sopenco Reviews

Argylle (2024)

My Eyes Are Watering!

[10/10 · 10 March 2024]

I've been laughing so hard watching this movie that my eyes are quite literally watering. It's TERRIBLY cheesey in a wonderful way. More twists and turns than a mountain road. Casting is a work of art as well.

I can definitely see how you would be disappointed if you showed up expecting a spy movie that takes itself seriously because this is NOT that!

Even my wife has been on the edge of her seat through most of this (LONG) movie not even playing on her phone (which is miraculous of itself) laughing her head off.

Safe to say that this movie is one I'll be telling friends about and most certainly rewatching at some point in the future.

Twisted Metal (2023– )

Works on Every Level

[10/10 · 6 October 2023]

There's not enough good that can be said about this show. For one thing, it's ORIGINAL. I love it when something these days takes risk and doesn't try to cater to the mainstream OR the vocal minority. This show is niche. It's bold. It took a lot of vision to bring this to production.

The casting, the characters... on paper, it would make you scratch your head. I would've never expected it to work. I would've been totally wrong too.

Twisted Metal is violent, over-the-top, just sexy enough, escapist, intense, FUNNY, and so many other things, but first and foremost, it's one of the most entertaining shows I'm watching these days. My wife and I both love it.

True Lies (2023)

Fun Show - Give It a Chance!

[9/10 · 12 March 2023]

Reading most of the negativity in the reviews, I think a lot of fans of the original movie are having a hard time accepting that a show made 30 years later that doesn't star two Hollywood legends somehow isn't the same.

I love the movie. The movie was BADASS! This feels a bit different. It's not Arnold and Jamie.

But it's also not BAD. In fact, the show is a lot of fun! It strikes a great balance of not taking itself too seriously, being warm, being approachable, being something men and women can both enjoy and (so far) NOT trying to be political.

I'm only two episodes in at this point, but I've got to say - I could see this show being fun to watch for years to come if they keep doing what they're doing.

The Ark (2023– )

Teen Melodrama (in SPACE!!)

[1/10 · 5 February 2023]

This is the most juvenile attempt at sci-fi I can ever recall seeing. At least Another Life TRIED to develop a reasonably original backstory, but this couldn't be more boiler plate if it was written by a 1980's AI.

These whiny teen drama queens and Karens were selected to be the saviors of humanity... because they're all the best and brightest in their fields. Oh, and none of them is older than what - 23? Trying pretty hard to capture that demographic, huh guys? *Eye roll*

Set design is completely unimaginative. Characters aren't really likeable. Story is entirely unbelievable. Command all got taken out in a single incident because: all the most valuable people were all kept together in the same, small area? There's some real common sense!!

Who's greenlighting this crap?!?!

Quantum Leap (1989–1993)

Another Great Property Destroyed

[10/10 · 12 January 2023]

Stop me if you've heard this one before. We resurrect a beloved show from some bygone decade and replace all of the substance which made it great with virtue signaling and ultra-liberal politics.

Naturally, the show bombs. Sci-fi fans actually DON'T care what you learned majoring in gender studies at Berkeley - surprise, surprise! Nobody watches so the show is quickly cancelled and relegated to the heap of film most-forgettable which NOBODY will be watching or talking about five years down the line.

And then, a day later, some brilliant network will pay these same clowns to do it all again with another property. Brilliant formula!!

Like really: watch the original Quantum Leap. It was wonderful. It featured such things as excellent casting, heartfelt stories, endearing characters, moral dilemmas which NORMAL PEOPLE could relate to and it hardly ever made you cringe.

Oh, and it got five seasons and still has fans watching today.

The Munsters (2022)

A Rob Zombie Love Letter to a Classic

[10/10 · 16 October 2022]

First things first: you CANNOT grade a movie like this by the same standard you use to grade every other movie. This isn't a product intended for mass consumption (or comprehension) by a general audience.

Rob Zombie has a very particular style and vision. If you don't 'get it,' you're already going to have a bad time. And if you've never watched The Munsters original series, then you're not going to understand the silliness ubiquitous in this production.

