robertmaybeth-159-426447 Reviews

Supernatural: The Man Who Would Be King (2011) Season 6, Episode 20

One of the stand-alone outstanding episodes of SPN of all time.

[9/10 · 27 February 2024]

The seraphim angel Castiel (Misha Collins) is a fan-favorite character and certainly one of my own (the name "Castiel" is straight from actual biblical lore and simply means "the angel of Thursday). So you ought to know you're in for a better-than-usual episode when it begins with him breaking the fourth wall to explain himself to someone off camera (who is later revealed to be God himself).

Castiel wishes to explain why he has done the questionable and outright evil things he has so far in this season's storyline; one of which is he has secretly aligned himself with the demon and self-proclaimed "King of Hell" Crowley (portrayed as ever with consummate skill by Mark A. Shepard). The rest of the episode occurs with Sam, Dean, and Bobby Singer being very puzzled at Castiel's actions of late, and when the trio later lure Castiel into an angel's trap (a circle of burning holy oil) it is in an attempt to force Castiel into explaining why he has allied with the hated Crowley. Castiel tries, but is unable to explain himself or to convince them that he is doing the right thing. But Castiel is still imprisoned within the flaming angels trap when the arrival of a black cloud of demons outside prompts Castiel to cut the conversation short as he screams at them to run (which all 3 men do). But it is Crowley who appears from the ether to rescue him, by snuffing out the Angel's trap just in time for Castiel to escape.

All of season 6 has been building to this episode and the show makers masterfully weave the plot elements into one of the most dramatic SPN episodes of all time. Every actor in this episode makes the most of the expertly written scenes they are given and I found the entire episode absolutely spell-binding (if you'll pardon the pun). It is well worth rewatching all of season 6 simply to observe the season's plot elements reach their crescendo in this episode.

The Vietnam War (2017)

The finest documentary about the Vietnam war yet made.

[9/10 · 5 February 2024]

Even a casual look back at the Vietnam war c. 1965-1975 (which today the Vietnamese themselves unironically call "The American war") immediately raises more questions than any book, movie, or similar documentary could possibly answer. But Ken Burn's astounding documentary series comes as close to explaining the war, how it started, how America got entangled in it, what we Americans did while we were there, and why it ended how it did, that you are likely to find.

And compared to virtually all the other documentaries that have already been made about America's messy, horrific, agonizing, and ultimately tragic involvement in Vietnam, it is safe to say this series bears little resemblance to any other documentary on the subject. Ken Burns apparently took a good long look at how others had already tried to document this war and then threw out all the rules. The look and feel of this series seems to defy all the guidelines, both written and otherwise, on what a documentary should be; and the result is a poignant, honest, ironic, and painfully dramatic account all done in a style very much unlike anything anyone else has made before.

I've seen almost all the Vietnam war documentaries including the equally ambitious Canadian production "Vietnam: The 10,000 day war", "Vietnam in HD", the film "Hearts and minds", among many others, and what Ken Burns achieved in making this production easily tops them all. It is not just the most outstanding Vietnam war documentary, it is among the very best war documentaries ever. And if I were to pick one series about the Vietnam war for future generations to watch 50 or 100 years from now, this would be the one I'd tell them to watch.

So if you only watched one documentary about the Vietnam war it should probably be this one.

I Survived... (2008– )

The darkest and most disturbing series I have ever watched.

[9/10 · 5 January 2024]

I gave "I survived" a 9 not because I find it enjoyable. I do NOT find the show enjoyable. Nevertheless it might be the most truly hard-hitting and dramatic television series of all time.

I Survived is one solid hour consisting of monologues by 3 people telling 3 different stories, about some harrowing, terrifying and near-fatal experiences that they somehow lived through. And the stories are all as different as the people who tell them - stories filled with death, carnage, torture and ultra-violence some at a level I wouldn't have believed them to be even possible. "I survived" is literal tales of life and death, raw and unfiltered, some so shocking they are the stuff of nightmares.

