AlexTheGreyWolf Reviews

The Twilight Zone: Special Service (1989) Season 3, Episode 29

Poor writing

[4/10 · 12 November 2022]

So apparently a guy has been the star of the most popular television show for the past year but he somehow doesn't know it.

Unless he stayed inside his home for the past five years how could he not know? We see women dying to sleep with him but where were they at the past five years, are we to believe they would previously him outside and not try to meet him in person?

Apparently he also has a wife except she's not really his wife. She was hired to pretend to marry him. Also the job he got a few years ago that was all set up by the television show.

Did any of his relatives or friends visit him at his house the past five years? If so you would think they would have had to sign a contract of sorts in agreement to not reveal anything to him right? So for fives years not a single relative or friend clued him in to what was happening?

All of this just isn't believable at all and ranks among the weakest TTZ episodes in my opinion.

Dirty Little Secret (2022 TV Movie)

First movie I've seen about hoarding, unfortunately not a good one

[3/10 · 12 June 2022]

Dirty Little Secret is about a daughter, Lucy, who lives with her ocd mother. At first the mother was a neat freak and it drove her husband away. She must have been so traumatized by him leaving that she became a hoarder, the complete opposite of neat freak.

Lucy actually has two older siblings. Sometime after the mother became a hoarder the children's aunt comes for a visit and was horrified by what she saw. Not understanding the dynamics with hoarding the aunt thought it'd be a nice idea to clean up the place before their mother arrived. Well she quickly learned it's a really bad idea as their mother arrives and almost has a heart attack and has a huge tantrum and attacks her sister actually making her bleed. Their mother tells her sister to never come back and that she's forbidden from ever seeing her nieces and nephews. Sometime after that Lucy's older siblings move out, leaving her alone with their mother.

The middle act was also enjoyable it featured Lucy getting to know one of her classmates who happened to live with a mother who's struggling with an alcohol addiction, and a former patient of the mother's who is attracted to her and asks her out on a date. Both relationships were progressing nicely before the dark and bizarre final act arrived.

Just as things were becoming romantic between Lucy and her.classmate Lucy's inability to bring him over to her house because of her mother's ridiculous mess stirs up a big argument between Lucy and her mother. After her fight with her daughter she tells her love interest that she needs to take a break and he brilliantly retorted with "how can we take a break if we haven't even started anything."

The mother finally realizing that her hoarding is driving everyone she loves away from her decides to clean up the place, by herself. She only manages to throw away a couple bags which were already bagged up by her daughter previously before she falls under a mountain of her own junk and passes out due to her asthma.

When Lucy finds her mother unresponsive she thinks about calling 911 but then imagines the mother's hoarding being on the news and decides not to call 911. She tries calling her brother but he's on vacation and doesn't have good reception where he's at, and she texts her sister but gets no response. Lucy then decides she will clean up the house so that no one would know the mother had a hoarding issue. She quickly runs out of bins to throw the junk out so she starts using other people's bins and dumpsters.

Lucy forgot she was supposed to go to a party that night so her friends come pick her up and she goes with them because they told her if she goes back inside the home they will go in there and drag her out so she went with them because she didn't want them to see inside her home. I felt it was a bit strange how incessant her friend was at getting Lucy to go to the party.

So Lucy arrives at the party and tries to make a getaway but her classmate sees her and asks if she's okay. She says she's fine and leaves but he didn't buy it and should have followed her. Instead he sends her a text asking if she's okay. She manages to walk all the way back to her home and sees her sister arrive but she refuses to let the sister come inside and tells her sister to go away. The sister gets upset and says she will call her mom the next day and leaves.

Lucy resumes cleaning the house until she realizes there's just way too much junk in there and there's no way she'd finish that night so she comes up with the idea of burning everything up including her mother by starting an electrical fire. After starting the fire she escapes by breaking the window with the sewing machine her mother had been looking for throughout the movie. The movie ends with Lucy watching the firefighters fighting the fire, no emotions on Lucy's face as she says "I let the secret go."

This was an awful ending because if something like that happened in real life the fire department would know there was a hoarding issue and they'd know the fire was started intentionally and they or the police would know that the window was shattered by an object thrown from the inside. Lucy was seen by people at the party especially her classmate. If the detectives ask her friends or her classmate they'll probably find out she was at the party that night and they'd think she was trying to establish an alibi.

If the police interview her sister it wouldn't surprise me if the sister accuses Lucy of murdering their mother because honestly Lucy's behavior that night was bizarre to say the least. It was a tragic ending the entire movie you're hoping things go well for Lucy you hope she can go to the college in New York and finally be free from her mother but instead she becomes the creepy villain. The ending ruined the movie for me.

