dollarbillsemail Reviews

Superman & Lois (2021–2024)

A REFRESHING TAKE ON THE CAPED CRUSADER

[7/10 · 18 May 2021]

I've always avoided the CW (aka: the retread network) like the plague. Case in point, their butcher job of Roswell, New Mexico was a beyond horrible piece of crap. However, I do enjoy watching the pilot episodes of television shows, and happened to catch the one for Superman & Lois. I was pleasantly surprised by its refreshing take on the caped crusader and his having to deal with everyday Husband and Fatherly family issues; something that his super powers can't fix. I'll be watching further episodes. Looks like the CW finally stumbled on one. I rate it a strong 7 out of 10 stars.

Emergence (2019–2020)

WOW, HUGE POTENTIAL...HOWEVER!!!

[10/10 · 30 September 2019]

The pilot episode of EMERGENCE (2019), is a gripping other worldly science fiction-adventure-drama. Its presentation is flawless. The acting by everyone, throughout, is excellent. Moreover, the cast is a perfect fit. There are no useless filler scenes. Each scene presented is necessary to the story. That's good writing. When LOST (2004) aired, it was immensely popular and immensely successful. It revolutionized television. No show, before or after, can compare with it. Ever since, within the same genre, networks have tried to duplicate that, so-called, genie in a bottle mega hit. Some shows were good, while many fell flat. Why was LOST so successful? Each week, while some mysteries were solved and some issues were resolved, others would appear. UNDER THE DOME (2013), though know where on the level of LOST, was a good show. It moved steadily along, keeping viewers interest in each episode. It lasted for three seasons. Meanwhile, shows like FLASHFORWARD (2009) and ALCATRAZ (2012), which had good pilot episodes, died early on in their first and only season. I lost interest in them early on because they weren't providing any answers along the way. EMERGENCE has huge potential, if it's handled properly. They need to provide answers along the way, while unveiling new mysteries and issues. If not, it will fall by the wayside. So far, I rate it 10-stars out of 10.

A Lover Scorned (2019 TV Movie)

THIS IS SIMPLY A POOR PRESENTATION

[5/10 · 6 August 2019]

I caught this tv movie the other night. In recent decades, tv movies, in general, have come to outshine theatrical releases. Unfortunately, "A Lover Scorned", isn't one of them. It's a very droll and dull effort. No pizzazz. No charisma. No excitement. No melodrama. No emotion. It was as if the cast was going through a mere script reading. I would, ordinarily, rate it 4-stars out of 10. However, the story did have a number of twists and turns in it. So, I generously pushed it up to 5-stars. This project could have been and should have been much better than the finished product.

Elvis All-Star Tribute (2019 TV Movie)

EXTRAORDINARILY IMPRESSIVE

[10/10 · 3 March 2019]

This Special is a model for what an All-Star Tribute should really be like. Top performers. Top performances. Great songs. Presented extraordinarily well. Truthfully, I didn't expect much from this show when I first saw it listed. I've seen a good number of these tribute type shows and most are fair to pretty poor. However, this one really impressed me. It was very professional and top drawer all the way through. I especially liked the way they would begin with Elvis starting each song and have the tribute artist pick it up from the point that he left off. Great job! I rate it 10-stars out of 10.

The Chameleon (2010)

An acquired taste movie

[29 August 2011]

I found "The Chameleon" a somewhat difficult movie to critique. It's the true story of a young man that lives his life either through the fictitious characters that he creates or through real people whose identities he assumes. The movie centers on one such event in his life where he assumes the identity of a mother's long missing son. When he is reunited with this acquired Louisiana family,he ends up getting more than he bargained for. The mother is a chain smoking drug addict. The sister is guilt ridden over not having protected the real brother prior to his disappearance. The step brother is abusive,threatening and possibly a murderer. Of course,they don't know that he's really not their long lost relative…..or do they. Each of them,in their own different twisted way,seem to need him and he,them. So,the truth really doesn't matter. Meanwhile,there are two F.B.I. agents who are suspicious of the impostor,one of which has her own dark secret and reason for investigating the case. You have interesting characters here and very good performances by everyone. Moreover,it's presented very effectively in a realistic gritty manner. That said,this movie will not appeal to everyone and probably not to most. Why? It's as if you walked into a theater after the movie started and left before it ended. What you see is a snapshot into these character's lives….. and it's done very well. However,you have no idea how the characters got to the point they're at and you're given no answers at the end. I suppose that it could be best categorized as a good art house movie.

