MacMurrah Reviews

Shōgun (2024–2026)

Very realistic account so far worth a watch

[9/10 · 1 March 2024]

Some Americans are complaining about the use of English to describe discussions in Portuguese. This is the norm for many period shows. English in an English accent is typically used.

The show obviously needs to skip parts, but the tension is really described in both books much better, , Clavels Shogun and the original Pilot's Samurai William (a must read). Almost 500,000 Japanese had converted to Christianity and the Portuguese had been wrecking homogeneity of Japanese culture. Almost 30% of the Daimiyos had converted and had dual loyalties. They were causing havoc in Japan.

In Samurai William the politics were even better described even between Spanish and Portuguese. The pope had given Japan to Portugal but the Spanish using the earlier Tordesilas treaty onsidered Japan theirs too.

Lastly the show does miss the mastery of languages William/ John is described as knowing in the book. Fluent in English, Dutch, Portuguese and later mastery of Japanese.

The acting of the Japanese characters is top notch , the European characters well seems to be a bit over the top.

1883 (2021–2022)

Awful and inconsistent revisionalist rubbish

[3/10 · 3 February 2022]

When the group is asked if anyone spoke English one guy raised his hand. However midway through the series all the immigrants speak English, the gypsy speaks with an American accent to boot!

As much as we hate certain words, you can't tell me what NOONE called Tom the 'n' word.

This is an unrealistic feel good show. At the end of the season they havent even left Texas. Great at this rate they'll reach Montana in 10 yrs. BTW during the era when the show is set there was a train service to Oregon, so it begs the question why would anyone use wagons.

I researched the actors playing the lead characters and everything I assumed about them was true.(politically)

I'm sticking with the show only because of Sam Elliott.

Get In (2019)

Reasonably thrilling thriller

[6/10 · 12 May 2020]

This is worth a watch for some intense acting and decent story. Here in America tenancy / landlord balance usually favors the landlord ,however in Europe it favors the tenant. So I can imagine the reality of issues landlords face trying to evict tenants, let alone those with contracts.

It's pretty interesting that the story featured an interracial couple with the man being the minority, the sex scenes were pretty intense and realistic especially the last one. That being said there was too much of it, at random , and sometimes without any context that seemed gratuitous. Finally the ending was somewhat unbelievable, the villain is burned, drowned, smashed in the head with a shovel and then pummeled with a baseball bat , and miraculously survives !

Mirzapur (2018– )

Anti Brahmin , needless violent drivel

[1/10 · 31 July 2019]

This crap is supposed to mimic what really happens in a typical UP town. Look at the these names : Tripathi, Sharma, Shukla , Pandit, Upadhyay. All Brahmin names, and all these characters in the show are thugs or corrupt politicians or police officers. This is so biased its idiotic.

Dave Chappelle: Equanimity (2017 TV Special)

If you're looking for cheap laughs look elsewhere

[9/10 · 13 January 2018]

This is a masterclass. Look, the jokes arent quick and quirky , but the stories that lead up to the hilarity takes time to build, to appreciate. I enjoyed the stories and I enjoyed the eventual funny twist. Dave's back and he's different, people change, he's not a cooked up pothead anymore, the man is a poet and he's brilliant.

If you want quick crappy jokes then listen to Katt Williams or Corey Holcomb, this is philosophy with a funny bone.

I did wish he didn't bash Trump but thats the season nowadays it seems.

The Tunnel (2013–2018)

It started strong but meandered into mediocrity

[6/10 · 21 September 2017]

The show started very strongly, the characters were developing well, but towards the end around the episode 7 mark it drifted to weakness and story creep. It appeared as if the writers got a sudden bout of writers fatigue and rushed to finish the plot. The scrambled voices were no more, the scenes towards the end tended to be idiotic and a waste of good talent. Which leads me to shining redeeming qualities and that's Pousy, Dillane and to some extent Mawre. I feel they could have developed his arc much better. A guy who supposedly was so secretive and used such byzantine methods turned out to be just another run of the mill psycho with just 1 dimension.What a waste of what could have been.

