Reviews

The Good: Heartfelt friendship moments between Dave, Gata, Mike, Elz. Some good chemistry between Dave and Ally. S1E5 and S1E10 are excellent. I highly recommend S1E10 as its one of the best single episodes of a comedy TV show I've ever seen. Characters are all pretty well done. Every Lil Dicky freestyle is worth a watch multiple times. Other solid episodes such as S2E8/S2E9.

Indifferent/bad: Episodes seem to not gel together at times from one to another. Some weak acting at times. Humor felt forced for most of the comedy and tries too hard to be edgy. Not enough Gata or Dave's parents. They both had some gem moments in the show. S2E10 ending felt a little flat to me and somewhat expected.

Pros - Denzel, without him this movie is very bad Chloe (not in the movie enough) Strong scenes between the 2 Good hand to hand combat, unique "weapon" use

Cons - villain caricatures (stereotyped Russian mob, dirty boston cops) Action movie tropes (ex special forces works a normal job and gets sucked back in...explosions with main character walking away) Does this really need to be over 2 hours long? Little character development for being such a long movie.

What a waste of 90 minutes. I like the attempt to normalize cosplaying and showing that not all nerds are overweight people but this documentary is pretty cringe worthy. The final competition only has 2 competitors that are followed. There really isn't that much emotion other than the Pokemon dude talking about his mom dying and He-Man hugging his dog and tearing up talking about how much he loves him. The competition at the end is very cringe worthy with the announcer (main guy in the story) stumbling and stammering uncomfortably on stage and the final performance of both main characters being very lackluster. A missed opportunity to hear the other cosplay "athletes" talk on stage about their experiences and the importance of fitness. Would have been better served to talk more about DragonCon and the awesome cosplays every year. A very boring and not entertaining watch that felt like a waste of time. 1 star for the excellent He-Man costume and minus 4 stars for the boring characters and story that isn't interesting at all.

This show is very good when focusing on the elements of romance, family and friendship. 8.5/10 when sticking to that. The rest of the show falters a bit when focusing on non-important characters and other silly elements like murder. Overall these elements take away a bit too much from what makes the show great and I'd give it an overall 6.5/10.

Excellent acting from Gina Rodriguez from start to finish. She is definitely a star in this show and connects with each of her supporting characters. The rest of the characters are good to great. Standouts are Andrea Navedo and Ivonne Coll as Jane's mother and grandmother. Some beautiful moments when all three are acting together. Jaime Camil as Rogelio grew on me by the end as did Justin Baldoni as Rafael. Same goes for Yael Grobglas as Petra. The editing on the show is very good when effects are added for emphasis.

The least favorite elements without spoilers are the entire Rose storyline, the twin aspect and overuse of death cop outs. These are telenovela aspects that took too much time away from the parts of the show that deserved more screen time.

A glimpse into the world of book collectors with perspective from different collectors. Jumps around a bit too much from collector to collector instead of focusing on the history of book collecting and staying on point to tell a story. Comes across a bit dull at times in story telling and it seems like there are some missed opportunities to dive into each collectors unique personality. The documentary is at its strongest when talking about where the hobby has been and where it is headed.

A rather short documentary at about 45 minutes but even then feels a bit too long. There just isn't enough information related to the medical diagnosis or treatments and the focus falls a little too much on the parents taking care of the child. The film may have been better served by focusing on the medical issue at hands AND talking more on the problem world wide in helping children with birth defects.

Shia LaBeouf puts on another great performance in a film that is mostly a feel good and sweet movie. The story feels like reading a book about an adventure that anyone would want to take. Kudos for including an actor with actual down syndrome.

Pros: Shia LeBeouf plays an excellent role in being tough, down on his luck while showing his emotions at just the right times. One of the most underrated actors in movies/tv today. Feels like a mostly refreshing adventure from start to finish.

Cons: The movie ends abruptly, guess that's a sacrifice from the rather short run time of just around 90 minutes. Some moments that don't necessarily feel like they fit, the scene with the antagonists break up the film's feeling of hope/love/family. Underutilized Jon Bernthal scenes.

Cobra Kai is a fairly well done YouTube show that has now transitioned to Netflix. It is surprisingly well done for a YouTube show but I do find that most of these 9/10 star reviews are more based on nostalgia than what makes a show actually good.

Pros: William Zabka does a fairly good job resurrecting Johnny and being the star of the show. Entertaining for the most part and an easy watch at about 30 minutes per episode. Most of the younger actors do a fair enough job and their acting becomes stronger as the show continues. The fight scenes are pretty good. The last ending fight scene of season 2 is very, very good and by far the highest point of the show. Blast of 80's nostalgia (see below for how this is also a negative)

Cons: Most of the acting is an homage to the 80's style of over the top and somewhat cheesy acting. Weak acting in the beginning almost all the way around. Gets a little tiresome with almost every character being a jerk. Even the "good" characters have their moments of being complete jerks. In addition, the drama is just too much. There aren't enough good moments to keep me actually enjoying the show as much as i'd like. Ralph Macchio coming back as Danny Larusso may have the worst acting on the show. The blast of 80's nostalgia sometimes is too much and focuses on adhering to the 80's theme that it becomes too much (80's music, flashbacks, etc) at times.

