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Reviews
Kavanagh QC: In God We Trust (1997)
Just stunningly bad!
It is hard to believe the great John Thaw would have anything to do with this drivel!! I agree with the other reviewers who pointed out this ridiculous plot (he suddenly can work as a lawyer in Florida?!), the terrible accents, pretending that Florida in the 90's is like Mississippi in the 30's, and so on! The reverse racism in this episode is also stunning... Just classic white liberal guilt and nonsense all the way! It's also terrible that in an ironic twist, it is all for nothing, and nothing but a complete waste of time, and instead of attending to his dying wife, Mr. Kavanagh is too busy trying to "save" a worthless criminal! I watched every episode of this series so far, and while another one was a bit "cringeworthy," this one takes the cake! But otherwise it's an excellent series that gives you a good look into british law (and at times, feels like a british version of "The Practice," which was one of the best shows ever on law in the US).
The Practice (1997)
Was the best legal show on TV
The first several seasons of this show were AMAZING... just riveting and filled with suspense-- as well as shocking twists/turns. They had a very good, diverse cast too with likable characters (and they didn't have to TRY SO HARD when it came to the diversity either-- it was very natural-- not forced, unlike so many shows today). Unfortunately though, as the series went on (past its prime), a lot of the characters became unlikeable, including the gorgeous Dylan McDermott (Bobby). I don't understand why they made Bobby & Lindsay so unlikeable towards the end and had them break up. It was a mistake. Then they compounded the mistake by adding the obnoxious James Spader and worse still, William Shatner. They really should have stopped at season 6 or 7 and just left it there with the original cast, rather than dragging the show into something it wasn't. That being said, some of the best moments involve Lindsay (Kelli Williams) and the various serial killers who become obsessed with her (the actor Michael Emerson who plays William Hinks was just brilliant). Also the whole George Vogelman storyline made this show what it was and showed what a genius David E. Kelley really is. Lara Flynn Boyle was also very good as the DA, but her SHOCKING thinness was almost a distraction at times. Rather than her just vanishing from the show, they should have made it like she was checking herself into an eating disorder clinic. It would have been more realistic. That being said, this was a wonderful show and I'm glad to see that Roku and Hulu both have it now, so younger people get to watch this and see what TV used to be!
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dog Face
I have to be brutally honest here... Maggie Gyllenhaal and her ugly, "hang dog" face completely wrecked this movie. I thought Katie Holmes was bad in the first one (who coincidentally ALSO has a "hang dog," unattractive face... which the producers of the newer Batman films seem to like for some reason), but she is a regular beauty queen next to Maggie! Compare them both to Kim Basinger in the original Batman movie, for example, and you'll see what I mean! The only reason this matters is because the whole premise of her being in this film is based on a LIE... that she is this beautiful, desirable woman that these rich, good looking men all want. It's just not believable and proves it's ALL who you know in Hollywood (because she isn't even a good actress either!). Christian Bale, while not unattractive, is a very wooden actor and his ridiculously low voice as Batman is silly. Heath Ledger clearly made this film what I was, but I still prefer Jack Nicholson's Joker to his. The problem with the newer Batman films is that they are too dark. Tim Burton's Batman movies were more light-hearted... even the villains were FUN! I think back to Batman Forever and how beautiful and well cast Val Kilmer and Nicole Kidman were. Jim Carrey was excellent as the Riddler too. But no one took themselves so seriously, and Tim Burton's films looked like the comic books had come to life. Yes, The Dark Knight and the other newer Batman films have lots of special effects/action sequences, but they lack something special... at least to me.
Third Watch (1999)
Was one of the best shows on TV!
I was a big fan of "Third Watch" years ago when it was on, and I recently watched all 6 seasons on Roku (where you can watch it for free!). I was thrilled to see it there because I hadn't seen it anywhere in years, which is a shame. This was easily one of the best TV shows ever made.
The original cast was fantastic. From a female's point of view, it had some of the best looking men on it too... Eddie Cibrian, Coby Bell, Bobby Cannavale, and Jason Wiles to name a few... Michael Beach is one of the best actors I've ever seen on TV, and Skipp Sudduth and Molly Price were terrific as well.
By far my favorite relationship on the show was between Bosco and Faith. What's interesting is, in many ways, Bosco was the REAL love of her life, even though they were never romantically involved. But he mattered to her in such a way, that he often came above her own family (such as her useless husband, played well by Chris Bauer). And despite Bosco acting like one of her children at times, he always put her first.
I loved the relationship between Sully and Davis as well. And I always thought that Kim (Raver) had an embarrassment of riches when it came to men on that show (her on-screen relationships with both Jimmy and Bobby).
There are some very sad moments, such as "Doc's" breakdown, and several deaths that I won't mention here for spoiler purposes. I also never liked Amy Carlson (very wooden!!) and Tia Texada's (very over-bearing) characters. But overall, the characters are very real and likable... even deliberately unlikable ones like Carlos, still worked.
