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Reviews
Blue Bloods: Past History (2023)
Another example of the bad writing recently!
An episode where the recent awful writing is on full display.
First we get a serial killer, with obvious flaws. He first appears as a police shrink with no explanation where he came from and makes it clear to viewers - but not Regan & Baez - that he's actually the killer. A scene where important facts are left out but the dialog so overplayed that his later discovery as the killer is anti-climactic.
But it gets worse - as he's carried off in the mental ward, he admits to killing more women that Danny is aware of. We already know that (the trophy hair they find doesn't match the 2 bodies: there must be at least a third dead girl). The attendants jump to interfere with a police investigation to help the serial killer. NOT IN A MILLION YEARS. But worse - they just leave the whole mess hanging. It goes unresolved; the writers set it up then just forget about it next week. All gone.
Then they do the same with Erin in a fight with Eddie & her ex-husband Jack. At the end we find out that inexplicably Erin has presented to the Grand Jury despite the investigation not being over. When the killer walks we find she did indeed plan the killing; she bought the murder weapon the day before. Then rather than simply re-filing with new evidence (common), Erin acts like Double Jeopardy is in force: it isn't. Grand Jury indictments are NOT trials. Again, the writers just walk away, leaving the plot line unfinished. The writers set it up then just forget about it next week. All gone.
Twice in the same poorly written episode.
Writers - if you're having trouble creating scripts, try going another week to finish what you started already then abandoned. Don't leave us in a mess, than just forget about it.
Eternals (2021)
Is this REALLY the best they could do?
I agree with everyone else that the story and the pacing is just awful. About halfway through I realize what Serci realizes: whatever side you're on, Mankind is really just food. One side has been sucking down folks for dinner (LOVED that little kid watch his Dad get swallowed up right from the start, reminded me of a dinosaur documentary I saw showing a T-Rex that got too close to shore only to find out he really wasn't the apex predator - Eternals reference there too - if you include the world's ancient oceans). The other side has been raising them like cattle to be ingested by a new Eternal living in the Earth's core; when there's enough dummies on Earth generating enough life force they get chowed down during the "Emergence".
Once you realize this - and our memory-erased heros have been helping do this to countless civilizations across the galaxy for millennia - you realize that the boredom you've endured to that point just isn't worth it. I turned it off and went looking for the first Iron Man yet again. Watching the beautiful Gemma Chan is a delight but there's nothing else here that's worth your time. Couldn't even finish this.
Blue Bloods: Guilt (2022)
Would like to have seen better for the 250th Episode
All the while I'm watching this, I'm asking myself "Why?". I am more puzzled than even Danny & Edit are on their case! But my question is why this whole plot with the shot officer who flamed out working at 1PP got so much screen time. I get that Ilfenesh Hadera is a beautiful and talented actress, and I'm fine with that. But the writers should know that so much investment on the part of the PC and his support crew (4, if you include Will Estes' Jamie) isn't really believable. The PC has too much real work on his daily plate to delve into the mental quandies of 1 (of 36,000) of his officers no matter where she was previously posted. And the idea that she could tell her attending to keep her in the hospital a few days longer shows a complete lack of understanding of how health care works in this country now. And to circle back: while it was nice (and that's a hint for doing this again) seeing Danny and Eddi work together ala the old Danny and Jamie scenarios, I really doubt any viewers didn't know the husband was the 'killer' all along. And to be honest I still pine for less Baez anyway. She never was as good as Jennifer Esposito's character, who was far more believable as a NYC cop.
Blue Bloods: Where We Stand (2022)
Writers struggling for new plotlines.
A normally compelling show is slowly getting less relevant. Having been to a few school board meetings (and maybe I'm not 'inner' city enough) I can tell you that while some students don't like the increased police presence, all the parents do (and would like more). This seems more like the "defund the police" crowd were given a voice and allowed to experience realty - something they haven't done in the real world. And the entire plotline of the Mom and kid on the run was - well, goofy. You immediately realize the Dad is behind it; it's too transparent, and an insult to the Danny character that the writers let him act so cluelessly. The only good part was seeing Didi Conn again - I always enjoyed her "quirky work" and will settle for a dramatic turn as a crumb.
Blue Bloods: Tale of Two Cities (2018)
Can you catch the script error?
This is a good solid episode with a big script hole. Danny & Baez discover a father with a whole different life. He tells 1 family he's traveling for business while he's with the other. But if you listen to the "other woman" interview, she says she thought he was in London. His other family thought he was there at the same time. SO WHERE WAS HE? My guess was a 3rd family. Nope, just a plot gaffe. See if you catch it!
Blue Bloods: Legacy (2018)
Really bad writing of charachters making really bad decisions
An episode where everyone makes decisions that are either absurd or just out of character. Frank decides to fire a cop who played it by the book and did nothing wrong, and twists a great Abe Lincoln quote to justify it. Danny walks away from a job that would have secured his family's future after they tell him they'd rather compromise their future than have Danny give up being on the job - and he selfishly agrees. COMMUNITY COLLEGE? Yeah, that'll be a bright future indeed. Why make good grades when you're going on to a school that accepts anyone who is breathing that has a checkbook? Just because Erin is going to Columbia you think you should get a good opportunity. Nope. And Frank firing a cop from a dedicated cop family just because of publicity is not only out of character but stupid. BAD episode of a normally good show.
