deadsenator's reviews

Everything is thin. The writing, the acting and the plot. It has some small bright spots, but never brings itself above this thinness. The production value is very teevee level and if you like these sorts of shows, you'll probably like this one too. Some folks just like this stuff. Although my spouse, who usually does, also sees how weak this show is.

The lead is weak, but likable in my opinion. Not all characters were interesting, but so many bad actors made some of the characters much worse. The writers didn't help them either. I was willing to like it, but I just couldn't. The Lincoln SUV in our face every few minutes got silly for me. Though it gave me time to study its design and decide to not buy one. Mostly because I don't really like SUVs. More of a wagon fan. Does Lincoln even make a station wagon? I have never looked into it not being ever interested in the Lincoln brand. Oh shoot! Did the Lincoln branding work its magic on me? All I can think of is if Lincoln makes a wagon or not. I should probably do a search for that since I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't satisfy that part of my brain about Lincoln and their wagons. Or lack thereof. Stupid brain. Oops, there's the word limit! Byeee!

I do not understand the good reviews. I am okay with light teen type adventures, but this show is so poorly written it was constantly frustrating. Cliches after cliches.

Some reviews said to suspend belief and they aren't kidding. That's an absolute requirement here. Suspend your taste for good television too.

I believe this is the best series I've ever watched. GoT had that spot until its spiral in the end. Sopranos has no issues in this regard. The writing is superlative all the way through and there is very little to criticize otherwise. Perhaps there were some character developments that were flawed (Buscemi when he changes), but that is nit-picking. Such a wonderfully done series and it also struck me that the Soprano children were so well written it was eerie. The issues and dynamics between Meadow/AJ and the parents were all so well done.

I never got caught up in the show when it aired as I did not care for Mafia related content. We just spent the last month binge watching this program in 2020 because my curiosity finally won out and I felt I needed to see Gandolfini's last major endeavor. I am very glad I did. He fit this role to a tee. Honestly, there is so little to call out on this show I would encourage those who have not watched to do so.

I know the ending confused me a bit, but upon reflection, I liked it quite a lot. Well done. Well done.

I stuck with it the whole way and like many of the cast already from their other endeavors (primarily SNL). This one simply fails to evolve into anything more than a few chuckles and yuks here and there.

The announcers added some good lines and the lead is likable. The pep/anti-pep talk was also a good joke. Technically speaking, the film is very good. It was shot well, editing and so forth are nicely executed.

My summary is that it is too weak for a five, but I didn't hate it either. You most assuredly should not pay to see this movie. Free...okay, but at the end, I can only give it a 4 of 10.

I have watched nearly every season of this show and thoroughly enjoy it. I tire of Mike quickly, but I know he plays a necessary role and Edd is following up with some fine wrenching of his own. He really shines when explaining the detail of his work. I wish Edd's portion of the show might be extended for another 20 minutes to further explain his technique and ideas. As a shady-tree mechanic, this is the part of the show I find fascinating.

Learning about the variety of automobiles they bring through is a fun and fulfilling experience, but my one jab is that Mike needs to let Edd drive the cars he repairs.

It is a genuine shame that this show was canceled. Since that was over ten years ago, I am mostly over it. Mostly. Fresh and original, Almost Live was loaded with talent. Tracey Conway, Nancy Guppy, Pat Cashman, Bill Nye, John Keister, Steve Wilson, Bob Stainton and Bob Nelson were the main players that I remember. At least Joel McHale made it (Community, etc) and most people deservedly know Bill Nye (The Science Guy) by now. Pat Cashman reminded me very much of Phil Hartman and I felt could have done just as well given a national stage.

Yes, much of the entertainment is localized, but this isn't a bad thing. You may miss on a couple of the jokes, but it's simple enough to get and you'll likely relate it to your own area. Most of the cast would have been a good augmentation to the SNL cast and many of the sketches were far funnier than SNL was cranking out during that period. Pound for pound, AL offered us much more rib-shaking funny material. Billy Quan is one example that just cracked me up. YouTube is a good source for this.

