cs35 Reviews

The Winchesters (2022–2023)

The last episode explains everything

[5/10 · 11 August 2023]

Since the last episode shows that this world is not the world of SUPERNATURAL, but a parallel world, that explains the inconsistencies. However, I did feel the two leads lacked the acting chops necessary to carry a series, and that the stories were not as inventive as those in the original.

That being said, it was an innocent waste of time. Some of the monsters were interesting (although some were just bad, and their folklore forced). The supporting cast was uniformly good to excellent, and I didn't mind the political correctness of the cast at all.

So, all in all, a decent show with weak leads and mostly interesting plots. Average. Worth the watch if you're in the mood for a mindless monster show.

Buck Breaking (2021)

Fake news

[1/10 · 5 June 2021]

There's a lot to unpack with these memes in particular. The "gay white slaveowners" is interesting. It actually doesn't make zero sense. Existing proudly as gay in antebellum America? Unheard of & unrealistic. Man on man sex was illegal during antebellum America. Even the most powerful men during those times couldn't exist being found to have had sex with other men. So if sexual abuse against men by men was going down, it was happening in secret & not out in the open. So where exactly would anyone be gathering this information from without any documents supporting this? During antebellum America those men simply would not have identified as gay. The concept would have had no meaning to them in the same way it does today.

It's very similar to how men in prison are victims of other men. Simply because it's not as black & white as men being gay is. I'm sure there are gay men in prison. But there are also men in prison who prey on others who are more vulnerable & men they can have control over. It's the dynamics here that are in place. With how rape is about control & power. It's not about the stereotypical homophobic strong booty warrior" taking a man's "manhood".

It's men who are victims of other men.

The main thing that strikes me about these memes is the emphasis on gayness. The creators of these memes are more focused on the slaveowners being gay than the awful things they've done to enslaved people. These memes have been constructed & disseminated with homophobic thinking & intentions. It also doesn't help that the myths further harmful stereotypes about gay people. It treats gay people as predatory & sexually violent beings.

So with that being said... This entire "buck breaking" narrative has been fictionalized. The sexual exploitation of enslaved women & men was very much a real thing. The ritualized practice of public humiliation & violence was very much a real thing. It was a means of dehumanization & asserting control. There was never a shortage of trauma during slavery. Therefore, there's no reason to fabricate history for one's own agenda. It does more harm than good when we spread misinformation to further an agenda that is deep-rooted in anti-LGBTQ ideologies.

Blithe Spirit (2020)

You got anything less than one star?

[1/10 · 20 February 2021]

Cast tries it's best but the entire enterprise is completely wrong headed. The wonderful play is completely ruined. What could they have been thinking?

Ghost Killers vs. Bloody Mary (2018)

Surprise!

[9/10 · 26 June 2020]

One of the funniest horror movies since Ghostbusters. Great cast. Very gory. Should be a cult hit.

The Twilight Zone: Point of Origin (2019) Season 1, Episode 8

Excellent show about a very real problem

[10/10 · 17 June 2019]

A great episode about the hypocrisies of our immigration policy.

Armchair Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest (1964) Season 5, Episode 6

A truly classic performance

[10/10 · 16 May 2019]

I came across this totally by accident on YouTube - a what a delightful surprise! Fast, witty and wonderful. Standouts are Ian Carmichael's befuddled Jack and Pamela Brown's (a former Gwendolyn) acerbic Lady Bracknell. Also outstanding are Patrick Macnee, Fenella Fielding (hilarious), and Susannah York. Well worth the view!

ParaNorman (2012)

What a disappointment!

[5/10 · 14 August 2012]

The movie starts out great - this little kid can see and talk to ghosts. He passes and talks to at least ten on his way to school, then, for some reason, this plot point is discarded. He sees a ghost dog and gets important plot information from a ghostly relative (it's almost like to whole 'sees ghosts thing' was a set up to enable this vital plot point.). No more ghosts. The plot now switches to a witch's curse and zombies. Very funny zombies and a very scary witch-like apparition in the sky. But then the whole tone of the movie changes. The zombies are the victims, the witch is - well, I won't give that away. Let's just say the final act gets sentimental and serious and drags the whole movie down. Too bad - there are some very funny characters and some beautiful animation. The 3D is well done.

The Steam Experiment (2009)

Come on guys - watch the ending more closely

[7/10 · 20 August 2009]

The ending is neither confusing or Dr Mabusian - just one that has been used before. I saw it coming when the Psych staff arrived. Notice that at least three of the people at the mental hospital - the woman who comes to get him, the doctor and his wife - are the same people who were supposedly in the steam room. That makes the ending quite clear. Val is having another hallucination. He has used people that he knows from the mental hospital as characters in his Chaos scenario. The 'human chaos' that the doctor refers to is that residing in Kilmer himself. A very stylish film with an excellent cast. Only real problem is that the violence was gratuitous. They could have implied rather than show the more gruesome things.