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almar515
Reviews
Apples Never Fall (2024)
Absurd Waste of Characters
Mom ran away because none of her kids answered when called? The she returns home and calls them all selfish!! This is after her husband was arrested for her murder based on a video that doesn't show anything.
The real crime here is that some of these characters and actors were wasted on a dumb storyline. Troy, Amy, and Brooke were interesting characters. Logan was pathetic and unnecessary. He exists solely to facilitate a misdirect. The actor portraying him struggled a lot to suppress his Australian accent. The dad was unlikable, but I think that character is believable, and his overbearing nature makes it easy to understand why the kids are all damaged.
What isn't believable is their involvement with tennis. The big incident that led to the breakdown of this family was a fight after someone called a ball out. But this was on a clay court, and balls leave prints in the clay! So the dad gets fired... then never coaches again?! That's stupid.
It's also stupid how they spend the whole season building up Savannah to be some nefarious character, but then it's revealed that she just wanted to be part of a family. The show calls her a con artist even though she didn't seem to con anyone? They solve this by having the mom find a bag in Savannah's closet that has a roll of cash, a gun for some reason, fake IDs, and.... a restraining order against her!! Because you can't leave home without your restraining order!
The cops were comically bad. The storytelling was the usual "foreigners trying to tell American crime stories", where they base this story on their poor understanding of American TV, movies, and law.
This would have been a better story if the mok actually died, and the family had to reconcile their grief with uncovering the facts that she was conniving and deceitful towards them all throughout their lives. Instead, they learn she's actually kind of a monster, then forgive her after she blames them all for her actions.
21 Bridges (2019)
Watched the Whole Movie to See How Terrible It Would Be
One of the worst movies I've seen in a while. The main character is a detective who is highly regarded because suspects don't get arrested, they die. The director basically told everyone in every scene to act like the worst cop movie cliche they can think of. The dialogue is generic BS. The plot is contrived. I'm upset by this because for a while I thought that part was ok but, then the plan--and movie--unraveled. The villain's plan depends on 2 strangers doing something that is so farfetched it's absurd. And yet, the big reveal is that a shootout happened because the lead detective left his phone in his car. Sienna Miller is atrocious. Chadwick Boseman is good. JK Simmons is good in low energy scenes and ridiculous in tense scenes. I hated this movie.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
Just like Skiing
... it starts high and heads downhill the rest of the way with bumps all along. It was kind of a cool premise and then they decide it's Interstellar meets Terminator without being anywhere near as cool.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: I'm in Love (2019)
Major Letdown
The episode was really boring and didn't tell much story. I was disappointed and surprised. There's an expression in comedy of show don't say. And the device they used in this finale didn't show much except for cutaway jokes. This could've been so much better.
The Bridge (2013)
Good Story, some bad acting
Diane Kruger and Thomas Wright are both terrible. Lillard isn't much better. The directing is an absolute trainwreck. You're better off watching the original or The Tunnel.
How I Met Your Mother: The Mermaid Theory (2010)
Flawed Premise to the Marshall/Robin Storyline
The premise of Marshall and Robin not hanging out is bunk. In multiple episodes across several seasons the have hung out alone: Robin took him to the firing range in season 2, Marshall took her to Little Minnesota and the Hoser Hut, and Robin drove Marshall to the airport in Three Days of Snow. This invalidates their entire storyline and the associated theory. The other story lines aren't nearly good enough to pull up the slack from the goose egg of this one. The first and last scenes have solid jokes, but they only highlight the lack of good jokes the rest of the episode.
**Bob Saget narrates throughout the episode a lot, so I don't understand the other reviews
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Roger Moore's best outing as 007
The best thing about For Your Eyes Only (aside from the theme song) is the feasibility of the plot. Nobody is building gigantic oceanic laboratories in the middle of the Mediterranean, no secret hideouts in volcanoes, no plot to take over the world, or to exterminate the entire human race. Instead, they went low key and got a great movie. Perhaps I am biased because this was the first Bond movie I ever saw, and as such it may get an extra bit of defending, but as I have come to view all of the movies, and compare and contrast them, I think that FYEO stands up. While it may not be the best (From Russia With Love is), it shares what the others at the top of the list share--that the events could possibly take place.