I watched this movie years ago and just didn't get it. I found most of the fight scenes very well done but the story to be over the top silly and really not that enjoyable. I decided to give this another go this past weekend and wonder if maybe i'd like it more with another watch.

I definitely did not and found myself again only enjoying the few fight scenes. The one scene with the Zither instrument is fantastic and far and away the most memorable scene for me in the movie. The other fight scenes are also well done but the comedy is just not that funny to me. A few laughable moments but the story is not well done and a majority of the humor didn't hit.

I guess Stephen Chow films just aren't for me.

Wish I Was Here starts off slower than it finishes and packs more punches towards the later half of the film. A semi-Indie film sort of in the same vein as Garden State (which is better) and was funded by way of Kickstarter; also written by brothers Adam and Zach Braff. Zach Braff is ok, Kate Hudson is better and Josh Gad has my favorite scene in the movie with the best acting I've ever seen from him. Excellent music throughout.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm focuses on a Batman love story with way too many flashbacks, a surprise and the Joker. Without giving away spoilers, the Phantasm is not actually that important and only shown sparsely in the animated film. I'd rather watch the TV series than this movie again. A majority is filled with flashbacks and Batman being confused how he should move forward with love. The highlights are the scenes with Mark Hammill doing an absolute fantastic job voicing The Joker as usual.

Another solid A24 outing with this being an ancient Greek play retold in a modern and unique way. Very good acting all the way around with Barry Keoghan especially playing a fantastic role. A thriller in every sense of the word with a haunting music and a sense of dread hanging over the entire film. I'm still undecided if someone should experience this not knowing what it is based on or watch it knowing that it will be strange with elements of mythology. Found the story dragging a little midway through which knocked down the overall rating of the film.

A lot of unnecessary hate because of the hyper sensitivity revolving around the sexualization of children. We should say that's rightfully so but we should be making sure to attack the proper sources of said problem. Everything is perspective and my own is that this is more about showcasing certain problems that lead young girls (could be said for boys as well) to making dumb choices. The movie is actually very solid and is about so much more than just that.

A few things to take note of: 1. Very solid storytelling about culture/religion and the potential impact on a child's upbringing 2. Solid acting all the way around especially from the children and lead actress 3. Definitely some uncomfortable moments that should make you scratch your head as being unnecessary (close ups during dance sequences and the "water" scene). Someone should have made better judgement calls and included the scenes but take a little better approach in how they are filmed. I guess one could argue that it is to make the viewer uncomfortable and falls in line with us seeing a child struggle through her own learning experience of what sexuality is supposed to be. 4. Written AND directed by a woman so it's not some male fantasy movie and rather about the story showcased. 5. Depressing and sad tale about a child being influenced negatively by ignorance and her families struggles.

A solid movie that both my wife and I enjoyed for what it was without losing focus on the story because of a few uncomfortable scenes. There is other content out there like Dance Moms and other YouTube videos/TV shows that are worse than the depiction in this film.

As a fan of the original OG Transformers especially the 1986 Animated Movie, I was really looking forward to this. The nostalgia is a blast but the pacing and action left a lot to be desired. The Transformers didn't actually transform enough and there were too many scenes of them running instead of transforming into their vehicle mode. The length of each episode being only 20 some odd minutes hurt the show in really being able to develop the stories and characters. Each episode felt a bit too slow. The animation is not as impressive as I thought it'd be. The movements sometimes seem a bit off when the Transformers are walking. A few battle sequences are done well but the rest of the world and characters are a bit bland. Hoping this show picks up as each chapter is added and i'll update my score if things to change for the better.

Went in with high expectations and was not disappointed in the least. Didn't know much about the movie prior which is the best way to go into this. The film takes you for a ride with moments of comedy, terror, suspense and everything in between. Very well done and solid acting all the way around except for the "simple" wife which I didn't care too much about.

Had wanted to watch this movie for the action sequences for years and finally got around to it this weekend. Those particular sequences did not did not disappoint while the rest of the film is very disjointed and doesn't quite make much sense. I usually recommend watching movies completely to get a full sense of the film but this is one where you forward to right when she's starting to dance to see an action sequence. The film should've been made up almost entirely of the action sequences and shortened to focus on that. The fight scenes are very well done and the animation is actually really good especially for being from 2011. 4 stars for the action scenes. Barely a star for the rest of the film. The acting is fine and the characters are all ok but the story is all over the place.

The title and scene of him hitting the punching bag sum up this entire documentary for me: cheesiness focusing on how great he is and hyping up Spawn 300 rather than making a good documentary about Todd McFarlane. He has absolutely shaped comics and toys but there wasn't enough focus on his career or what the events were that shaped his meteoric rise. I would have liked to see mentions of other people that he worked with and their thoughts on him but instead we get Todd hitting a punching bad in a fake tough guy way to showcase him as being someone who doesn't back down. For someone who is a comic book fan, this was a big disappointment.

