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jmeggers
Reviews
Cobra Kai (2018)
Writing Has Gone Downhill
I really enjoyed the first two seasons of Cobra Kai. I thought it was a great idea to bring the original performers back into their roles as adults 40 years later. The story was pretty engaging. It wasn't the greatest thing I'd ever watched, but I did enjoy it.
But I noticed with Season 3, it seemed the writing went significantly downhill. The story seemed predictable, and some of the lines seemed just dumb. I don't know whether the production staff changed significantly, but I know the show moved from YouTube to NetFlix. Whether that had anything to do with that, I can't say. I'm now a few episodes into Season 4 and feel like it hasn't gotten much better. I'm going to continue to watch, but mainly because I'm curious where they're taking the storyline.
Body Heat (1981)
A Classic
I've loved this movie since it came out. I love the feel of the movie. You can almost feel the sweat and the fog. And I love the way the characters develop, and what you realize about them at the end of the movie. Just a very well done suspense drama, that, so far, seems to be standing the test of time.
A Simple Favor (2018)
I Don't Understand All the Haters
No doubt, this wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but I was very pleasantly surprised and both my wife and I really enjoyed it. I honestly don't understand the "1" scores on many of the reviews here, at all. There were a few laughs, but it was trying to figure out where the story was going that really kept us interested. I'll probably go back and watch it again, although now that I know what happens, the plot twists won't have the same effect, so we'll see how it holds up when that's no longer a factor. Yes, it kind of dragged a bit in the third quarter compared to the rest of the movie, but I thought both Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively did great jobs in their roles, and the fact it wasn't clearly in any one particular genre was, I thought, a plus. A little comedy, a little suspense, a little mystery. It had a bit of everything. I recommend it.
La La Land (2016)
Not as Bad as Some Reviewers Think
I'm not generally one to criticize others' opinions or reviews, I definitely believe we're all entitled to our own opinions, but I honestly can't fathom how a number of reviewers are giving La La Land a "1" rating. Do they honestly believe this is worse than Leonard Part 6? Or (in the musical category) My Fair Zombie? OK, so it's not Singing In The Rain, or West Side Story. Or Chicago, or 42nd Street. That certainly doesn't mean it warrants a "1" rating. And to be fair, I don't believe the movie warrants the "10" ratings it received either.
One of the complaints I read was the "jazz" in the movie was not of the level Sebastian (Gosling's character) pontificates about. OK, so they couldn't get Miles Davis or Dizzy Gillespie (of course not, they've been dead for years), but what I heard was good enough (from my non-expert perspective) to set the stage for the movie.
Personally, I enjoyed La La Land, and will most likely see it again. I found the characters engaging and the music entertaining. Is the score on par with Chicago? No, but that doesn't mean it's terrible. I especially enjoyed the opening number, recognizing it was done all in a single take, and marveling at the coordination that must have taken. I've never been a huge Emma Stone fan, but I liked her in this, more than I expected to. Ryan Gosling's character is a bit of a jerk at times, but not so much as to be a detriment to the story.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty solid addition to the musical category.
The Cannibal in the Jungle (2015)
Spooky Mockumentary
I enjoyed this movie. I actually found it similar to The Blair Witch Project, but better overall. It presents the story of scientists in an Indonesian jungle, looking for a believed extinct species of bird, and stumbling onto something much more sinister. Yes, I understand the comments that "this isn't what I expect from Animal Planet" and maybe there's a better way for AP to let viewers know this is not a serious documentary about animals. But take it for what it is -- entertainment.