OceanGirl941 Reviews

Gotham Knights (2023)

Pales in Comparison to Precedents

[1/10 · 1 December 2023]

CW seems to be perfectly okay with decimating superhero shows and this is no exception.

Though there are some great actors in the cast, they collectively have no chemistry, and, therefore, the lines between them fall below flat in far too many places to ignore. This may be a directing issue as well, who knows, and I do not care to spend time trying to figure it out. Misha Collins was the wrong person for Dent. It's not because I have a Castiel hangover, this just wasn't working for whatever reason.

CW is the current poster child of bad television. For this show to have done well, it would have had to look back to the great successes, like Gotham, The 100, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Reign, Nikita, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash and Arrow, and not mimic the series that couldn't struggle past two to three years.

I made it to episode five and called it quits.

Gotham 2014-2019: stratosphere quality television series. Gotham Knights 2023-RIP: sewer gas right down there with CW Batwoman.

The sets were pretty good. This was the series' only redeeming quality, which earns the one star that is the lowest rating possible.

Gotham (2014–2019)

Staying Power Almost a Decade Later

[9/10 · 27 November 2023]

I'm currently watching Gotham for the third time and I'm just as entertained as the previous two times through. There are very few things to complain about.

Gotham has:

-Rich origin lore -A fantastic cast with big name stars and guest stars.

-Great sets -Dark and campy.

Personal favorite cast members:

Cory Michael Smith as Nygma/Riddler. Wow wow wow. Smith smashed these roles. He's really good at being bad. I loved some of the occasional soft edges given him by the writers too. Very well balanced writing and acting here. Smith is my favorite.

Cameron Monaghan as Jerome Valeska/Jeremiah Valeska. I was instantly smitten with these characters. Monaghan took Jerome through a very deep and emotional mixture of mischief, insanity, humor and murder all the same time. He was absolutely brilliant in these roles with perfect line timing, delivery, and voice inflections. Monaghan is my second favorite.

Drew Powell as Butch Gilzean/Solomon Grundy. There's a long list of characters that used and exploited him, but he balances the loveable bad guy very well.

Chris Chalk as Lucas Fox. I loved his scenes and his ultra scientific brain. You can almost see his words flying over the heads of the other characters trying to understand him. Fox was a really fun character.

Anthony Carrigan as Victor Zsasz. I loved this character. You never really know what's going to come out of his mouth and it's always well worth the wait from the moment you see Carrigan in the scene. Zingers. Lots and lots of Zsasz zingers.

Rounding off my list, Jada Pinkett Smith, John Doman, Erin Richards, David Zayas, Morena Baccarin and Jessica Lucas.

Minor annoyances:

I'm not going to be nitpicky and go back to find any of these, but at least three times I caught some writing errors where a character didn't finish a thought, a concept wasn't followed through to completion or a character said a line or two completely irrelevant to what was happening in the scene. In the end, these scenes ended up, in part, not making much sense.

I didn't like that there three different actresses for the three iterations of Ivy.

There was absolutely no chemistry between Camren Bicondova (Selna Kyle) and David Mazouz (Bruce Wayne).

Other:

Sadly, the series starts a slow leak, running out of steam in the final two seasons.

Season four slugged along a bit, but the final few episodes made up for it. Running mostly during the same years as Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D., the latter had the staying power through the very end, story-wise, whereas this became quite a bit disjointed, perhaps because too much was crammed into the final season. It was satisfactory enough, though, otherwise, I wouldn't be watching it for a third time.

And lastly, to end on a high note, cinematography exceeded my expectations. I love good cinematography. The sets were terrific too. Favorite set, Riddler's "game show." Second favorite, Sirens. Hair, makeup and costumes were pretty awesome as well.

If you're a fan of all things Gotham and haven't seen it, watch it. Filter out every review you've read, and make up your own mind.

Beacon 23 (2023– )

Abysmal

[3/10 · 26 November 2023]

The good:

A group of people took a huge risk on making something fresh and new. That, in itself, is a modern day miracle, since we've been bombarded with products of Hollywood laziness by way of unwanted, subpar remakes of television shows and movies during this decade and last. I wish more directors and producers would take this same initiative, especially in this genre. There's no shortage of fantastic authors and books to possibly work with.

The bad:

Apparently this is based on a highly rated book series. I'm not finding a likeness to a highly rated book series here.

Episode one crawled for me. I gave it a pass since it was setting up the story. Or so I thought. I'm not going to waste my time going into great detail here and below as many others have already given full episode synopses in their reviews and mentioned that it deviates greatly from the source material.

Episode two finally, thankfully, brought new characters. And then they were killed off in an unspectacular fashion during a tediously long fight. And we're back to two people again, and their two AI.

I did some fast forwarding through episodes three and four to look for a reason to continue watching this series.

What stands out to me more than anything in episode three, sadly, is Aster (Headey) getting a weird sensation from a gravity wave machine. That scene was completely bizarre.

Barbara Hershey was dreadful in episode four. I'm not sure what happened there. I love Hershey, but she seemed to be stumbling over facial expressions, timing and delivery. She was not the only one, but her performance seemed to have the most line mishaps.

Overall:

Casting, writing, and maybe even directing, just didn't click for me. I found no reason to continue watching this series and have removed it from my watch list.

I wanted it to be good. I really did.

Two extra stars (in addition to the mandatory "one"), for the sole reason that someone(s) actually attempted to make an original series instead of a remake. Again, this is a colossal step in the right direction, a move against the current status quo.

Can You See Us? (2022)

Please Watch and Support This Movie.

[10/10 · 6 September 2023]

I am writing this without spoilers, intentionally. I want people that haven't seen this movie and who read this, to understand how incredibly important it is, and to know that it is beautifully made.

There aren't any words that are adequate enough to express how much I loved this movie. Someone reading this might wonder, "Why a 10, though?

My answer is that some things are imperfectly perfect. This is one of those things.

Speaking of 10, this is now in my top 10 favorite movies of all time now, it made that much of an impression. It is a heartbreaking, beautiful story that inspired me to do some research on the movie. Because I care. Deeply. And I'm pretty sure that was the goal: awareness, compassion, concern and love.

Thabo Kaamba, the little girl that played young Joseph, was fantastic in this role. May she be blessed all her life. She is beautiful, and perfect.

