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Reviews
Real Time with Bill Maher: Roger Daltrey/Joshua Green/Kellyanne Conway (2024)
Mixed Bag
It was fantastic to see music icon Roger Daltrey make his first appearance, even if nothing of substance was discussed with him. He came off as a pretty humble guy.
While normally I enjoy appearances by right wing shills such as Kellyanne Conway and Anne Coulter, this appearance by Kellyanne was a disaster for her in my opinion. For one, she was irritating beyond belief, rarely allowing Maher or Joshua Green to get a word in edgewise. She consistently failed to answer any tough questions, either deflecting to another topic and/or criticizing the Democrats, usually Joe Biden. She demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of reality, which made the show difficult to watch at times. In essence, she had nothing intelligent to contribute to the discussion.
Thankfully there was a great mid show set piece on AI beauty pageants that can't be missed.
Offside: The Harold Ballard Story (2023)
So So Documentary
At the outset I'll say that I have high regard for Jason Priestley, the creator of the brilliant Canadian series Call Me Fitz. This documentary, however, was just middling.
I have read several books on Harold Ballard and this biopic was much of the same. We know he was cantankerous, racist and misogynistic and indeed there are more examples of that here. There are also examples of him being cheap and treating his employees poorly and consequently making it next to impossible for the Leafs to succeed. All of that has been said or done before.
This documentary was billed as bringing something new to the table. It didn't, although many of the clips were interesting and brought back memories. Unfortunately Priestley did not have access to anyone from Ballard's inner circle and it showed.
For those unfamiliar with Harold Ballard or too young to have lived through his constant shenanigans, this show may be of more interest. For those who already know the story, not so much.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Law & Order (2022)
Episode Review (no spoilers)
I have never watched Law and Order but still found this episode interesting. Working in the legal system I can vouch for the criticisms leveled about how unrealistic the show is.
I was disappointed about how little John skewed the carnival show that is the British Royal family in light of the Queen's recent death, especially since he is British. A family such as theirs obtained their wealth and former power by murdering people and stealing from the masses. If you think "Blue Blood" is a thing then I have a pretty good idea what you think of skin colour. In retrospect, perhaps John and Company purposefully skipped over the obscenity that is the British royal family because they don't deserve any more attention.
Mayans M.C.: Dialogue with the Mirror (2022)
Some peculiarities but...
Unlike some reviewers of this episode, I didn't find the plot twists that strange.
Angel sleeping with Coco's daughter was hardly shocking. What do you expect from these scumbag bikers? They lie, cheat and steal their way to a living and just because they are exalted in a TV series doesn't mean a dose of reality isn't warranted.
It's also not surprising that EZ offed his former girlfriend. That was based on the "blood is thicker than water" premise. He chose to protect his brother over someone innocent whom he had a past relationship with. Hardly surprising. If you thought EZ had some kind of virtue, that was proven false long ago and I would say you haven't been paying attention to all of the heinous things he has done. By choice I might add. I personally believe in the "you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family" premise.
The one thing that made no sense is the shenanigans at the hospital and the fact EZ and company appear to have gotten away with it and somehow Manny escaped unharmed. There are cameras everywhere. Gabby loudly called out EZ's name. There is no way he could just stroll home and boink his latest in peace, after killing his ex (and you thought Angel was bad). There would be cops everywhere. Massive plot hole.
Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine (2021)
Better than I thought...
A decent trip through Canadian rock and roll nostalgia. A lot of great clips and all 3 band members participated significantly. I would point out a couple of shortcomings. One, I would have liked to see a little more focus on the songwriting process. Two, like a recent Rush documentary, the presentation of the band mostly ignored any downsides of their behavior over the years. Did any of them ever use any substances or have other difficulties in life? There is also no mention of any of their family life, marriages, children etc. The inclusion of this would have made the documentary more complete. But definitely worth a watch.
Shark Tank: Episode #13.1 (2021)
Confused II
I must have watched a different show than the other reviewers who said that no one who appeared on the show received a deal from the Sharks. In fact the hoodie lady did receive a deal. She wanted $200,000 for 10% of her company. She accepted an offer for that amount for 30% from Lori and Emma who teamed up. Not sure how this could be missed and this affects the commentary running down the show for not giving out any deals and that being a rarity or a first.
