ivan2012 Reviews

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

Not a fun show to watch

[6/10 · 15 July 2019]

This is not a fun or enjoyable show to watch. Watching most of the episodes felt like a task. It's easily the worst of the Star Trek shows due to several reasons:

1) Relies too much on special effects. There are too many action scenes in general.

2) The Discovery ship is unrealistically big, clean and spacious. It does not look lived-in. In the few scenes that took place in the living quarters, it didn't even look like the room occupants had any personal possessions.

3) Relies too heavily on confusing time travel themes.

4) Most of the characters are unlikeable and/or boring: (Unlikeable: Georgiou) (Boring: Spock, Burnham, Saru, Pike, Stamets, Dr. Culber) (Unlikeable and Boring: Lorca, Tyler)

Detmer, Owosekun, Rhys & Airiam seemed likeable and should've been used more. Airiam was featured in one episode but that was it.

5) The spore drive techonology is silly and something I don't understand. The way the Discovery spins around when the spore drive is used looks childish and silly.

6) The show is too backward-looking. Why wasn't this show instead set in the future after all the events of the other shows/films?

7) Not enough visits to other planets.

8) The Klingons are portrayed differently than in past shows/films. They are uglier and seem less intelligent.

There's little to like about this show. The theme music is pretty good. I finished season 2 and I'm glad it's over.

The Last Kingdom (2015–2022)

It's like Game of Thrones, but probably a little better

[8/10 · 3 February 2019]

There's a few reasons why I think it's a little better. First, it's based on real history, whereas GoT is completely fictional. So you can say it's somewhat educational. I found myself reading Wikipedia to learn the history as I was watching. The story is also more focused. Whereas, GoT had many, and perhaps too many, characters and subplots which made me lose track of what everyone was doing, Last Kingdom is mostly focused on the hero Uhtred, King Alfred, and whoever the enemies happen to be during the season. The story is also deeply connected to Christianity which makes it more meaningful to me personally.

What else is different? The map is smaller. The story takes place entirely in the southern part of England below Hadrian's Wall. That would be medieval Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia. GoT, on the other hand, has significant parts of the story occurring in their fictional version of continental Europe/Asia.

There is at least one aspect that bothered me throughout the first three seasons, and that is the obvious plot holes in the story and the dumb and stupid decisions Uhtred and others kept making. I found myself on many occasions thinking: Why did he/she do that? Why didn't he/she do this instead? Does he have amnesia and doesn't remember that this happened?

As far as the main characters, Uhtred and Alfred are both likable and unlikeable. They are flawed men who make bad decisions. I had issues with both of them. If you want someone to root for, there are some. I like Hild, Beocca, Finan, Sihtric, and Alfred's son and daughter.

I rate this show a low 8 based on the first three seasons. I may change the rating after season 4.

Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018 TV Special)

Her old songs are much better

[5/10 · 5 January 2019]

She's clearly a great performer and adored by her diehard fans, but I didn't think any of her new songs on this 'reputation' album were that good. No catchy tunes and nothing that I would really want to listen to again. She does perform several of her old songs during this concert. Those are the only moments that made this concert watchable.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Underrated

[7/10 · 19 August 2017]

It deserves better than a 5.3, which is the average user rating on the day I am writing this. Maybe fans of the original Ghostbusters films are trashing this because they don't think it measures up to the original. I have a different view. I think this female version is actually a little better. This one has more funny moments IMO and the four ladies are all likable. Wiig and McCarthy have most of the funny moments as you would expect. Kate McKinnon's character was over-the-top and a bit annoying at first but she grows on you. Leslie Jones did a fine job as well, but she's about a foot taller than McCarthy and McKinnon so it looks a little awkward when they're standing next to each other. Jones' motivation for joining as the 4th member also wasn't explained very well in the film.

I'll give this film a low 7 rating. Definitely deserves a second viewing at some point.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Interesting film based on a book filled with disinformation

[6/10 · 9 April 2016]

Watching this film has been on my to do list for quite some time, but the long 2.5-hour length of the film kept me away until recently. Despite the length, the film was compelling and kept me interested to the end. It starts off as just a plain vanilla crime thriller, but it gets interesting near the middle when the theory regarding Leonardo Da Vinci, Jesus, and Mary Magdalene is explained. It gets even better in the latter parts of the film which have a few plot twists, even though the final revelation at the end was very predictable. It was basically what I was thinking before the halfway point of the film. So basically the film gets better as it moves along.