If you reside in the Pugetopolis, You can catch the reruns (two of them) on the local NBC affiliate (King-5) after SNL. I just add the extra hour to my DVR and watch it after I have skipped all the commercials from SNL.

Ug. This film is not great. It's also not quite good, either. Hambone acting from everyone involved, with writing to match, makes it a good candidate for "Bad Movie Night". While it may find some merit in this regard, more isn't really deserved. The from-the-gut pat lines from Rourke and Johnson left me rolling my eyes. How Johnson finds his ex riding down the road is a mystery to me. Did I miss something? I do like Tom Sizemore, but his paper-thin bad-guy role is very tepid at best. I will say that Daniel Baldwin was better than I thought he would be. Even as cheesy as his performance was, I liked him. The method in which he and his mates appears is very much a cheese soaked experience. Have I mentioned the cheese? There is some. Much. And more. No, no. I'm full. Please stop. No..?

Oh, I sat through the entire film and even paid attention (note title). Lots of folks rave about the buddy connection points of this film, but I thought it was vapid and ridiculous. Comic book style. It's certainly not the worst film 'evar', but it also never got over the hump of gaining my favor, but I guess you (The Reader) know that by now. For a brainless semi-action tough buddy film, it's okay, but Tango and Cash (7of10) would be a much better one in that genre. Check that one out. I give this one a 4 of 10.

Stiff acting from most of the cast and terrible dialogue are two of the worst transgressions this film made. In one scene, I there were 30-40 clichés strung together spewing from every character. Many others are found throughout the film. This is on par with one of the worst writing jobs I've ever heard.

I can overlook the constant over-exposed shots, the cheap sets and the inexpensive method in which the film is shot, but simply tell us a good story. It fails in this endeavor. I end up not caring halfway through because they haven't sold me on it, and well...I've checked out. I cease to care, and still I persisted. I was not rewarded.

The trivial nature that the film seemed to adopt early on with the fighting initiated it's descent into tedium. At the moment the actors actually started speaking, the careening steepened. I didn't believe anyone. They had not convinced me. Neither through the words they spoke or in the nature in which they spoke them. I thought some of the characters were just awful. Especially the father. Without revealing anything, his motivations seemed quite obtuse. Once again, I didn't believe it.

I cannot completely condemn this film as I liked some of the elements it had to offer: the blown bill sequence, the flat panel glasses guys, and the flicker effects were among them. The little girl was the only one I believed. She did well.

Ultimately, I felt like I was watching a student's film. Nice idea, very poor execution. Do not go out of your way for this one. Isn't there a Seinfeld rerun on? For effort and a couple of clever concepts, I can only muster a 4 of 10.

I liked this film. It was well cast and along with DB, I enjoyed seeing Taylor Negron, Kurtwood Smith, Steve Ryan, and Cedric Yarbrough. Mr Negron caught my attention way back in "Better off Dead" as the smarmy mailman and I very much enjoy seeing him in films. I liked what was done with his character. Missi Pyle is a joy to watch and her quick delivery makes her a potent force on the screen.

The writing was better than good. Mr Horn has done a fine job with this film. Perhaps we could've done more with Cedric Yarbrough's character by bringing him in closer along with the others, but we can't have everything. It's just that I feel that Mr Yarbrough is very talented and I enjoyed every scene he was in. As I type that I have to laugh because I could say that I enjoyed many of the scenes and the various characters presented to us. The only criticism I can offer is that I struggled to connect the two leads, especially with regards to their physicality. But anything is possible and the dialogue between them smooths this over for the most part.

I saw the ending (in my mind) before it happened, but there is no great fault in that and it's not as if it's some great secret here. It is still a very pleasant ride and there are many chuckles throughout. Not a barn burner, but well done and worth watching. I almost gave it a seven, but it sure garners a solid 6 of 10.

I did not begin this film with any high hopes. This is how this type of film should be approached. Cheap humor and gross jokes abound. This is how these films do it and to expect any complex humor is selling the genre short. Yes, there are much better films in the genre, but come on people, you cannot knock it for trying. It does connect on a few jokes and I found it mildly amusing for the the first half, I then started to get a little bored with it and I wandered a little. It's a good thing that it is so short. In fact, it may be too long at 84 minutes!