If you watch "I survived" you might find the show is as shocking as other reviewers say, or you might not...but you probably won't find this show boring.

For once, the (usually gratuitous) viewer warning that begins each episode is appropriate, well deserved, and probably ought to be heeded. If there were young children in my household, "I survived" is one of the very few TV shows I would definitely NOT allow them to watch.

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Doesn't deserve the bad reviews.

[7/10 · 28 November 2023]

Is this the greatest film with Predators and Aliens ever made? No, of course not. But is it the worst along with "Alien Resurrection" or "Predator: Requiem"? No, I don't think this film falls into that category either. Despite not exactly being a masterpiece, what "AVP" is, is a good solid base film for an essentially new franchise. And given the popularity of storylines about Aliens and Predators in general (Alien Vs. Predator comic books have been Dark Horse comics number one seller since the 1990's) there was reason to think there might be fandom in significant numbers for a feature film. And this film is an admirable, if imperfect, comic-to-film transition.

The actors all fill their roles realistically and are convincing as a team of various experts sent by the wealthy Mr Weyland (Lance Henrikson) to investigate a mysterious heat bloom caught on satellite imagery at the top of the world in Antarctica. So Weyland throws together a team of various specialists and experts and has to do it in a big hurry - all because Weyland doesn't want somebody else to discover what it is that made the mysterious heat bloom before he does.

After making their way their via an Icebreaker ship, what Weyland's team discovers is a disused underground complex beneath the ice. The complex is full of statues, structures and artifacts (including a queen Alien frozen in the ice) and other weird things that indicate no humans were involved in making any of this. The team is amazed by what they find, and at first can't understand who built all of it, and why. And unfortunately for the humans, the bizarre complex turns out to be an elaborate hunting range for an extra-terrestrial race of Predators, who have somehow placed a Queen Alien (i.e. The same species as the so-called "Xenomorphs" from Alien and Aliens) in the complex, to provide the hunter's prey. And along come the humans, who eventually realize they are now trapped in the middle of a battle between alien Predators (who created it all as a sort of game preserve to allow them to hunt Aliens for sport} and Alien "xenomorphs" who do what they do in all Alien films, kill every other living creature in sight.

As the Predator race has already planted a queen Alien (restrained only by chains), the newly thawed queen Xenomorph begins laying Alien eggs in great numbers; which then hatch a so-called "face hugger" who immediately latches onto the face of the nearest creature it can find, lays some kind of larva inside its unfortunate host, and then rips its way out of their chest later, all toothy and ready to kill any other being within reach.

Maybe the least enjoyable part of the film is how obvious it is, that no human in this movie stands a chance to survive. The Predators and Aliens seem a good match for each other in a fight: the Alien has raw power, extreme aggression, and incredible speed to go along with its lethal teeth, claws and tail. Whereas the Predators, while slightly humanoid in appearance, are all much bigger, stronger, and have far more advanced weapons and technology than the humans do, and come to the underground city well equipped to fight the Xenomorphs. Moreover the Predators have a cloaking ability to turn themselves virtually invisible (they know how to bend light),although this would seem to be little advantage when fighting Aliens, (who have no eyes, and take in their world in a way that somehow doesn't require vision).

And once the two alien species begin to fight in earnest, no human, armed or not, stands a chance in a battle against either species, let alone both together. So it soon becomes obvious that every human there is now trapped in a situation where they are doomed and there's literally nothing they can do about it, except try to fight back with weapons that are wholly inadequate and have little effect on either Predator or Xenomorph.

The rest of the movie is just watching the people of Weyland's Expedition team be killed off one by one, along with countless Predators and Aliens. And the absence of anything that might give the humans a fighting chance is glaring - the closest they ever get to anything that might even the odds a little, is after one of the humans finds a Predator gun. But even that ultimately comes to nothing.

