victor_sianghio_ii Reviews

The Spiderwick Chronicles (2024)

EXTREMELY TERRIBLE ACTING

[4/10 · 2 May 2024]

I really wanted to like the show- but Daniels and Cottrell are terrible actors. They couldn't even hold a gaze for effect.

How could they convince audience to believe they're here to save the day if they couldn't show confidence in their stride and speech.

Daniels is lanky and soft spoken. He could not match the right emotions with appropriate facial expressions. Cottrell could not carry a scene because he is too conscious of how he sounds and looks. His gaze is loquacious. He looks away frequently during intense moments.

After watching 5 episodes, I could surmise, the writers and the directors are completely disengaged and oblivious to the supernatural.

I blame the director(s) especially because he or she failed to allow characters to shine.

9-1-1 (2018– )

EXCELLENT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

[10/10 · 1 May 2024]

I binged-watch the show from season 1 to season 7 in three days because of Buckley.

But, the cast surprised me-- even the guests. They're all multidimensional. Kudos to the casting director and writers. Although, some villains were too beautiful to carry out such heinous deeds, the scenes and lines were not almost overshadowed. Lol

The dialogues are tight and authentic. Not too many corny or dragging lines.

Maddie's and Chimney's romance is what I hoped a mini romcom would be in a macro setting. Just the right amount of mushiness. To be fair, I have always loved Hewitt's acting. The camera panning on her is also perfect.

My only qualm is, the firefighters are very rich and well-compensated. Even their firehouse doesn't look like a firehouse. It's a luxurious getaway.

Also, I cannot, but compare most of the freak accidents with scenes in the movie, Final Destination. The choreography, setting, and execution (impalements, collisions, etc.), are too gory to watch- just like in the movie. I wonder if these were meticulously researched for authenticity because they're giving me a sense that Americans are innately accident-prone.

Dead Boy Detectives (2024– )

RECYCLED STORYLINE

[5/10 · 27 April 2024]

All of Berlanti's and Falchuck's works follow the same storyline. Supergirl, The Flash, Motherland, Sabrina, The Umbrella Academy etc.

From plot to character origins, to budding or unrequited loves, to Scooby gang parallels, and to villain transition or handover.

The battle between the boys and Esther is a parallel of Sabrina and the Mother of demons. As episodes progress, new allies emerge from antagonists who fall in love with the main characters. Edwin becomes smitten with the Cat King- similar to Mark and Frost of The Flash. And then, the gang grows into a bonafide Scooby gang.

Why does it always have to be a gang?

The Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, The Umbrella Academy, etc.

Why can't the main characters be JUST THE MAIN CHARACTERS?

The boys' story should remain authentic and exclusive.

I like Crystal, but she should not be the main character.

What's the point of calling the show, Dead Boys if 75% of the time, Crystal steals the show?

MOST IMPORTANT, production spends way too much on period costumes, makeup, and sets to hide a very familiar and predictable plot.

Berlanti and Falchuck's usual writers are running out of novel narratives.

The Gentlemen (2024)

DRUGS? AGAIN?

[7/10 · 9 April 2024]

Theo James, being British is ok for the role. But he needs to act more British.

The first episode was ok up to a certain point. Then, Freddy messed everything up.

Freddy is infuriating. Everything would be smooth had it not for his actions.

So the show's premise is about dealing with the Mafia and other groups' involvement with drugs.

The story is tired- comparable to shows like, Nails, Good Girls, and etc. Except for the "royal" affectation. Unless there are stories or news about the royals being involved in cartels, the show is like a tough pill to swallow.

It would be more relatable if it includes a narrative about human trafficking.

Palm Royale (2024– )

SEEMS FAMILIAR

[5/10 · 21 March 2024]

I love the a-list cast, Carol Burnett and Kristen Wiig- but the storyline, the vibrant colors, and period or era references are too tiring.

Is this supposed to be a prequel or sequel to either Why Women Kill or White Lotus?

THE . STORY . HAS . BEEN . TOLD.

Please enough with the nostalgic narratives. They are not relatable anymore!

It's just sad writers tag this as a comedy and yet it's bland and lacking. Wiig is better than this.

Producers and writers should take a cue from flops such as WW84, AHS84, and etc.

I don't want to be reminded that the past did a much better job.

