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Reviews
Westworld (2016)
Super Pissed Sci Fi Fan. Painfully constipated exrement of a show. Glad it's cancelled
How ever promising the show was in the beginning slowly but surely faded away into a descent well into maddening boredom. Anthony Hopkins was lucky to not be associated with the subsequent seasons.
Soooo many dumb twists that had no payoff. Sooo many unnecessarily confusing sub plots again..with noooo payoff. Nothing to glean from any of it.
It honeatly reaches a point where not only do you not care about the outcomes of the characters but you actually wish for all of them to die out of a budding hatred for the whole show.
Such a dumb show AND such an incredible waste of money in a totaly meaningless meandering...much to do about mostly...NOTHING plot.
I could barely get through the 2nd season and it was an unbelievable tour de force to grt through the 3rd season and I hoped it had ended there... I really tried to get thru the 4th Eason but I finally quit about a 3rd of thr way through and I don't care whatsoever what happened.
At least raised by wolves had something to offer. This show had NOTHING after the first season. Like NOTHING.
If HBOmax ever has any money again after ripping itself to pieces,hopefully they will budget something better for sci fi...hopefully.
Vivarium (2019)
Real Sci Fi Intelligent fans will Appreciate the originality
An interesting film, purposely slow to build the dread. It was unique and the final act did not disappoint. Dont understand haters. This film was not a great amazing film but it was solid all the way and that's good enough.
Tales from the Loop (2020)
It's good. Really good. You wont be Disappointed and Stop complaining about music
These episodes are very well made and piano / violin theme threaded thru the episodes fits just fine. Watch it. Dont worry.
The Outsider (2020)
Food BUT drawn out. 6-8 Condensed Episodes = 10 out of 10. Too much like King's other works
I liked it alot and the scary stuff related to childhood or weird semi unexplainable experiences many of us have growing up.
But it was in fact too long. 6 to 8, prolly 8 episodes would have been perfect bc making it episodic it started to follow the playbook of the lull moment the emotional moment, and the major volatile moment. The fact that I'm saying that and thought that, proves it bc if it wasnt, then that thought wouldn't have crept into my mind so many times.
The other thing that started to bother me is that this reminded me alot of " It " in many ways and also " the stand " and for that i was disappointed that I realized it. I wish inhadnte bc then I started comparing things alot t those previous works, which then reduced the ppwer of the story and the high intensity moments.
With that said, it was still entertaining. The acting was solid all the way through, and I would watch a second season if there is one. BUT... please dont carbon copy Stephen King's other works, even if the story does on paper. You need to go in an different direction that until know, I didnt know King had copied himself so many times.
Cyborgs Universe (2020)
Wow acting class Garbage
That's it. I couldnt even watch 5 minutes. I felt like I was back in highschool drama class. What a joke.
Altered Carbon (2018)
Everything's gr8 BUT the quarterback & That kills all the painstaking effort of the whole team
You hired a swedish guy who is good but never great at imitating an American accent. If you Joel in Hanna on Prime he doesn't have to think through his accent and just act with his regular voice & therefore more delivering of his lines and the scenes feel much more authentic. Hanna has nothing special in the production team or story or cast that altered carbon doesnt. AC is a big time production.
Mackie is worse. The concept is awesome but he does not hit on the necessary cylinders to properly wade through the layers of the character and the settings simply bc hes likeable, a hot commodity bc of Marvel, a gr8 actor does not make you...and hes proving that in spades. I just saw Mackie on Trvir Noah and he was spectacular BUT NONE of that character and personality makes it's way into the character...and that's what's missing. He cant be himself and be this character. He just doesnt have the Bility to go there.
Joel is good but hes not gr8 either. I'm starting to wonder if Takeshi should just be the initial Asian actor and let him run with the character bc he seems to be the only one who gets closest to getting it right. Watched 3 episodes and I'm done.
If theres a 3rd season, I will try it but YOU NEED A QUARTERBACK
Altered Carbon: Phantom Lady (2020)
S1+S2 Downfalls are Likeable name v Foreign born. How to make this a HOF show b4 its cancelled
Season 1 issues:
We learn as go through life that Just b/c some one can do something doesnt mean that they should...right? Well, the 2 lead actors from S1 & S2 of AC proved that in spades. If you watch Joel Kinnaman do an American accent or a Boston or w/e American accent, he gets by BUT he doesn't do any American accent great. Its NEVER 100% convincing. Not one. It takes me out of the moment often. The killing, House of Cards, Robocop 2, etc, he gets it done but it's never ever very good unfortunately. Hes solid actor. He looks the part. He certainly tries hard but doesnt cut it, he just misses the mark all the time. Hes likeable, has a great look, works out hard, and I'm sure he works hard, but a great actor he is not. Atleast not as an American.
Season 1 of AC was so expensive and so much production effort put forth that it was good anyway despite Joel.
You want proof? Watch Swedish Joel in his natural (more natural) accent in the TV show Hannah on Amazon Prime as Hannah's father.
He does NOT have to think through the lines bc he doesn't have to pay attention and devote extra energy to his characters' accent. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, his intonations, and voice inflections, etc, are INFINITELY more authentic and natural and as a result the performances are better and much more believable.
I liked season 1 of AC but I could never love it bc of this fact.
Season 2 Issues in a nutshell: Anthony Mackie just cant Hackie.
Just like Joel, Anthony is likeable. has a good look, but in his case, hes just a very lucky guy bc he IS American, and he has just never been a good actor. The Marvel franchise raised his profile tremendously. We've come a long way from Papa Doc and 8 mile. But sadly, his acting has not.
I dont care what the demographic statistical analytics department says, He has no business trying to take on this kind of a lead role in this type of a complex concept. He doesnt have the skillset NOR the charm to pull it off. I'm sorry he doesnt and he shouldnt be here. Now I'm concerned bc he may have single handedly killed this show.
And shame on you Netlfix, bc that episode of Balck mirror with Mackie was super interesting but NOT bc of him and honestly the real nail in the coffin was that terrible Netflix Original with Mackie called: Destination IO. That alone should have told you something definitive about Mackie. Why werent you paying attention? And Point Blank wasnt awesome either BTW. You gotta look beyond the analytics people.
Finally, you see these guys in interviews on talk shows, and they're funny and natural, seem like really down to earth good guys, and I'm happy for their success but their shortcomings may have permanently killed the future of this show.
IF there is a season 3 (Neflix doesnt like those) THEN FIND better lead actors or actors that better fit the complexity of the roles and you WILL get MORE subscribers.
And for that I am sorry to see it go...