rickbrightwell-399-560921 Reviews

Madame Web (2024)

Not great

[3/10 · 3 March 2024]

I took my younger brother to the movies and gave him a choice of what to see and he chose this one. I had low expectations going in from a couple of coworkers who had already seen the film. However, my low expectations weren't low enough to keep me from being disappointed.

There are so many eye-rolling moments in this film, whether from dialog seemingly written by a 10yr old, or from the sheer idiocy thrust upon us in order to make the story somewhat sensible.

I don't think I've ever found myself dozing during an action movie until now. Parts of this movie are so slow, and so uninteresting and boring that I literally woke myself up with a sleep startle. Luckily, there was hardly anyone in the theater to notice.

Save your theater-going money and if you must have this in your personal Marvel media collection, wait until it shows up in the bargain bin. It shouldn't take long.

The Bear (2022– )

Don't get the hype

[2/10 · 5 February 2024]

I really don't understand what everyone sees in this show. It's an interesting premise, and I tried to like it, but it's such a slow, plodding story, that it gets really boring after a while. I'm usually pretty good about sticking with a show, at least long enough to complete the first season, but I didn't make it past the 5th episode. Perhaps it resonates with you more if you happen have to have experience in the restaurant industry. If I ever find the time to give it another try, maybe I'll like it more the second time around, but despite all the hype from the Golden Globes, I just don't see the appeal.

Justified: City Primeval (2023)

Wasn't worth the time

[5/10 · 1 February 2024]

I'm a fan of the original series and was looking forward to good story featuring a more mature, wiser version of Marshall Givens in a new environment. However, the story was just really dumb and the actors best efforts just couldn't save it.

Nonsense abounds: The cliche macho cop who has a need to brag to Rayland "This is how we do it in Detroit" hur dur; the comically bad Okie hick who we see far too often parading in tidy whities like some 8yr old kid; Rayland's supposed infatuation with Carolyn (and vice-versa) that is the most unlikely fall from the likes of Winona and Ava you can imagine; the dumbest crime family ever that allows a still-crippled moron to go "recover his honor" from a known dangerous guy that was just "dealt with" only a day before, without even a single backup heavy.

If this is what we can expect from the show's creator(s) going forward, please just let Rayland stay retired and boating off into the sunset.

The Wheel of Time: Daughter of the Night (2023) Season 2, Episode 4

Bad and inconsistent.

[1/10 · 8 September 2023]

I guess they gave up on the idea of Saidin being tainted with Rand's bright orange fire channeling and not a hint of the taint of the dark one on it.

Not only is the story a complete train wreck, they can't even keep the simple details consistent.

And the casting for the Selene character is so far off, it's laughable. Selene/Lanfear is supposed to be one of the most beautiful women in the world; who's mere glance at a man can stop him in his tracks in a mesmerizing euphoria. Apologies to the actress who plays the character, but she doesn't fit the bill.

Do people who haven't read the book even get what's going on or are they just going along, hoping to someday grasp the story by the end? If so, I feel they are in disappointment nearly as bitter as those of fans of the books.

Foundation (2021– )

It makes me feel sorry for those who haven't read the books

[1/10 · 28 August 2023]

This show is so unlike the books that they are simply not the same story, in practice nor in spirit. It completely lacks the optimistic feel of the books. I feel bad for those who have not read the books and are exposed to this funhouse mirror reflection of Asimov's vision. They will never understand how badly the show mauls Asimov's epic, beautiful, optimistic story. Even if they read the books later, their view of it will be tainted by this train wreck of a show.

If this is the best effort the industry has for this show, I look forward to the 30,000 years of darkness that follows the Empire's fall.

Good Omens (2019– )

A tale of two seasons

[4/10 · 15 August 2023]

It was the best of shows, it was the worst if shows.

Better to have only had season one, than to have ruined it with season two.

All the cleverness of the first season is sorely missing in season two. The idiocy of the ending is beyond comprehensible. Others have listed reasons why season two is such a dud in detail, but, I hate spoilers in general, so I refuse to do that.

But suffice it to say that there are no good, believable reasons for the way this season ended. As it currently stands, I'm not sure that I would welcome a third season as I feel that the show has been irrevocably damaged and any further time spent with it would be a waste. So disappointing.

Willow (2022–2023)

Terrible writing, poor followup to the movie

[4/10 · 4 February 2023]

I'm a fan of the movie. I really, really wanted to like this followup series, but it is just not good.