John Chiti, whom the story is based on, is now a musician and activist, an advocate for those that were also born with albinism.

I'm so very happy to see a movie about Africa that's actually made in Africa (Zambia), and out of the reach of Hollywood-influence.

Congratulations to everyone that worked on this project and for its success as the first Zambian film on the Netflix streaming service.

Phenomenal directing and production by Mumba and Thompson. The writing was epic. The cast were fantastic. Solid cinematography.

For anyone reading this, understand that in Zambia and some other countries in Africa, assault and violence against people with albinism is not rare. I'll leave you to your own research. It's frightening, and heartbreaking.

I had to stop the movie several times because I was sobbing with grief. I have tears in my eyes just writing this review. The movie is that profound.

An online reviewer said, "A narrative symphony that resonates, long after the last note fades away." Nothing could be more true.

Lioness (2023– )

I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[4/10 · 4 August 2023]

If you remember this commercial series from the early 2010s, and you've seen the first few episodes of this series, then you understand the title. If you haven't, then Google the title. It can't be denied that it's fitting.

Cruz: "I've been at war my whole lifetime." Marine recruiter: "Well, you've come to the right place."

And just like that, apparently without any lingering psychological issues whatsoever, a woman with fresh cuts and bruises from an attack by her boyfriend (in addition to cigarette burn scars on her chest and arms as well as lynching scars on her back), joins the Marines, aces the training program and becomes an asset in a unit loosely based the actual US military program Lioness.

From battered to badass in the blink of an eye in the first episode. Sure.

I get it, it's fiction, but it's not credible fiction. Maybe this glaring oversight will be addressed in future episodes, but, as the old saying goes, "You should have led with that." It's too late to throw in this backstory and I'm not a fan of whiplash storytelling. The latest rendering of The Stand series forever cured me of that.

There are numerous writing issues. For example, in a scene in the third episode, a waiter taking Meade's and Joe's order asks about food allergies. Meade responds with, "I'm allergic to my ex husband, to everything else I'm immune."

Do the only two (listed) writers, who are male, actually believe that our exes take up that much headspace that we women just verbally vomit a one-liner diss to a waiter during a lunch meeting?

:eyeroll:

There are several plot holes as well. I'm not going to go into them. Other reviewers have addressed these. Suffice to say they're pretty much in-your-face and you can't miss them.

Nicole Kidman was a poor choice for Meade. I was unable to listen to anything she said because I was too busy trying to figure out why she looks entirely different. Unable to move her face in any significant natural way, her performance was lackluster and flat. I've mentioned in plenty of my reviews that body language (which includes facial expressions) and voice inflections are important. Both are sorely missing. I'll leave it to viewers to form their own opinions as to why.

I'm not sold on De Oliveira for the Cruz role at all.

Sheridan is clearly overextended with overlapping projects. One entertainment outlet reports seven current and imminent projects are being juggled. So now the question begs: Is this series going to be worth the viewers' investment of time? Or is Sheridan simply throwing spaghetti at the wall to see which noodles stick?

Mainstream critics have picked up on the writing and plot holes. The visual appeal and cast cannot make up for this.

Some reviewers here aren't happy with the "home life" aspects of the series. I personally find it necessary and Seal Team is a fine example of how stateside life is properly and intricately woven into who the characters are.

I'm going to watch a couple more episodes and will raise my rating if it proves worthy, though I'm not optimistic.

4 stars for cast and visual appeal. 4 stars off for writing, 2 stars off for casting.

Bad Boys for Life (2020)

BayBruck is the only way forward.

[2/10 · 30 July 2023]

Bad Boys 2 is unimpeachable. It eclipses Bad Boys, which was truly fantastic.

This... whatever it was... shouldn't have happened. It's inconceivable that a fourth movie is on deck. Hard pass. Which leads me to my next point, something which should be fairly clear to all Bad Boys fans.

The whole thing was off balance without BayBruck. There was no continuity and the vibe just wasn't there. I would have gone to the theater if this was a BayBruck movie. I didn't for this, and I'm beyond thankful that I didn't.

The writing was absolutely abysmal, even nonsensical in quite a few places. The "comedic" lines (purposeful quotation marks to emphasize my sarcasm) flatlined quite often, including some lines in the first scene of the movie.

Mike, while driving a Porsche at what looks to be 40 mph on the beach, yells out his window to pretty much no one (because there is only a small number of people near the shoreline that realistically wouldn't hear a single syllable of it over the wind and waves):

"Sorry, rich white people."

Repeat. Porsche.

That fell flat with me considering Mowry's own privilege. I didn't even crack a smile.

But wait! There's more.

Marcus (looking out the window to the right, and, apparently, also talking to absolutely no one although in the previous frame there were cops on motorcycles right next to him): "We're not just black, we're cops too. We'll pull ourselves over later."

Cue the failed joke, wah wah wah sound byte. What was written to be the usual funny opener was a harbinger of even more deadpan lines to come.

The stunts were lackluster.

I legit thought Martin Lawrence was going to pass out in a couple of scenes. Will Smith ain't no spring chicken either.

CGI was poor.

A mostly fantastic cast and locations. The captain is back. A really good scene with Reggie. If I were to rate the cast and locations alone, it would be a solid 10/10.

But, here's the biggest problem:

Creators should look around before lazily belching out sequels. Read the room. There are several contemporary precedents of declining sequel quality. You can't miss them if you have functional vision.

In the midst of all the current sequel madness, the Rocky franchise has been reskinned as Creed and is thriving, doing it right by passing the torch to a younger generation while maintaining IP continuity through Stallone's inclusion in the cast. It's multi-generational and the best of both worlds, entertaining three generations.

This isn't working without Bay and Bruckheimer. Bad Boys 2: stratosphere. This: Mariana Trench, halfway to hell. I've watched Bad Boys 2 several times. It's legendary. I will never watch this again.

Huge disappointment.

The Witcher (2019– )

Unrecognizable

[3/10 · 28 July 2023]

Short and sweet review, because for me, it's over.

If I could rate this season by season, Season One would be a 10. Season Two would be a 5 and Season Three would be a 2. I've changed my overall rating from a 10 to a 3. Despite a cast of mostly fantastic actors there's nothing else left.

Directing went downhill after Season One.

