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jeanpierrexxiii
Reviews
Shinobi no Ie: House of Ninjas (2024)
Great series in spite of its music
I really like this show. The characters are great, story is solid. But the music. Whoever greenlit the music on this made an awful decision.
I think tonally, they were going for something ironic and poignant to punctuate the ridiculousness of a ninja family. But it just doesn't fit.
Western audiences don't need some kind of 'folk' or whatever that music is to make the show accessible. There must exist a version without this soundtrack. Silence would be a huge improvement.
Honestly, I probably wouldn't have written a review if the music wasn't such a mismatch. Tarantino does a great job utilizing soundtracks to what I believe this show was attempting and failed miserably.
If you're into Japanese culture and media, you will likely appreciate this show. If you just want ninja action, you'll likely be disappointed.
Black Adam (2022)
Detective Comics Still Doesn't Have a Clue
With the exception of Batman, DC does not know how to make good superhero movies. I don't know if they're trying to zig when Marvel zags, or if their zag just gags but the results are tepid or middling at best. Even when I WANT to like them (Aquaman, Justice League) I'm left with the sensation of diet soda...why?? I think its the tone.
I heard a bit of hype around Black Adam..."fun," "entertaining," "people getting killed," "nonstop action," and decided to try the diet soda once again. I was hoping for Fresca but got Marshmallow Diet Coke.
Have you seen explosions in movies? Have you seen CGI super heroes flying around? Are dialogue and plot secondary to spectacle? Well then, you'll probably LOVE Black Adam.
I've been a fan of The Rock since his 'candy ass jabroni days' and loved his role in Be Cool. I'm always happy for his success. But why was he cast as Black Adam? Why did he emerge after thousands of years speaking English? Why do people in Kahndaq seem to prefer speaking English when part of the movies theme is resisting your oppressor?? The entire movie doesn't have to be in a fictional language but they should at least be able to chant 'champion' in their native language.
The supporting cast is also middling. I wanted the little boy to die, just to spice the movie up. Maybe he does, I couldn't finish it. Even for a Superman cameo, where the actor cast will no longer be Superman and The Rock will no longer be Black Adam. The 2 younger superheroes, I wanted them to die as well. People are raving about the fact that he kills people, but not the ones with plot armor LOL. Aldis Hodge has been in more stinkers than good movies.
Pierce Brosnan isn't enough. Loved Viola Davis' cameo...why? She said a couple of words then likely ran to do a movie with an actual plot (Woman King). I don't know how drunk you have to be for this movie to be entertaining but I bet kids enjoyed it!
By the way, the studio is scrapping all this. I know there's a shake up with the parent company but its easy to see why they'd wanna forget this era. I'm no film snob. I like the superhero movie genre. I just don't like bad movies. I was hoping this one would be a 'so bad its good' movie at least. Nope! Just another movie to help launder money.
Mortal Kombat (2021)
Toasty??
This...is a terrible movie. The original Mortal Kombat looks damn near Oscar worthy by comparison. The heavily featured Kano saves this film from being absolute garbage. Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada also turn in serviceable performances in small doses.
Cole Young (Lewis Tan) is an awful character...tropish...it would've been a more interesting movie if he died in the first few minutes. His powers were stupid (basket armor lol).
There are only a few good parts of this movie that are far between a movie that's totally inconsistent. There's also no actual Mortal Kombat tournament. I'm a fan of MK...if this is 'for the fans' its a middle finger.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
A Great Follow Up for an Impossible Task
Look. Chadwick is gone and that void cannot be filled. Also, the wonder of first visiting Wakanda is gone. I felt the first movie was an 8.5/10 but its impact was way beyond what I could nitpick critically. That movie reverberated for me as a member of the Black diaspora in a way that I doubt those outside of it could understand, even if they appreciated it. It dealt with things we're dealing with on a daily basis and connected us with our past/history using a fictional nation.
Wakanda Forever doesn't have this, even if it's great to revisit Wakanda. It does have a bonafide newcomer in Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and Talokan. I LOVED seeing their nation and can only imagine what it meant for Latinx/indigenous representation, even if it wasn't quite immersive and setup as Wakanda. Will we get a Namor solo movie? Curious about what that story what would like but I digress. It is a very welcome and central part of this sequel.
