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Waco: The Aftermath (2023)
One of the best government exposes I've ever seen.
I knew about Waco but never paid attention to the mind-blowing information that came to light afterward.
I thought this series did a fantastic job of explaining the views of all sides. Waco and Waco: The Aftermath should be mandatory viewing for high schoolers.
As someone else said, the self-serving rules Karesh made re. Sex could have been covered more thoroughly. Karesh made a rule against anyone else having sex, even married couples. But he was allowed to have sex and impregnate even very young girls. That situation did warrant government intervention.
As the series explained, the ATF and the FBI used competing tactics to extract the members. The results were tragic.
I thought the actors were all well cast and they did a great job. There were many facets to this story, but it was all easy to follow.
I think the show is a perfect example of how to shed light on how our government and courts really work.
Gunther's Millions (2023)
As far as I am concerned Netflix engaged in false advertising for this and they owe me an apology.
I've never given anything a single star before. I would give this zero stars if I could. I consider entertainment fraud. This "documentary" has four episodes. The first two episodes are boring and ridiculous. The truth is revealed in the third episode. That is when you realized you have been tricked into watching something.
The Netflix trailer for this shows a woman claiming, "It's a true story, I worked for the dog". I don't recall ever seeing such blatant false advertising for any type of film much less one that is presented as a "documentary".
Netflix sunk to a new low here. I have never paid any attention to who created, wrote, or directed anything TV or films. But this is the third "documentary" I've seen recently (the others were on other channels) that was definitely not a documentary. A documentary is based on or re-creating an actual event, era, life story, etc., that purports to be factually accurate and contains no fictional elements. When you start a series with the lead character talking about a few people that were very important to his life but those people never actually existed, you are not making a documentary.
Henceforth I will keep a list of the people associated with this type of production and refrain from watching anything else they are connected with.
Safe (2018)
Really bad.
There are so many characters it takes a few episodes to keep them straight. Then one by one each character has some kind of drama, they get killed, or they are suspected of being a killer.
I think this is the third time I've seen this formula used on a Netflix series recently. I keep hanging in there to see the resolution of all of the murderers/suspects, etc. But I always regret sticking with these series. The resolution is never anything interesting.
This series seemed to be directed at teens. The big secret that comes out at the end was preposterous.
Oh and the kid, "Jenny" disappearing like she did because she didn't know what she should do? Ridiculous.
Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies (2022)
NBC Should Be Ashamed of Itself
NBC or Peacock, whatever you call it has lost all credibility with me now. This is CA, telling the story the way she wants to tell it. It is not a documentary by any stretch of the imagination.
First, Oprah gave Harry and Megan a forum to spin their story exactly the way they wanted to and now NBC has done the same for CA.
Someone tell me how a mother holds the lifeless body of her drowned two-year-old for a minute or so, then allows her father to take the body away without any explanation. Tell me how that same mother believes the child is "ok", when she supposedly held the dead child.
And if the child was somehow revived, why would the grandfather need to keep her hidden from everyone for 31 days?
CA's story is so ridiculous it almost seems like satire. It is bizarre staring at a woman who thinks she can feed this story to the public and they will believe her. I'm not a shrink but Casey Anthony seems completely delusional.
I won't be watching anything made by this "documentary" filmmaker in the future.
Father Stu (2022)
Wahlberg's performance was amazing!
I started to give this a 7 because it is not exactly Gone With the Wind. But GWTW was fiction. This was a biopic and it was as well done as any I've seen. The story is not "big" because it is true. I does indeed deserve a ten.
I can't think of a single aspect of this film that wasn't done perfectly.
I've not been a Wahlberg fan simply because I'm not much for action films and that seems to be his main genre. But in this film, I saw a performance that I consider Oscar worthy.
The humor is what drew me in at first. Stuart Long's character is inspirational from the first scenes in the movie.
I am a recovering Catholic and longtime Atheist. This film is not about religion so don't be dissuaded from watching for that reason. Stuart Long could have gone into any profession that involved helping others and the movie would have been just as inspirational as this was. I think this is a film I will not forget. Something about it reached right into my soul.
Take the time to watch if you haven't.
Elvis (2022)
The horror, the wasted opportunity, the disappointment
I have been a huge Elvis fan since I first saw him live in 1969 when I was 13. I saw him live five times, the last of which was a month before he died.
I didn't think it was possible to make a bad movie about Elvis. At the very least I have always been able to count on hearing plenty of Elvis music. I have enjoyed every TV movie, documentary, TV series I have ever seen about Elvis. Until now.
This film did not have the right music. It had no direction. Elvis appeared to have no personality at all. It wasn't about Elvis. It was about Parker and no Elvis fan wants to think about Parker!
I love Tom Hanks but whoever decided to give Parker an accent must have been high.
Butler's look was wrong for the part. He did a great job speaking and moving like Elvis and that is no small feat. But as others have said Elvis was written as one dimensional so he didn't have much to work with.
I've read all of the reviews that gave the movie 1-5 and they have already said exactly what I would say, many times over. The first hour of the film was incredibly boring. The rest wasn't quite as boring, but it was bad for many other reasons. I was relieved when it was over because it was an affront to Elvis.