There were lots of things I liked about this movie. It was fast-paced with little screen time going to backstory. Since everyone is in a big hurry to join Weyland's hastily organized expedition, it lends real urgency. Despite the relative lack of dialogue, the adding of which would have added much to the character development, I actually cared what happened to the characters right up to the point where they are killed. And the cast is first-rate, but all have such limited screen time no one is really allowed to shine.

I felt the movie would have been much better if it had been at least half an hour longer (and that's not something I'd recommend for most movies being made either); if only to give more depth to the characters and to introduce additional plot elements.

There are lots of things to like about this movie: the POV Predator view (they see using thermal technology in their masks), the cool Predator weapons, the ferocious battles between the Aliens and Predators (which are very well done in my opinion).

But all in all, something seems to be missing from this movie and I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's the lack of character development especially compared to the original "Predator". But while the movie seems to tick all the boxes on the sci-fi action film list right up to the final "boss battle" (which despite being made using miniatures still comes across as impressively brutal). But I guess none of those elements are enough to really elevate it to any kind of fan-favorite film.

And I can't help wondering how the movie might be different if the movie had been cast just a bit differently... what if director WS Anderson's lovely wife, who happened to be Milla Jovovitch could have played the lead role of Alexa Woods (instead of the lovely/talented Sanaa Lathan)? We'll never know, of course, but it's intriguing to imagine. And while I'm at it, it's also intriguing to imagine that perhaps someday a really good movie in the AVP franchise instead of the under-realized movies they've made since this film came out in 2004.

And I am the Queen of Sheba.

Skyfall (2012)

Bond, Lackluster Bond.

[6/10 · 18 November 2023]

"The Bonds are losing their value" wrote one critic, shortly after the last Sean Connery Bond "Diamonds are Forever" hit theaters in 1971. And an old Bond fan might be forgiven for this exact thought on watching "Skyfall". When Bond used to mean over-the-top Supervillains in incredibly sophisticated hide-outs, suspense-filled chases in cars, aircraft, boats and even jet-packs, and incredible gadgets, today Bond means... diversity?

And make no mistake, the new genders for Bond's side kick and for a major character like "M" don't bother me in the slightest. Judy Dench does a fine job as M. And she is every bit as distinguished as Bernard Lee ever was. And Naomi Maxwell (as Eve) makes a fine side-kick to Bond, or at least takes nothing away from the story line.

But what DOES take a lot away, is the actual story line... oh where do I even begin? The best Bond films, or films in general, devise a way to grab you from the opening scene - some exciting chase, some absurd situation where Bond is in real peril, SOME THING we haven't seen in other films a hundred times already, was how a Bond film traditionally began.

But in "Skyfall" nothing the least bit interesting happens until Bardem appears; at which time we get the accustomed monologue from the Super-villain who apropos of nothing, proceeds to explain who he is, what he wants, and why he's doing what he's done. But even that is followed by simply more of the same monotonous story telling that ticks off the boxes on the Super-villain card: Supervillain does something to show how evil he is, then gets captured, and of course makes a seemingly impossible escape. Bond then spends the rest of the movie chasing the supervillain, who Bond eventually destroys in some clever way while making witty quips.

But there's a strange lack of suspense in "Skyfall". It's far too slow to unravel, is filled with scenes that add nothing to the plot, the story, or character development, and relies too heavily on old cliched tropes. Having Bond's life in danger from an approaching subway train by a locked door is resolved by simply having him shoot the door open. That cliche is older than all of us put together, everybody knows it doesn't work in real life, and using it anyway is a symptom of just how lazy the creators of "Skyfall" are throughout the entire 143 minutes this film drags on, and on, and on.

I was in no hurry to see this film even when it was new and fresh, and a viewing of this film all the way through takes real effort. The Bond films used to have a pay-off in almost every scene, now the pay-off just never seems to happen. It's a sad thing to watch James Bond die a slow fade of a death as a character but that's what seems to be happening. Watch this film, or don't watch it, it adds nothing to the Bond franchise nor to the world of feature films in general - and if this movie had never been made, no one would have ever noticed. It's just that mediocre a film.

