If you were going to produce a show that was as uninteresting as say, Hawaii Five O, you could not do any better than this mess. The frenetic action is almost laughable in as much as the the completely unknown pig eyed hero "star" has absolutely none of the grace of the original Richard Dean Anderson. Sometimes no matter how much money one spends the result may still be crap. Poorly directed, poorly written, it is a total mess. Don't waste your time. It will, I predict, not last more than a season. Boring beyond belief. I suggest you turn your attention to British cop shows. At least they know how to develop a character. I think it's sad that George Eads thought he would do better here than with CSI ...... An astonishing miscalculation on his part.
Reviews
50 Reviews
Kidnap and Ransom
(2011–2012)
The worlds most glaring plot hole
9 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
While a bit slow and mildly interesting this particular Trevor Eve "staring off into space while not saying anything" offering features one of the most glaring plot holes I have ever experienced...... In the second episode we discover that the female kidnap victim has been released at a bargain price, after being stolen from another set of two bit kidnappers, essentially to get access to her husbands formula for an anti-obesity drug worth billions.
While this apparently takes too long for the professional kidnappers, they proceed to kidnap the daughter of the original victim to force the husband of the returned victim to reveal the formula....... What??
Why not simply kidnap the weak willed sissy of a husband? .... Why involve anyone else at all?? .... It is clearly apparent that anyone the least bit skilled in interrogation cold turn the punk husband in about two hours...... After all, the pros consisted of experienced international mercenaries supposedly...... I couldn't get by this particular glaring bit of story line and it definitely colored my appreciation for the entire thing.
If one cannot accept the premise, one cannot accept the punchline.
While this apparently takes too long for the professional kidnappers, they proceed to kidnap the daughter of the original victim to force the husband of the returned victim to reveal the formula....... What??
Why not simply kidnap the weak willed sissy of a husband? .... Why involve anyone else at all?? .... It is clearly apparent that anyone the least bit skilled in interrogation cold turn the punk husband in about two hours...... After all, the pros consisted of experienced international mercenaries supposedly...... I couldn't get by this particular glaring bit of story line and it definitely colored my appreciation for the entire thing.
If one cannot accept the premise, one cannot accept the punchline.
The Bastard Executioner
(2015)
I object to reviews with vested interests
11 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
First, this is an excellent show. It is every bit as good as the last kingdom or the Vikings from history channel due to the fact that it is not about large historical battles or historical characters who, in actuality we generally know little about factually anyway from those times. It is character driven which may be the problem for all those delusional fantasists that like to dress up like vikings or play games involving them. The sad thing is that there are so many reviews that are so obviously nonsense by people who, regardless of their date of joining, have never reviewed anything else, ever before. Don't you find that strange? I am incredibly offended by these nebulous shills, who for reasons of their own, are either paid or otherwise compelled to give a show a bad review. Don't you find it strange that someone from Turkey or Belgium who joined six or seven years ago makes a bad review in 2015 of this one show? I would warn those who read these reviews to beware of those types of reviews. Generally speaking I completely disregard single reviewers and I hope you do as well. Watch it, make up your own minds. Hollywood is a cutthroat place as you all know. Jealousies run rampant. It's taken me five episodes to realize that this is truly a love story. While I do love the combat and machinations of the devious political elements involved the fact that it's turning out to be a possible love story sort of thrills me, I did not expect it. Sagall is superior. Hardly recognizable physically from previous roles. It is worth it just to watch the witch.
Zoo
(2015–2017)
Unbelievable
30 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This must clearly be a manifestation of some bizarre hunting son of a bitch because it is was fairly clear that this was a fantasy that would never exist in the real world, even as a contrived fiction. Killing the lions, at the shock event, would be relatively easy, even if they were crawling allover, or acting in any other bizarre manner, all over the jeep. What I was most nonplussed about was the fact that our hero, presumably, missed a shot at less than 100 feet. He would have to be the worst, most inept shot in the world. I am uninterested in the nonsense that these people are presenting and will watch something else as a result. Apparently I don't have enough lines in my review to be acceptable. I will say, I+ was particularly annoyed by the addition of the foreign woman with the annoying accent. Didn't see the need for it or for her other than to appeal to those jerks that need a Girl with a dragon tattoo fix. This may be the most morally offensive show I have had the misfortune to see, with the exception of combat footage of the Vietnam conflict.
Can't stand this show
30 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
If this episode doesn't demonstrate the flaws in these characters as written or the author's nonsensical representation of real police officers, I really don't know what else could. I was actually so nonplussed by this episode that I've decided to stop watching this tripe altogether. Just for instance, after the criminal cuts the throat of a child on a train platform and after countless murders and tortures, Olivia still doesn't shoot him even though he is holding Elliot as a hostage, even when there is clearly two and a half feet of his body above Elliot for a clear shot. As well, Elliot, a former marine, makes no attempt to spin on the gun, incredibly poorly handled by the criminal, even though it is dancing around on his shoulder. Another reviewer already mentioned the incredible melodrama that wracks this show and I have to agree. It is a cartoon of the manner and procedures implemented by real police and I can only wonder at the laughter that this nonsense provokes whenever real cops watch this stuff. It is as if they think we'll go for any kind of Hollywood soap opera as long as in the last few minutes the characters are all saved by the nameless sharpshooter at the end. What bushwah.
