samtzu-2 Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Partings (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

The LOTR took three volumes!!

[7/10 · 24 September 2022]

We're on episode five and people are moaning about it being "too slow!!" Come on!! It's a 50 episode series!! Give them time.... it's not a race, it's an epic!!

Now, having said that, I liked this episode. Galadrial kinda' admitted she may have been a bit hasty to Haldir; Elrond outed himself to Durin; Nofi almost gives The Stranger a hand; and Isildur get's to shovel manure .... it's all moving forward just like a real story... which it is.

Unlike. "House of the Dragon", I feel like I'm being drawn into this one, which is all I want from a story. There is plenty of Tolkien material to be drawn from here, so let's give it a genuine chance.

The Bubble (2022)

Yeah, it's INTENTIONALLY bad....

[8/10 · 3 April 2022]

I wouldn't want to know, or even meet, any of these actors... a more self absorbed lot you will never ever find, even on a real movie set. Now, having said that, there are some very very funny moments in this movie. And yeah, there are some rather un-funny moments in this movie as well.... but overall, it's a good 'bad' movie. Someone said that it's a B movie with A actors, and that's very accurate. Just curl up with your favorite consumables and enjoy it. It's worth a lot more than the "4" it's currently got on this page.

Beyond and Back (1978)

I was in this POS!!!

[4/10 · 16 March 2022]

I was a student at UofU in Salt Lake City when this was being filmed and I was a "day" extra. All background. In one scene I was a Dr. Holding a clipboard speaking to a nurse in the background. In another, I was a junkie getting advice from a Dr as I'm being lead to the exit. I think I made $50 off this. The main actress on that day was an older woman who looking like she had a bad hangover and was about two minutes away from having the D. T.'s.... never so it, but it was super weird... several local 'celebrities' were very proud to be in it.... I was just earning some bucks....

Reacher (2022– )

Enjoyable, and Reacher is FINALLY tall enough...

[10/10 · 7 February 2022]

I discovered Lee Child's excellent books at least a decade ago and loved every one of them... yeah, they ain't Thomas Pynchon, but they are good, reliable reads that take you right to the end and tie it all up with a bow. I even liked the Tom Cruise movies, even though they missed the actual plot they were copying (and Cruise is more of a "Mini Me").

This series takes more time to work the plot, and that always helps, and for those who think that this Reacher is one dimensional, well... that is exactly how he is written in the books.

There are some very good supporting actors in this presentation and I really can't see any holes.

Is the Reacher character wooden.... well, yeah, like a giant sequoia is wooden. He's solid, planted, and a force of nature. Hey, he's Reacher.... get used to it.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Happy Thanksgiving, Miranda (2014) Season 5, Episode 4

I laughed until it hurt.....

[10/10 · 17 February 2020]

This was definitely NOT your standard CICGC..... it was a level or two beyond... it took me about 45 seconds to get the premise, since there is no person on the planet who could be this self centered and clueless to the thoughts and feelings of other people. It was an act.... and it was a great act!!

Did I laugh out loud?? Almost continuesly.... she is brilliant in her remarks and come backs. Remember, what she is doing is not just improv on a stage, it is improv on the move in multiple environments, using one of the funniest people in America as your straight man, and nailing it. She was "right there" with her comebacks, her snears, her attitude.... I was constantly laughing. Her delivery was perfect...

At the very end, after the end credit, we see Colleen taking off her make up and being "herself".... those who didn't "get it" or didn't watch to the very end missed a world class performance of a beautifully structured character.

Rim of the World (2019)

WTF???? Who wrote this???

[1/10 · 26 July 2019]

There is really nothing to review..... the plot is this: Go from pointless A to pointless B and throw in useless badly delivered dialog and blow stuff up..... HOWEVER, the way this is done is artless, crass, and if Darius had been killed under the opening credits it would have made for a better (though not by much) movie..... It just looked like a way for some production company to waste millions of dollars.... pointless.... absolutely pointless......

Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019) Season 8, Episode 6

Sorry..... but they had to follow the logic

[8/10 · 21 May 2019]

Yup..... Dany died, the dragon torched the throne and flew off with her body, Jon Snow was exiled to the North, the Starks will govern themselves, thank you, and Bran becomes the King-ish sorta' person, with Tyrion being his back up..... as Michael Corleone said in The Godfather, "It's the smart move"...

For those who say "Dany did a 180 degree turn in one show..." Nope.... she's been showing little hints of that almost from the first season.... from the death of her brother, to the death of King's Landing, she's pretty much gone along with "Death" as a way to resolve problems... as her death proved. Her death solved a lot of problems.

Jon Snow didn't want to serve?? Great, he doesn't have to. He's heading back North to work out issues up there.... maybe find another woman... or two....

Brianna of Whatever is probably pregnant, so there is another Lanister on the way.

Bran will spend his days agreeing with other people's decisions, which passes for wish ruling in most era's.

Sam Tarley will try to push for that whole Democracy thing again....

Sansa will rule the North wisely..... maybe.... whatever....

Bronn will give Tyrion massive headaches by being logical

Arya will sail West untill she finds a New World and proceeds to open a hair salon, and dream of the good old days when you could stab anyone you wanted to....

In other words.... I SEE A SEQUEL IN THE WORKS!!!...... or not......

Movie 43 (2013)

And The Winner Is........

[1/10 · 27 April 2019]

For years, decades, I believed that "Plan 9 From Outer Space" was the worst movie ever made.... I knew, of course, about the many exceptionally bad movies out of Mexico in the 50's that were worse, but I always thought that the high mark in bad movies had to be and American movie.... Due to the wide range of talent in acting, directing, writing, etc., you really had to work at it to make a movie that was actually worse than "Plan 9".... Well, it has been done.... not only within the American movie tradition, but with well known and respected Directors and Actors, some of whom have won Academy Awards for their work.... This movie, with all the talent available to it, made in Hollywood, the home of great and glorious movie making, is actually worse than Plan 9 From Outer Space. To many that may sound like heresy, but it is absolutely true. I refuse to recall a single scene in it, but let me just say that after Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet, it all went down hill..... scene after scene of dreck that is SO BAD, that you want to laugh out loud, (and probably would laugh out loud if it wasn't so bad,) but are forced into a sense of extreme horror at seeing some of your favorite actors and actresses debase and humiliate themselves.... Yes, ladies and gentlemen, for Hollywood standards, this is the absolute worst movie ever made....

Polar (I) (2019)

Very funny in a very understated way...

[8/10 · 24 February 2019]

First off, I haven't seen a weak performance from Mads Mikkelson.... ever. And this is no exception... He plays a retired hit man who's... well....not a part of the everyday life he's trying to fit into, (the absolute best "Show and Tell to Grade Schooler's" I've ever seen!!) and on top of that, his boss wants to kill him. It's kind of a "shark out of water" story... but once the shark gets back IN the water, it's a different story. Excellent movie....

Robin Hood (2018)

Uh... it ain't your father's "Robin Hood"

[8/10 · 22 February 2019]

My first thought was, "What the hell is this??".... My second thought was, "No, seriously.... WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??" And that was after only about five minutes.... HOWEVER, I finally figured it out... it's the plot, the meme's, the action, the large concept, the currently hot actors and up and comers, and action "ACTION!", of every action movie that has been made in this century, thrown together in a blender, spun for about ten minutes, and then poured out onto the screen.... It aspires to badness, it aspires to tragedy, it aspires to thrilldom, it aspires... well, it aspires to a lot of things. Some of the things it DOES NOT aspire to is good writing and historical accuracy. Of course, it doesn't have to be historically accurate, because "Robin Hood" is a legend that was originated around the sixteenth century and has grown in the telling, but this telling takes it completely off the rails by snagging a little of this, a little of that, and a whole lot of WTF!! The actors are not that bad, but the script they were given (and the direction) is. The set decoration, while beautiful, and very artistic, DOESN'T HAVE A DAMN THING TO DO WITH 13TH CENTURY NOTTINGHAM!!! A mine???? In Nottingham??? WITH THAT MANY PEOPLE IN IT?? THAT FLARES OFF GAS CONSTANTLY??? I still give it an 8 though, because if you change the name of the movie to "Two Guys Kick Some Ass and Blow S%$# Up", then it's not a bad movie. The action scenes, BY THEMSELVES are actually pretty good. Cinematography is pretty good also... It's just not Robin Hood.... Fun, but not "The Hood".....

