Reviews

This review of this particular episode applies to this whole ridiculous series.

For their third mission, John and Jane are sent to the Italian Alps to get intel on an Australian billionaire (played by the very Irish sounding Sharon Horgan) and her surfer husband. As part of the op they get on a chair lift to follow their targets up a mountain as they go skiing. It's only as they're riding the chair lift, all geared up for skiing, that Jane asks John if he can ski, to which he replies, "No, not at all." Now, you would think that these two super spies would have had this discussion BEFORE they spent the many hours it takes to get fitted into ski clothes, boots, and getting skis. Anyone who skis, knows the complex logistics involved before you even take your first step onto the snow. Also, anyone who skis KNOWS that a complete novice like him would have landed on his face BEFORE he even got on the chairlift, let alone trying to ski down an intermediate run without EVER having been on skis. All of this stupidity for the tired gag of watching his stunt double fumble and crash on the ski slope. THIS is the best Donald Glover, artistic genius, could come up with?

And that's the problem with the whole show. What made the original Jolie and Pitt film so fun was that these two incredibly hot people, who were in a sexual rut, find their way back into lust and love AFTER they discover they're working for rival spy agencies. The sexual chemistry between those two was the ESSENTIAL ingredient to the whole premise. After watching three episodes (and no more I assure you) both my wife and I were amazed by the zero chemistry between Glover and Erskine - not to mention that neither of them are even that sexy on their own. So much so, that their first sex scene was actually really embarrassing. Their low-key indie film vibe is completely wrong for these characters and makes me wish that the hot couple (Alexander Skarsgard and Eliza Gonzales) who were killed at the beginning of the first episode had been the stars of this misguided venture.

Donald Glover is a talented, original and quirky artist as proved by his amazing series "Atlanta." But a sexy leading man, he is not. If he had cast a genuinely hot, charismatic and, most importantly, FUNNY leading lady this series might have had a shot. As it stands now, it's just a failed exercise in vanity.

This is what happens to shows who prolong their existence waaay past their 'sell by' date. With this unnecessary final season, For All Mankind, which was one of the most creative and exciting TV shows that had a plausible alternate history, has devolved into a silly, cartoonish, parody of itself with ridiculous and improbable stories. And the departure of its best actors from the earlier seasons only highlights the limitations of its main lead, Joel Kinnaman, who in community theater, old age makeup gives one the worst, amateurish performances of his career. Add to that the new prominence of the characters of Eleida and Kelly, both of him are the worst examples of this new trend of weak, whiny, and self pitying young actresses and you're left with the shambling zombie of what was once a great show.

This final season is the perfect example of when the money for the creators was too good to say no.

When did it become gospel that Americans can't or won't read subtitles? Forcing these French actors to speak tortured English is not only illogical, but also really distracting. France in reality, is the one European country where people make a point of not learning or speaking English. Daryl Dixon, conveniently running into all these French people who speak English is inherently illogical, and even less believable than the existence of zombies.

Now on the subject of Laurent. For a wonder child, whose supposed to be the next Messiah, could they write a more idiotic and annoying character? They've written him so that you're rooting for the zombies to eat him. These are serious, early missteps that could haunt the show for its entire run. In conclusion, we Americans can read subtitles, and actually prefer it to creating unrealistic and ridiculous situations.

I'm a BIG fan of Taylor Sheridan and with the exception of "King of Tulsa" and "Mayor of Kingstown" I have loved everything he's done. "Special Ops" is up there with his other great shows and films (like Sicario) and except for the unfortunate casting Zoe Saldana as the lead, this would be another Taylor Sheridan classic.

The problem with Saldana is that like a lot of other not-very-smart-actresses (Keri Russell I'm talking to you) she equates bit*hiness with strength. Sheridan has a history of writing strong and interesting female characters (Beth on Yellowstone and all the women on 1923) Yes, Kelly Reilly's Beth on Yellowstone is a bitc*h, but the difference between her and Saldana is that she ENJOYS every minute of it. In other words, she plays to win and, she's multi-dimensional. On top being a ball buster, she's also genuinely funny and loving towards her family and ENJOYS life -- unlike Saldana whose two modes are annoyed harpie or put-upon mom. The look on Saldana's face in every scene is like she's smelling a nasty far*t - and that's BORING. I can see the logic of Sheridan casting her in this role. She's big name and brings eyeballs to the screen but her limited smarts and acting ability seriously undermine and sell short the terrific role Sheridan has written for her. Great Show BUT too bad about Saldana.