The effects declined in quality after Season One.

Jaskier is heterosexual in the source material. But now he's not. I personally loathe when producers deviate from any source material whatsoever in their quest for DEI nods. My grievance here is not about preference, it's about remaining true to his character in the source material. By altering this, parts of the rest of the main story are altered as well. It's sad. This could have been a GOAT adaptation if it had stayed on course as it was in Season One.

There are other ad lib writing changes as well, but there's no point in listing them. Suffice to say, I didn't start watching this series to be drowned by any writer's 2020s worldview. This is exactly why I'm watching less American series and movies and entertaining myself with more and more foreign projects that don't butcher IP and don't depend on Hollywood standards for their success.

I have nothing against Liam Hemsworth at all. There just comes a time when showrunners should realize that, historically, a lead actor replacement is immersion breaking and disrupts continuity, no matter who the replacement is. I think they will find this out the hard way in Season Four when everyone sees the original set chemistry isn't there.

There's nothing to hang on to past Season One. The rest is pretty much unrecognizable.

It's been real and it's been fun, and now it's not.

Peace.

Velma (2023– )

I have an idea for a new show!!!

[1/10 · 25 June 2023]

I don't have a title yet, but it would be a foul and insulting adult spinoff series with a bad script based on a beloved, timeless childhood cartoon, and the series got renewed for a second season because the network's new overlords decided to blatantly ignore the abysmally low rating of 1.6/10.

Oh wait.

That really happened.

Jinkies.

I have no idea what the H. E. double hockey sticks Charlie Grandy and Mindy Kaling were thinking to begin with, nor do I care. Velma is not cute or funny. The show is adult and unfunny. Beavis and Butt-Head was funny. This is not.

For perspective:

Euphoria - TV-MA.

Velma - TV-MA.

Euphoria is wayyyyy better and has substance.

For more perspective:

Grandy said in an interview: "I think the key was always keeping the original in the forefront of your mind and really just letting that be the compass."

Compass malfunction confirmed.

Save your brain cells.

Skip this steaming pile. It's THAT bad.

Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023)

What In The Magic Mike Was This???

[1/10 · 19 June 2023]

The magic is gone. This movie killed it. There is no association with, or resemblance to, the prior two movies other than Tatum as Mike.

The movie is claustrophobic, limited to very few sets. There are no fun romps and pit stops during road trips to various venues. Much of the movie takes place in a venue which is owned-but-not-actually-owned by Maxandra. If you've seen it, you know what I mean.

There is no chemistry between Tatum and Hayak whatsoever and this was painfully palpable throughout the entire movie. In the opening scenes we are visually assaulted by the palpable miscasting and we quickly find out:

(1) Mike is now a bartender.

(2) Maxandra Mendoza (Hayak) finds out he's a former stripper and hires him for a lap dance. Because of the writing it's not immediately clear why she does this, though we later find out it pertains both to her marital status and her mental state; centering the entire movie around revenge against her husband rather than (thankfully) attraction to Mike. It is here where we see the first of a multitude of instances of mental manipulation within the script.

(3) Tatum brought it with the lap dance, as expected, but because of the lack of chemistry the scene was the opposite of sexy. And it gets worse.

(4) In the next scene the two are together in bed, and this scene was as cringe as the lap dance. I should have stopped watching there. In hindsight I wish I had.

(5) The next day, Maxandra tells Mike she will pay him $60,000 to come with her to London for one month to participate in a mysterious project. And away they go. To London. Weird.

Everything goes further downhill in a spectacular fashion. The rest of the movie pertains to Maxandra's struggle (mostly against herself) to host a "new" type of entertainment at the Rattigan venue. This is not what I, or probably most of us, signed up for.

The writing for Maxandra was insulting, with the butler, the daughter and Mike "handling" Maxandra at every turn. Behind her back, they plan and plot ways to work around and/or counter her mood swings, impetuous thoughts and reckless actions. It's important to note that, despite her marital problems ( that are, by the way, money-centric), the writing does not make the character sympathetic. Hayak's portrayal isn't particularly helpful.

I, like most others, expected this to be a fun movie about Mike (and crew), not a tedious movie about an older woman stuck in a cage (her marriage/money) within a cage (her enablers) within another cage (herself). If we're being honest, Maxandra is a prime candidate for psychiatric therapy and no one should be encouraging her escapism via the Rattigan project.

It's truly staggering to take a step back and realize just how much manipulation is written into this movie.

Zadie, Maxandra's daughter, spews a literal litany of woke words and ideologies throughout most of the character's scenes. While I'm not fond of the word "woke" it is very relevant here, to the degree that it felt more like a "beat you over the head" lecture pertaining to Reid Carolin's worldview.

I felt uncomfortable watching semi-nude strippers dry humping elderly women while they are laying on their backs on the floor of the Rattigan stage. This is a light year's difference from a gray-haired woman attending a bachelorette party at a strip club and getting a lap dance.

On to the Rattigan.

The finale was a bizarre theatrical presentation that had no cohesion whatsoever. As I listened to lines and lyrics, I was in "wtf" mode. Also present were a new cast of male strippers that we barely got acquainted with, and in some cases, not at all. Overall unfun.

The dance finale featured a watery Flashdance-esque moment, though with two dancers instead of one, sans the chair. It was visually stunning, but it was completely out of sync with the Rattigan presentation at a whole.

I'm not sure what this movie was supposed to be. It barely qualifies as a Magic Mike movie, and it certainly doesn't qualify as a love story. Carolin should have stuck with the formula. One star because this was a disastrous conclusion to Magic Mike.

My Fault (2023)

Everything was right with this.

[10/10 · 18 June 2023]

There's no other way to kick this review off than to say ¡muy caliente!

I'm so grateful for Spanish and Latin American (and other countries as well) movies and series. This would have been butchered in the hands of American production companies. They're too repressed by film award constructs and bizarre moral codes that only apply to Hollywood.

But I digress, and feel better having gotten that off of my chest.

I've learned within the past few hours that this movie was an adaptation from a Wattpad novel, which is also available on Kindle. I just made that purchase, because it was that good. In fact, I'm off to start reading when I'm done here. EDIT/UPDATE, I'm loving the novel.

