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rrshumn
Reviews
Taken (2017)
But then . . .
The first season was pretty good. Jenifer Beals has proven to be very good in this roll and probably brings the rest of the cast along. The conversations between the team are very conversational as opposed to the "splainsy" sort of interaction in a lot of TV shows where the explain to each other what is going on; the sort of thing that is done for live stage work with asides by the main character. But then there is season 2 where they revert to 80s style of serial TV action shows where they try to beef up the content with prettiness and strange characterizations. It does not help that some of the tricks are really unbelievable, especially when it comes to propane explosions.
Unknown: Killer Robots (2023)
Bs
Basically a self financed one hour commercial. Everything is staged to seem like it reflects some real world scenario. Every word is scripted to convey just the right amount of credibility. Doubts are raised and dealt with in order to give the impression that these people genuinely care about the impact what they are proposing will have and that they will do their darndest to make sure nothing will be wrong with the end product. The testing is hardly valid as there is no risk of failure. This is like watching an old Ronco commercial, or, worse yet, a sci-fi movie about how we will be protected from the bad guys from now on with these hyped up toys and billions of dollars in defense spending if only . . .
Buried (2010)
Skittles when I though M&Ms, but infinitely worse
There's a movie I wish I had never watched. This is, from my perspective, a career ender for Ryan Reynolds. I usually decide to watch a movie based on who is in the cast, especially if it was done in the 1980s. This was like being sprayed with pig manure when I though I was going to take a refreshing shower at the end of a long dirty day.
24 (2001)
really
This qualifies as one of the most anticipated TV shows. By that I mean, after about 3 episodes, I knew what was going to happen next; all the time. This is not to say the performers didn't do an excellent job. It is to say that the writers were entirely dependent on a particular mode of scripting action and consequence. We did not bother to watch the 5th episode.
Royal Pains (2009)
If only
If it wasn't for Evan, I might have made it past the 3rd episode.
Unforgettable (2011)
small things in big packages
This was like watching a huge train wreck in slow motion. Not any fault on the part of the cast.
The Prince (2014)
Not a bait and switch
I generally choose to watch movies because of people in the cast. So her is Bruce Willis acting in a movie that does not feature him as the main character. Kudos to Mr. Willis for attracting attention so others could benefit from his fame. (note: quality of results from this trick can vary, a lot.) Knowing this, I read the story line and thought it might be interesting and we watched it. Pretty good stuff there. Mr. Willis showed up for more than 5 minutes at the beginning and performed admirably as did all the others in the cast.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Born to Run (2009)
Context now departing at 2:22
Up until this episode, the Terminator mythology remained pretty much intact during this series. It might be surmised that the writer thought he had at least one more season to resolve the incongruities he set up. Guess we'll never know. Thankfully James Cameron is at the helm for Dark Fate.
The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells (2001)
Who Wells was
Very well done. I have not read everything he wrote but it was interesting to see the connections between the short stories and the novels. I sort of hoped there would be something about Dr. Moreau. Also, an interesting look at Wells. While he was a remarkable writer, he did not have a very firm grasp on reality. I wonder what he would think if he could see where science has actually taken us.