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Madame Web (2024)
An absolute trainwreck
I didn't go into the theatre expecting much from this film after hearing about the poor reviews, but I took a chance on it anyway. I left even more disappointed than I thought.
Everything about this film was terrible except a few camera shots and a few scores throughout the film. The story was all over the place and every actor in this film gave poor performances and came off as very wooden. Disney/Marvel and Sony should just throw in the towel on these superhero films because it is clear to me that after witnessing this abomination, that they simply don't have it. All of these companies should be completely ashamed of themselves for even greenlighting this.
Disney, in particular, has seen a severe domino effect with their films as of late, with one box office bomb after another. At this point, Disney should just hit the pause button on making films in general, because they've completely lost their magic. Based on the reviews of their recent films, many audiences agree. Perhaps a change in leadership might be the best option here?
In summary, I can't stress enough how AWFUL this film truly is. It easily qualifies as one of the worst films that I had the misfortune of seeing this year. Don't waste your time or money by going to the theatre to see it. Don't even stream it. If you must watch, I'd recommend wearing one of those sleep eye masks and clogging your ears with cement beforehand.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Swing and a miss...
Nolan did a great job hiding some extended details of this film on the trailers because I did not expect to see some of what I saw during the film itself. The film itself came off as kind of boring. The odd nude scenes and sex scenes also came off as crude and unnecessary. Some scenes like what was mentioned repeat or become redundant throughout the film. The film focused too much on Oppenheimer's politics and not enough on the man himself. I'm not a fan of any film that makes politics one of the primary themes. I knew that Oppenheimer had political leanings, but did not expect Nolan to go this deep into that part of his life.
Footage of the climatic atomic bomb explosion seemed to have been kept to a bare minimum. His wife became a depressed and angry mess of a character as the film progressed. Oppenheimer himself exhibited some troubling behavior, as when he was speaking to a crowd, he was imagining a bomb going off as movie goers were greeted with grotesque imagery of people's faces literally being melted off. In summary, this is not a film that I would recommend seeing again.
The Rookie: Feds (2022)
Terrible
Simply put, this show is a trainwreck and the primary IMDB rating accurately reflects that. I'm not surprised at all that this show isn't doing well. I gave it a shot but stopped watching after the first episode. A spinoff featuring Chen and Bradford would have been way more interesting, but instead they spin off Simone Clark (Nash) an annoying character (and actress) that quite frankly comes off as wooden, not funny and uninteresting. Her Dad is also firmly against the police and goes out of his way to mention that. Why on Earth would the writers think that it would be a good idea to continue putting anti-police characters (and messaging) on a POLICE focused show when this very shift in narrative caused a sharp nosedive in viewership on the main program during Season 3 of "The Rookie"? Since Titus Makin Jr's departure from the main show, however, the anti-police narrative has slowed down on "The Rookie." Because of this, I suspect he had influence on that failed narrative before he decided to quit. As for The Rookie Feds, however, I'll give this show one season before it's scrapped. Hopefully after this show has its run, Nash won't be returning to the main series.
Big Shot (2021)
Awesome show!
"Big Shot" is the best series on Disney+ right now, in my opinion, with great storylines and a great cast! Actors and actresses like Stamos, Gilsig, and Yvette Nicole Brown all shine brightly in this series. The writers and the show's cast have managed to balance comedy and drama very well throughout this show's run.
For whatever reason, however, Disney has decided to be overgenerous with Season 2 this time by uploading the entire season to their streaming platform at once when compared to their old strategy of uploading one episode a week. This does not bother me, though, because "Big Shot" will leave you hooked once you start watching it! I'm sure that binge watchers will love this latest change too. With that being said, I'm really hoping that they renew this series for a third season!
It's also worth noting that this show almost made it to ABC but was re-assigned to Disney+ at the last minute. The beginning and end credits actually make a somewhat prominent reference to "ABC Signature" which is a television production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios.
Note to parents: There is some minor language used throughout this series, so this show might not be appropriate for children under 13 years old.