Dexter: New Blood: Sins of the Father (2022)
Absolutely Appropriate
I'm a glass half full kind of guy and am ecstatic that I was able to see another season of Dexter many years later. How often does that happen? Almost never. Occasionally we get a subsequent movie, such as with Deadwood, but almost never another 10 episodes. Those who hate the ending don't get the series. The ending wasn't perfect but it never could be. I haven't read any brilliant suggestions as to how it could have been perfect. Do people realize that the previous Dexter ending so many hated is the only reason this mini series could even have been made? Turns out that ending was pretty great after all. I wonder if the haters would watch a Harrison spinoff? I bet they would. I disagree with the whining posts by people who are obviously only sad because Dexter is over. My advice, move on to something else and be thankful you were able to watch 10 more episodes of a character no one should reasonably expect Michael C. Hall to play forever. Instead of the 8 the episode deserved I give it a 10 to counter the haters.
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
Stop the unfair criticism...
Just finished watching the entire series for the third time. Still amazing, including the last season and the ending. It was more than obvious that Dany was going to go off the deep end so it is impossible to understand the surprise shown by many. It is also ridiculous, uninformed and cowardly to anonymously denigrate and even threaten the show runners. If anyone is to blame it is GRRM who is the definition of resting on one's laurels, having promised another book for as long as I can remember. It is not like he wasn't consulted so why does he escape blame from those who hate the ending?
The real reason people are complaining is because the show is over. There certainly could be many other possible endings but any alternate ending would not satisfy everyone or even the majority of viewers. The whiners are the same people who didn't like the endings for Dexter or The Sopranos, to name two other excellent shows unfairly criticized for their endings. The unfortunate result is that the IMBD overall rating for the show took an unfair hit. GOT should be rated the best show of all time. While I love Breaking Bad there is no comparison. One monumental GOT episode is as much or more work than an entire season of Breaking Bad so stop showing your TV illiteracy to unfairly lower the rating of an unparalleled show because you like using the anonymous bully pulpit of the internet.
Dexter: Remember the Monsters? (2013)
C'mon people...
I see the same negative comments from many that I saw with endings to GOT and The Sopranos, to name but two. What is wrong with you people? Although the ending may not have been perfect, no one has suggested the perfect ending, and in fact that would not be possible. The disappointment felt by many I believe is disappointment at the series ending. Grow a pair! In retrospect many years later the ending left things open enough for a continuation to the series, which is coming in 2021. In all, an impossible task handled well.
Real Time with Bill Maher: Neil deGrasse Tyson / Rob Reiner / Rachel Bitecofer (2021)
Worst guest ever...
Rachel Bitecofer is the most irritating guest ever to be on the show. I have to rate this show the lowest ever, not because of content ( and I love both Neil and Rob ) but because Rachel literally gave me a headache. Please do not have her on the show again.
Game of Thrones: The Bear and the Maiden Fair (2013)
Best Dressing Down of Joffrey Ever!
In rewatching the series I was struck by the brilliance of the scene in this episode where Joffrey is sitting on the iron throne and his grandfather Tywin is answering the questions he poses to him in his capacity as Hand of the King. Virtually every word uttered by Tywin is dripping with sarcasm and barely veiled contempt. Joffrey is considered by many to be the most evil character in the series, although strong arguments can be made for Cersei, Tywin, Jamie and ultimately Danaerys for that honour. Those who dislike Joffrey should revel in his complete dressing down, which I suggest is the most memorable take from this episode and by far the most prolonged debuking of him in the entire series. Brilliantly performed by Charles Dance, one of my two favorite performers in the series, the other being Stephen Dillane as Stannis.
The Flight Attendant (2020)
Too Many Plot Holes
Although there are some good things in the first five episodes the entire premise and several occurrences are weak, as is the writing, in my opinion.
First, why would someone kill the only person who appears to know or at least is the only person to have access to the $200 million dollars we just found out appears to be what the villains are after? Brilliant! Kill the only guy with the combination to the safe, so to speak. You would think capture and torture might be a better option.
