jimdbs Reviews

HPI Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (2021– )

Unexpectedly high quality but mismatch premise / main character with tone

[7/10 · 12 April 2024]

Based on the premise and how it's advertised, this seems like it would be in the light hearted, cozier sub-genre of murder mysteries but it's not. Most of the time the tone, look, and music score feels more like the very serious, dark, police centered mysteries.

On the plus side, it was unexpectedly higher quality than what I was expecting in various ways but I am more of a fan of the light hearted style and was hoping for that. The main character doesn't seem to fit with the dark, serious style and it's harder to believe she has has such an extraordinary gift and so much random knowledge in the setting of the show while these qualities would be easier to accept in the light hearted, less realistic style.

Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)

Popular in its prime but stick to top 20-30 episodes, other episodes can be dull and forgettable

[6/10 · 20 February 2024]

A typical cozy mystery, more common in the UK, set in a visually idyllic small town (fictional Cabot Cove, Maine, but the actual location is northern California), later NYC, that has a disturbingly high rate of murder. And like other cozy mysteries, it's somewhat detached from reality, best to think of it like a fictional murder mystery book series, not comparing it to real life.

If you go by a top 20-30 episode list, it will seem pretty good especially keeping in mind it was a TV show in the 80s and they were generally lower quality and lower budget compared to now. If you try to binge watch it chronologically though, you'll notice there are many unremarkable episodes, with often poor acting and dialogue from the cast specific to the episode (not the main recurring cast). On the plus side, each episode started with a brief overview with some non-spoiler clips so you can get a general idea of what the episode will be like.

Frasier (1993–2004)

One of the best sitcoms but doesn't get the attention of Friends and Seinfeld

[8/10 · 8 December 2023]

Admittedly, I never really gave this show much of a chance when I was growing up and only decided to after hearing about it being revived for streaming as I wanted to compare them.

This one is much better than the new one but I also now consider it on par with Friends and Seinfeld of that era. In particular, the clever dialogue and word play is on another level and they were creative with comedic scenarios, though not to the level of Seinfeld.

The characters and actors who played them were also fantastic. I also like that it's set in a city besides NYC and LA (as well as Chicago and Miami). Too many TV shows are set in the same few cities while the US has so many. Each of the main sets were also very appealing, something I think is important for a sitcom but people don't think about it.

As for why an 8 and not a 9 or 10, I rarely give out 10s and also rated Friends and Seinfeld as 8. What brought it down most for me, and similar for those shows, especially Friends, was the drop in quality in seasons 8 onward. 8 was particularly bad but from that point on, Frasier and Niles are like absurd caricatures and don't seem realistic at all, especially Frasier. Seasons 3 to 7 are the best, followed by 2, 1, 11, 10, 9, 8.

The new series is barely similar to this one. Different city, different characters, only his son is a regular from the original (though played by a different actor). No Niles, Daphne, or Martin (but the actor who played him passed away a few years ago). That said, I think it's still decent, especially after the first few episodes that were pretty rough. My score has nothing to do with the new series though as there is a separate IMDB entry for it.

Trivia fact: The actor who plays Martin, John Mahoney, was English, moved to the US at 18 and said he worked on permanently changing his accent to fit in. Similarly, the actor playing Frasier's son Freddy in the new series is an English actor, except he just changed his accent for the show. I would not have been able to tell either were originally from the UK had I not read about it.

Friends: The Reunion (2021 TV Special)

Worth the watch but could have been better

[7/10 · 18 September 2023]

If you were really into the show, seeing all of them together and having a good time is worth it even with the flaws that many have pointed out. I was really hoping for an in character reunion episode but that didn't happen unfortunately.

Their interactions at times did bring back the feeling of them in character, though you can tell their personalities are all at least slightly different than the characters. Lisa Kudrow is obviously not out there like Phoebe. Matthew Perry and Courtney Cox both seem more reserved than their characters. David Schwimmer did seem somewhat like Ross at least in the earlier seasons before the character got kind of annoying. I think Matt LeBlanc seemed fairly similar to Joey as well but more laid back. I think Lisa Kudrow looked the most like she did in the show, followed by Jennifer and Courtney. The guys looked more notably different, but I think David Schwimmer looked the most similar to his character Ross still.

