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Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936)
A great movie that's also a study in racism.
Charlie Chan is on the case with his #1 son, Key Luke. I love these old movies. They're a view into the past. Buildings and cities long gone. I also love the old B/W films. It was an age when if you wanted to see something you had to actually attend. When radio was king and the tv a distant dream. The bleaker side of these old films is the racism with which black people are treated. You have your lovable but cowardly driver in Birmingham Brown(not in this film) and the horrible portrayal of the stable boy. As bad as the character in "Charlie Chan in Egypt" The worst seems to be in the 1930's films. It's somewhat ironic that Chan is treated with such respect while other minorities, including other Chinese, are treated with such contempt. At times it's hard to watch these portrayals but they are windows into societies past. Hopefully we can learn from them.
Shôgun (2024)
Well Done
This is a well done series. The actors are all very good and they all give great performances. The backdrops and scenery are fantastic. I read the book about the same time the original mini series aired. The only down side for me is this one feels a little flat. They've given it a more realistic voice for modern times, but the fire is gone. I kind of miss the old school bombastic Japanize lord. Whether the original series seems more appropriate or not probably depends on your age. I think every generation is more biased against the newer versions. Definitely worth a watch in any case. Will. Looking forward to Gai-jin .
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
Really enjoyed this.
When they started singing I wanted to groan, but despite myself I found myself really enjoying this episode. It was great to see the actors show off their singing skills. It's easy to watch these shows and think I could do that. Sometimes we forget just how talented these people are. Very nice songs as well. It was a nice break actually since many of the previous episodes seemed all time looping stuff. When I was young I was all about Star Trek cannon, but now I just roll with it. It's just entertainment. Show is still far too woke, especially virtue signaling with the women. Still take what you want and forget the rest.
The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022)
Worth a watch
OK, maybe my 8 star rating is a little high, but I enjoyed this movie. Usually most of the singing on bobs burgers is kind of cringe worthy but there were some really great songs and singing in this. I especially liked the "Lucky Ducks" routine. If your a Bob's Burgers fan give it a watch.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Lost at start
It took me a while to clue into the "Wanda" character background. I'd seen her in Avenger movies. But never associated her powers as magic and she being "evil" threw me off. There's no slow slide into the dark side with her, you're just presented with the evil witch to start. The movie felt very rushed and frankly some of the make-up done with Strange looked very amateurish. Not a bad movie, but a deeper background start would have been better. Worth a watch but most definitely not up to the standards of the Avenger movies.
FBI: International (2021)
More FBI fantacy propaganda.
Have you ever noticed that the worse the FBI is doing in the news, the more FBI shows pop up on tv? I'm starting to think the FBI is paying the networks to help them get their propaganda lines out and distract people from the REAL actions of the FBI. I've lost track of how many FBI shows are on now. You can watch whatever drivel you like, just remember its not based on reality. That fact comes very clear here, where the FBI is acting "Internationally" which is outside its jurisdiction to start with. Mind you the FBI routinely breaks the law in real life, so why shouldn't it on tv? Which kind of nails the whole problem with the real FBI. They break whatever laws, and act unethically, if they think they're in the right. Because they're the good guys right? No, the ends to not justify the means, as several entrapment cases recently have shown.
For All Mankind (2019)
Very good show but....
Very good show, that could have been fantastic but for the need of the liberal writers to indoctrinate their viewing audience. This show is pretty much riddled with the liberal top agenda causes. The first season focuses far too much on the plight of gays with a smattering of black issues.rights. The second season becomes a vagina feast with every single senior position at NASA being controlled by women. The third season should be all about black rights given the order so far. The funny thing is by the end of the second season I had a feeling the writers disliked women as they seemed to be cast as villains quite often. Not evil mind you, just bad actions. Still if you can ignore their blatant mind twisting there is a good show within. The acting is very good and the plots lines keep you coming back for more.. Such a great shame they couldn't just write a show to be enjoyed.
Resident Alien (2021)
Worth a watch
It's an amusing show and the actors are a bit different from the usual sitcom lot. One reviewer commented it reminded him of Northern Exposure and I agree. The majestic backgrounds almost steal the scenes. It doesn't make me LOL but it's funny enough. It does make me sad that this is into its second season while the MUCH better Firefly only was given one season. Oh well. So if you need something to watch try this. You might just get hooked.
Black Panther (2018)
Not for me.
Maybe I'm in the minority here but to me this film is just an epic appeal to the ultra PC and BLM crowd. Frankly I found the African stereotypes offensive and even racist. It felt very much to me like a film made by people with an inferiority complex who are desperate to portray how Africans are better than Europeans. JMO though.