Top of the Lake
(2013–2017)
Excellent offering
8 April 2013
This is clearly a wonderful piece of work with very precise character development that is lacking in many current productions that have a lot more money to work with. There is a boatload of really skilled actors, a great writer/director, a story with motives slowly and carefully revealed and a beautiful location. As well it is a clever detective story. What more could you want. All the characters seem like real people in that they have all suffered or struggled in some way and are quite imperfect and have all wound in the same place. Really worth a look if you like good stories by professionals who get to tell the story the way they want.
Cast a Dark Shadow
(1955)
great except for the ridiculous ending
22 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The reason I gave this a 1 is simply that I will not be ripped off even if 99% of an offering is fabulous. One reviewer(MagicStarfire) even goofily indicated a plot hole in the reason Teddy murders Mony claiming it resulted after the inebriated explanation by Mony concerning the lawyers first visit. All that means is the reviewer didn't understand or listen to the actual conversation between the two in so far as Mony clearly was UNclear and made it sound as if she was leaving her money to her family(sister in this case) NOT Teddy. Teddy understandably misunderstood her ramblings. Some fans need to pay attention more attentively. In any event the real "Grand Canyon" of all plot holes is the fact that after he is exposed and escapes the house he jumps into his car and takes off only to find the road blocked by the lawyers car pointing toward the house and the sister's car(on which he had just cut the hydraulic brakes which will not fail immediately folks, by the way, explaining why she was able to stop on the flat straight roadway just 100 feet from the house) pointing away from the house. So what does he do? Does he get into the lawyers car and backup and turn that car and continue to escape.......no.....he jumps into the car he just tampered with and drives down a steep hill on which he will surely pump out the rest of his brake fluid and crash.........ridiculous for a number of reasons. He is clearly an expert mechanic. He was no longer in a panic if he ever actually was. He was a standard sociopath and clearly not suicidal. He was clearly familiar with those three vehicles and knew which was which and whose was whose. We were ripped off by this contrived ending and I object to it most strenuously. It was almost as bad as ordering a hot fudge sundae with everything and finding out it was made with low fat yogurt. If Teddy were hanged or got away in the lawyers car or joined the navy or murdered everyone in the house, it would have been a perfect movie.
The Following
(2013–2015)
Spell derivative
21 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Let's see.....the phantom who only gets caught when he wants to and can cut down armed police and prison guards who are trained to handle the extremely violent, like wheat. The monster with a personal and alarming relationship with his captor. A monster who unlike the very plain and uninteresting real life serial killers we know of, is a tenured and inspiring college professor. The physically and/or mentally handicapped crusader who is re-called because he is the only person in an entire population of professional criminal hunters who can re-capture the monster.......flashbacks......oh, Jesus god......flashbacks......are clearly the story telling technique most beloved of Satan. And lest we forget the re-kidnapped sole survivor/witness, of course, who may or may not survive, who in this version, does not survive because of course, as we all know, the police can never protect anyone. The younger prickly, irritated associate investigator, the accommodating and deferring young acolyte investigator who wants to learn........and on and on and on. The only person missing so far is the surly senior officer who constantly scolds our hero but wait, this is only the first episode. The most satisfying part of the show oddly was the flashback of the original shooting and presumed capture of the maniac. The second best was the gratuitous breaking of the maniac's fingers by our hero although the maniac didn't seem bothered by that as much as I would have liked. I am a big proponent of the breaking of maniac fingers by the way.
Even though the best crime stories have an element of truth to them just like the best legends and myths, in this we are asked to believe in a creature that is a mix of edgar allen poe, jim jones, and lepke buchalter or albert anatasia if you prefer, with an added dash of Bundy for lack of anyone else with an advanced education to model the professor aspect of the maniac's character. Interestingly, he is not a doctor or psychiatrist which the writer's probably avoided for obvious reasons. If you were going to try to realize such a person it probably would have been better to go with someone raised in a school run by Nazis. At least there is no right wing religious implications so far, thank goodness or badness or whatever. There is also the obvious insult to policemen everywhere which we won't bother to pursue here. All in all, the word derivative came into and stuck in my mind like some pernicious intrusive thought that would not be pushed aside. I hope it gets better but I think for instance, like our hero's heart trouble, it will become tiresome before too long and there is always the danger that the writers will run out of everyone else's ideas anyway.
Even though the best crime stories have an element of truth to them just like the best legends and myths, in this we are asked to believe in a creature that is a mix of edgar allen poe, jim jones, and lepke buchalter or albert anatasia if you prefer, with an added dash of Bundy for lack of anyone else with an advanced education to model the professor aspect of the maniac's character. Interestingly, he is not a doctor or psychiatrist which the writer's probably avoided for obvious reasons. If you were going to try to realize such a person it probably would have been better to go with someone raised in a school run by Nazis. At least there is no right wing religious implications so far, thank goodness or badness or whatever. There is also the obvious insult to policemen everywhere which we won't bother to pursue here. All in all, the word derivative came into and stuck in my mind like some pernicious intrusive thought that would not be pushed aside. I hope it gets better but I think for instance, like our hero's heart trouble, it will become tiresome before too long and there is always the danger that the writers will run out of everyone else's ideas anyway.