From what I heard, one of the reasons this show stopped after 6 seasons is because it was too costly to continue filming them in NYC (watch even ONE episode and you'll see WHY!!). It's tragic to see what's happened to the once great city of New York (I've lived here my whole life and remember 9/11 like it was yesterday), and in particular, this country's perception of the police since this showed first aired over 20 years ago. But for anyone who dislikes the police, this series really shows you their struggles and portrays them in a very ACCURATE way-- both the good and the bad. Also, the way they tie in the paramedics and firefighters is very good. Some of the best episodes involve them all working together.
The whole point of this show, is to give people an accurate view into the lives of police, firefighters, and paramedics (in fact it was mainly written by a former police officer and firefighter!). So I hope a new generation of people can still get to watch this series and learn a lot. I had also forgotten how suspenseful 99% of the episodes are... where you can't WAIT to see the next one. The only other show I ever felt that way about was "The Sopranos." So I give "Third Watch" a 10 out of 10 and wish to God it was still on. (Because it's a nice change from the politically correct "crap" {to quote Sully!! LOL} that's on now. This show is a lesson in TRUE diversity, having characters of all different races/backgrounds, without it being forced or shoved down anyone's throat.)
You (2018)
Went off the rails in season 3... still good though!
I gave "You" a rating of 8/10 because the first 2 seasons were incredible (I watched the first season on Lifetime and wish it had stayed there, rather than letting Netflix get control of this show). But sadly season 3 is just too "out there." Not only are the situations not as believable, but EVERY imaginable politically correct cliche is on display in this season... like hating on anti-vaxxers for a start (which was so obviously about covid and pushing the vaccines-- not measles like they were pretending), and many other things that IMDB forbids me to write about... But see for yourself. Also, I'm no prude and found this season to be WAY too focused on sex. Like everyone is going around having all this sex, cheating left & right... It was just not believable. It was also awful on the one hand to make Joe get married & have a baby, only to kill his wife & give his baby away on the other. But the one believable thing is that Joe could not COPE with being a husband & father because he is a true psychopath and a serial killer. So he couldn't form a proper attachment to either his wife or son. That was the most believable part of this season. And despite my complaints about it, I will watch the 4th when it comes out... Mainly because it's one of the ONLY truly entertaining series left.
Midsomer Murders (1997)
The older ones are fantastic, the new ones... not so much!
The first few seasons of Midsomer Murders are fantastic (which is why I rated this a 9 out of 10). My personal favorites are Written in Blood, Death's Shadow, Strangler's Wood, Judgment Day (Orlando Bloom's first major role), and of course The Killings at Badger's Drift (nothing can top the plots of these-- all written by Caroline Graham, I believe). But Dead Man's Eleven, Destroying Angel, A Worm in the Bud, and many others from the late 90's (when this series started) into the early 2000's were terrific. Sadly, this show has not only become boring (I'd only rate it a 3 out of 10 now, and that's being generous!), but it seems like the only "plot" is political correctness. Look at what the show looked like from 20+ years ago when it started (with Tom Barnaby and Sgt. Troy-- who I truly miss!) and look at it now. A lot of the episodes up thru Sgt. Jones were pretty good too (I really recommend watching it up until about 2011-- which is coincidentally, when they got rid of the show's original producer, Brian True-May). But after that, it was a downhill slide. The TONE of the series is so different. Nothing is really SCARY anymore. All they seem focused on is inclusion/diversity. Which is OK but that's not the POINT of this show!! I personally miss Sgt. Troy's politically incorrect comments which were far more REAL and NATURAL than the script is now. People are watching Midsomer Murders because they not only want to see a good mystery, but because they want to see what England used to look like. Brian True-May, the show's original producer made the mistake of saying that... that it was "last bastion of Englishness," and he was fired. But sadly, they should have listened to him. Because if they did, and WERE still focused on making episodes like Written in Blood, this would be the best show on television, anywhere in the world. But now it's barely mediocre. Like everything else, it's gone downhill and is not ALLOWED to thrive like it used to. This is just my opinion, but look at the reviews and watch the episodes from 20+ years ago and see for yourself!
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
Really Bad!
I love Steve Martin & Martin Short, but I truly don't understand the rave reviews for this show. I could only manage to suffer thru the first episode but that will be all. It was SO BORING, not funny, I could go on! But the biggest problem is the terribly miscast, Selena Gomez. Who is NOT an actress. She literally has one expression and couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. Anyone saying she's "great" in this, is a fangurl. Sorry, but that's just the truth. In fact, I don't know what two comic geniuses like Steve Martin & Martin Short were doing getting mixed up with her in the first place. If you want to see them back when they were funny (it's actually depressing to see how old they are now!) and life was a lot better too, watch Father of the Bride. Talk about comedy gold! This show however, is not.