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The Predator (2018)
Solidly Enjoyable Action Flick
I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie. I read a few negative comments and then tuned out from user feedback because ultimately I wanted to see the movie regardless and I'm glad I did. I found the journey this movie took quite fun. The explosions, kills, tech, humor, and the twists and turns it takes made it a solid popcorn flick that fit right in with the other movies in the series. The original trailer for this did the movie no justice as out of context it looked overly corny. In many respects this movie adds and expands the Predator franchise. No spoilers. IF you have any interest in the franchise, then give the movie a watch. It probably won't be your favorite movie of all time, but it'll scratch that itch for more on the Predator franchise. I'd also recommend watching Predator, Predator 2, along with Predators to get some of the lore this movie leans on.
What Would Diplo Do? (2017)
Solid Comedy Gold
I only caught this show because James Van Der Beek went on Conan to promote it. The clip looked hilarious and so I set my DVR to record it. You should too. Before this show I couldn't have told you even who Diplo was, so I don't think it matters if you have a clue either. It's the right amount of over the top situations coupled with some seriously off the wall thinking. It even borderlines on the sweet and endearing at times. Some of the things Diplo says make him seem like a modern day Yogi Berra. Seriously, don't take my word for it, go DVR the show and watch it. It's comedy gold and every episode is pretty much a standalone experience worth watching multiple times.
Ängelby (2015)
Oddly Captivating
After completing the 12 episode series, I found the show completely captivating to the point that I looked forward to each episode. The locations are all quite rich with detail and age which lends an air of reality to the show and characters that most shows just don't have. You won't find any sterile set locations here. The people are all quite exquisitely eccentric but in a way that makes sense by the end of the run. Then there is the main story. Everyone has their own unpredictable motivations. To me, unpredictability in story telling makes for a much more enjoyable experience and this is one of the few shows I couldn't guess the end, and I loved it for that. Still, unpredictability can come from bad places sometimes, but this isn't one of those. No, rather this is the type of show where it may be hard to guess... but it all makes some level of sense due to clues weaved into the show.
So my recommendation is to give this a chance. Just don't go into it expecting some kind of horror story or something with monsters or other unrealistic things. It's firmly a drama rooted in reality with the threat of mysticism. I say "threat" because for the majority of the show you are left to decide what if anything to believe. You can be like me and stay completely grounded in reality and believe there is an explanation for everything... or buy into it all. Either way, I think the show wraps itself up quite nicely in an oddly satisfying manner.
As an added bonus for people from other countries, there is interesting architecture, beautiful nature, and other visual treats to enjoy. When watching foreign shows myself, I tend to really get a kick out of seeing different ways of life. Like the oddity of doors that open outward. On American shows typically if a door opens outward its because of bad set design... here, it's the reality of the environment. Enjoy!
Private Eyes (2016)
Finally a pure P.I. show
There have been a lot of detective shows through the years. Some lean to being campy comedy like Moonlighting, others end up a murder of the week procedural like Castle, and others like Veronica Mars end up being side jobs they do while doing other things. Granted I LOVE all of those shows but it's been a while since there has been a good P.I. show where the characters are both actual P.I.'s with random cases to solve. Veronica Mars came the closest.
Here we have a more realistic side to the P.I. life. I really don't care for spoilers myself and I don't want to spoil the plot so what I really need to say is... if you've hungered for a pure P.I. show with random cases this is what you've been waiting for. It does, again, air a little more on the realistic side but without being dark. Like how it's not realistic for Magnum P.I. to be doing a stakeout in a Ferrari. Or how it's not realistic for a writer to be involved in every murder that goes through a precinct in Castle. Or how it's not realistic for a man to take the name Remington Steele so the female P.I. can solve cases that only the big boys get. So anyone that appreciates those kinds of little touches should, like me, find a lot to love with Private Eyes. It may start out seeming like it isn't going to live up to the claims I'm making but stick it out as it's definitely more than the first impression gives.
Superstore (2015)
This is not the NBC workplace comedy you are looking for
It's with a heavy heart that I write this review. As a fan of NBC's past workplace comedies along with actors Ben Feldman (thanks to "A to Z") and America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) it seemed on paper this was going to be my new favorite show. It had so much potential being set in a big box superstore. NBC has made a lot of really excellent workplace comedies. I'm talking The Office, Parks and Recration, Outsourced and hey even Community could be described this way. Instead what I got was often just raunchy potty humor or just mindless jokes with some of the worst writing that no good actor could make up for.
Let's start with the writing. It's often brainless over the top antics that would never happen in real life which fuel the jokes. It's sad this is the best material they could come up with for the show. I wonder if maybe the writers never actually shopped at a big superstore before? They should have consulted with some actual employees of such stores to get a sense of where the jokes would easily fit in with day to day operations. At the very least they could have watched the UK comedy "Trollied". Superstore also did something that few shows ever do and that is give me no one to actually cheer for. You know, there's that one guy or gal in the show that you identify with or you just want to see them succeed or whatever. For this show I had no one to relate to. All of the characters are incredibly stupid, self-centered, and/or some extreme stereotype.