The one redeeming quality of the story is Javier Bardem as the heavy. He is a pleasure to watch on screen and his obvious enjoyment of the role is plain to see. But even he can't save this mediocre effort of a Bond film.

Saturday Night Live: David Spade/Eagle-Eye Cherry (1998) Season 24, Episode 5

David Spade is at the top of his game in his first return to SNL as host.

[9/10 · 17 November 2023]

David Spade is one of the top comedians and actors of the 1990's. Ever since he was launched from stand-up obscurity in the mid 1990's by SNL, he has made a highly successful career in sitcoms and low-budget films ever since.

And he's in top form in his first return to SNL as host. From the respectable monologue he segues perfectly into a skit as Monica Lewinsky's publicist; as she entertains interview offers from various characters including Barbara Walters, Larry Flynt, and Oprah Winfrey ("The Oprah"), the show perfectly complement's Spades everyman's comedy style.

One of the better episodes of season 24.

Supernatural: Lazarus Rising (2008) Season 4, Episode 1

Very dramatic introduction to one of Supernatural's finest characters

[10/10 · 27 July 2023]

One fine Thursday, a writer for Supernatural needed an angel character but didn't know what to name it. So, said writer searched "the angel of Thursday" and lo, Castiel was born!

One of the best episodes of SPN of all time, "Lazarus Rising" refers, of course, to the man Jesus himself raised from the dead, exactly as Dean rises from the grave in episode 1 of this season).

Castiel is my favorite SPN character, and we know we are in for a memorable episode every time he appears. And lucky for us in the audience, the writers recognized a great character when they had one, and Castiel is in every one of SPN's seasons from S4 to the final episode in S15.

Castiel is the prime mover for most of SPN's better episodes, He turns into an amazing and compelling character, and it would be hard to imagine anyone else playing him other than Misha Collins does to near perfection.

Castiel is a type of angel known as a "seraphim" and he has many incredible abilities. Since he is a formless entity, he needs to inhabit a "vessel" (i.e., a human body) every time he chooses to interact with humans. He has the power to teleport himself anywhere on earth in the blink of an eye and he can (and often does) disappear and reappear at will. He is completely immune to every weapon that would kill a mortal human including knives and guns. And not only can he instantly heal a human of any wound or ailment merely by touching them, he can even bring people back from the dead.

And Castiel has the actual ability to time-travel, (although he says it "isn't easy") and can even take humans with him along for the ride. There is very little Castiel can't do and even less he doesn't know, and he has been around since the dawn of time. And he is usually there when needed by Sam and Dean to dispense endless wisdom and knowledge about angels, demon lore, spells and curses, and almost anything pertaining to the supernatural. And this episode is where Castiel makes his first appearance - and what an entrance it is, too!

The writers chose a very dramatic way to reveal its very first angel character and there is no sweetness or light about it. The first indication Dean gets that he is in the cross-hairs of an extremely powerful if not omnipotent entity, is when he suddenly hears a deafening beep that nearly floors him (later we learn that this is Castiel's natural angelic voice, and he is trying to talk to Dean, but his voice is unintelligible by humans).

The next sign we are in the presence of an extremely powerful being happens during a seance when, at Bobby's request, Pamela the psychic demands the entity reveal itself. But after being warned by the entity NOT to do exactly what she is doing, Pamela has her eyes burnt out when it finally appears.

Castiel's reveal takes most of the episode and it is masterfully done. It is notable in being one of the few times Dean is in the presence of something so powerful he is truly humbled by it. But after enduring several angry insults from Dean, the newly manifested Casteil warns him: "You should show me some respect. I pulled you out of Hell and I can throw you back there."

Season 4 has several don't miss episodes and "Lazarus Rising" is just the first of these.

