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Reviews
Defending Jacob (2020)
Meh
Ending sucked. There needed to be closure than what they gave us. Performances by the actors was very good. A lot of build up to a disappointing ending. Meh.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Wrong title, horrible ending, over all: meh
First of all I felt the movie dragged in places, but that's not uncommon. The movie should have been named "RISE IF THE JEDI".
Some positives: Rey being from Palatine was a genius move. Did not see that coming. Also, the cameo of Han Solo was terrific. Great scene. The battle scenes were great.
Now negatives: as with all three of the last episodes I just felt like something was missing. Personally I feel it was the touch of Lucas. Whatever magic he brought to the first 6, it was missing in the final 3.
The ending was a catastrophe. Two things should have happened: 1) Palatine kills Rey and then Kylo kills Palatine. Then the movie title would have made sense. OR 2) Palatine, Rey, and Kylo die in the end resulting in a balance in the universe. With both gone there is balance.
The movie was pretty darn good, but needed a whole lot more work to the story.
Over all, meh.
The Irishman (2019)
Scorsese's best film EVER - epic!
The wait was worth it as Martin Scorsese brings to life what could very well be his best film ever. Although THE DEPARTED was an excellent film, THE IRISHMAN: I HEAR YOU PAINT HOUSES is a phenomenal piece of art. The cast is a dream come true with Pacino, De Niro, and Pesci. This is an Academy Award nomination worthy for best director- Scorsese, best actor- De Niro and Pacino, and best supporting actor- Pesci.
This film is in the same league as The Godfather both 1 and 2.
Gotham: Legend of the Dark Knight: The Beginning... (2019)
Missed the mark
It is always sad when a good show comes to an end, it's even sadder when a good show ends horribly. Yet this is what has happened to Gotham. For a show that began with substance and intrigue, Gotham ends almost as a bad joke. The final season was extremely disappointing, but there was hope that the finale would at least bring some of the original magic back - it did not. The script was rushed, the characters almost to the point of corny, and the mysterious villain, whom we all knew who it would be, was a "joke". Very disappointing final season, extremely disappointing finale.
Yet again DC fails to deliver.
House of Cards (2013)
House of Cards falls like a house of cards
I must admit after watch the final season I was greatly disappointed with the end result. In fact I even criticized the season in a separate review of season 6; however, after rewatching the entire series from beginning to end I have revised my criticism.
As viewers there is one thing that must be taken into consideration when watching season 6. The exit of Kevin Spacey. This was done due to horrifying allegations by other men against Mr. Spacey regarding inappropriate sexual behavior. Because of these allegations Netflix had no choice but to remove Spacey from a show that centered solely round his and Robin Wright's characters - the Underwoods. Was Netflix right in doing so? That debate rages on. Regardless, he was removed which left a huge problem. Production had already begun on season 6 with two episodes already completed. So what to do? As one who enjoys writing I can only imagine what went through the writers minds when this took place.
So production halted and if memory serves me right there was also a security reason of some sort that happened while production was going on. Sorry, the events escape my memory. Anyway, eventually the final season production resumed with a shorter season than the previous five. This was due to commitments that cast and crew already had with other projects, and I am sure Netflix was ready to distance themselves from the show.
But here's the thing. If you start from season 1 and binge watch through to the very end, as I did, you might come to the same conclusion I did regarding the final season - it was much better than originally thought. Yes there is still the problem of the script seeming to be forced, and yes I still believe that Claire talks way too much to the camera. But if you watch the entire package as a whole, season 6 really is pretty good considering what all happened.
I still think Claire should have squished the bird and her killing Stamper was - well you just knew that was going to happen. But there is one other victim the writers failed kill off - us the viewers.
Here is how I would have shot the final scene: there is the confrontation in the Oval Office with Claire and Doug. Except I would have had them in some sort of way plead their case to us the views, after all we were just as much apart of the story as the characters were. Claire and Doug would have still wrestled with the letter opener and Doug still would have died. That just leaves one other witness for Claire to get rid of - us the viewer. Instead of fading to black as she glances at us after killing Stamper I would have hD her then take the letter opener and jab at the camera causing the screen to go black. Thus killing us as well.
But it's easy being a Monday morning quarterback.
In the end, House of Cards is a fantastic political drama that is worth watch over again from beginning to end. It is fun to watch the Underwood empire fall like, well like a house of cards.
House of Cards: Chapter 73 (2018)
Intriguing final season that falls flat
Netflix's ground breaking political suspense/drama "House of Cards" has finally come to an end, and like other presidents serving out their last remaining time in office this series ends as a lame duck.
This was a much anticipated show for this writer because there was interest in how they were going to address the Kevin Spacey exit. After all, it was Spacey that was a driving force behind the success of the show with his ability to talk to the camera and interact with characters with such ease. Although Robin Wright continues masterfully as Claire Underwood, her interaction with us the viewers seems forced and not as personal. In a previous season Clair only addresses us once, and that is to let us know she chose to ignore us. Now, in the final season, it seems President Claire Underwood has a lot to say - a little too much at times.
As for the newcomers to the show, Diane Lane (Annette Shepherd) and Greg Kinner(Bill Shepherd), both bring strong performances with Lane's character being the stronger. Although Kinner's performance is right on, his character is underdeveloped and never really fits well with the storyline. This is not the case with Lane's character, as we soon find out there is history between Annette Shepherd and Claire Underwood. But again, it ends up under developed and somewhat forced.
There is, of course, the return of Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper, Derek Cecil as Seth Grayson, Jane Atkinson as Cathy Durant, and Boris McGive as Tom Hammershmidt. All play their rolls well, but fall into a very forced and under- developed script.
In the end, the final season of House of Cards is weak in story and suspense. The final episode shows a final confrontation between Doug Stamper and Claire Underwood that leaves one scratching their and asking "What?"
All this writer can say in conclusion is, Claire should have squished the bird. That would have set a perfect tone to the the rest of the season.