edblackham Reviews

Rewind the '90s (2023)

Hypocrisy at its finest

[1/10 · 7 May 2024]

I actually made it through every episode, and was amazed at their hypocrisy. On the reality Revolution episode, they were talking about the narrative not getting out as it really was, and yet the entire episode was the leftist narrative. Police bad criminals good. Trans person as the expert. Other episodes also had major flaws. This wasn't a look back at the 90s. It is a look back and how they want you to think the 90s really were, through the eyes of Hollywood. Well, I have zero problem When somebody tells both sides of a story, they not only did not do that. They made it sound like everyone agrees with Hollywood but the truth is very small percent of the country is crazy far left. This wasn't entertainment. It was an attempt at indoctrination that fails miserably.

Young Man with a Horn (1950)

Gets a 5 because it Doris Day, otherwise a 3

[5/10 · 21 April 2024]

Kirk Douglas does an OK job playing a made-up character, loosely based on a real trumpet player. Doris Day is amazing as always, but Lauren Bacall was a horrible. She just seems angry and she hates life and makes me wonder if she just wants to kill her self. If the point was to make herself into a real bitty, then she did her job. Lauren looks pretty as usual, but is such a witch that there's no way anyone would like her. There was beyond zero chemistry between her and Kirk Douglas. There was chemistry between Doris Day and Kirk, Douglas, but Doris Day could have chemistry with anyone. Lauren was so stiff and unlikeable I almost quit watching the movie.

Tusk (I) (2014)

What the hell was that?

[1/10 · 16 April 2024]

The only shock about this movie is that I sat through it. I don't mind a dark comedy, but this has zero comedy in it. Shows you the depravity that is in Hollywood. If this comes out of this guy's mind that he is right up there with Jeffrey Epstein as being the sickest person on the planet. Yes, yes I know Epstein did not kill himself but i wonder how sick people come up with ideas like this. Of course it's poorly made and makes no sense whatsoever but that's not the point. The point is why would any person even want to film something like this or be in a movie like this. I am never going to watch another one of his movies. Truthfully, I've only seen two other movies of his, and they were pretty bad but is my new worst movie ever made.

In the Heights (2021)

Not very interesting

[5/10 · 13 April 2024]

I love musicals, but this one is not even in my top 50. The only reason I didn't give it a lower rating is I speak Spanish so I could understand a lot of what was going on but if I didn't speak Spanish, I would've probably given it two or three at best. Lin is talented but he hates everyone to experience the show like he does but not everybody understands Spanish.

As for the story, but also falls short. In the beginning I was interested in Usnavi but then they didn't spend enough time on his story. And it started shooting out in too many different directions, and I lost interest. I spent the last half on my phone.

The Power of Film (2024)

Made it through the first one...barely

[2/10 · 11 April 2024]

I'm not sure who made the decision to have him talk for almost the entire time, I'm sure it was him because he sure loves seeing himself in front of the camera. But we don't love seeing him from the camera. I love watching movies that entertain. This did not entertain. This was pretentious and 100% about ego stroking. I was hoping it would be 90% scenes from movies and 10% him. Nope.

I'm in the process of going back and watching movies mostly from the 30s and 40s but some all the way up to the 80s. Most of them are excellent but lately the directors have gotten into preaching and not into entertaining. That's why we go to the movies, not to be preached to. That's why the last movie I went to in the theaters was Top Gun Maverick and I went three times. It hasn't been anything since that even slightly makes me want to go back.

The China Syndrome (1979)

Boring and not true

[2/10 · 17 March 2024]

I remember when this came out and had no interest in it. I figured out why not 40+ years later and now I know why because it wasn't good. Hollywood as usual takes their liberties. Almost nothing that happened in this movie could happen. Of course, Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas are their typical selves. The only question is why I stayed with this movie until the end. I guess I wanted to see how ridiculous it would get and it got pretty dang ridiculous. The thing that shocked me the most about this was how boring the movie was. The only good thing is that at least I'll never have to watch it again.

