codygdietrich Reviews

Mean Girl Murders (2023– )

Misnomer

[6/10 · 7 May 2024]

With the title of the show being Mean Girl Murders I was expecting a show about high school cliques getting into fights ending in murder. That is why I didn't watch the first season of the show. Then I saw a preview for an episode from season two which had a comment about how they planned this cold blooded murder for months. So I thought maybe there was more to the show than just disputes between high schoolers. In some cases it does, but when the woman is closer to middle age than high school age I'm not sure it's appropriate to call them a "mean girl" I think there are other terms that would be more appropriate. There is even one episode where the murder isn't a girl. There are some where they do not seem to be mean girls. The plus side to the show is unlike most true crime murder docu-series it does not focus on the graphic details of the murder but focuses more on the people involved and why it happened.

The Munsters (2022)

Pointless

[1/10 · 28 April 2024]

I do not know what the point of this movie was. It looked like it had the same budget of a Saturday night live skit, the original tv show had a more realistic look set than this movie did although the show was made before they started using plastic to look like wood. Clearing Rob Zombie liked the 1960s Batman tv show because it borrowed their transition techniques and had similar special effects. The movie is called The Munsters but it does not really have the Munsters. As an origin story some characters aren't in it. Lily was always the sensible on in the show and she seems like a dumb blonde in this movie. Herman seems even more dumb than he does in the show and is full of terrible jokes, and this is coming from someone who loves bad jokes and dad jokes. Granpa aka The Count doesn't really have a personality, in the show he had a secrete lab because he was a mad scientist in the movie he has a butler. It feels like the three stooges minus the slapstick comedy, well actually minus all the comedy. It is a pointless movie that lost the essence of The Munsters.

Alert: Missing Persons Unit (2023– )

Season 2 ruined it

[5/10 · 22 April 2024]

I started watching this show with the premiere of the first episode and I enjoyed it. The show had a good plot line of investigation without the depressing aspect of the dead body. It was kinda like a criminal investigation show that was more positive than most. Season one had good dynamics between the characters which made it fun and there was a larger personal story playing out in conjunction with each little story of the episode. I don't remember the full details of how season one ended but I do remember that some of the aspects of the personal story was left open, unresolved at the end of season one. Season two starts and I expected them to continue that unfinished storyline but they didn't they just kinda dropped it. They work in a different office, they added characters, but the returning characters don't seem the same and seem simpler with less meaningful interactions with each other. Season two just feels more pointless and less enjoyable, not sure I'm going to continue watching.

Icons Unearthed (2022– )

Missing and flawed

[6/10 · 15 April 2024]

I've been watching the one on Batman since I've been a big Batman fan since I was a young child. It starts with the Batman movie series before Adam West. Then movies into the Batman tv series featuring Adam West. Then goes into Batman from 1989. It makes absolutely no mention of the Batman movie from 1966 staring Adam West. Makes no reference to the Justice Friends, which is not technically Batman but does had Batman in it. The series devotes an entire show to Batman from 1989 and then another episode to Batman Returns. The show then completely skips Batman the animated series and all the movies that stem from it, which chronically would be the next part of Batman, but goes to Batman Forever along with Batman and Robin which is mashed into one episode. It says Tim Burton was not involved in Batman Forever, yet he is listed as the producer. It is called Icons Unearthed and yet there seems to be a lot missing. The show professes to The Dark Knight trilogy, which surprisingly lacks detail about a lot of things like character selection, why they did not do the Robin/Nightwing spin off they seemed to set up in The Dark Knight Rises. As the show discusses The Dark Knight Rises they say Anne Hathaway silenced her critics, quickly followed by the fact that the movie had the lowest review scores of the trilogy. I don't like Hathaway's portrayal of catwoman and have heard many say the same. It makes a brief mention of The Joker and The Batman but ends with discussing them or Justice League, Batman vs Superman or even Flash which has 3 different Batman(s) in it. It's called Icons Unearthed and yet there is a lot they did not even mention.

Top Gun (1986)

Boring

[1/10 · 28 February 2024]

When did the definition of classic change to terrible? I'm not sure there is a plot line to this movie other than the bad romance that plays out. Most of the characters in this movie are like the families in a romance movie, they are in various scenes and speak and might be necessary to some degree, but do little to nothing for the storyline. I'm truly not sure who I would list as a main character and who I would list as a supporting character because nothing really happens in this movie. I don't know how it is classified as an action film, the only action is the flying which is training according to what little story that wrote and some of it looks like it was done with toys.