Supernatural: Sin City (2007) Season 3, Episode 4

Many engaging characters plus some intriguing demon lore

[9/10 · 20 July 2023]

...and straight from the demon's mouths, no less. This episode is filled with lots of clever twists and several intriguing characters (all of whom are dead by episode's end). Along with several favorites including Bobby Singer and Ruby the mysteriously helpful demon, who appears from the ether to help Bobby repair The Colt (that is supposed to be able to kill anything, natural or otherwise, including all types of demons, and even Lucifer himself).

In the course of events, Dean is trapped in an underground basement with the demon Casey. Inexplicably Casey takes a liking to Dean, and reveals several juicy secrets about demons. She explains why all the demons were unleashed from hell after Dean killed the yellow-eyed demon (whose proper name was Azazel): Azazel was leading a demon army, and his intention had been for Sam to take it over as its commander. But once Dean killed Azazel the plan was thrown into disarray, leaving the demon army leaderless; so all the demons escaped to run free on earth instead.

Another demon, Father Gil, who is in the guise of a priest, arrives and is about to kill Dean...but Sam appears in the nick of time and kills him and Casey with the newly repaired Colt.

I found this episode probably the most fascinating of season 3. Because so many important things happen during the episode - the fallout from Azazel's death, Ruby's mysterious motives, plus a great amount of demon lore - this episode is not to be missed.

Salem's Lot (1979)

A rare example of a late '70's TV movie done right.

[8/10 · 3 July 2023]

And that it was a horror movie makes this mini-series that much more praise-worthy.

It's hard to describe just how much of a barren waste-land most of the American TV and movie productions comprised. Way back in the 1970's there were mostly two kinds of productions being released, those with first rate cast, crew and directors, and cheap bottom of the barrel filler material. Trying to describe the majority of TV/movies of the time, the word "mediocre" was almost a complement.

And that's what made "Salem's lot" more scary and dramatic than it had any right to be. Directed by the horror master Tobe Hooper, "Salem's lot" is filled with plenty of genuinely creepy and very scary moments - especially for a TV movie.

By their very definition such "made for television" shows of the era were generally dialed back several notches for the small screen. But in fact "Salem's lot" hardly looks any less scary than a theater production would have been, and that's what makes this mini-series so thrilling to watch. The vampires are portrayed as hideous, vile, blood thirsty creatures of the night with an added ability to hypnotize their victims with ease - and only then sucking them dry of blood and vanishing into the night.

Filled with first class actors, all of whom take their roles seriously and who make the most of their dialogue, "Salem's lot" is a great example of a genuinely well-made, dramatic, and actually somewhat scary horror movie of the 1970's.

Supernatural (2005–2020)

15 seasons are not enough - best sleeper TV show you never saw.

[10/10 · 4 June 2023]

I came late to "Supernatural" fandom (often abbreviated to just SPN so I'll do it too). Of course I had seen bits and pieces while channel surfing over the years. But made the mistake of making a snap judgment by lumping it in with other similar themed shows like "Charmed" and "Buffy", which I'd tried to like but hadn't been able to. So by comparing it to the other, lesser fantasy/horror shows, I was missing out on some of the most amazing and gripping story telling unlike anything else ever made.

Fortunately though, all that changed when I came across a short clip on YT titled "Dean meets death." I found the actor portraying death (British actor Julian Richings) the single most riveting character I'd ever seen. In one 5 minute clip, with no context Richings pulled me into the story like no other actor ever had.

So after that I was hooked and wanted to know more, more, MORE about this fascinating storyline.

What becomes obvious about SPN is, there are always several stories being unravelled on screen, and none of them are ever trivial. The writing on SPN is uniformly superb throughout its 15 year run. Despite the rare clinker episode that just falls flat somehow, the excellence of SPN is constant during its entire 15 year run. If something interesting and/or unexpected isn't happening onscreen, it soon will be, and the stakes involved could not be higher: the apocalypse is happening and Sam and Dean are the only thing that can stop it; All the dead souls on earth have been released among us. Lucifer himself is running free on earth and has to somehow be put back into his cage. Dean has the mark of Cain and now he can't get rid of it. Talk about conflict? SPN has conflicts galore!

