todd-ramirez Reviews

Under the Bridge (2024)

Some things don't make sense

[6/10 · 7 June 2024]

I'm only on e3. I'll update this as I continue watching.

HUH?!

But so far some things have annoyed me. Here's one. In e3, Cam's dad notifies the Virks that Reena has been found. But he also asks Reena's dad to come and identify the body. Shouldn't a positive identification happen first before notifying the family?

CONSTANT BACKWARD AND FORWARD STORYTELLING I'm also not a fan of storytelling that goes backward and forward too many times. A couple of times, fine maybe. But if this forward-rewind BS goes for much longer, I might stop watching

DIALOG The dialog leaves a lot to be desired. Again I'll continue watching but I'm on the fence right now. Too many more irritations and I may give up.

GLADSTONE Lily Gladstone is amazing though. Saw her in Flower Moon - for which she won an Oscar, right? - and she shines here again.

VIDEO QUALITY I'm watching on Hulu on the latest generation of Apple TV. There are grey blotches that constantly display on the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. Didn't the filmmakers watch this even once to notice and correct the problem? I understand they may have had a low budget maybe but this is ridiculously poor quality control.

Tour de France: Unchained (2023– )

One beautiful story left out

[10/10 · 12 June 2023]

Great show, as good as Formula 1: Drive to Survive. But they left this out...

🚴 A CLASS ACT Tour de France, Stage 18 of 21 Lourdes to Hautacam (143km)

In Spandelles, Pogacar went wide and fell. By the time he got back on, Vingegaard - who had been wearing the yellow jersey since Stage 11 - had about 200m of daylight. Then an incredible gentlemanly act happened: when he realized his rival had fallen, Vingegaard refused to pull away. Instead, the yellow jersey on the line, he *waited* for the bruised Pogacar. When he caught up, Pogacar reached for Vingegaard's hand and the two competitors bumped hands. Sportscaster Phil Liggett commented, "In my 50 years in Tour de France, I have not seen anything like this."

At 5km, Vingegaard and Pogacar caught up with stage leader Van Aert (green jersey). Up for grabs were not only the stage win and yellow jersey but also green and polka dot points.

At 4.5km, Pogacar dropped! His green jersey points safe, Van Aert eventually left his team captain Vingegaard alone in front to win the stage. Vingegaard consolidated his supremacy by extending his lead over Pogacar by 1 minute 4 seconds to 3:26.

Three years ago, at 18 years old, Vingegaard was unknown, shoveling ice at a fish plant. This day, he is the leader at Le Tour, at the top of the Pyrenees. He might as well be at the top of the world.

NOTE: You can watch the above story on Peacock at the 30:34 mark of Stage 18 (each stage's highlights are still there as of June 2023).

20/20 (1978– )

A hot mess; repetitious; loud music adds no value

[4/10 · 18 February 2023]

This used to be okay. But lately narrators repeat the same info 3-4 times. And some details are not necessary; they don't move the story along. A 2-hour episode can be done in half the time.

The music background is too loud and adds zero value to the story. Come on, it's not a music video. Stop the cheesy music score.

The chronology in the storytelling is a hot mess. Throughout 75% of an episode you're more and more confused. Only in the last 25 minutes do things come together and you piece things together and understand - finally - what's going on. ABC, you're not making an M. Night Shyamalan film. Don't feel obliged to have twists and turns and spectacular reveals. Lately I have been so lost halfway in an episode that I just stop watching to get me out of my misery. I did exactly that just now. I recorded the episode, started watching but when I found myself uninterested and bored, I just stopped, deleted the episode and canceled the series recording.

Dateline NBC is 10 times better. Great storytelling. Soft, unobtrusive music that you hardly notice is there. Chronology logically builds and builds to an exciting conclusion in the last 15 minutes but throughout the journey, you're fully comprehending the progression of the story.

RRR (2022)

Near perfect, a visual feast

[9/10 · 9 February 2023]

Loved this. Shared with a friend who loved it, too.