The Kominsky Method (2018–2021)

A refreshing run through decades of acting experience...

[10/10 · 8 December 2018]

Alan Arkin has always been a refreshing actor. He has brought his own special touch to every role he has played, from Yosarrian in "Catch 22" and the shrink in "Grosse Pointe Blank", to the laid back police Lt. in "So I Married An Ax Murderer" and the old liberal grandfather in "Little Miss Sunshine". It's almost like he's not acting... but instead is just showing you a genuine character in a certain situation. He doesn't really "act".... he just "Is".... which is much more difficult than "acting"...

Michael Douglas steps up to the task of playing opposite Arkin by simply... Being... being his character. Again, layers of experience, years and years of it, are revealed in a relaxed persona that Douglas is very comfortable with. Another reviewer said that together they sound like an old married couple... and I agree. It is a joy to watch them work.

The supporting actors are also great.... Danny DeVito as the way too honest proctologist stands out.... as does Lisa Edelstein as Arkin's daughter...

This show needs to be continued, simply because it is honestly entertaining. It is life, as presented by two people who have genuinely lived... Chuck Lorre has created a hit..... a palpable hit..... UPDATE: 11/2/19 Uh.... not much of an update, except to say that the second season is even better than the first season. The acting is absolutely effortless... nothing is played for laughs but the laughs are there.... and I'm talking about "Out Loud" laughs!! New characters appear briefly, played surprisingly by extremely good actors.... The writing is impeccable ..... the setting, perfect.... this is definitely a must see limited series....

Person of Interest (2011–2016)

An excellent movie in 103 episodes.....

[10/10 · 12 October 2018]

I binge watched this for a few weeks, episode one to the last episode. I was not disappointed in the least for the entire run. I is like watching a 103 hour long movie that makes sense all the way through. It's arc is acceptable, if not downright honest and believable. Imagine a super computer that is the super computer of super computers... put about 1k of super computers together in series, if not 1B or 1G, and then let that group work on a single problem in a single city, like, say, NYC. The problem? Protect each inhabitant from death or destruction. There is no room here to explain how good this concept worked under the hands of the writers (some of the best in the business), directors(definitely some of the best) and a team of actors who are not only good, but work well, and almost effortlessly, together. There are losses, and gains along the way, just like life, and there is pain and satisfactiom also, just like life. And the last season brings it all to a fine point, a dagger's tip, so to speak.... a honing of the entire series to a piercing finale that left me satisfied.... and longing for more.... A very satisfactory series.

Movie 43 (2013)

Setting the Bar Lower

[1/10 · 21 March 2018]

I'm one of those "I have never written a review before" people. It's just been too much of a hassle in most cases, however, this hassle is worth it... er.... sorta'. This movie sucks, but not in the traditional sense of 'sucking'... IT REALLY SUCKS!! It will suck the very life out of you. You can feel it being drained out of your body as you watch this, however, that is a good thing... because at the end of the day, after work has drained your life away, why shouldn't you sit down to a movie that scrapes out all the leftover scraps. This movie does that. However, as I was recovering from this cleansing of all sensibility, I thought to myself, "Is this movie REALLY that bad??"... and the answer is YES!! IT IS THAT BAD!!! This is even worse that Ewe Boll's "In The Name Of The King", which pretty much trashed the careers of everyone in it (except for Jason Statham, whose career couldn't even be touched by "Spy"). My advice?? Get stoned... no, no... not just stoned. Get really, really, REALLY REALLY, stoned, then watch this movie... then thank Whatever Divine Being you trust that, even though you only watched it once, there is no need for you to be sent to hell when you die, because you've already lived through it....

