This felt like an SVU episode of old. The squad investigates a crime and it goes to trial. All of that was good. But why the continued links to the Organized Crime series? It's not needed here! If I wanted to watch that show, I would. Gratuitously shoving it in here where it's not needed is not going to make me watch that show! Stop it!
Reviews
16 Reviews
I want to watch SVU, not Organized Crime
22 November 2021
The episode wasn't boring, but I'm watching SVU, not Organized Crime. Once the focus shifted from solving the sex crime to a sting on some Russian mob figure, I completely lost interest. That's not why I watch this show. If I wanted to watch Stabler catch gangsters, I'd watch his show. Stop forcing it into this one.
The Nun
(2018)
Very "meh" effort
17 July 2019
After about the 15th time a character would see a figure in a nun's habit turn and hurry away, and the character go chase after it, I mostly lost interest. As an origin story, it's pretty lacking. What did The Nun really want? Why did it need to possess a human when it seemingly had no problem grabbing people and throwing them across the room?
The various jump scenes should keep you awake. and the production values are awesome, giving this a very gothic look and atmosphere. The cast are all fine, but let down by the script, which seemingly just trots out the same scene over and over again for 90 minutes. ("Was that a nun I saw walking away? I should go follow her!") I've enjoyed all the films in the franchise, even the first "Annabelle", so this was a real disappointment.
The various jump scenes should keep you awake. and the production values are awesome, giving this a very gothic look and atmosphere. The cast are all fine, but let down by the script, which seemingly just trots out the same scene over and over again for 90 minutes. ("Was that a nun I saw walking away? I should go follow her!") I've enjoyed all the films in the franchise, even the first "Annabelle", so this was a real disappointment.
What a terrible episode!
28 April 2019
I love to sit down with some beer and pizza and watch a few episodes of SVU. I felt like I wasted good pizza on this terrible episode. It has Fin, Olivia, Rollins and Carisi arguing about the moral implications of a woman who shot her husband to death. By her own admission, he had never beat her. But it's clear that she suffered years of psychological abuse. So the typical arguments arise: did she feel she had no other choice? Why couldn't she just leave instead of killing him? Etc etc.
The problem is, this program has explored these themes many times over the last 20 years, often within a complex, tightly plotted story-line. Not so here. The whole episode is essentially the four detectives arguing in the witness waiting room while waiting to be called in to testify. The differing moral arguments are aired in a rather ham-fisted manner, and the acting by Kelli Giddish and Peter Scanavino is ridiculously over the top. Without a compelling plot to go along with all the arguing, it becomes tedious VERY quickly. When Rollins started going off her nut about her mother, I just started fast-forwarding. I don't think I've ever done that in 20 years of watching this show.
What went down in this episode is not what I watch this show for. Was it a chance for the cast to do a bit more "acting" than they would usually do? If so, it even failed on that front, because of the OTT delivery from Giddish and Scanavino. And why are they even discussing other cases? It should have no bearing on this trial! And despite all this discussion, I can't say that I learnt anything or that the episode had made me "think" about things. All I was left with was the strong hope that the next episode wouldn't be such a navel-gazing snorefest.
Skip this one!
The problem is, this program has explored these themes many times over the last 20 years, often within a complex, tightly plotted story-line. Not so here. The whole episode is essentially the four detectives arguing in the witness waiting room while waiting to be called in to testify. The differing moral arguments are aired in a rather ham-fisted manner, and the acting by Kelli Giddish and Peter Scanavino is ridiculously over the top. Without a compelling plot to go along with all the arguing, it becomes tedious VERY quickly. When Rollins started going off her nut about her mother, I just started fast-forwarding. I don't think I've ever done that in 20 years of watching this show.
What went down in this episode is not what I watch this show for. Was it a chance for the cast to do a bit more "acting" than they would usually do? If so, it even failed on that front, because of the OTT delivery from Giddish and Scanavino. And why are they even discussing other cases? It should have no bearing on this trial! And despite all this discussion, I can't say that I learnt anything or that the episode had made me "think" about things. All I was left with was the strong hope that the next episode wouldn't be such a navel-gazing snorefest.
