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Reviews
You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment (2024)
Produced by a plant
The documentary series reels you in slowly. You think you are watching a twin experiment at first. Then the plant-based agenda becomes apparent. While they still go back to the twin experiment the documentary is consumed by a naked attempt to get people to stop consuming animal products. I am one who believes plant-based diets are good for the planet and at no point did I think the documentary was telling outright lies. However, a lot of inconvenient truths were ignored and the people behind the experiment did all sorts of gymnastics to make the plant-based diet seem healthier. They took the results for each twin and bent them to say what they wanted even though it did not match reality.
Also they ignored the fact that vegan diets can also be unhealthy. Plant-based meats are high in sodium and many vegan foods are highly processed, increasing the risk of cancer. Not to mention the use of pesticides and the destruction of land necessary to grow crops. Everything we consume can be made to look terrible if someone has the determination to make a documentary about it.
Lastly the doc completely ignored the promise of lab-grown meat because it did not fit the plant-based agenda. Even though lab meat is promising for reducing the environmental impact of meat consumption.
Family Switch (2023)
White Christmas in Los Angeles
A movie about body switching is not supposed to be realistic and I can accept that. I can accept that the dog switches places with the baby and begins walking on its hind legs, I can accept that the daughter in her mother's body would gorge herself on ice cream for no reason other than flatulence, I can accept that the mother in her daughter's body would pass up an easy chance to win the soccer game to care for another player, I can accept that the boy in his dad's body who can't play a guitar at the beginning of a song is able to shred by the end of the same song (alongside Weezer no less), BUT what I cannot accept is seeing snowfall in Los Angeles like we saw at the end of this movie! The characters pretty much didn't acknowledge it or comment how weird it was. Like at least pretend it's cold outside! It's not like they were in Big Bear, they are supposed to be in LA somewhere. The snow was more far fetched than the whole body switching concept. I was on board with the craziness until the snow started falling.
Painkiller (2023)
Too over the top
Painkiller has the tough task of telling a broad, far-reaching story that has affected hundreds of thousands of people. It's not a surprise when it resorts to caricatures and bad dialogue that is far removed from the way people actually talk. The Edie Flowers character is the cliché of a righteous lawyer and is especially annoying and unrealistic. Combined with the Pharma Barbies and the evil Purdue executives it's all overly dramatized and detached from reality. The only down to earth and compelling characters were centered around the story of auto mechanic Glen who is coping with addiction and watching his life spiral. The real life parents' stories in the beginning of each episode were powerful and illuminating and helped put it all in perspective. The series culminates with Richard Sackler being beaten to a bloody pulp by the ghost of his uncle. This even was just too much and soured everything up to that point. It may have been cathartic to film that scene but the fact that the Sacklers went unscathed makes it all the more frustrating. Overall Painkiller comes of as a combination of the Big Short and Dopesick but isn't close to the same level as either one. Dopesick had its flaws but this new telling of the story doesn't add much value or insight.
Oppenheimer (2023)
180 minutes - Destroyer of running time
Oppenheimer is a great film. The cast is stellar , the cinematography is top notch, and the sound editing might be the most underrated aspect of all. The theme of annihilation associated with the nuclear arms race still resonate today. The only issue was the running time of 3 hours. I felt the film could have been just as effective if it shaved off about 45 minutes. There is a lot of time devoted to a hearing to determine whether Oppenheimer gets to retain his security clearance. This may be an effective way to tell a story but the stakes of the "trial" never felt that high. Similarly there is confirmation hearing for the Secretary of Commerce played by Robert Downey Jr. That is simply not very interesting when compared to the high stakes development and testing of the nuclear bomb.
You People (2023)
Nice try but just not believable
You People has a great cast and there were some genuinely funny moments, but the events are just too far removed from reality. The movie painstakingly tries to show how tone deaf white people can be, particularly liberal whites who claim to understand racism. There is plenty of truth to this notion but the way it's portrayed is so unrealistic it makes you squirm at times. Julia Louis Dreyfus's character is simply too much. It's like she's never so much as spoken to a black person in her life. Then when you think Jonah Hill's character is more "with it" he arranges to meet his girlfriend's (black) parents at a Roscoe's Chicken and Waffel! Why?? In the end it all works out after they listen to his podcast for 10 minutes which solves everything despite the fact these two families couldn't stand each other. Also wtf was the point of that basketball scene?