The situations dealt with by the Winchester brothers are never trivial, and the solution is rarely known beforehand either. And there's never been better storytelling about how our heroes manage to save the world, yet again.

I'll go out on a limb and say SPN has better story than even such a classic as "Breaking Bad". Even though I loved Breaking Bad, it doesn't have much rewatch value. But SPN follows a new storyline every season - and it has lots and lots of reasons to rewatch it. I think this show is one of the finest sleeper TV series ever made, and I truly hope it sees some more spin-off series. "The Winchesters" is not a bad start but, doesn't compare to the original SPN (probably nothing ever will, either).

The Winchesters (2022–2023)

I really wanted to like this show...

[5/10 · 18 May 2023]

I was hooked on the original "Supernatural" (sometimes abbreviated to "SPN"), and since it seemed unlikely that "The Winchesters" could recapture the magic, my expectations were not high. So I was fully prepared to make allowances for this show due to the almost inevitable "curse of the sequel" ...and I wouldn't call this show bad, not at all, because of everything it actually does have: attractive and well-cast actors, an early 1970's theme, and lots of tie-ins to SPN, exactly as you'd expect.

But for all that there's seldom any real drama or compelling conflict happening on-screen. While the series is filled with monsters and weird villains galore, none of them seem to remotely threaten our heroes, no matter what's taking place on screen. And not just because John and Mary already possess bullet-proof plot armor, but because every "dangerous" situation has a strange lack of tension.

The interplay between John and Mary is touching at times, and the two actors do manage to portray the relationship we had to learn about in bits and pieces (mostly via flashbacks and time-travel episodes) during the 15 year run of SPN. But John and Mary are exactly what they weren't in SPN, they are one dimensional heroes. There's not a whole lot to engage you about them, unfortunately. In SPN Dean and Sam were both seriously flawed, but that's what made them great anti-heroes and it is missing from "The Winchesters".

Although the two side-kicks, Latika and Carlos, are fleshed out enough for what they are, they are seldom a driving force in any story...and most of the time they are just along for the ride. Ideally each character in the four-some would possess some quality, ability or talent lacking in the other 3, and if the characters don't relate that way, why are they in the story? With a core cast of just four, their attributes and weaknesses need to be brought to the fore if only to hold the audience - and if none of the 4 are not doing anything note-worthy in the plot, than the secondary characters need to be the ones doing the important stuff driving the story along and giving our heroes the reasons to be doing what they do!

But "The Winchesters" seem to consistently lack a storyline that's actually compelling or dramatic and the lack of any real conflict happening on-screen, makes this show a lot less good than it could be.

As of now (May 2023) season 2 of "The Winchesters" is in the wind, and nobody's saying for sure whether it'll be back, or not. But I hope they give this show at least one more season. Many people that are the creative genius behind the original SPN, are involved in making this show. So for that reason alone, I hope they give them another season to make this show all it could potentially be.

Beavis and Butt-Head (2022– )

They're back and just as raunchy as ever.

[10/10 · 2 March 2023]

B & B belong to that rare class of comedy shows that you either love or hate, there's really no middle ground. Although it's also possible they will grow on you after a while.

Mike Judge's sense of humor is pretty much indefinable, and his catalog of the various live-action comedies is proof positive of that. "Office Space" is an absolute classic while "Extract" is so lack-luster and mediocre you wonder why it ever got made. And to me at least, "Idiocracy" falls right in the middle. But this review is about "Mike Judge's Beavis and Butthead" i.e. Season 9. And if you liked t hem before you'll like the new episodes too!

There are sure to be only a very few episodes made, until B & B yet again sinks into pop-culture purgatory, so I'm enjoying it now while it's still back on with new episodes. In fact, it probably calls for another viewing seasons 1 through 8, if only to rewatch the video voice overs (always my favorite parts).

Half-Life: Alyx (2020 Video Game)

This game takes 2020's VR tech to the maximum-but VR technology is still not ready for primetime!

