icyharris-539-169904 Reviews

Project Runway (2004– )

Got sucked into watching this with a fashionista

[8/10 · 3 November 2014]

I didn't think I would watch this show beyond a couple of seasons, but I've been hooked since about 2011'ish. Probably, I'm a student of fashion myself having subscribed to Vogue earlier in my life, I appreciate the hard work and vision that go into a design. In fact, I was sorely disappointed that the same design aesthetics were missing from a high end clothing I visited. I would hire any of these alums, including the ones that didn't win to design that store's clothes instead of the high priced, boring, shapeless, and poorly made stuff they had to offer.

I'm a sucker for well constructed pieces over high design. If you crochet, pleat, dye, or create cut outs for your pieces in the short time you have, you're a winner in my book. It seems the designers and guest judges like risk taking. But then again, I don't know what they like from season to season. Sometimes they will lambast poor sewers, sometimes they will say, even it is meticulously executed, that is boring and old-fashioned. So what's a contestant to do?

Also, you can tell some designers have a particular niche that often gets characterized as a one trick, monotonous pony. But every designer working now has a niche. Some do more movie and stage costumes, some design the over the top outfits for the stars, some do more cutesy kiddy clothes, some do more street or casual wear and some do ready to wear. That doesn't make them a bad designer just because the contestants gravitate toward and do well at a particular design. On the bad hand, some people's personalities overshadow their work and irritate the other contestants and even the judges. On the good hand, where does Tim Gunn get his suits made? I have never seen him be less than impeccable. Now, Heidi Klum has some hits or misses, but she's still a pretty woman.

That said, I wish the show would incorporate more designs for males as well as for the disabled, buxom, plus sized, petite, athletic, children, and elderly. They want to look fabulous too! Tired of seeing these mousy, thin and boring models. Some of the outfits have literally been made or broken by how the model struts her stuff or the expression on her face. Even if you don't like the outfit or how it fits, work that thing! That kind of sullenness would never work on the most famous runways and I bet half the models hate what they have to wear. Where do they get these models from?

Face Off (2011–2018)

If these are supposed to be aspiring artists...

[3 November 2014]

Why do their creations looked 10X better than the makeup jobs of half the shows on their channel, SyFy. Ever since I started watching this show, I am more observant on modern makeup jobs. To me, Star Wars set the standard, dispensing with bad masks and obviously zippered costumes. For these contestants, considering the time and budget they have, create some convincing creatures that match or even rival those special effects. What I hate though, which is a similar beef I have with "Project Runway" and "American Idol" is that they want the artists to be diverse when you can tell some of them are more comfortable with a particular genre- and I'm sure they will be just as successful as people that are more versatile. Like some are better at kiddie movie type makeup, some for horror movies, some for lightweight fantasy fare, some for comedies, and some for shows needing realistic battle and murder victim wounds. All I can say is SyFy and other productions, you need to hire some of these people and fire your current staff!

What Would You Do? (2009– )

This show needs to go

[4/10 · 3 November 2014]

It has overstayed it's welcome. They're starting to recycle the same actors and even the same scenarios. They're doing it so much so that some of the participants are even starting to catch saying things like, "This is like that show, 'What Would You Do?'" or "I knew something was off." That's how you know you should go! There's no longer the element of surprise. The scenarios are so over the top as well as the actors/actresses. And I've asked since I started watching the show off and on with my family whether people are really that nosy. I'm sure there have been many situations similar to this where I've heard a parent in the store being too stern or their kids being too wild, or where I should have stopped to help or I overheard a disturbing conversation. But I mind my own business! Everyone doesn't always like or appreciate your intervention. I don't think that makes me uncaring or oblivious just because I don't jump into everyone's conversation and confront someone who obviously has issues. Finally, I feel like they have an agenda as they address a certain issue every episode. I understand bringing things to light, but every episode?

Impractical Jokers (2011– )

Someone's gonna get hurt...

[4/10 · 3 November 2014]

At least that's what Skylar Grey sang in, "Final Warning." I have no idea why this quartet has not been beat up, sued or seriously hurt doing their pranks. I thought some of the pranks Amir and Streeter that they did to each other were brutal- and dangerous- but this is times 10. They have some hilarious tame clips like the time they were supposed to be teaching a telemarketing class and pretending to be Subway employees, but then they have truly tasteless pranks, even for cable. I constantly have to tell my daughter to turn it off when they get to some of their more off- color jokes. It obviously entertains a lot of people, but I won't be sad when it goes. Bring back harmless and tame prank shows like Hidden Camera!