Happy Endings (2011–2020)

Bad And Not In A Good Way

[2/10 · 27 October 2021]

I watched the entire series and while there were some good funny moments I thought a lot of it was very bad. I can't stand Max or Penny but I think Jane and Brad and Alex and Dave were decent characters. Unfortunately the show is mostly about Max and Penny, especially Max. That final episode of season 3 was so awful you feel like if no progress was made between the characters, it could have been the first episode of season 1 and you wouldn't be able to tell a difference. Seriously Alex and Dave break up just because they were stuck together in a room for a few hours? Pure garbage.

Avatar (2009)

Greatest movie of all time, period

[10/10 · 19 December 2009]

In my 27 years of life I've had the pleasure of watching truly great movies like Blade Runner, Braveheart, and The Lord of the Rings to name a few, but all of them pale in comparison to Avatar. I have no doubts Avatar is the greatest movie of all time.

Avatar is set in a future in which the humans have destroyed Earth. Through their travels in space they found a planet full of life and a very valuable metal. Unfortunately the rich deposits of that metal are buried underneath an encampment of an alien race indigenous to that planet. The humans have been trying to convince the natives to move out, but the natives don't want to.

To better communicate with the natives and to attempt to win their trust, the humans have engineered a hybrid body composed of human and alien DNA, a body that looks very similar to that of the aliens. The humans are able to link up a human mind to that hybrid body, and control it like if it were your own body, sort of like how you'd control a character in a video game, hence the name of the movie, Avatar. But this is even better than that, even better than virtual reality because the body you control is alive.

After years of communicating with the aliens and being unable to convince them to move out, the humans send in Jake Sully, an ex marine. Will he be able to convince them to move out? You'll have to watch and see.

The picture quality is amazing, the rain forests, the futuristic human technology, the indigenous animals and people of the alien planet, everything looks wonderful and real. The sound effects are equally great, you'll feel like you're in an exotic rain forest. Mel Gibson's Apocalyto did a great job at making you feel like you're in the middle of a wonderful rain forest, but Avatar goes well beyond that.

This is the first time I've watched a movie in Real D 3D so I can't make a comparison with other 3D movies, but the experience was breathtaking. You'll be dodging things thinking they're coming straight at you. You'll feel like you're in the middle of an incredible ceremony with hundreds of people. I can't say more because I don't want to spoil the movie, but believe me when I say you really don't want to miss out on a chance to see this movie in 3D. What an incredible experience, I can't wait to see it again, I'm definitely seeing it again tomorrow.

Blade Runner (1982)

A must-watch for any Sci-Fi fan

[10/10 · 15 March 2009]

I'm ashamed I haven't seen this movie until now. I've been hearing about this movie for years, I always wondered why so many people have said good things about it, yet I doubted it could be really as good as they said it was, mostly because it was made in 1982. After watching Natural City which is based on Blade Runner I decided to finally watch Blade Runner and I'm glad I did.

From the very start of the movie I felt like I just got into a roller coaster but this was a special roller coaster because instead of many ups and downs this ride was exhilarating from start to finish. At the beginning of the movie you're given a fly-over of the city of Los Angeles in 2019, I was amazed at how beautiful it was.

It's interesting to note how far-off the director was with the level of technology we will be having by 2019, back then people thought we'd have flying cars by the year 2000, but look at us we're in 2009 and still no flying cars and still depending on archaic oil for fuel. However the director's error in judgement thankfully doesn't distract from the movie at all.

Blade Runner is about replicants, artificial humanoid life forms that are virtually identical to humans, who were created for the purpose of slave labor and colonization of other planets. When a group of replicants betrayed their human masters in an off-world planet all replicants were banned from Earth. A special police unit designated as Blade Runner were given the mission to hunt for replicants on Earth and "retire" them.

The camera-work in this movie was excellent, it makes you feel like you are a part of the movie. When the main character is walking in the city you feel as if you're walking next to him. When he's in a flying car you feel like if you're flying next to him, it's a wonderful experience, you get a sense of what it would be like to live in that city.

The only negative I can think of for this movie is that it only lasts two hours, I wanted it to go on for at least two more hours, that's how good the movie was. If you haven't seen it go see it now, I'd recommend watching the Blu-Ray version, the quality of the video is so good it's even better than some recent movies, and that's not just my opinion.

Natural City (2003)

Great concept marred by weak main character and storyline

[7/10 · 8 March 2009]

A movie with cyborgs, artificial intelligence, flying cars, and virtual reality simulations, sounds like it should turn out great doesn't it? Unfortunately the movie is marred by a weak main character and storyline.

It seems to me that the director went through great lengths to make the main character as unlikeable as possible, and he succeeded. I tried to find good qualities about the main character, a military policeman named R, I tried to find a reason to care about this character but couldn't find any.

The fight scenes are decent but unfortunately they are rare in this movie. The scenery and artwork is breathtaking, unfortunately they are the only good qualities about this movie.