Unfortunately, some critical historical info in Brown's book, some of which are also discussed in this film, are wrong. For example, Opus Dei is nothing like how it is portrayed by Brown. Although this film is thought-provoking, I would encourage anyone who watches this film to watch or read The Da Vinci Deception (2005) afterwards to prevent your mind from getting brainwashed. It's currently on Amazon Prime Video. The Da Vinci Deception basically explains in detail the things that Dan Brown got wrong and debunks the theory presented by him.

Some films are just pure fiction/fantasy and meant for entertainment, but one would hope that a book/film on a religious topic would present the historical background correctly. If it had, I would give this film a 7, but I'll knock it down to a 6 because of all the disinformation.

Terminator Genisys (2015)

Why do machines get grey hairs?

[4/10 · 30 September 2015]

Not very good. This is a borderline 4/5 out of 10. I kept looking at the clock and hoping that this would end. If you want to see a re-imagined version of the Terminator series then you might like this. The names are the same, but the roles and the events seem different. For one thing, Arnold is portrayed as the father figure for Sarah Connor in Genysis. But in T2, he was the father figure for John Connor. I guess all of these changes are explained by the changes in the time-line. It's a plausible explanation, but I wasn't able to follow what was going on from beginning to end. I lost almost all interest about 80 minutes into this film. Maybe if I had paid more attention at the end, I would've figured it out.

A few other problems I had with this film: 1) Emilia Clarke looked a little too young to be Sarah Connor, 2) If Arnold is a machine, then why does he have grey hairs?, 3) Sarah calling Arnold "pops" a dozen times.

This is easily the worst of the 5 Terminator films. I enjoyed the first three. The fourth was okay. This one is mediocre at best.

Galactica 1980 (1980)

Mostly dull and uninteresting

[5/10 · 7 June 2015]

The last episode in this series (#10 The Return of Starbuck) is the only one worth watching if you are a BSG fan. Fortunately, it has little connection with the first nine episodes so it can be watched on its own. The problem with this series is that most of the scenes (90-95%) take place on earth. Thus, there is no sense of a space travel adventure that the original BSG and re-imagined BSG had. Another problem with this series is that some of the stories are just boring. The episode that had the kids playing baseball is one example.

On a positive note, I did get a few laughs from the two episodes that took place in New York. Overall, there are some funny moments in this series that mostly relate to a lack of understanding of the culture and language of earthlings. That made some of the first nine episodes bearable to watch. For BSG fans, I would give this series a 5, which means that it's worth watching once but never again. For non-BSG fans, this series is more like a 3 and not worth watching at all.

Locke (2013)

It's like watching paint dry

[1/10 · 3 December 2014]

If you work in the concrete industry, you might like this film. If you're a fan of Tom Hardy, you might like this film. For everyone else, I strongly suggest that you skip it. This film is about a guy driving in his car talking on his cell phone with various people. That's it! This goes on for about 90 minutes. The scene never changes. I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever did. Maybe a car accident. Maybe he runs out of gas. Maybe he gets pulled over by the cops. Maybe he stops at a convenient store to buy a donut. No, nothing. Nothing happens in this film. All he does is drive and talk on the phone. There is no need to actually "watch" this film. You could just listen to it and you wouldn't miss anything because the scene never changes. He's still driving his car. Will he ever reach his destination? Will he ever stop talking?

Thunderball (1965)

Too many boring underwater scenes

[7/10 · 10 June 2014]

Do you have an enthusiasm for water sports like Bond? If you do then you will probably love Thunderball. For me, however, there were too many boring underwater scenes (snorkeling, diving, or whatever he was doing), and that drags the rating down to a 6/10. This film is still a fun adventure. It just doesn't compare favorably to the other Bond films. I actually liked the remake, Never Say Never Again, more than this. On the plus side, Thunderball has more than the usual number of Bond girls. I counted four (two good, one henchwoman, and one which was not involved in the plot). The bad guy (No. 2) was also one of the more memorable Bond villains. A 6/10 is still a good score for me, so don't get the wrong impression. I still like this film. It just has some boring parts that make it a below average Bond film.