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
Hocus Pocus 2: Another commercial failure for Disney this year
This film suffers from a lazy script due to several rehashed lines or sequences from the original film. I get that the writers were aiming for the nostalgia of the original film, but it was completely overdone. Very minimal effort was put into the song selection as well. The songs were borrowed and slightly re-written versions of old material from Elton John and Blondie. Humor in this film is almost non-existent as well. Granted yes, "I Put a Spell on You" was a cover as well, but that cover had relevance given the witches backgrounds. The songs in this film, however, make the witches look like pop stars.
Hocus Pocus 2 also has a very pro-feminist tone which came off as pandering among other subjects. This did not surprise me at all given Disney's issues with quality of content these days. The lead characters were uninspiring female teenagers that had no substance whatsoever. One of them (Becca) suddenly realizes she has powers during the film as well. The male side characters, on the other hand, came off as weak and apologetic. The Mayor was cringeworthy, their high school jersey wearing male friend came off as an apologetic wimp, Gilbert seemed like filler, and Billy Butcherson came back with an Irish or British accent when he seemed to have a more American accent in the original film. This leads me to believe that some of the writers or producers either did not watch the original film or didn't care what direction they were taking this sequel.
The Sanderson sisters immediately break into song once they are brought back by these girls in the woods courtesy of what appeared to be a store bought black flame candle, an idea which was poorly executed and quite frankly not believable. Furthermore, the lead cast members of the original film who played Max, Allison and Dani, are never mentioned in this film and drag queens are featured in a short scene that was reminiscent of the Halloween party scene where the Sanderson sisters perform "I Put a Spell on You."
This film also suffered from a weak ending as well. The writers try to get the audience to feel sorry for Winnie once her sisters move on to the next world. Why should we feel sorry for a villian? Winnie then gives "Book" to the girls, particularly Becca and then disappears herself. The girls leave the cemetery, walk down the street talking and the film ends.
Given Disney's recent track record of failure thanks to commercial flops like "Lightyear" etc. I think they need to seriously re-evaluate their audience and content and should just stop making films for a while because there is nothing good to celebrate or look back on with Hocus Pocus 2. If they try and make a third one, I'll probably just skip it because this film left a bad taste in my mouth after watching it and came off as more of a farce of the original rather than a worthy sequel. I'll stick with the much better original "Hocus Pocus" going forward and I would recommend anyone else to do the same.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Marvel and Disney need to seperate from themselves immediately
Phase 4 has had a mediocre run and "Thor: Love and Thunder" does not help with this bum streak. This film was hot garbage and felt like a parody of the Thor series while checking all the politically correct boxes in the process. For starters, there was not a lot of action and the humor was forced and really not all that funny. Secondly, nobody asked for Thor to be humanized. There is a scene where he is wearing an apron and flipping pancakes with his daughter at home. It's that bad.
Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) enters the picture, is suddenly dealing with a terminal cancer diagnosis and becomes "The Mighty Thor" (complete with powers) to the delight of feminists everywhere.. Russell Crowe's Zeus was a waste of airtime and the villian wasn't really all that intimidating.
If Marvel wants to have another good film under their catalog, then they should find a way out of their contract from Disney because they (Disney) are destroying what once was a great franchise along with pretty much everything else these days. With that said, Bob Chapek can add another failure to his expanding list of movie flops this year. Love and Thunder misses the mark and isn't simply worth the time and money spent.
Lightyear (2022)
Disney should be ashamed and embarrassed of this disastrous filled drivel
What do you get when you run a once loved series completely dry and then (very badly) spin it off? You get this dumpster fire of a film that has a terrible plot and jokes that just fall flat. There is nothing good about this film, not even the end credits. It's that bad.
There is no denying at this point that Disney's quality has taken a noticable and severe nosedive in pretty much every category these days. It's like the magic they once had is no longer there. Bob Chapek and Abigail Disney, in particular, are not doing the company any favors. They have done a great job, though, at alienating those that don't agree with them.
