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Breaking Bad (2008)
One more minute of Skyler and Jesse? Just kill me now!
Apologies in advance for the length, but given the almost universal acclaim afforded this series, I feel compelled to justify why I feel the way I do. TLDR: While Walt's character was at times problematic, the Jesse and Skyler characters' absurd antics ruined what could've been a GREAT series.
First things first. I LOVE to give positive reviews for great content! So this isn't some "Hating something that everyone else loves, just to be contrary"-type review! That's why I don't mind saying that hands down, "Breaking Bad" is a GREAT story with some great characters! The problem in my opinion, is that writing for some of those characters went completely off the rails at some point in season three, and that just ruined the series for me. That said, for me, in order, the best written characters were Mike, Gus, Hank, and Saul -with an honorable mention to Hector Salamanca. The worst by far, were Jessie and Skyler...It wasn't even close. The Walter White character was decently written for the most part, but was diminished by his ridiculous and inexplicable behavior at times.
Listen, I know this was a show about how one's choices can lead to self-destruction, but at times, the choices and behavior of Jessie (Oh...My...God!), Skyler, and Walt, were not even REMOTELY realistic. At every turn, Jessie's overwrought and completely over-the-top reactions and behaviors kept him, Walter, Gus, Mike, and their whole enterprise either on the brink of discovery by law enforcement, imprisonment, or death.
Simply put, much of Jesse's behavior was stupid and contrived. It was completely absurd that ANYONE, let alone a brilliant, extremely cautious drug kingpin and successful business man, and his dying, genius chemist that's quietly trying to leave a financial legacy for his family, would continue to have such a mentally and emotionally unstable, ticking timebomb drug addict like Jesse, within a thousand miles of a quarter-billion dollar, illegal drug enterprise...Let alone as a key player. But ok, sure! Of COURSE! THIS is the guy you want to keep around. NOT the brilliant, "once-in-a-lifetime, golden-goose" chemist, with the perfected drug manufacturing process that produces a product unmatched by ANY competitor, and capable of generating potentially billions of dollars in future revenue. How stupid of me?
Then there's Skyler, who was exaggerated, hypocritical, inconsistent, a "harpy", and also perpetually overwrought. First she is justifiably outraged and fearful, but then does a complete 180 for the trivialest of reasons. This is a character who had the sheer brilliance and chutzpah to contrive a perfectly believable character such as the "Bimbo Bookkeeper" on a moment's notice, and deliver such a great performance, that she believably pulls the wool over the eyes of an investigator who's trained and primed to spot dishonesty and scams, yet, a few scenes later, this SAME character was so pathetically transparent and incapable of believably denying outrageous accusations that were based on little more than a "hunch", that she all but confirmed both the accusations AND her knowledge and involvement. It was completely ridiculous.
And finally Walt. Whereas Jesse's behavior at times could be somewhat attributed to the fact that he was at core, an immature man-child idiot, and loser meth addict, the same could not be said of Walt. Walt was an extremely intelligent, degreed, presumably rational man, who in most instances, should've been capable of logically assessing a given situation, and formulating a reasonable response -which he utterly failed to do in too many instances. Too many times, where he should have been forceful and indignant in response, he was subdued and unconvincing. Other times, where calm and level-headedness would have carried the day, he was irrational, manic and out-of-control.
From some point early in the third season, I literally began just fast forwarding through pretty much all of Skyler's scenes, and a LOT of Jesse's because his character had become pretty hopeless by that point. I mean playing "Jesse Hood" and literally throwing away money? Are you serious? I think that was the point at which I pretty much threw in the towel and began FF-ing through the rest of the episodes, except where scenes appeared pivotal to the series' inevitable outcome.