RiRi Williams/Ironheart is another good addition, though it feels a bit 'off' for some reason. Don't want to give any spoilers but her inclusion in the plot doesn't quite make sense, though I enjoyed her. Shuri (Letitia Wright) can't quite handle the weight of what she's given which I feel is partly intentional and partly her shortcomings as an actor. Other than that, everyone gives great performances.
The CGI leaves much to be desired in a few instances but not bad overall. This movie doesn't need to rely on spectacle that much and at times, I feel that is lost on them a bit. But that's the machine right?? I mean, this IS a Marvel movie still. The costume design and music can probably repeat as Oscar winners depending on the competition.
There are many poignant emotional moments in the movie as it deals with grief/loss and the question of where do we go from here? There are no easy answers and I don't think Ryan Coogler tries to answer them. He does his best to deal with the loss of Chadwick and deliver something worthy of a tribute and a sequel to one of the MCU's best movies.
Yes, it could've been shorter by about 15-20 minutes. Yes, the plot is a bit meandering/convoluted/unresolved. No doubt, it is a flawed film but still a must-see for fans of the first and those grieving Chadwick. Like grief, it doesn't unfold perfectly but we need to get through it and move on. It will be interesting to see where the next Black Panther goes but I'm sure it will be quite some time before we revisit Wakanda.
Not a disappointment but not quite up to the hype the initial trailer gave me. Like pallbearers, the cast support the weight of the huge loss of Chadwick Boseman to the best of their ability with mostly satisfactory results. 8/10.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Design (2005)
Outlier
Just realized the title of my article is a triple entendre. Two of them you'll discover in the episode, but the meaning here is that I don't rate this episode as highly as others have.
I like to write spoiler-free reviews so bear with me. You likely know that twists and turns are part of SVUs DNA. You probably also know that episodes don't always have a happy or neatly wrapped ending. This episode left me unfulfilled...I felt like time cramped the story from resolving some of its threads.
The episode I watched right before this one, Poison, did a better job with this kind of ending. I wasn't totally satisfied but enough was done to where I could let it go. Design wasn't a bad episode, I just don't think its high rating is justified.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Conscience (2004)
One of the best episodes of SVU
SVU has a formula that is executed to varying results. This is an episode that exceeds expectations! Nuance is the key word here. I don't want to give any spoilers but you need to watch until the very end.
I can't recall the guest actors name but I've seen him in plenty of films and TV. He does a good job but kudos really go to the writers. As the title implies, this episode is all about 'conscience' and how it (or a lack thereof) affects our behaviors. Extend this to the idea of morality and the question of where is the point of no return for sociopaths.
If you like SVU and haven't watched this one yet, it is a MUST WATCH.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Bang (2011)
Worst Episode of SVU
There are some mysteries in the universe I'm happy to never understand. How this episode got rated a 7.9 is one of them. I haven't seen every episode of SVU but I've seen a good amount. This is easily the worst I've ever witnessed.
I actually showed this to a friend just to see if we were in agreement. She had no defense.
The irony of John Stamos giving an impotent performance. The levels of idiocy and ridiculousness it asks us to accept. The lame twists in a story I never cared about. This is just horrific.
They can't all be great.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Zebras (2009)
SVU Breaks 4th Wall...kinda
SVU deals with some heavy topics but doesn't take itself too seriously. In this episode, we get the full sequence of the shows DNA (pun intended).
Nick Stahl does a great job channeling John Connor. We learn more about Munch. We get a classic twist. And Munch and Fin on a carnival ride that drive home the shows goofiness.
You should definitely watch a few more episodes from this season (Ballerina, perhaps?) before watching the finale.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Fight (2007)
What did I just watch??
First things first, Chester Lake ruins everything. The writers tried to give us some of his backstory and it backfired. It's painful to watch his tonal miscues and poor attempts at convincing us he's a cop. Whenever he gets close to a moment of me buying in, it's railroaded almost comedically.
Fin is very Ice-T in this episode. I love Fin for his funny one-liners alluding to Ice-T, I mean his younger days on the streets. I rewinded a particular exchange a few times that references Georgia in a way you may not be familiar with. He also brings his wife Coco in for a small role. She's a bad actor too but it's cute seeing them be bad together.
The story is all over the place, as if they were making it up as they went along. It deals with race and opportunities in a tropish way. Yet, this is also SVUs legacy: being a messy, almost trashy show sometimes with fairly predictable characters (the unit, ADA/judges).