As other have said, watch clips of his live performances on youtube and don't ever watch his movie again!
I never heard of Freddie Mercury from Queen until Bohemian Rhapsody came out. That movie was the most fantastic story and it made me a fan of Mercury. I loved it. It wasn't just a film it was an experience. It was a fantastic tribute.
The director of Elvis didn't have to invent the wheel. Dozens of excellent films have been made about the lives and careers of entertainers. How could this Elvis movie have gone so wrong?
We Own This City (2022)
Probably a great story but impossible to follow
I just finished the second episode. I live near Bmore. I have NO idea what is going on in this show. I have never had this much trouble following a show in my life.
I thought I might be getting senile till I read the other reviews here. I am very relieved to see I am not the only one that can't follow this thing.
I think if I could find a really good recap of the first two episodes, so I can understand what I have seen, I might be able to follow the next four episodes. I need diagrams, lol!
Even if I could get a handle on who all of the characters are, it seems like someone took all of the scenes and shuffled them so that they appear in random order. They seem to be trying to guide us by frequently showing someone typing specific information onto forms, but I can't understand any of that either.
There are dozens of great films based on true stories of police corruption.
How hard would it have been to follow the formats of those films?
Space Force (2020)
I loved it!
I have never seen a show that was so "all over the place". I LOVED that it did not follow the usual sitcom formula.
I actually started to be amused by how they kept starting and then dropping storylines. Since the whole concept of the show was ridiculous anyway, I began to see each episode as a complete story and didn't expect any continuity from one show to the next.
Carrell and Malkovich made a great team. Watching them clash over science v. Military was interesting and funny. The scenes with the joint chiefs were hilarious.
Every show had at least a couple of smart, serious or funny scenes. I would have kept watching it just for those golden nuggets.
The Kominsky Method (2018)
Outstanding TV!
I watched the whole thing twice, which is rare for me. But it made me LOL many times and I was very interested in the way some of the serious subjects were treated. When a TV show can make you LOL and show you new ways to look at serious topics, it has exceeded expectations.
Michael Douglas and Arkin together were perfection.
I enjoy reading the reviews here and I want to comment on a few things I read.
1) It is true that the line about Trump had nothing to do with the story. So what? Sometimes a show gives a very brief shout out to honor or criticize something off topic. I enjoy these occasional moments whether I agree with them or not. In this case, we heard ONE character's opinion of a president. If people have become so sensitive they stop watching a great show over something like that, they might want to switch to decaf.
2) Some people say this is the male version of Grace and Frankie. I enjoy G & F, but it is a sitcom. TKC is not a sitcom. The two shows are not in the same league.
3) I liked the fact that Norman's wife "haunted him". It was easier to watch him grieve because we knew he had that tiny bit of relief from her loss. It allowed him to express things he could not have expressed to anyone else. There ARE some people who are lucky enough to think they can talk to deceased loved ones. I envy them.
4) I loved seeing Kathleen Turner and thought her character was great.
It is hard to end a series in a satisfying way, but I thought it was well done here.
Challenger: The Final Flight (2020)
Outstanding!
The facts that are known about this inexcusable disaster are all over the net. If you are interested in the technical aspects of the accident read the Rogers Commission report.
This is the story of the Challenger disaster from the viewpoint of a lot of people that were there at the time. I found those views compelling and with all of that background information, by the fourth episode I felt like I was back in 1985. It was like I was right there, with all of those people.
Not exactly on topic but a bit of trivia: I worked for Morton Thiokol when the Challenger accident happened. There was a mandatory employee meeting the day after the disaster. We were all required to sign non-disclosure agreements. We were told that if we were caught saying ANYTHING, even the word Challenger, to ANYONE (even co-workers), we would be fired immediately.
The Stand In (2020)
Refreshing change from the predictable formula
This is not a comedy. It is more of a drama/lite thriller. For me, any movie that deviates from the predictable is worth watching. That was the only value in this film.
Actually it seemed that the whole point of the movie was to deviate from the usual storytelling rules. I'm not sure all of the deviations were a good thing because I found it hard to care about either of the two females.
White Boy (2017)
Excellent documentary.
This is a well done documentary and should be seen by anyone that is not already aware of how our government really works. It might be shocking to some people, but it par for the course to anyone that already know how our government works.
The Guest (2014)
Not horrible, but not very good either.
The story goes absolutely nowhere. So you are watching this mysterious guy, but there are never any real answers.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Tyne Daly saved it for me!
As so many others have said, this was just depressing. I watched the first half one night and forced myself to watch the second half another night. It has to be pretty bad for me to turn it off in the middle and this one was that bad.
But it was all worthwhile when I got to see Tyne Daly. I could watch her read a phone book. What a welcome surprise. Her facial expressions alone made me glad I hung in till the end.
Firefly Lane (2021)
I've seen worse shows.
I feel like I've seen this story dozens of times. Kate loves Johnny but Johnny is more interested in Tully. Kate is the most important person in the world to Tully, but Tully has sex with Johnny anyway. Wait, Johnny was in love with Kate the whole time he just didn't realize it!