Finally, to those who would argue, "Well what would you have had them do? If they didn't make mistakes...blah, blah, blah", I'd say look at Al Pacino in "Scarface". There's an example of a story of self-destruction, but unlike Breaking Bad, Scarface was mostly plausible and well written. Or how about one of the best written TV shows in history, about a whole GROUP of "bad decision-making", self-destructive people, "The Sopranos"? Sorry, but it's completely possible to write such a story with believable characters, who behave realistically. Unfortunately, too often, the writing for this series "broke bad" (sorry, couldn't resist...lol), and ruined what could've been one of the all-time great TV shows!
Coming 2 America (2021)
Greatly Exceeded My Expectations
I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. Eddie Murphy and the creators could have easily done a money-grab, and just phoned it in, but they didn't. In fact, if I'm honest, that's exactly what I was expecting, but I was wrong...And by a lot.
The scenery and costumes were sumptuous, the joy of the actors was infectious, and the cameos by the old-school performers and their musical performances were a delight. Special kudos to "Randy Watson and Sexual Chocolate"! Their performance brought down the house! Lol. When I wasn't laughing, the movie still held my attention, and kept me very engaged and entertained.
Is the movie perfect? No. Writers still fall back on the same types of situations and character motivations to generate drama/tension, that just don't reflect how real people would behave in a given situation. That's a small quibble though, because pretty much ALL stories to some extent do that. But in this case, you can tell a lot thought and caring went into the making of this movie in order to create something that honored the original...And they succeeded.
Bottom line: As my review heading says, all-in-all, this move greatly exceeded my expectations, and I'm glad I watched it.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020)
Could've been another great teen show, but failed by poor writing
I've noticed that every review that comments on the utter stupidity of the "teen" characters, has a high ratio of down-votes. Yet, I have yet to read a review defending the writing for those characters (whom are presumably of at least a normal level of intelligence). If you down-vote such reviews, and then go on to write your own review, why not explain why those complaining about the writing, are off base? And no, "Well whadya expect?" doesn't count. Lol. Really, I'd be interested. So, with that said, I have no doubt that my review will be similarly treated, but I feel too strongly, to be cowed by potential down-votes.
Listen, I know a certain level of "suspension of disbelief" is required for shows such as this. Heck, science fiction is my favorite genre next to horror, so I GET that a certain amount of "dumb-massedness" is required by at least SOME of the characters in these types of shows/movies. However, I just don't feel that we should be expected to ignore the glaring lack of common sense -let alone the complete lack of basic survival instinct- constantly on display by these characters...Unless of course, the target audience truly IS children eight-years old and under, and parents. Only.
I turned off the TV when the two characters started a "tug-a-war" over the phone (never mind the fact that the teenage guy is trying to forcibly take a girl's phone away from her for no good reason in the first place), because it was obvious where the whole thing was going. I decided that maybe I was being a little harsh, and turned it back on, and gritted my teeth through the rest of scene.
The next scene starts with the two-guys from the previous night's "hi-jinks", on "clean up" duty. Now remember, we're literally talking maybe five minutes since the previous scene where they both were barely rescued from a life-and-death situation, right? Well guess what? The next thing you know, one of them has ANOTHER "brilliant" idea that completely flouts the rules, and that I have no doubt, will lead to a situation similar to the one they were both JUST rescued from. The reason I have to speculate on what happens next, is because at that point, I turned it off for good.
There is just NO EXCUSE for this type of abject laziness by the writers. It's obvious that this show is not just aimed at toddlers and preteens, because they've made a sizable investment in the production values, and it's not marketed to just kids. So that's not an excuse. Nor is the fact that the main characters are primarily teenagers, because I can easily name a number of great shows featuring a primarily teenage cast, that are thoroughly engrossing, and smartly written. Starting with Netflix's own "Stranger Things" as exhibit "A". I mean, the antics of the "Camp Cretaceous" kids, who are literally at risk of being eaten alive for any misstep, by comparison, make the "Lost in Space" kids, who've never seen a red button they couldn't resist pressing, or a "do not enter" sign that gave them a second of pause, seem like the most responsible 50 year-olds there's ever been.