Skip this one!
He Knows Your Every Move
(2018 TV Movie)
Unremarkable made-for-TV thriller
16 March 2019
I love all things TV movie, but this thriller was pretty underwhelming. Molly takes her laptop to get fixed, and soon after meets Jack, who seems to be Mr. Perfect. Coincidence? Of course not! While we, the viewer, know that somebody (I wonder who) has hacked into Molly's laptop to learn everything about her, Molly isn't so quick to catch on. However, Jack's clingy behaviour raises red flags, prompting her to call things off, which is when the weirdness ramps up.
This film takes its time to get going, and when events start escalating, they aren't interesting or creepy enough to overcome the long build-up it took to get to them. I admittedly like a bit of over-the-top crazy in my Lifetime thrillers, but this plays it fairly straight and, well, plodding. Performances are fine for this sort of thing. Rosalie McIntosh, who I've never heard of before, is a good find, and does well in the lead.
This film takes its time to get going, and when events start escalating, they aren't interesting or creepy enough to overcome the long build-up it took to get to them. I admittedly like a bit of over-the-top crazy in my Lifetime thrillers, but this plays it fairly straight and, well, plodding. Performances are fine for this sort of thing. Rosalie McIntosh, who I've never heard of before, is a good find, and does well in the lead.
Wolf Creek 2
(2013)
This is truly awful
1 July 2015
I really enjoyed the first "Wolf Creek" film. Sure, steady pace that constantly increased the tension before assaulting the viewer with eye-covering moments of gore and terror. I think it was incorrectly lumped in with the "torture porn" movement at the time. It was a great Australian horror film.
"Wolf Creek 2" is garbage. The first film portrayed Mick Taylor as an initially likable Aussie bloke who then turns out to be a tourist's worst nightmare. There was an air of mystery about him regarding why he does what he does. That's what made him scary.
This sequel goes down the "Nightmare On Elm Street" route and turns Mick Taylor into a caricature, with all mystery stripped away, rendering him just another movie psycho rattling off lame one-liners. The singing competition is tough to watch, but not in a horror movie sort of way. What on earth were they thinking? There's no real climax, and it's capped off with an epilogue that inevitably sets up another sequel. It's done with so little imagination that it's offensive. And while I didn't consider the original a "torture porn" entry, this one certainly is. Somebody needs to tell Greg McLean that torture porn died out five years ago.
I can't fault the performances. Ryan Corr and John Jarratt are great. It's not their fault they're saddled with a tiresome, obvious, suspense-free script. One of the worst Australian horror films to come out in some time, and that's quite a feat considering the original was one of the best.
"Wolf Creek 2" is garbage. The first film portrayed Mick Taylor as an initially likable Aussie bloke who then turns out to be a tourist's worst nightmare. There was an air of mystery about him regarding why he does what he does. That's what made him scary.
This sequel goes down the "Nightmare On Elm Street" route and turns Mick Taylor into a caricature, with all mystery stripped away, rendering him just another movie psycho rattling off lame one-liners. The singing competition is tough to watch, but not in a horror movie sort of way. What on earth were they thinking? There's no real climax, and it's capped off with an epilogue that inevitably sets up another sequel. It's done with so little imagination that it's offensive. And while I didn't consider the original a "torture porn" entry, this one certainly is. Somebody needs to tell Greg McLean that torture porn died out five years ago.
I can't fault the performances. Ryan Corr and John Jarratt are great. It's not their fault they're saddled with a tiresome, obvious, suspense-free script. One of the worst Australian horror films to come out in some time, and that's quite a feat considering the original was one of the best.
Buffy's worst ever episode
11 October 2014
Buffy's relationship with Spike is getting increasingly kinkier. Meanwhile, the trio of nerds plan to make a woman their sex slave. Leader Warren picks his ex-girlfriend Katrina. When the spell wears off and Katrina threatens to tell the authorities, Warren kills her. He decides to pin the murder on Buffy.
This episode is where "Buffy" veers straight into soap opera melodrama. There is very little of the supernatural to be found - just a brief appearance by demons who disrupt the fabric of time. The episode is mainly concerned with Buffy confronting her internal disgust. She hates what she has become and that she can't seem to stop herself on this dark path. Her realisation in "Gone" that she doesn't want to die and that she's okay with being back in the world seems largely forgotten.