Autumn in the City (2022 TV Movie)

Not very good

[2/10 · 8 February 2024]

I saw Aimee in My Christmas family tree and thought she was amazing. That was the first thing I had ever seen her in. So I was excited to watch her in this one, and I don't know what happened to her in this one, but from the first second that she was on the screen, she lost her likability. There was also zero chemistry with her costar. It's almost like the casting director was happy with her, so they did not worry about it even having tryouts for any of the other parts. I've only done this a couple of times but here I am halfway through the show writing a review for a show that I absolutely wish I had not wasting my time on.

Klute (1971)

How'd she win for this role?

[3/10 · 27 January 2024]

I have to admit that I am not a Jane Fonda fan, but I watched knowing she won best actress for this one. How did she ever beat Vanessa Redgrave? First problem with this movie is it's boring. Second is Jane Fonda has never been pretty, but with that haircut she actually looked horrible. I know guys that go with prostitutes are hard up but really? In the first scene that the girls were being judged purely on their looks, they shouldn't have gotten actresses that were pretty. Jane looked out of place. I've seen five or six of Jane Fondas movies and this is her worst acting job by far to me. And that includes Barbarella.

Donald Sutherland kind of sleepwalked his way through this film too. The story was too slow and I cannot recommend this to anyone.

A Christmas Number One (2021)

Waste of Freida Pinto

[2/10 · 27 December 2023]

I've only seen Freida Pinto in a couple of movies, but I really liked her. This one it made me not even like her. There was less than zero chemistry between her and the lead guy who was horrifically cast, and I wasn't even sad when the girl with cancer died. How can you make a movie that makes a girl with cancer die and convey zero feeling?

To compare movies, That thing you do had a very catchy song, but the number one song for this was pretty lame.

I hate to say it, but there wasn't a single actor in this entire movie that I liked. Since he screwed it up with Freida Pinto, then you must've screwed up for all the other actors to. So final summary is the Director was pathetic.

The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring (2023)

My truth is the new big lie

[1/10 · 27 October 2023]

I have zero idea what this is about. I was only watching it for a couple of minutes before the next movie on HBO. I have no idea what this is about and I don't care because when I turned it on one of the first things that I heard, was her talking about "my truth". That is the most bogus phrase that has come out of this young generation. I'm sorry, but there is only truth, and there are lies and as soon as you say, my truth, that I know what you're saying is a lie. OK it may not be at outright lie, but it is a severe distortion of what is true. But the young people today think by saying my truth, they can get away with saying anything. Sorry, but I'm calling BS.

The 39 Steps (1935)

Loved it

[9/10 · 23 September 2023]

This was on Turner classic movies, and there was no introduction and I wasn't paying attention during the credits so, I must be one of the few people that did not know that this was a Hitchcock film before I watched it. It was just so smart and kept me interested. Normally I'm not into really old movies. The two lead characters were great, but every actor in the entire movie seemed like they weren't acting.

The action on the train and in the countryside was mesmerizing. I was just sorry that the movie wasn't longer. I'm now going to have to go and watch more Hitchcock movies.

The movie was very well cast and it's one of my favorites now.

Paper Lion (1968)

Alda was terrible

[3/10 · 6 September 2023]

I've never heard of this movie and thought it might be fun to watch Alan Alda get beat up. Too bad there wasn't even more of it. The football action was actually decent, except for when Alda was involved. Not a single play that he was involved in was believable. If they were using a stunt double then they surely found somebody as inept as he is. I don't know who's idea was to cast him as a lead, but it was the wrong move.

Lauren Hutton, as his wife was a better actor than he is. Most of the rest of the actors were actual football players, and they were actually decent. They could all act better than Alda.

La Cage aux Folles (1978)

The remake is much funnier

[5/10 · 25 August 2023]

It's rare for me to say that a remake is better than the original, but in this case, it's not even close. I liked this one some, but it really wasn't a comedy. And I think the lead actor did a great job, but the rest were just alright. In the remake, the cast is hilarious and very well chosen. Nathan Lane and Robin Williams are much more believable and 100 times more funny. Gene Hackman was perfectly cast too.

