OperaTarte Reviews

Windy City Rehab (2019– )

Un-Appealing

[3/10 · 8 August 2023]

One of the drabbest and most unappealing shows of what should be demonstrating imagination / creativity. It's achieved the opposite. Allison constantly projects "attitude" - something, presumably, she believes is an attraction to her and her projects. Something to pull viewers in & promote her business. It works - for me - is polar opposite. She is not likeable & her "taste" is too often garish. The more candid moments when she's talking to the contractors and their sub-contractors - are unguarded and demonstrate who and how she is to deal with. Her choice. My choice to have discontinued taping the show long ago.

Farmhouse Fixer (2021– )

Substance Please!

[7/10 · 20 October 2022]

Season One - much enjoyed discovering legendary farm-houses. I love being able to learn "history" on such an enjoyable level of bringing something back into usefulness. Season Two - morphing into the personal that I have no interest in. Several shows of a similar nature "reality" are doing the same thinking that I am anticipating with bated-breath to somehow be privy to their life. Wrong assumption. This show will lose me mid-season if it continues into his second life of show-biz. The designs are losing in the imagination & character department. Don't go the way of "Home Town" - they lost my interest 2 years ago.

Warehouse 13 (2009–2014)

Genius!

[9/10 · 1 October 2022]

Re-discovered this 'minor-masterpiece' of fun & originality when the Sci=Fi channel ran it for an entire month this summer. I didn't quite realize how badly originality, creativity & fun without compromising essence - had devolved in both TV & films. Nothing in it to make bristle any PC devotees - Warehouse 13 has substance - *translated* - it is ENTERTAINING. Being a history buff helps, but the episodes can also instigate interest in every subject imaginable. In its own way - it teaches in the most inobtrusive way. Please bring it back. If L&O can attempt a come-back & fall flat on its proverbial once good reputation - Warehouse 13 is a definite A+!

Colosseum (2022– )

History Commercialized

[6/10 · 14 August 2022]

Following the first installment I abandoned it, checking it a few times now & then if it had improved. Some of the information is extremely interesting but the intense interruptions of commercials was the end for me. It's value is hopefully inspiring someone to have an interest in ancient history, etc.

As for the commercial breaks - exactly the reason why we all but put "Oak Island" on hiatus.

Resident Alien (2021– )

Devolving

[5/10 · 12 August 2022]

Were the writers, the director replaced?! Opening S.2 was an enormous disappointment. We taped all of. S.1 to find out what all the kudos were about. Loved the show. Then Ep. 1 of S.2 happened & shouldn't have. Harry needs to be more prominent. The characters of .Asta, Sheriff & Deputy, Dan & the two kids are a definite. D'Arcy is a "cartoon" character who seems to have been inserted for ? Purpose. Mayor & wife - really? We attempted one more time & cut it off mid-story, removed Notification & given up on it. It's completely lost its promise in S1 - it's lost two more in their audience. Will watch "Warehouse13" when we're in the mood for GOOD, GENUINE & ORIGINAL content.

The Old Man (2022– )

From A 9 to 3 ...

[3/10 · 10 August 2022]

We opted out after the 3rd episode. Unbelievable. Immature expectations from the director/cast/writer(s)/etal. That their audience could accept the thin masking of incoherence for substance. Introducing the inevitable "love interest" was the red-flag for abject mediocre. J. Lithgow had one tone to his "acting" - scowling/suffering & whining. The daughter was vanilla minus the vanilla. None of the supporting actors conveyed that they had a grasp on drama/tension/suspense.

Dark Winds (2022– )

Static

[6/10 · 17 July 2022]

One program we were looking forward to checking on following the disappointment of the "upgraded" 2022 L&O. The premise is brilliant. Its execution is sad. Hoping for a treatment of crime to the standard of the original L&O where there's a premium mix of activity perfectly balanced. The acting is static. Watching an actor's face you see all the "action" needed. Something is sadly absent. Will keep the recordings for possible viewing in the future.

Spring Baking Championship (2015– )

Under-Baked With Artificial Sweetness

[4/10 · 22 March 2022]

Watching some of the previous seasons (glad we taped them) shows up the ineffectualness of 2022. Trite - boring & artificial. The new "host" is saccharine sweetness overload. Everything feels contrived, even the bakers chosen do not stand up to the quality of previous bakers. It's all about "personality" & who has the best emotional story to tell the audience/judges. Will not tape this season.

The Butcher's Wife (1991)

Attempting - Does Not Make It So

[4/10 · 14 November 2021]

Lackluster attempt towards the 'screwball' comedies of the '30s & early '40s. Even the lesser films from that era rate higher for being original to that time. It never gains momentum - Mary Steenburgen gives her usual good performance & would have been much better in the role of Marina. Jeff Daniels is - Jeff Daniels.