Amazing cinematography and while I'm not crazy about singing and dancing in Indian movies, I liked them in this. Great soundtrack, which I added it to my music library within the first 30 minutes of the film. The Dolby Atmos sound mix enriched the Ultra HD 4K visual feast.

My few minor nitpicking beefs/wishes:

• could have been shorter by at least 20 minutes
• dubbed dialog is sometimes out of sync and therefore looks unnatural
• less special effects, CGI and slow-mo

Having said that, this film is so enjoyable I've seen it twice and plan to see it again and again.

Audio, music and sound: 10 Audio, dialog: 4 Score: 10 Video: 10 Story: 9 Writing: 9 Acting: 9 Overall: 8/10.

Generasi 90an: Melankolia (2020)

Started well, but took a very bad turn

[2/10 · 15 January 2023]

Ok I wanted to like this. I loved the closeness of the family and the sister's friend being there for them. But then that friend has a relationship with the brother, who looked like a little boy (14ish?), while the friend looked like 19. They weren't even compatible. There was no chemistry or anything that remotely resembled a romantic connection between the two. And it happened at a time when everyone was vulnerable. It just ruined everything for me. This turn of events just didn't have any redeeming value. Instead I found it disgusting. After this deplorable development, I just fast forwarded thru to the end, which couldn't come fast enough.

Break Point (2023–2024)

Why is Kyrgios the first episode?

[7/10 · 15 January 2023]

Disclaimer: 17 minutes into the first episode here.

As a huge tennis fan, I question the choice of player in the first episode: Kyrgios. At the moment he is the most controversial - you might say one you love to hate - and if, like in Formula 1, you want to attract new fans to the sport, you will turn them off instead. What's worse, viewers might think all tennis players are like Kyrgios. They are not. Most behave like human beings who are able to accept losing and are respectful of opponents, officials and the rules. They generally exhibit basic human decency. Kyrgios is the exception.

I may update this review after watching more episodes.

Mukhsin (2006)

The right blend of poignant and funny; exceeded expectations

[9/10 · 25 December 2022]

Needing something different, I watched this coming-of-age film - read: riding a bike, flying a kite, climbing trees, being raised by goofy yet loving parents (ditto for the maid) and finding a friendship that lasts a lifetime. It is written and directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad. She also plays a minor character. It's my first Malaysian movie. In it, the characters in particular and, Malaysians in general, are endearing.

The film is probably low budget, not having the multimillion dollar bells and whistles of overproduced films from Hollywood. Or for that matter, Asia. These are not your crazy rich Asians. As such, it is easy to scroll past. But behind the cheap optics, Mukhsin is a hidden gem rich in beauty using simple but delightful dialog. It's well cast (no over-the-top acting here) and has the right blend of poignant and funny.

Nina Simone's 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' is a soundtrack smartly and timely placed at the right scene...and its reprise at the climax is filmmaking perfection, and has to tug at the heartstrings.

Yet there are lighthearted moments. Malaysians point with their lips, too?! And dance in the rain? Wanna know how to get new furniture every few months for nothing? Then watch this.

High up in my 2022 chart - easily Top 2 - I will long remember this one. I'm now hoping to watch Ahmad's other films. From the reviews, apparently she is highly respected. She certainly got mine.

Rating: TV-PG I identified a couple of storylines, cultural practices that are not suitable for young children.

Banshee (2013–2016)

What a pile of garbage

[1/10 · 27 October 2022]

As someone suggested, you have to suspend logic to watch this crap. Also someone said you have to try to get thru the first 4 episodes. So true. I could only stomach 2. In the first, I counted 14 scenes that didn't make sense. In a one-hour episode! Here's an example: A guy gets a finger cut off by his angry boss and the guy sits and calmly continues a conversation?! In the second episode, 14 more stupid scenes. To go further is to subject myself to torture. I value my time and self-respect. Many of the scenes are cliché or just plain dumb. Ahh, the state of today's entertainment. Where the hell are all these positive reviews coming from? The same people? Bots? Alcohol? Or sniffing peanut butter?