Runner Runner (2013)

Underrated

[6/10 · 9 May 2014]

I think this film is a little underrated and would give this a mid to high 6 rating. I especially liked Timberlake's performance. He plays a bright but somewhat naive grad student who drops out of Princeton to work for an offshore gaming business owned by Ben Affleck. He ends up getting more than he bargained for and ends up in a predicament that he has to find a way out of. Mix in a little romance, a lot of bribery and corrupt officials, and an overly-aggressive FBI agent.

This film is worthwhile to watch if you want a solid but unspectacular thriller that is somewhat but not too predictable, and you have some interest in the offshore gaming theme. Another reason to watch it is if you just want to enjoy the scenery of Costa Rica and see what I think is a good performance by Timberlake.

Waiting... (I) (2005)

Slimy and repulsive

[2/10 · 23 January 2014]

Don't watch this! This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It is filled with attempts at crude sexual humor. However, none of it is funny. I didn't laugh even once. It was so bad I stopped watching after about 45 minutes, and spent another minute fast forwarding through the remainder of this poor excuse for a comedy. The film is so slimy and repulsive that I lost respect for certain actors who played a role in this film such as Ryan Reynolds and Luis Guzman. Justin Long was also in it, but I'll give him a pass since his character wasn't as sleazy as the others. Ignore the 6.9 rating given to this film by IMDb users and avoid wasting 1.5 hours of your life on this. If you want something that's actually funny, watch the Naked Gun or Austin Powers.

Source Code (2011)

Unrealistic / Unscientific, but still good

[6/10 · 7 January 2014]

Source Code is a science-fiction mystery film set in modern day Chicago and a government facility in an unknown place. This is one of those movies that will make you think hard trying to figure out what is reality and what isn't. Unless you pay close attention to what's happening, you can easily get confused and lost. It is thus somewhat comparable to The Matrix and Inception. As you might expect, the sci-fi aspect of this film was totally ridiculous, unrealistic and unscientific. The mystery or whodunit aspect could've been more suspenseful and could've used some twists and turns to keep you guessing. If you watch carefully, it is fairly obvious near the beginning of the movie who the bomber was. Overall, this is an above average sci-fi film that is worth watching.

White House Down (2013)

Similar to Die Hard

[6/10 · 10 November 2013]

It's strange and awkward that White House Down (WHD) and Olympus Has Fallen were released in the same year. WHD is a little bit better than Olympus because the plot was somewhat more believable. But when I was watching this I kept thinking about the similarities it had with Die Hard:

(1) The hero being in the wrong place at the wrong time (or the right place at the right time depending on your perspective), (2) The action mixed in with a little light comedy, (3) A guy trying to save his family, (4) The rooftop scenario

WHD, however, falls short of being as good as Die Hard. And mainly that is because it didn't have a charismatic villain like Hans (Alan Rickman). The bad guy in WHD was about as boring and uninteresting as you can get. The ending I thought was also a little disappointing.

World War Z (2013)

Disappointing

[6/10 · 13 September 2013]

I gave this a 6/10, which means it's okay but not something I really want to watch a second time. There is one major and two minor problems with WWZ. First, the first 25 minutes of the film is almost unwatchable because the editors kept switching the camera angles every one or two seconds during the action sequences. It makes your head spin trying to follow the action. That's the major problem. Second, the zombies move too fast. They move so fast you can't really get a good look at any of them. I'm used to the slow-moving ones that you see on The Walking Dead. That to me seems more realistic. Third, there's a little too much CGI. It's not as overused like in The Hobbit or 2012, but those action scenes in Israel definitely did not feel real. Overall, this film was disappointing. It's something worth paying a couple dollars for to rent, but buying the DVD or the Blu-ray would be a waste of money.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

First half great, second half not

[7/10 · 30 August 2013]