Well folks, it looks like the gold age of Television we've enjoyed for the past twenty years is over. That age was exemplified by streamers (especially Netflix) taking chances and funding original, offbeat and even risky content. No more. Case in point: "The Recruit" which was created not by committee (the network way of doing things) but by algorithm. Netflix, along with other streamers now, is using AI to come up with ingredients for 'recipes' of previously successful shows to churn out on their production assembly line. There isn't an original character, thought or even moment in the bland and safe concoction that is "The Recruit."

The story is exactly what Imdb describes: a rookie lawyer in the CIA gets drawn into what seems to be a small potatoes case that isn't what it seems to be and then has to navigate his way and through a larger and dangerous conspiracy. All instantly forgettable as cotton candy. We, the sentient audience, deserve better.

Just finished the first season of Andor and it was perfect. Season 1 wrapped up with all the major characters in more jeopardy than ever before. It's a testament to writing that the dramatic tension of this brilliant series never lets up.

This is what you get when a pulitzer prize winning playwright (Tony Gilroy) and an Emmy winning tv writer (Beau Willamon, House of Cards) do a Star Wars series. It's so good it doesn't even belong in the same the same galaxy (no pun intended) as the rest of the Star Wars universe. The sophistication of the writing and the exquisite attention to detail to everything, the smallest tool, electronic component, or musical instrument to the vast scale of the different worlds make this the best space/sci fi series out there today.

Tony Gilroy along with Beau Willimon from House of Cards have brought a level of sophistication and nuance to the Star Wars universe beyond all expectation. Their brilliant writing delves into the minute details of what fascism really is and exposes the empire's evil in a way no other film or series in the franchise has done before. It's like watching a real historical drama about rebellion and resistance against Nazi Germany.

The tension in the previous two episodes where Andor was imprisoned in the empire's concentration/labor camp was riveting and nerve wracking, not only because of the writing, but also the exquisite ATTENTION TO DETAIL. The brutal subjugation protocols of the prison down to the minute details of their forced labor on the prison assembly line along with the beautifully crafted sets (on all the different worlds) all serve to make this the best and most intelligent Star Wars franchise ever made.

This is by far my favorite show streaming on any platform right now. The rest of the Star Wars universe pales in comparison.

I have a saying for fellow science fiction fans that goes: "We have to suffer for our sci fi." That's because most efforts in the genre, especially the low budget ones, are mediocre, badly written with second rate acting and awful production values. But every so often, very rarely in fact, a little gem like Wifelike comes along that not only exceeds expectations but actually blows them away.

Written and directed by by James Bird (Watch out for this guy) Wifelike, is set in the near future where a corporation makes synthetic human constructs (mainly stunning women) as companions for rich and powerful men. If you think this is an exploitation film to show off scantily clad beautiful women you'd be wrong. It certainly doesn't hurt to have such beauty on display but Wifelike has more on it's mind that cheap exploitation. The cast is led by the always good Johnathan Rhys Meyers and the exquisite Elena Kampouris. (This girl is going to be a BIG star) Kampouris who plays Meyers' android wife is one of those rare actresses who is not only a stunning beauty but is also a combination of strength and intelligence that is very rare in young American actors today. She rounds all this out with perfect diction and a melodic alto voice that is sheer perfection. (I highly recommend everyone check out her performance in the first season of "Sacred Lies" where she plays a cult survivor. She will break your heart)

Wifelike is also an amazing achievement because it was shot in only 17 days (I still can't believe they did that) It's story, acting and direction will keep smart sci fi fans engaged from beginning to end. I can't recommend this film highly enough.

Show about Zombies ruined by too many angsty teen girls. Now, if said Zombies ATE all those teenage girls, we'd have something here.

Clearly Netflix has given up taking creative risks and is now making shows based on demographics and analytics. It will not serve them well in the long run.

After last week's horrendous, amateurish and embarrassing episode, Star Trek, Strange New Worlds returned back to form this week. But for those needless "therapy session" scenes which had no conflict and did not move the story forward this could've been one of their best episodes. When will these young writers learn that real human beings don't behave that way #- stop in the middle of a crisis to analyze their feelings and impart wisdom to each other. That is a completely made up, fake drama TV construct. Those touchy-feely scenes only serve to slow down the action and stop the forward momentum of the story. And as long as they were killing off characters this episode, they should've started with Dan Jeannote who plays Sam Kirk and is one of the worst actors to feature in a Star Trek series.

The first episode was depressing, repetitious slog where nothing happened. A waste of Ewan McGregor's talents. I have no idea with only six episodes in the series, why they would waste the first hour like this. Going to give it one more shot and then if it doesn't get better, I'm out.

After hopefully what was the last Kwan Ha outing of the disastrous last episode, Halo finally was back to true form this week. It was almost as if we were watching two entirely different series. The superficial and amateurish acting in the Kwan Ha story versus the first rate, high drama, sci-fi story of Master chief vs. The Covenant. I really hope that the show runners take a good look at the reviews of last week's episode and never squander the goodwill of their audience like that again.

