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A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
Wacky, fun, and doesn't take itself too seriously.
While this is by no means an instant Christmas Classic or anything, and only really ever breaks out of B-movie status, it is still a fun, fast-paced, wacky film with some decent story telling, decent effects, and solid acting.
Shatner delivers, as can be expected, as well as George Buza, who plays Santa Clause.
The story is a little choppy, which is the norm for an anthology-type movie, and in the case of this one the story's are intermingled together, with the endings all happening at the end of the film as opposed to their own respective storylines.
The direction, however, is not without understanding and as the movie progresses you quickly see how the stories start to impact each other.
My only real complaint is the lack of a climax. While I get the ending, the other stories just kind of....ended. What was the primary reason behind all the craziness that holiday season in Bailey Downs? I would have liked to see a primary villain (Krampus perhaps?). While the stories are connected they are not really dependant on each other and their connections are more coincidental.
I would have liked to see a final act that showed that it was perhaps Krampus himself that was behind it all.
Hyperdrive (2019)
Great show but could use some fine tuning.
The obstacles were great, unique, and truly challenging. The drivers were absolutely talented, especially those in the finals. The course, photography, and lighting were awesome. The commentators on the other hand....
One was a former MMA fighter who had very little knowledge on professional racing and you could tell.
Rutledge Wood. This man is a legend in racing analyses. He used to host Top Gear, has driven in several races (and even won a few) and is all around a great guy and a good host for a show like this. So with his credentials and knowledge of the subject matter WHY THE HECK DID HE REMAIN SILENT THROUGH MOST OF THE COURSES? I think for season 2 they should let Rut run the show in terms of commentating and showing more of the technical aspect of it.
Take Jaio Barions Mustang for instance. That 65 fast-back was a frankenbeast car with 800 horsepower. The only thing "stock" on it was the body so why didn't they show us a little about what's going on under the hood of that monster? It was pretty sweet. Same thing with the Graff's BMWs. Both were very modified. I would have liked to see a little more of the cars and what makes them so suited to this type of competition and that is what Rut would have shined in.
Serial Killer with Piers Morgan (2017)
Piers is not the right person for this.
I like the concept. A one-on-one with a serial killer to try and get to the bottom of their crimes, their motives, their claims of innocence etc etc. It's been done before but it always makes for somewhat compelling television.
This. Is. Not. That.
This is Piers Morgan reminding everyone that he is Piers Morgan and that HE is the moral high ground and is an expert at psychologically analyzing killers who have stumped even the most experienced professionals.
Some of the my favorites moments included in his first interview with Mark Riebe. He repeatedly said "I'm not judging you. I want to know the mentality of a man who could do this." Or something close to that. Flash forward to the end of the episode and it's "I don't believe you. Yes, run away Mark. I'm not a 110 pound women."
Seriously Piers?
This would be a good series if the interviewer had even a shred of decency and genuinely tried to get to know the killers instead of simply stating the court-derived facts and re-condemning them all over again.
50/50 (2011)
Poignant, humorous, and uplifting.
So many movies portray cancer as such a dramatic, serious thing. While the disease itself certainly is serious and dramatic, this movie shows how two young, virile, energetic goofballs go about life after a diagnosis of such life-changing proportions.
The short answer is: any way they can.
Seth Rogen does such a terrific job of being Seth Rogen and, at the same time, a rock for his downtrodden, emotionally distressed, potentially dying friend.
That's why I think this movie works so well. These two guys are just a bunch of buddies who hardly take anything serious and spend the majority of their time just chilling with each other without ever having to analyze their friendship.
When Adam (Levitt) gets diagnosed he is suddenly swept off of his happy-go-lucky-live-forever perch and plunged into the dark world of chemotherapy, aches, midnight vomit, and mortality. His best friend Kyle (Rogen) is completely blown away and is simply trying to figure out what way to be there for his friend and deal with his own feelings at the same time. That's a difficult position to be in and I think he navigates that turbulence by partying, drinking, having fun, and living in the moment and taking Adam along for the ride. He has to be strong for his best friend but it's hard because he is scared of losing him. Like I said, it's very poignant and Levitt and Rogen act it beautifully.
Shipping Wars (2012)
It's mostly scripted with a dose of reality.
First off, it's a fun show and a little fascinating watching how some of these strange loads get from point A to point B.
I think that the show does display real transporters, their real equipment, real loads, and real shipping. I also think that nearly all the drama is forced, fake, and completely inserted into the show to make it more interesting. I think that the personalities of the characters are vastly exaggerated. Roy isn't a complete jerk, Jarrod isn't a naive clutz, and Jennifer isn't a damsel in distress. That's all made up. Getting permits to haul heavy equipment across state lines, renting equipment, coordinating pickups and dropoffs, and tying down loads however is not.
Ultimately it's fun to watch, but if you've seen one episode you've seen them all.
Awake: The Million Dollar Game (2019)
Fun show show and cool idea, just needs a little refinement.
I am not a fan of game shows but this one seemed kind of interesting. The premise is simple enough. Keep everyone awake for 24 hours with some mundane task, like counting quarters, and then proceed to subject them to challenges designed to test their fatigue, focusing on the ill-effects of sleep deprivation.
I think that the host is good, though he is a little off-beat and comes on a little strong.
The contestants are fun and seem to genuinely enjoy the show.
It would have been nice if, at least once, someone did, in fact, win the million dollars. It would also be nice if there was a way to win the ultimate prize based on nerve alone and not some human error in counting 10s of thousands of quarters.
Blown Away (2019)
Pretty fascinating television until the end.
Like many others I found the show, premise, and artwork to be fascinating and easy to watch. I enjoyed learning about the process to make blown glass, the techniques used, and watching these masters turn the raw materials into beautiful works of art.I think, however, they really dropped the ball on the last episode and the overall winner of the show.
She was mean, callous, and overly rude to her assistants and other artists. During the final judging the judges outright admitted that his exhibit was technically more challenging and far superior but gave the win to her because of the message she was poorly trying to display.
I'll certainly give credit where it is due, as the "winner" was very talented, experienced, and knew what she was doing. That being said, her opponent was even more so. He consistently demonstrated exceptional skills throughout the course of the show and rose to far exceed every challenge, including the final one. He lost for political reasons and not for his artwork or talent.