Rise of the Zombies
(2012 TV Movie)
Just awful
28 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
What more can I say about this travesty? The only reason I started to watch this drivel was because of the fairly good cast. Good actors all in other movies and TV shows. However, in this they are wasted. It just goes to show that even with qualified, trained, experienced, talented actors, if the words, direction, art direction, special effects, editing etc aren't there, nothing can save the movie. I'd like to point out here that these people had good producers, a good editor and everything else one might expect to make a good movie except a writer and a director so the blame has to lie with them. Lyon, the director, really is just a hack and has a string of just terrible efforts to his name. The writer, Keith Allan is most likely guilty of having too many irons in the fire. I suppose that might explain it but there is also the possibility that it is all the director, at least in this case. As an example, I give you a large caliber semi-automatic handgun in contact with the neck of a zombie, the gun goes off or at least we here the noise of the gun going off but it doesn't re-cycle and it produces no hole in the neck of the zombie. Sort of like a kid with a toy gun yelling "bang bang" with no other effect other than the zombie falling down. I actually laughed at the zombies that clearly had on masks instead of make-up as well.I could go on and on about the plot holes and illogical actions the story had the actors engaged in but it would just be a waste of your time and mine. It really and truly is something to avoid unless one enjoys seeing how awful something can be and still get produced. It wouldn't have been so bad if it were tongue in cheek or had some humorous bits or something but it took itself oh so seriously. I do feel bad for the actors because when they are working they have no idea generally that the thing is going to turn out so badly I'm sure. I guess they really needed the money or they thought the same thing anyone else would have thought; that someone would really have to be inept or crazy to waste a talent pool like this thing had.
Lost Magic Decoded
(2012 TV Movie)
please, spare me.
19 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Normally, I would have found this show to be excellent just for the history lessons on magic alone (the magic teapot was well done) but when the focus shifted to the bullet catch segment I became mildly irritated. Is the bullet catch dangerous? of course! However, the previous presenters of this illusion, the dead ones anyway, were done in by errors, cruder ballistics and unreliable assistance and/or actual interference. While there was risk involved here as well, Cohen benefited from a much more simplistic method, much improved technology and much more trustworthy assistance or collaboration.
The first thing I noticed in the test firing of the gun was the failure of the weapon to blow back the slide on most of the shots indicating either a very, very dirty and/or malfunctioning gun (which I reject) or very underpowered ammunition (which makes more sense to me) The purpose of which was to slow down and limit the penetrating power of the bullet when shot through the glass into Cohen's bulletproof underwear, shirt, vest or whatever combination of bulletproof clothing he was wearing. The shooter was never supposed to actually fire at his mouth but was supposed to hit him in the chest which is why he clearly developed the precise type of severe bruising one receives when shot while wearing modern bulletproof clothing. Broken flying glass would never cause the type of injury he sustained. Bear in mind that even now the U.S. army is purchasing bulletproof underwear for our troops to limit shrapnel wounds. As well, one can buy bulletproof suits, button down shirts, undershirts etc of varying degrees of protection from many different sources. Already having a marked bullet in his mouth identical to the one loaded into the gun is just basic magic 101.
Just ask yourself if he would actually have allowed someone (no matter how good a shot) to shoot a fully charged 9mm bullet from twenty feet away at his mouth. Of course not. For these reasons, I do object to the amateurish manner in which the trick was done. There really is no mystery here.
The first thing I noticed in the test firing of the gun was the failure of the weapon to blow back the slide on most of the shots indicating either a very, very dirty and/or malfunctioning gun (which I reject) or very underpowered ammunition (which makes more sense to me) The purpose of which was to slow down and limit the penetrating power of the bullet when shot through the glass into Cohen's bulletproof underwear, shirt, vest or whatever combination of bulletproof clothing he was wearing. The shooter was never supposed to actually fire at his mouth but was supposed to hit him in the chest which is why he clearly developed the precise type of severe bruising one receives when shot while wearing modern bulletproof clothing. Broken flying glass would never cause the type of injury he sustained. Bear in mind that even now the U.S. army is purchasing bulletproof underwear for our troops to limit shrapnel wounds. As well, one can buy bulletproof suits, button down shirts, undershirts etc of varying degrees of protection from many different sources. Already having a marked bullet in his mouth identical to the one loaded into the gun is just basic magic 101.
Just ask yourself if he would actually have allowed someone (no matter how good a shot) to shoot a fully charged 9mm bullet from twenty feet away at his mouth. Of course not. For these reasons, I do object to the amateurish manner in which the trick was done. There really is no mystery here.
Revolution
(2012–2014)
enjoy it while it lasts
15 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I had hoped that this would be good but unfortunately as it turns out, it is just terrible. The logic behind the premise makes absolutely no sense as has been brought up by many other members of the audience. My own grandchild asked me why they weren't using steam power! I was surprised sort of. Normally, I will give any kind of science fiction a chance, even poor stories if they are tongue in cheek or obvious satire, spoofs and the like. But when they take themselves so seriously, there is a higher standard to live up to. Suspension of disbelief is more difficult AND more important. In this, the science is just not there. Down the road we finally see a steam locomotive when more realistically, they would be everywhere. I could turn any 16 year old boy into a good qualified steam engineer in a month. Particularly when everything else that normally interests him was removed. I won't even go into the many uses, modifications, adaptions etc that could be made to restart the industrial revolution even without solar and water power. That is assuming that we accept the ridiculous notion that electricity no longer exists and there is no way to produce it. As well there are the horrendous physical changes to the earth itself that would be necessary to preclude a non-electric condition of the earth. Changes no plant or animal would survive.
