilots don't have much good material. This was a pleasant surprise. And it was great to see Jane Curtin again playing Will's mother. She'll be a really asset to the show in future episodes. In much the same way John Mahoney did in Frasier. Even the kids are fun and interesting on this one.

Forgotten Victory (1939)

He helped feed the world!

[10/10 · 9 June 2020]

Another amazing story that lends credance to the idea that God is looking after the United States. There have been almost inumeral number of events/turning points in the history of the United States that have been unbelivablly important to well being of this great nation. This is the story of a man who may not have even known at the time, how important his worldwide journey looking for hardy seed stock was. It's not clear if he was specifically looking for just wheat. Or if he was just a study of agriculture and traveled the world studying. And just happened to find something that changed history, and has fed hundreds of millions of people over the decades. And interesting story, well told!

The Blacklist: The Kazanjian Brothers (No. 156/157) (2020) Season 7, Episode 19

Should be a lower number of stars.

[5/10 · 16 May 2020]

I only gave this episode 5 stars because of past performance by this series. Most of the previous episodes had good stories that were well told. But this episode was only about half bareable, so it gets a five. That's five out of respect and zero for this episode. This program, up until this episode had consistantly over-performed. It's been steadilly improving from the first season. With the last two or three seasons packed with episodes that deliver movie quality plots, characters, stunts, and effects. And that's not easy to do in something like 42 mins every week. Then we get to this episode. I think the producers have lost their fricking minds. Out of nowhere at some random point in this episode they starting cutting in an out with whole scenes done in low resolution 1970's level comic book style animation. I guess they're hoping to open up a new demographic for this show. But for my money, they're alienating some other demos. I didn't just find it distracting (it was), by half-way thru I was getting more and more angry with every cut to the low grade animation. I suppose will consider this hip I get to differ. I hope this isn't a trend. You won't find any spoilers in this review. I was too upset with the format of the episode to keep track of enough details of the story to pass them along here. I was grateful to see this program was givn at least another season going forward. But if they keep this up. I'll be moving on.

Diabolical (2018–2020)

I watch a lot of this type of program!

[10/10 · 15 May 2020]

This is both a compelling and a chilling program. The catch-phrase for this show is "All murder is bad, but some are DIABOLICAL." And so far, everyone of the episodes they've done has shown there can be a difference. A lot of murders stem from a sudden emotional out-burst, and some are related to other types of crime gone wrong, resulting in a killing. But this show has done their homework and continues to find murders that are truly hainous in their nature. Murders committed by people that the victim would have seen as a friend, family member or spouse. All these victims were done by people they trusted and some they loved dearly. That's what makes these episodes so compelling. This show really gives you a lot to think about. Not just about the stories but, how you look at your own life and the people that surround you. Excellent show. Very well told and very well done.

Body Cam: Flight Risk (2020) Season 2, Episode 10

This one contains a clip seen before on other shows.

[8/10 · 20 February 2020]

This was a pretty good episode. But I can't give it more than that. It's made up of three separate incidents. The problem is one of them is of an incident that been shown on two other shows before, and it's far from a current event. Like the others it's compelling. It's just a little shop-worn. Aside from that fact this episode is in the same fine direction that all the other episode have followed. And gives us an excellent look at the kinds of things the people we ask to protect all-day everyday see. This is an episode well worth watching. My one complaint only applies to people who may have seen one of the clips used to produce this episode.

Live PD: 11.15.19 (2019) Season 4, Episode 18

WHOA!

[10/10 · 18 November 2019]

I didn't think they could up the excitement level in this program! I was wrong! They used to follow eight departments during each episode. Now, they're following 12 departments. Which obviously gives them more incidents to look in on. And for this first 12 department episode there were five or six chases, some very long, all successfully brought to a close. Which just added to already interesting and exciting program. By having so many departments involved and staying with each incident. We get to see the variety of enforcement methods and tactics that exists out there from state to state, county to county, and city to city. It's an exciting learning experience that I believe will ultimately help many departments across this country. And not just by showing that law enforcement can be adept and be very successful in dealing with crime. It shows that the police don't have to be feared. And that they are just doing the job doing the job, they don't want to hurt anyone. And if a person behaves they will be treated respectfully from the start. This first 12 department episode bodes well for future shows. It will be good.