In summary, there is no way that Andy would want a Buzz Lightyear action figure after watching something like this. If I were Andy's age, there is no way that I would either. AWFUL, AWFUL film! I'd recommend only watching this if you are dealing with insomnia. You'll sleep like a baby!
Drunk Parents (2019)
Mindless drivel and a complete waste of time
Alec Baldwin is a self entitled and arrogant piece of work that is incapable of putting out anything good at all these days without losing his five second temper. A complete blowhard.
I expected better acting out of Salma Hayek though, who normally is pretty good. I'd recommend throwing this film in the nearest bonfire because that's all it's worth. Don't even waste your time and money on this one.
Jeopardy! (1984)
Ken Jennings should be the permanent host
I've been watching this show since the Trebek years. If Trebek were still hosting, I'd give "Jeopardy" an easy and solid 10/10, but the hosting fiasco they've had with this show since's Trebek's unfortunate passing has, in my opinion, been directly comparable to the Jay Leno - Conan O'Brien "Tonight Show" hosting debacle. Another embarassment for NBC. Trebek would be rolling in his grave.
For starters, Mayim Bialik is not that great of a host and she should just stick to acting. Her one sided feminist personality sometimes shows through. During one of the episodes, she once praised the very political Samantha Bee as a "funny lady" after a question came up about her, for example. Moreover, Bialik's hosting style and interaction with contestants also comes off as forced and lacks authenticity, almost as if she's there just to get paid. She never says "answer" before any of the the Daily Doubles and is now looking to leave her own mark on the show by referring to the first round as the "single Jeopardy round." What??
Ken Jennings, on the other hand, is the GOAT of the series and consultant for the show. Trebek himself once hinted that he'd almost prefer Jennings to succeed him. His hosting style comes off as professional and he interacts well with contestants. His hosting style seems more close in nature to how Trebek handled the show. You can tell that he really respects Alex's legacy. Because of that, I feel that Ken really deserves the permanent slot.
One thing I'm disappointed with is how Jennings and Bialik are both introduced. Bialik is introduced as "the host" while Jennings is introduced as "hosting Jeopardy." Both have been announced as hosts for the show this season, so why do they have two different intros? Doesn't make any sense. With that being said, I hope that NBC selects a permanent host soon because I'm not fond of how they're handling this situation at all. If they want to honor and show respect to Trebek's legacy, then make Ken Jennings the permanent host of Jeopardy!
Gutfeld! (2021)
New King of Late Night
Greg Gutfeld's monologues and humor very much remind me of Jon Stewart in his prime. Punchy, no holds barred, and not afraid to tell it like it is. One noticable difference between Gutfeld and Stewart is that Gutfeld's comedy leans to the right, which is fine. Some find it refreshing to see a different perspective every once in a while and it appears that more audiences agree because Gutfeld is now king of late night in the ratings, beating out the likes of Kimmel, Fallon, and Colbert!
Unlike some of the other guys who are busy using their shows as pure political props, Gutfeld mixes it up with self-deprecating and politically charged humor. He finds different and fresh ways to make current events funny. The budget of this show does sometimes show through considering the lack of a house band and sometimes limited rotation of guests, but it's still usually a good time.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this show to anyone in search of a different take on late night. There is a reason why Gutfeld is number one! Check it out!
2024 EDIT: My only criticism of this show is with some of the guests or co-hosts lately. Kat Timpf should not be billed as a "stand-up comedian." She is more of a contributor and does better when she is caught off guard. Gutfeld had her do stand up before and she was absolutely awful. She also completely bombed when she last hosted this show in place of Greg when he was off, barely drawing any laughs from the audience or panel during the monologue. Either way, stand-up comedy is definitely not her forte.
In the event that Gutfled is not able to host this show, then Fox should just show re-runs of his program. Either that or let Jimmy Failla substitute for Gutfeld on a permanent basis. Jim Norton is also too dirty for my taste and Jamie Lissow misses more jokes than he lands them.