This is not a criticism of the viewers who don't mind checking their brain at the door, and "just going with it". In fact, I'm envious of the fact that they're able to do so, because I so wanted to enjoy this show. In fact, I've done it myself on occasion, and certainly didn't begrudge those who couldn't, or refused to do the same, or who simply wanted/expected more from a show.
No, my problem is with the writers/producers of the show, who with just a little effort, could have made a show based in a hugely popular universe, that has become a world-wide phenomenon, enjoyable for EVERYONE.
Ballers: Crumbs (2019)
Unexpectedly Moving and Thought-Provoking
Normally, I consider Ballers as a "light", probably somewhat exaggerated, but very entertaining take on the people-side of the NFL. Occasionally though, it offers its take on a serious or societal issue. Last night's "Crumbs" was one of those instances.
Last week, after Spencer verbally agreed to sign the talented, but troubled running back, Kisan Teague after he was cut because of his involvement in an incident where someone was shot, I thought that given this is the last season, if we heard anything more from Kisan, it would be from the standpoint of a "redemption arc".
Near the end of the episode, as soon as the pivotal scene opened showing everyone having a good time, I said to myself: "Welp, I know how this ends...", and I was right on the money. I don't want to give anything away, but the moving, beautifully, haunting song that played over Spencer's profound, closing monologue delivered while looking out over the city skyline as it rained that night, left me thinking about the episode awhile after it ended.
I was left thinking "Changing is so hard, because no matter how much a person may WANT to change (not saying that was the case in this instance), "the past" doesn't "want" you to."
One of, if not THE best episode of the series.
Gentleman Jack (2019)
I can't stop thinking about it
Months after the end of the season, this show is still on my mind.
While I (middle-aged, hetero male "of color") am fairly certain I was not the "target demographic" for this show, I enjoyed, and was deeply moved by this series, and Ann Lister's story -Her relationship with Ann in particular (even though I found myself exasperated with Ann at times). Everything about that scene at the "diggings", toward the end of the finale, was perfect. The scenery, the lighting, the acting, the music (Oh my god! The music!), left me scarcely able to contain the tears that would have freely flowed had my girlfriend not been around at the time...lol.
In the interest of full-disclosure, for some reason, I seem to be enamored with period pieces such as this. Even more oddly, "love stories" generally hold little if any interest for me, but you slap Jane Austen's name on the production, and/or place the time frame during an era of rigid class hierarchies/stilted protocol (e.g. Pride and Prejudice!), and I am completely there! Go figure.
Amazingly, as enthralled as I am with this series, I almost didn't watch it. Even though I was mildly curious, I kept bypassing it because I had no idea it was based on a real person. I mean, I just couldn't fathom that such a woman actually existed during that time period. The idea of an actual woman asserting herself to that extent, let alone being semi-openly gay during back then, just struck me as clever "gimmickry", so I avoided it. Finally, it was only out of boredom that I decided to watch it, and it saddens me a bit, that I almost missed such an amazing show.
The entire cast, writing, and even the music (that jaunty lil' ditty that played almost every time we saw Anne purposely striding somewhere was particularly inspired) were superb, but of course I have to single out Suranne Jones' performance. At the moment, I cannot recall a more perfect casting choice AND performance, on any other show I've seen thus far. I mean, I was hooked from the first second she stood chest-to-chest, glaring contemptuously at a loudmouth who sought to criticize her "driving" and put her in her place, but whom she instead, intimidated into a "mumbling retreat". But in all honesty, I am certain there are probably more than a few casting choices for other shows which are as equally inspired, but at the moment, they just don't come to mind.
Just an incredibly moving, well-acted, well-written show, starring an incredible actor...I cannot wait to see more of Anne's adventures.
Succession: Vaulter (2019)
Continuation of last season's excellence..