This show makes me feel old. Lol.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024– )

NO CHEMISTRY

[4/10 · 7 February 2024]

I agree with the not so good reviews.

The storyline is flat and is riddled with uninteresting characters.

This is not Donald Glover's element.

Most of the time I was on TikTok drowning out the bland dialogues and scenes.

I'd be biased if I didn't say anything about the sex scene- but Erskine's moaning was sooo fake and forced. Bad acting to the max. I had to rewind the scene..

The characters tried to act tough but failed miserably. Antagonists included.

Overall the show shouldn't have been made with actors who do not belong in an action-thriller show.

Who is the casting director anyway?

Wish (II) (2023)

IRRELEVANT

[4/10 · 23 January 2024]

I wanted to like it because of the lure it promised.

The songs are too much. They don't even complement the scenes. After Encanto, this fails miserably in my book.

I am all for keeping the hope alive- but the storyline is too shaky.

All I'm getting is that Disney execs are trying to make us swallow a regurgitated pill with this movie. And it's all about re-programming.

Who "wrote" this anyway? Who wrote the songs? JM, your songs are too weak.

Alan Tudyk should have never been a goat.

Chris Pine was believable. I may be too biased but he gave it all. The others could have followed suit....

Maria Labo (2015)

Unoriginal and Plaigarized

[1/10 · 10 December 2023]

Writers of the movie plaigarized Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 - June 15, 1881) who was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo, herbalist and midwife who was renowned in New Orleans. Her daughter, Marie Laveau II (1827 - c. 1862), also practiced rootwork, conjure, Native American and African spiritualism as well as Louisiana Voodoo and traditional Roman Catholicism. An alternate spelling of her name, Laveaux, is considered by historians to be from the original French spelling.

There is much to explain about the Filipino urban legend's origin story- unless the writers ran out of authenticity and originality.

Darna (2022–2023)

UNORIGINAL. PLAGIARISED DC's STARGIRL.

[1/10 · 15 June 2023]

A major problem is, the show copies American TV shows.

This one- specifically DC's STARGIRL.

The most obvious is their copying of Cindy Berman from Stargirl. From the characters demeanour to her hair and make-up.

I only watched one episode of Darna; and even the dialogues are similar to that of Stargirl.

I am disgusted. Mars Ravelo should know his name is being dragged down by hack writers who do not have the imagination to create a screenplay that's worthy of acclaim.

I don't have faith in GMA writers. They're in it for the money. They have been doing this for a long time!!!

I hope people realise that.

Family Feud Philippines (2022– )

RUGGEDLY INSULTING

[1/10 · 11 June 2023]

Compared to its foreign counterparts, the host can't afford to wear suits.

DD's trademark hoodie is not at par with the prestige of the game and with other foreign hosts.

If the producers respect the game, they should at least understand the lure of a well-suited host.

Nakakabastos.

Why?

The producers don't even get ordinary citizens to play the game. It's all celebrities or friends of celebrities who play the game. That's why the producers could not budget in a worthy wardrobe for the host.

Only ABS CBN, sometimes manage to get ordinary citizens to play and show fun at the same time. :#

Voltes V: Legacy (2023)

SCAMMED BY COSTUME DESIGNER

[1/10 · 14 May 2023]

1. This is what GMA 7 does. It spends way too much (350k each) on costumes that make the characters look uncomfortable in them. Whoever suggested characters need padding is not a good designer. The original animation did not have padded uniforms that constricted movement inside a cramped space.

Even the creators of The Flash had to change the main character's costume because of fan pressure. Creators realised they were losing viewership because deviating from the original superhero costume design was a bad idea.

2. Suzette Doctolero Ranillo needs to learn how pilots or how soldiers actually talk and use military lingo. The dialogue among the characters were often disconnected. There was no chemistry. What's worse is there is no continuity between scenes.

3. The whole thing banks on the special effects that are meh..

Voltes V: Legacy - The Cinematic Experience (2023)

UGLY COSTUMES

[3/10 · 13 May 2023]

1. This is what GMA 7 does. It spends way too much (350k each) on costumes that make the characters look uncomfortable in them. Whoever suggested characters need padding is not a good designer. The original animation did not have padded uniforms that constricted movement inside a cramped space.

Even the creators of The Flash had to change the main character's costume because of fan pressure. Creators realised they were losing viewership because deviating from the original superhero costume design was a bad idea.