I'm not a James Corden fan but there is enough variety in this that it doesn't feel like it matters much. The jump around style editing is a bit disorienting, but maybe if it were done in full segments instead, people may dislike a part of it, like the James Corden part, and stop watching or review it more negatively. I don't think including celebrities not involved really benefitted it.

Murder in Successville (2015–2017)

Clever idea, usually funny but varies, mystery aspect is weakest part

[7/10 · 9 July 2023]

I think the idea for this show is great. It's a mix of scripted and improv with the guest playing the role of the PC assisting the DI investigating a murder. The guest is on their own and tries to play the part without laughing at the numerous funny situations and dialogue, at the end they have to choose who they think the killer is. It's often funny but varies by episode, some barely are, others I laughed quite a bit. It's also fun seeing the same few character actors try to play a lot of different celebrities, often ones from the US. Overall, I enjoyed it and wish they made more episodes.

That said, a consistent flaw in the show is the murder mystery aspect. If you're hoping to be able follow along and try to figure out who it was, the guests often do not gather enough clues, getting distracted by the humorous parts and the DI, and little details in a scene are hard to notice due to the darkness (going for a classic crime noir look but went too heavy on it) and camera angles. The characters being investigated also tend to be overly eccentric and uncooperative though at least 1 thing will make it seem like it could be them. This results in the guests being wrong most of the time at the end when they have to choose the killer.

Deadloch (2023– )

Gets better after episode 3 (review written after finishing 1st season)

[6/10 · 8 July 2023]

First off, there is a highly suspicious amount of 10/10 reviews, it's just not that good, and many of those accounts have only reviewed this. I hope the US bill passes that fines companies for false user reviews. That said, a lot of the earlier 1-3/10 reviews jumped the gun. As the title says, it gets better after episode 3.

I almost gave up on it early on but got into it mid-way, peaking in episodes 5-7, and would continue watching it if there is another season. Overall, the mix of the characters, and there are quite a few, balances out (after episode 3, see below). The setting is nice. Some aspects are a bit absurd but I'm not sure how much of that was intentional for humor. It's listed as being part comedy though really it feels more serious but with some comedic and light hearted aspects.

If you have not watched it, be prepared for a difficult initial 3 episodes. It seems like a lot of the most negative reviews were made after watching those. The main detective, Eddie, is made to be extremely unlikeable in those episodes: irritating, pushy, stubborn, and gross. I believe that was done to lead up to her back story and she is much more bearable from the 4th episode onward. I had no issues with her mid-way through.

Nothing specific is revealed beyond this point but if you haven't watched or finished it, there is maybe enough in the details to narrow down who it may be to a few characters, so I recommend to stop reading this review here.

The final episode, 8, was a huge disappointment to me in regards to the murder mystery aspect and how unbelievably poorly they handled the killer but the outdoor scenes and build up were entertaining. I feel cheated by who the killer is revealed to be because they really provided little in terms of clues to even consider that person. We just sat through 7 hours of them going over many characters, and others they didn't investigate but the viewer could see had potential motives, and all for it to be someone there is no reason to suspect. They never even had that character say anything about what turned out to be their motive unless it was extremely brief and I missed it. If there is another season, I really hope they do not do that again.

I would watch another season but I think it'll be tricky to start fresh in the same location in the next given all that happened this season and it being a small town. And the location based title "locks" them into that location.

I wrote my initial review early on and but decided to delete that one due to it being dated (was around the 5th episode).

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Too much action and CGI. Last Crusade was the last good Indiana Jones

[5/10 · 8 July 2023]

I thought Crystal Skull would be the worst one, but DoD is maybe as bad just in different ways.

First issue is that it often has an uncanny valley, fake look to it throughout the movie, with the characters (well publicized "de-aging" used for Harrison Ford but not just him), the backgrounds, and overuse of color filters. It is also way too heavy on action scenes. They also seemed to have forgotten to alter the voice to match the de-aging, so that feels off as well.

Keep in mind Disney is really behind this series now. They easily have the money and resources but they also have had an obsession with CGI dominated relentless action fantasy movies for the past 15 years (see Marvel and Star Wars, among others) and they brought that to Indiana Jones with DoD, less so with Crystal Skull.

I have a lot of respect for Harrison Ford and loved the original 3 Indiana Jones films, especially the 1st and 3rd, but it's time for a new series (or several), not reboot, in this alt-history, action-adventure style, and made by a different company besides Disney. I suspect Disney will keep milking this IP for years though with Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the new Indiana Jones (Helena Shaw).