The actual set of the superstore has no real life flow which takes out a sense of realism to the location. You get no idea what part of the store most of the locations are even in since everything seems like a bunch of small sets built around gags. That, to me, is one of the most crucial aspects of a workplace comedy. I need to believe the location at least could be real. The store just doesn't seem functional especially once they show the gas pumps that are in front of the main doors.
This was never an issue on Cheers, The Office or Parks and Recreation. Cheers was clearly a bar in the basement of a restaurant (complete with stairwell that seemed to go to the outside world). Dunder Mifflin was without a doubt a functional office inside and out with all the areas connected to create an amazing amount of realism from parking lot to break room. Same is true for the India based office complex from Outsourced or the City Hall in Parks and Recreation. The locations were well thought out in those shows. It's sad they couldn't at least try to make the store seem real.
Unfortunately too, the number of employees for what is supposed to be a big store seems tiny. I think that ultimately is one of the major flaws with the show. It doesn't come across as a believable superstore not just because of a horrible set design but because there are not enough people to support such a location. Plus unlike real life, the same employees work the exact same shifts every day. So there is no variety of characters.
Beyond all of this, there are often crazy things that happen in the store thanks to some of the dumbest customers on the face of the planet. I don't want to spoil anything, but trust me they have the customers do gross things that are cringe worthy not only in execution but also just because of how poorly thought out the gags are. It's as if they want to offend anyone that would ever shop in such a store.
Overall, I say completely avoid this show. It's sad that I feel this way because it could have been something exceptional. As it stands, at the half way point in episode 6 my brain just couldn't take any more of this show and I'm done with it. I know people always say you gotta let a show get it's legs before you give up and shows like Cheers and The Office took a season before taking off. The difference is, it only took them time to take off in the ratings, the first seasons of The Office and Cheers are still exceptionally good shows. There's really no excuse for writing this bad or a premise this good being so horribly botched in execution.
SunTrap (2015)
Brilliant Sarcastic Greatness But Not For Everyone
If you like double-talk, quick wordplay, absurd situations, impressions, grifting, private eye stories, and thick sarcasm then this is a gem.
I'm reviewing this as of the second episode (of six?) airing. My initial thought about a third of the way through the first episode was that this might just a bit too stupid but by the end of the first episode I was sold. So expect that it may not "click" the first 10 minutes, but hold out to the end. I even started to wonder if this was brilliance at work. As of the end of the second episode I feel like this could easily become one of my favorite shows and indeed it is brilliant. I love non-murder mysteries, sarcasm, impressions, and exotic locations. For what this show is in all it's uniqueness it's easily and 8.5/10 rounded up to a 9. Usually I don't round up but in this case I find myself actually wanting to re-watch the episodes several times which to me is always a sign of greatness. I may re-evaluate the show after the season is over, but for now I feel like I've seen enough to give an initial rating.
Don't approach this as a serious drama, a comedy with a laugh track, or shallow humor that's easy to get. No this one is anything but serious. It doesn't tell you when to laugh and the humor is layered enough to require a little thought to get.
Big Time in Hollywood, FL (2015)
A Solid Dark Comedy With Intelligence Behind It
"What is a dark comedy?" That was my initial thought when I stumbled upon this show. I figured it would be some morbid situations and indeed this show abounds in shock and awe. But it does it in a way that is intelligently written and acted and it's not all dark. No the actual main plot is very innocent in a way. It's two brothers that just want to continue living at home making their little cliché action movies with some pretty low end technology. But everything goes sideways and crazy stuff happens in their pursuit of a rather mediocre goal.
Should you watch this? If you like shows with a continuous story that builds each week like Arrested Development and Last Man on Earth then definitely. Just know it has some dark moments and you won't be prepared for them which is part of the fun of the show. If you need a laugh track or an audience that is queued to laugh at the "right moments" in order to find something funny then avoid this. But honestly I think most people will like this.
In rating shows I'm not trying to go for an all or nothing. Something being bad or perfect. I think a more grade system works best. 5 or below is failing, 6 or 7 is a pass and overall good. 8's and 9's are fantastic... with 10's being less common.
Ninja Warrior UK (2015)
Watered Down version of Ninja Warrior
If you've ever watched the original Japanese version of this show or the American version then sit down. This is not the same show. It may be named the same and have the same obstacles but it's not as it appears. First of all only a few and I mean very very few of the competitors in this series appear to have any kind of background in parkour/free-running or obstacle course running. So right off the bat this comes off as more of a Wipe-Out style series than it does Ninja Warrior. In addition to the competitors appearing to be less prepared for Ninja Warrior the two male hosts of the show act like juvenile delinquents every episode often laughing at how the competitors look, egging them on, and of course every fail gets a lot of ridicule. It grates on my nerves. The editing also is different in that they show very few full runs of the course. So when we finally get to see some really good competitors make it, it's often just the last few obstacles. Lastly the hosts don't appear to have any idea of the techniques required to complete these obstacles. That is, they don't talk about the technical side of Ninja Warrior which really makes the experience seem less legitimate.
