SirJamesDDJ Reviews

The Walking Dead: Here's Not Here (2015) Season 6, Episode 4

So much meat in this episode...figuratively

[10/10 · 3 November 2015]

The great thing about The Walking Dead is the balance of truly hardcore violence and deep, personal stories which make us care about characters. I completely contrast this with this past summer's Fear The Walking Dead, which did nothing to endear us with any of the cast. In a zombie, yes I said the z word, apocalypse drama, if the characters at least don't have some depth then there's no point in staying with the show. Morgan has always been something of a mystery, and boy was it amazing to finally have so many questions answered.

It was heartbreaking when we learned about his son, as I have a nephew around the same age so that cut deep. But then Morgan came back recently and he'd picked up Jackie Chan moves, while at the same time no longer obsessed with his motivation to "clear." John Carroll Lynch, who plays Eastman, is one of the most memorable characters of this show's entire run. I was thinking during the ep that I'd really like to see a miniseries about him pre-apocalypse...somewhat the same as Better Call Saul.

The tone is set just right in this episode. Our hearts are vulnerable as we open up to Tabitha the goat and Eastman, and the writers/director extremely wisely don't force us to undergo another Noah scene. That would have angered me, honestly, and that's more proof that this is a quality show that isn't all shock value.

So many things going on, and they're all internal. However, I have noticed that following episodes like this that are character builders, the next few eps are very bloody. Like a gulp before the plunge. So everyone should be prepared. That being said, Morgan is absolutely one of my favorite characters now.

10/10

Fear the Walking Dead: Not Fade Away (2015) Season 1, Episode 4

This show is turning out to be bad in an epic sense

[1/10 · 21 September 2015]

For this particular episode, a 1/10 is appropriate. Seriously, how can anyone justify a show where literally nothing happens? I get slow burn...huge fan of TWD, Breaking Bad, X-Files. But this is where there was never a spark to begin with. My goodness, AMC should be ashamed of themselves for this disgrace of programming.

As others have stated, what a stupid mother to be belittling this guy, her husband?, episode after episode for not putting family first and yet she goes galavanting through the DZ where, if she got scratched, the whole community including her children would be at risk. And then to come back and smack her son who she is sometimes empathizing with after trying to kick heroin, but she is now attacking him.

And please don't get me started on the groan-inducing depiction of the military. So the entire camp is just fine with the commanding officer saying that everyone should follow each rule or he will shoot them? American citizens...no soldier would have a problem with this? How extremely insulting.

Beyond that, zero interest in any of these characters, save the Hispanic barbershop owner and his wife. I want the rest to get eaten very, extremely slowly and painfully. Especially that awful blonde mother. Don't bother with a second season of this ridiculousness.

Please Oct. 11...come soon.

Fear the Walking Dead: So Close, Yet So Far (2015) Season 1, Episode 2

The title of this episode signifies it's quality in relation to the original TWD

[5/10 · 31 August 2015]

As a colossal fan of The Walking Dead, I had keen interest and anticipation for Fear The Walking Dead as it was my understanding that we'd get to see more of how the outbreak begins and possibly even get some answers as to what exactly it is. Two episodes out of six completed for this season, and I'm stunned as to how stale this show is. Nothing exciting has happened thus far, the acting is truly woeful from everyone apart from the guy who's supposed to be coming off a heroin addiction, and 75% of these episodes are either people arguing with each other, establishing shots of the city, or musical scenes where characters sit around doing nothing. Let's get this out of the way...there's really no gore in FTWD. Everything is off camera. Why? Shouldn't a show with much less substance be even more gratuitous as compensation? So in essence there's nothing. It's painfully clear these writers have nothing to do with the original show, and have zero idea as to why it is popular. Case in point, when everything is going to hell in the city, all we as the audience gets is the ability to HEAR what's happening on the street directly outside. Has nobody in this production team heard that shows are also a visual language, and that is what sticks with people? Thus, we've waited for FTWD because we'll get to see what happened while Rick was in a coma, only we don't get to see it. To summarize, I sure hope this show makes a strong comeback in the final 4 episodes. As it stands right now, Fear The Walking Dead is looking like a shameless, cheap, as little effort as possible cash grab by AMC because of the demand The Walking Dead franchise has right now. I'll take Season 2 on the farm over this any day.

Dredd (2012)

Yuck counts as descriptive in so many ways!

[1/10 · 2 March 2014]

Let's just get this straight immediately, this is one of the worst action films I've ever seen. It's seemingly an impossible task to create a good Judge Dredd film, so please Hollywood stop trying. An hour and a half of mindless and very gratuitous violence, perhaps a teenage boy or shoot em up video game head man would enjoy something like this. But for those of us who require something like, oh I don't know, story or some sort of social message, this is complete trash. As a side note...why in our frozen planet Earth would a movie be placed in a dystopian future and then corner itself inside a building for the entire length of the feature? I'd hoped for some sort of social commentary or ANYTHING...but there's nada. Just more splattering of brains and the RIDICULOUS pandering to 3D when that drug Slo-Mo is used. Holy Toledo every time that thing gets smoked there's at least a two minute sequence where you have to sit there and watch particles float. If you pop this film into your drive, I think the subliminal message is that you've taken the slo-mo because 95 minutes feels like 4 hours. To my fellow human beings, spare yourself the horror and seek other forms of entertainment like shoving bamboo shoots up your fingernails instead of viewing Dredd. I'm gonna go throw the disc in the middle of traffic now.

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

A lazy and raunchy series for those that enjoy watching injustice played out

[1/10 · 7 December 2013]

This show started with promise, as I'm a huge Sean Bean and medieval fan...but with an absolutely nauseating amount of gratuitous and unnecessary sex and gore, my opinion turned sour very quickly. I don't consider myself high brow, but the sex and violence in this show for the most part is geared towards a simple-minded audience...which I'm not a grunting ape so I necessitate more than that.

Oh and lest I forget, I could overlook a bunch of the raunchy scenes if not for the unbelievably irritating character of Joffrey. That little puke completely ruins this show as I get so annoyed every time he's on screen that I grit my teeth and can't even watch.

By the 7th episode, I was done and sent back my unopened second season to Amazon.

Furthermore, Ned, his illegitimate son, and sword fighting daughter are the only likable characters. However, they get mucked over at every single turn with no repercussions...which I choose to voyeur into escapism in order to get away from injustice, not watch more of it.

I'm amazed at the high praise this trash gets, but I suppose it's a social commentary on what the current populous thinks is entertainment.

Sorry I wasted my time.