mdhenshaw Reviews

Poker Face (2023– )

A Fantastic Old School TV Series

[9/10 · 26 January 2023]

The Poker Face pilot is A+. This is a nice throwback to the murder mystery series that used to be common in the 70s/80s. So many TV shows have gone to the long story format it's refreshing going back to the story of the week format.

The pilot episode is a love letter to series like Columbo. In fact, Rian Johnson goes as far as borrowing some of the fonts from Columbo. If you enjoy this series and have never watched Columbo I highly recommend checking those episodes out. Poker Face has a great cast, it's superbly written, and directed.

Hopefully this series keeps up the quality of the opening episodes. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

Stranger Things: Chapter Nine: The Piggyback (2022) Season 4, Episode 9

Overly long and predictable

[6/10 · 2 July 2022]

This series was so much better when it was smaller. This super long episode represents much of what was wrong with the entire season 4. The editing between each subplot was kind of odd. Moving back and forth at a snail's pace at times. The best part of the episode was seeing the gang back together. Hopefully that's the plan for the next season, but sadly the cast of characters is just too large to maintain a coherent narrative.

If you love long monologues that fill in exposition this is the series for you, but I'm asking myself why it's necessary in an episode of TV that's longer than E. T..

The Last Kingdom (2015–2022)

Avoid

[6/10 · 19 January 2022]

This is a great value Game of Thrones, but nowhere near as fun. I'm giving up after the fourth season, but no one should have to suffer that long. Find something more enjoyable that had less illogical conflict.

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Outstanding

[9/10 · 17 June 2020]

This film surprised me. It's a powerful look at the Vietnam war from the perspective of African Americans. Lee doesn't masterful job of mixing in history and the present.

Knives Out (2019)

Outstanding Film

[9/10 · 25 November 2019]

Rian Johnson's love letter to the whodunit is a fun thriller that I can't wait to see again. Knives Out has a ton of twists and turns, but the heart of the film is Marta who steals the show with her honesty.

I don't want to get into too many details that might spoil the film, but the final shot is awesome. This film cements Rian Johnson as one of the top tier directors. He's done a little bit of everything and he's done it all very well.

Star Wars: Resistance (2018–2020)

Great Show with a lot of Potential

[9/10 · 7 October 2018]

I didn't expect a lot from this series, but I enjoyed this pilot a lot more than I did with the Rebel series premier. I don't have experience with the animation style, but I love the way this show looks. The color palette really pops. By the time Kaz/Poe arrive at the Colossus I was totally hooked on the look and feel of this series and it feels very much like Star Wars to me.

I'm amazed at how well the new characters are introduced. It's all very organic and it's funny. I love the mix of creatures/humans so far. Oh, and the ships look amazing!

I don't expect Poe to be a huge part of this series, but he's used well to introduce us to Kaz. I really loved how Neeku Vozo was introduced and how he spread the rumor that Kaz was the best pilot in the galaxy. I was curious how BB-8 would be used, but he seems to be a major part of the series despite being Poe's droid. This takes place pretty close to The Force Awakens so I expect this show to pass The Last Jedi in future seasons.

Overall this show is a lot of fun. It's full of great characters who I'm sure are going to be further developed. It also has some strong minor characters. Fix, Orka and the bartender whose name escapes me probably won't be huge characters, but they have some good moments. This is a show that should appeal to children and fans alike. Plus, it should serve to give us some much needed backstory on the First Order, the Resistance, and the New Republic.

Star Wars: Resistance: The Recruit (2018) Season 1, Episode 1

Pleasant Surprise

[9/10 · 7 October 2018]

I didn't know what to expect from this series based on the trailers, but the pilot episode was fantastic. The ensemble case if great and they way they're introduced is very organic. I was worried with all the characters it would feel forced.

I love the animation style. It feels very Star Wars and there's a good mix of all kinds of life forms.

Who knows where this show goes from here, but there's a great base here to work with and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go next.