Amsterdam (2022)
134 minutes of nonsense
The movie packs in all the A listers in Hollywood but the convoluted storyline and witless dialogue from David O Russell is just too much to overcome. About an hour in, we get to a point where the only enjoyable aspect of Amsterdam is guessing what celebrity would pop up next and then debating whose talent was wasted most (my vote goes to Chris Rock). The main draw was the cast, but after watching the whole thing it became clear that's all this movie has going for it. The murder mystery plot is fairly uneventful and in the end the audience doesn't care whodunit as long as the nonsense comes to an end. Amsterdam is somehow fast pace and boring at the same time.
The Watcher (2022)
Calling this is a true story is insulting to viewers' intelligence
After reading the article in The Cut about the real life 657 Boulevard it is frustrating to see the Netflix series claim to be based on a true story. The true story did not involve a beheaded ferret, a mass murder in the same house, seductive ghost girl in the bedroom, a 19-year old security "expert" and pedophile, underground tunnels, a vindictive realtor, or bizarre neighbors who fake their own deaths. What's the point of calling it a true story when the most shocking details are made up? If you're going to make stuff up then at least give it some closure and name who the Watcher is at the end. It's shlock written by the same hack who also worked on Glee. The cast is strong on paper but their mediocre performances here couldn't rescue this bizarre embellishment with bad dialogue and protagonists that are simply unlikeable. At every turn the main characters make the wrong decision and throw out silly accusations. The Watcher doesn't work as an adaptation of true story and frankly doesn't work as fiction either.
Chad & JT Go Deep (2022)
Shmoles go home
So stoked on this show! I grew up in SoCal and these dudes are the embodiment of some of the people in my high school class. They use actual City council meetings to advocate for their causes. The coucil's reactions are priceless especially when the Newport Beach councilmenber tells him they have no jurisdiction over Santa Barbara or Isla Vista. Chad and J. T. are fearless, true social justice warriors and they will go all out to fight for a cause. This also shows Jesse Watters is the true shmole for many reasons but in this case because he has no sensitivity to people with small dongs. Now grab your boards and get in the oshe!
Windfall (2022)
Frustratingly mediocre
It starts out promising then one character trips, falls, and takes the movie down with him. From that point on ridiculousness ensues. The movie simply stops making sense.
The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
Not a bad a they say, but still disappointing
Almost everyone who wrote a review seemed to think this was the worst movie ever... it's not even close, but there's a lot to be desired. Alessandro Nivola and Vera Farmiga give solid performances as Dickie and Livia and there is a good movie in there, but Chase doesn't give it enough time to let it come out. This was one of the few times where a 3 hour film would have been appropriate. For example Leslie Odom Jr's character sees infamous mobster Frank Lucas at one point and we never see what happens as a result. Johnnie Soprano is such a minor character that it leaves you wanting more. I'm also not sure the "surprise" ending even fits in with the Sopranos storyline. What about the cop who supposedly killed Dickie and why would Tony make that up? Anyone could have killed that retired cop in the Sopranos episode, so why did he have Christopher do it? If Chase had spent more time developing the plot and less time on pointless references to Sopranos characters like Paulie, Silvio, and Big Pussy this would have been better. Despite everything I still hope there's another movie or series in the works to answer some of these questions.
Turner & Hooch (2021)
Vancouver is not San Francisco
This bothered me more than anything in the show and that the includes the annoying sister character (Laura) . It is so low budget they had to film in Canada and claim it was California by using cheap backgrounds featuring the Transamerica tower and pointless Bay Area references. Just be honest and say it's Vancouver, or leave it ambiguous.
The Prince (2021)
Why is everyone so mad?
Does everyone know this is satire? Since when can't the monarchy take a joke? Seems like a lot of people failed to read the disclaimer at the beginning of each episode. This show is brilliant. There are some truly endearing and beautiful moments and it is hilarious!