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John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
If I Could Give This Movie Less Than 1, I Would!
I stumbled upon John Wick 2 while flipping channels. After hearing various humans rave about John Wick 3, I decided to watch #2. Terrible film: 1) Keanu Reeves' offered not a whit of acting. He merely walked around 'trying' to appear menacing. 2) Numerous shootouts and nominal story does not result in a good film. 3) The fight/gun choreography was silly. Dozens of mercenaries with a variety of weaponry, were all incapable of incapacitating Wick. 4) Wick was essentially hurt throughout the movie, yet he was at all times better than his adversaries... ridiculous. 5) Wick is also the stupidest assassin on the planet. He was tasked to eliminate a character who chose to commit suicide in front of him. Yet, he also shot the target when he did not have to. He was under no time pressure (they were engaged in casual banter without urgency), so he could have simply waited to ensure the target was dead and then vanished. A perfect assassination, right? Instead, by shooting the target, he ensured a sense of corruption associated with the death. Further, he could have escaped unseen - as he had arrived - but Wick tried to leave in/among a crowd. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Code of the Wild (2019)
Tripe
I tried watching 2 episodes, but could not get to the end of either. Horrible programming based on making stuff up and drawing ridiculous conclusions. If I could rate this show lower than 1, I would.
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Wildly Overrated
1) "Genuinely thrilling" - Rolling Stone.
2) "Patrick Stewart is sensational" - The Telegraph.
Now having seen the first 5 episodes, I can honestly say that neither of the above is remotely accurate. It is as if the writers at The Telegraph and Rolling Stone do not know the meaning of "genuine," "thrilling" and "sensational."
1) Given that Star Trek Discovery was horrible, I was hoping Picard would be better. And, Picard is better, but only marginally. The performances/actors are significantly better than those in Discovery, however they are limited by a disjointed story line. I get that the writers were tasked with reconstituting Picard - no one should assume this is an easy task - yet the episodes (1/2, 3, 4, 5) are painfully disconnected. Each installment is essentially a new story. It is as if the writers have no concept of flow/continuity. There should have been more of the story and/or a smarter story to provide an effective sense of continuity. But I suppose a clumsy story should be expected, since the Discovery story was abysmal. IE, I would not be surprised to learn that several of the Discovery writers worked on Picard. Beyond the disjointed story, the obvious giveaway that Discovery wrote Picard is the use of foolishly unnecessary 20th/21st century idioms/phrases, "Pain in the ass" and "Out of luck." There are more issues, for example the unforced error at the end of "Absolute Candor..." right?
2) A brief comment on Patrick Stewart: I like Stewart, he is a great performer, but in Picard, he is not "sensational." Frankly, he comes off as decrepit/old/tired. I do not know if this is Stewart's current reality or if this was a character choice. Regardless of the circumstances, Patrick Stewart's resulting performance is bland.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Abysmal Relaunch
Poor writing, incoherent motivations, clumsy plots, wooden performances ie it's space crap.
Monster Encounters: Mega Bear (2018)
Steeped in gross exaggerations and irresponsible interactions.
There is so much wrong with this show. For example: 1) The guide and the host purposely provoke a Cousteau-like interaction with a bear. This is incredibly dangerous, irresponsible and abusive! 2) Anderson claims the bear print is proof of a 'mega' bear, but the size and appearance is that of a typical grizzly. 3) A witness tells a tale of a huge bear that was 5 feet tall while lying on the ground. This is simply not credible.
There are so many genuinely interesting aspects of the natural environment that Anderson could have discussed, instead he seems preoccupied with conjuring speculation and exploiting ignorance. Ultimately, Anderson is merely a carnival barker. Deception is at the core of his trade.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Abysmal Relaunch
Poor writing, incoherent motivations, clumsy plots, wooden performances ie it's space crap.