All the people who are bashing She-Hulk must have come to this program with the wrong expectations. It's a light-hearted comedy that almost pokes fun at the superhero genre, not a typical production about saving the universe. Granted, the writing lacks complexity, and the acting isn't Emmy level, but it's fun, and something you can watch with your kids.
Reviews
17 Reviews
Language Lessons
(2021)
Charming little film -- totally worth the watch
5 April 2022
I've been studying Spanish, so I watched this movie reluctantly despite its basis in streaming video (bad memories of Zoom meetings during COVID!). I was richly rewarded: the acting was great, the characters convincing, and it was fun listening to their interactions in Spanish. (Note: don't worry -- there's plenty of English too, and of course subtitles are built in.) Yes, there were some plot holes, and yes, there were some very predictable tropes. But the story was honest, charming, and very watchable.
The King's Man
(2021)
Cliché plot, slow pacing, shallow characters
11 February 2022
There was very little to like about this movie. The plot was so full of clichés that I lost interest in the first fifteen minutes. Sadly, there were still two hours remaining in the movie. The characters themselves were one dimensional and, like the plot, based on tired tropes. The film moved so slowly, and the big reveal (Who is the shadowy Scot introduced at the beginning in order to keep you watching?) was such a let down that I was angry at the end for having wasted so much time on such a limp movie.
Queenpins
(2021)
A fun film to relax to
2 October 2021
This film wasn't deep, and at times it stretched credibility, but it was fun and engaging. I'd call it a buddy film on a couple of levels: The main characters, Connie and Jo, and then the sub-characters, Simon and Ken. The acting was solid, though the relatively unknown Paul Walter Hauser stole the movie. I'd recommend this film for unwinding on a Friday night after a long week.
Cry Macho
(2021)
Clint has made some great movies; this ain't one of them
2 October 2021
I expected a lot better out of this movie. It failed in just about every way: the writing was bad, the dialogue terrible, the plot thin and unbelievable, and the acting... ugh. This is a sad legacy to leave after such a remarkable career.
Life Insurance Lottery
(2019)
Good concept ruined by bad writing and terrible acting
6 July 2021
A good concept for a movie, though the plot was full of hackneyed tropes and predictable characters. This film was obviously shot on a budget as the actors were all unknown -- and they were unknown for a good reason. They're worse than awful! The lead detective is such a bad actor, the viewer is tempted to think that this is intended to be one of those movies that becomes a cult classic. The problem is, it's trying too hard to be taken seriously. In the end, I was left hating myself for having sat all the way through.
Thunder Force
(2021)
Classic Melissa McCarthy
10 April 2021
I'm not sure why there is so much hate in the reviews. What did people expect from so implausible a plot? The movie is fun and entertaining, and Melissa McCarthy was at her comedic best in this role; it's nice to see her back in her old form. She had great chemistry comedy-wise with Jason Bateman, and Bobby Cannavale managed to strike just the right tone between menacing and funny in his role. I'll admit that Octavia Spencer was a terrible choice for this movie; she was dull, humorless, and just seemed to be phoning it in. But the rest of the actors were funny enough to keep me watching despite Spencer's insipid performance.
Wonder Woman 1984
(2020)
Poorly written but still entertaining
27 December 2020
I love superhero movies, but this one -- like most of the DC superhero movies -- is so poorly written that it's a disappointment. Add to that the terribly-miscast Wiig, and this movie can be hard to watch at times. There is some good action that doesn't get over the top, and of course Gal Godot is pleasant to look at, but expect to find yourself saying "Really?" and "Aw come on!" at the silly plot devices almost from the very start of the movie.
Ted Lasso
(2020–2023)
A complete miss, even for a Jason Sudeikis fan
16 August 2020
I loved Jason Sudeikis on SNL and was disappointed when he left the show. He was pretty good on We're the Millers, so I had high hopes for this series ~ especially when I saw the high IMDB ratings. Once again, the ratings have proven to be skewed by hired reviewers, because this is one of the most vapid, un-watchable programs to appear a long time. I knew within five minutes that the show was going to be a dud simply by hearing Sudeikis attempt a Southern accent... and it went downhill from there. Insipid writing, cheap jokes, a shallow plot, throwaway lines. Save your time and money ~ don't bother with this series.
Rob Schneider: Asian Momma, Mexican Kids
(2020 TV Special)
Unexpectedly funny
11 August 2020
I was lucky to catch this show when it was filmed in Salt Lake City. It was way more funny (and delightfully raunchy) than I expected, and made me a fan of Schneider's. And I'll be honest: I never much liked Rob Schneider and thought he was kind of a no-talent, but came to the performance because we like going to the theater.
Upload
(2020– )
A Novel Idea Smothered by the Cliché
2 May 2020
I was attracted to this show by its premise, but was turned off within minutes by the lack of originality. Every character, every relationship, every plot development was built upon familiar - no, worn-out - tropes. This is an example of safe, risk-free writing at its worst. Don't waste your time.