So be warned, this is Ninja Warrior in name and obstacles but it is also very different. I don't like posting mostly negative reviews so let me say that the audience is very well controlled and respectful for most of the episodes. So it's easy to hear the little interviews and stuff before & after a run which might seem a bit sterile but I think it works. Also, no doubt I'm a huge fan of the series. I love that drive people have to really work hard and try to beat the course. So as much as this is watered down, I'm still watching this. If you know nothing about the series then this might actually not seem as bad as I'm rating it. So don't let my low score keep you from watching it... just don't expect this to be great for fans of real Ninja Warrior.
Lost in Transmission (2015)
Unintelligent Drivel Worth Avoiding
I love car shows. My favorites are the ones where they save old cars and show some of what it takes to complete such huge projects. This appeared to be such a show and I like Rutledge from Top Gear USA so it seemed like a winning combination. Unfortunately this show turned out terribly.
This is a show about fixing and saving cars without actually showing any of the fixing. Instead it's filled with a lot of filler content like driving golf carts around a building. The one somewhat technical thing they showed involved stripping paint from some Delorean fenders only to reveal the painted car had been damaged and the panels were useless. The trick here is they had to know the panels were bad to begin with by just flipping them over to see the dents. It was a Delorean and the main reason anyone ever paints one of those cars is because of body damage. Maybe had I not seen other better shows I wouldn't have a clue. The bottom line is this show will teach you nothing about cars nor will they even give you a hint of how much it costs or how much time it takes to do a good job restoring one. If you thirst for knowledge this show is a dry well. Go watch Wheeler Dealers, For The Love of Cars, or even Overhaulin' for that stuff.
Sadly this show perpetuates the same typical stereotypes of the South that I have come to be disgusted by as a real southerner. Nothing shown on this show really even comes close to the reality of living in the south. We don't live on back roads or all eat at mom & pop diners or have our car work done at some crazy shack in the woods. I hope the show changes through the episodes but I don't know if I can stomach wasting any more of my time to find out as everything here seems clearly staged and scripted. I just hope the guy at the end didn't have to pay for all the work done on his car so someone got something from this.
Edge of Heaven (2014)
Simple Sweet
The show started out slow with a lot of cliché bits that I've come to expect from this kind of quirky drama. Initially the characters seem a bit too shallow but after four episodes I'm finding many of them have grown on me and the ones that haven't I don't think are supposed to be likable. That's fine with me. I don't need every drama to be dark and full of overly dramatic situations or like every character to get enjoyment out if it. It's nice having something that leans towards the lighter and funnier side for a change.
I can also identify with a dude that's too dumb and blind to realize that he's chasing the wrong girl. Will he find happiness or will he keep making bad choices? That's a big part of why I tune in each week. No doubt I'm a sucker for a quirky cast of characters and this show is nothing but that oddball group of people. Yet they fit together quite well.
It's a solid 8 for me now. Maybe at first I would have given it a 4 or 5 for mediocrity but after four episodes I'm glad I stuck it out as the show has gelled into something enjoyable. I'd put it just below dramas I like on SkyOne like Stella, The Starlings and Mount Pleasant. All of those shows started out a bit on the weak side but grew into something special. Edge of Heaven has turned out the same way, I hope it survives for another series.
Hudson Hawk (1991)
A Comedy, Musical, Caper, Intelligent, Quirky Good Film
Few movies get a full 10/10 from me and by that my comments will probably seem a bit off base. But rest assured I know what i like and who knows maybe you are interested in this movie and would want to know what kind of person would actually love this movie since it seems so many actually don't like it.
Well, i'm actually a big fan of Bruce Willis in Moonlighting and the Die-hard Movies. This one is like a good blend of the two. Overall the character here is quite similar in many respects to David Addison on Moonlighing except he's a former thief and was highly regarded as the best. He has a thing for singing songs just as he did in Moonlighting, yet here it's even more appropriate as the Hudson Hawk is familiar with song lengths in order to time how long it will take to do things.
In writing this, I don't want to put any spoilers in here. But basically this is a caper film. It revolves around Bruce's character as he gets out of jail... and the caper he's forced into. Like Moonlighting, the movie really packs in a lot of overlapping talk, hidden jokes under lighter jokes, and an overall air of humor even in the toughest situations.
OK maybe it's not a full 10 out of 10 movie... but i really love this movie and something has to counter some of those horrid reviews... right?
On the Line (2001)
Surprisingly Fantastic Romantic Comedy!!!
My wife and I were flipping through the channels last night and ended up on Encore's Love movie channel and this came on. I had no clue about who the actors in the movie were (I'm nearly 30) but we started watching anyway as the plot sounded interesting. The first thing to note is this movie is a sappy romantic comedy. But there's a big emphasis I want to make on "Comedy" as much of the humor triggered laughter in both myself and my wife.
It was definitely a great romantic comedy in my book. You can't help but feel for the lead character as he searches for the girl he so perfectly connected with while commuting on the Chicago train/subway system. The friends of the lead character are all funny yet also have some genuine likable qualities as well. Great acting all around.
Definitely give it a watch if you have the opportunity. Just know what kind of movie it is an enjoy. Who knows, maybe you'll catch it on Encore's Love movie channel like my wife and I did.