The Perfect Game (2009)

Lackluster

[27 August 2011]

I just viewed the DVD of "The Perfect Game" and it left me somewhat bewildered as to why they attempted a theatrical release. The movie is not on that level. It would have been better served as a TV-movie. Set in 1957,it's based upon a very interesting true story about a group of impoverished Mexican kids who seek to establish a Little League team in their factory town. After coercing one of the factory workers with major league credentials (he was once a towel boy for the St. Louis Cardinals) to coach them,they gain membership in the league and defeat the highly touted rival Mexican team. Then,it's across the boarder into the United States and their quest for the Little League championship. You'd think that this would make a great movie. It didn't. Why? Two reasons. First,it was told in a lackluster manner. You've all seen the Little League playoff and championship games on TV over the years and they're very exciting. You don't feel any of that excitement in this movie. Second,the acting,for the most part,was flat. The only inspired performance was by Emilie de Ravin who played Frankie,a news reporter pressed into service,against her wishes,to cover the kids progress. She was spot-on playing her character. In fact,she has been spot-on in every performance that I've seen her in. Slowly,her character becomes won over by the kids as they win game after game in their march to the championship. Along the way,the team encounters a multitude of setbacks which they overcome with the help of others. In short,great story,bad presentation.

Roswell (1999–2002)

Looking back at a cult show

[7/10 · 26 May 2011]

(CAPTIVATING SEASON-1) I've always had a keen interest in the actual Roswell crash. So,for me,the show "Roswell" was a natural. It would be the first prime time sci-fi show to feature teenagers as the stars and they all looked like average kids that you would find in any high school. With any great show,you'll find that the cast members are a perfect fit. "Roswell" was certainly that. With any new show,you need to grab your audience in the pilot episode,which they did. Then,you need to hold that audience for the next few episodes,which they did not. Episodes 1.2 through 1.5 were merely get to know the characters type episodes. Fortunately,things took a turn for the better. Beginning with episode 1.6 and in subsequent episodes,they uncover a number of artifacts and a series of clues in their quest to discover who they are,where they came from and why they're here. Then,with episode 1.17,came the two best additions to the show,the father-daughter team of Ed and Tess Harding. Jim Ortlieb would play Ed "Nasedo" Harding,a quirky,straight forward,no nonsense shape shifter and occasional killer with a deadpan odd ball sense of humor. Emilie de Ravin would play Tess Harding,a gorgeous vixen mystery girl with secrets and agendas,,the fourth alien,having knowledge of the royal four's previous lives and who holds the answers that the others seek. Both actors totally nailed their characters and brought a whole new dimension to the show. The writers created the Tess character to move along the "past lives" alien storyline and to place a wedge between sweethearts Max and Liz. It served to stir things up and bring turmoil within the group,something that had been lacking up to that point. In episode 1.22,the season finale,Max learned that he was,indeed,supposed to be with Tess and not Liz. The Max-Liz fan base was in an uproar. They hated the Tess character. They hated Emilie for playing Tess. They hated the writers for doing it. Those fans were short sighted. Max and Liz were the stars of the show. The show was built around them. No matter what happened,they would be together in the end. Anything that takes place in between is just good drama. I want to mention here that the writing in season-1 was exceptional. All of the episodes were very good or better and the story line had a smooth flow throughout. (ACTION PACKED SEASON-2) If you like action,this was your season. The stories became more dramatic as well,bringing forth the shows best episodes. On the down side,you had the shows first clunkers. Episodes 2.8 and 2.9 were laughable duds. This is also the season where things began to unravel. From episode 2.1 through 2.15,all was well. It was shaping up that each alien would be paired off with a human,Max-Liz,Michael-Maria,Isabel-Alex and Tess-Kyle. Then,In episode,2.16,Kyle tells Tess that he regards her more as a sister and not a love interest and Max drops Liz in favor of Tess. In episode 2.17,Alex is killed off. In episode 2.18,they broke the cardinal Romeo-Juliet rule by having Max and Tess consummate their relationship. Now,Liz would have damaged goods. There's no way to fix that. In episode 2.21,they tried to make Nesado and Tess the villains. Nesado could have killed the royal four at any time. Instead,he protected them and saved them countless times,as did Tess. So,none of these radical changes made any sense. Anyway,the show was cancelled. (FORGETTABLE SEASON-3) When UPN picked up the cancelled show for a season-3,viewers were delighted and eagerly anticipated that the aliens,at some point,would return to Antar to do battle with Kavar. Instead,we got the Jesse-Isabel spin off show. Everything that made the first two seasons enjoyable was gone. No longer was West Roswell High the focal point of the show. Nasedo was gone. Except for a couple of ghostly apparition appearances,Alex was gone. Unbeknown to us at the start of the season was that Tess had also been written out of the show. Without Tess,there was no catalyst. No evil aliens this season either. BORING! The one bright spot of the season was episode 3.17,when Tess returned with baby Zan. There was blood,gore,death,destruction,mayhem…..a great episode. Now,we come to the series finale,the episode that should leave everyone warm and fuzzy. Unfortunately,episode 3.18 was a pitiful ridiculous mess. All season long,Max declared,"I have to get my son back". When he finally did get him back,he immediately put him up for adoption. WHAT? Are Max,Isabel and Michael going to return to Antar to rescue Max and Isabel's real mother and free their enslaved people from evil Kavar,as they were created to do? NO! Instead,in an extremely cowardly manner,like draft dodgers heading up to Canada,they're going to go off and do their own thing. WHAT? Isabel tells her husband Jesse,"You're not part of this. Go back to your law practice". He says,"Okay,bye". WHAT? Yet,Kyle is allowed to go along with them on his odyssey of self discovery. WHAT? With Roswell swarming with special agents and the military,the group just drives out of Roswell uncontested in their hippie mobile. WHAT? Max and Liz get married. WOW! Like we didn't know that would happen from day one. The writer of this episode shouldn't be allowed to handle crayons,let alone a keyboard. You can always tell when viewers are frustrated and dissatisfied with the things that go on within a show…..they write fanfics. Well,this show had a gazillion of them. In short,this show stayed one season too long at the dance and took many wrong turns,which lead to it's demise.