Switched at Birth (2011–2017)

Drama that took a turn

[8/10 · 3 November 2014]

This show had the opportunity to showcase the deaf community in all it's diversity and similar challenges, but it devolved into a soap opera designed to see who's the boyfriend/girlfriend/fling of the week. I agree with a lot of posters who also see missed opportunities for the two lead characters to have gal pals- besides each other- and to spend some episodes not hugged up with somebody or in some love triangle. I still like the strength of Katherine and John's marriage despite its strains because TV families today are divided equally between dsyfunctional, broken, or unconventional to strong family units who suffer some of the same challenges its viewers do. Glad it's coming back, but wondering how they will handle the next season.

The Real (I) (2013–2022)

Squandered a great opportunity

[7/10 · 3 November 2014]

For once, there's an ensemble talk show that doesn't have minorities as tokens, but the entire show is made up of minorities! However, as another reviewer said, there's not enough "real" about it. It seems as though Tamera and Loni are the only ones who embrace their natural color hair- mostly, and Adrienne and Tamera are the only wearing their "natural" hair. Why make a big deal about hair and not content? Because you can't really claim real if you are manufactured and they squandered an opportunity to showcase minority women in all their natural glory. I thought I would never say this, but why is Loni almost the mature of all of them? I enjoy her on "The World's Dumbest," but she moderates like a boss and takes her role seriously. She keeps the discussion on track and breaks up the frequent catfights. It doesn't even seem as if the ladies all even like each other, which makes for really bad chemistry. If I wanted catfights, I'd tune into the numerous "reality" shows out there, but what I wanted was a more down to earth version of "The View" and "The View." Instead, what I get is this. And their segments on recipes is laughable as none of them look like they would ever prepare such, much less eat it. The games are semi-fun, although they, like Wendy Williams' games, delve too much in the personal making the guests look visibly uncomfortable. It's a shame that the show could lose one co- host, and I think you know who she is, and not suffer. The classiest of the quintet are Tamera, Jeannie and Loni (even with her sometimes off color comments). Adrienne provides that Latina sass. No more comments.

The Blacklist (2013–2023)

James Spader doing what he does

[9/10 · 3 November 2014]

James Spader is never going to disappoint. He's got that smarmy, overconfident character down to a tee. In fact, have I ever seen him play a regular, average Joe? He's that person here. I think I missed an episode or too where it was explained who he is and what he really does, but no matter, he seems to be always right on the money when he outs the dregs in the underworld- so why, Lizzie, why do you still keep doubting him? Lizzie is played with a surprising vulnerability by Megan Boone. Usually law enforcement females seem to be unflappable like Kate in Castle, Olivia in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, or Teresa in The Mentalist. My only other favorite character is Aram. Reminds me of Charlie in Numb3rs. And the shadowy husband. How come I can't let go of his image as the devoted and loving husband? Exactly the kind of guy you need to weed out potentially bad dating prospects. Everyone else is okay, but needed to flesh out the show. It follows the format of "Fringe" where we're introduced to creep of the week without having them be a recurring character for the rest of the show.

Resurrection (2013–2015)

Nothing Like the book, "The Returned" or like the French show, "The Returned"

[3 November 2014]

I heard criticism leveled at this show because it copied the French show, "The Returned." No, it didn't because it is nothing like it. Same with the book, from which it borrows bits and pieces, but has evolved into its own story. It's amazing that in this ensemble cast, there's only two unlikable characters. Even those with hints of shadiness or coldness thawed out as you saw either their backstory or saw what they'd become either after their or their loved ones returning. Omar Epps is as good as ever matched by his partner in crime, Devin Kelley. Not sure why in this season, they've played down Jacob's part, because the actor playing him, Landon Gimenez, has the kind of face you just want to squeeze, but when you pull back from him, reveals a face that knows too much to just be a kid. And I don't know how Frances Fisher does it, but she looks like a sexy grandma! You feel sorry for her and her TV husband's initial loss of Jacob, but they get a second chance by convincingly playing more of a grandparently role to their returned son. For brothers, I don't know why they chose Kurtwood Smith and Matt Craven to be brothers because they have no physical resemblance almost to the point of distraction. However, the actress they picked to play Kelley mother's looks so similar that you almost feel like they could be sisters/mother- daughter. Part of me feels like they'll pull this show before giving it a real chance, but I'm glad to have spent time with the citizens of Arcadia so far.