Overly disappointed with a film that started off strong and fell apart as the depth of the story did not go far enough. The romantic and typical family tropes were similar to any other movie. The story had some excellent moments (mostly Ellie Chu's thoughts and writing) while it just fell flat due to the the lack of focus. Really necessary to have moments of the popular "hunk" throughout the movie or the cool kids partying? Felt overly corny at those moments instead of the sweetness revolving around the main character.

A worthwhile look at the inner workings of a basketball league that gives a meaningful existence to prisoners within the San Quentin Prison. The documentary follows around a handful of players who are playing for the San Quentin Warriors and working towards winning the final game against staff of the Golden State Warriors. The main star is Harry Smith who is the most talented player and about to be paroled with dreams of playing for some iteration of the professional Warriors. The documentary is well done in going through each players story and how they handle being inside of prison. The focus is mainly on the players rather than the crimes they committed although that is discussed and 1 mother of a slain son is interviewed a couple of times. At times, I felt as though there isn't enough examination on the unjust criminal system or the brutal crimes some of them may have committed but that is not the purpose here. The purpose is to show the outlet of basketball and how much it means to these human beings who can act free while on the court playing the game they love. Add a star for those who love basketball. Reduce a star if there is no empathy towards those committed of crimes although i'd suggest having some for our fellow human beings who made varying levels of mistakes.

Hang on till the end for a heartfelt journey in getting to know the characters. I found the first four or five episodes to focus a bit too much on the comical side with not much lack of depth other than the characters being non-stereotypical depictions of Mexicans. The show takes a turn towards a more serious role when the writers start tackling issues of immigrant struggles and gentrification towards the second half. This made the show felt a little unbalanced but the heart throughout the show is what made me stick with it and even shed a tear or two over the lives of the characters that I had come to know over 10 episodes. Joaquín Cosio as Pops is brilliant and sometimes overshadows the other less experienced and younger actors. The solo episode on Jaime Alvarez is excellent and may be my favorite episode the entire show. The actors who play Chris, Eric and Ana struggle a bit in the beginning but finish the season much stronger showing true emotion in their characters. I'm really looking forward to a season 2 on a show that is as socially important as it is entertaining.

Add a star if you like Black Mirror, decrease a star if you are looking for a Hollywood movie with a large budget. Bandersnatch is a neat attempt at making a movie in the same vein as a choose your own adventure story book. The story was interesting at first and the choices did feel as though it was shaping the story at first. The choices seemed to be less important as the movie wore on as it kept repeating certain elements because of the wrong choice being chosen. That is the biggest fault of the movie where at times it doesn't really feel as a true choose your own adventure story and seeing some of the same scenes over and over again can get repetitive. A+ for effort and the bold attempt to make this. C+ for execution.

Solid acting better than most zombie shows but no Walking Dead. I say this as someone who doesn't think that we need to compare everything to the Walking Dead but as a show, it falters poorly in many spots. The storytelling and plot are nowhere near as good which is where the problems show immensely.

The characters aren't fleshed out and I find that it is hard to feel any of the connections between the characters. Any deaths really don't matter. Story telling like Sun speaking her foreign language and acting as if people can understand her is pretty dumb and definitely over acted. Each acting performance can be solid at times but then loses it as the story progresses and the actors have to work with one another.

The use of the title cards over and over again splitting up the scenes becomes repetitive fast. This seems to be some artistic direction that is not needed when groups are merged or its just a continuation of the same story. I'm actually looking forward to season 2 IF a little more work is put into the plot and story.

Let's start off with the timeline...who decided it would be a good idea to have 3 different stories occurring at 3 different time periods? This makes the show feel disconnected and slightly confusing. Each story arc felt like its own story and didn't quite connect as it should. Henry Cavill did what he could with the acting but the emotionless aspect of The Witcher made his acting come across as cheesy. The acting of Yennifer felt stronger in the beginning as opposed to her eventual transformation. The special effects were alright in some scenes and not so great in others. The gratuitous nudity should have been replaced with more of a focus on action scenes and building Geralt's character. Geralt should be much stronger than he seemed as he kept putting himself in vicarious positions which made him seem weaker than he should be. I did notice and appreciate effort to give some shine to people of color on the show since the world is usually mostly white. This is not enough to get me to care about the show and it fell short by boring me more than keeping me interested. I'll go back to playing Witcher III (which i've enjoyed way more than any episode of the show) and might cautiously watch season 2 whenever it does come out.

What started off as a worse version of The Office became a better and improved version after season 2. The first season started off with Leslie acting too much like Michael Scott which she could not live up to. Nor did it seem to fit who she is as an actress and person. Moving into season 2 allowed the main character to shine in a smarter way and the moving away of the character Brendanawicz after season 2 and completely forgetting about him made the show that much better as it rolled into season 3. Season 3 until the end of Season 7 were better than any cumulative efforts of The Office. The Office started stronger but fell apart at the end once Steve Carrell left while Parks and Rec began slow and finished much stronger. I cared more about the characters and the relationships seemed more real than most from The Office. The Pam/Jim saga is what drew many to come back to the Office while Parks and Rec had multiple memorable characters that the viewer actually cared about. Season 1-2 is a 6.5, Season 3-7 are a solid 9.