Blue Bloods: Down the Rabbit Hole (2016)
A poorly written finale to what was a fairly gripping story line
If you followed this season's tale of Danny vs. Physco serial killer, the conclusion in this episode will be a huge letdown. Danny & Erin easily locate the baddie Thomas Wilder who waits for them in a grassy field with Nicky in a car trunk. Wilder simply claims he will always be in Danny's head before committing death by cop using his fingers as guns. For a nut who always got the best of Danny, a very silly end.
For those who thought Wilder's sick but clever killer would die in some epic, well-written finale this was a "No - you gotta be kidding" ending. It reminds me of the old sitcom title "Just Shoot Me". Too much of the hour is wasted on an unnecessary Michael Beach (great actor, awful character here) and "turf war" story line. Nothing clever or exciting at the end of the storyline. A terrific acting job by Lous Cancelmi down the tubes, unconvincingly.
Last Man Standing: Butterfly Effect (2021)
Yearning for the days when this show was great
The magic of services like Hulu is that you can always jump back in time to see what a show WAS and compare it to what it currently IS. In the case of LMS it's a very morose endeavor; this episode displays that perfectly. Too much of the time I'm thinking how really terrible it's all become. Litening to the dialog from the "Jen" character trying to fit in at Outdoor Man was really just awful; unfunny, uncomfortable to watch, conversations that really are just - well, stupid. Hearing the words coming from Kyle are just more of the same, making me yearn for the days long ago when the cartoon-like character was FUNNY. If not for Tim Allen's blog reference to Faulkner's "The Bear" (making me wonder how the writers who created this mess could even have heard of Faulkner) I'd have used 1 star.
But what really hurts is being able to go back and watch almost any episode from Season 1 and remember what promise this series held. The concept (a mostly-absent Dad suddenly once again part of an all-female family, hence the title) was so fresh, the writing so sharp, the laughs genuine. Allen making Tim the Toolman smarter, more aware, less a caricature but just as funny yet more relevant. The daughters were more "real", especially Alexandra Krosney as the teen actually battling to keep it all together as a single Mom. Sheltered by an affluent family but fighting to prove her independence she was the perfect comic foil for her 2 very different sisters. Replacing her with the more male, aggressive and overly plus-sized Amanda Fuller in season two and expanding the male cast (we really didn't NEED adding the annoying Ryan and older Boyd to trash the whole "Last Man" concept, much less more men to come in Chuck and Jay Leno's Joe). It showed the series writing was going to take some very wrong turns, as "Last Man" morphed into "Mostly Men" - to the Outdoor Man Boy's Club and beyond.
The ability of it to survive so long is really a testament to Allen's overwhelming talent (his VLogs were a terrific vehicle), his chemistry with the lovely Nancy Travis and the interplay with Allen's girls, especially his Alpha Male interactions with the very female Molly Ephraim version of Mandy. And Kaitlyn Dever's Eve was the perfect cement to keep the two opposites together. In contrast, her replacement Jen character was really a train wreck.
So really funny became really uncomfortable and watching "Butterfly Effect" puts the flaws on full display. The scenario has sunk so low and the writing so awful it will be a blessing to put the series out of it's misery. But if you can, go back to Season 1 and watch "Last Halloween Standing", "House Rules" or the Christmas episode. Try not to lose it during the sisters video about Mandy's "Pie Rack" in the "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" episode. They're excellent. "Butterfly Effect" certainly ISN'T.
It's very telling that the critics hated season 1 but loved what followed, yet audiences loved season 1 and NOT the rest. The average 9+ million viewers of season 1 would never be duplicated again, not it's 3.4 share of the 18-49 crowd. It's easy to see why.
Police Car 17 (1933)
Sends a bad message, and the casting was a stretch
One of those early B films that seemed rushed. Tim McCoy is a good cowboy but not so hot as a cop; he's also poorly cast, almost 20 years older than his love interest (Perils Of Pauline actress. Evalyn Knapp). The best part is seeing Ward Bond, not exactly young here at 30 but finally earning a billing after years of movies where he went mostly uncredited. My issue is McCoy finally breaking the case by asking the Chief to suspend him from the force so he can beat critical information out of one of the bad guys. It would be worse if the fight scene wasn't so laughable.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Let He Who Is without Sin... (1996)
AWFUL - if you're bing watching the series, skip it.
Not sure who could even write this trash. The whole idea of Worf having relationships with self-confident women escapes me, and forget the amazingly awkward TNG scenes with Troi - this is far worse. He's childish, clueless and obnoxious beyond belief. Why they write the character of Dax as wanting a relationship with him is beyond me, except I think the writers find it titillating - and they use a ton of innuendo in the dialog to express it. When Worf is conned by a cheap showman (ridiculously overplayed by Monte Markham). preaching hellfire and damnation I literally started laughing. Just really awful writing and character development. Then I realized the whole idea of a relationship between him (one of the normally most delightfully wooden characters in the Star Trek universe) and Dax - or Troi! - is absurd. Wish I'd skipped this episode; this is part of the beginning of the end for this series. It joins the idea of "stripping a shape-shifter of his powers" for really bad plot lines. Just awful.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
A horrible way to crank out more cash.