Tully's whole relationship with the paramedic.
Tully's meltdown on live tv...so over the top.
The TV big wig that sexually harasses Tully.
Kate's constant Lucille Ball calamities.
40 something Kate gets a huge hicky? Oh, and she is unaware that it happened. Really?
The flashbacks to so many different points in time are jarring.
I don't know why I watched the full season but I did. I don't think I can watch another season.
Derek (2012)
A work of art!
This is Forrest Gump works at an assisted living center. I'm ok with that. I'd love to see a Forrest character in many more settings. It is interesting to see the world through that character's eyes.
I never saw Gervais in anything until last month. First I watched Extras, then After life, now I am just finishing Derek. In my opinion Gervais is an incredible talent as a writer and an actor.
It is no small feat to balance the humor with the tragic the way this show does.
I don't know what is wrong with the Derek character or whether he works or volunteers at the elder care place. His back story is a complete mystery. I guess these things are not important because it still works just fine. I think the show is genius.
I had to limit my rating to a 9 because of the Kev character. His contribution to the show is the same disgusting "joke" over and over. I don't know who, other than maybe a 13 year old boy, would enjoy watching the character. Kev was a very cheap joke in an otherwise well done show.
Veep (2012)
Outstanding
This is The Office in a different setting and it is outstanding.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is mesmerizing no matter what she does. Something about her delivery enables me to tolerate, even enjoy, what may have been the most crass language I have ever heard.
Tony Hale's character "Gary", Sufe Bradshaw's "Sue", and Sally Phillips "Mina" were all pure gold.
The show is so fast paced, I know I missed at least as much as I caught. I am looking forward to watching the whole series again asap.
Blue Ruin (2013)
It was torture to watch.
One of the worst movies I've ever seen. I do not recommend that you watch it unless it is literally the last movie on earth.
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
It was so bad...
I didn't find it entertaining, moving, educational, or funny. I can't figure out why anyone would want to watch such a film. The whole thing was a mess.
It was impossible to follow any sort of timeline.
What did it have to do with hillbillies? Mamaw left KY when she was 13!
The only plot in the whole movie was about a character I didn't find likeable, going to an extreme to do something his sister could easily have done. The whole trip was senseless.
It was like the author wanted to show us that he had an unstable mother but thanks to his sister and Mamaw he managed to keep his life on track. It's a pretty common story and there was nothing added to make it interesting.
Glenn Close had her character down to a T. I think the whole story might have been better if it had been told from her perspective.
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
Waaaay too slow for my taste
If you are a chess player, you might relish the chess details in this film. If like me you don't play, it might be hard for you to sit through all of it.
The actual story held my interest, especially in the beginning. Then it slowed to a crawl with a predictable ending.
Schitt$ Creek (2015)
It was different.
I almost gave up on this show after the first season. I hated Roland and Stevie and I didn't "get" Moira yet. By season two I realized Roland was not the disgusting idiot he initially appeared to be and I "got" (and started to love) Moira. As others have said, it was not "The Office" but it had its charms.
The Good:
Catherine O'Hara's character (especially her way of speaking) was hilarious.
Eugene Levy is priceless (even though his eyebrows are a big distraction).
The show combined elements of several different genres. I am not sure it worked very well, but it was DIFFERENT so I liked it.
The slow revelation that there was much more to Roland that we originally thought.
I loved that David and Alexis shared a room, lol.
The Boring:
One season of David's sweaters and Moira's black and white themed outfits was plenty. By the end of the series these things became painful. Stevie's wardrobe was painful from beginning to end.
The coming out story. It has been twenty-three years since the lead character on "Ellen" came out. The subject has been covered to death in film and TV. Was the entertainment industry still doing "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" stories twenty-three years later?
Stevie (I found her unlikeable and hated her wardrobe), Twyla and Patrick (one dimensional characters).
Hollywood (2020)
What if society in 1940 had a 2020 mindset?
It was worth watching for the acting performances. With such a great cast and an endless supply of real stories from that era, this series could have been great. It was not.
What was the film trying to say? What if people had been more courageous? We know the answer to that question. At best they would have been ruined, at worst they would have been tortured and killed.
There were quite a few modern expressions used. How much can it possibly cost to have someone review a script for such errors?
The story itself was absolutely ridiculous. It's like one person wrote the fact based or at least realistic stories of the gas station, George Cukor's parties, and Henry Willson and a different person wrote a preposterous, preachy, fantasy plot.
Maniac (2018)
The WORST
A few days ago I did a search from recommended netflix shows. I trusted the list, lol. First I watched an episode of Derren Brown and it was so bad there is no way I can watch another.
Then I tried Maniac. I almost couldn't finish the first episode because it was so confusing and seemed to have no point. But I did finish and found the second episode almost as bad. I only kept watching because the it was all so confusing I thought there was an explanation coming that might make it all worth watching. I think it was the third episode where it looked like the story was actually going to have a plot. I'm giving it two stars because the story line about the drug was just enough to keep me watching.
UPDATE: I finished the show. It was one of the worst movies/tv shows I have ever seen. To be more specific than that, I'd be forced to think about the show again. I just can't do it.