No, it is not Airplane or Naked Gun, but it works a little and you cannot judge these films too seriously. Don't go out of your way, but if it's on, you're likely to get a coupla yucks out of it. I consider a 5 a "take it or leave it film", so it just misses that mark. In it's genre, it is a 4 of 10.

I guess I miss the point of these films. Big drum beats, shaky camera and quick scenes don't equate to a good film, in my opinion. I could use a bit more depth, but I guess it's not fitting for the plot. The frenetic pace actually wore on me at first and then bored me. The 'twists' really didn't seem all that surprising and the end did not seem all that fantastic or unbelievable to me. Is this the best they can come up with? With films like this being swallowed like precious wine from everyone, Hollowood won't be making anything good for a long time. Come on people, demand better. I can only go 5 of 10 here and as I think about it more and more, it's generous.

I liked some of the characters, but our lead relied too heavily on a charming smile. I didn't care two whits about him. He makes bad choices and I really didn't care since he did not seem to either. He seemed rather unintelligent. There were a couple of moments that provided a chance at some human insight (the scene with the whale was interesting), but these are lost in the general malaise of the film. The love interest was acceptable and the other various characters were mildly interesting, but the plot meanders around too much and left me wanting at many points in the film. In the end, I wondered why I stayed so long.

There are some tepidly humorous moments, but ultimately I did not care. I cannot fathom rating the film higher. - 3 of 10

The dialog struck me as a deficiency in this film early on. The script needed to be rewritten. Some of the acting by the supporting cast was outright terrible. The sister and the head bad guy could barely read their lines. Someone else mentioned clichés. Of these, there were many. The story line seemed a bit disjointed and I was never really given a reason to be drawn into it, either. Perhaps because I am not a hockey fan...? I honestly did try. The compulsion to turn it off came many times, but I stuck with it. I searched for good elements. One I thought of was: At least I didn't pay for it.

Okay, what's good? Well, the cinematography wasn't bad at all and bordered on quite good. The banter between the two cops was entertaining at times and there are sections of dialog that rose above the trite garbage that surrounded it.

This movie has a rating of 7.3 right now and I fail to see how this is possible. Do people not see good films ever? Are there that many Canadian hockey fans out there? My guess is that the Canadians have stacked the voting. I cannot give this film more than a four of ten.

Someone cut off the Internet to Canada. ;~P

I had high hopes for this film and made my friend watch it. His comment at the end was that he was glad he didn't spend any money on it. I must agree. While I enjoy all the actors involved, the film just doesn't have enough going for it to put it over the top. Too much talent was shown and then not used. This left me wanting.

With regards to the plot element: We care about Tom and Sofia, but Tom acts like an idiot and Sofia appears to brush him off too easily. Of course, this is to play into the plot, but it was too hard to believe after the beginning was set up so solidly. The result is a plot that cannot maintain it's credibility through to the end. It's a light film, so this isn't the greatest of crimes.

All in all, it is enjoyable, but it's middle of the road fare and certainly not worth the 8.1 rating that it is currently riding at. Rather somewhere between a five and a six depending on your perspectives and your mood. If you are rating this film higher, go watch Zach in Garden State and rethink your rating. That film is truly worth it's current 8 rating.

Enough said, 5 of 10.

Well, not much to be had here. Jason Lee is fine and Glover shines in the way he can, but you have to listen closely as many of his lines are muttered. But this is as his character should be, so his performance is to a tee. Fun with Glover here. Lee - not as much, but no complaints. His slicked-back hair is especially nice.

The story was simple enough and apropos for our cast of characters, but this film doesn't rise up and stand too awfully tall. An assortment of morbid jokes lead the lot, but the film comes up with enough small jokes to keep things mildly interesting. See it if it's on, but don't lose any sleep over seeing it. Not much more. - 5 of 10

I felt there to be very few flaws in this film. The ones I found are greatly overshadowed by the energy this film carries. The acting seemed flawless with every character and the writing was great. The performances by the leads should gain them note, but the film as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Being powerless to help or do, communication breakdowns, personal responsibility, and personal relationships are the prime themes given that I collected from my viewing. These themes are gathered from separate stories that are connected. The stories run deep as do the connections and they are woven into a fine tapestry and laid out before the viewer methodically. Well done.