The Cleaning Lady (2022– )

Bad writing, mediocre acting

[3/10 · 21 October 2022]

This started well, the initial concept was good but it eventually lost its way. The writing and dialog were bad: predictable, often cliched, sometimes downright corny or dumb. Acting ranged from bad to okay, with the exception of Canto and, in a cameo in e4, Lou Diamond Phillips.

Some reviewers here said the premise that a doctor would be a cleaning lady didn't make sense. Not only does it make sense, it's reality. Many Filipino doctors come to America and either because of lack of experience or education credits, become janitors, security guards or at best nurses.

Still I found most of the show boring or annoying. I did like the touching scenes in e4 though. They almost made watching this series worthwhile.

Monster (2022– )

Bad writing, slow as a sloth

[3/10 · 8 October 2022]

I have several beefs with this show.

First, this could have been done in 6 episodes. Instead a scene that could last 10 seconds is protracted to 50. Many scenes and themes are repeated 4-6 times and I kept screaming 'Again?!'

Second is the annoying practice that filmmakers overdo these days: jumping in time a hundred times, backward and forward, forward and backward. It was nauseating overkill in this show.

Third, many scenes are just unnecessary. They do not add any value or clarity. Taken out, they wouldn't leave gaps in the story.

Starting in e4 thru to the end, I kept fast forwarding to move the story along. All in all I give this show a thumbs down.

Yellowstone (2018– )

The Beth character is unrealistic

[1/10 · 13 August 2022]

I have nothing against strong women but after a heavy beating Beth barely grimaces? And with a hundred holes in her body from an explosion, she just lights up a smoke and sits on a curb? Does the show take viewers for fools?

Poldark (2015–2019)

Great beginning, but went downhill

[4/10 · 13 August 2022]

I thoroughly enjoyed this until S3, when I realized it was all heartache, pain and defeat for the good guys. Conversely, evil always prospered and justice, mercy and the triumph of all that's good were rare.

Then you get to S5. OMG it was such a hot mess it became unwatchable. I must have grown frustrated with no less than 30 scenes that were either dumb, corny or unrealistic that one had to suspend logic. The storylines and dialog seemed to have been written by a child.

And the running theme of despair and hopelessness? They just let the bad guys go easy. Other fans I talked to on a Facebook discussion group encouraged me to hang in there. I did but regretted wasting many hours only to be left depressed.

I gave this 4/10 for the first 2.5 seasons which were very good and the brilliant performances especially by Eleanor Tomlinson.

Patagonia (2022)

Great doco, but as usual, bad CNN audio mix

[7/10 · 2 August 2022]

This is becoming a pattern with CNN films. I wrote a review of the Abraham Lincoln piece that they did last year: volume level for the soundtrack was so loud you could barely hear the narration. On Patagonia one minute the volume is too loud and the next too soft. And it's not Pedro Pascal's voice. Through an hour-long episode, I must be adjusting the volume 20 times. And I'm not counting the ones when they go to commercial - it blasts the speakers! Of course after the ad, I have to turn it up again. CNN: fire your audio engineers responsible for this incompetence! Do they even listen to the final version that's to be broadcast?

The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022– )

Pretentious BS, bad writing, incoherent

[1/10 · 7 July 2022]

I wanted to like this. In fact, I liked the first episode. But it went downhill from there. It's a bunch of people who can't make up their minds on a lot of things, especially love. The entire show is pretentious. "Oh my dad's boat will be here." "Don't worry, I'll pay for everything." The house is gorgeous. I've been daydreaming about it since I saw it. But it's not clear how the people in it could afford such luxury. You just have to believe that ok almost everyone is rich. True the visiting family said they are not rich. But they're never shown in their habitat. The emphasis is rich, privileged, and at times, entitled people.