This is definitely Moore's best performance as Bond. To me, he never seemed dark enough an actor to be Bond. With the other four, you sensed that there was more to Bond. I haven't read enough of the books to know if it was Ian Fleming's intention for Bond to be an orphan as they said he was in Goldeneye, but I liked the idea. And Moore is the only one that doesn't seem like he could have had that kind of background. At least not from his work as 007. Anyway, this is one of the best bond movies and I highly recommend it. Especially for those who think The Spy Who Loved Me is a great movie, and that it was Moore's best.
Cupid (1998)
example why abc is in the worst shape among networks
This was such a great show. And, it was one of 3 very popular shows (that I can think of) that abc has canceled before their time. Another was My So Called Life, and more recently Sportsnight. And yet, they continue to put worse shows in better time slots and let them continue living. Anyway, I loved this show for the brief time it was on and made a concerted effort to be at home to watch it.
ER (1994)
ER revives itself
I think that this season has been the best in some time. There seemed to be a time where the producers knew they had their viewers, and that as long as they were so-so that they'd keep them. But, in that time, a lot of the storylines just weren't all that good. The storylines this season, however, have been great. I don't think there is one that I don't like. My favorite though has got to be Weaver switching sides and becoming a lesbian.
I think that another great innovation this season has been to do the show in a widescreen format. It gives the viewer the sense that this is an event, a spectacle, something that must be seen on a big screen, because the show is so big that the average TV can't handle it. Well, maybe not that extreme, but you get the idea. Hopefully they will finish off the season strong and carry over the momentum into next season, which I hope will be the last since that is when Anthony Edwards' contract expires. If ER looses 'Goose' then I don't see how they can go on. Nor why they would want to. Besides, I think that after seeing shows like seinfeld go downhill after being on too long, they may want to go out on a high note. But anyway, this season has been great. Hopefully they will be able to beat out The West Wing at this year's Emmys. I love both shows, but ER is the better show thus far this season.
Lonesome Dove (1989)
"classic--a work of enduring excellence"--Webster's dictionary
I wasn't going to write anything until I saw a comment from someone else saying that this was not a good movie. The user said that Lonesome Dove wallowed in the "western myth" that was a Hollywood cliche. Of course the user also happens to live in England. Which, as we all know, is the epicenter of western culture.
The facts are simple. Larry McMurtry is from Texas; he is a student of texas history; the movie represents the book with about 99% accuracy. Thus, the movie should be considered accurate.
Then, this user had the nerve to say that Tommy Lee Jones (another Texan) "cannot act his way out of a paper bag". One of the points to the character of Woodrow Call is his conciseness. He is not a man that likes to waste time, money, or effort. Call is a wooden character, and TLJ played it beautifully.
But, the worst offense that this user committed was to call Lonesome Dove "cheesy". Lonesome Dove is the furthest thing from cheesy. It is an epic adventure, and one of the greatest Westerns to date.
I think that the length of the film worked in its own favor. It allowed us to become close to the characters, and it enabled itself to stay true to the book. At the end of the movie, Call is back in Lonesome Dove standing outside the burned-down Dry Bean, and he stares at it while thinking back on the last two years of his life. The images of those two years flash onto the screen as if the audience were remembering it themselves. This was only able to happen because the movie has become a part of our lives that no two hour film could accomplish. There just isn't enough time to become so absorbed. Lonesome Dove is not just a movie, it is a classic in the truest sense of the word.
Lonesome Dove is a beautiful film. One that this Texan is proud to defend against any naysayers. My only hope is that if you dislike the movie, you have enough courage to put your email address up, and not cower like a child.