[9/10 · 28 January 2023]

I thought long and hard before I purchased "Alyx" and that's because it requires a VR headset to play. I did not buy Valve's VR goggles, I bought Oculus Quest for $600, and it works just fine to play this game. But this review is about the GAME, after all, and what a marvelous game it is!

Once you get used to your VR headset, plus the clunky hand controllers that work along with it, you're in for some really good gameplay. Being a huge fan of Half life and HL2 + expansions, it didn't take long playing to realize this fits right in with the older versions, and even improves on them in a few ways, naturally. "Alyx" is a worthy addition to the Half-life series, and one can only hope that Valve is well into Half-life 3 (since the mere existence of "Alyx" basically implies that game too, will eventually get made).

The game starts you off in a dirty balcony, presumably somewhere in City 17, where you will presumably gain some familiarity with using your goggles and hand controls by doing some easy stuff: moving cans around, picking things up, opening doors etc. Then the tasks get progressively more complex along the way. The game design is quite well thought out, especially since every action requires using the awkward hand controls. And knowing this the devs designed the game to mostly NOT require you to do anything in a hurry. Most actions are done at a leisurely pace because its pretty much required. There are several moments in the game that did require speed of movement, and those are the ones i had to repeat over and over just because I kept getting killed. I never did get truly comfortable with the hand controllers not even by game's end.

And that's another thing I have to mention, is the length of the game - it is just too short! It's really not much longer than an HL2 expansion pack. And I could have gone for a lot more game, alas -

What I really want to discuss is, VR technology as it exists c. 2023. Considering the relatively large outlay for the game plus the VR goggles, I was rather disappointed. VR tech right now is really not much better than the effect you would get just by watching an old-time 3D movie, using those old cardboard blue/red glasses. The VR effect given by "Alyx" is certainly interesting to see, and it is novel and new.

But for the large outlay just buying all the stuff, I felt like it should have been a lot better than it was.

I didn't expect to put on the VR goggles and suddenly feel like I was living in "Avatar", but I was hoping it would be a whole lot more realistic than it actually was; perhaps a better sense of depth, being able to see off to the sides a bit, SOME THING mind-blowing...but no, it was just the old "creature from the Black lagoon in 3D" effect from the 1950's updated for the 2020's.

Ultimately I did not feel cheated, scammed, or let down too much by this game and I'd play it all over again (in fact it's almost a bit of a waste if you don't replay at least once). But IF you have to put yourself in a financial bind just to play Alyx, I say, DON'T. Save your money until VR improves a whole lot, or at least until the price of all of it comes down!

Thunderbirds (1965–1966)

I'm ancient enough to recall first run episodes...and I was one confused 7 year old.

[8/10 · 25 January 2023]

You'd have to have been around for the dearth of really good television that was the 1960's. And even as a bored 7 year old, it didn't seem like there was a lot of watchable shows on. And then one day I turned the channel to Thunderbirds.

To say I was awestruck is down-playing it - the massive space ships and submarines clearly looked, if not real, then disturbingly close to it. But even harder to look at were the PEOPLE. That is, according to my 7 year old brain, if they really WERE people. They sure talked like people, but you could clearly see the strings moving them and you somehow knew they were puppets... but the puppets looked much too life-like to watch comfortably. With no one around to ask at the time, I was left alone to figure out exactly what these half-puppet-people really were. I'm pretty sure I was equally fascinated and creeped out every time the show came on; not to mention the other Anderson show "Captain Scarlet" that impressed me even more, especially the closing theme ("In-DE-STRUC-TIBLE... CAPTAIN SCARLET!")

Of course, as of 2022, I've finally figured out the puppets, and no longer creeped out by them, much. What I haven't figured out how to do, is how to trick my ex-stoner friends, into blazing up one more time, then sharing a new (to them) showing of Thunderbirds. Because I think that would be very funny.

Ricky Velez: Here's Everything (2021 TV Special)

Velez has a way of growing on you before your eyes.