In several scenes you have to suspend logic to make sense of them. The volleyball was so pathetic it's embarrassing. I doubt anyone on the set even knew the sport. And in the story the players were supposed to be good. Not.

The dialog is so cliched that you can almost predict lines. And like some have noted, you have a hard time connecting with any character. In fact, by e4, I didn't care about anyone. At the end, I told myself someone actually went out of their way to write a bad show and succeeded.

The Fabulous Filipino Brothers (2021)

Zero entertainment value; went nowhere

[1/10 · 18 June 2022]

Everything about this movie is bad. No. Everything about it is terrible.

If you're gonna put the word 'fabulous' in the title, automatically you overhype it and set the bar too high to even come close to. Granted that maybe it was part of a joke? But the movie fails at any semblance of humor it attempts. It was just...bleh. I dare anyone to laugh. I mean *really* laugh.

SPOILERS FOLLOW The scene with one of the brothers and a cousin getting it on using food as props was supposed to be comedy, right? If so, it fell flat. In fact, it backfired: it was cheesy, it showed no class, and it was disgusting.

The cockfight storyline also went nowhere and added no value.

The story about the affair in the Philippines - and the funeral - also did nothing to give any meaningful cohesion to the movie.

Oh if only I could get back the hour I wasted seeing this. I know the duration is 1.5 hours but I said 'hour' because I ended up constantly fast forwarding to end my misery.

This movie is one reason IMdb should allow a zero rating; it has that amount of entertainment value - zero. I have a hard time thinking of any movie that is worse.

Ikaw (2021)

Contrived chemistry, bad writing, zero entertainment value

[1/10 · 29 January 2022]

Dunno where to start with this one. One has to concoct what little chemistry is possible between the two lovers but the attempt has little chance of success. Where KITA KITA succeeds, this film miserably fails.

The story goes nowhere, thanks to the poor to mediocre writing which could have been written by a high school freshman. I must have used the forward button on my Siri remote 100x throughout the film.

Hardly any intelligent dialog here. And subplots - like the auntie's romance and the Lola's health issues - barely add value to an already lean main plot.

The ending certainly disappoints, but may succeed making viewers sad, even cry. I didn't cry. Instead I was relieved the film - finally! - ended. What a waste.

CODA (2021)

Hits all the right notes

[10/10 · 15 August 2021]

"Tears and fears and feeling proud To say 'I love you' right out loud Dreams and schemes and circus crowds I've looked at life that way."

CODA is the most awarded movie in Sundance history. It deserves a few Globe and Oscar nods, too. UPDATE: it won 3 Oscars - Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Emilia Jones has arrived. She is no longer just a teen actor. And she succeeds in making her character sparkle like the bright star her father in the story was missing in the Massachusetts night sky.

About those who criticize CODA as a ripoff of La Famille Bélier as if it's some clandestine plot: CODA acknowledges it *in the credits*! At timestamp 1:48:20: " Based on the original motion picture 'La Famille Bélier' a film by Eric Lartigau written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carré de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain."

The Mosquito Coast (2021–2023)

Started well but got stupid

[4/10 · 5 June 2021]

Got to the s1 finale.

Son Charlie leaves the combi to pick up a couple of supplies. Mother and daughter Dina drive off and look for him. Wouldn't it be the simplest and sane thing to just wait for him to return instead of going around the city asking people if they saw a boy with a backpack? Meanwhile boy shoots someone in broad daylight with witnesses feet away. Sirens are getting louder by the second. And he just stays and waits for police to be 20 feet away before running.

And the biggest inexplicable things of all:

1. Dina finds out she is kidnapped by these couple that she grew up knowing as her parents. She gets angry at first but the season ends without her asking even once what the heck is going on.

2. Why are they running? Seven episodes and not one hint whatsoever?

I've had enough. Won't be watching s2.