Finally spent the time to watch this from beginning to end. I thought the first half of Vol. 1 was great, especially the scenes at Vernita Green's house and at the hospital. So far, so good. Everything was believable and within the confines of reality. However, Vol. 1 really took a turn for the worse once the scene shifted to Japan. It began with the animation sequence which lasted for several minutes. It was several minutes too long. Should've just used some real actors. But what was really disappointing was the whole battle against the 50 to 100 stooges of O-Ren Ishii. That's when the movie became no longer believable. Are we really supposed to believe that one person can take out 50-100 guys? I'm pretty sure even Bruce Lee wouldn't stand a chance against those odds. And all the gravity-defying martial arts stuff was ridiculous too. Therefore, I give this a 7 out of 10. Solid movie that's entertaining enough to make me want to watch Vol. 2, but the animation and the unrealistic fights were a turnoff.

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Great

[10/10 · 3 June 2013]

I've probably seen this three or four times now. I personally rate this as one of my all-time favorites. It is comparable to other great historical action/adventure movies like Braveheart and Gladiator, but what makes this better is the music. It is haunting but at the same time inspiring. The name of the theme song is The Gael and I could probably listen to it all day.

There is little to complain about with this movie. Maybe the romantic part was a little bit forced. It seemed like it happened too quickly in my opinion. Also, Uncas and the younger sister should've had some more speaking lines.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Nice adventure but disappointing

[6/10 · 24 March 2013]

Since there are already a thousand reviews for this, let me get right to the point. The first half of this movie is a bit silly and childish, but things get more serious and suspenseful in the second half as the movie begins to resemble the LOTR trilogy movies more. Despite the inconsistency, this is a fun adventure that introduces younger versions of Bilbo, Gandalf, Saruman, and Gollum. The action scenes are incredible if you like CGI, especially the sequence in the mountain, but they are not believable unless you suspend your belief in reality. My final thought is that this movie doesn't make the same emotional impact as the LOTR trilogy and thus is not something you want to watch more than once. This movie goes in the once-is-enough category. And it doesn't make me want to watch the second Hobbit movie coming out this year.

The Encounter (I) (2010)

Decent Christian film

[5/10 · 17 March 2013]

This is a decent Christian film based around a lot of dialogue in a small diner. It discusses certain aspects of Protestant Christianity like how salvation is a free gift, but it doesn't cover everything. It's a solid film to show at an evangelistic meeting or something like that. Because the film is based on dialogue with little action, it can be a bit boring at times. I think I closed my eyes and almost fell asleep for a couple minutes near the end. I guess I prefer a movie like Left Behind more.

I had modest expectations, but I thought the acting was surprisingly solid. I didn't realize the football guy was played by the wrestler Sting (Steve Borden) until after I watched it. Apparently, he is a Christian.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (2012 TV Movie)

Nice prequel

[7/10 · 17 February 2013]

I'm generally not a big fan of prequels because you already know what happens at the end. In this prequel, you already know that young Adama is not going to die no matter how terrible a situation he's in. So that takes away some of the suspense. Young Adama doesn't look much like old Adama. He is taller and much thinner, and he doesn't have the acne scars. But he does display the same commitment to duty as old Adama.

This pilot episode is a little inconsistent. It starts off looking like another great space adventure, but about halfway into the episode (at about the 50-minute mark) it became more like a Resident Evil movie instead of a space adventure. That's what I thought. You might get the same feeling after you watch it.

It doesn't sound like they will get the thumbs up to film the series, but I would definitely be a viewer if they ever make this into a TV series.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

We must celebrate the change

[9/10 · 26 January 2013]

I was hesitant to watch this movie at first because I didn't think a movie about a group of seniors going to India would be very interesting. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise. As someone who has lived overseas, I can relate to the difficulty of living in a less developed country and the feeling of not being satisfied with the place. "We must celebrate the change" as Judi Dench says.

I liked it, but I don't think this movie is for everyone. People who are interested in traveling and foreign cultures, expatriates, older people, and people thinking about a big change in their life and trying something new will probably find some inspiration from this movie.