Yellowstone (2018)
Hollywood Montana
It's nice to see Costner in the show but this one is way to Hollywood. The things they do would never get a pass. The sister is so venomous you wonder why no one hasn't gone postal on her. Her story does start to flesh out better in S4, but still over the top. Many of the issues are real, such as rich idiots from NY and Cali gobbling up the land and raising the prices to crazy levels. The never ending native "white man bad" line is very wearing and I've started fast forwarding past the rants. Not that white people didn't do terrible things to the natives but there's absolutely no push back on the native wrongs. But if you like soap operas and violence set in the west this is for you. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be watching it.
Star Trek: Prodigy (2021)
Star Trek or Star Wars?
This felt a LOT more like a Star Wars universe story. The visuals were over saturated with bright colors, leaning on the red spectrum, making it rather unpleasant from me to watch. About the only big plus for me was Kate Mulgrew. Popping up at the end. Perhaps this was their children's story line in opposite to lower decks which is more adult oriented. The "evil" characters seem a bit too dark for children though. Hopefully it will improve with time.
The Rookie: The Hunt (2020)
WTF? Horrible writing!
This ending made no sense whatsoever. It is totally unbelievable how he reacted to events in this season ending. I think I was generous in giving this a 5 as well. Reading the other reviews, the episodes overall rating is a puzzle.
Overall this is an enjoyable series but I wouldn't call it anything special. I'm a long time Fillion fan but to honest this show pushes credibility. Fillion is pushing fifty and it shows which makes the whole "rookie" thing kind of absurd. It was really nice to see Chris Rock on the screen. He doesn't get the work he deserves.
The Irishman (2019)
This should be a great movie
I love gangster movies and I'm pretty good at suspending disbelief when it comes to moves but these actors are just sooo old there's no way I can believe the story I'm being told. The forth wall is broken. This would have been a great movie with the same actors 20yrs ago or different actors. I was surprised to learn they'd used CGI to make the actors faces look younger but it didn't look right and watching De Nero walk you can tell he's an very old man. It's just not realistic. That's not to say these aren't great actors but they need to take senior roles now.
Ad Astra (2019)
Dull as dull can be
This is a very depressing and dull movie. Pitt's character is proud of the fact his heartbeat never rises above the 80's no matter how much pressure he's under. I can relate while watching this movie. I'll admit I'm getting up there and it was bad enough to see an old Pitt but the decrepit old actors Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland really pushed it home. Sutherland especially looked ready to keel over at any second. There are all great actors but to believe such elders would be shooting off into space is a bit much. I usually can't get enough of SiFi but this one isn't a keeper.
Frontier (2016)
Good actors, bad history
This show is quite enjoyable as long as you take it for fiction and don't believe their portrayal of history. As a Canadian I'm a little annoyed at how badly history is mangled by the series but except this is what tv does. The actors are good and the performances enjoyable. They characters must have a transporter stashed somewhere though as they seem able to travel the vast difficult terrain at amazing speeds. Of course because this is Hollywood tripe there is an enormous amount of violence. But as long as you are willing to suspend disbelief it's enjoyable enough to watch.
Year of the Rabbit (2019)
Disappointing
Watched this because it had Alun Armstrong. I generally really enjoy British shows, especially comedies but this was just terrible. There's not much else to say other than they try to be funny but fail. Obviously from the rating there are many others who enjoy this show so perhaps I'm in the minority here.
Lost Cities with Albert Lin (2019)
Not as good as I hoped
This show unfortunately is more entertainment than real archeology. I had high hopes when I read that he would be using Lidar but its been more hype than substance. Lin definitely likes his tech toys but I'm often not sure what real benefit some of them bring.
The first episode he must have used the word "treasure" over twenty times. As a history buff I'd be far more excited by scrolls than gold. Still it's worth a watch and in truth no worse than most so called archeology shows today. Just don't expect any in depth searching. Other than the Lidar they never dig a site.
Aladdin (2019)
UGH!
I was actually kind of looking forward to this movie. I like Will Smith and was looking forward to seeing how he handled the role of genie. Sadly I didn't make it that far. I had totally forgotten Disney's drive to add songs to movies so they can sell sound tracks. The telling thing is I have watched the old animated one with Robin Williams many times and the music never bothered me that much, perhaps because it was done so well. This cannot be said of this movie. This show actually reminded me of a stage play, and not a very good one. The actors were adequate, but only barely. I don't know what was wrong with the guy who plays Aladdin, he looked sickly to me. The constant interruption of the plot by the actors bursting into song put me off so much I gave up.. I might have to watch a bit more though just to see Will Smith as a quit before he entered the scene. Perhaps kids will enjoy this though as their expectations are much lower.