For the intended audience, this movie REALLY DELIVERS! The casting was brilliant and a lot of fun. Everybody connected very well with their characters. The whole movie was a visual FEAST again - if you can dig the RZ aesthetic. It was completely over-the-top and in all the right ways.

I thoroughly loved this.

The Orville: Domino (2022) Season 3, Episode 9

One Problem with This Episode

[10/10 · 29 July 2022]

The music and the story and the conflict and the action and the intrigue and the FX and...

DAMN THIS IS GREAT SCI-FI!!

My only grievances are:

A) that this show isn't already renewed for ten more seasons

and

B) that this episode wasn't a MOVIE and even better - 3D!!

The Orville (2017–2022)

More Star Trek Than Start Trek

[10/10 · 23 July 2022]

The show started out as a comedy. Then it found it's footing.

Now it fills the void Star Trek fans have had ever since 2005 when Enterprise went off the air. Since then, there hasn't been a (real) Star Trek show true to the vision Gene Roddenberry put forth.

I can talk about the casting and writing and special effects and wardrobe and makeup... it's all fantastic. Orville takes all these things seriously in a way Alex Kurtzman's 50+ craptacular series don't.

This saga definitely deserves to continue well into the foreseeable future!!

The Time Traveler's Wife (2022)

Every Bit As Great As the Movie

[10/10 · 24 June 2022]

The movie was amazing. I've watched it a few times and loved it every one.

So when I heard about this series coming out, I was equal parts excited and wary. I wanted a fresh take on the story. I wanted to fall in love with it all over again. But at the same time, I didn't want to be disappointed by crap casting, crap acting, crap producing... you get the idea.

Long story short - I got my wish!! This series is a fresh, WONDERFUL spin on the story, and they got ev-e-ry-thing 100% dialed-in, spot-on right. It worked perfectly on so many levels.

Thank you to everybody involved for doing this beautiful story right!

I Love That for You (2022)

Disclaimer: I'm Highly Biased!

[10/10 · 18 June 2022]

Vanessa Bayer is like crack to me. I love everything about her, her acting, her style, her characters - forget it!

And a show that revolves around her and let's her have fun and be silly while also exploring more serious sides of her character checks SO MANY boxes for me that I couldn't give it anything less than a 10.

That being said, all the acting is excellent in this show, and the casting really is terrific. The writing is really fun too! So this isn't JUST an I-love-VB review. The show genuinely deserves it!

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

A Cinematic Tour de Force!

[10/10 · 8 June 2022]

Best movie of 2022 nothing. This is an easy candidate for one of the best movies EVER!

The best way to explain what I just saw is a perfect collaboration of brilliance from every part of the production - writing, acting, wardrobe, FX, directing, just damn all of it.

I like never wanna STOP watching this!

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

An Entirely Worthy Sequel

[10/10 · 23 May 2022]

Maverick gives you what you want: another Top Gun movie. This film follows the same formula and general flow as the first and does it credit. They didn't try to reimagine / reinvent / freshen / 'politify' or any other such shenanigans we've seen in other late-coming sequels of recent past.

It wasn't broke, so they didn't try to fix it. What a novel approach, right?

Aerospace geeks like myself will balk at some of the physics involved in the movie. No spoilers, but we start off doing a few things that I wouldn't even try getting away with in a cartoon - but it looks great on screen, so - just go with it!

There is appropriate fan-service rendered throughout the film without it coming off as a nostalgia piece. Well balanced!

I think the cleanest way to sum it up would be (and sorry for the cliché, but): if you loved the first one, you'll love this one too.

Made for Love (2021– )

An Original, Fun Watch

[10/10 · 22 May 2022]

There are some surprising casting choices here to be appreciated. It's also a very risky production inasmuch as we've definitely strayed well beyond any of the conventional formulae other shows are following these days. It couldn't be fresher!