The Hunt (II) (2020)

Underdeveloped

[7/10 · 5 February 2024]

A group of wealthy elites hunt other humans for fun. That is a very general synopsis of the movie's plot line without any spoilers. At the same time it is a spoiler because there isn't really much more to the movie other than that one sentence. The movie does have criticism of both sides of the political isle. The movie wants you to believe that the whole story is political, and the motives for everything that is happening is politically motivated but never really explains or develops that idea. Most of the characters die before you even get a sense of who they are. There is a pig named Orwell, which is an obvious nod to what they wanted to do but they missed the point that Orwell's books are about an overly powerful government not political differences in the population. Orwell's books have a society in which there are not differing political opinions because they are outlawed by the government.

The Devil's Rejects (2005)

Dull, boring, pointless, cliche

[1/10 · 29 January 2024]

This movie starts out with comments about a house of torture and I am thinking ok so it's like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or HH Holmes murder castle and then goes into human remains being used as decorations and in the fridge and I was thinking ok so that's pulling from Ed Gein and Jeffery Dahmer. I didn't realize that this movie was a sequel to house of a 1000 corpses and was thinking it will either be good since it seems to be mixing in inspiration from history or incredibly bad since it doesn't seem to have any original ideas. Turns out it is a very boring movie because it is pointless. This is the type of slasher film where people die and you don't really care because you don't know them, you don't really know or care about any of the characters. It ended and I was ready for a nap because it bored me that badly.

The Gift (VI) (2015)

Lifetime

[1/10 · 29 January 2024]

I think I'm going to recommend this movie to my mom, my mom doesn't like horror films she always says she does not know why you would watch a film that scares you but she loves lifetime movies and so I think my mom would like this movie. I compare this movie to a lifetime movie because it has unlikable characters with little depth and no growth over the course of the movie. It hints things that have happened in the past but never fully explains any of it and ends leaving you with a feeling of what just happened and did anything in the movie really matter? It tries to go for the slow thriller edge of your seat type storyline and ends up with a slow moving drama that feels pointless.

The Meg (2018)

Slightly better than Jaws

[2/10 · 25 January 2024]

Sharks cannot leave water, specifically the ocean, and so any movie about a shark is going to be limited in the storyline to the ocean. This movie is very similar to Jaws in the sense of its human arrogance that leads to the problems and if they'd use some common sense I'd don't anger something that can eat you and when you're in a dangerous situation you should follow your instinct and leave there would not be the problems that create the storyline. Ignoring the false facts, because the blue whale is actually larger than the megalodon was, using the numbers they give in the movie and the images you see it doesn't seem like the meg could get in some of the locations that it got into and I don't think it would want to eat a human given that it is big enough to eat a whale I don't think a human would be big enough to catch its attention that would be like a grizzly bear eating a mouse. The movie does have some neat special effects but that's about all that's good of this movie.

Night Court (2023– )

Dull and pointless

[3/10 · 7 January 2024]

I watched the entire first season and the key word is cliche, or maybe predictable most of the punch lines you can see coming a mile away, there are some points when I think was that suppose to be funny because it was incredibly random but it was not funny. The lead character seems to be the judge as you would expect in a courtroom show, I am just trying to figure out if she is just a terrible actor or if she is intentionally creating an awkward character with little to no emotional range. They have the laugh track because otherwise there would be this moment of awkward silence after the punch line where nobody is laughing and they commit hard to the sitcom leaving out any real drama or character development.

Dark Side of Comedy (2022– )

Random

[6/10 · 20 December 2023]

There are some big names that I know and I've see some of the work they have done and there are some where I think I've never heard that name before. There are some where the dark side is past trauma, mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse and even death but others seem less dark or serious along the lines of oh you got canceled because people disagreed with you or because of reports of abusive behavior. There is a big difference between psychological issues linked to past abuse leading to drug use and death and your show was canceled because of racist and sexist comments. One of those is much more self inflected than the other.