"The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing"

Andromeda (2000–2005)

Mediocre, not as good as the Star Trek shows

[6/10 · 17 January 2013]

This series is 5 seasons and a total of 110 episodes and I've made it to almost the end of the 4th season. Like Star Trek and Stargate, there is a whole universe of alien races and planets to learn about and explore. Instead of Klingons and Romulans, you get Nietzscheans and hairy Magogs in the Andromeda universe. If you like the idea of exploring a new sci-fi universe, albeit a smaller universe, then you might like this show.

However, this show suffers from the fact that it is not serious. In fact, it is often very silly. There are too many wisecracks and attempted jokes, especially from Harper. None of it is funny. I don't think I laughed even once. It just makes the show at times seem silly and ridiculous. I'm not saying it should be dark and serious like Battlestar Galactica (2004), but it would've been better if the show had more drama and less attempted comedy.

If you like adventure and space exploration and don't mind the frivolous dialogue, you'll probably like this show. If you want some real drama and something serious, watch Battlestar Galactica (2004). If you want something in between, watch the Star Trek shows.

Machine Gun Preacher (2011)

Worth Watching

[6/10 · 14 January 2013]

This is based on the true story of Sam Childers, a criminal thug who realizes he needs to change and becomes a Christian with the help of his family. He later becomes a preacher and decides to dedicate his life to protecting the children in southern Sudan and northern Uganda. If you watch the closing credits, you can see some pictures/video of him. And he definitely looks like someone you don't want to mess with.

This is one of those movies like Hotel Rwanda and Attack on Darfur that opens your eyes towards some of the horrible things that are happening in this world that most people aren't even aware of. In this case, its the abuse of children by the "Lord's Liberation Army" led by Joseph Kony in Sudan/Uganda. Young boys are taken and trained to be soldiers and kill.

The movie starts off slowly but advances forward in time by weeks or months or years several times. My only complaint about this movie is that it doesn't really tell you how much time has passed. And the characters don't seem to age in appearance (except for Sam's daughter).

It might be a little slow at the beginning, but the movie is worth watching.

Falling Skies (2011–2015)

Slow and boring

[5/10 · 11 July 2012]

I've watched a lot of post-apocalyptic TV shows and movies, and this is the only one I remember that is boring. The music and the dialog can put you to sleep. I've only seen the first 5 episodes of season 1 and I'm undecided whether I will continue. One of the major problems with this show is that it is too focused on Noah Wylie's character and his family. A show like this should feature more of an ensemble cast in my opinion like Jericho or Lost. Another problem is that none of the characters are interesting. Everyone is boring except for John Pope. My rating of 5/10 is based on just the first 5 episodes. That might be about all I can take.

The Way Back (I) (2010)

Amazing journey but did this really happen?

[7/10 · 28 April 2012]

It is amazing that this group of people walked so far, first through Siberia during winter, then the Gobi desert, and finally the Himalayas. And the things they had to eat and drink along the way to survive like muddy water. I felt the part about crossing the Himalayas was rushed at the end. The movie spent so much time showing their travels in Siberia and the desert, but so little time showing how they crossed the Himalayas. It would seem to me that crossing the Himalayas would've been the most difficult part. This movie could've easily been stretched out to 2.5 hours.

The movie claims to be inspired by real events, but there seems to be questions about whether the book it was based on was accurate. Also, the cover photo for this movie shows Colin Farrel with the desert in the background. Ahh ... this is extremely misleading because (**SPOILER**) his character was only in the first half of the movie and never actually made it to the desert.

Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979)

Enjoyable to Watch

[9/10 · 27 March 2012]

I enjoyed this more than the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2004). While the re-imagined Galactica was dark and probably a more realistic portrayal of human behavior, this original version of BSG is more fun to watch. It was like a Stargate or Star Trek show. Considering that it was made in 1978, the visual effects were pretty good. Also, every character was enjoyable to watch, except for maybe Boxey who I thought was kind of annoying. I especially liked Starbuck and Cassi. Dirk Benedict's Starbuck character is very similar to his A-Team character. I wish they had made the Cylons a bit more threatening. They were slow walking tin cans that almost anybody could outrun. And their aim wasn't too good either. Like Firefly, this is another sci-fi series that was canceled too soon after the first season but the characters are likable and the show provides some good escapism.