I can't fault this show's characterisation or the way characters have to address their actions and beliefs. Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting is excellent. But the episode has zero entertainment value. It's dark, it's depressing, and it's full of icky kinky sex. This episode seems to have forgotten the show's theme of addressing human issues through a supernatural context. It's more like "Days Of Our Lives" with a supervillian/s plotting the downfall of a nemesis.
And what's with all the rape themes in season 6? I hated this episode. In a season full of subpar episodes, this one sinks right to the bottom.
This episode is where "Buffy" veers straight into soap opera melodrama. There is very little of the supernatural to be found - just a brief appearance by demons who disrupt the fabric of time. The episode is mainly concerned with Buffy confronting her internal disgust. She hates what she has become and that she can't seem to stop herself on this dark path. Her realisation in "Gone" that she doesn't want to die and that she's okay with being back in the world seems largely forgotten.
I can't fault this show's characterisation or the way characters have to address their actions and beliefs. Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting is excellent. But the episode has zero entertainment value. It's dark, it's depressing, and it's full of icky kinky sex. This episode seems to have forgotten the show's theme of addressing human issues through a supernatural context. It's more like "Days Of Our Lives" with a supervillian/s plotting the downfall of a nemesis.
And what's with all the rape themes in season 6? I hated this episode. In a season full of subpar episodes, this one sinks right to the bottom.
The extremely obvious metaphor gets old quickly
10 October 2014
"Wrecked" is Buffy at its worst. It seems to be enjoyed by those who like their Buffy episodes "angsty" and "tortured". Unfortunately, this episode is just tedious. Willow's addiction to magic as a metaphor for drug addiction is extremely obvious, and grows wearisome very quickly. The show is all about metaphors, but they're usually done with much more wit and style than what is found here.
I love this show and in season 6, Marti Noxon, newly installed as a co-executive producer, just sucked all the fun out of it. The skill of Buffy the TV show was that one episode could have you giggling like crazy, whilst the next episode could rip your heart out. In Season 6, it was just all misery, all of the time. There were very few reprieves as every single character in the show hit rock bottom in some sort of way.
"Wrecked" was just one of many episodes in season 6 that saw beloved characters at their lowest. I appreciate the pain characters have to go through to achieve growth, but I also love the Buffy that can convey pain and growth through wit and bitter humour, rather than such heavy-handed metaphorical melodrama that Noxon delivers here.
On top of this, despite Buffy and Willow seemingly realising the spiralling nature of their lives and vowing to overturn it, still spend the rest of the season making the same mistakes and feeling miserable for it. So, really, all the pain experienced in this episode was useless, as they didn't grow from it. They kept coming to the same conclusions about their lives but not actually doing anything about it. For me, that renders this heavy-handed episode pretty much pointless, unnecessary and uninteresting.
I love this show and in season 6, Marti Noxon, newly installed as a co-executive producer, just sucked all the fun out of it. The skill of Buffy the TV show was that one episode could have you giggling like crazy, whilst the next episode could rip your heart out. In Season 6, it was just all misery, all of the time. There were very few reprieves as every single character in the show hit rock bottom in some sort of way.
"Wrecked" was just one of many episodes in season 6 that saw beloved characters at their lowest. I appreciate the pain characters have to go through to achieve growth, but I also love the Buffy that can convey pain and growth through wit and bitter humour, rather than such heavy-handed metaphorical melodrama that Noxon delivers here.
On top of this, despite Buffy and Willow seemingly realising the spiralling nature of their lives and vowing to overturn it, still spend the rest of the season making the same mistakes and feeling miserable for it. So, really, all the pain experienced in this episode was useless, as they didn't grow from it. They kept coming to the same conclusions about their lives but not actually doing anything about it. For me, that renders this heavy-handed episode pretty much pointless, unnecessary and uninteresting.
Loves Music, Loves to Dance
(2001 TV Movie)
Poorly made, poorly written TV movie.