They repeatedly say from the beginning through the end of the second season that comedy is a male field and women are not welcome and do not reach the same level as men. What about Lucille Ball? She is considered one of the greatest comedians ever and her work is still being copied and redone because it is so good and timeless. Add in Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence from Mama's Family and the cast of Golden Girls. If you watch the Bewitched tv series the husband is the punch line, I Dream of Jeannie again the man is the punch line and yet they claim that most of the time women are just there for men to make fun of. Yet that doesn't seem to be the case. Lucille Ball was the president of a production company that was at the one of the largest and most profitable, it was started because nobody wanted to work with her husband Desi Arnaz because he was Cuban. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz separated because he developed a drinking problem. Where is Lucille Ball's story she is a bigger cultural icon than Ellen Degenerass whose dark side was leaving her talk show after reports of racist and sexist remarks. The one created a company to film and produce a sitcom she wrote and starred in, the other went from staring in a sitcom someone else wrote to talk show host to scandal and out of the public eye. Don't complain comedy I a male dominated field and then ignore one of the biggest comedians in pop culture history who happens to be female. Then again they didn't have anything about Adam Sandler or Jim Carry or Will Smith. Sandler and Carry might not have a dark side to discuss despite being great comedians but Smith does and not just because he punched someone on live tv during an award show.

The Voice (2011– )

Clearly biased

[3/10 · 12 December 2023]

It's mostly female singers, singing mostly pop and some older like 1979s/1980s rock (which is basically pop or pop rock by today's standards). Now since country and pop country music has gained in popularity they started adding that in. Not surprising when Reba McEntire is a judge there seems to be a large number of country singers which is refreshing till it's gets too poppy and doesn't feel genuine. All of the judges have told different singers that they need to connect with the emotion of the song and connect with the audience and that is what makes a truly great performer and performance. A guy sang a song and had two of the judges in tears so he clearly connected with the emotion of the song and the audience. He was sent home because they chose to keep the 2 girls he was up against. How does a singer perform a song with such power it makes half the judges tear up and he gets sent home because he did not preform well enough? Is it because they favor the happier pop songs, or because they favor female singers? Considering it has been mostly female from beginning to the now semi-finals. Considering some females over sing some of the songs, when there voice is up and down and all over the place but the music is much more steady there is a disconnect and it ruins the song.

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Dull

[1/10 · 20 November 2023]

I have never watched the tv show, and watched this movie for the first time in 2023 in my thirties. Honestly this movie is dull and boring and it drags. It's really sad that the movie is an anthology, it's four short stories and doesn't even last two hours and yet it drags. The stories don't even last thirty minutes and yet they did not grab my attention. Honestly some of the stories I knew what was going to happen from the ver beginning. The prolog as soon as the guy said "do you want to see something scary" I knew what was going to happen. The story with the nursing home I knew what was going to happen with the first minute or two. I only watched this movie because it is supposed to be one of the best horror movies ever and yet it is not scary, suspenseful, creepy or anything that makes a good horror film it's predictable and cliche.

Sistas (2019– )

Needs better writing

[6/10 · 16 November 2023]

I've never seen sex and the city but I feel like this is what it would be: a show about four women and the relationships. There are points where this show feels like a soup opera, how much drama can you create around one character in one season? There is a limit before it's gets ridiculous and then they just seem to cut the character out of the show. There are other points where the story doesn't seem fully developed. They make references to being in college. One is a lawyer so she obviously went to college, one runs a hair salon but you never see an office or her doing payroll or things you'd expect an owner to do, one is a bank teller that does have an office, one works at a counter in an airport. So there are two jobs that aren't defined real well and might not require a degree, a bank teller and counter worker in an airport and one that hair stylist you can go to a trade school for and open a business, my dad knew someone that did that or you can have studied hair styling at a vo-tech in high school and get a degree in business. It only matters because they reference "when we were in college" and I don't think a law school would teach hair styling. It is one example of a sloppiness and under-developed story that I can give without going into deep detail about characters and relationships but is also part of the foundation of the story/history of the show. It does have some interesting characters but some of the characters and situations are a bit cliche and over done.

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Boring

[1/10 · 6 October 2023]

I would put this movie with Stephen King's Misery and The Shining as one of the most boring movies ever made. Much like Misery and The Shinning it moves very slowly and does not seem to progress towards anything significant, exciting or scary. It is more so a story of Rosemary's pregnancy, which is an uneventful pregnancy. It attempts to be a conspiracy, mystery, touch of supernatural thriller but has a very Leave it to Beaver feel since it was made in 1968. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken staring Don Knotts was a better film than this. There is one sequence that could be really creepy. However since the movie was made 1968 and how the scenes are shot it feels less creepy, evil and provoking a sense of impending doom and feels more like a strange drug experience.

I had this film on DVR and it was 3 hours long with commercials. I skipped the commercials and watched 2 hours and then went to bed for the night. I woke up the next day and debated if I really wanted to finish watching an decided I should and it went nowhere and ended with a feeling of having accomplished nothing.