Monk (2002–2009)

Way overrated

[5/10 · 3 July 2023]

I have watched a lot of murder mystery, detective shows and movies and this is not among the top ones, but the 8/10 user score will lead you to believe it is.

I watched a few episodes when it was first on and couldn't get into it then but I recently tried to give it another shot only watching the best rated episodes and my feelings towards it have not changed.

The first issue is their annoying and inaccurate portrayal of OCD via the main character, Monk. It's not just OCD but they seem to be mixing other things too like autism, social anxiety, and mysophobia (aka germaphobia). It is constant throughout every episode and it seems like most of the time the intention is for all of this to be somewhat comedic. It's not.

So much time is spent with his various issues that not a lot is actually left for the murder mystery, so those are very shallow and you don't feel like you really learned much to try to figure it out on your own.

In summary, it's a shallow detective murder mystery show where too much time is spent highlighting the main character's various issues, which aren't funny.

Cannes Confidential (2023)

Fun but flawed action murder mystery

[6/10 · 28 June 2023]

Overall, I have enjoyed this so far. There is a mix of murder mystery via police (and a questionable guy who seems to be good intentioned) and action, with a beautiful setting in Cannes.

The lead male character and actor is great, and some other characters and guest characters are fine, but unfortunately the lead woman detective character is overly serious and mean. Her dialogue and delivery is often fairly corny as well. Similar issue for her boss, who at least is on the screen far less.

Those behind the show likely wanted the detective to have a heavy French accent (when speaking English) to make it feel a bit more realistic as it's set in south France, but it still feels odd there is almost no French dialogue at all, including from that lead detective. I think adding some would benefit the show and I hope they can incorporate some in future episodes if the already completed episodes don't have any.

I'll continue watching and update my score and review at the end of the season.

Side note, the question below the user reviews asks, "Was this review helpful?" Not, "do you agree with the score they gave?" My score wasn't even that high, but since it's not below a 5 and mentions some positives, those who completely hate this show are using "No" like a downvote.

Death in Paradise (2011– )

Watch the best rated episodes, skip the rest, too formulaic, time to end it

[6/10 · 26 June 2023]

At its best, this is a decent escapism murder mystery set on a non-existent island country in the Caribbean with a soundtrack of Jamaican classics mostly from the 60s and 70s. The general vibe is a mix of upbeat and lighthearted and of course, more serious in the scenes relating to the murders and investigations. Most of the main characters are likable throughout the seasons (though the newest detective was a bit irritating with all of his issues, the writers toned that down).

At its worst, the murder mysteries and episode specific characters can be very dull and hard to get through. I've exited out quite a few of them and among the duller ones I did finish, I regret wasting my time. With all of the episodes available now, a person new to watching it can get the best out of it watching the top 1/4 of episodes (numerous rankings out there) and not miss anything important in the rest, besides the main character changing events that happen in the first and last episodes each season, but those also tend to be among the better episodes for the murder mysteries.

In general, the series is incredibly formulaic, even in the best episodes. One of the key scenes that's nearly identical in every episode is when the detective has an epiphany realizing suddenly he knows who did it, though not telling anyone else until all the suspects are gathered. The frustrating part when this happens though is they usually have not offered enough to the viewer to feel anywhere close to confident leaning towards a particular suspect. It feels like you're relying a lot more on hunches.

Harry Wild (2022– )

Barely a murder mystery

[5/10 · 25 June 2023]

My main issue with this series is that it's weak on the mystery part, which is what most will be expecting when watching it. It's borderline Columbo style in that you either know who did it in the beginning or "Harry" is certain she knows and spends the episode trying to prove to official investigators, that have the wrong person or don't believe her, who really did it. That's just not as fun as the traditional style where there are multiple suspects and you try to make the best guess based on what they share. Too much time is also unrelated drama between Harry and other characters.

Although this has characteristics common in cozy murder mysteries, it's sometimes more disturbing than those are known for. It's also not as light hearted as I expected. Likewise, even the idyllic village setting common with cozy mystery shows is barely shown. The vast majority of the scenes are indoors and when outdoors, often too close up. A lot of low light / dark scenes as well.

None of the characters are really appealing. Harry can be overly mean, her son even more so. Her sidekick is unlikable initially but is a lot different from episode 2 onward, just that situation is hard to believe.