On another note I could see Stannis and Uncle Benjen shining.

The Salesman (2016)

Terrific movie, you just need a bit of patience

[9/10 · 24 July 2017]

This movie is a beautiful drama, the build up is gradual and the intensity reaches a crescendo during the last 30 minutes which is an absolutely spell binding piece of acting and storytelling.

The film shows Iran as a very normal and sensible society yet because of the respect the culture awards older people which makes the climax even more astonishing.

It took a while for me to get into it, I was on a flight and was dozing in and out until around 44 minutes before the end, when its just engrossing.

Split (IX) (2016)

Idiotic Storytelling saved by some good acting.

[5/10 · 9 July 2017]

There are so many flaws in this movie, it just proves that the story wasn't really well thought out. For a terrific MPD movie watch Identity, this however seems like a poor copy. M Knight Shyamalan has been exposed as a one hit wonder, his movies since Sixth Sense basically sucked.

Waste of time, but for some terrific acting by McAvoy.

The Founder (2016)

Great Story Performed With Sub Par acting

[9/10 · 9 July 2017]

I loved the story, but must say, I thought Keaton was totally unconvincing as Ray Kroc, he played the character in one dimension, and no depth. At the end of the day this is a feel good story for the entrepreneur and feel bad story for true inventors who couldn't take it all the way. Definitely worth a watch.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Very ordinary film with some good sequences

[6/10 · 24 May 2017]

This was a very ordinary film, the like we've seen dozens of times over and over. But it did do the important task of attempting to stitch together the end of Prometheus and the beginning of Alien.

That said there are LOTS of poorly constructed story and answer lines.

e.g.

*The Engineers do not share their technology, they incubate their clone offspring to amalgamate with their new host planet and that's it. That's what they did for us, yet here we are to believe that Planet 4's people have seen and used the Engineer spaceships before?

*David for all that he's become is still a machine, for a machine to transcend machine learning and make cogitative decisions especially those pertaining to right and wrong and pretty unbelievable.

*The Engineer Homeworld is clearly a misrepresentation, this planet was just an outpost or colony, you can hardly expect a neo-sentient species to reside on one planet in one city?!

* I did enjoy the parts of nature and beauty of this new world. It did look natural and virgin for such a transformation to take place.

* Captain T taking the huge mothership down to the planet was utterly ridiculous. Even in stories of old, that would never happen. Also how utterly ridiculous was it that spouses and partners traveled together. Obviously emotional decisions will be made antithetical to logical and rational ones, leading up to poor results.

Can't believe they missed all this.

All that said, I am somewhat satisfied, at least we know what and where Prometheus led to. It does appear that this is a fan created movie, one which Ridley Scott *had* to direct out of popular appeal rather than artistic need.

Wolf Hall (2015)

Very good series, one of the very best period dramas.

[9/10 · 18 December 2016]

I recently watched this entire series in a sort of binge fashion. What a terrific series and A+ acting by Mark Rylance and Damien Lewis in the lead roles. It is somewhat refreshing to see Damien Lewis perform in his native accent. Rylance is a superb theater actor and he certainly doesn't disappoint here. You can notice he is not entirely happy with the outcome of his plotting and the demise of the Queen, which almost universally now has been accepted to be false charges. Very good series and strongly recommend. It would have been nice to his rise and fall in the second season as he too meets a similar end, but it appears there wont be a 2nd series.

Mission to Mars (2000)

Ratings don't correspond to a great movie experience.