2. Suzette Doctolero Ranillo needs to learn how pilots or how soldiers actually talk and use military lingo. The dialogue among the characters were often disconnected. There was no chemistry. What's worse is there is no continuity between scenes.

3. The whole thing banks on the special effects that are meh.

Mystery Incorporated (2022– )

NOT THE SAME AS THE CARTOON, BUT....

[4/10 · 7 December 2022]

Look, the premise is ok; and I reconciled the fact that this is not the same as the cartoon as it tries to get into the "dark mystery" bandwagon such as what Sabrina, Riverdale, and Wednesday have done, but...hair and makeup must at least be better.

Daphne looks old in her hair. She looks like her mom. Too many flyaways. Daphne's hair is her crown. It looks messy and NOT her.

Shaggy....at the very least be "shaggy" and not curly. What happened to staying true to the character?

I know the original character's' wardrobe is supposed to be from the 70s; but the show deviates from that way too much.

...and the dialogues, they're too bland. Who's the writer?

Chemistry during scenes....the director should change his style.

Foundation (2021– )

MUCH TO EXPLAIN

[5/10 · 22 January 2022]

Lee Pace is great here- but... it is ludicrous to believe, with the flick of a finger(s), a bunch of people would die. The directors didn't even show it happened. The scene was weak.

The jump from one timeline to another is difficult to follow without time stamps. Overall, they were very misleading.

The somber feel was well executed.

Turner & Hooch (2021)

BAD ACTING

[2/10 · 6 October 2021]

I can't appreciate Josh Peck's acting. He's too mild to be a cop. His character does not match the energy the show needs.

He is failingly imitating Adrian Shaloub's character on Monk- who has OCD.

Josh is not right for the show.

The writers are banking on his good looks to carry the show- but that too aren't working to give the show its connection to the original.

The chemistry between dog and man is way off.

Stargirl (2020–2022)

TURNING MINORITIES INTO VILLAINS

[5/10 · 22 September 2021]

Greg Berlanti is turning almost all minority characters into villains.

Hmmm. I wonder why?

He may include all minorities in all of his shows to show solidarity and to be "included"; but, no one seems to notice how this strategy affects viewers and their perception of other races.

Hatred against villains of age, color, race, and gender is more pronounced than caucasian villains. The way mixed race villains are written is subliminal- if one is oblivious to cognitive programming perpetuated by the creators.

Titans (I) (2018–2023)

DOWN THE DRAIN

[4/10 · 5 September 2021]

It's all about Night Wing's passionate past(s) with every strong female heroine

Every time a new female character or her back story is introduced, Night Wing seems to have had a torrid affair with her.

Why must every female heroine have intercourse with Night Wing?

The writers are perverse and one-track minded.

Berlanti is ruining ALL well-loved characters with his obnoxius and self-serving re-inventions.

A.P. Bio (2018–2021)

"COLORFULLY" ENTERTAINING

[7/10 · 3 September 2021]

The show is cool. I mean literally cool to watch because of the turquoise-themes wardrobe and production design.

The color turquoise, according to bournecreative.com, psychologically, is associated with meanings of refreshing, feminine, calming, sophisticated, energy, wisdom, serenity, wholeness, creativity, emotional balance, good luck, spiritual grounding, friendship, love, joy, tranquility, patience, intuition, and loyalty. Tints of turquoise color have a sweet feminine feel.

The color "scheming" completely masks and even neutralizes the sadistic and vindictive nature of the lead character.

The scheme, although obvious, somehow complements Jack Griffin's eyes. He looks dreamy and likeable although his character is vindictive. Hahaha.

Wynonna Earp (2016–2021)

WELL BALANCED

[9/10 · 27 August 2021]

I love the show. I thought it would be a rip-off of Supernatural with a female lead, but it's actually a good transition from Supernatural.

Melanie (Wynonna) is quite believable...and Tim (Doc) is crudely suave that he made me like cowboys again. Lol.

I binged watch all four seasons in 3 days.

It would be nice to see more seasons created.

Home Before Dark (2020– )

PLEASE . STOP . CRYING!!!

[4/10 · 12 July 2021]

The series is quite good; but Hilde is very WHINEY.

The main character, moreover, needs to match the strength of the show.

I get that she is an intrepid reporter trying to vindicate her father; but, does she have to cry EVERY TIME something doesn't go her way or something goes wrong?