Upstart Crow (2016–2020)

Laughter aside, it's fairly good

[20 June 2023]

If you're immediately turned off by the laughter, try to push through. Those types of shows are increasingly seen as not funny and made for dim people while comedies without laughter in them are viewed as superior by default, but that's not the case with Upstart Crow.

The original point of comedies in this format was that they are either on a stage with an audience or they try to recreate that experience. In the case of Upstart Crow, there was an actual audience. I also think the more real life style comedy shows are missing the rapid word play and puns that comedies in this format have.

I think it may help to show that there is an audience at the start of shows like this, maybe just the first episode, so fewer people will immediately dismiss it for the reason mentioned in the first paragraph.

Likewise, maybe the sound mixing should be tweaked to make sure the laughter sounds authentic and not flat and maxed out. Even though it's an actual audience laughing, it is very hard to tell the difference from canned laughter, hence many of the reviews that thought it was. Maybe also offer an option to remove the laughter altogether but that may be difficult if it was also picked up on the same mics as the actors.

FUBAR (2023– )

Was hoping it would be episodic with more action and more (low/non-filtered) daytime outdoor scenes

[5/10 · 16 June 2023]

As the title said, I was really hoping this would be an episodic style spy action show with some 2 parters. Instead, it's the stretched out movie style that's common for TV shows released on streaming platforms. I wasn't into the plot, characters, settings, or pacing.

The amount of time that features actions scenes is disappointingly low, maybe 1/10 of the time or less. I don't think most people seeing the cover art of a show starring Arnold called Fubar expects it to be filled with a lot of serious drama scenes but this has a lot of that. I can deal with it being unrealistic if it was more fun, but it's not. It's also not really funny if you're hoping for more comedy, maybe a few laugh out loud moments, but generally it's more a mix of drama and some light hearted humor.

Arnold's character is pretty much what you'd expect. The team he works with is a variety of character types, none really stand out helping the show.

I'm also not a fan of overdoing color filters and a lot of dark scenes but unfortunately Fubar is mostly a mix of that. They really overdo the yellow filter in particular, the first outdoor scene where the yellow filter is really amped up is almost unintentionally funny for that reason.

Angie Tribeca (2016–2018)

1st season is the most absurd and unpredictable, 2-3 tone that down

[6/10 · 31 March 2023]

As many have noted, this show is very similar in humor style and theme as Police Squad (called Naked Gun when it was made into movies).

The first season is the most absurd and full of puns. There isn't really much of an ongoing story through the season so you can watch it fairly out of order and not notice. I think I liked this season the most but it's polarizing as you can see in the other reviews, most of them commenting on the first. I think the main complaint is that a lot of the jokes fall flat and are relentless. It's better to watch this season in small doses rather than binge watching.

I assume seasons 2 and 3 are less polarizing as they tone down the absurdity and puns some and make it feel more like a standard police crime drama where there is a murder and investigation, just with the humorous and absurd twist. These seasons were less episodic than the first as there are ongoing stories. I also noticed the lighting and other visual elements changed compared to the first. The 2nd season is a bit too dark for some reason. Maybe they were going for an old Noir look, just not black and white.

And the 4th season is the worst out of them.

If you're looking for another police drama parody, I recommend NTSF:SD:SUV.

Hudson & Rex (2019– )

Hit and miss per episode, sometimes very cheesy, beautiful setting

[6/10 · 19 March 2023]

As the title says, some episodes work well, some are quite bad, many are mixed.

The show switches between light hearted, slightly humorous, and fun to very dark and serious. I think it's more enjoyable the former way and with Hudson and Rex acting more like buddies. When it gets overly serious, dark, and dramatic, it's harder to watch.

A consistent issue is bad acting (or bad dialogue and direction) and some of the characters being too serious. The lead actor, or his character, is pretty good though and his dialogue and emotions have more range compared to other characters.

Another issue is how Rex saves the day at the end of nearly every episode. In most cases, it is very hard to believe to the point it's comical and I laugh. I get that's a key part of the show, but maybe it'd work better if the scenes were more like Rex helping, not on his own taking down the guilty person.

Small annoyance, but they reuse stock footage of the outside of the police station and it becomes noticeable after a few episodes. It's another part of the show that is unintentionally funny. How hard would it be for them to record more footage of the outside of that police station? At least get one without people walking in it and it wouldn't be so obvious.