[8/10 · 22 January 2023]

I'm always looking for stand up comedy, and there's obviously plenty of it to be found. The problem is finding GOOD stand up comedy. And when I started watching "Here's everything" I wasn't too impressed. Another crude comedian, using too many curse words, nothing new here! But out of curiosity I kept watching anyway. And then something started happening, somehow I started to hear the humor beneath the jokes, if that makes any sense, and it made the jokes hit that much harder. Velez is a master at telling a joke while saying very little; but after a while of watching him it's obvious it is coming from a much deeper place.

Velez' comedy chops are second to none, his timing is impeccable, and he's good at it... he never makes the mistake of laughing along with the audience at his own jokes, the way too many lesser comics do. I started watching this hour long show expecting very little but wound up somewhat impressed by Ricky Velez by show's end. He's a very talented guy and one only hopes some TV or movie director can make a production that shows his true comedy talent.

Charlie's Angels (2019)

A pointless remake and a waste of 90 minutes of my time.

[2/10 · 10 December 2022]

The original TV series, while not always terrible, was at least competently made, which is more than you can say about this confused mess. The idea of 3 more-or-less attractive women who happen to be private investigators would seem to be ripe for a decent storyline. Especially when all 3 Angels hare super-women who can outfight, outshoot, and outsmart any man alive, while dressed to the 9's and dispensing witty remarks along the way.

But despite a cast chock-full of talent, this thing just falls flat. The Angels have nothing interesting to do or say, and they can solve any conflict in no time flat - no situation ever challenges them.

Also this film has no continuity, no witty dialogue, no characters who are the least bit interesting. A movie about 3 Mary Sues is inevitably going to be dull and that's what Charlie's Angels is. I admit I only made it little over and hour before I couldn't watch anymore - it was just too boring and predictable. They should have named it "Charlie's Polished Turd" and I hope nobody ever does a remake.

Supernatural: Blood Brother (2012) Season 8, Episode 5

The best episode of season 8 if not one of the best ever.

[10/10 · 28 September 2022]

This is an extraordinarily revealing episode as there are several fascinating back-stories slowly being told via flashback. We learn a great deal about Sam and Dean and how they spent the year Dean was in purgatory (after Dean winds up there after killing the head of the Leviathins Dick Roman).

In SPN, the angel Castiel describes purgatory as the place between heaven and hell where vampires, werewolves, Leviathins, and other monsters go when they die. But Dean is not alone in Purgatory - Castiel is sent there too. Their lives in purgatory consist in alternately fighting off and fleeing from the monsters there. In the process, Dean meets a "good" vampire, Benny. After saving Dean's life from one of the monsters, Benny tells Dean he's figured out a way to escape purgatory, but only flesh and blood humans can do it. But even though Benny is no longer human, he figures he can somehow piggy-back onto Dean and escape too. But when Dean (and Benny) finally meet up with Castiel, he tells Dean he won't be able to escape purgatory with them as he's an angel - but Dean refuses to admit defeat and believes they'll find a way to get Castiel out somehow.

This is an excellent episode start to finish, and one not to be missed!

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Possibly the most dramatic movie ever made.

[10/10 · 7 August 2022]

"Apocalypse Now" is one of the most unlikely classic films ever made. Since given the movie's endless problems in development, production and editing, any one of which might have been enough to scrap the film completely, it's a wonder the film ever made it to the screen at all.

These problems are covered in great detail in Eleanor Coppola's 1991 production documentary released in 1991 called "Hearts of darkness". And once it becomes evident of the horrendous issues involved in filming a movie in the Phillipines of the 1970's, all while everything from the actors to the script is undergoing endless changes.

And that's what makes this film a truly remarkable achievement. From the half-realized script by John Milius ("Red Dawn") emerged a truly epic film about not just one man's journey through the Vietnam war but something of a metaphor for American involvement too. And in these days of CGI for almost every outdoor scene there is, it's safe to say we'll never see another "Ride of the Valkyries" helicopter battle ever again.