[8/10 · 13 June 2011]

I watched this movie on Netflix and just loved it. How many times have we watched the same old Alien stuff, this time around the twist is pretty neat. Of course if you dig deeper and scratch the logic of the summation it kinda wont make sense and a lot will be left to your logical deduction,but the initial acceptance and satisfaction of the climax makes it a good film to watch. I liked the fact that Mars is shown to be the progenitor of Earth lending credence to those who believe Martian space rock had something to do to catalyze life on Earth. Of course one logical dichotomy was why the Martians didn't just move to Earth when their planet became uninhabitable instead of elsewhere in the galaxy?

Super 8 (2011)

Pathetic waste of time

[1/10 · 11 June 2011]

Wish there was a 0 rating. The movie was absolutely awful, how many times will directors try to stuff ugly alien with amazing technology down our throat.Very slow narration and build up. Reminded me of Ang Lee trying to put a personality behind The Hulk. So many loopholes in this movie , we are to believe the thing kills its victims, okay it doesn't, what does it use them for? Just too predictable. We see the thing getting out of the train in the first bit and we have to almost wait an eternity to see its ugly head again, and its not worth it. For all the hype that was thrown its way it hasn't delivered, and anyone comparing it to ET, get a grip , a bit of bottle and see the doctor. The movies are poles apart.

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Great Movie

[9/10 · 29 January 2007]

LKOS is one of those movies that requires guts to act and freedom to make. Amin was a terrible human being an even worse ruler, close to the likes of say a bloodthirsty Mongol Horde. Kudos to Forest Whitaker who plays Amin exceptionally well,the scare and stupidity factor nicely entwined. I know people who escaped from Uganda swearing this was Amin personified a stupid brute with enormous power yet with the inkling, attitude and mentality of a child. Utterly inept yet his intimidation was one that could weaken knees. The Garrigan character closely resembles another Brit who was in the employ of Amin as a close adviser, Bob Astles. Whitaker should win the Oscar for this splendid portrayal of a terrible monster with such perfection. The East African accent is definitive and masterful. Of course they did add some dramatic license regarding Garrigan's escape but all in all a great movie.

King of the Hill (1997–2010)

Talk 'bout a good ol' comedy man

[8/10 · 30 November 2006]

When I first saw KOTH 7 years ago I hated it almost immediately, the slow drifting drawl, the even slower story buildup and the silliness of the characters just turned me to quicker, fast paced comedies, held together by clever witticisms rather than the situational buildups of KOTH.

This is definitely a show whose characters grow on you, so much so that you empathize and identify with the similarities of their life and yours almost immediately.... but it takes time and certainly with age KOTH is a great piece of entertainment.Don't mean to say KOTH is for old geezers only, but for some reason I am able to enjoy and understand it more now than 7 years ago.

Some of the characters are very creative and deep,Bill is portrayed as the quintessential loser,Dale an idiot whose mind is infested with conspiracy rather than logic,Boomhauer who is clearly much smarter than his hillbilly Appalachian accent stereotypes him to be.

But my favorite characters are Bobby and Cotton.Cotton is basically a terrible person who behaves grotesquely with most women,vehemently anti-immigrant and xenophobic bordering on a class A bigot,who treats his son badly and his ex-wife even worse, yet is very affectionate and accepting of his grandson.But Cotton is incredibly complex and multi dimensional.Cotton's behavior is very similar to that of the Lost Generation after WW1 or many other WW2 veterans who couldn't fully adjust back to normal lives postbellum,full of loathing and hatred of almost all humanity hardened by arguably the most cruel war ever to have been fought. Bobby is a pup growing into his own, not into what his Dad has envisaged him to be, the trials and tribulations of not being his fathers son are characterized brilliantly.

This is a great adult cartoon, maybe one of the finest and consistently so.

Casino Royale (2006)

Bond Resurrected, Awaiting Verdict Though

[8/10 · 20 November 2006]

What this movie is not, it is not an overhaul of the franchise, but an attempt to bring back to the fore the real Bond from the books. It took awhile to warm up to Daniel Craig, but by the end he epitomizes Bond very well.There are Bonds and then there are Bonds, this one is a different cut of Bond.If Pierce Brosnan was a natural debonair, Daniel Craig is a ruggedly suave version of the same, while Brosnan's Bond was a poor runner, poor on action and poor on stunts, Craig's Bond makes up for all these and then some.