As well, our young heroine is just irritating as hell. I can barely stand her. How could someone raised in that environment wind up so stubborn, spoiled, and difficult when she is surrounded by adults that know better? She can't follow the simplest instruction. It is as if she dropped out of the sky from 2012. She is completely unrelatable.
As has been pointed out by someone I'm sure, this is more like some derivative Canadian SyFy import rather than a primetime U.S. network offering.
All in all, enjoy the next two episodes because I'll bet you a hundred bucks that is the last we will see of this half hearted Saturday kids show.
As well, our young heroine is just irritating as hell. I can barely stand her. How could someone raised in that environment wind up so stubborn, spoiled, and difficult when she is surrounded by adults that know better? She can't follow the simplest instruction. It is as if she dropped out of the sky from 2012. She is completely unrelatable.
As has been pointed out by someone I'm sure, this is more like some derivative Canadian SyFy import rather than a primetime U.S. network offering.
All in all, enjoy the next two episodes because I'll bet you a hundred bucks that is the last we will see of this half hearted Saturday kids show.
re-cap city
23 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
My wife loves this show but even she wonders why they have to recap 20 times an episode. Whenever they come back from commercials or any other type of break they have to tell us the entire story of what we just watched five minutes before. They also waste way too much time explaining what the show is about every chance they get during an episode and from episode to episode. I'm pretty sure that everyone who watches this show is fairly clear on what it is about by now. As well, they are clearly way, way behind with the new shows in relation to the time line of actual events. While they were broadcasting for instance, the story of the New Zealander who was arrested by the Japs, he was already back home way before all the pertinent episodes were broadcast........what an enormous lag! As well, when they lost the first high speed boat it was sunk and gone and they were buying another way before they broadcast the pertinent episodes about the sinking of the first. When the second fast boat was damaged, it was already back and being repaired by the we saw the relevant episodes. In other words, the show was so far behind actual events that the new episodes were way too old news already. Maybe if they kept up a little better with a more accurate time line the show would be more interesting. Perhaps if they knocked off all the blasted recaps they would have more time to keep us abreast of actual events in a more realistic time frame. It would be a much better show if it was actually current. As it is, it can be incredibly boring.
Untamed & Uncut
(2008– )
Animal world revenge
16 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
If you enjoy seeing animals strike back and seek revenge against the humans that have tormented and abused them since the dawn of time, then this show is for you.
I think it's just absolutely just great.......I especially enjoyed season 1 episode 28 for instance where the bull beats hell out of the rider and then proceeds to tear up the portable arena a bit, hopefully injuring as many people as possible.......in the show they even explain that the spurs the riders use often miss the straps they are supposed to be hooked into and stab directly into the bull.
Also, of course, the episodes where in the riders are mauled and hopefully crippled or killed at rodeos are always my favorites as well......clearly, if you feel that rodeos are cruel as I do then you will enjoy these shows immensely......bear in mind that they may not always show you the reason the animal attacked as in rodeos where there are well hidden and secretive techniques used by the organizers that may not be evident to the videographers at the time of filming.
As with most shows of violence, people will want to watch, including those that actually enjoy animal cruelty and abuse without realizing they may be contributing to the banning of these types of human activities........so it's a win-win situation........the animals that actually die as a result of some of these attacks may be helping to save generations of their kind for the future.
Occasionally they will show a relatively non-violent animal rescue but the point of the show is to demonstrate that even though humans have lived with animals since the dawn of time, we still, stupidly don't know what to do with the creatures we are not going to eat.
I think it's just absolutely just great.......I especially enjoyed season 1 episode 28 for instance where the bull beats hell out of the rider and then proceeds to tear up the portable arena a bit, hopefully injuring as many people as possible.......in the show they even explain that the spurs the riders use often miss the straps they are supposed to be hooked into and stab directly into the bull.
Also, of course, the episodes where in the riders are mauled and hopefully crippled or killed at rodeos are always my favorites as well......clearly, if you feel that rodeos are cruel as I do then you will enjoy these shows immensely......bear in mind that they may not always show you the reason the animal attacked as in rodeos where there are well hidden and secretive techniques used by the organizers that may not be evident to the videographers at the time of filming.
As with most shows of violence, people will want to watch, including those that actually enjoy animal cruelty and abuse without realizing they may be contributing to the banning of these types of human activities........so it's a win-win situation........the animals that actually die as a result of some of these attacks may be helping to save generations of their kind for the future.
Occasionally they will show a relatively non-violent animal rescue but the point of the show is to demonstrate that even though humans have lived with animals since the dawn of time, we still, stupidly don't know what to do with the creatures we are not going to eat.
Doomsday Prophecy
(2011 TV Movie)
Absolutely the worst.
13 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I have to say that I decided to look at this while I was waiting for my wife to return from a girl party and I had absolutely nothing else to do.....otherwise I probably wouldn't have even noticed it.......that said, this movie is exactly the type of fare that has pretty much ended my viewer-ship of the SyFy channel........I mean it was so boring I found it hard to believe anyone paid for this drivel........clearly, if the zombie-like performances of the actors is any indication, the director, if there was one, phoned it in.......I mean there was a director listed but judging from the performances, i wonder.