Beat Bobby Flay (2013)
Waste of airtime
What's the point of calling this show "Beat Bobby Flay" when he ends up winning a majority of the time? Having judges that he seems to know on a personal level is an unfair advantage to his benefit as well. I feel that Bobby Flay only does this show to stoke his huge ego while further cashing in on the lucrative contract that he successfully managed to negotiate with Food Network. I'd like to see him go up against another well known celebrity chef like Guy Fieri and then see the end result.
Snowrunner (2020)
A mostly good game plauged by a host of glitches and unrealistic scenarios
First things first, this game can get addicting. There are several good aspects of it. The graphics, the attention to detail regarding the trucks, the environment, and a wide variety of missions and tasks set before you. However, the devs have put out a game that is half baked here. My reasoning for saying that? Be prepared to take an absurd amount of damage just by running over small rocks or getting hung up, tipped over or outright stopped in your tracks by something as simple as a construction sign or that pesky and famous stick in the ground. Oddly enough, if you honk your horn before approaching the construction signs, the signs will break down and it will make going through them easier.
Even the most stable trucks will tip over in some cases if you are not careful. Morever, the fact that you are not able to move objects like large tree limbs out of the way despite the fact that you can use a crane on other objects is disappointing and unrealistic and makes the gaming experience frustrating especially when hauling heavier loads with nowhere else to go.
Since I've owned the game, I've also experienced issues with the mod browser on console as it won't even let me get past the authentication process to use it despite the fact that I have a valid and working e-mail address. As mentioned, this game does have its moments, but the devs really need to start addressing these issues that I'm sure they're aware of by now. Such issues have a negative impact on what still is a decent game. It can be even better if these issues are properly looked into and fixed.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
One of the weakest films in the franchise
I was hoping for so much more and left the theatre kind of disappointed. No disrespect to Keanu Reeves or Carrie Ann Moss, who are GREAT actors, but the first half hour or so of the film was painfully slow. Some of the action scenes were entertaining, and there wasn't too much of it, which is surprising given the run time of nearly 2 1/2 hours. I hate to say this, but it almost felt like a spoof at times. Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus) is also absent from this film and another actor plays the "new" Morpheus, which also left me disappointed, but the "new" Morpheus" seems to tie in with the plot regardless. Despite this fact, Fishburne still does make an appearance, although only through archive footage from the original trilogy. It has been suggested online that his version of Morpheus was killed in a previous video game release ("The Matrix Online" circa 2005) and that the writers decided to remain true to that plot.
Neo is now a video game designer and gets sucked back into The Matrix after having signals sent to him through his computer by a character from his past. Several references to the franchise are actually made within the film itself as well. Their own production company, Warner Brothers, is name dropped too! Not sure if they thought that would be funny, for marketing purposes, or both. In summary, this film missed the mark for me and you'd be better off waiting until streaming platforms pick it up over paying more to see it in theatres.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Hands down the BEST film in the franchise since the Sam Raimi trilogy!
Spoiler-free review in just a few words:
This film is a love letter to the franchise and the fans! It has something for everyone! The direction, story and acting were so good that it almost felt like a modern take on one of Raimi's classics. You will love this film whether you are new to the Spider-Man franchise or not. It's one of the best films of the year in my book!
The View (1997)
This show is way past its expiration date
Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar are among the most toxic people on daytime TV today. They also have quick tempers that often flare on air. Nearly everything is racist to Whoopi, who is full of hatred, and Joy seems to hate everyone that she comes in contact with unless it's a politician that she likes or another celebrity that agrees with her views. The rest of the co-hosts, whom often seem to rotate, are just filler to the program. Moreover, any topic that they end up discussing usually ends up in a shouting match, likely for ratings and to make the headlines. The panel of hosts also lack a proper balance and this has been obvious since this show's inception. "The Talk" on CBS is of similar quality. Nothing of substance with either program I might add.