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)

Makes you nostalgic for a time past

[8/10 · 3 November 2014]

In the first half of the movie, I wanted to join the lead character in her idyllic world hearkening of a time past, a culture past, and an animation style long since abandoned in mainstream "cartoons." Only having watched several Asian movies did it prepare me for a bittersweet second half. Having said that, it was torture sitting that long in the movie hoping for a different outcome than what we would eventually be presented. I don't know the source folk tale the movie was based on but I do see traces of the Little Mermaid in it. It just shows how universal some fairy tale themes are and how they are altered just a tad depending on the culture.

If I was basing my enjoyment just on the last half and it's length, I would give this a lower rating. However, I am basing this on the fact that Studio Ghibli continues to put out meaningful movies, ala, "Graveyard of the Fireflies." While there is a place for fantastical worlds and Disneyfied endings to fairy/folktales for the occasional escapism one needs to take in life, the source material for those Disney movies were very dark. I think it's necessary to fill one's childhood with a good balance of both because life doesn't always go how you want. There was nary a child in my showing which is a shame because I think mature children could have enjoyed this as well. The surprise in my showing was that there were so many men in the audience who did not look like they were drug there by a wife or girlfriend. Maybe they are like me with a love for Studio Ghibli and anything they do.

How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020)

This is my confession...

[3 November 2014]

I only watch the show to see what Viola Davis wears each episode. The show is so darn confusing that I have stopped trying to figure it out. However, I am so glad Davis is willing to stretch her dramatic wings and that the show was willing to cast her. She's not a conventional beauty and unlike what many reviewers and posters say, I think she looks smoking in every outfit the stylists have her in. In the first episode, I was so happy that she wasn't playing the downtrodden victim and the actress who must have it written in her contract that she must cry at least once- then she did. Oh well... She chews up the scenery in that deep, slightly scary, but confident voice. Now of the rest of the characters, I find myself only liking Wes, and that's a shame because there are at least 10 other regulars on the show. Oh, and Nate, because how could someone not like someone brimming with that much smoldering combination of confidence and sultriness?

Black-ish (2014–2022)

Two scene stealers keep me watching the show

[3 November 2014]

It so funny to me that Laurence Fishburne so successfully plays the grumpy old man to Anthony Anderson when there's about a decade in the two actor's ages in real life. But all Fishburne has to do is peer over his glasses to get a giggle from me which turns into a full on laugh at whatever he says next. He's a more likable version of George Lopez's mother on his sitcom with well-timed and delivered zingers. And then Marsai Martina as the youngest daughter is like this generation's Dee from "What's Happenin'?" Smart mouth little sisters can devolve into brats ala Seventh Heaven or deliver the biggest laughs of the show.

It's also so nice to see Joan, I mean Tracee Ellis Ross successfully play a mom because you could never see Joan from Girlfriends ever having a nuclear family. Now her portrayal as a doctor is a little less convincing. Next laughster is Marcus Scribner playing the oldest son, though not as hilarious as the aforementioned, he manages to get a chuckle from me. Every comedy show always seems to need a "dumb" character- and he fits the bill. A mimbo as "Seinfeld" would have called him. The other kids are okay, but they round out the crew. So nice to see Anthony Anderson grow from being the bumbling thief in Barbershop to this believable upper middle class businessman.

I don't think this show is worthy of the criticism of being yet another poorly written and acted sitcom with an all black cast. I'm one of those people that actually find Tyler Perry's House of Pain and Meet the Browns funny. I think some people get to highbrow in their comical tastes when my opinion of a comedy is whether it makes me laugh. Also, despite it's title, the theme of this show does not entirely revolve around race and racism in America. It's really just a puffball entry into the family comedy genre and shouldn't offend or alienate anybody.

The Judge (2014)

Straddles two generations of great actors

[8/10 · 3 November 2014]

If you've been following Robert Duvall's career since his debut as Boo Radley in, "To Kill a Mockingbird," you could take it for granted that he has earned staying in the business this long. If you're of the generation that only knows Robert Downey, Jr. as "Iron Man," here's where you get to see that he's no one trick pony. His smarmy attitude basically gets transplanted here, except with a backstory. It baffles me how some reviewers felt misled by the trailers into thinking this was a pure comedy whereas in the trailer I saw, it was more of a dramedy. It was obvious that both father and son had some deep history. Since I also straddle two generations, I could identify with both parties in a way I couldn't have when I was a childless 20something.