I Was There (2022– )

Good but could be better

[8/10 · 20 September 2023]

They are half hour episodes that have re-enactments, it is titled I Was There because it tries to take you there. That aspect is fun to see the recreation. On the other hand thirty minutes is not enough time to cover some stories and seems like too much for other stories. The episode on the Salem witch trials covers through the first trial and then skips the trial and says this is the first person to be hanged. Ending the episode with 20 people died and the standard of evidence for courts changed forever after that. It literally skipped over the actual witch trials and focused on the events leading to them. That episode should have been longer than 30 minutes. Where as the Hindenburg episode was mostly speculation because nobody truly knows what happened. I don't feel a need for a half hour show devoted to theories that have no impacted on today's world. The Hindenburg was a tragedy but I don't know that it left any lasting effect on society. So it's a mix some episodes are good others are too short and others seem too long.

Praise Petey (2023)

Tries hard, fails harder

[1/10 · 26 July 2023]

I watched the first episode and I did not laugh, I did not even smile, I think I cringed a couple times. SheEO was bad, the conversation of "what's a daughter? It's like a son only female. Young people today have a word for everything I can't keep up." Is the definition of trying to hard. Making a joke is sometimes about exaggeration but much like in the dating world if you go too far and try too hard it just becomes pathetic and disappointing. The one and only point that was even a little amusing about the first episode was when she said she is dating the best guy New York City can produce and it turns out she is dating a wood plank.

The Shape of Water (2017)

Slow pointless mashup

[4/10 · 13 July 2023]

It's a romance/drama with a character from a monster movie and the backdrop of a secrete government agency from 50/60s Cold War against Russia. Think Men in Black, Frankenstein, Romeo and Juliet, Oliver Twist, and James Bond all mixed together. There are so many different aspects to the story that none are fully developed or explored. There are aspects of this story that could make it very interesting but there is so much going on that most are just glazed over. The many aspects and little depth makes it move very slow. The actual love story could have played out in a hour long tv special and yet this movie is 2 1/2 hours on tv. After finishing this movie I feel I could use a nap.

Cruel Summer (2021–2023)

Season 1 good, 2 terrible

[1/10 · 20 June 2023]

Season one has a good mystery storyline, likable characters and is well paced. Season two in the other hand has none of those things. Episode one of season two I thought it had some likable characters, very few but some by the end of episode two i wasn't liking them as much by the end of the season there is one main character and one supporting character I like the rest are bad people and as written characters simple and two dimensional. The storyline for season two peaks way too early it is episode one or two and you know who is dead and where and how, the only mystery is who did or if it was an accident. Season two felt more like a drama about spoiled teenagers than a murder mystery, in 1999 for a teenager to have their own computer would have made them very spoiled where I come from. The final episode was advertised as having twists you wouldn't believe and it didn't. The finale episode was almost shocking and then it continued and added to it and then it was a oh that makes sense ending. I have two problems with the ending: one is there is a lot of unanswered questions, as to what do these people do with the information and hard evidence they find. The other problem I have is they discuss the death of a mother, who is never in the season, they mention her and her death in the frost episode but isn't mentioned after that. I had forgotten about the mother and her death because she is not in the season or discussed after episode one and then the final episode there is a discussion that would suggest she is actually a key part of the plot line despite not being in the plot line.

Bottom line: unlivable characters, poorly written plot line because of how slow it is and the fact that most seems irrelevant, also it's called Cruel Summer and I don't think any of this season happens during the summer: November, December, January is not summer and strange how they are high school age but never seem to be in high school.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Boring pointless stupid

[1/10 · 15 June 2023]

I am a big DC fan, but this movie was terrible. It lasted almost 3 hours on tv, I watched it on DVR so I could fast forward through the commercials, I ended up playing solitaire while watching it because playing cards by myself was more interesting than the movie was. There was one scene where Harley Quinn is talking about seeing warnings signs in a relationship that was entertaining otherwise watching this movie was about as entertaining as having a cavity filled, I was just sitting wondering when it was going to end. I looked it up on the internet to see what genre they were aiming for because the characters are very basic so it can't be a drama, it's not funny at all didn't even make me smile, and thought well maybe there are going for the we will scrap everything else for mind numbing over the top action scenes that aside from the cgi isn't really much of an action scene. The fight scenes in this movie are less real looking than WWE fight scenes, I'm looking at you Cena you should be good at those and yet your not and you're a terrible actor outside of fight scenes, I truly wish I can't see you.