This CGI-fest is SO far off the mark it makes you hope that someone with far more respect for the source material one day does a reboot. A beautiful book turned into an awful CGI war video game. Characters added to the whole set of three certainly subtract from the film, but add the needed length to stretch it to three films to generate piles more cash. It feels like grave-robbing. I love that another reviewer pointed out how this goofy romance between the "Jackson was smitten so he created an elf for Evangiline" Tauriel and the too-human-looking Fili robs the Legolas/Gimli relationship of the uniqueness and depth Tolkien put into it. The 3 films are rife with this trash. I guess if you're Tolkien fan you hate it. CGI loving gamers who have never read the books might like it.
I cry for Tolkien.
As I do for Tom Bombadil, Peter Jackson's "opposite". As Tolkien himself pointed out about Tom "I kept him in, and as he was, because he represents certain things otherwise left out". Jackson is the man representing certain things put in that should otherwise be far better left out.
Gone Girl (2014)
Terrible! "Double Jeopardy" did this SOOO much better
What a mess! If the concept of the "faked murder" appeals to you, skip this train-wreck and go watch Ashley Judd, Bruce Greenwood and Tommy Lee Jones do it somewhat well. It's not happening here. The hidden baseline is a parody of what TV "reality news" does to shape public opinion, most of which is consumed as the truth by the ignorant masses. That I can agree with. Heck, it describes all of politics today. But the story itself is such junk - especially how the cops are complete idiots - and this woman's crazy schemes are consumed as truth. My favorite is when the investigators who question her toward the end "hush up" the cop pointing out the huge holes in her nonsense story, because of all she's "been through". C'mon guys, you can't write better than that?? If you want something suspenseful that will exercise your brain this will completely disappoint you. If it wasn't for some decent acting of this garbage script I'd award it zero stars. IMHO.
The Outsider (2002)
Terrific - but not a "new" story.
I agree wholeheartedly with all the other positive reviews here. Watts and Daly have the chemistry; the movie is beautifully filmed, and the pace is excellent. What I'm thrown by is the references to the author; I see Penelope Williamson credited often. In my opinion, the only Penelope that should get a nod is Penelope Worth; she was the original name of the Quaker girl Gail Russell played in "Angel and the Badman", of which this is an unabashed remake. The story setup is the same: near-death gunslinger nursed back to health by the beautiful Quaker girl. Gunslinger has epiphany regarding peace and the "plain folk" and fights internally with the conflict till the end. Both play give-and-take. I think Penelope Williamson ought to thank James Edward Grant for being the REAL source material.
Outlaw (2010)
Tony Stark nominated to the Supreme Court!
If you wonder what a super-liberal dreams at night, you can now watch each week on NBC. "Outlaw" refers to our hero Cyrus. Picture Tony Stark at the beginning of Iron Man - completely copied here in the pilot episode - the drinking and gambling in the casino, right down to the confrontation with the politically-opposite heckler outside laced with sexual double-entendres - and then bedding her. The script must have been laying around somewhere and they mixed them up. But it's the politics that shine here - heck, I lean to the left but this was just embarrassing. The staunch conservative Supreme Court judge who "deep in his heart knows he's wrong" (an actual quote from his dead father). Of course he has an epiphany and forsakes the Dark Side. And just when you think it can't get more over the top, it does. Every cliché imaginable is thrown into this mess, starting with the standard death-row inmate whose attorney through the entire long high-profile case was completely incompetent; the evil legal system that just wants to railroad him; even glimpses of the slimy Godfather-like powerful conservative Senator who's pulling the strings. We end with the surprise witness who was in hiding that makes all the bad right and everyone leaves smiling. If you aren't laughing at that point you don't appreciate the absurd.
There's a lot the writers want you to swallow, mostly with Jimmy Smits, who you have to buy as a womanizing ("I don't even know the names of the last three women I slept with"), bookie-fearing ("It's not half a million like the papers say, more like a quarter million") Atlantic City-loving playboy who was confirmed as a right-wing Supreme Court Justice. Right. His Dad (who is the voice that haunts him) marched with Cesar Chavez and publicly called his kid a schmuck. Happens all the time. For the most part his fellow crusaders are all straight out of the book, but my favorite is Carly Pope's Lucinda, a sexy, edgy legal private eye carbon copy of Kalinda of "The Good Wife" (Lucinda, Kalinda - you'd think they would have at least changed the name a bit more). But where Archie Panjabi's Kalinda is played with texture and nuance mixed well with self-assured aggression, Lucinda is overblown, tight-leather-clad, and sluttish - at one point telling us how nice her boobs are. C'mon, folks. When it was finally over my wife (who is normally very patient) turned and looked at me with a twinkle in her eye saying "OK, it's really stupid, but I still like Jimmy Smits". I told her to go find a "Cane" DVD and at least enjoy him in something creative, because this sure isn't it.