markcaron-82524 Reviews

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

Technologically advanced civilization with robots, spaceships, and futuristic medicine...

[3/10 · 23 April 2024]

Technologically advanced civilization with robots, spaceships, and futuristic medicine...

Yet hundreds of farmers are needed to hand-cut wheat with scythes, thresh it with flails, and hand-pack bales onto a gravity-defying, floating trailer while a robot watches. It doesn't make sense.

What's the point of any of this storyline and scenery besides being over-stylized for the sake of being overly-stylized?

I find it incredibly hard to believe that they don't have more automated ways of farming in this future of Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon. It's not hard to imagine robotic harvesting machines-we even have them in 2024. We've had them for a while.

Despite the impressive 3D worlds and CGI, this movie is two-dimensional, from its characters to its plot.

Yawn. I really wanted to like this series. Part One was a major let down. Part Two, even worse.

Reacher (2022– )

Decent. Entertaining. Formulaic.

[7/10 · 10 February 2022]

It is what it is.

It's just an entertaining thriller with an invincible detective/ex-military/"hobo" hero in a tight t-shirt and jeans.

The acting is ok. The story is somewhat formulaic, and somewhat predictable.

But it's worth the watch. It's entertaining. You've got good guys. Bad guys. Lots of guns and fist fights. Honor. Military heroes. Violence. Nudity. Cops, Feds and detectives. Corruption. Small town in America being exploited. Unrealistic hyper-masculinity. A couple of strong women who know their way around a gun (and can fight), but of course need to be saved by the white guy in the end... You know: same old formula.

What else could you want?! It is what it is.

The Mysterious Benedict Society (2021–2022)

Wonderful adaptation!

[10/10 · 16 July 2021]

This series is a wonderful adaptation of the books! The cast and acting is stellar. The art direction / photography is gorgeous-color palettes, wardrobes, central framing technique, quirkiness, etc. Reminds me of Wes Anderson films too.

My kids (10-12) love the show, and we look forward to catching the new episode every Friday as a family.

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (2021–2022)

Great modern take on a classic

[8/10 · 30 April 2021]

Let's be real...I really don't understand some of the negative reviews. One in particular suggests that the show teaches kids to "not bother." It's clear that this reviewer has likely never made it past the first episode or entirely missed the moral of story-which is so obvious I'm baffled this was misunderstood. Another review discusses poor writing and poor acting. What do people honestly expect from the Mighty Ducks franchise? The hockey has always been hokey and unrealistic. The acting always suspect. The writing rather cheesy. It's a kids' movie/show, that focuses more on the heart rather than the ridiculousness of the Flying V. Does this show have similarly cheesy hockey moments? Absolutely. But, here's the thing: the acting is better. The production is better. The writing, while still cheesy, is better. It's just a better version with a new timeline and some nostalgia. It goes back to the root of what the Ducks were originally about-a team of rejects (D5) who focus on working as a team and coming together as a family. This is an excellent show that teaches excellent morals. And, it's actually got a ton of humor to it too. So, if you come into watching this show expecting anything other than Mighty Ducks corniness and a heartwarming story, "don't bother" writing a review (and that's not sarcasm). Rate it according to its genre and target audience, not against some unrealistic expectation/standard.

Psych (2006–2014)

This show is genius right down to its name: Psych

[10/10 · 23 January 2021]

This show is genius right down to its name: Psych-which is emblematic of both the show's premise and style of humor.

What do you call it? A humorous detective show, that makes fun of detective shows? A spoof? Yet, calling it a "spoof" wouldn't do the show's writing any justice. It's formulaic, sure, but aren't all the detective shows? It's silly, sure, but the writers and actors harness the formulaic and make it part of the humor.

With every episode the show gets better and better as the budget/quality improves and Shawn's & Gus's immature antics, 80s/90s pop culture references, and running jokes build on each other. Jokes that are sometimes silly and sometimes so subtle you'll miss them if you're not paying attention. And, the chemistry between the two leads is top notch. A true bromance-which they even make part of the humor.

The supporting cast is stellar too! Each plays their archetype perfectly.

I've rewatched every season and episode so many times I've lost track. Maybe 10 times? Maybe 15? My daughters and friends are now hooked on it too. It has yet to get old. We still laugh at the same old jokes. And, we even quote it at random times too.

The InBESTigators (2019–2020)

Great show for kids!

[9/10 · 22 February 2020]

My girls (8 and 10) and I love watching this quirky, clever kid detective show. Lots of humor as well as some good life lessons in the writing. The camera work is on point for the style too.

Ignore the obviously ignorant comment about the bad British accents. They're Australian. 😂

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (2020)

Fantastically imaginative, creative and quirky kid detective adventure!

[9/10 · 9 February 2020]

Watched this with my kids (8 & 10) and we loved it. Between the great casting and acting from everyone (especially Flo) to the main character's (Timmy Failure's) hard boiled and dry delivery of almost every line, this movie is spot on. Settle in for a fun detective adventure that weaves the quirkiness of Portland with the absurdities of an unsupervised, intelligent kid's imagination as he tries to solve his next case involving the class hamster, the "Russians", and a Segway.

Christopher Robin (2018)

Fantastic movie that will have you questioning your priorities in life

[9/10 · 15 March 2019]

Don't let Pooh's "bear of little brain" and seemingly stupid ramblings fool you. His closing commentary in the final scene is sage advice under the guise of Pooh-esque nonsense.

This is a fantastic movie that will have you questioning your priorities in life. A wholesome movie for adults and kids-lots of fun, humor, wisdom and touching moments. Cinematography and acting were stellar too.

I'm Sorry (2017–2019)

One of the funniest shows out there

[9/10 · 12 October 2018]

Binged this show in 2 nights with my wife, and we laughed the whole time!

Andrea (played by Andrea Savage) is a hilariously crass, honest, well intentioned, fast-talking mom who constantly says what she's thinking (like Jane Lynch or Vince Vaughn). Sometimes it works out well for her, and other times it just makes things worse-which only intensifies as she tries to dig herself out of awkward situations that she creates for herself because she keeps talking. Her husband, Mike (Tom Everett Scott), is brilliant with his side glances and witty remarks as they banter back and forth. Their chemistry is on point. In fact, the whole cast fits rather seemlessly into the constant ribbing and shenanigans, especially her best friend and co-writer, Kyle (Jason Mantzoukas).

The only reason this is a 9 is because some of their 5 year old daughter's lines feel forced. But, she always sets Andrea down a path of raw, honest parenting that's sometimes hard to watch in a hilarious way!

Red Sparrow (2018)

Twisted Spy Thriller - Don't believe the 1 stars...

[8/10 · 16 July 2018]

My guess is that they were really expecting another Hollywood spy movie with Jennifer Lawrence as that double-agent action heroine with plenty of action sequences, cars chases and enough of a plot to say it was a movie...I can see why they hated it, because this is not that film.

This is a smart, slow moving, back stabbing, violent, gory, cold-blooded character-driven spy thriller about a Prima Ballerina turned spy whose main talents are that she's intelligent, she's a survivalist, she has a temper but is capable of holding off for the longer chess match, and she's attractive.

If you find that intriguing, then ignore the BS 1 and 2 star ratings. They were just unhappy they didn't get the run of the mill spy action movie.