ballouvince Reviews

The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)

what you write when you can't write a good script

[1/10 · 24 April 2023]

Vampire stuff is easier to write compared to a good script which doesn't require cheap thrills or jump scares. You can feel the choppy minimalist dialogue, compared with more flushed out Australian dialogue come in some of their better stuff. Yes the Australians have bad stuff too but not as much as American. Let's face it, the actress tend to leave a series when a dialogue and script get bad, but they'll give you another reason of course. But consistently I have found, when watching a series that has several seasons to it when I couldn't stay awake for the script, I find out coincidentally the actress from the first couple of seasons end up leaving. That's not just a coincidence. But maybe American actors are used to bad scripts and have no choice. This series also speaks to a certain demographic, and you can tell the old boys that lead it, need to get some stuff out their system, like when one vampire attacked a nurse and told her do what I tell you and the nurse responded I'll do what you tell me to paraphrase. If you know you know.

Superman & Lois (2021–2024)

Easy to overlook

[8/10 · 24 April 2023]

I think the most likely scenario in critiquing a really long franchise with 10,000 adaptation, is you're likely to be lulled into thinking it's the same old same old. And I would not be the fault of the fans, because there are a lot of Superman movies and TV shows. A lot of DC and marvel, and a lot of material that isn't that great. But the franchises will carry on, because Hollywood feels comfortable in it. And it would have been easier to overlook this one, but I just happened to check it out, I found out that unlike most, the human story is above the superhero story. Even a theme music, which you expect to be a fanfare for a superhero, is an emotional lullaby for family. T the human drama keeps you riveted. And yes the special effects are good.

Blindspot (2015–2020)

It ain't romance anymore

[5/10 · 18 March 2023]

The more time passes, the more romantic plots contain characters that are stalkerish. Weller is a stalkerish character as he pursues Jane Doe. He goes from ordering her around, to appearing in every room she's in, to touching her without her permission. Back in the day people didn't touch each other without permission. It's a major creep Factor, and uncomfortable to watch. It's not this show alone, it's a lot of ip these days. Everything from the guy hanging outside the girls house, to a whole myriad of things that used to be considered criminal activity, now under the banner of 'romance'. They should just be called criminal procedural, lust. The action is riveting, but because of some tropes where they place some black men in the plots just so they can be picked off, and be called thugs in the credits, and because of the stalkerish behavior of Weller, it would have been ten stars, but now it's just five.

American Virgin (2009)

Play on words

[1/10 · 24 January 2023]

Just so you know you've been warned of something you already know. Remember when Brooke Shields starred in a show where they name her character after a play on her own name. The character was named River Fields. Okay now you're getting me. Hollywood for years has had a cottage industry in teen sex comedies. What play on words do you think that is? That's right. Teen means child. Do I have to tell you what sex means?? Hollywood is supported by the government to be a god, and anyone who had participates in the media is essentially part of that godhead and it does sound evil because it is. You can't get away with any of the things Hollywood gets away with if you don't work in Hollywood. You'd be arrested and that's the kindest thing that would happen to you. That's right, the play on words for sex is p o r n. Hollywood is allowed themselves to legitimately so-called legitimately, do child p o r n. For years. And it continues. And do not think there aren't any teenage actors involved. Under the age of 18. You want to delete this? You want to hide it?

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Random entry

[5/10 · 23 January 2023]

