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eheath1000
Reviews
Godmothered (2020)
Too saccharine, but then again its Disney
OK, first of all, about a quarter of the time the writing showed just a little bit of edgy cleverness. It doesn't handle the collision of the real world and Disney magic very well, but what movie does? There were some scenes that got close to too saccharine, too much, but it never quite got too far.
All that said, if you are willing to numb your brain (as I am all too often) it is a sweet story that also has just a smidgen of entertainment for adults. Kids might like it.
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
A reasonable, entertaining effort
OK, I liked seeing Dwayne Johnson channel a 16 year old nerd in the last new Jumanji reboot. And I thought Kevin Hart and Jack Black were pretty good in stretching themselves a little (Black maybe more of a stretch, and maybe a bit better). And I just like Karen Gillian.
I have to say, in this film, both Johnson and Hart played their new characters better than the originals played themselves. I especially enjoyed Johnson's mugging as DeVito in his body.
Its not Richard Burton, but it is entertaining and to me perfectly credible.
The fact that they didn't include Bebe Neuwirth in the first round of credits in the end credits was criminal.
Treasure Guards (2011)
Basically a waste ...
Let me start by saying I love Anna Friel. I would watch her reading the phone book. But this movie is almost less interesting. The male romantic lead and his "brother" are a little hard to understand, and the concept of "treasure guards" is a notch below how the believable the Librarian is. And what-his-name Raoul the guy is hard to understand.
But what makes it clear how bad the filmmakers are is the fight scenes (impossible to follow) and the montages. The concept of the seal of Solomon is no worse that most other movies, but the writer(s) do not know how to tell a story. The directing is okay as long as no one is moving too fast, but nothing special. But I love Anna Friel.
Battle Creek (2015)
I have watched five, and I think I know what they are going for here ...
NaivetyNaivetySpoilers ahead, although much of it you would get even from just the first episode.
So I think Vince Gilligan and David Shore looked at Twin Peaks and decided they wanted to make a series in a similar sort of off beat view, just a fairly different beat. So there is an FBI agent, like Cooper in being somewhat eccentric but in a uch more conventional way. Tall Agent Milt Chamberlin (!) is very successful, in a way that no one seems to be able to understand. Witnesses and suspects respond to his straightforward decency. He has been successful in a posting in Detroit. But no one like that, so very decent and so very successful, is going to be able to progress without making enemies, and Chamberlin has made powerful enemies, including but not limited to his former boss (it is not clear yet how powerful the other are). But Chamberlin shows signs of humanity despite his otherworldly decency. He has to psych himself up to smile when being introduced to his new posting as the resident agent in Battle Creek. He agrees with a Battle Creek cop that no cop could be as naïve as he is and survive.
Speaking of which, Dean Winters is Josh Dumel (sp?)'s antagonist on the Battle Creek police force, the one who uttered the line about naivety. WInters - Russ Agnew on the show, is an interesting contrast to Chamberlin. He is a good detective, who seems to solve most of his (straightforward) cases even if he doesn't always put the bad guy in jail. He is used to working with lackluster co-workers and substandard equipment. He is quick to judge and verbal about his judgements, but he is still willing to concede when he is wrong and basically a decent guy. He is often off-putting though when he meets new people and distant from those he works with. And as of episode five, Chamberlin still annoys the hell out of him. And despite the fact Chamberlin says he never lies, he admits he has lied to Agnew (Agnew makes no bones about lying to everyone). And what did Chamberlin do to get sent to Battle Creek, and who sent hi?
So small town cops plus big city FBI, like Twin Peaks but not like Twin Peaks. I think it should have done better, gone for a seven season run instead of a half season. Worth a look.
The Orville (2017)
Why watch The Orville?
*Potential spoilers of already aired episodes*
I was watching the third episode last night and my girlfriend was asking why I am watching Star Trek again? (her vision has gotten real bad recently). "That's a Klingon, it's the same music ..." etc. Well, no doubt Seth McFarland is channeling as much of Star Trek as Paramount will let him (and its not bad publicity for Star Trek, in the context of the saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity"). But this show has some very twenty first century American notions as well. Captain Kirk, your first officer is no longer an emotionless Vulcan, (*spoiler*) its your ex-wife. This ship has a full bar in every replicator (plus a regular full bar in the mess hall) *and* edibles should you so wish. (*spoiler*) They solve the problem of how to get the captain and first officer out of the zoo they are trapped in by a superior race by giving said superior race our current reality TV shows (Real Housewives of New Jersey, the Batchelor, etc (no mention of The Apprentice)). (*spoiler*)And the crew member species that is all one gender, male, reproduces by laying eggs. And the couple (of that species) on board the ship give birth to a female (so not one gender, but an opportunity for a 21st century conversation).
To me, its *not* Battle Star Galactica dark, it it Hill Street Blues in space. Which is a perfectly fine thing. HSB had so much comedy and so much drama, and was well worth watching. I think the Orville may get there too, although I think it is fair to say it is having teething pains.
The Night Shift (2014)
Watchable, with occasional good acting.
This is easy to watch (well, except for the gratuitous blood and cutting porn). The actors are all pretty much very pretty (as they remark themselves often enough) and the material is easy to understand (and as predictable as 90% or more of TeeVee is). Netflix currently has two seasons, and I am am at the middle of season two. Would I be more rewarded by watching Stranger Things or Master of None - probably, and I will likely get to Master of None soon.
I will say there have been a couple of good cameos, like DB Sweeney, the guy who played Tuvok on Star Trek Voyager and James McMasters (I think the name is, the guy who was Lt Fancy on NYPD Blue). And some of the episodes have been directed by the likes of Eric LaSalle and Timothy Busfield. So there have been some crackling and/or affecting episodes in this fictional effort.
Night Shift is like comfort food, easy empty brain calories you can snack on.
Wing Commander (1999)
Could be worse, but not by much
There is a little quip in Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide about a job - "The hours are good but most of the actual minutes are lousy" (paraphrasing).
Wing Commander has a phenomenal cast, but that is about all. Even in saying that, all of the big name performers in this movie have been in at least one (other) stinker in their career I believe. The script is at about an eight grade level, the year is 26 something and yet we are still using torpedoes (of the submarine type), missiles and some kind of guns. I swear they throw in a submarine hiding on the ocean floor and getting depth charged type scene just to remind us what else Jurgen Prochnow is known for (and to give him a chance to look at the ceiling again).
Look, if you let the movie wash over you it *is* mildly entertaining, even as it throws cliché after movie cliché at you. Don't think too hard about the script, don't worry if a scene is boring or painful because the movie moves briskly along.