Batman Begins (2005)

Forget the other Batman movies, this is the true Batman movie

[8/10 · 15 June 2005]

First I think I should tell you my knowledge of Batman, or rather my lack of knowledge. I've only seen the first four Batman movies, Batman: The Animated Series, and Batmam Beyond. I've never read the Batman comics. So now that we got that established, here's my point by point review, with minor spoilers:

Bruce Wayne's Parents: This was done very well, we learn that his father was a doctor, and that he entrusted the Wayne Corporation to people who were more interested. His father knew that the condition of the city was worsening, so he created a subway transportation system so that people can cheaply travel and become more acquainted with each other. Even though we don't learn much about his mother, you can tell that the father-son bond was very strong. Score: A

Bruce Wayne: Christian Bale is simply the best Bruce Wayne ever, there's no dispute about this. This guy is 6'2", the only actor along with Adams West that has played Batman who is actually Batman's true height. Not only is Bale the exact height of Batman, he's pumped as hell, the guy has some crazy biceps! He's so buff, he makes Michael Keaton look like a 12 year old girl, seriously. Score: A+

Ducard/The True Ra's Al Ghul: Easily my second favorite character in this movie. The ninjutsu training scenes were just too cool. We learn that his clan has cleaned up Rome and other cities when they became corrupted, and that he plans to clean up Gotham City. Score: A+

Rachel: She's a prosecutor, and she doesn't like how Gotham City is becoming increasingly corrupted. Katie Holmes is very beautiful here, and I like the part where she gives Bruce that present at the end. Not a very important character in this movie. Score: B

Alfred: He's Thomas Wayne's butler, eventually becomes Bruce Wayne's butler. He's serious, yet funny at the appropriate times. I liked the part where there's a waterfall inside the cave, Bruce calls him to come see it, and Alfred declines, saying "I can see it fine from here, thank you." Michael Caine had tough competition, I thought Michael Gough was great too. Score: B+

Jim Gordon: Not bad, nothing special, in my opinion Pat Hingle looked more the part. Score: C+

Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow: Brilliant performance by Cilian Murphy. I love the part where Scarecrow says "He's Here...The Batman". The hallucinogenic effects were well done. This guy has scary looking eyes. In Batman: The Animated Series, Scarecrow was portrayed as a skinny guy, yet very dangerous. This is exactly how it's done in Batman Begins, perfect. Score: A+

Carmine Falcone: Great performance here by Tom Wilkinson. The scene at the restaurant was sweet. Score: A-

Lucius Fox: Nicely done by Morgan Freeman. Everyone laughed when he said "Didn't you get the memo?" Score: A

Batman: No doubt about it, Christian Bale is the best Batman ever, at least for the movies that is. His height, his body, his fighting technique, his Batman voice, all perfect. The part where he ties up the corrupt cop and has him dangling upside down, Bale's voice was so dark and scary. Oh and the part where he's in the train fighting Ra's Al Ghul and he screams "How about this!," the voice was just perfect. The only voice for Batman better than Bale's is Kevin Conroy from Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond. Score: A+

Tumbler/Batmobile: At first I wasn't too sure about it, I didn't like the brown color, but thankfully Bruce asks "Does it come in black?" with a grin. This thing is just too cool. I like the batmobile too, so it's hard for me to say which one is better, I'd give a slight edge to the batmobile. I give it a B+

Storyline: This is a huge shining point for this movie. We learn that Bruce is partly to blame for his parents' deaths, if he hadn't been scared of the bats he would have not have asked to leave the theater early, and thus their deaths would have been prevented at least for that night. He holds himself responsible for their deaths, and he grows up objective less, mindlessly fighting criminals to make himself feel better, that is until he meets his mentor, Ra's Al Ghul.

I don't want to spoil the whole movie, but I think I should tell you that Batman doesn't appear until 40-50 minutes into the movie. But don't worry, his past life and training scenes are so well done that you will be wishing it was even longer. Trust me, you will love this movie. Score: A+

Soundtrack: I love the soundtrack, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard outdid themselves. Can't wait to receive mines from Amazon. "Mollosus" is genius. Danny Elfman's score was great too, but his score was thematic, the Batman Begins score is much darker, perfect for Batman. Score : A

Is this movie suitable for children? : I must admit I jumped several times during this movie. Batman is downright scary here, never before has he been this dark in the movies, I love it. The Scarecrow scenes might be too scary for those under 10. I think a 10 year old child can handle this movie.

Advertising: Here is where I'm very disappointed. I've hardly seen any advertisements for this movie. To make things worse, neither McDonalds, Burger King, nor Taco Bell are promoting this movie. Sure, word of mouth will help this movie, but it shouldn't rely on just that. Come on, start advertising. Even that failure Batman & Robin got better advertisement than this. Score: E

Overall score for Batman Begins: I loved it, best Batman movie ever, I want to see it again in the theaters. Can't wait for the DVD. Score: A+