90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? (2016– )

Pathetic

[1/10 · 16 August 2021]

Devolving must the new "normal". Beyond cringe-worthy. Unbelievably vacuous, myopic people - some whose only reference point circles back to "me". I stopped watching over a year ago & only "catch up" when its forced on me through promos for the show.

Professor T (2021– )

Dr. T-ERRIBLE

[6/10 · 21 July 2021]

"Unfortunately" I watched the original version from Belgium. None of this - for me - comes close to the quirkiness & originality of the first. It might help if the peripheral characters/actors were cast on par - they are not. One of the weakest supporting cast I've seen. There is absolutely no charisma - no balance amongst any. The 'romance' doesn't deserve attention - tossed in there to give the backstory some personality. The two momentary lovers are poles apart in conveying any attraction, individually or as a pair. I'm mildly surprised at this British series being to lacklustre - then again lately very few have even tried to even try.

Restaurant: Impossible (2011– )

Taking A "Left" Turn?

[4/10 · 18 June 2021]

The close-up of a tearful eye & sobbing is just too much. I haven't tuned in for a month & won't in the future. This season the promos & subsequent episodes are leaning into the 'touchy-feeling' zone of no return. As in not returning for viewers who are desperately. Exhausted by overt emphasis on "victimization". Obviously the owners are in dire trouble - it's the slanted projection of Robert Irving being the counselor to woebegone individuals. The episodes are taped & edited to present the saddest angle possible. Robert Irving is genius personified in what he does. What he does best is to NOT pander to the touchy-feely mindset. TTFN!

Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021– )

Pathetic

[5/10 · 28 May 2021]

Meloni's "talent" is missing. The entire series projects feebleness. They've completely lost the original genius of the "Law & Order" franchise. No one said it was suppose to be "SVU" - we expected the same quality as the "L&O" lineage. Hollywood is all but beyond redemption & they know it. Something is definitely "off" & it's their audience.

Debris (2021)

Quality Part of the "Debris" That Floating Away

[4/10 · 1 April 2021]

This is so - so bad. Vanilla minus the Vanilla. No talent in either the script or pairing of actors. The "director" floated away as part of the debris leaving a disjointed - less than bleak story-line. Darkness AKA a void - has become the "entertainment" industry's new "normal". Boring & vacuous. Apparently there's a "theory" floating about that its "intellectual" premise simply isn't being understood. Anyone who subscribes to sci-fi/fantasy/etal genre expects there to be a 4th - 5th dimension elements. It's the execution from the talent - or lack thereof that is vacant.

Frankie Drake Mysteries (2017–2021)

Vanilla Minus the Vanilla

[5/10 · 24 March 2020]

Beyond predictable - but I did have hopes for an effort towards originality. Completely contemporary attitudes dropped into a historic setting. Apparently the creators hoping that costumes and sets would be enough to convince the audience of authenticity. Female characters being 'brazen' enough to question a man about his woke-ness to society's flaws and his enabling of them. How "refreshing". Vanilla minus the vanilla.

Expedition X (2020– )

Expedition Minus

[4/10 · 21 February 2020]

This is such a diluted program that doesn't merit having Josh Gates' name attached. The two 'hosts' have no charisma - to date the subject matter is laughable. Nothing you can't find information on with an hour's worth of Internet research.

There already exists several shows delving into the paranormal, mysteries, etc. Very disappointing.and not worth the time.

A Christmas Carol (2019)

Magic In Lieu of Magical

[5/10 · 23 December 2019]

There is a reason Dickens titled his story "A Christmas Carol" - rejoicing. A coming together, repeated and shared bringing people together as the singing of Christmas carols spread joy bringing families together each season. As interesting I found some introspective moments to be - they didn't belong here. Scrooge's twisted past was an excuse to distort the narrative. There isn't one character true to the original - each one was somehow demoted to a cold shadow of Dickens' original. This was "humanizing" them - a main thread of the this version. PC elements found their way in - and it's suspect that the additions, manipulated to create one effect actually produced its opposite. Not magical - but magic is the inference - produced via a stereotype that is so obvious the writers and producers themselves should have realized was in reality a great disservice on so many levels.

Jamestown (2017–2019)

Vapidity at Its Best

[5/10 · 19 December 2019]

Stereotyping - lack of historical research, or a disregard of it. There is so much historically detailed evidence to be found online and otherwise as to how people spoke, communicated. How and why they thought - according to the cultural norms of the era - that it is impossible to have produced such a vapid series. Any "good" acting is completely swallowed in the superficiality of intent actually making the production's shallowness blatant. As for production values - often incorrect, or a mixture done for the sake of "drama".