What inspired me to write this review now was the most recent episode (half of 2 parter), which was pretty bad aside from Rex on his own in the woods encountering different dangers and obstacles, which was fun. It had the negative aspects I mentioned above turned to the max, very unbelievable situation, overly dramatic, cheesy dialogue, plus the main character is barely in it and they have some new characters doing the work. It's obvious the intent was to try something different and make the episode stand out in that way but it was not executed well.

Ted Lasso (2020– )

Season 1: 8/10, 2: 7/10, 3: ?/10. Excessive Apple product placement is the most annoying part of this show.

[7/10 · 16 March 2023]

As the title says, the first season is great. It was unique and entertaining with a good underdog story featuring an eclectic mix of interesting characters. I think most of the reviews here were made during the first season.

The 2nd season didn't match it but was still pretty good overall. It seems like there was more of a focus on issues in the personal lives of the characters and taking more of a serious and dark edge to it and I just didn't like that as much as the first season. The 3rd season is ongoing and my feelings are mixed on it so far. The show has never felt like it was trying to be realistic but it did seem to stay close enough to reality. The 3rd season kind of pushes the absurdity a bit far with one of the new characters. It may turn out better, or worse, in the next few episodes but I'm leaning towards 6/10 right now.

Now, for the elephant (Apple) in the room. I have never seen such excessive product placement on any show or film. The first episode of season 3 may be the worst I have seen yet, there is rarely a minute between scenes featuring an Apple product. Everyone has iPhones, only computers you see are MacBooks and none of the phones are in a case so you can clearly tell. So many close up shots of the phones with characters constantly sending and receiving texts. If it continues being this bad, I'm just going to stop watching it because it'll feel like I'm watching an Apple ad commercial disguised as a light hearted sports drama.

Columbo (1971–2003)

Classic detective show but it has a few issues

[8/10 · 12 February 2023]

This show is a classic and was very popular during the 70s to 90s. The main reason being Peter Falk and the character he played, Columbo. He was perfectly cast and really made this show stand out. It was also an interesting twist on detective / murder mystery shows as the killer is revealed right away and the viewer still can feel they're trying to figure out a puzzle in guessing how Columbo will be able to prove the actual killer did it.

The production quality is high, almost movie quality, and many well known actors and actresses from that time appeared on it. I also like the soundtrack for the most part, definitely has a 70s feel to it.

As for why I give it an 8 rather than 10, it is very formulaic, a bit hard to believe many times, and the format is just not as good as the usual murder mystery format.

The first you will notice if you watch multiple episodes at one time, maybe less so when it originally aired weekly. During the opening 5-10 minutes, the murder happens. Then we see police at the scene and within a minute or 2, Columbo pops up. Within 5 minutes, he's already honed in on the person he is certain is the killer and spends the rest of the episode focused on that character. It'd be more realistic if we see him in the first 20 minutes (though spanning hours or even days within the show) going over details and possible suspects and narrowing them down. Another formulaic aspect is Columbo saying the same things at the same moments and behaving similar in each episode. It can feel a bit mad libby like they are just swapping out characters and other details.

Another repetitive and unbelievable part of the show is that the killer goes through a lot of effort trying to make sure they can't be linked to the murder only to be very obvious about it once they started talking with Columbo. Like they will give these obvious looks, not show any remorse about the death, and sometimes even taunt him. Realistically, most people accused of such a thing whether they are guilty or not would seek a lawyer and not keep engaging with the detective by themselves. This is a common break from reality in many detective shows though since including an intermediary lawyer in it makes it more complicated.

I think it's an interesting twist to reveal the murderer right away but it does make the show less engaging. You are really paying attention to clues with standard murder mysteries and constantly going over the possible people in your head. In Columbo, the most you can do is try to guess how Columbo will successfully link the murderer, which isn't nearly as engaging.

Poker Face (2023– )

Essentially a modern Columbo but not nearly as good after the first episode, too hard to believe

[6/10 · 31 January 2023]

First episode is great and overall, I like the vibe and Natasha in the role. Unfortunately, it becomes increasingly detached from reality and is not nearly as good as the show it is obviously based on, Columbo.