It's kind of hard to write about an original when I preferred the 1996 version so much more. I know that some things do not age well and I think I would put this into that category. Just see the remake.

Winchester '73 (1950)

Fantastic movie

[10/10 · 25 August 2023]

It's rare for me to give a 9 or 10, and this one earned the 10. This is right up there with High Noon for me. Great acting from all of the leads and even small roles for some future stars.

I loved the story right from the start and it kept me the whole movie. Just the right amount of action to go along with the story. I can't think of another movie where an item moves seamlessly through the movie and is almost like another character.

At the end of the movie was a curveball that I should've known but didn't, and I loved it. The final shootout was perfectly staged and executed. I wish Hollywood knew how to make movies like this still, but they don't anymore.

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976)

Two words...Bo ring

[3/10 · 23 August 2023]

I had never heard of this movie, but I've been shows on TCM and saw that Paul Newman was in it. I never knew that Paul Newman could be completely boring. It obviously comes down to the Director and I'm not sure what the heck he was trying to do but it did not work. I don't turn off movies, but during this one, I spent half of it on my phone. It could've been interesting, but I felt like this was not the truth. Once again Hollywood tries to make history the way they wanted it to be instead of the truth. I was googling a few different things in the show and none of it was true. Shocking that Hollywood doesn't tell the truth. I gave it three stars only because a few of the scenes gave me a picture of what the wild west show could've been like. They just chose to make up too much.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

I get it, man bad

[2/10 · 24 July 2023]

I have to admit, I did not love the first movie, but I still gave it a six. This movie is so bad. There's a probably an hour or so left and I'm writing this instead of paying attention. Two hours in and I'm not sure why anybody would ever want to watch this a second time. It's not enjoyable whatsoever. It's mean, and so obvious what they're trying to put across. Man bad, man bad man bad. I watch even lousy movies to the end but I'm not sure I want to finish. The first one also had some of preaching how bad man is, but this was just ridiculous. I have to admit that I hated all of the sign language with animals stuff too.

The Candidate (1972)

Pretty boring

[4/10 · 17 July 2023]

I like a lot of Robert Redford's movies, and after reading some of the reviews I was looking forward to watching this. I thought the first half built to where it was going to be at least a good ending. That's where I would be wrong. There was no crescendo and it pretty much fell flat. I was hoping that at least during the debate something exciting what happened but it was dull dull dull. There were plenty of places along the way where they could've made something interesting happened, but they really didn't. In the movie ended and I pretty much thought, what a waste of what could have been a good movie.

America's Got Talent: Auditions 5 (2023) Season 18, Episode 5

Producers are killing the show

[6/10 · 2 July 2023]

Controlling the audience drives me crazy. I absolutely hate how they tell the audience how to react to any of the performances. They will turn on a contestant at the exact time they were told to boo, but even worse is when they pause for a few seconds, and then I'll jump up and act like they are spontaneous. Some even try and "act" amazed. I still like the show and I like all of the judges and Terry does a pretty good job but not as good as Nick.

Two things will guarantee you to be on the show. Have a good sob story. Have a dog in the act. Terry also has used his golden buzzer every time on the same type of act. And everyone of them has been good, but not great, but they got the golden buzzer. Even worse is each year the acts that get into the finale are not finale worthy. Last year's winner shouldn't even have been in the finale.

The Great Food Truck Race (2010– )

What happened

[5/10 · 19 June 2023]

I watched five or six seasons of the show but last year was the worst by far but I kept it on my DVR until 10 minutes into the show this year. I knew they were gonna keep on going like they did last year. What was entertaining for the first few years was good food trucks making good food. That's not what's happening anymore. I really really really wanted this year to go back to the old formula but it didn't. So I will be taking it off of my list of things to watch this summer which is sad because I really enjoyed it the first few years. I wish they would go back to having food trucks selling and not who has the biggest social media, following or social background that you desire to continue on when you know there's no way they wouldn't without some creative producing.