God Friended Me: All Those Yesterdays (2019) Season 2, Episode 4

Who Wrote This!?

[5/10 · 21 October 2019]

This show has had some really good moments. This was not one of them. The story line about the adopted asian girl had a serious plot hole. When Joy gets on the bus with the girl to stop her from running after someone who may help her learn more about her ancestry, the young girl never questions how she knows what she knows. Not one question. Even the young girls farther just accept it as gospel with no questions. That is impossible to believe. Finally the adoptive mother askes a few carefully worded questions. But that's it. I think they should have stuck to one story line for this episode so they could spend a little more time developing a more believable story.

Carol's Second Act (2019–2020)

Pretty darn good comedy set in a hospital setting.

[9/10 · 12 October 2019]

I only looked in on this new series because Patricia Heaton was a part of it. And I was surprised to find it's a pretty well researched effort. I wouldn't have expected a sit-com to be this well done. I'm a retired RN who worked critical care for a number of years and ER on the Eastside of Detroit. And I especially like the character portrayed by Cedric Yarbrough. On many units in most hospitals there is one RN that unofficially "runs" the unit, someone that others turn too. I've known several Nurse Dennis's, but we never called them Nurse anything, nurse is typically not a prefix anymore. But I think they do that to assure that people understand what his position is. The first few episodes have been entertaining and not as far-fetched as you might think. Interns do come in bewildered and worried. Usually they are people that went right from highschool to a four year undergrad program, then completed four years of medical school. After that they released into hospital training programs to learn the actual nuts and bolts of taking care of human being. Some have never treat a living human being for any length of time if at all. So them come nervous and unsure. They have a ton of knowledge and have to learn to use it in the field with no instructors around acting as safety nets. It's very competitive. And it means a great deal to their future. There is a lot of humor amongst people working in hospitals, its a defense mechanism. It's necessary to make it possible to keep coming in everyday. You have days where you think, "I can't keep doing this". But your scheduled to be there, so you come back because you can't let your friends down, and you can't stop doing the best you can for patients. So so-far, I'm enjoying this show. The first episodes of most new series, especially sit-coms or dramadies start off shakey but get better. If you doubt that, look at the first episodes of shows like Friends, Frasier and Cheers. It's a show that follows a few recent medical school graduates as they get used to be interns in a hospital that's not part of their medical, and on their own. Worth a look to see if it's your cup of tee.

Armstrong Circle Theatre: The House of Flying Objects (1958) Season 9, Episode 2

This would probably still scare me. Even today!

[9/10 · 24 August 2019]

I'm writing this review 60 years after I first watched this with my parents as an 11 year old boy. This program had a powerful effect on my young mind. I never forgot how it made me feel. The details have become fuzzy over the years. Basically, a family with young children moves into a home and sets up a household. At first they didn't notice what was going on because it seemed like accidents or coincidences. But soon it became impossible to not notice that objects around the house were falling to floor and or flying across the room. At first they tried to explain it with rational ideas about what might be going on. But it rapidly moved to large objects being upended. Making all common sense explanations impossible. In one case I remember very well a bookcase wedged tightly between the foot of a bed and the wall turning over. The situation rapidly moved toward chaos. And this is where my memory fails me. And perhaps that's a good thing. I won't be able to spoil it for you. Here in August of 2019, I can't find a copy of this program. I think the Armstrong Circle Theater was performed live, making it possible the old kinescope of this episode is lost. I hope not, if you can find a copy, watch it. And see if you agree with me that it's a well done (for the time) piece of work. And I'm guessing will stand the test of time. Enjoy!

