Ralindon0 Reviews

Blindspot (2023– )

Don't bother

[1/10 · 12 January 2024]

There was absolutely nothing good about this series. The plot was full of holes, the goofs were too many to count, and worst of all, the acting was terrible. Having never seen East Enders, I had no expectations regarding Ross Kemp's presence in the cast. I hope those who enjoyed that popular series won't expect much from him in this one, because in contrast to a rising tide that lifts all boats, this sinking ship took everyone down with it. I'm usually a big fan of British police dramas, and that's the only reason I watched this one to the bitter end. Well, that's not quite true, because (spoilers!) after the car crash in the quarry that one person walked away from and one crawled away from, I started writing this review.

The Night Agent (2023– )

How much disbelief are you willing to suspend?

[2/10 · 3 April 2023]

There is almost nothing believable about this story. The notion that a White House Chief of Staff would be involved at all in an FBI operation started the downhill slide into what becomes a total farce. Nothing about the actions of the elected and appointed officials makes sense at all. And the civilians? Well, they should have stayed at home.

In addition, there are countless subplots that further strain a viewer's willingness to continue watching. It's just too much for anyone to care about.

Finally, the acting is for the most part an insult to the SAG. The VP role, in particular, is so badly acted that one has to wonder if anyone in the crew noticed this show was a waste of resources.

Entertaining? Yes, to a degree. It's not a total waste of time but don't expect much.

Crossfire (2022)

Bor. Ing.

[1/10 · 29 November 2022]

This has to be the least suspenseful "thriller" I've watched in years. There is nothing at all interesting about the plot or the characters. There is NO reason to care who lives or dies, and there is no incentive to want to continue to watch this past the first half hour. Are we supposed to just go along with the idea that some kids decided to raid a resort and shoot everyone in sight? Don't we get a hint at their motive? And, for example, are we supposed to just accept the idea that guests who appear safe in their rooms need to be evacuated and therefor have be exposed to the shooters? There is just no reason to care what happens. So I'll just write a review while deciding what else to watch instead of the rest of this.

The Twilight Zone: The Grave (1961) Season 3, Episode 7

An ensemble cast for the ages

[8/10 · 26 November 2022]

Producer Buck Houghton and Director Montgomery Pittman pulled together an amazing group of character actors (Lee Marvin not yet having become a household name) who all went on to better-known roles. Each actor has a "moment" in the episode to demonstrate his or her chops, and that's the key to making this such a strong outing by an outstanding ensemble cast. Others have discussed the plot, story origins, goofs, trivia, etc., so I won't dwell on that. When you get a chance to watch The Grave, I encourage you to focus on the performances and not necessarily on the story.

One pet peeve: just like when he portrayed "Jim Lindsey" on The Andy Griffith Show, James Best demonstrates that he doesn't have a clue how to portray someone playing a guitar.

Live and Let Die (1973)

Just let it die

[1/10 · 13 November 2022]

I probably liked this movie when I saw it in 1973, even though I'm sure I felt then no one could replace Connery (as Lazenby proved). Recently I decided to revisit the Moore 007 era, knowing there were at least a few I'd never watched. The starting point of course had to be his debut, and about all I remembered from ~50 years ago was the opening New Orleans funeral procession scene. So mostly this was like watching it for the first time. What I'm now certain of is that this will be the last time.

I lost track of how many times I thought of the word "absurd." The car chases were ridiculous as were the airplane chase and the boat chase. We always expect the good guy to escape unscathed; I get that. But the way so many of the chase vehicles apparently were driven by idiots and ended up in water or bushes simply were laughable.

And then Bond dances on the backs of crocodiles.

The stereotypes of Harlem "gangstas", voodoo participants and southern sheriffs (how many times did he call someone "boy"?) were flat out annoying and, yes, absurd. It's hard to believe this movie was made in the decade AFTER civil rights came to the forefront of American culture. Maybe Saltzman and Broccoli missed that over in the UK.

I honestly cannot think of a single thing I liked about this movie, even Jane Seymour's youthful beauty. It was not only a bad entry into the James Bond franchise, it was a terrible action movie. I cannot imagine how someone watching it through a 21st century lens would enjoy it.

If The Man with the Golden Gun isn't better than Live and Let Die, the rest of the Moore era won't be on my agenda.