Based on my initial rating and review of the first episode (1-rating) of season one, I continue to be astounded by the sheer level of brilliance this show has managed to attain (as show progressed, I changed my rating to 7, and then finally 10 for finale) and maintain since it's initial underwhelming start. I don't know if they hired new writers, or what changes they made after the first few episodes, but this show has blossomed into one one the most incredibly written shows on TV.
This episode had me running the gamut from cringing, to yelling (at weasel extraordinaire Roman Roy of course), to nodding my head knowingly, to WTF?!?, to "fist pumping" a shocking comeuppance served in exquisite blind-sided, humiliating fashion to a well-deserving recipient. With most shows, you can see plot turns coming a mile away, but I was caught completely off guard at least two or three times in this ONE episode. All I can say is if the show continues at this pace and quality, we're in for a helluva season!
And I'd be remiss, if I didn't offer special praise to Kieran Culkin (Roman Roy), for his master-class, and very realistic portrayal of what HAS to be one of the most rage-inducing characters of all time. He is quite simply, superb.
What We Do in the Shadows: The Trial (2019)
Another Comedy Classic in the Making
Of course some may reasonably disagree, but for *me*, of the shows that *I'm* watching at the moment, for pure burst-out-loud laughs, the only other show in WWDITS's class is HBO's Veep. And I have been kicking myself since the very first episode, for having not watched the movie this series is based on, when I could've watched it "free" on premium cable...Now of course, it's only available to "rent". But I digress :(
This show is a masterclass in comedic writing, acting, and creativity. And like Veep, it has a top-notch ensemble of actors who are perfectly cast. These talented actors perfectly deliver their lines and go about their "lives" with the perfect dead-pan mundanity, bickering, backbiting, squabbling and pettiness you'd normally expect from four close friends sharing a flat. One could almost describe it as a Vampire version of Seinfeld, perhaps starring "Seinfeldizar the Terrible"? Maybe? No? Ok.
And if that wasn't enough, amazingly, each episode has gotten better, culminating with this past week's episode, "The Trial". The perfection of this episode cannot be overstated. My attention never wandered for one second during the entire episode, because the episode was so jam-packed with cameos, clever references and sight gags, you had to pay attention so you didn't miss anything. And boy, there was one sight gag, that I must've replayed 10 times because it was so completely unexpected, and WTF(?!?)-inducing hilarious!
Anyway, suffice it to say, that I just don't see how they can top this episode, but I sure look forward to them trying.
Already looking forward to season 2.
Black Lightning: The Book of Rebellion: Chapter Three: Angelitos Negros (2019)
Great episode ruined by absurd opening scene
Let me first state that I'm a huge Black Lightning fan, and thought this was a great episode, but the beginning of the episode was completely absurd...Even for a scifi-based series.
I get that the show is low budget, but if they expect the audience to swallow that a single, non-enhanced, human woman, can take out an entire army of cops with guns trained on her at distance, even after having murdered a cop right in front of their eyes, without suffering so much as a flesh wound, then they need to show how she did it...Even if it's in flashback. Otherwise, it's lazy, and insulting to the audience.
I was distracted the whole episode by that absurdity. If the writers couldn't have been bothered to show how she pulled it off; didn't have the budget/time to properly choreograph the scene; or couldn't figure out how to make the scene plausible with that setup (most likely scenario), then they should've re-written the scene, instead of just going for the "cute" visual of a lone woman staring down a large group of heavily armed cops, with absolutely no attempt to actually execute it.
As I said at the beginning, I realize this is a scifi series, so I've cheerfully gone along with everything else up to this point. But, even scifi shows have "rules", and one of the rules of THIS show is that non-metas don't have super powers. So unless I've missed where Cutter (the HUMAN assassin) has the speed of "The Flash", then the writers of this episode should be ashamed of themselves for the abject disregard they've displayed for their audience.
The only reason this episode gets a five stars instead of one, is because it would've been a ten without the opening scene.