Ad Astra
(2019)
Slow pacing and insultingly bad science
27 September 2019
I don't typically criticize sci-fi movies for their science; like most people, I just enjoy a movie for the chance to escape into fantasy. Ad Astra, though, was just terribly bad at basic science. For instance, why would the moon base have an escalator when, visitors, enjoying 1/6 the earth's gravity, could easily leap or climb stairs to any level they wished. Sounds nit-picking, but it's just one of many details that showcased sloppy editing on the director's part.
Bad science could be forgiven if the movie were engaging, but it's not. It's just slow, dialogue-driven, and tedious. Save your money and re-watch an old Star Trek movie if you want to enjoy a sci-fi fantasy.
Bad science could be forgiven if the movie were engaging, but it's not. It's just slow, dialogue-driven, and tedious. Save your money and re-watch an old Star Trek movie if you want to enjoy a sci-fi fantasy.
Disenchantment
(2018–2023)
Great concept, terrible writing
26 August 2018
I'll keep this short: If you were hoping for the cleverness of Futurama or of the early seasons of The Simpsons, you're going to be bitterly disappointed. Disenchantment had so much potential and is a unique setting for an animated series, but the terrible writing (cheap, throw-away jokes; derivative plots) spoils everything. It's almost as though they're counting on an audience of loyal Groening followers, so they didn't even try. I mean, that's what's kept The Simpsons afloat for the past two decades...
Bellevue
(2017)
Confusing Mess
21 February 2017
Where do you start on a pilot this bad? I guess the most important place would be mention of the fact that there are so many people introduced in the first ten minutes, and the relationships between them all, though crucial to the understanding of the story, is unclear. The second place would be the poor writing: in order to develop the back story, a high schooler delivers an oral report on a policeman (who is her grandfather) who was killed investigating a murder, etc. etc. How does this pass for real story telling? Then there are the trite memes: the cop who plays by her own rules, the child molester who is handsome but creepy, the mayor who is motivated only by political expediency... it's all there. Finally, there are just way too many murders and other sordid crimes for such a sleepy little town. I gave up on this program before it was even halfway over. If you're smart, you won't even waste that much time.
Amazing action, silly political statement
5 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I understand that the whole Captain America concept arises from a jingoistic WWII political milieu. Having him cryo-frozen and resurrected in the modern age was a clever strategy on Marvel's part. However, the writers chose to use Captain America as a way to smack the viewer in the face repeatedly with a political message that really didn't do anything to advance the plot or make the movie more compelling. It was insulting, really, especially when it was done in such a ham-fisted manner. Surely Robert Redford has enough clout (and common sense, despite his own political leanings) as one of this generation's most revered actors to refuse in good conscience to have his character utter the cheesy "Hail Hydra" in his dying breath.
In addition to the non-stop, in-your-face preachiness, the film suffers from absolutely silly plot devices. For instance, there's a Nazi scientist whose brain lives in a computer system... in case you didn't get it that the computer has a Teutonic soul, its synthesized voice has a ridiculous German accent. And Captain America's boyhood pal is resurrected as his arch enemy, fifty years later. It just doesn't get any goofier than this.
If you can ignore all that's wrong with the movie and focus only on the action, there's plenty of that to keep a viewer interested. Despite wanting to leave ten minutes into the film, I sat through the entire thing just to watch the badass fight scenes.
In addition to the non-stop, in-your-face preachiness, the film suffers from absolutely silly plot devices. For instance, there's a Nazi scientist whose brain lives in a computer system... in case you didn't get it that the computer has a Teutonic soul, its synthesized voice has a ridiculous German accent. And Captain America's boyhood pal is resurrected as his arch enemy, fifty years later. It just doesn't get any goofier than this.
If you can ignore all that's wrong with the movie and focus only on the action, there's plenty of that to keep a viewer interested. Despite wanting to leave ten minutes into the film, I sat through the entire thing just to watch the badass fight scenes.
The Zero Theorem
(2013)
Quirky, drab film redeemed by Waltz
3 August 2014
I like Terry Gilliam's films, but if you seen one of them, you've seen them all. Zero Theorem is no different than Brazil and 12 Monkeys: dystopian future, humans treated like slaves, silly and incompetent leaders, etc. etc. Waltz brings a wonderful depth and much color to a film that without his performance would quickly have become tedious and repetitive. Thewlis was good, but his character was -- like most others in nearly every other Gilliam piece -- one-dimensional. Thierry was fun and sexy, but her character was so inconsistent that, in the end, I couldn't bring myself to care about her any more. When the credits finally roll, the viewer is left wondering what the point of Gilliam's film was (other than the obvious, trite message that the future is bleak), but marveling at what a great, versatile actor Christoph Waltz is.
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