The chemistry between Guevara and Wallace was very close to the level of passion of Maite Perroni and Alejandro Speitzer of Osculo Deseo (aka "Dark Desire"). Though this is quite a bit more modest. I do see the potential for more sizzle in the (hopefully) movies for the next two novels.

I loved Nick's complexities and the writing was perfectly paced to reveal why.

Ditto with the writing for Noah. I love that name by the way.

The character development for the relationship was well paced.

The hate to love tension between Nick and Noah was perfect.

Guevara is an expert kisser (very rare, icydk) and he brought the fricking heat. Once you have had that kind of passion in your life, you easily recognize it wherever else you see it. I definitely recognized it here. So, from the scene at the first party, when Nick grabbed a girl and kissed her, I knew. It was absolutely sinful, in the best way possible. I even spoke out loud a phrase that I can't write here. It's THAT rare. ❤❤❤

The cast were exceptional and there were no mismatches anywhere. From the leads to the supporting cast, all the way down to the mansion staff here and there, everyone contributed to its success.

The movie was visually stunning. Cameras were perfect, even in the car race scenes. That final car chase scene on the dock was fire!

Loved the wardrobes.

Everyone did a fantastic job of putting this together. It had me spellbound from beginning to end. I'm looking forward to more.

This is a hit, another bragging right for Spain.

Well done!

The Serpent Queen (2022–2024)

All I can really say is "meh"

[3/10 · 17 June 2023]

For transparency purposes, I did have some bias going into this. After completely enjoying the CW series Reign three times through, I couldn't finish season one here. Kudos to those that could, but I'm forever spoiled by Megan Follow's portrayal of Catherine de Medici. Combined with the writing, Follows was a delight, unpredictably both wicked and pure. I'm forever a fan because of her flawless Catherine. Despite being on a network geared toward younger audiences, Reign was quite mature, even perhaps a little risque for the network. Though not rated TV-MA like The Serpent Queen, Reign was had a far more satisfying script.

The first thing I noticed, and hated, was that the story veers way too far away from historical fact. While writers for almost every period drama take some small liberties here and there, this just runs much to far with fictional character filler, namely, Rahima and Aabis. I'm confused why this approach was taken because there's no lack of things to write about.

I couldn't find anything to like about Liv Hill's performance for the younger Catherine. It was immersion breaking at every turn, and made worse by the purposeful corny glances at the camera.

I couldn't find anything to like about Samantha Morton's portrayal of older Catherine. To have snakes in the intro solely because of Catherine's reputation as Serpent Queen is a bit out of context.

Is it just me or is Morton actually "hissing?" Lingering on words with "s" in them on occasion? Whether that's intentional or not, it's really weird, as is the whispering.

I wasn't fond of the writing for both young Catherine or old Catherine. At all.

I truly loathe flashback series and have begun calling this "timelash." The industry is already saturated with this writing technique and should have ended with the latest attempt at The Stand.

Three stars for good actors that fit their roles (Ludivine Sagnier, for example) and decent sets.

Beyond that, I can't find any reason to finish the first season, and definitely won't be around for another.

The Idol (2023)

I'm Out (updated)

[1/10 · 14 June 2023]

If this was an attempt to show the seedy underbelly of the entertainment industry, it kind of succeeded. But, it wholly failed to entertain.

The lead actors and writing killed this show. Directing doesn't appear to have been helpful either.

This was not a role for The Weeknd. Love his music. This I do not. The part should have been given to someone else.

Lily-Rose Depp, I don't know. Is she overacting? Is this inexperience bleeding through onto the screen? Is this bad writing? Bad directing? Or all of the above? In addition to this, Depp's singing voice is sleep-inducing, rangeless and flat.

There is zero chemistry between the leads. In fact, one of them seems repulsed by the other in their scenes. I'll let other viewers figure that one out. If you've watched what others are calling "the worst sex scene in history" all across social media, then you already know. That's not a directing issue, that's a chemistry issue. And dishonorable mention: This is made worse by the incoherent, discombobulated writing.

The lyrics to most of Jocelyn's songs were really, really bad.

The writers for Jocelyn's "handlers" make them come across as neurotic and manipulative, but in an unrealistic way. I would have chosen a more insidious vibe for each instead of making their collective brain so overtly cheesy. They come across like a bumbling, incompetent committee.

Cameras were often sketchy and unsteady, making the series feel like an amateur docu from the 70s.

I'm not bothered, like many others are, by the wardrobe or the nudity or the sexual proclivities that are presented. People have kinks. Use your remotes if this bothers you. In any case, I wouldn't consider this "porn" as many have claimed. It's not even close.

Bottom line: The Idol is just bad overall. There's nothing to cling to or care about and it's disjointed beyond belief. The series thus far is low-grade rubbish in every way and I'm done with it.

---------------------------------------

Update. I caved to peer pressure and watched all episodes. My rating has lowered even further.

I would like to give mention to those that stood out, though, first. Da'Vine Joy Randolph was FLAWLESS. Hank Azaria is always a delight.

The Episode 5 performance and choreo for Dollhouse in Jocelyn's house was worse than terrible. It seemed like it was intended to be erotic, but it wasn't. It wasn't sexy, or beautiful, or even cute. I would have laughed if it wasn't so bad. Sorrynotsorry, Depp was not the person to sing that song. The studio effects didn't take the edge off her rangeless singing voice either.

This was a steaming pile of don't-waste-your-time, unless you actually and literally want to waste your time. I stand by my paragraph above that begins with "Bottom line."

Should have stuck with Amy Seimetz's version of the toxic industry.

Sam Levinson's Euphoria was good.

Sam Levinson's The Idol was not.

The Idol is incoherent.

Citadel (2023– )

It's like swinging at a pinata...

[1/10 · 14 June 2023]

And hoping at some point after beating it over and over and over something tangible will come out of it.

Where do I even begin...

The writing for this series is horrible. I noticed this right away in the opening scene. That's never a good sign, and as I suspected, it didn't improve.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas. I am not a fan. Never have been. Quantico was a great show, but she was a poor choice for the lead there, and here. She has no range at all. Her voice is flat and robotic, with barely any inflection. This isn't a personal attack, I just think maybe she should critique her own movies and series and perhaps look into an acting coach. Or maybe other career choices.