Yes, she's 13, and still a kid, but her crying becomes too forced and too annoying. There isn't a single episode in both seasons where she didn't cry (or teary-eyes) at least twice.

What's the point of creating a show that's supposed to feature a fearless kid who cries EVERY. SINGLE. TIME?

Jim Sturgess is wasting away in this show.

Trese (2021)

COULD BE IMPROVED

[4/10 · 11 July 2021]

Several things really....

1. Lip movements are asynchronous and awkward with audio. Looked like the Panday cartoon in the early 90s.

Mixing local and international voice talents made it even more cringe-worthy because the accents were confusing; and, took away the appeal and the lure of the story.

The producer has to decide whether to entice an international audience or be patriotically patronising.

Why can other culturally based international anime manage to impress a global audience with a singular accent; yet Trese could not?

2. Dialogues tried to be quirky and smart...but NOT.

A YouTuber even made references to several famous commercials and memes about some scenes in the series.

This is a bad move on the writers' part. These commercials or memes were not good influences; but terrible disambiguations of Filipino behaviour and idiosyncrasies.

Stick with the theme of the anime, not with unfunny and forgettable dialogues.

3. When did our aswangs become Chinese- ever?

No offence to the Chinese community, but, the minions looked Chinese.

I get that the producer's part Chinese but the story should be about Filipino folklore.

Even Trese's wardrobe is not Filipino. The producer should have used Panday.

I agree the anime was rushed and the urban legends were not "legendary" at all.

And Panday would have been a better reference.

Van Helsing (2016–2021)

GREAT START, but, slowly waning.

[8/10 · 3 July 2021]

The pandemic made the show's dynamism fade a bit. One could see it in the scenes.

The locations have become less "apocalyptic" and "clean".

The narrative is actually fresh and original; but, it's slowly moving away from the look and feel of the series.

Please, revitalise your scenes!!!

Wicked (2021)

SEX SELLS

[2/10 · 22 June 2021]

Another sexually driven film, which doesn't really reflect the lure of the story or title.

It started weak and progressed poorly as the heroine was driven to lose her role and prowess in the midst of passion and sex.

Why do I get a sense that it copied the romance between Bella and Edward? The main character(s) attempted and failed to "copy" the emotions of the original- thus dooming the entire film with their awkward portrayals.

The only consolation one gets from watching the film is its numerous reference to other films that feature magical creatures. Other than that, it's a meh for me.

Jupiter's Legacy (2021)

UNNECESSARY TALKING

[2/10 · 13 May 2021]

The plot does not lie...it's about family, family, and family.

Each episode drags the watcher into much somber and depressing realities- the 20s and today.

Too much drama but not enough "heroing".

What's more laughable is Duhamel's (and others') appearance. What's the deal with his wig and facial hair?! They don't suit him!

The producers are trying (and failing) to entice us with lavish period costumes/sets and dragging dialogues. They need to hire a better makeup and prosthetic team.

The aged look makes the show confusing. Are they supposed to age slower than the average guy or do they just look older because of bad prosthetics?

Shadow and Bone (2021–2023)

FEELS LIKE AVATAR: The Last Airbender Russian Version

[4/10 · 23 April 2021]

It doesnt look original.

Special effects and the wardrobe are like that of the DiMartino series; but with a Russian look and feel. In fact, "bending" choreography reminds me of The Last Airbender's fighting and bending choreography.

Most scenes look similar to the animated series.

For instance, controlling the elements/environment is similar to "bending" in the animation.

Another copy is that of Alina learning from an elder, Bhagra. Just like Kitara learning how to blood bend from a crone.

Episodes are slowly progressing. Disparate at times; and, left me wondering what connections they possess because the connections take too long to happen. By the time a discovery is made, a sense of annoyance begins.

It almost fails to do a reverse origin storytelling because episodes are disparate and lack depth.

Some actors need to beef up their skills.

Season 2 is a slight improvement.

The costumes defined each tribe or culture perfectly.

But is that all that the series has to offer?

1. Acting improved- but swayed to being stiff at times.

2. The threat of "The Fold" wasn't that scary. They were "play fighting" it.

3. The romances were meh. There was no excitement between would be lovers.

4. Character chemistry is still way off. What did each character and power really bring in to the table?

5. Bringing in the religion aspect made it confusing and insulting at the same time.