piano1202 Reviews

Dynasty (1981–1989)

Some really terrible acting...

[6/10 · 13 August 2023]

There were some decent plot twists and intrigue on this show.

But it was sabatoged by most of the acting:

Pamela Sue Martin was very hard to take in her spoiled brat routine, Kathleen Beller and Heather Locklear were just plain awful (as always) and Linda Evans and John James were Mannequins.

John Forsythe, Joan Collins, and Lee Bergere offered the only decent acting and characters.

All the episodes were over explained and too much filler. There was only about 30-35 minutes of real plot crammed into an hour.

Unfortunately, it ripped off Dallas too much: using oil business as a backdrop and starting the whole show with a marriage that no one likes to set the family disputes in motion and having Joan Collins as the J. R. Ewing character.

The Real Charlie Chaplin (2021)

Atrocious Narration and Irrelevant Asides Overwhelm Real Story

[3/10 · 28 May 2023]

Forgive me, but a documentary about Charlie Chaplin should be about.... I dunno.... Charlie Chaplin?

First off, the narrator is atrocious: pretentious, condescending and full of phony "wonder." Couldn't get past it.

Also, the material is paced so slackly, pulling out details that no one cares about and with nothing new to add except some boring bits about his family.

Let's see an in-depth look at his art and the history of his movies, not this boring irrelevant tripe.

The footage is very impressive and the fake title screens are laughably bad.

This production company needs to get out of the documentary business....fast!

Compliance (2012)

Watched it after doc "Don't Pick Up The Phone"

[4/10 · 18 December 2022]

Movie doesn't work, main characters are too stupid and gullible, I understand how at first a "cop" can be threatening on the phone but after a few minutes you have to be really stupid to believe he would ask you to do any of the things portrayed.

I understand it really happened, but in order to work as a movie with have to identify we these folks. I've just never been able to identify with idiots.

Also, the editing and camera angles were just way too obviously set up to avoid too much nudity. Movie became a technical exercise with too much cutting and too many edits instead of having a voyeur "fly on the wall" feel (like the actual videos capturing this.)

It felt like before and after every shot Dreama Walker, her agent, her lawyer and the Director had to fight about every square inch of skin that was shown.

This country is headed into dark times if there are a lot of people stupid enough to fall for a scam like this.

Don't Pick Up the Phone (2022)

A lot of stupid, gullible people out there

[8/10 · 18 December 2022]

I've a had a lot of people tell me I'm too harsh on the people who fell for this scam...then they go on to say that "I would have fallen for it ...being intimidated by a cop on the phone."

Half-right: I may have started out believing it, but as soon as they started a strip search I would have said "get down here and do it yourself."

It's a very well done documentary, and MacDonalds does deserve a huge share of the blame for this, but that Boston cop made a really stupid tactical error (you'll see.)

Either way, very sad that there are people this stupid and this irresponsible and they are largely to blame for this whole sordid affair.

The "I was brought up to respect authority" excuse doesn't work here, not when the person is on the phone and not a physical threat.

The final verdict of the perp was a fitting way to tell the people of this country: smarten up, morons or else worse will happen.

Candy (2022)

Boring, overdone...mediocre acting

[4/10 · 26 June 2022]

Jessic Biel doesn't "nail it" nor is it a breakthrough for her, she's very one-note and dull. Melanie Lynsky does a variation on her neurotic friend act and the guys are all spineless bores.

Not sure what this point of this series is other than to give us an uninteresting variation on sick people that's been done much better, but there are a multitude of sources that handle this story much better than the community theater acting of this cast.

Let's Talk About Sex (1998)

Complete embarrassment for all concerned

[2/10 · 26 February 2022]

Not one minute of it was funny nor had one grain of emotion, it was trying to be hip, cool and new. Instead it was boring, long and the acting was embarassing. I can see why this director has not had any kind of career....she can't even direct herself.