Richard Madden is a good actor (Game of Thrones, Medici) but this wasn't a good fit. Not at all. I honestly can't even pinpoint why, but he's just not the right vibe for "Mason."

There's zero chemistry between Jonas and Madden. None whatsoever.

There were other miscasts as well, but... why bother.

The fight choreography was downright cheesy.

Watching the series I found my mind wandering to a mental image of an enthusiastic film student behind the camera playing with buttons, settings and angles.

The overall plot for the series is pretty good but the writing is lazy and incohesive. That it hasn't been canceled yet is a surprise, but I won't torture myself with a second season.

I hate giving low ratings and bad reviews, but I also hate being disappointed by big hypes over inferior entertainment. It's inconceivable to me, with so many spy movie and series precedents, why this so awful, but I'm going to save some of my brain cells and not think on it any longer.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)

Best Bridgerton yet!!!

[9/10 · 6 May 2023]

Queen Charlotte effectively did away with the stench of the woefully poor casting choices in Bridgerton Season Two. That was a DNF for me, unlike Season One. I almost passed on watching this series because of that second season of the main series, but my affection for the Queen Charlotte's character in Bridgerton Season One drew me to give this spinoff a try. I'm happy that I watched it and I was riveted from start to finish.

This is a slam dunk for Shondaland and the Queen Charlotte character, my favorite of all the Bridgerton characters. I do remember thinking I wanted to see more of her and, so, here she is!

Most of the roles were perfectly cast. India Amarteifio's portrayal of Charlotte was perfection. Corey Mylchreest's portrayal was perfection. The two of them are solid choices for this pair and the chemistry is unimpeachable.

Golda Rosheuvel was present for an alternate timeline presentation and delivered a stunning performance once again as an older Queen Charlotte. It was nice to see James Fleet still in the role of King George as well.

One star off for casting Michelle Fairley as Princess Augusta. I'm not sorry at all to say that I would have rather seen someone lesser known in this role. Don't get me wrong. She's a fantastic actress. But, there were too many Catelyn Stark similarities to overlook and that was often an immersion breaker for me.

The writing was seamless and stellar. The story of Queen Charlotte and King George captures the heartstrings with heartbreaking obstacles along with unbreakable, enduring love. The entire season from start to finish far exceeded my expectations, which were already very high to begin with.

That ending was unlike any other, blending the two timelines with Golda Rosheuvel, James Fleet, Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest. Kudos to the crew for making this scene so incredibly poignant, a mixture of heartbreak and transcendent love. This was literally one of the most touching moments I've ever seen on television, to the point that I shed a few tears, and that's astronomically rare for me. I make this confession because that's how powerful this scene is. It's a culmination of all the adverse circumstances that Charlotte and George faced throughout the series.

I was captivated from beginning to end. To say that Queen Charlotte exceeded my expectations is an understatement. This truly is the best Bridgerton yet.

Enjoy!

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (2023)

A Good Sendoff!

[9/10 · 14 April 2023]

Farewell to one of the best series ever.

A tiny complaint about the rollercoaster camera during the lengthy fight.

I've not done a review for The Last Kingdom yet (even though I watched and loved it from the day it first aired). I miss many of the series' characters and I wish more would have been shown at the end. Maybe if Utred had seen more in Valhalla (where was Ragnar and a few others?), and then when he looked back to Bebbanburg he would have seen glimpses (aka "clips") of Beocca, Steapa, Aelswith, Alfred, Hild, Aethelstan, and more of the characters that we fell in love with. It would have been nice to have a final tribute to all these fine actors that made the series such a pleasure to watch.

If any of the cast and crew read this, I want to say I'm very grateful for this airtight closure, though I was in tears at the end. The series and movie were epic. Thank you for it all.

Please, pass the Kleenex.

The Night Agent (2023– )

It wasn't the best I've ever seen but...

[8/10 · 29 March 2023]

To begin, this isn't my genre at all. I happened to see a trailer and decided to pause my 3rd rewatch of The Last Kingdom to check it out.

I'm glad I did.

Though the plot is solid, the writing can't be rated "awesome." The delivery of the lines by all the actors made up for it though. The cast were chosen wisely. They were almost flawless, delivering their lines timely and with the right inflections and emotions.

The personal story of Ellen and Dale really didn't do anything for me at all, didn't develop the characters and didn't have any bearing on the overall story. I just found out that this was a novel adaptation, so maybe this just wasn't necessary to the finished product.

There was some rule bending, as there is with any and all CIA/FBI stories, so no stars off for that at all. It's not the first series to throw a civilian into the main plot. It was kind of weird that Rose caught onto everything so quickly.

It was fast paced. It made you think. It was one of those series where you think you know, only to find out that you don't. I low key suspected Farr wasn't the angel that she seemed to be.

I only caught one terrible green screen scene. Dead body, distraught partner/girlfriend. If you've seen it, you know.

It was great to see D. B. Woodside (from Lucifer) in this. His character was interesting.

Fola Evans-Akingbola's portrayal of Arrington was solid.

Overall the series was visually appealing and entertaining. It was worthy of my time and I watched the entire series. I'm hoping for another season, especially when the ending really left everything open to more.

With all the current garbage premiering on streaming platforms this one stands apart. Notably absent were all the forced tropes and sociopolitical jabs, making it a welcome and refreshing series.

True Lies (2023)

True Flop

[4/10 · 15 March 2023]

I'll get right to it. The biggest in-your-face main problem with this series is Ginger Gonzaga as the female lead. I watched two episodes and I'm done. The excessive body language and verbal immersion breaking over-performances are unfun and unappealing for a main character. There's literally no difference in her on-screen mannerisms between her performances here and She-Hulk. I didn't like the overacting there nor can I stand more of the same here. Whereas Jamie Lee Curtis was endearing in the movie version, Gonzaga's portrayal of Helen is downright annoying.

The writing and choreography for Helen is utterly ridiculous. No training, just "here's a gun, point and shoot" and who would have thunk it, you can use your yoga legs to choke a bad guy.

The premise, based on the movie, is solid. The delivery of it, however, is anything but. This series desperately needs to throttle back a bit on the comedic attempts since 80% of said comedic attempts here are not funny at all. This is partially the fault of the writing, while part of the blame lies with casting. I get that comedy was a huge part of the charm of the original movie. I've seen it. But here, all things considered, it's unbalanced and awkward.

