billslab Reviews

The Bay (2019– )

Bay of mystery

[7/10 · 1 May 2023]

I really enjoyed Season 1 and 2 - the storylines in particular kept me going all the way through. The acting was good and I loved the seaside scenes and neighborhoods in Morecambe.

Just a note to parents there are f words sprinkled through episode 1 and 2. Better than some current shows but be aware.

The writing and mystery aspect in season 3 took a dive, it is saturated with frustrated angry male characters throughout. As a result of this the swearing and constant use of the f word ruined it for me. So much time was spent on difunctional family, social anger, distrust, and physical aggression I got to a point I didn't care whodunnit and went on to season 4.

I get it that we all have different sensitivity to language, but I have always understood story writers as artists and the arts are always looking for new ways of expression, it is baffling that the Oxford dictionary has over 170,000 words in it, but writers get stuck on the f word over and over.

Monster on the Campus (1958)

Not really the best from Universal

[4/10 · 14 March 2021]

I am a Sci-Fi fan and enjoy these even if they are pretty unbelievable. They offer fun moments of unintended humour. Some of the music sounds like soundtrack bits from the Creature from the Black Lagoon movies. A Jekyll & Hyde variation. Love that through out the movie people go in and out the lab door that says "USE OTHER DOOR". Also it is just a good thing professor Blake does not work in a virology lab, considering his easy going lab practices. Grab some popcorn and waste a few minutes on this one.

Planet Earth (1974 TV Movie)

Not the best of Gene Roddenberry work

[3/10 · 30 August 2020]

This is really rough. I understand It was a hoped for pilot for a potential series but I am not surprised it didn't make it. I have watched and enjoyed the many Star Trek incarnations so I am not critical about this because I am not open to Roddenberry's work. What is surprising is there are some talented people working on this. Juanita Bartlett, Gene Roddenberry, Diana Muldaur, John Saxon, Robert Justman. John Saxon does well with his part but that is about it. Diana Muldaur is given a pretty one dimensional character which is sad because in other parts she does well at capturing a character with some depth. The main problem is the idea of female/male reversal has no subtlety that would provoke deeper thought. Instead it is like a hammer in the majority of the work. The plot moves on very roughly with little character development. For better expressions of Roddenberry's genius, watch Earth Final Conflict, or Andromeda.

Two Lost Worlds (1951)

Simpler times, simpler plot

[2/10 · 15 August 2020]

This movie really feels like 3 incomplete movie ideas that got glued together. The major annoyance is there is way too much narration which is really over done.

What starts as a seagoing adventure, morphs into romance on an Australian sheep farm, and then becomes a pirate attack, only to be followed by a Sci-Fi baby alligators with glued on fins doing their best dinosaur impersonation. If I was 10 and it was an easy going Saturday this one would be just right.

Stargate Origins (2018)

The gee wiz factor wears thin real quick

[1/10 · 19 December 2019]

I have watched the Stargate programs over the years and marveled at the essential and intriguing mix; 1 Good writing 2 Skilled acting 3 Unique and creative themes 4 Smart direction and story telling

Stargate Origins fails in all categories and leaves only a residue of the gee wiz factor that cannot carry the viewer. For those that have followed the Stargate franchise this one will really hurt.

Critic's Choice (1963)

Two big names, one dissapointment

[2/10 · 15 November 2019]

I came across this thinking, wow a comedy that I never saw in the theater, back in the day and with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball together - cool!. It is hard to define the feeling when actually watching this, as the comedy really gets crushed by the harshness of the two main characters. The normal knack that Lucille Ball had for timing and delivery seemed held back and suppressed. And while Bob Hope's humorous side-comments are there, it is out of place with the meanness of his character. The story comes off a bit dreary in some ways..

San Andreas Mega Quake (2019 Video)

Yikes this one is soo wrong.

[1/10 · 23 September 2019]

Ok I think I figured out what to do with this movie. Get together with a few friends that have a deep sense of humour. Let everyone freely make comments, predictions (which are not hard at all). The challenge is to see if you can actually make it to the end of the movie.

Sadly based on the title I was hoping to see familiar Southern California locations getting ruined in an earthquake, alas this did not happen.

Acting was really bad. Plot worse, CGI minimal.

Remember the Night (1939)

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck Zing

[8/10 · 16 December 2017]

OK I'll admit I had already enjoyed Fred MacMurray's and Barbara Stanwyck's acting on the own in other movies so I came in to this with anticipation. I was not disappointed. Barbara Stanwyck plays a shoplifter brought together in to court with Fred MacMurray as the prosecuting attorney against her. Well paced writing and great work from the actors and support cast. Two negatives for me, the treatment of Fred MacMurray's black valet is hard to watch, yes I get all the arguments about it was the 1940's but it is still painful. Also the opening defense lawyers soliloquy is about twice as long as it should be to get the point across. Past these two points the plot moves well in some moving was as we find out background in the two main characters past. Well worth a watch and very engaging.

The Last Mimzy (2007)

Needed to follow the original story

[4/10 · 2 July 2013]

"The Last Mimzy" was a movie I looked forward to seeing, since I have loved the story it was to be based on; the 1943 Sci-Fi story "Mimzy Were the Borogoves" by Lewis Padgett. I must say I was disappointed by the totality of the movie. The original story, as a movie could have been awesome due to the themes of the original story, and the state of the art in movie making. The story has two powerful themes;one from the parents view and one from a child's view. For parents, the struggle is how our children can sometimes grow to exceed who we are, and the parental struggle to keep them both safe and let them grow at the same time to be who they are. From the child's view, is the innate sense that they want new things and are passionate about independence and discovery. The movie really fails to get this through the muddled plot and uninspiring direction. I loved the location which worked well, the actors could have worked with better direction and better writing.

Also, while I believe we need to be more responsible for maintaining the earth's resources, arbitrarily stuffing this theme into the movie, while missing the point of the original story, comes off lame and mechanical. If you are looking for a family movie, that would be a good project to compare and contrast to the original writing, this is the one.