As well, I wondered who was responsible for this absolutely awful (not in a plan 9 good way) movie.......and I discovered it was from the same producers that brought us quite a bit of the worst scifi in history.......all shown with great relish on the SyFy channel of course..........the story consists of name dropping every mysterious place and every conceivable end time prophecy from the history channel.......and our heroes being chased around by the thugs of a nebulous gov't group of course, highlighted by large chunks of the earth cracking or otherwise sinking out of sight........interspersed with rehashing explanations a la Tom Hanks and describing laughingly precise visions or dreams..........all in all, really sophomoric and tiresome........very quickly, early-on tiresome.
Jewel Staite was the worst i've ever seen her........sad for an actress that was fairly good when she was younger......A.J. Buckley should stick with CSI for as long as possible and save his money because if he keeps doing this sort of thing he will definitely disappear as an actor.......he is after all, a mediocre talent at best.
Keep it up SyFy, keep buying this Canadian crap and you will probably disappear too.......I realize that churning out this hopelessly awful junk makes work for a lot of people and promotes North American trade and all that that entails but is it really fair to keep inflicting this crap on us, the unsuspecting public?.......of course if you put us off scifi then maybe we will appreciate wrestling and reality shows more...........if that's your plan it will not work because there are plenty of other sources of great scifi........I promise you, you won't fool me again.
As well, I wondered who was responsible for this absolutely awful (not in a plan 9 good way) movie.......and I discovered it was from the same producers that brought us quite a bit of the worst scifi in history.......all shown with great relish on the SyFy channel of course..........the story consists of name dropping every mysterious place and every conceivable end time prophecy from the history channel.......and our heroes being chased around by the thugs of a nebulous gov't group of course, highlighted by large chunks of the earth cracking or otherwise sinking out of sight........interspersed with rehashing explanations a la Tom Hanks and describing laughingly precise visions or dreams..........all in all, really sophomoric and tiresome........very quickly, early-on tiresome.
Jewel Staite was the worst i've ever seen her........sad for an actress that was fairly good when she was younger......A.J. Buckley should stick with CSI for as long as possible and save his money because if he keeps doing this sort of thing he will definitely disappear as an actor.......he is after all, a mediocre talent at best.
Keep it up SyFy, keep buying this Canadian crap and you will probably disappear too.......I realize that churning out this hopelessly awful junk makes work for a lot of people and promotes North American trade and all that that entails but is it really fair to keep inflicting this crap on us, the unsuspecting public?.......of course if you put us off scifi then maybe we will appreciate wrestling and reality shows more...........if that's your plan it will not work because there are plenty of other sources of great scifi........I promise you, you won't fool me again.
Ludicrous
28 July 2011
While i have found many of these shows entertaining, I have never really taken any of them seriously.....even though i believe wholeheartedly that there is probably other life (advanced i hope) in other parts of the universe. Whether they have actually contacted us before now I do not know......and not to surprise you but I have seen and experienced what i have always considered to be a UFO which was a completely amazing experience and is still a mystery to me to this day.......however, why I feel this show fails in its purpose is based on several reasons......first, the premise is flawed to a point that defies logic.....if the Nazis did have some sort of alien and/or supernatural assistance it certainly didn't do them any good.....the allies (including us) beat the pants off them using very conventional means......maybe their aliens were sub-standard as aliens go........secondly, to say that the Germans had invented and utilized all this fantastic superior technology during their war effort is interesting but I have to reiterate that also didn't do them any good either......as a matter of fact it was the German tendency to over-diversify (too many projects going at the same time) that helped defeat them........not as much as allied superior manufacturing, military leadership, perseverance etc but to a degree at least..........while you could say that although their V weapons were interesting in that they were an extension of existing tech of the day, they were more frightening than effective, clearly.
As a matter of fact....from the Norden bombsite and radar to the atomic bomb, if you consider all the advanced technology the allies developed in the war it is clear that we outmatched them technologically otherwise how could we have defeated them so soundly.......one could make a better argument that WE actually had alien assistance........something that no one has ever seriously claimed due mainly to the fact that the creation of our technology has pretty much been an open book as time has passed due to the nature of our society.
Lastly, what makes me most irritated about the bumblers that produce these shows is more of a general complaint about most shows of this genre......simply that by virtue of their rambling tangents, flawed logic and their attempt to connect everything with everything else, they diminish accurate and interesting evidence that is probably valid and they overload any good analysis with tangential conclusions that have more science fiction than science or historical fact.........every round nazi weapon was not based on flying saucers.....they were probably just round, you know?
All in all, they shoot themselves in the foot by under analyzing important and documented history and focusing on myth as a basis for their conclusions and by doing so, do a dis-service to serious historians everywhere......this pattern or modus operandi, causes people to view anyone who does investigate these kinds of historical connections as crackpots "like those guys on TV".
As a matter of fact....from the Norden bombsite and radar to the atomic bomb, if you consider all the advanced technology the allies developed in the war it is clear that we outmatched them technologically otherwise how could we have defeated them so soundly.......one could make a better argument that WE actually had alien assistance........something that no one has ever seriously claimed due mainly to the fact that the creation of our technology has pretty much been an open book as time has passed due to the nature of our society.
Lastly, what makes me most irritated about the bumblers that produce these shows is more of a general complaint about most shows of this genre......simply that by virtue of their rambling tangents, flawed logic and their attempt to connect everything with everything else, they diminish accurate and interesting evidence that is probably valid and they overload any good analysis with tangential conclusions that have more science fiction than science or historical fact.........every round nazi weapon was not based on flying saucers.....they were probably just round, you know?