It's dark and creepy, but it's also warm and funny! Great characters and a creative story make this show a blast to watch. My wife and I both love it.

iCarly: iDragged Him (2022) Season 2, Episode 7

This Show Is Caught in a Game of Tug-of-war

[3/10 · 21 May 2022]

On one hand, the audience for this show are the fans of the original. We're here for crazy antics, fun, loveable characters and everything that iCarly Reboot still gives us JUST ENOUGH OF to keep watching.

But the creators of the show seem to want to queer things up as much as possible and put us on a steady if not forced diet of promiscuity, gender fluidity, sexual fluidity and party drug culture. If these elements contributed to the plot of a GOOD story, no problem, but when they're so obviously forced into an episode just to check off representation boxes, it only detracts from the production.

It's great that they want to promote / normalize all of the 'finer things in life' as long as they realize that their propaganda comes at the cost of viewership. My wife summed it up this way, "One more episode like this and I'm over it."

The Endgame (2022)

Morena Baccarin's Basket Is Only So Big

[6/10 · 10 May 2022]

Disclaimer: I tuned into this show heavily biased from the beginning just because Morena was in it. True confession - she's like crack to me!

And to make it all the better, they wrote a perfect role for her: mysterious, powerful, calculating, infinitely cool in a crisis and always dressed to the tooth. I was hooked from the start.

Thing is, I really felt like she was carrying the whole show. Would I have watched if her part was recast? No, not so much. Everybody else's acting was okay, but there wasn't another character that ever really connected... much less 'hit.'

What's worse is that the finale was an unforeseeable and upsetting flop of Game of Thronesian proportion! One day she has this huge, highly motivated, well coordinated army, limitless resources, and a plan for every contingency, and then all of a sudden she's all alone in a field somewhere and has nothing but some stupid dolls. Did it leave me caring anything about what happens next? Nope, not in the slightest. Would I tune in anyway just because Morena's in it? Begrudgingly and pathetically - yeah, I would. I won't lie...

But for real, writers - do better!

Here's some advice for future season finales you may end up writing: cliffhangers are good. Burning the entire house down is bad. Give my girl the effort she deserves.

Why Women Kill (2019–2021)

Oh Hell This Is Great!

[10/10 · 7 May 2022]

My wife and I both got hooked on this show and FAST. We're only halfway through the first season, but from the first episode we were already fighting the urge to just binge straight through. It's so rare that we find a show that sucks us both in like that. Can't find ANYTHING we don't like about Why Women Kill!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022– )

Star Trek Is Back (But for REAL This Time!)

[3/10 · 5 May 2022]

I have a theory: this is the Star Trek series they DID NOT want to make. I also think it's going to be the only one anybody still watches or cares about ten years from now.

This Star Trek doesn't feel very 2022. It doesn't feel like is pandering and begging for approval from every interest group in the Twitterverse. It feels almost as if it doesn't care how 'fresh' Rotten Tomatoes thinks it is. It's not dark and gritty and edgy. Humanity doesn't seem to have devolved into a bunch of hyper-sensitive drama queens in this series.

For the three last few years, a new Star Trek series has been launched about every couple of weeks it seems. And I think out of the whole lot of them, Picard is at least watchable. But none of these shows really feels like Star Trek. Rather, they all feel like a big middle finger to Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of humanity's future. Everybody is troubled and conflicted and undisciplined and drunk and wounded and just WEAK. Uggh! If that's the future, kill me now...

But Strange New Worlds makes me think that the creators (of this wonderful series as well as all the aforementioned hackery) finally realized that, while they had found an audience, they had still largely failed to capitalize on the actual, existing ST fan base. So, they felt forced (begrudgingly) to go back to that loathed formula that made ST TOS through Voyager great.

... and if the first episode is anything to go by, THEY'VE SUCCEEDED MOST WILDLY!! At this point, I really think this just became my new VERY favorite show! It's bright. There are aliens! It's focused on exploration and the plights and destinies of worlds rather than the emotional squabbling of 2-3 idiots (but in space so that it qualifies as sci-fi).