For anyone who has not seen Columbo, I HIGHLY recommend watching it and search for best episodes and watch those first. It had some duds but overall, a higher percent of the episodes were good compared to this. It's on Peacock but you may be able to find it free elsewhere since it's an older show. It's great though, the main actor/character is iconic and it has some cool 70s TV moog/synth soundtrack that I actually like more than the North Brooklyn/Silverlake dwelling indie cool person's oldies playlist style soundtrack on this show. It also makes perfect logical sense he is constantly around crimes and trying to solve them since he is an Investigator with the LAPD, unlike Charlie/Natasha on this who is just a random person running from scummy casino people. It's just really hard to believe that everywhere she stops has a murder and she is the one to investigate and figure out who really did it (but in Columbo style, where the viewer knows already unlike mystery shows where the viewer is trying to figure it out too).

I think this show can be better but they need to change some things. Again, the first one is making the premise more believable, she could at least be a private instigator, she doesn't have to work for the police. Just finish up the casino villain part of the story like those people get arrested. Second is have at least one or two other regulars on the show, like she has an assistant if she becomes a private instigator. Third is maybe doing some episodes in mystery show format just to mix things up more. They don't have to all be in the Columbo style.

That '90s Show (2023– )

Feels like a Nick or Disney sitcom for a younger audience than the original except it brings up sex and drugs every episode so maybe not

[5/10 · 20 January 2023]

I'm a fan of the original show and have probably watched it a few times in bits and pieces over the years (not binge watching start to finish repeatedly). This may look similar at first but by the end of the first episode, you realize it's not.

First, the writing is not as good as the original show, not that it was exceptional either but the dialogue and character personalities feel more like a Nickelodeon or Disney sitcom whereas the original felt like it was aimed at older teens and 20 somethings.

The way they talk, act, and dress (like they bought "90s" looking clothes from Urban Outfitters) feels modern, they just throw in 90s pop culture references every couple of minutes to remind you it's supposed to be the 90s. That 70s Show felt more authentic.

The new characters are not distinctive and likable enough unlike the original show. 2 of the new guys look nearly identical, though it's obvious they wanted one to be the new Hyde and another the new Kelso, a lot of the time they seem almost the same.

The original actors/characters in this are fine, though again, the writing for them isn't as good as the original. I think a better take on this would have been most of the main actors from the original show being the main actors in this one with some of their kids and their friends playing secondary roles. Similar to how The Conners brought back the Roseanne show and kept the focus on the original cast.

Father Brown (2013– )

Seasons 1-3: 7/10. 4-9: 5/10. 10: 6/10

[6/10 · 11 January 2023]

The first 3 seasons are higher quality than those that follow. The mysteries are better and the episodes have a more serious tone to them, more dark scenes, and more dramatic music, though light hearted in some parts.

After that, it shifts to being more light hearted, sometimes comical, alt-historical escapist entertainment. The characters are even less realistic, some of them being especially annoying like Inspector Mallory, who seems like he's modeled after Yosemite Sam. Father Brown may bother both the areligious and religious, especially Catholics. I just assume the religious stuff he says is part of the character and not the writers secretly trying to spread religious / Catholic beliefs.

In season 10, much of the regular cast from before are out for some reason. On the plus side, both Inspector Mallory and Bunty are out too. Father Brown's new sidekicks are all right, just not realistic and in general, the episodes feel similar to those of previous seasons minus the first 3.

My perceptions of the seasons may be off a bit as I watched fewer episodes between seasons 4 and 9, maybe 3 on average per season and those rated the highest scores. I watched most episodes in the first 3 seasons and about 3 in season 10 so far.

And Then There Were None (2015)

Decent but too drawn out

[6/10 · 28 December 2022]

Agree with the other critical reviews that this is too drawn out. It also barely felt like a true murder mystery, more thriller and horror-like. In most murder mysteries, we're seeing the protagonist discover clues that help them get closer to figuring out who is responsible. But as this movie drags on, we learn almost nothing that better helps us determine who the killer may be, we just learn more about the past bad things each character did.

All of them have a bad event or several in their past and seem perfectly capable. One of the most obvious points was never brought up in the film but came to me fairly early on. Who there would know all these details about the crimes each of them have committed in the past? Somehow that extremely important factor never crossed their minds. Once they figured out the U. N. Owens person was fake and the killer was one of them, the judge should have quickly become the top suspect. None of the rest of them have the background to know such details about the others.