With that being said, I'd recommend avoiding shows like this, but if you must watch, I'd recommend using ear plugs and putting a sleep eye mask on beforehand. You'll need both to help get you through this!
The Talk (2010)
Don't waste your time
Sat through this nonsense while in a waiting room. They were celebrating Sheryl Underwood's birthday and called it "Sheryl's Pajama Jammy Jam Birthday Show." Everyone was dressed in pajama's and onesies. Absolutely unbearable while everyone, including guest Jason Bateman, made complete fools of themselves. Never have I seen so much worship of one person since the "royality" ABC bestowed upon Barbara Walters on "The View" where they literally gave her a crown and a throne all on air! I'd recommend avoiding both of these shows unless you enjoy watching and listening to mindless drivel for an hour.
Nick Cannon (2021)
Complete waste of daytime televison
Recently caught a glimpse of this show while in a waiting room. I'll be honest here. Nick Cannon was decent during his Nickelodeon days. Since then, however, his ego appears to have shot way up. He walks out on stage and looks at himself in the mirror while his theme song loops "Hey Nick" over and over again. He then proceeds to drone on about pop culture news while throwing some lame jokes in between. At this point, watching paint dry would be more interesting than sitting through another episode of this show. Absolutely awful.
Match Game (2016)
Self-serving drivel
Alec Baldwin has taken everything that was once good about this show and turned it into a self-serving clown carnival. I sometimes wonder if ABC just keeps renewing this show to give pity points to Baldwin over cancelling his last gig "The Alec Baldwin Show." At this point, Carson Daly seems more appealing, and that's not saying much.
No Time to Die (2021)
Good first half with an ending that breaks nearly 60 years of tradition
I was hoping for Daniel Craig's final 007 film to be close to the quality of "Casino Royale." Sadly, it was not. The first half was pretty smooth. The action and scenery were great and seeing both Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton's Aston Martins in one film were cool, but everything after the scenes in Cuba went downhill after that.
A Craig era Bond ally takes a shocking death early on in the film. Daniel Craig's performance was not bad. Ana de Armas (Paloma) was a standout but was underused. Furthermore, like his time in the previous film, Christoph Waltz (Blofeld) could have also had more screen time as well. As for Rami Malek, he's a fine actor, but his character of Safin was poorly written and there was no explanation as to why he wanted to do the things that he had planned. There was also no explanation behind Madeleine's daughter. Further, several attempts at humor felt flat. Although lengthy, however, the screen time of the film did not bother me.
Moving on to Lashana Lynch. No disrespect to her as an actress, but her role of Nomi/007 didn't really make a lot of sense to me at all. She quite frankly seemed out of place. We find out that since Bond's retirement (he is also now tied to the C. I. A.), Nomi has taken his number and is an active agent for MI6. However, she ended up relenquishing the 007 number once James Bond was re-instated and then kind of disappeared off screen not long after the fact. Seemed more to me like a political statement than anything else. No disrespect to women here, but if Barbara Broccoli and company aren't interested in casting a woman as the next 007, then why bother casting her in such a role? What point were they trying to make here?
This is also the softest I've ever seen James Bond get in a film. The sensitive moments in the film are very un-Bond like and the ending is a total repudiation of the Ian Fleming novels. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Barbara Broccoli all need to retire and pass the torch to another group of people that actually respects the novels. Somehow after this film, "James Bond Will Return." Exactly how he "returns" remains a big mystery for now.
No Time To Die: 6/10.
Turner & Hooch: Lost and Hound (2021)
Decent episode with continuity errors
The episode itself was good but lacked the same quality as previous entries. In this episode, Erica confuses her Ford Transit 250 work van for a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. They also managed to somehow go from being in a Chevy Tahoe police vehicle to a Ford Expedition police vehicle during a scene or two on the road. I suppose the crew probably figured nobody would notice, but it was noticable enough for me to pick up on. I have enjoyed this series so far, though, and look forward to the next episode.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Worst film in the franchise
I had high hopes for this sequel, but it was a chore to sit through, the storyline was terrible, and the action was minimal. Simply put, it was uninspired rubbish compared to Jenkins first and far superior Wonder Woman film. Everything about this film makes me question how or why it was even greenlit. I can only hope for a better third film which is now in the works.