Don't worry: the characters are still getting developed - and they all seem charismatic! After one episode, I already sympathize with most of them. They still show plenty of emotion and passion and fear and enthusiasm, but without being whiny, irrational basket cases. I struggled through two seasons of Discovery never learning most of the characters names and wishing gross, disfiguring transporter accidentes on most.

But today, the future looks bright again - for both humanity as well as this series. I'm betting on at LEAST seven seasons (unless they end up turning it into another streaming pile of Discovery).

I can't WAIT for the next episode!!

The Batman (2022)

How Is This Movie Rated 8.1?

[3/10 · 24 April 2022]

I get it: superhero movies are the only films simple enough for the masses to digest in 2022.

I also get that big budgets buy big-name actors and awesome special effects which are ALWAYS entertaining.

But then there's this mess of a movie that had all the production value and celebrity of a high school stage play.

I like superhero movies okay. I'm not a huge fan, but they generally justify a ticket. But we walked out about 20 minutes before the end just because we were both so completely bored and uninterested.

Robert Pattinson is EASILY the worst Bruce Wayne ever. Hands-down, no doubt about it. Since when does you local billionaire come off more like the guy peddling crack rocks behind the beer store? And don't even get me started on Batman's primary mode of transportation being what looks like a 200cc motorcycle fit for pizza delivery. And costume design - who's kid did they hire to do this job? You could get better on Amazon.

Seeing this rated over 8 on here makes me think that either the studios are funding reviews OR that differential population growth is both real and accelerating.

Marry Me (2022)

Ashamed That I Enjoyed This as Much as I Did

[8/10 · 3 April 2022]

I'm not a fan of rom-coms, chick-flicks, dancing, Jennifer Lopez or PG movies. My wife made me watch it - plain and simple.

That said, J. Lo did a way better job acting in this than what I was prepared for! She came off as somehow approachable, and that alone is awarded-worthy. Casting was really decent too. I hate that I liked it.

But I do have to knock it a bit for following the well-established rom-com formula SO precisely. In that regard, it's the exact same movie we've all seen a hundred times already but skinned for 2022.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

Every Bit a Worthy Sequel

[10/10 · 25 December 2021]

My expectations were low going in. I loved the first three, but I refused to let myself get excited about this one after so long.

I was afraid that like so many other delayed sequels, this too would wax political, become a woke platform, be little more than a nostalgia piece or just a poorly-conceived cash-grab. None of this was the case at ALL!

A lot of people are complaining because it didn't flow the same as the other three. It's lighter on action. It seems to convolute the story. This is all true, but that's actually a big part of what makes it great: it's NOT the same movie you've already seen. It's smart. It's grown into something more than just fight choreography and camera tricks. Old characters come back but in unexpected ways that (for the most part) genuinely contribute to the story.

Whereas the John Wick movies seem to get worse with every sequel - I'm thrilled to say that The Matrix universe may still have some real entertainment value left in it.

Encounter (III) (2021)

A Crash Course in Disappointing Plot Development

[3/10 · 12 December 2021]

Let's start with the idea behind the movie: make people expect a sci-fi / alien invasion movie and them shock them when they realize that it's all just some kind of PTSD-induced delusion. Okay, actually that sounds like it could be a pretty fun ride (if done right).

The problem is, they gave it a sci-fi title and labeled it sci-fi and at the beginning of the movie, show you a lot of sci-fi imagery. Five minutes in, they've laid it on pretty thick.

And then, almost immediately, they show you way more than enough to realize what's actually going on. It's not sci-fi. It's a guy suffering from PTSD or schizophrenia or some mix of the two.

If they had sprung that in the LAST 15 minutes of the movie (aka "a surprise ending"), then this wouldn't been pretty wild! But instead, they give it away almost immediately. So what could've been a story that shocked you and dropped jaws at the very end ended up being a disappointing revelation which soured the remaining 85% of the movie.