All in all, they shoot themselves in the foot by under analyzing important and documented history and focusing on myth as a basis for their conclusions and by doing so, do a dis-service to serious historians everywhere......this pattern or modus operandi, causes people to view anyone who does investigate these kinds of historical connections as crackpots "like those guys on TV".
goofy writing
5 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
While my wife and I enjoy this series very much, I thought I might make a comment or two about the goofy nature of some of the writing in reference to actual facts........in the interest of fairness, while the story line itself is fine and demonstrates that sometimes the lawmen of that time ranged from diligent to slightly shady to outright criminal depending on the circumstances, this particular episode shows the screenwriter playing fast and loose with the facts or rather just making it up as he went along.
I found it interesting that evidence for the first murder hinged on a revolver called a "Foster Special" which was supposed to be rare.......it must be because as far as we could discover, no such firearm ever existed........it is a made up name.
As well, I found it quite comical when the sheriff actually gives a "Miranda Warning" to the punk wannabe for the second attempted murder........actually I laughed out loud, never having heard that in a western ever before........at least a western supposedly set in 1875-1885..........what with "Miranda" not being an issue until the 1960's.
While Don Ingalls was an apparently successful writer and producer, I've discovered over time that he had a bad habit of playing fast and loose with historical facts and technical specifics in many of his creations.......and actually often seemed to inject his own fractured views of history, procedures and technology as fact.
I found it interesting that evidence for the first murder hinged on a revolver called a "Foster Special" which was supposed to be rare.......it must be because as far as we could discover, no such firearm ever existed........it is a made up name.
As well, I found it quite comical when the sheriff actually gives a "Miranda Warning" to the punk wannabe for the second attempted murder........actually I laughed out loud, never having heard that in a western ever before........at least a western supposedly set in 1875-1885..........what with "Miranda" not being an issue until the 1960's.
While Don Ingalls was an apparently successful writer and producer, I've discovered over time that he had a bad habit of playing fast and loose with historical facts and technical specifics in many of his creations.......and actually often seemed to inject his own fractured views of history, procedures and technology as fact.
Plothole after plot hole after plot hole
1 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Every once in a while it is expected and accepted that we will find plot holes in any given episode of any given TV series.........some are minor and some can be major but it is rare that an entire story in an episode is based on one after another to the point that if they were removed there would be no story at all.
In this case, this story is the perfect storm of a poor writer, a poor teleplay and incredibly poor direction.
While i don't care to waste my time describing the almost comically absurd "courtroom" trial which had absolutely no relation to American constitutional law..........as an example I give you the fact that we are never told HOW Krebs the crooked businessman is killed, simply that he has been murdered....as if it were completely unimportant even though there is an arrest and trial for that murder....astonishing!
As well, it appears that the writers made the choice to have every major character act completely out of character, which I found to be an irritant rather a than useful element........in actuality giving the appearance that they did not know anything about the characters to begin with...........which would not surprise me in the least.
It is fortunate that Edward DeBlasio was able to make a living apparently as a producer because judging by his other works he certainly was no writer and it seems this fact was not lost on the people he worked for.
All in all, a great example of "let's just crank out any old buffalo chips and see if they'll swallow it".
In this case, this story is the perfect storm of a poor writer, a poor teleplay and incredibly poor direction.
While i don't care to waste my time describing the almost comically absurd "courtroom" trial which had absolutely no relation to American constitutional law..........as an example I give you the fact that we are never told HOW Krebs the crooked businessman is killed, simply that he has been murdered....as if it were completely unimportant even though there is an arrest and trial for that murder....astonishing!
As well, it appears that the writers made the choice to have every major character act completely out of character, which I found to be an irritant rather a than useful element........in actuality giving the appearance that they did not know anything about the characters to begin with...........which would not surprise me in the least.
It is fortunate that Edward DeBlasio was able to make a living apparently as a producer because judging by his other works he certainly was no writer and it seems this fact was not lost on the people he worked for.
All in all, a great example of "let's just crank out any old buffalo chips and see if they'll swallow it".
vot a scam is dis movie
18 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, i realize i must be a troglodyte in so far as i have to laugh at all the "intellectuals" who think this is a masterpiece or as it has been lauded "a work of art"......when in reality it is like 7 episodes of twilight zone but with only one ending.
The real story is about a woman who while clearly exhibiting at least half a dozen serious mental conditions simply descends into a very psychopathic form of insanity.
It is probably one of the most boring films i have ever recorded and i was glad i did so i could pick it up a bit here and there.....three and a half hours??.....really? come on now, i think the author takes herself way too seriously in so far as it took her 3 and a half hours to tell this story...........it's like listening to someone who has to repeat and repeat a point they think is brilliant........the repetition destroys the brilliance.........the repetition destroys the brilliance......oh did i say that all ready? sorry.sorry.
I was surprised or rather taken a back, that our wayward, widowed housewife knew how to kill a grown man almost instantaneously with a pair of scissors.........was she actually a semi-retired serial killer?.........we'll never know because this movie actually told us very little about the history, character and thoughts of any of the characters..........all in all, something one can easily not lose sleep over missing unless of course you are sure you are going to live to be a hundred and freakin' fifty and have lots and lots of time to waste watching a movie like this boring plod through passive aggression.
All in all, i guess some of us will never be French.
The real story is about a woman who while clearly exhibiting at least half a dozen serious mental conditions simply descends into a very psychopathic form of insanity.