23 February 2004
I have read most of Mary Higgins Clark's books and can't help but be interested in seeing how they are adapted to television. Loves Music, Loves To Dance was one of her weaker novels, and it results in a TV movie that is amongst one of the worst I have seen.
The plot involves the murder of Darcy's best friend while doing a report on on-line dating. In order to solve the mystery, Darcy decides to also date each one of her friend's on-line pals to see which one of them might have something to do with the death. Sounds safe, huh? Darcy must be one of the most incompetent, air-headed heroines to ever grace a made-for-TV mystery. Some of her behaviours during the film's climax are so empty-headed and irrational your mouth will likely hang open in disbelief. And the method by which the killer's identity is discovered is also hard to fathom. A serial killer who has gotten away with murder for seven years would slip up like that? Well, obviously, because it's the only way our clueless heroine could discover the truth.
Production values are also low, resulting in a movie that looks like it was made sometime in the mid 1980s. But as bad as this movie was, I somehow get the feeling I'll be watching further made-for-TV Mary Higgins Clark mysteries.
The plot involves the murder of Darcy's best friend while doing a report on on-line dating. In order to solve the mystery, Darcy decides to also date each one of her friend's on-line pals to see which one of them might have something to do with the death. Sounds safe, huh? Darcy must be one of the most incompetent, air-headed heroines to ever grace a made-for-TV mystery. Some of her behaviours during the film's climax are so empty-headed and irrational your mouth will likely hang open in disbelief. And the method by which the killer's identity is discovered is also hard to fathom. A serial killer who has gotten away with murder for seven years would slip up like that? Well, obviously, because it's the only way our clueless heroine could discover the truth.
Production values are also low, resulting in a movie that looks like it was made sometime in the mid 1980s. But as bad as this movie was, I somehow get the feeling I'll be watching further made-for-TV Mary Higgins Clark mysteries.
Sabretooth
(2002 TV Movie)
Well, it could have been worse....
2 August 2002
For reasons that are quite vague, even for this genre, a sabretooth tiger has been brought back to life through the miracles of DNA. Vanessa Angel plays the mad scientist and John Rhys-Davies plays the greedy billionaire. When the sabretooth escapes, they call in a hunter (David Keith) to capture it alive. And they'd better hurry - five happy campers appear to be on the dinner list.
There are a couple of messy gore scenes for those who like that sort of thing, but plot and acting are fairly substandard, with the exception of David Keith, who is good in just about anything. As for the sabretooth itself, the CGI effects that bring it to life are pretty unimpressive. All of this makes it sound as if I didn't enjoy the film, but that is not true. I had fun, and I certainly don't feel as if I wasted my time watching it, but I know lots of viewers won't feel as generous as me. But then, after the absolute torture of sitting through Beneath Loch Ness, just about any monster movie is a preferable alternative.
There are a couple of messy gore scenes for those who like that sort of thing, but plot and acting are fairly substandard, with the exception of David Keith, who is good in just about anything. As for the sabretooth itself, the CGI effects that bring it to life are pretty unimpressive. All of this makes it sound as if I didn't enjoy the film, but that is not true. I had fun, and I certainly don't feel as if I wasted my time watching it, but I know lots of viewers won't feel as generous as me. But then, after the absolute torture of sitting through Beneath Loch Ness, just about any monster movie is a preferable alternative.
The Rats
(2002 TV Movie)
Surprisingly good for a TV movie
20 June 2002
Where I live, this film is available under the title "The Rats" and is very obviously a TV movie - no listing of production companies during the opening credits as well as fade-outs every fifteen minutes or so. Nonetheless, this is a very efficient nature-run-amok horror film, with much stronger gore than I was expecting. Madchen Amick plays Susan Costello, a department store manager who comes to discover that rats are all over the place. She calls in a discreet exterminator (Vincent Spano) to take care of the problem, only to learn that the rats are practically taking over the town, and have voracious appetites to boot. The TV production values prevent anything truly disturbing from happening, but the filmmakers seem to know what they're doing and have some fun with the premise. All in all, a good rent - unless it hits your TV screens first.
Poison
(2000 TV Movie)
Stop me if you've heard this one before...