Signora Volpe: Secrets & Sacrifices (2022) Season 1, Episode 2

Not sure I'll be able to watch episode three

[3/10 · 21 May 2022]

As I began watching this episode, it occurred to me that this show feels, sounds, and looks like something that should be on The Hallmark Channel. Watch the first three minutes or so and see if you agree. The previous episode required a substantial amount of willing suspension of disbelief with its plot gaps, discontinuity, and inexplicable accomplishments and actions by the title character. Now the story has turned into a trite, totally non-engaging pseudo-mystery/drama. It's simply not possible to care about the characters or what happens to them.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982)

Painful

[2/10 · 15 April 2022]

This was like watching a high school senior play in which the teenaged actors were directed by a bored drama teacher to employ every stereotype they had ever seen (or heard) of Holmes and Watson. It's completely understandable that Tom Baker would later apologize for his portrayal. Even by 1982 standards, the production quality was sorely lacking.

Around the World in 80 Days: Episode #1.7 (2021) Season 1, Episode 7

We really didn't need this

[1/10 · 7 March 2022]

The whole "The South Will Rise Again" subplot was pointless and, frankly, made me womder what the writers were trying to achieve. I think Jules Verne would disclaim any connection with this episode if he could.

Hope Street (2020– )

Really disappointing

[4/10 · 28 February 2022]

As another reviewer said, this show started off well but turned into a soap opera. Hope Street has little to do with a crime mystery and plenty to do with small town relationships, prying and melodrama. What a shame. The potential was there and it crashed and didn't even bother to burn.

Addendum: Season 3 has continued the erosion of Hope Street into a soap opera, as I alluded to previously. It's become barely watchable because of the melodrama and cliffhangers that fail. All that has been exacerbated by the over abundance of establishing shots between every single scene. These fillers are unnecessary and distracting. I suspect tonight's episode (number 5] will be our last for this promising but disappointing series.

Stay Close (2021)

Too many absurdities

[3/10 · 9 January 2022]

Psycho father hires psycho killers to find missing son and oh, by the way, the police inspector is in on it. Drug addict lawyer outruns psycho killer. Mom has the key to the room in some sort of statue in the "ruins"? Does England even celebrate "Carnival"? Old lady calls Mom "Carrie" but she's the fiancé's mother and the fiancé knows nothing about Carrie? This series still might possibly have worked if it wasn't for the Ken and Barbie bit. But probably not.

Mr. Turner (2014)

Boring

[2/10 · 5 October 2021]

Pointless. Boring. Timothy Spall's portrayal was more like that of the pig he owned in Blandings than that of a believable human.

Only Murders in the Building (2021– )

I just don't care

[2/10 · 1 September 2021]

I watched the first three episodes, and really, really, hoped to like this series. The first episode was good, the second was okay, and by the third I was catching up on social media, emails, and texts instead of watching the show. The characters are shallow, boring, and uninteresting. What a shame, considering the abilities of the cast and writers.

The Defeated (2020)

Just one detail drives me crazy

[6/10 · 28 August 2021]

This was a decent miniseries, and I won't bother to discuss it in terms of acting, writing, etc.

It paid great attention to the post-war time in which it's set, 1946, except for the one glaring detail that drives me crazy in SO many productions that have been made in the 21st century. Stubble beards were NOT a thing then, especially for American police officers. Why, oh why, don't directors insist that their actors be clean shaven to fit in with the time period of their movies? Why does one actor's vanity trump the desire for authenticity?

Professor T (2021– )

Worn out ideas

[2/10 · 22 July 2021]

The OCD protagonist and the domineering mother themes are so worn out one has to wonder why anyone would write yet another series that combines the two. The mysteries are interesting but the style of the show, with its predictable side plots and outcomes, is simply boring. The OCD angle, along with the hallucinations, are distractions. I don't know if the Belgian version was any better, but if it was worse one has to wonder why this new creative team thought they could improve on it.

In the Footsteps of Killers (2021– )

Dramamentary?

[1/10 · 12 July 2021]

The first thing any form of visual entertainment should do is engage the viewer. This show totally fails because no one involved in the production seems to have a clue what the show wants to be and more to the point, apparently doesn't care.

The Elephant in the Room (I) (2020)

Not a comedy, not a drama. Just a dud.

[3/10 · 5 December 2020]

So many things were bad, with the acting, direction, and editing leading the list. The original music was good, however, even though it was misused. The staff meetings were simply stupid. This was a terribly misguided attempt to deal with a difficult subject.

