Change Your Image
ToughAncientSpark
Reviews
Clarkson's Farm (2021)
Great show for Clarkson
I totally agree with everything that Jeremy said at the council meeting for the application of a restaurant. The idea of using a local co-op would benefit all the local farmers not just Clarkson. Fresh products from the farm is a solid business model and a way to maximize profit. It was very well spoken, concise, and well thought out but you could tell by the council leader that the decision had already been made.
Lord knows how hard it is to be a farmer these days. I do not know why anyone would want to be in the business of farming with all the things conspiring to work against them. I like how the plight of the farming community is showcased in every episode.
I also love how Jeremy is such a muppet. Caleb nailed that moniker! I laugh every episode whether it's staged on purpose or not.
With all that said, the biggest problem is it is a small town and Jeremy Clarkson is an outsider. When I lived in a small town in Florida, my neighbor remarked that her family had lived there for three generations and at times she was still considered an outsider. He will never win them over and the harder he tries, the more the push back will be.
To be fair Jeremy is trying to stuff a huge thriving business on some small back roads in the country. It's just not sustainable. I totally understand why the locals are bringing out the torches and pitchforks. And unfortunately there is not much that can be done with that.
Maybe go with an online business to sell products? Locals won't be impacted and it could be very profitable. I haven't watched the whole series as of yet but figure they will get there.
With all that said, nothing gets a 10 from me as perfection is impossible to achieve, but this is close.
The Blacklist (2013)
It was a tough decision deciding what to rate this show
First of all, I have a new found respect for James Spader's acting. He was the center of the show and his breath of his character Raymond Reddington transcended the sometimes awful writing (more on that later). He showed a variety of believable emotions throughout the series.
Next we get to Megan Booth as Elizabeth Keen. Megan is a one dimensional actor incapable of showing any other emotions other than stomping off with her cell phone in her ear, screaming at an antagonist or having the same wincing face no matter what the scene requires.
To be fair, she did have to work with some pretty terrible writing. The series took a drastic turn after season four when it became Liz Keen's obsession to kill Reddington. This took the focus of the show from the primary actor and dragged it out for four more seasons making Keen the center of attention. So many times I just wanted to stop watching the show thinking that the writers, director and producers would bring it back on track. Even after she died the whole next season's focus was this character that died.
And, oh yeah, the fact that Keen tried to kill Reddington not once but twice and did all those nasty things to the team and the team are still in love with Keen?
The writers also took a break from reality in some of the convoluted plots full of holes, things that real life agents wouldn't do (and yes I realize that this isn't reality but should still be grounded in realism to be good story telling) and everytime the team figures something out they always get there just a little too late. The criminals also always seem to know where the good guys are and where they're stashing someone to protect. Lol.
It also amazes me that they make Reddington stupid in later episodes as he can't seem to figure things out and always behind the person out to get him. That and they made Keen into this mastermind criminal who's twelve steps abead of Raymond. Totally ridiculous.
I also accuse the writers of not utilizing Agent Keen as a profiler. Remember that she was supposed to be this up and coming super duper profiler for the FBI? Never got used.
Then there's agent Donald Ressler who vacillates between emotions of wanting Reddington dead and then being a bad guy like the rest of them and helping Reddington. Get your act together.
The sets are nice and believable but don't go very far as making the show better.
I enjoyed the first four seasons but was frustrated and screamed at the TV screen for all the rest. For that I gave it one star for each of the four seasons and.two stars for James Spader's performance. Two stars taken away each for the writing and Megan Booth's "acting".
Luther: Episode #2.1 (2011)
Big plot hole
Ok, so please explain to me how the killer Cameron Pell manages to sneak in the back of the car without being noticed by DS Justin Ripley? Can he magically appear by movie magic like mystery killers do in other movies and TV shows?? Is DS Ripley asleep or so atuned to his phone that he does not notice the killer getting in the car??? Did the girl Candice Calvert let him in when she got in???? No, she was escorted to the vehicle by DS Erin Grey. So, unless DS Grey was stoned or so distracted that she does not notice Cameron in the back, he was never there. Which begs the question again, how the hell did Cameron magically appear in the back of DS Ripley's car????? Inquiring minds want to know.
A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
Lotsa tidbits
Taking a Saturaday Night Live skit and stretching it into a movie can end up anywhere between a disaster and amazingly good. Many have tried. Many have failed. This one comes somewhere in between. It's entertaining. That's a step above mildly entertaining. The Saturaday Night Live skit was always funny and guest hosts made the skit even better. Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan playing it dumb makes it hard to get through some spots. That doesn't help the fact that the movie won't ever become a classic. But, there's enough tongue in cheek humor, in-house humor, and well written jokes to enjoy. Too bad Chris Kattan's career hasn't taken off.
The Revengers (1972)
Good for Saturaday afternoon
Just saw this movie on Saturday afternoon network TV. That's where this movie deserves to be. Rated it a 4 because the scenery is magnificent. Speaking of which...didn't the movie seem like a cheap knockoff of the Magnificent Seven? The movie borrowing a lot of ideas from other westerns (family gets wiped out and Good Guy's out for revenge), has-been Susan Hayward trying to look sexy and play it up in the going away scene, generally bad actors acting with generally bad dialog, actors that look like someone (thought Tarp was Nick Nolte and the lieutenant was David Soul) but really aren't anybody, a truly dead ending (just riding away after NOT shooting the bad guy and saying "Maybe I've got squigglies in my heart") leads me to say... why'd I give it a 4 again?