This is another example of a movie where it takes two strong actors to pull off these two strong characters. They both chew the scenery like the dramatic courtroom scene between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men" and the scene between Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in, "Heat." This was one of those movies where the journey was more important than the destination because you kind of know where it's going.

However, I do agree with other reviewers that some characters and side stories were unnecessary. That it was so maudlin that it bordered on emotionally manipulative. That it was overly long. However, I object to it's length for more than mere editing. Having watched a ton of European movies, they often have, "Is that it?" endings when the credits begin to roll. It forces your mind to create your own ending based on the information you've been presented with before in the movie. The Silence was a great example. The beauty of those kinds of endings is no two people come up with the same ending, as you can clearly see on heated threads on IMDb. It's like European movies are brave enough to not fill in the blanks, not put all the missing puzzle pieces together, not attempt to wrap things up in a pretty little bow, because that's how life is. In this movie, as I felt with, "Flight," that there were about several ending images where the film could have left a cinematic and emotional impact much more than the path it chose to take. That's what keeps me from rating it a perfect 10. However, it does not take away the enjoyment of the movie.

Whiplash (2014)

Black Swan- for men

[9/10 · 3 November 2014]

We were deciding on movies to watch at the local cinema and somehow I mixed up the plot lines of Daniel Radcliffe's "Horns" with "Whiplash," and thought it was a horror movie. We ended up deciding to see this. I was half right- this was a horror movie. Not a horrible movie, but a horror movie. It shows how blind ambition can descend into obsession and how mentoring can turn into sadism.

This is the second movie I've seen in a week where two strong characters are played by two strong actors and that's what makes this film work. The first was, "The Judge." In this movie, it's like the scene in West Side Story where Tony and Maria only have eyes for each other and everything else is a blur. You can see glimpses of how the other musicians feel about the showdown, but the show is clearly Teller's and Simmons. What made Teller's performance to me is the contrast between his obsessive desire to be great and respected to just having a poker face in a pivotal scene with him and Simmons. Teller's face is a blank stare where you don't know if he's thinking, "What's my next line?" or "On, a twisted level, I understand where he's coming from." or "This man is sadistic man trying to justify it." So without the verbal and non-verbal cues, you have no definitive answer to how he really thinks of his mention. And Simmons is Simmons, as usual.

The other thing I appreciated was that it kept me on the edge of my seat like any good thriller. Most of the time, I can call a movie from beginning to end because of it's predictable plot. This one I had no idea what would happen next. I was tense the entire movie and it took a minute to finally catch my breath when the movie faded to black. You can't even say that there was no reason to have such a visceral response because no one died, because well, you can't. Masterfully done, with subtle closeup shots that you wonder whether they were done as clues or just shots to be closeup shots. And being a jazz aficionado, it helped to have an awesome soundtrack. Look forward to buying it because the performances of the pieces in the movie were unmercifully short.

The Wendy Williams Show (2008–2022)

Like the guilty pleasure of picking up a gossip rag in the grocery store checkout line

[9/10 · 31 October 2014]

You know how you're in the grocery store and either you're just bored or there's a shocking headline on the front cover of a celebrity magazine, you just gravitate toward it and thumb through the pages? Then, you put it back and figure, "How did I get sucked into this stuff? I have got to stop reading these celebrity mags." That's how Wendy Williams is. The difference is that, while she dishes on fellow celebs like TMZ, Perez Hilton and Radar Online, I don't think she does it in a mean spirited way. I feel like whatever she says on the show, she has no problem with saying to her target's face. She's sometimes on point with the advice she gives to celebs in trouble.

She also respects her guests by not pressing harder than they are comfortable sharing. I'm always surprised who comes on, like Judge Judy, Dr. Phil, and Anderson Cooper, considering it's basically a gossip show. Underneath the treading carefully in what she says to appease a wide demographic, is a fairly conservative family woman. I also watch it to see what outfit she's going to wear next. She somehow manages to be sassy, but sophisticated and dresses appropriately for her age. I decided to read up on her and you can see that her formal education in communications shows. Maybe it's just that there is a very prominent person co-hosting another daytime talk show who is just ghetto in comparison, so, to me, Wendy shows us how it's supposed to be done.