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Pique (2001)
A new character piques my interest!
This is our first introduction to BD Wong as Dr. Huang, I believe. He is one of the SVU dream team (Benson, Stabler, Cabot, Munch, Fin, Cragen) . His character is a little rough around the edges but fairly accurate to how he plays out throughout the series. Like the DA, he is there to provide another viewpoint to balance out the hard-nosed tactics of the squad.
The story is fairly pedestrian but a bit unbelievable. It doesn't rely on as many twists, opting for a more 'deep dive' approach. If memory serves, there are no trial/court scenes.
If I were to compile a greatest hits/quintessential episode mixtape, this definitely makes the cut.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Quickie (2010)
Unexpectedly great episode!
Strong performances from the guests. Story is kind of split but not a crazy stretch of imagination. Ends in atypical fashion for SVU.
I give it a 9 for its nuanced take on a serious matter. I often watch SVU to go to bed, and this was one I never seemed to finish. Glad I finally gave it a shot during non-sleepy hours.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Loss (2003)
Favorite episode
I have watched this one at least 4-5 times and will watch at least a few more times. This is peak SVU to me. A lot of times, the show has this forgivable 'cheese' that is part of its charm. Not here. This plays out like a movie. It's a season finale 17 episodes too early.
Must watch! 10/10.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Class (2006)
First Class Episode!
You get your trademark SVU twists but they make sense. This feels like a tightly written episode, no fat. We learn more about Stabler in an emotionally poignant way. The guest performances are great.
I highly recommend this episode 👌
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Counterfeit (2002)
Rough drafts
Another episode that chaotically bounces around and somehow ends up OK. I vacillated between a 6 or 7, but ended with a 6.
At its heart, it's a chemistry test/builder with Ice T and Mariska. Fin is very cartoonish but I believe it's intentional so we can see an obvious change in one episode. I love Ice T, but his acting is terrible in this. I wouldn't re-watch but it's a testament to how much better he is in later seasons.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Dreams Deferred (2012)
Not Bad!
I love Patricia Arquette, always had a crush on her 😍. But I'm in the minority on this one, I wasn't crazy about her performance. But she did the best with what she had, and the writers didn't give her very much.
Tonally, there's something off about this episode and maybe that's intentional. It's a decent episode and Stabler's presence is missed. The other guest actors were subpar but they could've been utilized differently. More time should've been spent exploring Patricia and the murderers connection. It's like the writers couldn't make up their mind which direction to go.
I'm being a bit nitpicky here and in general, I prefer the salacious endings over the bleeding heart cops save the day. Still a solid episode worth a watch.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Manipulated (2006)
A classic!
OK, so SVU's trademark plot twists but actually around a single point of origin. Sometimes there are just plot twists for their own sake but this is a good one. Everybody's a suspect!
Guest actors are great in this one! SVU does good sleuthing and TARU and Dr. Huang are icing on the cake (BD Wong is always good). Benson and Stabler are balanced in this...sometimes they lean too much into caricature. They are focused on the case in this one, not their personal lives.
Very satisfying episode.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Starved (2005)
Appropriately Named
First off, the one thing I love about this episode is that a friend of mine, who I did theater with some 7-8 summers ago, played one of the victims. The joy I felt seeing her in one of my favorite TV shows!!
That's where the fun ends. Dean Cain is painful to watch in this. I grew up watching him in Lois & Clark, so there's some bias to overcome. He's not believable. What a waste of a guest.
This is a sloppy story that gets taken over by a subplot I didn't care for. The mother (I recognize her from Scary Movie lol) overacts. The ending has predictable elements and is one of the most unsatisfying I can recall. Part of it doesn't even make sense but I don't want to spoil it, even if I already think it's rotten.
I gave it 4 stars...1 for my friend, 1 because it's SVU, and 2 for not having Adam Beach.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Obscene (2004)
Lazy writing, decent acting
This episode is all about lawful cringe and feels very cheap. The second theme is fame and how it affects us, for better or worse. I love SVU but with 20+ years of content, they can't all be winners. Plot is a bit convoluted and by the end, caricatures destroy any nuance the actors put into their characters.
I think Lewis Black is underutilized in this role, though the casting is perfect. The issue is very real but the story jumps the shark to conform to the juicy plot twists SVU is known for. There have definitely been worse episodes...this feels more like a missed opportunity, wasted potential.