"Okay, now that you already paid for the movie, we're gonna come clean: it's not what you thought it was! We lead you to believe it was sci-fi for apparently NO REASON AT ALL. But, you can't get your money back, so you might as well watch the movie, right?"

Surprise us at the END next time. Don't blow your wad when the date's just getting started.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

They Burned the House Down

[4/10 · 26 December 2020]

The first Wonder Woman movie WAS a tough act to follow. I get that! And maybe expecting a sequel to do anything BUT disappoint was unreasonable.

But...

... I mean who gave these special effects a pass? Were they intentionally horrible as part of the 1984 theme?

The only character I caught myself sympathizing with even in the slightest was WW herself and that's just because Gal Gadot is about the most beautiful woman that ever lived. 😅

The villains? Not the least bit imposing. They started off as clowns, their trajectories were unreasonable and their ultimate resignations seemed completely untimely.

Now that the Wonder Woman franchise has been burned to the ground, I just hope Gal goes on to better roles with better stories and MUCH, MUCH better writing because she deserves more screentime. She could still sell me a movie ticket, but Wonder Woman wouldn't be able to after this.

Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Gene Roddenberry Really IS Dead

[4/10 · 27 March 2020]

TNG was the apex of the Star Trek universe. People loved it. It showed us sometimes flawed characters who always strived to be better than they were. These characters were developed on screen. They did more than just fight and argue and push the main plot of the story.

TNG rewarded viewers with a sense of hope and something great to look and build forward to. It wasn't a reflection of what we as people ARE, but what we could so easily be.

So what do we get if we take TNG and remove the wonder of discovery, the passion to explore, any sense of warmth, ALL OPTIMISM, futuristic technological innovation, actors who connect with their characters, imagination, the rigid moral structure, discipline, professionalism, alien races, special effects, and just make the entire thing a bit more common and profane? We get a glimpse of what the future would be like if the most spoiled, selfish, weak people populated the world and the only advancements humanity made were technological.

Class warfare. Limited resources. A disdain for age / accomplishment. And just a few little ties thrown in to try to lure fans of Voyager and TNG in hoping some percentage of them will stay for a bland, frozen, microwaved version of what was once a favorite dish.

It's great to see Patrick Stewart acting in this, but it'd be even better if he'd reprise the role of Jean-Luc Picard in more than just name.

Dear Gene Roddenberry,

We respectfully disagree with your Utopian vision of tomorrow. The future is actually just a bunch of fearful, self-centered, bickering millennials (some of which have pointy ears and others of which are robots) driven by a raging torrent of emotions to do whatever feels good. In space.

Signed, CBS

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)

Remember When

[4/10 · 17 January 2020]

It's like a View Askew reunion show where really funny people rely on nostalgia and bland, boring, parental monologues to try unsuccessfully to gratify the fan base.

It's a swan song. It's a reminder of something that used to be great. The original Jay and Silent Bob - I've watched at LEAST 30 times. I wish I hadn't watched this one once. What happened to the edge? The shock value? The raunchy, gritty, edgy banter?

This doesn't bode well for Clerks III...

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Begrudgingly Enjoyed It

[8/10 · 19 December 2019]

Honestly, my mind was made up before I got to the theater. I knew walking in that I was going to hate this travesty of film.

But then... I didn't!

Episode VIII (aka Rian Johnson's big middle finger to Star Wars) did everything possible to sabotage this installment of the Saga, but somehow it managed to keep it's head above the water.

There was some unnecessary cheese, but nothing too atypical of even the original trilogy. It's not nearly as overly PC or feminist as I hear some haters screaming, and I'm often right there screaming with them (a la Doctor Who, Supergirl, Captain Marvel). But here - I think it's unjustified.

The movie starts with some much needed damage control from episode XIII. Some of the premises of this universe (Jedi powers for example) are getting a bit too exaggerated, but maybe not nearly as bad as Leia surviving exposure in the last movie. Characters seemed a bit thinner in substance this round probably because there was just so much going on. But plenty of action that actually flowed nicely and contributed to the story.

Final verdict: it worked!