Okay. I looked at the wiki pages for this movie and Babylon. Babylon's not doing anything in the box office practically, within the same stretch of days between the middle of December and the middle of January. The excuses they made for babylon's poor performance at the box office, is a triple pandemic, and ardent fear of it. And the wiki entry for this movie Avatar The Way of the water, they say it made an impossible amount over a billion dollars in the same stretch of days. What happened to that fear of the triple pandemic? What the wiki says is that it did a great performance in a pandemic year. Either you are scared of the pandemic, or you are not. Which is it? Plus this movie is being touted as made a science fiction amount of money in the same stretch, while Babylon made practically nothing in the same 30 days. This comparison reminds me, the way they trivialize the pandemic, of a Saturday night live sketch. It's the greatest sketch of all time, on a show that now primarily sucks. It was many years ago. They simply had a screen, your TV screen, showing an orange on a revolving surface. More like the surface that you would have in your microwave, except smaller, and flat enough to comfortably sit the orange. That orange was being rotated slowly, like some diamond encrusted showpiece, being rotated so you can get a view from every angle as you sit in front of your TV screen. After a few moments of you just sitting there watching an orange rotate, on the motorized platform, you see the screen fade to Black, then the screen fades back in and you see the orange again, as a whole bunch of people come chasing after the orange mob style, to get its autograph, which today would be a selfie, with you and the orange in the same frame. Yes I am talking about the fruit. You know the message. If it's on TV, you will believe it, no matter what they say do or think. The purveyors of the television media, the press media, print media, mainstream, that own online articles and such, are what you will bow to, blindly, no matter what. The fact that they were willing to put that skit on screen proves that the author of Saturday night live and all those who run mainstream media, are aware of the power they have, and they think you are stupid. And indeed, when some of us are told we are slaves to the media, we get indignant and defensive. Of course that feeds into their hand. Both of these movies are being nominated for awards, and probably have already won some by this writing. And you will believe it's all legitimate. Having said that, I tried to watch both of these movies, and I got the feeling, completely disjointed motion picture, and I have yet to to complete the viewing of either. A movie should not be a labor to get through. Why is it that the ones that are labor to get through, always get the awards and their critical praise? I randomly gave it five stars just to get attention. The reality is this movie is really really low grade. But money matters. They spent over the usual Budget on Avatar, so they are determined to make you think it profited. Big time in an impossible fashion. They spent very little money comparatively speaking, on Babylon. But they still spent some money, so they are making excuses for the movie. Either way they know better what you're doing than you know yourself. Apparently. I suspect this movie review would get banned because I'm not on topic. I am on topic because the other movie and media presentation were necessary for the comparison. And so was everything that I used. But honesty it's a very lonely word, and usually gets your review banned or deleted. I just wanted to say I did not use any foul language. I did not touch upon any singular person. I spoke of the general consensus, probably something everyone already knows. But we will see.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)

How do you know if a movie is successful?

[10/10 · 6 January 2023]

It depends on the number of reviews here in IMDb, relative to the release day of the movie, if it was soundly promoted. Judging by all that, despite negative reviews, this movie is successful. After movies been online for a while, no one knows if anyone will discover it. Because the big time promotion that foresee is a movie, before it was first released, has subsided. Visceral reactions equal a successful movie. Every critical reaction in here, is visceral. Just because the movie got a negative review, does not mean common necessarily, that it's an unsuccessful movie. Also, likewise, just because a movie got a positive review, it doesn't necessarily mean that the movie is successful. This is a good movie, that is successful.

Othello (1995)

This is what Hollywood lusts for

[1/10 · 23 November 2022]

The one time the big studios put on the Marquee a black man and white woman passionate with each other is when the ending is not going to be nice. Very symbolic of the sensibilities past and current. This viewer fell asleep at the beginning of the movie. You think because it's Shakespeare is supposed to be great. Think again. This movie stunk. The story is tired. You shouldn't look forward to a professional critics positive review. That's never a good thing. Many a year many an actor was willing to do the job and pay the bills and be graceful and pretend like Shakespeare's great and so you have to do it. Never has a culture been more graceful.

IO (2019)

Uh-oh!

[10/10 · 23 November 2022]

The ideally written movie is like a song, it is open to interpretation. This movie managed to do that. Forget all of the extracurricular things. Were the writers aware that studio heads considered one form of diversity, the last great taboo? This review may bring out a lot of haters. But the thinking person movie, maybe bringing about a scenario w h e r e thinking is not needed. If you are the last two people on earth, and you must keep the human race going, what two people would there have to be? If they are the same gender, it would be impossible. But if the man is black and the woman is white, and you must keep the human race going, would you prefer that it end, or that it keep going? She said we have to. That's suggested that they went all the way despite nothing happening on camera. If left to that question alone, this movie gets a 10. And the writers are geniuses.

Georgia Rule (2007)

Watch

[10/10 · 20 November 2022]

Watch out for today professional movie critics. Keep them away from your children. Hollywood is scary, as many young actresses have stated. You pretty much know when someone is lying and telling the truth. The Vicious verbal attacks on Lindsay Lohan and her character from professional critics pretty much tells you that they know low Lindsay's character is telling the truth. But they don't want to accept that. That says a lot. They knew the subject matter was worth an R rating even without pervasive language nudity or on screen sex. How often do you attack Garry Marshall? Something is wrong with you if you do. But that's what these professional critics do as far as this movie is concerned.