Emergence (2019–2020)

Ambivalent ...

[5/10 · 18 October 2019]

The mystery's already been disclosed so I'm not certain how much more - if any - suspense there will be. The main actress tries but her comedic streak often unbalances what should be a dramatic experience. The husband feels peripheral. Owain Yeoman who's become an additional investigator also seems to 'just be there'. Something is lacking in bringing the characters together. It's a good ensemble, good writing, directing & cinematography that makes a show continuously watchable. I've downgraded my rating with the third episode's flat energy. I'll continue watching a few more in hope.

Grantchester (2014–2025)

Moving On ...

[5/10 · 22 July 2019]

Completed diluted from the series original goal. The absence of its linchpin, Sidney Chambers, has left the series disoriented. As good as all the actors are - it is Sidney Chambers upon which everything revolved. It's his character that gave each story its rhythm. The writers/producers, etal are trying so, so hard to encompass 'everything' they feel is needed to continue audience interest that they have forgotten they already had it. It was lovely for as long as it lasted - I for one will move on. It no longer feels genuine - it has become patronizing - and that will be its death knell.

The InBetween (2019)

Thank you. No.

[6/10 · 30 May 2019]

There is an error that networks, writers, producers and actors continue in. The story plays as a Greek chorus to the actors/characters. It's all about them - the plot is simply there as a commentary to support them. Cassie Bishop is definitely an independent female. Albeit she uses as inspiration a L'Oreal hair commercial for one scene. In another she has no need for politeness - no thanks for a gift received. Asking a fellow employee for a favor is more of a given. Det. Hackett is the best of the ensemble - there again he's 'new school'. Boring because all this is definitely a "given".

Then for some reason - it was necessary to inform everyone that no-one in America every drinks tea - because ... Predictable - I was not disappointed in expecting it.

Unforgotten (2015– )

Dreary ...

[5/10 · 13 May 2019]

Somehow this last season that just ended - missed the mark. Nicola Walker is the dreariest of individuals. The character seems to carry not only her unresolved 'woes' with her into her job - but that of the victims, their families and anyone else who enters her circle of emotions. It's not empathy, if that's what the creators are aiming for - it's self indulgence that rapidly distracts from the core. How this story was resolved was a huge let-down for me. The circle of relationships never "tied up" in any dramatic or surprising way. Something was definitely missing in this season.

Dumbo (2019)

The Elephant Left the Room

[5/10 · 17 April 2019]

Dumbo is used simply to bring a paying audience anticipating 'magic' into a theatre. Characters from the original 1941 film have morphed from Disney's previous genius - Timothy Q. Mouse, character rich crows, etc. - into flat portrays by humans. Colin Farrell tries & fails. Danny Devito is - Danny Devito. Alan Arkin's short appearance was inconsequential - he seemed to being fed his lines a la earbuds. The kids were annoying and unnecessary the least of all the actors. Dumbo was no where in sight and when he did appear it was to support the actors. Much too long a film and its preaching did not help.

I Am the Night (2019)

Where is the Black Dahlia?

[6/10 · 12 February 2019]

Fauna's final words to Hodel - "You are boring." are opposite to reality. Hodel's character had more 'life' and reality to it than all the others who are either on automatic robotic stance or completely over wrought. Fauna's sudden surge of philosopher-savant at the end is so unbelievably contrived it's unbearable. We finally discover Hodel's 'vision' but not what it meant to him. Somehow the timeline felt reversed - the audience should have been shown 1917 towards the beginning. The way it was written in only served as more of a let down.

It's only because I am familiar with the actual story of the Black Dahlia that gives the story any texture. Now we will probably never know 'what' it was that made Hodel walk down that formidable corridor in the middle of the night as we peer with him underneath that door and see .... ?

The center of the story has all but dissolved. There is over acting and under acting. Chris Pine tries too hard to convince. India Eisley has absolutely no depth to her performance - it's one-tone. The plot, editing and directing is disjointed and scattered. The crux story-line of the Black Dahlia seems to be serving only as a tease to keep watching a drawn out tale. It had so much promise and has disappointed too much. The 'wrong fashion era' wardrobe is the least of their worries. I've corrected my original rating to reflect my disappointment.

Manifest (2018–2023)

Vanilla - Minus the Vanilla

[5/10 · 29 October 2018]

Suffice it to say that generic does not begin to describe what has become a 'vanilla' written, acted and now themed series. The actors have no spontaneity between them - badly matched. It has become a soap-opera thinly veiled by what was an interesting slant on "what happened" theme.

I stopped watching after the 4th episode and have no inclination to return.