I found the music to be quite rich and powerful which very much kept me involved and attentive in this long film. Despite its length, at its end I did not feel that it was too long. Instead, I found all of it engaging and much of it griping.

Some have spoken about the director's overuse of negative themes, but I think these are simply things that actually happen in life and we are being given an eyeglass to see them with. I approve. The world is not all shiny and white and we should keep this in mind.

A fat 8 of 10.

Unless you are between the ages of 10 and 14 (except for the R rating), there are very few things to like here. One or two lines from Kenan Thompson, David Koechner (we really should see him more) and Sam Jackson are humorous and Julianna Margulies is as good as she can be considering her surroundings, but sadly, that's it. Poor plot. Poor acting. Worse writing and delivery. The special effects are dismal. As much as the entire situation is an odd and awful joke, the significant individual embedded situations are all equally terrible. If we consider the action portions, well there are unbelievable action sequences in some films that make you giddy and there are some that make you groan. This movie only contains the latter kind. This leaves little left. I'm so glad I did not pay for this.

Despite any hype, I can read and think, so as I sat down to watch, I did not expect anything good. I had no expectations, but was somewhat worried going in. Yet, like a train wreck, one cannot merely look away. And even with no expectations, I was let down. Bad. Not even 'so bad, it's good' material. I'm _very_ tolerant of bad movies, but this makes "Six String Samurai" (which I liked) Oscar worthy.

No, this piece of over CGI'd rubbish is in the same company as Battlefield Earth, Little Man and Gigli. How this is currently rated a 7.2 completely mystifies me. Brainwashing or somehow stacking the voting system is all that I can think of as answers.

I could go on and on but suffice to say that tonight, I witnessed a train wreck. I need to go wash my eyes. 1 of 10

This film doesn't have much going for it. The characters were uninteresting and bordered on the annoying. I enjoyed their fate when it finally came. Very few points of interest, which actually includes the premise. It's as if someone had a fairly neat idea and completely ruined it with the writing and directing. I really cannot imagine how or why this film has scored so highly. I felt that it warranted a rating of two or three, because of a couple of minor positive points, but I was coaxed to help drive the rating down from an outlandish seven point five. Yikes. I had to agree.

This is one to avoid. At least don't pay to see it.

1'ish of 10

I enjoyed the characters in this mockumentary, but I was left bored in too many parts. I thought there could have been more to flesh out with them, but perhaps it was meant to be more 'real'? I do not know. But I do know that I was looking at my watch at several points in the film (ok, I actually do not wear a watch, but I would have looked at it if I did wear one), wondering where it was going. I found the characters fun and interesting, but only mildly so and I did not get enough punch from their anxieties and odd lives. Perhaps I expect too much. I liked the idea of a depressed security guard and the assistant mall director cleaning toilets, but sadly, not much else was done with it. Worth watching, but I stayed up till 2am catching this and I am still not sure of it's merit. At the very least, it's a fat five of ten from me.

I had a good time watching the film and I appreciate the turns very much, but the music had me playing with the volume constantly. First straining for the voices and then cringing from the beating melodies, it is a poor audio mix. This, in no way, diminishes the plot's appealing complexity or the actors' delivery of it. That was all fine work.

The journey through the film is an engaging ride. This movie fails in the myriads of twists in the end. I was spinning around at every one. All right, some I predicted and some I did not, but I suppose that is irrelevant. Perhaps it is also irrelevant that I was never fully satisfied with _any_ of the twists given. I am left wanting here and I do not wish to be.

Then everything is explained in an overly much fashion. Did we really need to know so much now without knowing enough before? Leave us wanting instead here, eh?

I did not feel a connection with the side characters in this film. They should've been brought more fully to life to make it work better here. Then maybe we'd have something (for sure we'd have a longer movie!). Maybe much of this film found its way to the editing room floor. I do not know, but it is missing something.

Overall, this movie is worth watching, but it won't get top billing in my deeveedee collection. I can go no higher than 6 of 10.