X (II) (2022)

Look around

[10/10 · 16 November 2022]

This movie is described in full for everybody to see before they see it. It is described as p*** actors making a p*** movie so you know they'll be plenty of sex scenes in it. You know there will be nudity. So if people see it and critics and reviewers here and IMDb say that it has too many sex scenes in it, and you know that the majority of them or between a guy that looks like Jackson's character and a girl that looks like the Maxine character. And that is the case. Now if the guy looked like the old man that kissed the Jenny Ortega's character at the beginning of the movie and the critics would never describe the sex in the movie they never indicate that there was any nudity in the movie. In fact the way the critics describe it or the reviewers would describe it in that case, you think it's a romance movie or just a thriller with no nudity and no sex. So the tropes are Alive and Kicking in this movie including the killing of the Jackson character after he has sex with any girl that has the skin tone of Maxine. It is a trashy movie and bombed at the box office. The 10 Stars are for deceptive purposes only. It deserves zero Stars and less. Zeros below this post are complimentary. Also, Vindication has happened for couples with men that look like Jackson and girls that look like Maxine.

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)

Tad deserves a lot of Oscars

[10/10 · 22 September 2022]

From many of the reviewers in here. Many think that Tad was stiff competition for Pete. Pete thought so, too. But Tad fit Pete's script, seconds into the date and Rosealee ceased being impressed with Tad, at the same time. She was polite from that moment, forward, but that's all. Apparently the guys who thought Tad was stiff competition, were rooting for him. This film manages to make Tad come right out of central casting, and remain interesting. Some movies cannot be explained. This is one of them. Honorable mention goes to the dog's reaction when Rosealee came in the store office after Pete told his boss there is just one more thing to conquer and she proved oblivious, as she raised money for the date with Tad. Top ten reaction, easily. The movie passes the time for depression. The fact that Duhamel portrayed an actor, and he used lines from his movies, and many reviewers at imdb, thought of Tad, as stiff competition, is noted.

Curly Sue (1991)

The movie does what it set out to do

[10/10 · 20 September 2022]

Saw it a long time ago and remember how it pulled at the heart. If a movie is reviewed and it is found to have done it's job and that is not acknowledged, the credibility of such sources must be questioned. Now, while sitting here wondering how many reviews with two lines, managed to be posted and this site counting the words, here, as they are being typed, and started at 600, it is fair to wonder about many things. Who's connected, and who's not? And why? How could any credibility not be questioned, here, as a result? Will this honest review be posted and published? Will the sad treatment stop?

Fatal Bond (1991)

Guys reviewing this movie

[4/10 · 19 September 2022]

At least be honest. You say it's not worth watching but it is, to you because you know Linda will disrobe. It's a lot like when guys call a girl fat, even though they secretly think she is curvaceous but they want to psych the girl into believing she is unattractive, so they can convince all women not to eat, so they look so emaciated. Them the guys convince the girls that emaciated is attractive, all, so of they get rejected by the emaciated girl, they won't feel as rejected, because, secretly, no guy thinks that emaciated is attractive. So, girls, next time a guy calls you fat or a cow, know that they secretly think they would like to see your body type on their favorite downloading site.(You know what that means), and then reject the guy. Watch him have a breakdown. This will prove that fat is the new curvaceous. So is cow. Also, in this world of games, if awards are given to every woman in a skin flick, but one, that one is the guys' favorite. All the aforementioned info applies. In a nutshell, all guys like this movie; especially, if they are Linda Blair fans. And the reason is obvious. They say Linda is fat, in this movie, but they don't think it. And they look forward to seeing proof; movie plot, aside. However, the end of the movie suggests that her latter movies are not that good.

YPF (2007)

Gaslighting award

[1/10 · 18 September 2022]

They give out razzies. Why not give out gaslighting awards. This is the only movie that has no spoiler reviews though the filmmakers love to razz protesters against this film for "not having seen it". Hypocritical. Canada tried to censor this movie with a controversial tax credit bill, but the bill did not pass. The filmmakers used the valuable free publicity. They had their laugh. They say the sex is simulated so it can't be labeled p*rn. That's like hiring a 29 year old actress to play a 17 year old because she looks 17. Big trend, by the way. As they say, perception is reality. Not just when it's convenient. One reviewer made the mistake of saying that the movie "promises what it delivers". One thing is for certain in the current state of Hollywood. This movie is listed as a "romantic comedy", by the studio head. If any of the beautiful white actresses in this movie were paired with a beautiful black male actor, as a romantic couple (characters), the studio head would list this movie as "p*rn", whether the sex was simulated or not. This movie wins the gaslighting award for guilt tripping its opponents. The award goes to all involved with the making of this movie (Don't know about review status) whether it's seen or not. Less than zero stars. Don't know how disingenuous, the positive professional reviews are, considering the context, as a whole.