West Side Story (2021)

Now I know why I wasn't rushing to watch this

[6/10 · 10 June 2023]

First off, I love musicals. Most movie musicals blow it though and this one is no exception. Rita Moreno was fantastic. I also really liked the actor who did Chino. There was not one other character that worked for me. I was shocked that the girl that played Anita won the Oscar. I stopped watching the Oscars 20 years ago, but sometimes I watch a movie, knowing that a certain person won the Oscar for that role. How in the world did she win? I thought she was average at best. The two leaders were also just OK. The dancing was pretty good, and the set was amazing but other than that it was a very poor remake. When an emotional show is done correctly, I'm usually crying, especially in the original. The only scene that caused emotion for me was when Rita Moreno told Tony that Maria was dead. The rest of the movie was going through the dialogue with no anything. And then the final scene was completely flubbed by Spielberg. No wonder it was pretty much a flop.

Lightyear (2022)

Crash landing

[4/10 · 4 February 2023]

Don't worry. Nothing to see here. It's not like you have an almost unbreakable formula for making a movie, and then you break it. It only cost you $800 million versus the last one you made. No big deal. It's not like anybody's gonna lose their job over it. Hollywood forgets that we pay their paychecks. The newest Top Gun remembered that we paid their paychecks and made bank. This movie was pretty much what I expected. The story was weak and was targeted to the writers and directors message. The $800 million that you lost tells you that you should all be fired. But I guess the difference is the $800 million that you made last time allows you to make garbage like this.

Jolly Good Christmas (2022 TV Movie)

Bo-ring

[2/10 · 31 December 2022]

You know it's extremely boring when I'm spending time on my phone and writing this. I watched it for Reshma Shetty and she did her best to save the show. But again, it can't capture me because everyone else in the show is so unbelievable. Here is another show that got away from the tried and true Hallmark formula.

Also, Will Camp should not be faking an accent. It would've been just as simple to keep him as a Brit and trying to find a gift for his girlfriend. Why in the world did the writers think they had to do that?

And of course it's 2022, and everyone thinks you need to tailor make a movie for a select few. And you wonder why there aren't more people that watch the movie.

Christmas She Wrote (2020 TV Movie)

Cast ok. But script is blah.

[1/10 · 13 November 2022]

You know it's bad when I spend half of the show on my phone and the other half wishing it was written better. The cast was just OK and that includes Danica. But it's tough to be a great actress when you're not giving anything worth acting. The story starts in a big city like pretty much every other hallmark show, goes to the small town, but I thought from there it got away from the formula. Too many confusing characters and subplots and even the leads seemed confused. I'm looking back to any part of the show that I liked, and I can't think of a single one. Maybe the writers should actually watch some Hallmark shows before trying to change what works.

She's Out of Control (1989)

Really bad movie

[2/10 · 5 November 2022]

This is one of my least favorite movies ever. I'm not sure who the casting director was but pretty much every part was miscast, especially Tony Danza. I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of his, but this was a horrific movie for him. They even found a young Matthew Perry and made him completely unlikable and not even look like he knew what he was doing when it came to acting. In the lead actress was just OK and must have gotten the gig because of her last name.

The writer made a pretty bland script and the director did absolutely nothing with it. It's pretty bad to look at a movie and I can't really think of a single part I liked. Seriously, right now I'm trying to think of a single thing I like and... Nada.

Shark Tank: Shark Tank LIVE! (2022) Season 14, Episode 1

Get rid of the audience

[4/10 · 24 September 2022]

I hated the live audience. It was bedlam and the clapping took away from the show. Shark tank is successful because they have a formula. The formula has absolutely nothing to do with a live audience. During the second pitch, it got too crazy to even understand what was going on.

Possibly the largest problem was there were six sharks. Too many when they all wanted in. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with six without an audience.

I also don't like it when companies are coming on when they already have sold $15 million worth of product. I admit that those companies will probably go to 100 million pretty quick, but I would rather see smaller ones get a chance.