Mom: Toilet Wine and the Earl of Sandwich (2014) Season 1, Episode 19

Toasting a Felon?

[3/10 · 14 April 2019]

Only in Hollywood can they write a story about a group of women sitting around a table toasting a women who embezzled four million dollars from a bunch of people who trusted her with their retirements. There's a lot to like in most of these episodes. There's even a number of funny lines in this episode. But, friend or not they acknowledged that she was a felon. They didn't have to treat her poorly, but they shouldn't have celebrated her either. But Hollywood can't help themselves. And why not, they live in over protected neighborhoods that have little to worry about from crimes by outsiders. Unlike the rest of the population of this country. There are already enough movies and TV shows that glorify crime. This is just another.

Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice (2019– )

Questionable at best!

[3/10 · 3 February 2019]

This "Smiley Face Murder's idea is being misrepresented here. As of January 2019 there is not official police investigation in any jurisdiction in the U.S. This is a theory and nothing more at this time. The only place this is being pursued is by the production company responsible for the show and the Oxygen Network. In the first episode it mentioned a few times that there was a transaction after Dakota James was known to be dead. While they liked to mention that it occurred they never mentioned looking into it. Something like that is easily explained, it could have been a pre-order of soon to released item. Or a repeating order that repeats monthly, such as can be done on Amazon. For some reason they didn't bother to go any further then that with that detail. Possibly because it would remove tension they want to have associated with this story. The journalist associated with story seemed to want to pick apart the remarks made by the retired Corps of Engineers employee. The journalist was actively arguing a story line when all he should have been doing was fact finding. The Corps had the flood gates open, but he wanted to imply some sinister goings on. Granted the autopsy could have been handled better. But there no knowing for sure how long that body was in the water, not every single case will be like the next in every detail. And there's not way to know for sure if that body snagged on some underwater obstacle causing some of those findings in the autopsy. This show is built on grieving people that are clinging to the hope they can find out something to explain the unexplained death of a loved one. With the facts shown in this show. It would be a waste of taxpayers money to do a major investigation of this case without more compelling facts. The investigators seemed to be glossing over details that didn't support the story line of a series of so-called smiley face murders. There are smiley faces drawn, carved and painted all over the United States. Just because some bodies have turned up next to them does not mean they are connected. The smiley face my be one of the most ubiquitous symbols seen in the United States. I gave it a 3 because many times during the telling of the story I was angry with the way the investigators seemed to be steering this story, instead of letting the chips fall where they may.

The Extraordinary Seaman (1969)

A man seeking redemption for past mistakes.

[6/10 · 29 January 2019]

I don't understand all the really bad reviews for this film. I don't understand why it attracted such venom. It's a quirky, poorly written, well cast film. This is not a film warranting a 4 or worse. There are some good and a few really good actors turning in fairly good performances with material that's just so-so. material. It's not a bad movie, but it isn't great either. It's an interesting story line that's been done before in movies like "A Connecticul Yankee in King Arthur's Court" and a few others. It's not done anywhere near as good. But just having David Niven and Faye Dunaway in the film makes it worthy of more that a four.

The Cool Kids: Funeral Crashers (2019) Season 1, Episode 10

A Disgrace!

[1/10 · 5 January 2019]

It is possible to write comedy that involves a funeral and a funeral home. But the writers and producers of this episode failed. There are very few if any laughs in this episode. As usual they do outrageous things but this time go far beyond anything that could be considered good taste. And apparently when they realized their story wasn't funny they seemed to think a bad taste unexplainable story-line including about an Air Force Colonel who picks up a woman at his own wife funeral would be a good idea. It wasn't. As a veteran I was disgusted. This was a field grade Air Force Officer. The uniform they had him in was an inaccurate mess. Which he wore while singing the Air Force hymn with at his wife's funeral with a bunch of his friends supposedly as part of joke on the funeral crashers. Does any of this sound funny. It's not. And it's very disrespectful to the uniform and the military.