10 Things I Hate About You (2009–2010)

Real life

[1/10 · 24 August 2022]

If anyone stared the way the writers have these kids stare at each other, trying to get each other's attention, vying for a date, or something, the creep factor would have went up 100 percent in real life. You wonder if studio heads are projecting. Of course the writers make the black girl, the tyrant.

The Wiz (1978)

Ease on down

[10/10 · 22 August 2022]

And relax. The movie has charm and couldn't be imagined as anything other than it is. If hypothetical was a thing.... There is no imagining Dorothy as younger than Judy or Diana, because they are what we came to know in classics. If someone ever comes along with a reboot and gives into the critics and makes Dorothy a teenager, we will be thinking about the real reason that this is a latent classic: the reboot will have to outdo the previous scarecrow. Diana was the only way that the King Of Pop was going to appear in the current classic.

The Winter Palace (2022 TV Movie)

You can count on Danica McKellar

[10/10 · 21 August 2022]

If she is in a movie, you will be satisfied, unless you are cold.

It is a romance between a Prince and a literary pauper. Now I have noticed that there are people, amongst these reviewers that have connections, because they have reviews with one line, or no stars.

A Cinderella Story (2004)

2nd place

[5/10 · 21 August 2022]

This is second among the 'story' movies, with Bailee Madison's coming in 1st. It all comes down to writing, as all the lead girls act and sing good and are beautiful. It must also be said that Bailee has the most unique look. Having said that, all the actors play the roles up to par, in all the movies. So the difference, as in any Hollywood production, must be the writing.

A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (2011 Video)

This is a Discovery presentation. Not Disney.

[5/10 · 21 August 2022]

It is true that people associate Cinderella with Disney. Many reviews on here, confirm that. And Disney does present Cinderella. But 'Cinderella' is different from 'Cinderella Story', which is presented by Discovery. Having said that, this is a middle of the road version. There are better written ones out there.

Deception (2021)

Those talking about the dialogue

[4/10 · 17 August 2022]

Comon. It's obvious why this movie is liked. As Billy Joel sang, honesty is such a lonely word. Lea Seydoux gets a lot of mention for obvious reasons. Also, the movie lands on the positive side of critiques, when you come on this side. That's deliberate. This movie gets zero Stars. I just put up the stars that you see to get it in the crowd. This movie is not about dialogue. It's about what you think it would be about when the authors of the movie and the critics say that it's about dialogue.

I Want You Back (2022)

Free publicity

[10/10 · 16 August 2022]

This is not about commitment, but about who ends up with who, by the end of the movie, if you're into commitment. But try as Amazon might, no matter who sings it, you can't avoid the invaluable free publicity that The King Of Pop gets, by way of that title theme, so, thanks. By the way, Amazon is keenly aware of this, as they wait for that song to come on, and do self promotion, during it. We see you, Bezos.

10 stars, solely for the free publicity. Not caring about what follows, under this review.

Young Sheldon: Carbon Dating and a Stuffed Raccoon (2018) Season 2, Episode 7

Cowardly

[1/10 · 15 August 2022]

Just when you wade into what Hollywood producers successfully trained you into believing is normal, via riveting material, they get clever and sloppy at the same time. The theme suggests info intake on Sheldon's part and hallucinations based on it. Then, at the end of the episode, a 'cave' family member, who is part of the hallucination, seems to say something offensive. Critics might have a lot of arguments, as such a sequence would probably yield confidence to argue, but the subliminal nature only served to make this a lesser episode and expository of the series and Hollywood. But it's a hallucination, right? Still, one might be compelled to watch more. Must be fun.

Young Sheldon (2017–2024)

Took a while to get to this one

[7/10 · 15 August 2022]

This show isn't trying to be a sitcom though it is labeled one. It seems to explore life. And some people will find their moments. This show just mimick that. You can immediately tell that the actors know they are on camera as you feel the director just yelled 'Action' when you observe. You're not supposed to feel that. However, that can be passed by. At first, it felt like Parsons had a clause in his contract that said he must get a show that continues as long as he pleases, no matter the ratings. Then, you get used to it. Maybe they can continue with more episodes with the more intelligent girl classmate and young Sheldon interactions. Maybe not. It might work. It might not.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022– )

Average

[5/10 · 14 August 2022]

It feels like the 1966 show in that it is average. But the original didn't compromise Spock. This one does. Maybe that is why it feels average. The original was more imaginative.

Girl (II) (2018)

A reviewer compared this to blackface.

[1/10 · 11 August 2022]

This is tiresome. If you are born black, everyone knows it. There is no such thing as a 'closet' for black people. But those reviewers know this. They expect you to understand them but refuse to understand you. So when reviewing a movie like this which is not blackface, please understand this.