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patrickontheplanet
Reviews
Good Girls (2018)
The Writing Is So Flat
The characters are one dimensional. This show is like a Crystal Light, all female version of OZARK. I plowed through the first season on Netflix, hoping there would be a "payoff" to make up for the insanely dense holes in the writing. Example: How in the WORLD did gangbangers show up at the girl's house after the grocery store robbery on the first episode??? The girls were all in masks when they robbed the store.
The Upshaws (2021)
Great Show. Lots of Promise.
Wonderful to see Kim Fields jump back into her roots and, this time, do it with Wanda Sykes. Show has MULTIPLE laugh out loud very hard moments.
I Dreamed of Africa (2000)
Well Done Picture!
Sometimes I place movies in my (very long) DVD queue and will not remember why, even after the disk arrives at my home 6 months later and I read the synopsis on the jacket. Someone or something inspired me to add this movie to my queue and I am very glad that I did. I went into this move a complete blank slate outside of knowing of Kuki Gallmann's prior humanitarian and environmental work. This movie had a pleasant, quiet, steady pace about it and was fun to watch. The cinematography was extraordinary and the script was part love, part location and part "coming-of-age." The film tackled a wide berth with regards to the time line and thus followed the contours of many other movies that tackle long time lines: the highlights. I forgot how awesome Kim Basinger was to watch as an actress. I was not bored by this movie at all and enjoyed it quite a bit (mostly for the cinematography, I think). At any rate, I read up on this movie after I watched and can see why this film did not appeal to mass audiences and was a worldwide flop. This is a "thinking person's" film and a story of a "woman's journey." It's just a quiet film about a very unique woman. This movie really captured the essence of living off the land in Kenya and all the significant moments that ensued as Gallmann adjusted to her new life and beyond. Perhaps it did not capture much of Gallmann's humanitarian work, however, it clearly demonstrated the great sacrifices she faced to be able to do what she does. Bravo to a captivating piece of cinema that, until it arrived in my mailbox, I did not know much about.
The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter (1990)
Awful.
I'll be brief: you are in for a real stinker when you've noticed the sequel has recycled stock footage from the first film because the original imagination and production value was so high (think Atreyu riding on his white horse, which has magically came back to life in part II). Yes, cutaways and transitions from the first movie were dropped into the second film and that's about ALL the second movie had to do with the first. Even Falcor's eyeballs in the second movie were the wrong color - a weird blood red color. None of the original voice over actors or cast returned and barely any of the same crew returned for part II. As a child, I was really excited for the sequel and remember that I went to see it opening weekend at the theater with friends. As an adult, I went back to re-watch part II and now recall why I forgot so much - it sucked so bad that I purposefully removed it from my brain bank. The script to part II, a film's blueprint, was an epic fail from the first page to the last. No special effects or superb acting could save this thing. I gave it two stars instead of one because, for a brief moment in the closing credits, the production included a short clip of the original Neverending Story theme song.
The Neverending Story (1984)
Superb
I'm going to keep this short and unpretentious. This film is as great to watch today as an adult as it was when I was a little boy. The extremely imaginative special effects have withstood the test of time, even when held up against the modern effects wizardry of the 21st century. The original Neverending Story is timeless film and so is it's message (note: the two piece-of-garbage sequels are being left out). It was great fun to re-watch this movie last night for the first time in over 20 years... I had forgotten just how amazing it was. (apparently I am supposed to have a minimum of 10 lines in my review, so to make that happen, I will close by saying it is high time for my 10 year old niece to see this film... and I'll watch it right along with her with the same cheeky grin on my face now as when I watched this movie for the first time at the age of 10 all those years ago).
CBS This Morning (2012)
New Life For Morning News
No fluff. No ridiculously rushed cooking segments. No disastrous crowds of people obnoxiously waving and dancing in the windows behind the anchors or the guest. Succinct news pieces. Fine hosts. Thought provoking pieces of journalism that I can actually use and appreciate. This is the house that Murrow & Cronkite built, after all, and CBS This Morning follows in that integrity. CBS has tried for years to land a niche since the days Sullivan and Smith hosted their morning news. With the new format, new studio and a new team... CBS This Morning has a shot to recapture an audience. This stellar morning program is the "thinking person's morning news" and I hope they carry on and make history.