Chicago Med (2015)
OK, for a soap
Let's get this straight. It's a tv show, not a documentary. To be more correct it's a soap opera. The performances/actors are quit good but this in no way represents real life in a hospital. The antics, relationships and doctors acting during emotional chaos in no way represent reality. It's great to see Oliver Platt's preformances again. Loved him in the West Wing. Also S. Epatha Merkerson who I also enjoyed in Law and Order.. A good show, worth a watch if you can suspend disbelief.
Barney Miller (1975)
A Time Capsule
I watched this show growing up and still love it. Great cast and story lines. It really is a time capsule of New York in the 70's in many ways. Although many young views may see it as dated or slow it's worth remembering that this show is over 40yrs old as of this post and like many vintage shows gives a glimpse into that distant past. It also shows a police force changing its attitudes about law enforcement and changing social values. The shows a mix of drama with comedy.. I must agree with another reviewer that the actress who plays his wife was a very strange casting choice. I thing they were attempting to show them as an upwardly mobile couple. The The only thing i don't like is the loud laugh track, which is still used in shows today. Glad they recently released high quality dvd's of this show as previously i had to make do with grainy downloaded copies.
FBI (2018)
Don't be Fooled
TV government propaganda is not a new thing. It's been going on for literally decades. This show is a prime example. The FBI bosses have been taking quite a beating in the press over that last couple of years and PRESTO! a new FBI show. Now you might have been forgiven for falling for this type of BS in the 70's but audiences should be more sophisticated now. Naturally the bad guys in the first episode are evil "alt-right" minions. I'm not saying you can't enjoy this show. The acting isn't bad, and the plots aren't any worse than any of the other drivel on TV. Just keep the reality of FBI actions separate from TV fantasy
Stargate Origins (2018)
It can only get better
I seriously thought this was a badly done fan show. The acting is terrible. The trendy fact the girl acts more like a man then the men did nothing to endear itself to me. In fact the main character,Catherine, is totally obnoxious. A spoiled daddy's girl type. The "men" accept verbal and physical abuse without comment. The fight scenes are done very clumsily. The characters are cookie cutter types.
So the only way is up i suppose but without ditching the main character i can't see the show improving. it may be a hit with the 'Zena" crowd though.
The Revenant (2015)
Good Movie, Great Visuals.
This is a beautifully set movie. The basic plot unfortunately was fairly formulaic.
As a Canadian in the throws of winter I don't particularly enjoy watching a movie set in the cold of winter as well. I have enough of that when I step outside! My biggest problem with this movie is simple reality. You do not go fording across a stream in winter on foot or on a house without consequences. Mountain streams can be freezing cold in spring(I have panned for gold in the mountains), so you can imagine how cold they are during the winter. To most this would seem a trivial thing, but I would hate for any kids to think this was OK.
I also really don't go in for this over the top superhuman effort stuff. This character never seems to get ten miles without taking some horrible physical damage.
Unlike most of this genre of film, this movie is totally without humour which makes the unrelenting suffering particularly hard to watch. It reminds me of "up" which I couldn't watch to the end. The bottom line I guess is I did not "enjoy" watching this movie.
That all said, this is a well acted and directed and worth a watch.
Creed (2015)
Good Movie, but not to the level of Rocky
There was very good acting in this movie. The plot was similar to its famous ancestors so no surprise there. The biggest problem I felt with this movie was the music seemed off. I'm not talking about the rap, but the general background music that can make of break a movie. There did seem to be a lot of rap in the movie, but considering the background of the main character it's not a surprise.
I also don't understand why Paulie was written out. He added some much needed comic relief.
The biggest problem is that the last two movies in this franchise had to live up to the legacy of the first four excellent films which perhaps was impossible.
Dark Matter (2015)
Predictable
I was very disappointed by the cookie cutter characters until I read this show is based on a comic book.( and it shows) Predictable characters and plot line. I was hoping for something more original but still worth watching.
The actors seem fine but the characters are two dimensional. The android is not as annoying as Data but still lacks the neutral face I would expect of an android. About the only unknown factor is the young girls character who might develop into something interesting. And what's behind the big door?
I rated it a 7 just because I'm a sifi fan. And for the love of Pete SiFi channel stop inserting your highly annoying ads constantly during the show!!!!.