The first chase scene in Madagascar was just too incredulous to be believable, but that is the only major lapse in logic I found throughout the movie which went from strength to strength from then on. After a whirlwind run through the Caribbean and the USA, the movie settles on its main story, the card game in Montenegro, which plays out extremely well, with surprises popping out in every turn. Overall this is a great movie, Daniel Craig, for all the crow he received, comes out blazing,he plays Bond fast, aggressive and hard.The movie shows Bond maturing from one with a heart to an icy cold killer. Since this is the newest incarnation of the secret agent,grand laurels need to wait until after the next few to see if he really bites into the role of Bond with his teeth.

Borat (2006)

Uniquely Funny No Doubt but....

[8/10 · 15 November 2006]

The only question I have is how much of it is spontaneous and how much is staged? That fact notwithstanding,B:CLAMBGNK is definitely a superbly acted, well directed and creative piece of comedy.There were certain scenes from the movie that rocked me out of my chair, almost praying for the comedy to stop lest my stomach turned inside itself.B:CLAMBGNK also presents a very introspective look at the narrow blinder view many Americans have when it comes to 3rd world nations and their people.Borat expounds this naiveté tendency brilliantly albeit controversially. The scene with the frat boys in the RV was pretty telling that racist undertones are very much present even in the 21st century in modern America, yet subtle. Overall this is a new kind of comic genre, sadly one that can be done only once, and then the gig is up and it becomes rote if repeated.On the other hand if it does get repeated, then it just further establishes how stupid and naive people can be. I actually had a colleague ask me which part of Russia this guy was *really* from, London England with a degree from Cambridge was the answer he expected...N O T!

Old School (2003)

Bland and Boring

[5/10 · 14 November 2006]

Being a Will Ferrell fan I had to watch this movie, but sadly it turned out to be extremely weak on many fronts.Acting from the lead characters was the sole exception.On the whole the story and comedy routines were flat out boring, and for a movie hinging on comic appeal this was far too slow for any positive momentum buildup. Of the actors Vince Vaughn I think stole the show with some creative, smooth talking of his lines that blended quite well with his character. Luke Wilson was the one weakness this movie had in its actors and they should have looked elsewhere to another actor for this role. Overall a watchable film but nothing really to write home about.

The Getaway (1994)

Action packed thriller

[7/10 · 10 November 2006]

The Getaway is a remake of the 1970s movie with the same name starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. This time around with some minor changes the movie comes out pretty aggressively with excellent action scenes. The chemistry between Baldwin and Basinger sizzles as does the action in the sweltering Arizona and Texas deserts.James Woods and David Morse are pretty debonair as smartly dressed villains not to mention the brute character depiction of Rudy by Michael Madsen which he repeats in Reservoir Dogs many years later. The story is pretty good but character development and dialogues are pretty weak. Though no one can replace McQueen, Baldwin's caper is not that far behind.

Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann (2003–2012)

Best show?

[1/10 · 3 November 2006]

Not so sure about that, unless of course he says something you like. Remember people tend to like and appreciate anything that least offends them rather than pure truth, as the cliché goes , truth hurts. Olbermann is extremely biased towards the Democrats, for proof watch 10 episodes and count the number of true "debates", i.e. arguments in which there IS an _opposing_ point of view, rather than just blind anti-Republican, anti-Bush hatred (8-9)*5 For proof (rather most recent of many), of the many just watch his defense of Kerry Nov 2 2006, soon after his (Kerry's) gaffe about lacking education and ending up in Iraq.His hilarious attempt at bolstering his position is even crushed by his own guest Thomas Ricks. Your answer will conform with mine, the Russian for nothing. Nada. Which pretty much sums up his show too , its nada.