It is probably one of the most boring films i have ever recorded and i was glad i did so i could pick it up a bit here and there.....three and a half hours??.....really? come on now, i think the author takes herself way too seriously in so far as it took her 3 and a half hours to tell this story...........it's like listening to someone who has to repeat and repeat a point they think is brilliant........the repetition destroys the brilliance.........the repetition destroys the brilliance......oh did i say that all ready? sorry.sorry.
I was surprised or rather taken a back, that our wayward, widowed housewife knew how to kill a grown man almost instantaneously with a pair of scissors.........was she actually a semi-retired serial killer?.........we'll never know because this movie actually told us very little about the history, character and thoughts of any of the characters..........all in all, something one can easily not lose sleep over missing unless of course you are sure you are going to live to be a hundred and freakin' fifty and have lots and lots of time to waste watching a movie like this boring plod through passive aggression.
All in all, i guess some of us will never be French.
what's going on here?
24 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
while I admit that my wife likes this whole never ending saga more than I do mostly because it does just seem never ending, once in a while I manage to pay attention and with this particular episode at least, it seems the goal of the judges was to blow smoke up the kazoos of the mediocre performances in order to needlessly bolster the performers confidence......and to criticize the excellent performances where no criticism was necessary or warranted.......a case in point would be the last performance by the rocker kid Durbin, i think his name is......randy Jackson who, bear in mind was just a bass player, never a front man........thought the presentation was somehow lacking in the beginning and i was just amazed at that assessment until it occurred to me that maybe Jackson simply doesn't understand how the song was meant to be presented.......when in reality if one compares it to the original recording of the song by the original artist, it was not only presented with the original structure (phrasing, i think they pros call it).....it was brilliant and pretty much flawless........apparently his other counterparts didn't agree with Jackson as well although i thought it should have been Tyler to point out that Jackson was full of crap......but i think Tyler becomes overwhelmed by his age occasionally when presented with a possible replacement for himself in the river that is rock and roll...he should have been more overtly supportive.......somehow the whole thing smells like a fixed boxing match to me based on how the judges seem to be react positively to mediocre performance and critically to great performances.
Ridiculous!
24 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I have to admit that as I have been watching this show it has occurred to me that some of the stories have been a bit far-fetched and there is just a bit more over-acting than i would normally accept........but I haven't said anything because, well I really didn't care........however, this episode just seems to me to be so out there and unrealistic that I couldn't keep quiet any longer.
The woman playing the wife of the victim at the park was terrible......her husband had just been ripped from the bosom of the family and found HANGED in a tree and she seemed barely disturbed by the entire episode.....she was just completely unbelievable as a victim survivor.....she seemed more like she just had a minor fender-bender or something.
The killer is traveling around the countryside with a decomposing body that he keeps moving from a vehicle to the outdoors and back again with all that that entails and NO ONE notices??.........even though it must smell just awful and is starting to liquefy?? The fact that if they didn't have Vangness at her computer there would be no show is just sad.
The final scene where their "personal" sniper clearly has a rampaging serial killer who has been running around hanging random innocents in his sights while the killer holds a gun on innocent hostages and another is almost going to be hanged from the ceiling and is directed to shoot the killer's sister's corpse.....twice.....all the while having to listen to an unbelievingly pretentious morality lesson by the big star.......was just too much for me.......it was, and you all know it, is just not how any police agency in the world would respond........as soon as he had moved the gun to a neutral position in regard to the hostages (in this case, his mouth) he would have been clipped and that would have been that.........i thought it was so unbelievable i was almost hoping he would shoot Forest in the middle of his soliloquy or at least pop his jerky father or even himself.............it might have saved this ridiculous story........you know, the writer of these shows was supposed to have been a Chicago cop for 10 years......I think he didn't spend enough time on the job if this is the best he can do.
The woman playing the wife of the victim at the park was terrible......her husband had just been ripped from the bosom of the family and found HANGED in a tree and she seemed barely disturbed by the entire episode.....she was just completely unbelievable as a victim survivor.....she seemed more like she just had a minor fender-bender or something.
The killer is traveling around the countryside with a decomposing body that he keeps moving from a vehicle to the outdoors and back again with all that that entails and NO ONE notices??.........even though it must smell just awful and is starting to liquefy?? The fact that if they didn't have Vangness at her computer there would be no show is just sad.
The final scene where their "personal" sniper clearly has a rampaging serial killer who has been running around hanging random innocents in his sights while the killer holds a gun on innocent hostages and another is almost going to be hanged from the ceiling and is directed to shoot the killer's sister's corpse.....twice.....all the while having to listen to an unbelievingly pretentious morality lesson by the big star.......was just too much for me.......it was, and you all know it, is just not how any police agency in the world would respond........as soon as he had moved the gun to a neutral position in regard to the hostages (in this case, his mouth) he would have been clipped and that would have been that.........i thought it was so unbelievable i was almost hoping he would shoot Forest in the middle of his soliloquy or at least pop his jerky father or even himself.............it might have saved this ridiculous story........you know, the writer of these shows was supposed to have been a Chicago cop for 10 years......I think he didn't spend enough time on the job if this is the best he can do.
Human Target
(2010–2011)
kill the writers as soon as possible
24 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
If the producers kill the writers immediately and re-do all the shows already in the can then this show might have a chance but as it is i guarantee it will not last.......this show clearly can't decide what it wants to be.....is it a satire, a comic book, an adventure, a serio-comedy? it can't possibly be a serious drama because the characters are so implausible and the plots are so full of gaping holes and illogical and/or improbable actions on the part of the characters that it is too difficult to concentrate on or care about, the story line.........one simply spends the time waiting for the next plot hole.
