maximusveritas Reviews

Boss (2011–2012)

Starz version of House of Cards (more sex, less intelligence)

[3/10 · 13 June 2020]

I wasn't a huge fan of the Netflix version of House of Cards, but it is several levels of quality above this show. The acting isn't bad in this show for the most part. Kelsey Grammer does a good job of playing the lead role and Connie Nielsen and some of the supporting actors like Connie Nielsen, Martin Donovan, and Troy Garrity also do some good work. The writing though... It's not just the gratuitous sex, which I'm assuming was a Starz directive given how badly it was forced into most episodes. Only in a show like this would politicians who are sensitive about doing anything that could be used against them just have adulterous sex in public. There are numerous moments like that which will have you just shaking your head in disbelief that someone could write something so stupid.

Slipstream (2007)

The kind of movie that could only be made by a big name actor trying to be a filmmaker

[2/10 · 1 December 2018]

This is the sort of experimental film that someone does for film school, but would never get made for an actual audience with big actors and a decent budget. You can tell that Anthony Hopkins had very little critical input from anyone else, no one to tell him where he was going wrong. In some ways, it is refreshing to have a movie willing to take such chances and be different, but it is just not successful in conveying a coherent story or message. I'm usually interested in challenging movies from directors like Lynch, Jodorowsky, Bunuel, etc. but this was just nowhere near their level.

Sharp Objects (2018)

Good acting and stylish direction can't make up for poor writing

[5/10 · 27 August 2018]

It seems like the creators of this show thought the ending might be the payoff for sticking with the show, but the "twist" ending wasn't surprising since that was the most obvious suspect from the beginning. This was a show that I never really looked forward to watching every week and was really a challenge to get through due to the slow meandering nature of the direction. Like many others have noted, this could have easily been cut down to a feature length movie and probably been much more enjoyable.

The Handmaid's Tale: The Word (2018) Season 2, Episode 13

Yes, the ending is as bad as most are saying

[2/10 · 15 July 2018]

The show has been showing signs of falling apart this season as it stretches the limits of believability in order to keep itself going. The acting is still good, though I find myself increasingly rooting against June/Offred which does not appear to be what the show's writers want us to do. It's just become hard to understand her choices and reconcile how she seems to be given chance after chance by Waterford and others despite repeatedly disrespecting them and running away. Meanwhile, he shows no hesitation in beating and mutilating his wife (whose decisions in this episode were also hard to understand at times). Do they really expect us to believe June will be able to just go back to Gilead and be able to mount this rebellion, much less stay safe? I don't plan on renewing my Hulu subscription to find out.

Dexter: Lost Boys (2009) Season 4, Episode 10

Worst episode of the series

[3/10 · 5 February 2016]

I've enjoyed Dexter as a series. While it's never been the best show on TV, it's always at least avoided many of the usual mistakes and failings of lesser shows, until this episode.

So many missteps in this episode with characters acting in unbelievable ways.

The line "If my son said that's what he saw, I believe him" was particularly bad. There's no way anyone in that position says that line, but they force it in there in order to push the plot in that direction. Then at the end, Dexter makes the mistake of letting the bad guy get away yet again inexplicably by not finishing the job.

Blue/Orange (2005 TV Movie)

Bits of brilliance, but a few missteps

[7/10 · 7 June 2009]

There is the makings of an outstanding show here. It is at its strongest when it portrays the patient caught in the crossfire between these two feuding doctors. Where it goes wrong is in failing to solidly provide the motivation for the consultant doctor's actions. I'm sure the writer thought it best to try and make this ambiguous, but it just makes for a weaker story as the motivations begin to conflict and appear questionable. I felt like almost the entire racial angle could have been scrapped and it would have been just as interesting if not more so. Instead, it should have focused on the consultant's need for power and control over his subordinate vs. the subordinate's idealism and desire for some autonomy, all while maintaining more ambiguity about whether the patient was truly "mad". Still a good show with some great acting from all 3 leads.

The Twilight Zone: The Obsolete Man (1961) Season 2, Episode 29

Subtlety out the window

[3/10 · 2 June 2009]

To say this was too "preachy" or "obvious" is an understatement. The best Twilight Zone episodes were those where the meaning was not obvious and was instead subtly conveyed via fantastical allegory. Serling was forced to go this route after suffering from censorship early in his career that prevented him from directly addressing current social concerns with criticism that might offend the advertisers. This episode fit the prevailing Cold War mindset of the time and was therefore free from their censors. In the end, it became proof that perhaps the censorship Serling often complained about was actually a good thing. It forced him to "hide" his messages in his fantasy stories and avoid preaching directly to the audience as he does in this episode. The main characters here are ridiculous caricatures of the evil tyrant and the saintly martyr. The whole plot strains the limits of believability time and time again. Serling's ending monologue feels like he's hitting us over the head. Those who strongly agree with its message might be able to overlook or even enjoy these things, but in the end, it is a weaker episode than if it had been more subtly executed.