Gal Gadot is a great actress, but I can't believe she agreed to do this. Her acting was the only real highlight when compared to Pedro Pascal and Kristin Wiig, who both gave very poor performances overall. A lot of the acting in this film seemed forced and comically bad. Pascal is great in "The Mandalorian" and I was horrified to see just how bad he did here. I do not know enough about Kristin Wiig aside from "Bridesmaids" which I have not seen, but again, she did herself no favors here either.
I also thought that they could have done a better job explaining how Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) came back as there were a lot of things that just didn't make sense with the whole concept. They claimed that he came back through another man's body (known as "Handsome Man" played by Kristoffer Polaha), but I just wasn't a fan of how this was executed. Unfortunately for Pine, the comedic timing of a lot of his jokes fell flat as well.
I watched this film because I thought that the first one was excellent. Unfortunately, however, I finished this film with extreme disappointment. "Wonder Woman 1984" is just another film that suffers from the "sequel curse" that has plagued a few other film franchises in the past. It is also a film that will likely end up on discount at rental retail outlets more sooner than later. Watch if you must, but I highly recommend that you avoid this one unless you'd prefer to kill 2 1/2 hours of your time on campy and mindless drivel.
Last Call with Carson Daly (2002)
Avoid at all costs
Like Alec Baldwin, Carson Daly is completely incapable of hosting a good late night talk show program. Alec's show, for example, which just debuted, had one of the worst recent premieres in ABC's history...and that's telling. If ABC has any common sense at all, then they'll rightfully cancel it. As for Carson Daly, I'm completely baffled as to why this trainwreck has survived for so many years. He has no chemistry and his jokes and interviews constantly fall flat. It's really too bad because he was great on TRL and seems to do really well over on the Today Show. Late night programming, however, is definitely not his forte.
The Conners (2018)
Depressing and lifeless
"The Conners" is a catastrophic trainwreck. At one point, the producers of this show claimed that they wouldn't use the same roundtable intro or song from "Roseanne." It appears that they lied because they ended up using the same intro aside from a slightly modified theme song. The only difference is that they chose to show it at the end of the first episode, which was stupid. Without Roseanne Barr, this show isn't even remotely funny and feels half baked. Lastly, being that ABC already regrets firing Roseanne, it's their own fault for doing so, anyway, and they have nobody to blame for that decision except themselves. This show will fail without her and I would not be surprised if it were to be cancelled after just one season.
The Rookie (2018)
Fillion finally gets to wear a uniform
Nathan Fillion is back on ABC! This time, he plays a rookie cop named John Nolan who resides in L.A. Nolan gets inspired to join the force after witnessing a bank robbery. At the risk of comparing two shows here, the beginning of the series opener immediately reminded me of an episode of "Castle" that I once saw, where Castle was in a similar situation with Beckett. Who knows? Perhaps they'll feature cameos from "Castle" and "Firefly" down the line. Anything is possible at this point.
Getting back to this show...although Nolan's police chief and some of his colleagues aren't exactly friendly, he does have some allies within the force that seem like good people. Myself personally, I have never been on the force, but I do know a couple of people who have served. Based off what these people have told me, I can honestly say that this show seems to provide a realistic and accurate portrayal of what life is like for police officers everyday. Use of the body cams are a nice touch too. No matter if you're a fan of Fillion's prior work or not, give this show a try. You won't be disappointed!
The Alec Baldwin Show (2018)
Possibly worse than "Last Call with Carson Daly"
As an actor, Alec Baldwin is fine. But who in their right mind decided to give him a talk show, and why I might add? In real life, he is rude, obnoxious and full of himself. Also verbally abusive toward his own daughter too. I just can't see something like this going on for much longer especially when it is now known that this show had one of the worst premieres in ABC's history.