Lost (2004–2010)

Where is the real season-6 ???

[10/10 · 10 December 2010]

I've been around since the inception of broadcast television and consider "Lost" to be the best written and produced show ever devised. That said,I have only one point of contention. Where is the real season-6. What we were served up as season-6 was actually season-7. We're missing the real season-6 that bridges the gap between what happened in season-5 and what took place in the final season. Yes,the show was character driven. However,the main attraction of the show were it's revolving mysteries. After season-5,all of the mysteries were dropped. As to why,is the biggest mystery of all. Those unresolved mysteries,too numerous to mention,confounded and wrangled viewers to no end. While I thought that the show's finale episode was great and left viewers satisfied,no matter which character or characters were your favorites,I also felt that the entire final season was very rushed. I have a theory on this. I suspect that the network could no longer absorb the high production costs of a show of this type,and said "We'll give you one more season. Wrap it up". And so,that's what they did. As for the consequences of the network not producing the real season-6 for it's viewers? Well,Clint Eastwood had an appropriate word for it in his movie "Heartbreak Ridge".

Brick (2005)

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

[10/10 · 9 August 2006]

Wow! My faith has been restored in the silver screen and it took an independent film to do it. Attention big time Hollywood. Take note. Great acting performances, combined with a great story and great direction, makes for a great movie. You should try it some time. Every aspect of this film impressed me. It was filled with riveting scenes. An array of styles and techniques were used which blended together perfectly. The creative camera work had shades of "Citizen Kane". The presentation of the story had shades of "The Big Sleep", and was done unbelievably well. Every actor's performance was a gem. There was no fluff or fillers. Everything that was shown was necessary to the story. The writing was mature and intelligent. Kudos to Rian Johnson. I believe this is his directorial debut. Everyone connected with the making of this movie has a promising future. Being an independent film, not everyone had an opportunity to see it in theaters. Take heart, the DVD has just come out. I urge you to see it, as this movie is most certainly destined to become a cult classic.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

The Hills Have Eyes (Disappointing)

[4/10 · 1 August 2006]

Oh, hark! It's another remake. Will Hollywood ever have an original thought? Well, simply put, if you're into horror movies, you'll enjoy it. However, if you're a fan of good movies, you won't. Overall, I found it disappointing from both perspectives. This movie was highly anticipated by aficionados of the horror genre and the trailer for it looked very impressive.....as trailers usually do. The movie was chopped up a bit to gain a more marketable rating. So, I declined to see it in a theater and instead viewed the unrated version on DVD. Now, let's delve into the GUTS of the movie, so to speak. The special affects were excellent and the creative make-up on the mutants was excellent. They put together a decent cast whose performances were both professional and believable. Actress Emilie de Ravin, currently on the hit TV show "Lost", plays Brenda Carter and screams VERY WELL. There was enough blood, gore and gruesome mayhem to satisfy even the heartiest of horror fans. So, the question is, with all of this going for it, why did it come and go in theaters so quickly? Blame this one on the director. It was presented very badly. He wasted the first 45 minutes of the movie following this dysfunctional bickering family lumber along and become stranded in the desert after wrecking their trailer. I sat there watching and wondering, when is something going to happen? He should have utilized this time to build up the suspense and to create some sympathy for the potential victims. Unfortunately, he didn't. When the first attack came, I was just glad that something finally happened. At that point, I couldn't care less about the family. In fact, if I felt any sympathy at all, it was for the mutants, victims themselves of 1950's nuclear testing. Then, from the moment of that first attack, right through to the end of the movie, it was non-stop blood and gore. That's why this movie failed. There were no breaks in the action. There was no suspenseful buildup to any of the scenes. Hence, you felt no terror and you felt no fear. A viewer needs to get into the movie and feel for the characters. I felt nothing. Having seen more than my share of horror movies over the years, I viewed it as nothing more than blood and gore. It's a shame too. This movie could have been done really well.