Breeders: No Sleep (2020) Season 1, Episode 1

Why do writers think countless F-bombs are funny?

[1/10 · 16 September 2020]

This might have had the potential to be a good show, but I couldn't even finish watching the first episode. Humor isn't created or measured by how many times a character says f@#$, especially when it's so often directed at two kids who are seven years old or less. I'm no prude, but I expect comedy to be based on actual humor, not the repetition of the ultimate profanity. Breeders is a perfect example of a show that thinks getting away with crude language on a streaming service will bring in an audience. This show isn't funny. It's immature and badly flawed. How sad.

11 Harrowhouse (1974)

Boring

[1/10 · 15 June 2020]

The IMDb classifications for this movie are comedy, crime, and thriller. Only one of those, crime, fits. Terrible acting, terrible script, and terrible direction, and it was a terrible idea to think narration could save this bomb. The book was outstanding and deserved a much better transition to film. I can't imagine James Mason and John Gielgud counting this as their finest moments.

Doctor Who: Spyfall: Part One (2020) Season 12, Episode 1

I can no longer suspend disbelief

[1/10 · 12 March 2020]

I so wanted the new series to reflect an improvement over the previous one; that maybe the overwhelming criticism of Chibnall's scripts would force him to reconsider his absurd perspective of the Doctor Who universe. Sadly, the excellent actor Jodie Whitaker is once again saddled with terrible scripts and directionless direction. There were so many flaws in this episode that could not be overlooked, and I'm past the point of being able to enjoy a sci-fi fantasy as pure escapism. I just wish I could get a refund from Amazon for buying the entire season.

A Dark Place (2018)

Scott has been much better

[2/10 · 21 February 2020]

Andrew Scott acts as if he's an actor trying to act like he's not acting. His entire performance lacks depth and authenticity. He winds up being a distraction from what could have been a decent story.

Wish Man (2019)

Too much prelude, not enough Make-A-Wish

[5/10 · 14 January 2020]

The real-life story behind this movie is just as inspiring and as emotional as other reviewers mentioned, but the script is awful. It's a shame that so little was told of the good works of the foundation and instead focused on the trumped-up charges against Shankwitz. If you watched this movie and disagree about my criticism of the script, consider the school crossing guard scene and you'll understand where I'm coming from.

Einstein and Eddington (2008 TV Movie)

Typical melodramatic approach to science

[2/10 · 1 May 2019]

This movie fails in its attempt to humanize two great men of science. The injection of the writers' desire to develop Einstein's and Eddington's personal lives greatly detracts from the very momentous experiment in which Eddington proved Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Pass on this one if you think it's about science.

Queens of Mystery (2019– )

Yes, it's Pushing Daisies but it lacks the wit and appeal

[7/10 · 23 April 2019]

As others have noted, it's obvious this series was heavily influenced by "Pushing Daisies" (2007) but it misses the mark set by that brilliant, quirky, short-lived series. It's well-acted, though, and the cinematography is excellent. Just know that the plot isn't what makes the show worth watching.

Doctor Who: The Tsuranga Conundrum (2018) Season 11, Episode 5

Nowhere to go but up, but is that possible?

[1/10 · 5 November 2018]

If The 13th Doctor turns out to be the last, the blame should go to everyone EXCEPT Jodie Whitaker and the other actors who had to overcome terrible scripts, juvenile plots (except "Rosa") and, frankly, overly elaborate special effects and sets. Chris Chibnall's success with Broadchurch clearly hasn't carried over to Doctor Who, likely because he only thinks he understands the character and (now) HER appeal. I'm sure countless Doctor Who fans hope Chinball's oversight of the series doesn't result in its demise, but since the rest of the 11th series is in the can, we will know soon enough.

As to this episode specifically, the final straw (after countless other candidates throughout the episode) was "Avocado Pear." As the title of my review suggests, Doctor Who and the production team have hit rock bottom.

Jack Irish (2016–2021)

Outstanding in every way

[10/10 · 6 October 2018]

I'm sure many agree that the writing, acting, direction and overall storyline are simply excellent. What really appealed to me, however, were the side stories. In most shows they are annoying and irrelevant, but the story lines related to race horses, the old footballers in the pub, the carpenter, and others make this a truly complete and enjoyable "universe."