The writing is amateurish at best, as if it were written by awkward teenage boys. It's completely takes you out of the fantasy world with quips that seem to come from some modern YA comedy. If that west enough to ruin the whole mood of the show, the inexplicable music will certainly do it. Covers of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun, Metallica's Enter Sandman, Joan Jett's Crimson & Clover, and the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations round out the weirdest, most inappropriate soundtrack for a fantasy show I've ever heard.

I forced myself to watch the entire series and had to rewatch several areas because of how slow and boring they were. The pushing is soooooo draaaaawn ouuuut, even with the series only having 8 episodes.

If you love the movie, you will likely be disappointed in the series. It represents yet another unfortunate waste of potential.

Spirited Away (2001)

Beautifully done, but overhyped

[5/10 · 20 August 2022]

The animation is beautifully done, and the imagination put into the characters is certainly original. However, the story flow and plot is like a heroin junky's fever dream. Worth a watch? Absolutely. The "best animated film of all time"? Hell no. The over-the-top hype given this film is far too generous.

That Dirty Black Bag (2022– )

Some good, some bad

[6/10 · 29 June 2022]

I dove into this not aware that it was meant to be a spaghetti-type of western. But, I thought "What the heck, it should be fun." It had some really great moments, but the story is just so...annoyingly scatterbrained. The pacing was slow, but I kept with it thinking all the different story arcs would mostly come to some sort of satisfying resolution at the end, with a cliffhanger or two to keep me wanting a 2nd season, but it ended just so strangely abruptly that I was double-checking to see if there was a final episode that I had missed somehow, but instead I'm left irritated and unsatisfied.

I thought the cinematography was was good, with obvious nods to Sergio Leone's classics. The acting was mostly well done, but some of the dialog seemed out of place for the 18th century. The filming locations were beautifully stark and adds to the sense of desperation of those living in that environment. The the violence and gore was sometimes a bit gratuitous ("Wakey wakey"), but nothing outrageous.

Overall I give it a 6 out of 10. Worth a look if you have the time, but don't expect to be blown away by the story.

Panama (I) (2022)

Forgetable, but good for burning a couple free hours

[4/10 · 23 May 2022]

I remain a Mel Gibson fan and I like Hauser in Yellowstone, but I am disappointed in this one. The pacing is "off" in a way I find difficult to describe. The dialog is pretty lame as well. There is some action, but nothing too impressive. If you've got a couple of hours to kill and don't mind some mindless entertainment, this might do it for you, but it's one I'll probably never watch a again.

Finch (2021)

Sweet, but a bit boring

[7/10 · 15 November 2021]

This is basically Johnny 5 meets The Road, but the kid is a dog. Pretty shallow and predictable. There were a few scenes where I thought it'd get interesting, but they passed quickly and were never revisited.

Ted Lasso: Carol of the Bells (2021) Season 2, Episode 4

Leftover episode from last season?

[4/10 · 14 August 2021]

This episode, while sweet and charming and heartwarming, felt so out of place and unrelated to anything in the story (other than Ted's divorce) that it makes me wonder if this was an unused episode from last season that they had to use as season-filler.

American Gods (2017–2021)

Stop at Season 1 and save yourself some disappointment

[3/10 · 17 April 2021]

Season 1 was great and got me hooked. I suffered through season 2, with it's meandering, seemingly pointless path, hoping that something interesting would happen in season 3. After finally getting through season 3, I can say that it was a huge, exasperating, frustrating disappointment. What a waste of time and potential.

Ted Lasso (2020–2023)

Fantastic!

[10/10 · 24 January 2021]

So much better than I thought it would be on initial glance. Jason Sudeikis is an effing genius in the part. The entire cast is perfectly cast and brilliant. I thought going into this that it was a football show, but I was mistaken. Even so - I laughed, I cried, I felt the glorious thrill of victory and the terrible stinging agony of defeat, and I loved every minute of it. I'm looking forward to the next season.

Vanishing Point (1971)

Overrated

[3/10 · 28 November 2020]

This movie is severely overrated. It's both disjointed, and nonsensical at times. There are a few interesting chase scenes, but they amount to Kowalski crossing over into oncoming traffic and back and taking dirt roads to nowhere and and completely irrelevant side trip to the Nevada dessert.

Overall, it seems like a movie goofy teenagers would have shot with their 8mm because they were bored.

Highly disappointing based on some of the glowing reviews here.

The Ridiculous 6 (2015)

Better than I expected

[7/10 · 9 June 2020]

It's an Adam Sandler movie with a lot of cameos. Yeah, some of it doesn't make sense, and some of it it just plain rediculous (see what I did there?), but overall it was very entertaining. Blazing Saddles it ain't, but it's still pretty good.