The Killing (2011–2014)

Very VERY impressive!!

[10/10 · 28 February 2018]

I don't write reviews. I did that for a living for a couple of years and hated it; you're not sure if you read or saw things correctly; a lot of the crap you see and read is just that: crap; and only those who disagree with you make comments on your carefully scripted prose. I swore off about thirty years ago. Soooo.... on the advice of my son and his wife I prepared to watch the first episode of "The Killing". I didn't read any reviews, just the personell list on IMDb. The personell list was a bit impressive: Jonathon Demme (fantastic director who just passed away recently) Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Greg Henry, Joan Allen, etc. I figured it couldn't be all bad with that lineup, so I tuned in. Yes, I became hooked. I binge-watched it for about five days and just finished the last episode about half an hour ago, and I have having the same feeling right now that I used to get watching a sunrise from the crest of the Sierra, a sunset into the bay off of Santa Cruz, or good sex. Seattle, in this setting (and with these filters that they used on the cameras) is a wet, grey place, filled with grit and grime that doesn't want to wash away (Seattle is actually prettier)and the people, especially the two officers the stories are centered on, are getting ground into this grit until there is almost nothing left of them. But this is also about the human spirit and the fight to remain, if not normal, then, sane.... sometimes by the tips of your fingers, clawing for an edge to hang onto, and sometimes failing and falling far below that. I won't go into the stories, mainly because I couldn't do that without pouring spoilers all over the page, so I'll just say this; it is the best human/police procedural series I've ever seen, and while it moves at a glacial pace, at the end you have a beautifully carved piece of earth that would rival Yosemite Valley.

Skyfall (2012)

Back to the basics...

[10/10 · 15 February 2013]

Strip James Bond down to the basics, a man and his mind, and this is what you get. This is raw Bond, down in the dirt, with almost no devices (tiny radio-ish thingy), yet he is still expected to save the British Empire, which, of course, he does. Study the plot and you can see how it all leads to only one conclusion; the Bond that we have all learned to love over the last 50 years had to start somewhere, and this is where he starts.

I won't go over any of the plot points (some are weak, most are not), or the character development (which is not in the least bit weak, except for the villain) but I will say that this is the most satisfying Bond I've seen since Sean Connery in "From Russia With Love", where Bond simply had himself (and a crappy briefcase) with which to defeat a very determined enemy. It is almost the same thing here. What you get is "Bond", period.

There are those who do not like the new Bond, but after the previous five, I'd put Daniel Craig's Bond up against any of them, and I'm sure he would give them all (Even St. Sean, whom deserves all praise) a run for their money. The producers have very wisely rebooted the franchise and stripped it down to the bone, and if they keep this up, we will see a new, relevant Bond, for many more years to come.

The War Prayer (2007)

A Simple Prayer For Truth

[10/10 · 5 January 2011]

War is human nature at it's worst. It is the last refuge of the incompetent (or Congress), it is the destruction of the poor, the elevation of the powerful. It can bring out the best in us only when we are able to transcend the worst. I've loved Clemens since my youth and discovered this work about forty years ago, right after I got back from Vietnam. I wish, fervently that this could be discovered by more people, more often. Perhaps War could be made obsolete, a sad and regrettable product of our more primitive past.....

Then again, perhaps not. After watching what has happened in America over the last ten years, let alone over the last 105 years, I think that we can be held up as a portrait of humanity at it's free-est.... and it's worst, at times. Since 2003 and the invasion of Iraq, the US has slunk into the depths of it's own worst fears: it has become a bully and a tyrant that can only strike that which it cannot understand.

Peace is all that any human wants. Let us try to give that to each other....