In the latest episode, after i got the horrible taste out of my mouth brought on by the absolutely hokey and unnatural wire work with the assassin in the multilevel parking garage; i was again assaulted by the unbelievable "leaving the assassin on the ground alive after disabling him with a chemically enhanced fire extinguisher and running away instead of smashing his throat or head with the extinguisher or some other heavy object" .........then the coup de gras as far as ever watching this tripe again......admitting to the victims wife that our "hero" killed her husband and surviving after she shoots him.......pure afternoon soap opera........certainly not something i ever want to see or hear again in my lifetime.........on top of that it is disheartening indeed when the stars of the show are completely bland and uninteresting and the supporting players are not.........incredibly sad...........and luckily i won't have to waste my time on it again..............by the way, adding a British actress and a precocious little pickpocket won't help either boys and girls.
In the latest episode, after i got the horrible taste out of my mouth brought on by the absolutely hokey and unnatural wire work with the assassin in the multilevel parking garage; i was again assaulted by the unbelievable "leaving the assassin on the ground alive after disabling him with a chemically enhanced fire extinguisher and running away instead of smashing his throat or head with the extinguisher or some other heavy object" .........then the coup de gras as far as ever watching this tripe again......admitting to the victims wife that our "hero" killed her husband and surviving after she shoots him.......pure afternoon soap opera........certainly not something i ever want to see or hear again in my lifetime.........on top of that it is disheartening indeed when the stars of the show are completely bland and uninteresting and the supporting players are not.........incredibly sad...........and luckily i won't have to waste my time on it again..............by the way, adding a British actress and a precocious little pickpocket won't help either boys and girls.
The Event
(2010–2011)
They lost me
5 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Well, it's like this......even the wildest scifi writing needs to protect our "suspension of disbelief".......regardless of the premise, the plot, the characters, etc.....if the action is taking place in a real world location with real world characters you have to maintain real world rules when dealing with a situation that would become ridiculous if the characters acted any other way.........maybe my example would better illustrate what i mean.........when the U.S. "Marshals" show up to take custody of our hero, they present phony transfer documentation and/or phony authority causing our hero FBI agent to try to call the originating authority and for some bizarre reason (presumably because their authority is phony) they disconnect her call and start shooting an FBI field office full of FBI agents to death while all of a sudden trying to kill our hero as well, in spite of their original orders........my disbelief became unsuspended as a result........why.......because there are no logical reasons to show up with phony authorization......they were (whoever they actually were) operating under the orders of the president of the united states......there is no higher military authority.......and guess what, he's pretty high up on the legal food chain as well and the orders came from his office..........it might be possible to hide a disappearing and teleportating aircraft.........why not?......i mean it's teleportation........having people exhibit all the characteristics of death and then not......easy, old hat.......covert cover ups?......of course.........however, there is no way that murdering a whole bunch of FBI agents in their field office, if it were even possible, wouldn't be the biggest news in the whole freakin' world......i mean it would be everywhere, forever, on the news around the world, over and over and over..........ridiculous, implausible and a completely unnecessary plot device.............well, if they're going to do crap like that, I'm done with this show.......you writers cannot get away with me feeling that I wasted my time in believing in the story........shame on you.
The Defenders
(2010–2011)
Finally, a great show about a couple of lawyers
29 September 2010
While i'm sure there will be some big cases along the way, it is gratifying to watch a show with realistic legal issues that ordinary people might run across in real life........and while in real life it is hard to find real lawyers who actually care about their clients, it is at least nice to know that the protagonists in this show resemble real people for a change.........the cast is perfect and the action is brisk........very entertaining and smart.........watch it, you'll like it.......the heroes, while being careful not to go ridiculously too far, realistically push the system to defend their clients, to the dismay of the prosecutors..........Jim Belushi is perfect for a las Vegas criminal attorney and if you watch carefully you will notice the differences in Nevada law when compared to the variations of law where you live.......very true to life.
Bullet to Beijing
(1995 TV Movie)
DISREGARD: Europe's Answer to James Bond
22 September 2010
Please disregard the review of this movie by "Dr_Yvon_COULARDEAU"......he clearly entered a review of some other film here by mistake....i think he was trying to review some version of "the Thomas Crown Affair".....first, there is no character in this movie named "Crown".........there is also no robbery with an insurance investigator involved.......i think it is odd that Dr_Yvon_COULARDEAU did not correct his mistake after he realized he reviewed the wrong movie........i think it is odd as well that no one from IMDb noticed either..........IMDb.......may i review a three stooges film and put it here or vice versa?.........Dr, a question.......do you often lose track of where you are?
Chase
(2010–2011)
derivative, implausible, formula waste of time
20 September 2010
I getting so sick of the implausibility of a super female cop who can kick every monstrous evil psycho she runs across when in reality a person like that just doesn't exist and never will........that is probably why, although it is not my cup of tea, the closer is a much more realistic and far and away better show.........brains instead of brawn and if she needs brawn, they follow her around like a well oiled machine...........this show is, on the other hand, summed up in the title of my review...........i'm not even going to waste a lot more words describing how boring and formulaic this show is..........i'm sure it will not last very long anyway..........too bad they wasted their money on so many episodes.......they should have waited to see how it would go.
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