I also don't like that the judge's murder was faked but it didn't sync up with the rhyme that the rest of the murders did. The next murder fit with the portion of the poem that can be interpreted as faking a murder ("red herring"). The viewer has no way to know the previous murder was faked.

I saw in some other reviews that the Russian version from 1987 is supposedly the best. I may check it out in a few years but have little desire to rewatch a different adaption of this right now.

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (2013–2024)

One of the funniest shows, just too formulaic

[6/10 · 17 December 2022]

If you need a quick laugh and emotional boost, this is one of the best shows to watch. The cast are masters at it.

The negative is that it is too formulaic making it hard to watch more than a few episodes at a time before it loses its charm. There is a limited amount of scenes/prompts and the cast always play the same roles, and it's mostly the same cast. It's been the same for 30 years now so not too hopeful they'll mix things up at this point. Biggest changes in the past decade are a couple more cast members in the role that changes and having celebrities on to participate briefly but at the expense of inviting audience members on stage for the role, which was often funny due to their nervousness.

I also think it'd be better if each episode's cast mix was 2 roles for the current main cast (rotating between WB, RS, CM), 1 role for the cast that currently rotates (GP, NF, JD, KMK, BS, CE, HC, GW), and the 4th seat goes to a more amateur improv person, like top people from UCB, Second City, Groundlings. Or keep the current main 3 every episode but add 1 extra seat for the last type.

There was another improv show on one of the major network channels (US) in the 2000s that was different but unfortunately did not last long, maybe another will pop up somewhere like a streaming TV service.

Meet Me in the Bathroom (2022)

7/10

[7/10 · 29 November 2022]

From the mid 90s to early 2010s, NYC, particularly north Brooklyn, was known as the city to be in for people into indie music. This film tries to connect that with coverage of some key bands from the 2000 to 2005 portion of that era. It's mostly about those bands and less about the scenes in which those bands were a part.

Bands featured in order of the amount they were covered: The Strokes, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, DFA (especially James Murphy), Interpol, Moldy Peaches, TV On the Radio, The Rapture, and The Liars. There were more there during this time that weren't mentioned and obviously more after the period covered in this.

Iirc, Karen O notes how NYC started becoming too expensive and that making it more difficult for artists and musicians (and she later moved to LA and still lives there, she grew up in NJ). But some come from more privileged backgrounds and the film touches on that with some of the band members.

Although I was into all of this music then, I don't like how "indie" during this time shifted to whatever people in north Brooklyn are into. I prefer how things were in the 90s where bands from several cities got equal attention, including some pretty small ones like Athens. Some are trying to revive the era covered in this film, including the focus on NYC, because it's easy to just recycle trends from 25 years prior and pretend you're a trend setter, but it is far less affordable now than then.

Halloween Ends (2022)

Skip this, watch the original and hopefully this is truly the end

[3/10 · 16 October 2022]

Plenty of well written, detailed reviews already here and I agree with the common criticisms. For younger people, I highly recommend watching the original. Despite all of the sequels being awful, it is a classic. It's a subtle and actually believable slasher film.

The horror genre is filled with junk but there are some amazing gems among them. Some of those did well in the box office and the movie companies greedily tried to stretch them out for as long as possible but rarely have the sequels matched the quality of the originals. I think this one has been stretched out the longest now and that's despite every sequel being awful! If you've already seen Halloween and want to see something else, you can find plenty "best of" horror film lists out there.

Only Murders in the Building (2021– )

Season 1: 9/10, Season 2: 6/10 - Great show but formula needs to change

[8/10 · 23 August 2022]

This show is a pleasure to watch due to the mood, setting, and characters/actors. Steve Martin and Martin Short work great together. Highly recommend it.

So, the positives out of the way, the biggest negative for me is the formula they are using. It's essentially an intro episode then 8 episodes of leading viewers to suspect it's someone it's not, then in the last episode it's someone where there is almost nothing linking them to it in the previous 9 episodes. Season 2 was even worse in that they didn't explain at the end how the killer was connected to many of the clues and how it fully played out. You can essentially watch the first and last episode and have just as many clues linking the actual killer as someone who watches every episode.

Another issue is the Mabel character is almost always the same monotone and humorless mood/persona. Oliver (Martin Short) and Charles (Steve Martin) are great though as are most of the other regular characters on the show.