Santa's Slay (2005)

Santa's Slay (UNWATCHABLE)

[1/10 · 26 January 2006]

Just when you thought that Hollywood talent and creativity couldn't sink any lower, they produce Santa's Slay. On the elevator of entertainment, this movie doesn't even get out of the basement. This movie is so-so-so-so unbelievably bad. How bad? It replaces "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" as the worst Christmas movie ever made and comes dangerously close to replacing "Plan 9 From Outer Space" as the worst movie ever made. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, I generously rated this movie a 1. I figured that anyone who had the courage to work on this movie from start to finish really earned that 1. Fortunately, the general public was spared a theater release. Had it been released in theaters, there would have been a furor by patrons demanding their money back. This movie began filming in 2003 and was originally scheduled to be released during the later part of 2004. However, in the months leading up to the prospective release, no trailers, posters, or other advertisements appeared. Apparently, they couldn't get a U.S. distributor. Gee! What a surprise. Except for a token TV airing during Halloween 2005, it went straight to video that Christmas. The movie was intended to be a comedy-horror spoof. However, the comedy doesn't come across. It's just dopey. Actually, the storyline had an interesting premise, giving it the potential to be a decent crappy movie. Instead, it wound up as a crappy, crappy movie. What's so bad about this movie? Well, practically everything. The dialog is atrocious. The filming looks as though it was done with one hand held camera, reminiscent of student films. The acting was flat and uninspired, as if the actors were going through a rehearsal. I hope that the cast members opted to get paid up front. Shame on their agents for getting them roped into this project in the first place. It's sad when the best acting performance is by a non-actor, wrestler Bill Golberg. In fact, he was the only bright spot in the movie. If it weren't for him, this movie would never even have gotten to DVD. That said. Who will purchase this DVD? (1) Goldberg's wrestling fans to be sure. (2) If you happen to be a fan of one of the other actors, you'll want to get it to complete your collection…..but never watch it. (3) However, the bulk of the purchases will be by people who gather together with their friends to watch and laugh at really, really bad movies. In short, this movie could have been done much, much better than the final product that we were presented. If you think this review is scathingly brutal, you should try and watch the movie.

Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003 TV Movie)

TRULY A TRIUMPH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT

[9/10 · 19 April 2003]

Generally, made for television movies are on a level below theatrical endeavors. However, `Homeless To Harvard' is a surprising and welcome exception. Without question it is one of the best made for television movies ever produced. This true story of Liz Murray continually strikes your primal emotional chord throughout the movie. The story is told in a stark realistically convincing manner. Excellent performances are turned in by Jennifer Pisana and Thora Birch as Liz at slightly different ages and by Kelly Lynch as Liz's alcoholic and drug addicted mother Jean. Unfortunately, the world has an ample supply of dysfunctional parents. Most often, their own children use them as an excuse to be equally dysfunctional. How uplifting to have a child use their parent's dysfunctional behavior, not as an excuse to sink into oblivion, but rather as a reason to not follow in their footsteps. This movie is all about choices. Anyone of any age who watches this movie will be left with absolutely no excuse to wallow in self pity. While this movie is a remarkable endeavor, it could have been even better. Understandably you can only fit so much content into a movie. Moreover, I'm certain that the writers included all of the key elements of Liz's life. However, this movie would have stood in a class by itself if only they had delved into Liz's true character. They did an exceptional job of depicting the decadent life that she was subject to, her reactions to it, and her existence within it. However, you don't get to see inside of Liz to actually know what she's all about. In addition, I sensed that we were shown a slightly whitewashed portrait of Liz in contrast to her true self. I suspect that she was in fact a little less innocent and a little more tarnished and troublesome than she was portrayed to be. If there's one unanswered question lingering on viewer's minds, it has to be: Why, after overcoming such insurmountable adversity, did she end up leaving Harvard? All that aside, 'Homeless To Harvard' is truly a triumph of the human spirit movie. This will be a treasured prize for your DVD/VHS collection when it becomes available.

Carrie (2002 TV Movie)

ANOTHER HORROR CLASSIC FOR YOUR COLLECTION

[7/10 · 5 November 2002]

For a TV-Movie,"Carrie" is surprisingly impressive,and well worth watching. Although the story itself provides little dramatic opportunity for the actors to display their talents. All of the actors turned in very competent performances. Angela Bettis is perfectly cast as the tormented and put upon Carrie,as is the lovely Emilie de Ravin,who portrays bad girl Chris,Carrie's nemisis. As expected,the modern special effects are great. What sets this version apart,and in some ways makes it better than the original 1976 movie,is it's presentation. The story is revealed very effectively via flashbacks. Moreover,it delves deeper into the actual story,and it's characters. Looking forward to it's release on DVD/VHS.