True Detective: If You Have Ghosts (2019)
Exquisite portrayals of heartache and disappointment
This episode was incredible! If the last 10 minutes of THIS episode doesn't earn the show an Emmy award for the 2019 season, then there will TRULY be no justice.
So good was that final scene, I completely forgot that I was watching a scripted drama, as I sat there riveted and moved with tears streaming down my cheeks. It was amazing to see these two wonderful actors go toe-to-toe in what was probably one of the most brilliantly acted, and emotionally powerful scenes of any show I've seen this year...Especially Stephen Dorff's performance. And, it was obvious that Steven Dorff and Merhashala Ali were emotionally moved as well, because they both continued to shed real tears throughout the scene, up until the point "Roland" made the joke about "senior incontinence"...Hell, I had to laugh at myself when I "laugh-cried" at the joke, and am STILL teary-eyed even now, as I write this. lol
I am certain there were tears and applause all around at the end of the scene's filming. Also, the chemistry between the two actors is amazing, and I hope we have another opportunity to see these two paired again, because It would truly be a crime (please pardon the pun) if we didn't.
Kudos to the actors, writers, and all involved, because this is what good story-telling is all about.
Succession (2018)
Ugh...The characters give me a headache - Updated...Again!
Like some of the other reviewers, just seeing Brian Cox's name associated with this show, filled me with high hopes. Unfortunately, as soon as he uttered the first few lines of dialog, my hopes were dashed.
This has got to be one of the most poorly-written HBO "marquee" shows I've ever watched. Not only is the dialogue cringe-inducing, but they've literally hired the most annoying ensemble of actors I've ever seen in a single show to deliver those lines. Listen, I get that the characters are supposed to be unlikable, but I doubt seriously, that the direction given to the actors was "Ok, now I want your character to be the human equivalent of 'nails on a chalkboard', or a 'baby loudly crying nonstop', but that's the effect of the actors' portrayals. Well, actually, to be fair, the "wife" isn't annoying, and even the actor playing "cousin Greg", who while his character is annoying, he himself somehow manages not to be. The problem though, is that the other actors get most of the screen time.
As far as the story itself, it would've helped if they had allowed it to progress a bit before side-lining it using the tired trope of the "incapacitated matriarch/patriarch setting off nonstop bickering/squabbling amongst adult kids, vying for power", before the 1st episode's credits finished rolling. Or lacking that, HBO had spent a little more money hiring a more capable supporting cast.
I don't know, maybe I've just been spoiled by Showtime's Billions, because right now? Literally, rather than a serious drama full of gravitas, the show reminds me more of how "Arrested Development" might have been written as a drama.
In any case, given that Billions' season just ended, I'll give Successions another episode or two before throwing in the towel.
P.S. Before this show, I thought Parker Posey's "Dr. Smith" was the most annoying TV character of 2018, but after watching the second episode of Succession, I'm prepared to bestow the award on Kieran Culkin's "Roman Roy"...For the decade!
* * *
UPDATE/EDIT - Ok, as promised I DID give it a few more episodes, and I have to admit, I've been pleasantly surprised by the improvement in the show.
Looking back, I think the problem was that immediately after Logan's illness, the story AND more importantly, the actors were confined to a small space, which didn't allow for much of a story beyond their constant bickering, and which served to magnify the individual actors' shortcomings.
Since then, having enhanced the show with the expanded story and intriguing subplots (not to mention setting Brian Cox loose to chew the scenery), AND giving OTHER actors more screen time, "Succession" has actually become a show I look forward to watching every week.
Thus, I've increased my rating from two to SEVEN.
* * *
FINAL REVIEW EDIT -
My God!
I just watched the season finale, and I am to put it lightly, completely amazed and awestruck by how incredible this first season has been. Never, and I mean NEVER have I seen a series which started on such a low point, finish as one of the best series on TV. My mouth was literally agape, when the last episode's credits began to roll.