The Artist (I) (2011)

Fell asleep while watching

[5/10 · 2 December 2019]

In summary this movie is a bit boring. It's the same old "can't cope with change" story that's been told a thousand times, only this time in a gimmicky way designed to appeal toward those who unironically call old things "vintage"

Once you get past the novelty of it being a (mostly) silent black & white film - which takes all of about 20 minutes - it's really nothing special. I will say that Dujardin and Bejo were perfectly cast for their roles and that they were great in the dance sequences.

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

Interesting, but not fantastic

[6/10 · 1 November 2019]

This movie is like watching a short film interspersed with long landscape scenery shots with lots of star cameos. it's almost like an advertisement for a travel agency.

An American in Paris (1951)

Entertaining...to a point

[5/10 · 25 October 2019]

I fully expected to greatly enjoy this film as I did with Singin' in the Rain, but, I was disappointed. First the good: Gene Kelly's dancing is masterful and the energy he brings to a film is unmatched, even to this day. Leslie Caron is also superb in her dance performances. I enjoyed both Levant's acting and musical numbers as well.

Now the bad: The acting is comically wooden. The story is paper-thin, disjointed and at times senseless. Some characters don't really have any real resolution to their issues (poor Milo! and how can Henry look so happy when he brings back Lise at the end?!), I can give a pass to most of this in a musical, but the interminably-long (18 minutes), voiceless, seemingly-random interpretive dance / ballet number at the end of the movie is just such an oddball way to end a movie that I was left a little pissed off at wasting so much of my time.

The Boys (2019– )

Made my Prime subscription worth it

[8/10 · 30 July 2019]

Smart, darkly funny, REALLY darkly funny, shocking, gory, cynical, and gritty. I can't wait for next season.

The Lion King (2019)

Just a pale reflection of the original

[2/10 · 13 July 2019]

I was 28 years old when I saw the original film in the theater and I had a 2yr old child, so the original films theme of the circle of life and passing on values to the next generation really hit home for me at the time. I remember choking back tears when Mufasa died and feeling a father's pride (no pun intended) and hope at Simba's ascension to his rightful place at the end. In short the story resonated and drew me in in such an unexpected way and I've loved that film ever since.

So when I got a chance to see a screening of this live-action remake I jumped at the chance. I couldn't wait to re-experience it in a new way. Unfortunately, I came away very disappointed. The story is the same, but it's told in such an uninspiring, bland way that I found myself bored and yawning halfway through it. I don't think the live action has the power to draw you in emotionally the way the animation does. It's tough to get a live animal to convey emotions I guess. I just didn't feel this film lived up the the original in nearly any way. I'm glad I got a free screening, but I'm happy I didn't have to pay full theater price for it too.

This might be a good movie for someone who's never seen the original (or even the live play), but I can't imagine it having the same impact.

The Dark Tower (2017)

I was warned, but I didn't listen

[1/10 · 31 January 2019]

I was warned by trusted friends that, as a fan of the books, I would be sorely disappointed with this movie. I didn't listen

I was warned by trusted friends that the movie bears only the merest passing resemblance to the books, and butchers even those points. I didn't listen

I was warned by trusted friends that - even if viewed without any prior knowledge of the the books - it was still a terrible movie in it's own right. I didn't listen.

I'm grateful that I didn't pay anything (other than my time) to watch this movie, and I will never doubt my trusted friends again.

It saddens me to think about they wasted the incredible opportunity this movie represented. Maybe some day, someone will do the books justice and not just make crap like this as a quick money-grab.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)

Very much enjoyed it

[8/10 · 25 January 2019]

Very closely folows the book (mostly) and by doing so, this is less like a horror film and more like a classic tragedy. Despite its flaws that others have mentioned, I enjoyed it.

Black Panther (2018)

Predictably boring with bad CGI - pass

[1/10 · 8 June 2018]

This movie is boringly predictable. The CGI was mostly passable, but there are some scenes where it's really, really bad. I tend to get caught up in a movie and can overlook a few mistakes, but even I couldn't help noticing how bad it was in several places in the movie. I'm glad I saved this one for a Red Box rental.

Future Man (2017–2020)

Funniest, smartest (yet wonderfully juvenile) show in years

[9/10 · 7 May 2018]

I can't remember the last time I literally laughed out loud at a television show until I came across Future Man. There's so much good stuff packed into each brief, 35min episode, that you'll spend days around the water cooler with your coworkers discussing the hilarious antics and references. So many quotes, so little time. I need to re-watch the entire season just to catch stuff I know I missed the first time. If you aren't a delicate snowflake and can handle raunchy, juvenile humor, get through the first episode and you'll be hooked.

And remember, knifers keepers!