One of the best actors in this show is Omar Miller. I've been a big fan since CSI: Miami. For some weird reason, his comedic lines don't hit ultra corny status at all. As I say in other reviews, voice inflection, facial expressions and body language are very, very important. He gives a solid performance here with no extremes of overdone or underdone. His comedic lines were actually funny and not hammish.

This series just doesn't seem like a good fit for Steve Howey as Harry. It's not his fault, but there's absolutely zero chemistry between him and Ginger Gonzaga. The writing for their marriage is tedious and her over-acting makes things even worse. And overall, his character is more sellable as a computer salesman than a spy. The whole henpecked husband wasn't fun to watch.

This show has too many unnecessary trope phrases, including "toxic masculinity." The use of it wasn't funny at all, nor was it entertaining. It felt forced and didn't fit. Humor is one thing, downright cheesy is yet another, which this was. This series might have had better reviews without the awkward incorporation of "edgy" terms coined and overused by narcissists on social media. There are alternative ways to add good humor without making the series feel like the script was written by first year college students.

I loved Deneen Tyler's portrayal as Mrs. Myers. This is more of the vibe that the series should have aimed for overall. Myers is absolutely hilarious in a reserved way, with a dead serious stoic face. I love love love her interpretation of the role. One of the best scenes within the first two episodes was her showing cat photos on her phone. Bonus that she was one of my favorite actors in Mayfair Witches as well. I didn't like that series either, but she also shined there.

Sorry not sorry, I wasn't feeling Beverly D'Angelo as the director of Omega in any way whatsoever. Everything about Trilby was empty, void and dull.

Honorable mention for Carlo Rota who can do nothing wrong. No matter what role he plays, he's a true professional. He reads the lines and interprets them with pinpoint accuracy.

The kids were great, doing what kids do and they're really good at their roles. The dynamic between them and Mrs. Myers was the best part of the series for me. But that's not the main premise of the show and, sadly, doesn't make up for everything else wrong with it.

I'm done with this one. Horrible writing, mostly mediocre cast, and the number of times I eyerolled in my mind is my cue not to watch any more episodes. It's cluttered, incoherent and the opposite of entertaining. What was James Cameron thinking here?

Wolf Pack (2023)

On the fence with this one.

[5/10 · 15 March 2023]

I loved Teen Wolf. Huge fan. But, I'm not sure what Jeff Davis was thinking here at all.

I've watched this through episode seven, and these are my observations. Let's dig in.

The special effects are mostly great, locations, sets and camera angles also great. Overall it's visually appealing.

I like the development of the main characters' abilities, albeit too slow for my taste.

One of the downsides of the show is it that there is a collective lack of experience by both casting and writing, prompting my mediocre rating. There's room for improvement if the series is greenlit for a second season, but one thing is certain: this first season is light years from the level of storytelling found in Teen Wolf.

Chloe Rose Robertson does well with her Luna role. Smart and low key, she's not excessive with any of her lines, which is good in comparison with some of the other cast members. And, the backstory for Luna and Harlan is mostly well written and interesting.

I'm a big fan of Rio Mangini now. Great acting as Austin, and fantastic on the piano. Despite any noteworthy experience thus far, he has a bright future and I look forward to seeing more of him in other projects.

Though many people are lured in by the clips with Sarah Michelle Gellar, her performance overall is shockingly disappointing, with a remarkable number of bad readings of her lines for Ramsey. Add on that there's mostly no emotional range, just flat and monotone deliveries of said lines. Ramsey is boring overall. This was one of the biggest disappointments, as was her makeup. What's up with the excessive use of caked-on orange makeup in most of her scenes?

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Lanny Joon overacts his lines in his Officer Jang role, and it's absolutely immersion breaking. Maybe it's him, maybe it's a production interpretation, but either way, it's unnecessary, excessive and hammish, in a Harry Hamlin/Mayfair Witches kind of way. It would have been better for him to read the lines with a lot less aggro and portray Jang as laid back, calculated and insidious.

Two of the kids, Everett and Blake, have less than desirable family complications. Some of these situations and instances are completely unnecessary to the overall story. Does it build their characters? Yes. But it's overdone. I would have preferred less of that and more of the main story.

Tyler Lawrence Gray does a fantastic job as Harlan, but the excessive overuse of the hookups written for him is tired and cliche.

I'm going to continue watching. Even though it's not fantastic, it's not horrible either. But I'm not going to lie. At the time of this writing, I can't say I'd miss it if it were canceled.

Into the Badlands (2015–2019)

ITB is in a league of its own

[9/10 · 14 March 2023]

I watched this at the airing of the first episode and stayed with it from beginning to end. Late and lengthy fangirl review incoming!

First let me say that I'm surprised at how many reviewers have no clue whatsoever about steampunk or martial arts choreography. It low key annoys me when someone rates a genre they know nothing about. Thankfully the majority of reviewers do understand the genre and enjoyed the series.

Where can I even start, there's just so much positive to say about this series...

As I've said in a few of my reviews, body language and voice inflection are very important to me, and factor heavily into many of my ratings. This was a perfect storm of a perfect cast. I can say with a straight face that I do not recall any blatant miscues.

The cast. Wow. WOW wow WOW. I'm a forever fan of many of these. Below are my favs in the series, though I have love for each and every one of the cast.

Daniel Wu as Sunny: I just love the writing for Sunny and I love how Wu portrays him as both dark hero and a deadly protector.

Emily Beecham as The Widow: Beautiful and talented, she nailed her part. I loved The Widow for the range of the character. Protector, avenger, both friend and foe are situationally interchangeable with this character! The writing and casting were in perfect sync for this role. Just awesome awesome (yes, 2x) writing for this character and Beecham did a stunning job. And oh em gee, her wardrobe, makeup and hair were impeccably gorgeous!

Aramis Knight as M. K.: Dark and brooding, rebellious and stubborn, this character grows into a force to be reckoned with. It's a frustrating journey, though, because he's had some hard knocks that shaped his early life and he has a hard time shaking that all off to shape who he will become.

Orla Brady as Lydia: Adaptable, strong, intelligent, persevering survivor beyond most of what the rest of us could or would endure. Lydia is a graceful and beautiful heroine navigating around warring factions.