If Donald glover wants to do an anthology show instead of Atlanta, then that's what he should do instead of disappearing the cast and characters that we're so fond of in favor of abstract, self indulgent "artistic" notions. It's says something that you can skip every one of these episodes that don't feature the regulars and not miss a thing.

Ignore the hostile reviews written by the ignorant, InCell trolls who lurk on this site. They wouldn't know good writing or acting if it bit them on their sad and lonely butts. Cast with first rate actors and supported by equally good writing, Halo also has some of the best visual effects and CGI seen on TV or movies period. What these ignoramuses fail to understand is that what makes a good show requires taking the time to build the world so The audience learns and cares about the characters. That way when there is action, it has more impact. Not every episode of Game of Thrones had violent fights and dragons. Kudos to the creators of Halo for not falling into the typical superficial and clichéd traps of meaningless and mindless shoot-em-ups that the other "ordinary" shows rely on. Definitely looking forward to the New episodes.

Never mind the confusing, muddled and woolly headed, pseudo-religious pseudo-scientific pretensions of this slog, which starts out attempting to answer the big mysteries of the universe but only ends up posing the question: why is it in most horror films the minute things get the least bit scary does everyone lose their intelligence, reason and logic and start behaving like rabid baboons?

Before Lindsey Vonn, Picabo Street held the record for more World Cup wins and Olympic medal that any American skier, male or female. She also was Lindsey Vonn's idol. So, it's more than fitting that Vonn produced and co-directed the definitive documentary about Picabo's life.

Picabo Street began her life as one of eleven children born to a family of modest means in rural Idaho. From a young age she showed the natural talent, fire and competitive spirit that would take to the top of Podiums across the skiing world. Filled with terrific TV footage of her triumphs and disasters, in the course of her career Street tore every ligament in her knees and broke all major bones in her body. The grit and sacrifice it took to come back from each injury are just as impressive as her racing victories.

The documentary pulls no punches and deals with the dysfunction and domestic abuse in Street's family. Street's father who was her greatest booster and support was also a physically abusive alcoholic, diabetic who would often get violent with his wife and children, behavior that culminated in Street's arrest for domestic abuse by dumb, overzealous cops, when in fear for her own safety, she defended herself and her children from her raging father

But "Picabo" really shines in the scenes where she and Vonn share their experiences that only two champions like these two elite athletes have in common. This is rarified air. That, and the footage of them free skiing together, swooping down the mountain without the pressure of competition are pure joy.

Set in 1789, right before the French revolution, a brilliant chef is sacked by his patron, an arrogant and decadent duke, for refusing to apologize for his innovative and delicious new dish. With the help of his son and a mysterious woman, who becomes his apprentice, they take a run-down roadside inn and create the modern French restaurant.

A simple story, right? But it's in the execution where this movie shines. Anchored by brilliant performances from top to bottom, this film takes flight with some of the most beautiful cinematography showcasing the French countryside and depictions of cooking and food seen in years. A lot of the scenes look like they were painted by old Dutch masters like Rubens or Rembrandt. Unlike a lot of French films, Delicious never stops the story with characters philosophizing about the meaning of life. The people in this world are straight-forward, clear thinking with practical agendas. This creates real tension and drama in a film that is ostensibly about cooking and food and makes for the one of the most enjoyable movies coming out of France in the last few years.

For once the many negative reviews of a show here are justified. A group of astronauts go up to an abandoned space base on the moon to retrieve (whatever) and end up skulking through endless hallways. Very early on, they discover of a room full of bodies of the former crew in a locked compartment that's been there for weeks in an oxygen environment and NOBODY reacts to the smell? What are they saying? That Koreans don't decompose like the rest of us? This sloppy attention to details and glacial pacing undermine and ruin the meticulous and beautifully executed sets that recreate the lunar environment. Along with the stoic boring leads, the stock Korean 'comic' characters also slow the story and annoy. A wasted opportunity.

Except in this case the all the characters are so stupid and annoying that you're rooting for the elves to killed them all getting them slow and painful deaths.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WRITING? Nonsensical situations combined with completely confusing motivations and plot twists ruined what was one of the best Nordic Noir series ever made. If you loved the series "Bordertown" don't ruin the memory with this one-off mess of a movie.

It's a sorry state of affairs when Apple TV spends millions on a sci-fi series purporting to be about an alien invasion and then wasting the first three episodes on annoying characters doing nothing interesting and belonging to a completely different show. You can't promise one thing with the title "invasion," and then give us a boring soap opera that doesn't have any aliens or invasion related story for the first three episodes. Apple TV really needs to fire its development department.