The one small quibble I had was that I again found myself yelling at the TV when Kendall Roy didn't completely obliterate his smarmy and weaselly brother Roman Roy, as he attempted to criticize Kendall for taking actions which were in part, if not completely a direct result by Roman's OWN ineffectiveness, and utter inability to be man. Beyond that, the episode was superb.
At THIS point in the series, I would rate Succession right up there with Showtime's Billions.
Therefore, I've again changed my rating, from 7 to 10, and enthusiastically look forward to next season!
Rampage (2018)
Much Better than Expected!
To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from this, but I hours later, I am still shocked by how much I enjoyed this movie...It's really just that entertaining.
In all honesty, I almost could've waited for On-Demand, but it was a big-budget giant monster movie that looked pretty good (i.e. had excellent CGI) in the trailers, and it had DJ, so I decided to give it a shot. And Man, I'm glad I did! First off, this isn't your typical PG-13 movie, that has a lot of "suggested" violence, with few actual deaths, and almost no blood or gore. This was definitely a HARD PG-13. In fact, based on what's on the screen, I imagine they probably had to make some last-minute cuts to avoid an R rating. I really do hope we get an extended, or director's cut version.
As far as the story, and characters, well DJ is DJ. Earnest and likable. The "agent" was "wry" and a "folksy snark", who ended up being quite likable in his own right. All the other human characters were pretty much cardboard cutouts that could have been played by almost anyone. However, the BEST character of the movie is "George", the signing, albino gorilla, was responsible for most of the laughs. The enjoyment/entertainment factor that the "chemistry" between DJ and George adds to the movie, cannot be understated. They are GOLD when they're onscreen interacting.
Sure, the story is mindless, and the destruction is absurd, but, as I said before, this isn't the typical PG-13 movie like the Transformers or even the Avengers, where you really don't get a real sense of loss of human life. And I believe it was that aspect of it, that raises it above the typical popcorn movie for kids and adults, and enabled it to hold my attention for the entire running time. From the opening scene, you KNOW this is a different "animal" (excuse the pun).
If you like monster pictures, or even just Dwayne Johnson, don't miss this one!
Lost in Space (2018)
Entertaining, but stupid kids a drag on the story
I'm actually torn about how I feel about this show. On one hand, I thought the story was very serviceable and entertaining, and while some of the situations were a bit pat, and solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems, seem to miraculously present themselves at just the right time, I wasn't particularly bothered by any of that as this IS a TV show about science fiction.
Now, what I CAN'T abide, and which had me yelling at the TV were those stupid Robinson kids, who were probably responsible for about 75% of the problems the everyone else had to deal with. To make matters worse, for some reason, the writers thought it was a good idea to feature the Robinson kids (did I say they were stupid? I did? Well they're stupid.) and make this basically a YA drama, featuring stupid kids and their stupid, angsty teen-drama, and stupid "decision" making.
Before I go any further, in the interest of full-disclosure, I have to acknowledge that with few exceptions, I absolutely LOATHE teen and YA subject matter. The ONLY general exceptions to this have been horror and comedies, or movies were the teens basically act like adults. But I digress.
The adults on the other hand, given what they had to work with, I thought did a fine job, and kept me interested in the story. Special kudos are in order for two of the actresses: Molly Parker (Maureen Robinson), who was very believable as an aerospace engineer, and Parker Posey ("Dr Smith"), who, when I wasn't yelling at the kids, I was yelling at her character's antics. In my mind, Parker Posey does a masterful job engendering a visceral hatred of everything about her character. I mean, when you even hate the way a character walks, the actor has done their job. Well. Lol.
Bottom line, if you've got the patience for the antics of the stupid kids, and are willing and able to suspend belief, and just enjoy the story for what it is, then I believe you'll probably not feel you've wasted your time, and might even enjoy it...At least I DID, as much as was possible given those stupid Robinson kids.