Second, it is simply unbelievable that if they wanted Cuocco's character captured or dead that they wouldn't have taken care of her while she was passed out in the hotel room after they killed Huisman's character. Instead the bad guys resemble the Keystone cops. It is not even remotely realistic that career criminals and probably professional killers would be unable to off someone who appears to be an uneducated alcoholic and certainly not a career criminal or trained mercenary.
In the fifth episode Max and Cuocco's characters, ahead of the police or the bad guys, were the only people who thought of visiting Huisman's apartment to search it or seize the computer that was on and sitting in plain sight. They also of course unconvincingly figured out the address of where the tech equipment was. Max figured out in a short period of time how much money was missing but not where it was. But wait. Judging by the appearance of the bad guys they also must know the location of the tech equipment. The set up certainly looks sophisticated and expensive and no doubt the information it contains could send a lot of people to jail, especially since Max was able to ascertain that $200 million went missing in a matter of minutes. I expect that a forensic electronics police expert with access to law enforcement around the world and the power to obtain banking information if there has been a crime would be able to figure out a lot more, including where the money went, in a day if not a few hours.
Stay with me. So instead of the bad guys protecting this very expensive equipment and the secrets it contained it was left unguarded, presumably with the hope that no one would figure out its location from a return address on a letter or otherwise stumble upon it. Perhaps because they are out some $200 million they were unable to afford a live armed henchman or two to physically protect the location. Not only that but whatever alarm system used was comical and inept. You would think that someone with a ton of money at stake and secrets to protect , even if they inexplicably chose not to move or physically protect the equipment, would at least have an alarm that worked immediately as opposed to just after Max finished tooling around and finding out about the money and the various identities of those already killed or to be killed. I've never heard of a delayed notification alarm. To remain consistent with the Three Stooges theme of this episode the alarm of course was not silent. Where was the movie computer voice a la Blofeld telling them to get out? Two minutes and counting to self destruct! They also could have had flags pop out of the equipment telling them to "leave now". I half expected Adam West to show up in the batmobile before the bad guys did.
Finally, another blown opportunity to kill Cuocco's character and perhaps Max if it turns out he still lives. While I am sure being hit by the car was painful it didn't appear to be going at highway speed and there should be a high probability he survives. There would appear to be no logical reason why the bad guy henchmen didn't just drive up to both of them and put a bullet in their heads, particularly after the previously bungled attempt on the train. Maybe next time they will capture who they want to kill and either strap them to a table subjected to a slow laser or tie them to a pole and lower them slowly into a shark infested pool, of course leaving them alone with plenty of time to escape.
There is some entertainment value to the series and I generally love HBO, but there is going to have to be some all world explanations in the last three episodes to make sense of a plot that is impossible to take seriously.
Bachman (2018)
Has Its Moments...
The best part of Bachman, in my opinion, is the nostalgia. There are some priceless clips and photos from his formative years and some interesting tidbits contributed by the various stars and non stars who knew him either personally or professionally or both. Being from Winnipeg makes the nostalgia even more interesting. The segment with his small warehouse of guitars and the obvious Spinal Tap reference or two is fascinating and amusing ( and I am not referring to the obvious Spinal Tap reference that is the name of his radio show ).
Bachman, however, is lacking in depth and continuity. Numerous children are mentioned but only two are interviewed. After building up the importance of his family we are suddenly told that he separated from his wife, apparently at her behest, without any real explanation. His ex-wife is also not interviewed, making the entire biopic incomplete. I have seen several other biopics such as the recent one on Robin Williams where ex-spouses offered a balanced and significant contribution. Instead we are led to believe that he loved his wife so much that he converted to Mormonism to marry her and then are told by his son Tal that Mormonism was not for Randy after all. We are also told that it is believed that it took Randy some 25 years to be able to move on from his separation. This shocking information or speculation is dropped like a bombshell late in the program without any explanation or resolution, much less comment from the man himself. In fact Randy's personal views on life, friends, family and musical collaborators are virtually non-existent.
Bachman certainly succeeds as a tribute to an outstanding musical talent but offers virtually no insight into Bachman the man, other than making it abundantly clear that his life is music and little else. Perhaps that is why his ex-wife and the rest of his children are noticeably absent from the story told here. Bachman is certainly worth watching from a nostalgia point of view but offers little in the way of depth or insight into Randy's personna. It also runs out of steam over the last half hour and ends rather awkwardly.