22 February 2002
Here we have another psycho-girl-on-the-rampage movie, this time portrayed by Mandy Schaffer. She is a seventeen-year-old who is fixated on her mother (Rosanna Arquette) and is never happy when a man comes between them. This time the man (Thomas Kretschman) is the brother of Arquette's business partner (Jurgen Prochnow, in a nice change from his usual creepy bad guy roles). Of course, Schaffer is soon bumping off anybody who gets suspicious or just plain gets in her way. There really is nothing new here, but Arquette is watchable in just about anything, and there's nothing wrong with the occasional cheap thrill, of which this movie provides plenty.
Beneath Loch Ness
(2001)
Why did this even get made?
7 February 2002
Scientists discover that there may really be a monster in Loch Ness. Not that you ever get to see the monster; just a few lousy CGI effects and that's it. Top-billed Patrick Bergin doesn't even appear until the film is half over (not that anybody would want to see a film simply because he was gracing it with his wooden presence) and Lysette Anthony also hardly even appears. Since this film fails to deliver on every single count, you just have to wonder: why on earth did this even get greenlighted?
Dead Sexy
(2001 Video)
Generic doesn't even begin to describe this
25 October 2001
Shannon Tweed strikes again in this thriller about the murders of high-priced escorts. She is the cop on the case, and begins getting an itch south of the navel for her prime suspect (John Enos). The red herrings are laughably obvious and the several sex scenes are all exactly the same (woman on top with lots of jumping and shouting). Even worse, Tweed opts this time to use a body double. This is a movie that fails to satisfy on just about every level.
Ripper
(2001)
This one is better than you may expect.
14 August 2001
Molly (A.J. Cook) is the sole survivor of a massacre. Five years later, she is at university, doing a course on serial killers. Then, one by one, members of her study group start dying gruesome deaths. The m.o. in each crime is eerily similar to the work done by Jack The Ripper. Molly suspects that the killer she eluded first time around is still out to get her.
This slasher film went direct-to-video, but it holds its own against the theatrically-released slashers. A few of the deaths are quite gory, and there is some genuine tension as various characters try to avoid getting ripped to shreds. The last half hour especially has some real showstoppers as the body count rises. The film's main fault is that it is populated with several really unlikeable characters. Other than that, those sick of the jokey slashers might appreciate this above-average offering, which gets right down to business.
This slasher film went direct-to-video, but it holds its own against the theatrically-released slashers. A few of the deaths are quite gory, and there is some genuine tension as various characters try to avoid getting ripped to shreds. The last half hour especially has some real showstoppers as the body count rises. The film's main fault is that it is populated with several really unlikeable characters. Other than that, those sick of the jokey slashers might appreciate this above-average offering, which gets right down to business.
Devil's Prey
(2001)
Standard for the teen horror genre
27 July 2001
Five teenagers are kicked out of a rave. While driving away, they accidentally hit a young woman (Elena Lyons) with their car. She isn't too badly hurt, and informs them she is on the run from some sort of cult. Pretty soon, they are all being pursued by devil worshippers.
This teen horror flick looks good and moves quickly, but it has too many tiresome cliches that killed the genre in the first place (the ethnic minorities don't last long, promiscuous girls must be punished, etc.) and it is gratuitously unpleasant. For example, there is a sex scene that doesn't show anything - the nudity is provided by intercut scenes of a topless girl being stabbed repeatedly, and which has nothing much to do with the rest of the film. Who wants to see that? Besides such pointless moments as these, there are a few thrills to be found and, like many teen horror movies these days, the cast is made up of TV stars, and they do a capable job.
This teen horror flick looks good and moves quickly, but it has too many tiresome cliches that killed the genre in the first place (the ethnic minorities don't last long, promiscuous girls must be punished, etc.) and it is gratuitously unpleasant. For example, there is a sex scene that doesn't show anything - the nudity is provided by intercut scenes of a topless girl being stabbed repeatedly, and which has nothing much to do with the rest of the film. Who wants to see that? Besides such pointless moments as these, there are a few thrills to be found and, like many teen horror movies these days, the cast is made up of TV stars, and they do a capable job.
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