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Reviews
The Orville: Electric Sheep (2022)
Makes Star Trek seem like a laugh riot
What happened to the humor? The season three trailer seemed overly serious however I thought it was the way Hulu cut it. Well...looks like they are taking the lightheartedness completely out of this series. And even worse....it's boooorrrrrring. I'm hoping that the later episodes get better.
Rocky II (1979)
Weak sequel to an excellent movie
This review is both from my memories of seeing it when it came out in 1979 and also me seeing the last 40 minutes just a few minutes ago. Back in 79, I remember being insanely disappointed as while I did like that it picked up right at the aftermath of the first movie's fight, the rest of it was both a retread of the original and almost a movie created by a focus group. I remember thinking that it was ludicrous that Adrian would wake up from a coma and suddenly and immediately reverse her adamant thinking that Rocky should fight again.
Seeing the last 40 minutes just now, I had hoped that at least the fight would redeem this mess but I immediately got annoyed that you had a full house at the Forum with TV broadcast already started and Apollo getting taped up getting ready for the fight and Rocky is inexplicably still at home taking his time getting to the arena....oh and how about a quick stop at church to get a last minute blessing. I first thought that this had to be a continuity error but they cut back and forth between the three scenes.
The fight itself has Rocky getting even more beaten up and barely putting up a fight till the last round...and the ridiculous double knockout. To top it off, we get a n impromptu speech by the new champ that's just cringy....
Rocky III was a cartoon but at least it was sure fun so I would skip this or just read a synopsis and enjoy I and III.
Happy Endings: Like Father, Like Gun (2011)
Deduct three stars if you can understand or speak Italian
Someone pasted in the trivia section that the Italian guy's Italian was worse than Penny's. And that's absolutely true however in defense of Casey Wilson's character, Penny only spent a semester in Italy. The guy is supposed to be from Italy and even though Italian is my first language, I had sometime read the subtitles because it truly was that bad. I guess the person casting the show believed the actor that since he had an Italian surname, he could speak it fluently. And honestly if anything, Penny's Italian was probably too good for someone who only spent half a year in Italy.
Enough of my rant, another solid Happy Endings episode. Loved seeing Damon Wayans Sr playing Jr's dad.
Bridge and Tunnel (2021)
Lightweight entertainment
Being just a few years younger in 1980 than the characters (I was 15). And also hailing from around the area that the show takes place, and being a big Mets fan as well just like the characters are, this show gets a bonus star from me. That said, nothing really happens in this show. The first episode tells you everything and no one really goes anywhere throughout the six episode arc. And none of these characters are even bridge and tunnel people...the only one that is, Jill, is fired from her job midway through. And it's ridiculous to think that she would be made fun of at work by having a Long Island/Queens accent or being a commuter. Most people that work in Manhattan are commuters and a ton are coming from Long Island. And why is everyone either a tortured artist or a wannabe tortured artist? Again, what does this have to do with the title of the show?
That said, the actors are likable and the accents aren't bad (and kudos for Aussie Caitlin Stasey for an especially good job in capturing the accent without being a caricature). Love the period cars and music as well...would have loved to have seen more exterior shots from the era as everything seems to take place in the same three locations. I am assuming that the budget would not have allowed for that.
Cougar Town: Mary Jane's Last Dance (2015)
Finally....
Should have ended two seasons ago as the already lame season six limps to an annoying end. Jules once again proves she is insanely selfish while every character has multiple eulogy like soliloquy's on what a good friend she's been (I suspect it's Stockholm syndrome). Her 'worst' birthday is that her son gets an amazing offer to franchise his business but would have to relocate and her best friend has to move ten minutes away to get her son into a good school. Poor poor Jules....seriously? I understand being a little sad but keep it to yourself without having to guilt trip the people you supposedly love for wanting to better their lives.
I'm sorry I decided to rewatch the series...I suppose either this wasn't as noticeable watching once a week rather than every day or I just tried to forget it.
The Assets (2014)
If Lifetime got a hold of an AMC script
SPOILERS AHEAD Wow...so I started watching this under-promoted show back in January when ABC was airing it in prime-time before they quickly shelved it and buried it in the summer on Sunday afternoons (thank god for DVR's). At first, I thought this was excellent, interesting and downright shocking that it was airing on a non-cable network as it seemed much more likely to be on AMC or HBO.
But then as time went on, it quickly devolved into tripe and relied on typical made up BS to enhance the 'drama' such as: the plucky investigator that no one believes at first, the husband that doesn't fully understand why his wife never comes home from work, the 'enemy' at first co-worker who eventually gains trust, admiration and then friendship, etc. And don't get me started on the snidely whiplash super creepy over the top performance by Paul Rhys as Alrich Ames. Jeez, they should have arrested him immediately just for looking creepily guilty And it closes on one of the most unintentionally funny scenes I have ever seen (the bookstore signing hug)...wow. Hello Lifetime! Now, I also have a huge issue on how they treated the subject matter. The assets in question are Russian KGB, generals, officials, that decided, for whatever reason INCLUDING greed to sell their countries secrets to the US. Aldrich Ames sells the names of these 'assets' to the Russians who then interrogate and execute them. Aldrich Ames is a traitor and deserved to be tried and convicted but SO ARE THE ASSETS HE SOLD OUT!!! They were traitors to their own country and rather than portraying them as such, they are practically treated as saints.
In life there are never clear cut black and white issues and this mini series could have shown that but instead took the easy formulaic way out. And the shame is that they were close on the execution