Dangerous Lies (2020)

Bad acting, dumb storyline that doesn't make sense

[1/10 · 22 May 2021]

What a waste of time. I found myself forwarding several times. This is one movie that justifies the ability to give a 0/10 rating. Very bad dialog. Amateurish acting despite Gould.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)

Andra Day is a tour de force

[7/10 · 29 April 2021]

The brutal honesty of this film and Lady (Andra) Day's performance - who'd have thought she had this amazing acting talent? - make the movie hard to watch. That's a compliment.

In the last four years, racism has become fashionable. That's probably why there are so many haters of this film. It's message is ever so timely. Sing that song, Billie.

Searching for Sheela (2021)

The glorification of an evil woman

[1/10 · 22 April 2021]

What total rubbish. She destroyed the lives of thousands. How can anyone be starstruck with her? She should have served all 20 years of her sentence.

The Serpent (2021)

Two months later, 4 months earlier, ad nauseum

[1/10 · 10 April 2021]

Episode 1 is non-stop rewind, forward, rewind, forward on the timeline. Had enough of the gimmick and quit. I have better things to do.

Lincoln: Divided We Stand (2021)

Good material, but extremely loud music drowned it

[7/10 · 24 March 2021]

Whoever engineered and edited the sound should be shot. I kept turning subtitles on to figure out what was being said. What, didn't anyone preview the show before broadcasting it?

I learned a lot from the series though.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)

Loved it!

[10/10 · 25 February 2021]

Not knowing anything about the story until I saw this, it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The pace and buildup was just right for me. Some people complain about it being too long? Under four hours? There are other series that are 10-20 hours per season, 6 or more seasons. I once watched a Pablo Escobar series with 74 episodes and it was amazing. Granted that I didn't subscribe to everything the YouTubers speculated. But they also pointed things out that I and others, including the police, missed. Now the police - that's the nature of investigations: you don't have the entire picture at first. But as the investigation progresses, the puzzle adds other pieces that slowly complete the story. The tox report took weeks. Tovar said you don't rush these things. It's better to be right than fast. I will grant that missing the thing about the tank lid was a big mistake. But until I'm in the shoes of the officers, I will not pass judgment unless I'm in the same line of work.

All in all I think this series was very well done.

Cats (2019)

Stay away unless you had liked Cats in the past

[3/10 · 25 November 2020]

This latest screen adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical was widely panned by both critics and viewers (currently 2.8/10 on IMDb). I read some of the reviews and here are my thoughts:

1. If you're not a fan of musicals, you'll hate it. 2. If you're looking for a plot, there isn't one and you'll hate it. 3. If you've been a fan of Cats in the past - whether from watching it on stage or the music itself - you'll probably like this. Otherwise, you won't. 4. If you expect that humans can perfectly act out cats' mannerisms to anyone's satisfaction, you'll be sorely disappointed. 5. If you're looking for melodious tracks, you'll hate this. There is only one memorable tune in the original: Memory. I personally didn't like Jennifer Hudson's version here. I preferred Francesca Hayward's part in the two reprises. All other songs in the original pretty much have very little melody and are therefore forgettable. But they wrote a few new songs in this remake and one, 'Beautiful Ghosts,' is enough reason for you to watch this. Both Hayward and Taylor Swift sing it and both versions are good. If you don't plan to watch the film, at least listen to that song. I liked it enough to add to my music library.

CASTING, ACTING They cast a powerhouse of performers - Ian McKellen, Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, Judi Dench, Idris Elba, James Corden, Rebel Wilson. Everyone did a good job acting out their roles. The singing is top notch.

CGI, EFFECTS I disagree with critics who panned the visual effects. I thought the visuals made for high production values. What they did right: they kept the actors' eyes so human emotion matched the feelings they were exuding from the lyrics. Compare this with the new Lion King where the animation barely conveyed any emotion from the scenes.

Did I like the movie? No. I could only give it 3/10 because I'm not a fan to begin with. Even though I like Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar (his best I think), I'm just not a fan of Cats.

To summarize, watch this only if you liked Cats in the past. Otherwise, stay away.