Nick Frost as Bajie: Frost brought the comedic relief without breaking any immersion whatsoever. His lines were well written, and he spoke his lines perfectly, while he brought his own unique Frost"esque" flavor to the role. He's super talented and was a perfect addition to the cast in season two.

Marton Csokas as Quinn: Quinn was dangerous backstabbing d**k. But Csokas was spectacular at the role. His voice, always so commanding and powerful. His body language and facial expressions fit the role so well that I truly believe no one else could have done it anywhere near his level. And I don't know how, or why, but I loved the role of Quinn even as I hated him. Csokas. Perfection. Brilliant.

Sherman Augustus as Nathaniel Moon: dangerous man of stature and grace, done well by Augustus. Both mentor and destroyer. I loved this character.

I love love love the choreography. It's wild, untamed, beautiful and mesmerizing.

Love the sets. I was swept away to a fictional place with warring factions, special "gifts," martial arts, gorgeous scenery, epic choreography, spectacular makeup and wardrobes, just... everything.

From the first episode I was swept into it all. I've watched it 2x since and will rewatch again soon. It was an epic journey with a bit of wiggle room at the end for a spinoff or sequel.

That's my review, and yes, Into the Badlands is as good as I describe it, in my notsohumble opinion.

Enjoy!

The Ark (2023– )

Speechless

[1/10 · 14 March 2023]

Straight to the point.

This looked like a low budget venture, and it likely is, given that many of the cast and crew share the CW catastrophe entitled "The Outpost." How that got four seasons is beyond me when I barely made it through the first half of the first season of that series.

Like The Outpost, this show also features terrible writing, inexperienced cast and crew, cheap/amateurish sets and abysmal effects. The only exception is that The Ark beats a dead horse with the "fate of mankind depends on this mission" plot that has been done and redone, resurrected and remade time plus time and time again. Also, just curious, was directing completely MIA, cause dayum. How can you not see the miscues right in front of your face and call this a finished product ready to air???

The collective inexperience of the cast bleeds onto the screen.

The collective inexperience of the crew bleeds onto the screen.

It was a poorly written trail mix of teen angst and hormones with sprinklings of 21st century issues irrelevant to the mission at hand.

It is hard to believe that with all the technology we possess today, most of the (un)"special" effects of The Ark were on par with series from the 1990s. Early SG-1 comes to mind, though that series gets an unimpeachable pass for having excellent writing, directing and cast.

It feels bad to write a review like this for something that falls under one of my top genres, but I'd prefer to walk myself to the nearest airlock and let myself out rather than watch any more of this.

Lady Voyeur (2023)

Muy Caliente!

[8/10 · 13 March 2023]

It feels like a lot of reviewers know very little about the culture from whence this series came. Thankfully this is not a Hollywood creation. The series is not obliged to conform to the expectations of an American audience, nor is it reliant on the American audience to measure its success. This isn't the first foreign series to get review bombed and still be mega successful on the global level, as indicated elsewhere on the world wide web where people are already asking for a second season.

Let's clarify a couple things. There wasn't as much sex in the series as some of the reviewers would have you believe. They make it sound like it's every 5 minutes. It's not. There are plenty of other things going on.

To be fair, the "voyeur" instances were few. Some were repeated via flashbacks to add additional details that set up upcoming plot twists. Based on that I don't feel feel that the title fit the series overall, but it's a catchy title nonetheless.

Two stars off. One for Ingrid Klug being cast as Rita, and the second star off for the writing for Rita. I've said this in a lot of my reviews: voice inflection and body language are important. Her characterization as Rita was corny, cheesy, and immersion breaking, but that was, in part, because of really bad writing for the character. Since Rita doesn't have much relevance to the overall story to have such a big part in it. I fast forwarded through most of the scenes with her in them.

The beauty in this type of storytelling is that just when you think you've figured out the plot, and who did what, you find out that you haven't figured out anything at all. The story twists and turns with murder, danger, sex, romance, betrayal and intrigue. It keeps you engaged, which is the kind of storytelling that I have grown to love in telenovelas. This one was one of the most complex and detailed that I've ever watched.

If you're familiar with Latin American and Iberian style storytelling you'll enjoy this thoroughly. It's not perfect, but it's really good.

The Last of Us (2023– )

And then there were Episodes 3 and 4. (updated)

[1/10 · 3 February 2023]

(((Read through or scroll to the end for the update.)))

Episode 1 was a solid 10. Episode 2 was a 7. Like other reviewers, episode 3 killed it for me. I even watched episode 4 to see if we get past the TWD level mid season snoozefest, it didn't happen.

Episodes like TLoU episodes 3 and 4 are the precise reasons I left many seasons of The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead unwatched. Both series started to have more and more character drama without the constant feel of the zombie threat tension. A few other series have done similar, and almost 100% of the time if it happens once, it's likely to happen again.

The same issue is now found here. Episode 3 was a bizarre atmospheric change and was very disappointing considering the pace of the first two episodes. Episode 4 was barely an improvement. All I could think about was how TWD "Alphaesque" Kathleen is, sans the Walker skin mask.

Regarding episode 3, to be crystal clear, I don't care if it's Jake and Jake, Susie and Susie, or Jake and Susie. I like to watch series with consistent episodes that stay on point and don't drift aimlessly into off-topic irrelevance. Episode 4 was zero clickers and nothing sets it apart from the average post-apocalypse series. This simply wasn't the vibe from episodes 1 and 2 that I was drawn into at all.

Update:

Because many of my friends said that the series improved, I watched all the way through.

I've not changed my mind at all. It's still just a drama series based on the video game and it spends less than half of the time on "clickers," when they're a central theme. For me, it's on par with the Resident Evil series adaptation. There's danger that lurks in the night, but in both series the biggest danger is other humans.

Yawn.

Mayfair Witches (2023– )

A Drama With Some Witches (updated)

[2/10 · 16 January 2023]

(((Read through or scroll to the end for the update.)))

What a mess.

To start with, this show has a really, REALLY weird vibe, like it's purposefully trying to repel you rather than pull you in. I watched the first two episodes and so far there are no words to describe my disappointment.

The good:

Annabeth Gish is fantastic as Dierdre. And that's about it.

