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sandyduncanshore
Reviews
Killjoys (2015)
Sci-Fi?
This show's vision of the future: everyone shoots at each other with guns and women dress like whores. Wait, that's not very imaginative since every show on TV set at present times has exactly the same setting. Nothing much Sci-Fiey about this show at all. I miss about half of what Hannah's character says because no matter how hard I try, I just can't understand what she is saying at times. And that is the real killjoy. How can you enjoy a show when the lead character mumbles with an incomprehensible accent. Most of the stories don't make any sense. I guess the bounty hunter premise allows the writers to just go off in any direction they want. I can't imagine this show making it to a second season since it just isn't going any where. The Canadian machine needs to produce something exceptional and different, because all these shows out now are interchangeable messes.
Danny Collins (2015)
Shut That Kid Up
I liked the movie. A well meaning story with some great performances. It's nice to see Al Pacino in a role like this once in a while. Aside from that annoying kid (constant shouting was not needed to drive home she has ADHD), the performances were Subtle and engaging. Sure, Al doesn't have the great voice, but I think that was a big part of the point. That he wasn't true to his talent and let celebrity drive his career. He made it very clear that he didn't like singing those songs. And his efforts at redemption are really what you'd expect from a narcissistic, self-centered celebrity who surrounds himself with yes men and gets everything he wants. What a shock to find that the one person not bowing to this is his own flesh and blood. It could have been better, but also it could have been a lot worse. Cheers.
The Whispers (2015)
Too Serious
Too many shows take themselves too seriously these days. It is especially troublesome when the show has a somewhat improbable premise. Here, it is hard to get involved in a story where the adults are so very concerned with the entity named Drill and the safety of their children, but are mostly keeping information to themselves and not raising the alarm. They all seem to think they themselves are the only chance for human survival. I sure hope not because they are some of the stupidest characters on TV. Just as an example, the child Minx. Her parents know that this invisible entity is contacting their child, that he travels via electrical wires, that me leaves a heat signature and can be monitored, that he talks to the children through the lights, etc. yet they let her sleep alone in her room, with the door closed, in a bed strewn with colored lights, even after knowing she has been contacted by the entity several times in her bed. The parents of these children also seem to loose track of them too often to demonstrate any concern. Would you let your child out of your sight if he/she was involved in this? Lighten up and give the adults some intelligence. It may be science fiction, but it still has to make sense.
Extant (2014)
Excrement
I realize the reason for so many bad reviews is simply the fact that the network raised expectations for this show very high and then failed miserably in their delivery. Therefore, the bad reviews are justified. I don't really know what this show is trying to be. It seems to mix a lot of sci-fi story lines into one complete mess of a series. There is no continuity to the scripts here. Halle refuses to use a virus she developed to kill innocent children and adults (even though she developed it to kill those very things). Where has her doctor gone? Grace Gummer plays the most irresponsible and emotionally immature head of a company I have ever seen. The "peaceful" alien hybrids seem to have some among them that want to wipe out humanity. And the Humanics are on the verge of taking over. All these plot devices are dreadfully underdeveloped and the story behind each is asinine and completely unbelievable. What started as an exciting prospect for summer TV has morphed into a bad past sci-fi show hybrid. I guess the writers couldn't figure out how to improve that DNA either. As I write this review, Extant has already disappeared in the ratings.
The Fosters (2013)
Lies, Lies, and More Lies
Every character is this soap opera is not only flawed but reprehensibly so. Starting with the parents. Everything they do or say is analyzed and misinterpreted by the other to the point of utter ridiculousness. One can not even smile at another adult without suspicion by the other. And, for a family that stresses open communication, all everyone does is lie. Just a few examples: lie about buying a car, lie about going to Mexico, lie about relationship with brother, lie about relationship with sister's boyfriend, lie about foster care license, lie about party when parent's away, lie about getting fired, lie about shoplifting, lie about going to school, lie about getting kicked out of school. Lie after lie. And that doesn't include all the things they do behind the others backs. If this is the typical modern family, it's no wonder every episode is about losing one of the children. These Fosters are the opposite of how a family dynamic should unfold. And, once in a while, could one of them please make an intelligent decision?