The not good:

Alexandra Daddario is completely wrong for this role. Facial expressions and voice inflection are as important for (what should be) a reasonable facsimile of the author's depiction of the character. She's a very awkward and unconvincing Rowan. The wrongness of this casting is palpable and consistent throughout the two episodes that are available.

Eighty percent of the casting is mostly horrible, stale or unremarkable. In every scene in the available episodes (1-2) there was no chemistry at all between the the actors. No exceptions. It was what it was, people simply reading what was given to them to read, and nothing more, with one exception. Harry Hamlin overcompensated with unnecessarily over-emoted flamboyant, whimsical speech and body language. That was so bizarre that I have no words to describe it.

The writing is all over the place and it falls flat. I should be pulled into any series' first episode, but that was not the case here at all. There's nothing to latch onto here.

The tedious aftershow "splaining" (a now-permanent AMC feature) does nothing to compensate the viewers' time spent either, especially when considering the regretful and collective lack of experience of most of the crew.

I read an article where Harry Hamlin says "'Things Begin To Explode' After Episode 5." This a MAJOR common problem with many contemporary low quality series getting cranked out lately.

No. One. Should. Have. To. Wait. Until. Episode. Five.

I know I won't.

I call AMC the "Drama With (Insert Genre Here)" network for good reason. Its baseline is mediocre production, writing and casting with a little genre sprinkled in.

This won't stick like the Walking Dead franchise did. Interview might last another season or two, but not this one, not at this pace. Not at all.

Update:

I'll not make a separate review like others do. I stand by this review, even after somehow making my way through the entire first season.

I'll not be watching the second season, if there is any. Alexandra Daddario (still immersion breaking as Rowan) and the adaptation as a whole are just not hitting the genre spot at all.

When I first found out that Rice was shopping her books (this and Interview) for potential series, I was concerned. Now I know for certain that my initial instincts were valid. I was hoping for better treatment of Rice's literary genius.

Peacemaker (2022– )

It's as entertaining as Gunn's interviews

[8/10 · 27 December 2022]

Just as Gunn pulls no punches when explaining his creations in interviews, the writing for this show also doesn't hold back. It's The Boys level of shock and awe. I remember thinking that on my first watch through.

Here are the things I loved most:

-James Gunn's hands are all over this series and I love it.

-Vigilante. There's no one that could have been better than Freddie Stroma for this role. His laughter is so contagious that (more than a couple of times) I had to hit pause on my remote to get my own laughter under control.

-The opening credits dance, which I had to learn, and did learn. Why do I love it? Because it made no sense, and also simply because it's there.

-Eagly. Show stealer.

-I just love how Viola Davis is Amanda Waller in everything as head of A. R. G. U. S.

-The super friends' appearances were pretty awesome (except for Miller, and I won't be watching the Flash movie either).

-Robert Patrick brought the obnoxious content to this series in a spectacularly offensive way.

What I hate: season two will be the final season. This is a spectacular breakaway series I wish would continue beyond a second season. The good news is that there's going to be more upcoming Gunn/DC content on the way.

Bel-Air (2022– )

Nothing Fresh, New or Unique Here.

[3/10 · 25 December 2022]

Right from the start, it's annoyingly clear that everyone's lives and decisions have to align with Uncle Phil's campaign aspirations to be the next Los Angeles District Attorney. No one in the Banks family has autonomy over their own lives.

In that regard, the series is aptly named Bel-Air, instead of something Fresh Prince-esque, because it's more about a family's day to day activities in relation the patriarch of the family, and to Bel Air culture and politics. I didn't want it to be like the original series, though. That's one of the things I liked about it.

But... since it revolves around Uncle Phil, what do you have, by default?

An onslaught of California politics.

Yay!

(not)

Let's go with the good first. Though I don't agree with a lot of the tedious sociopolitical pandering in the series, I do truly love some of these actors and characters.

Adrian Holmes is awesome as Uncle Phil. And though he can dip into some shady solutions to various situations, he's still approachable as any good father is.

I love Coco Jones as this Hillary. She's savvy and smart, but stumbled on her first venture out of the proverbial nest. That's to be expected from most of us. So, I love this Hillary. She's real and relatable, in spite of the pool house and wardrobe.

I wanted to see more of Lisa. Her stepmomma drama got old real fast. I wanted to see more of her athletic (swimming) accomplishments and dreams. I'm sad that this was just a short blip on the radar. I would have liked to see way more focus on this, especially in light of her family issues.

I love this Geoffrey too. Geoffrey reminds me of the Dembe character on The Blacklist. He knows what you need even before you do. Bravo Jimmy Akingbola. And great writing for him.

This Jazz was great. Jordan L. Jones brings some real charisma to the series. As good as original Jazz, and yet a completely different Jazz. I love his music store and the backstory. Old school, fantastic vibe. And I love that he's humble.

I don't have anything against April Parker Jones, but I caught my mind wandering, wondering what Christine Adams (formerly Lynn Pierce from Black Lightning) would have brought to the role. Lynn Pierce is one of my personal favorite tv mom models that I can think of. I loved her in Black Lightning.

I didn't like some of the writing for Vivian either. You know what you're getting into when you drop everything to be the politician's smiling wife, so that you can maintain the crib and the lifestyle. So this "poor Vivian" being portrayed deeper into the series is neither realistic, nor relatable.

I didn't like that Ashley was made into a 12 year old activist. That's literally the entire scope of her character. She's like a little Greta activist prop in the series. Couldn't just let her be a kid, right? And to be clear, my African American friends have confirmed to me that they would never. Ever. Let their child dunk on their pastor about social issues while he's shaking hands outside before church.

As much as I hate to say this, I wasn't feeling Jabari Banks. This was mostly because of voice inflection, body language and facial expressions. With very little previous acting history listed, this particular casting was a big risk. It's understandable that there were a lot of miscues, but production should have taken care of that during filming. I just don't understand how no one saw this.

I was shocked at how many people thought this was an original Fresh Prince reboot and complained in their reviews. Did anyone bother to watch previews or read articles first? Any ratings based on that should be absolutely ignored. There was no false advertising here at all. Though I obviously didn't care for the series overall, there was no wrongdoing here.

At the end of the day, though, this just wasn't entertaining to me and I didn't finish the season. The series had a megaton of potential for character development, but despite a fantastic cast, the writing kills it, and nothing sets it apart from other series.