Eli Roth Presents: The Legion of Exorcists (2023– )

Dull

[2/10 · 15 June 2023]

I'm not sure how you make a documentary series about exorcism that ends up this dull. Although it does not seem truthful. I have seen documentaries about the history and belief of exorcism and there are a couple facts that don't line up with this show. First off exorcism is very rare in the modern world especially in the modern U. S. Yet this show makes it seem so common. An exorcism can only be preformed by an exorcist, it is special training separate from any and all other training in the Catholic church. Yet when you watch the show they are listed as pastor or bishop but none are listed as exorcist, IMDB has them listed as actor and when you go into the profile it says they have been acting for the past 20 years or however long they have been doing it. So none are actual exorcists and even if the claim is they were reading off actual files from real exorcists it's doubtful because they never got permission. An exorcism cannot be performed unless you receive authorization from the Catholic Church and I believe that authorization comes from the Vatican not your local church either way none of the stories mention contacting the Catholic Church for approval before performing an exorcism.

Even if it is all true how the stories are told is just dull, slow and mostly boring.

Gotham Knights (2023)

Interesting but clumsy

[7/10 · 7 June 2023]

Episode 11 and 2 left in the first season and it's enjoyable but not sure they can do a second season of it. I get irritated when people complain there isn't one DC universe, "like marvel has". That always irritated me because the Dark Knight trilogy is completely separate from the modern cinematic DC universe, just as much as Adam West and the Tim Burton films were separate. Part 2 was Wonder Woman took place in WWII era, The Batman was modern times and Titans, which got canceled, was after Batman retired. People didn't seem to realize they were happening at different times. There are reports that DC is going for one universe and storyline, there are some reports that is why Titans was canceled, and The Flash is ending which begs the question doesn't this shows storyline conflict with the movies storyline. So I don't want to get too invested in the show, but the writing helps with that. This show has a DA named Harvey Dent and if you know Batman you know that is Two-Face, well the show doesn't outright say it but does drop enough hints for you to figure out the Harvey Dent in the show is apparently Harvey Dent Jr. The writers didn't seem to have the personalities of the main characters or at least the good guys figured out very well. Their personalities especially in regards to how they interact with each other varies from one episode to the next and it's not a progression in one direction but more a swinging back and forth friend - enemy - love interest - I don't like you but need your help and it bounces between those randomly. Two episodes left in the first season and it's possible it's going to be a cliff hanger ending and it's possible they end the story arch and cancel the show or bring it back for a second season having changed most of the basis of the show.

The Curious Case of Natalia Grace (2023–2024)

Problems with production

[7/10 · 1 June 2023]

This is a strange and twisted story. For some of the people being interviewed it is clear why they are being interviewed: they were the adoptive parents, they were the neighbors, etc. Then there are some where you wonder about why they are in the documentary. There is one who is listed as a "legal expert". What makes her a legal expert? In some documentaries legal expert means police officer or detective, in a lot of documentaries it is judge or lawyer and in some it is someone with a degree in social services and in others it is just someone who works in the government. I have seen some documentaries that have people who work as a records keeper in a social services office and according to their own statement they don't work cases they file things and yet they are listed as a "social worker". I have absolutely no idea what this woman's education or work history is that makes her a legal expert or in what type of law: criminal, business, domestic, family that she is an expert in. I do feel her opinion plays a large role in what she says, if you are a legal expert you should discuss the facts and the law regulating them. When you are discussing an incident where the police are called but never discuss the police report or what the police did you aren't discussing what the law officers did following legal standards and requirements. Why is it the person listed as a "legal expert" is not discussing the legal actions taken but making statements of "I think..." "I feel..." "I believe..." If you are going to have someone listed as a "legal expert" have them discuss the law not their opinion. There are multiple people brought in to share their personal story of their experience with the girl and the family and their story and opinion changes as their story progresses which is understandable. The challenge with a documentary is being able to tell a story sequentially and allowing that change to happen without it becoming muddied and confusing because you have teasers of them saying the opposite of what just said or you don't have proper markers to indicate they are discussing a later time then they just were. These people are obviously being interviewed, it is not a drama, so it's ok to hear the interviewer behind the camera ask the question if it helps to understand the answer.

Overall it is an interesting, and strange story but sloppy production, with teasers and jumping around and people without clear who they are and why they are in the show make the story a little tricky to keep in order. The other problem I have is a little more tricky in that there are comments made by people that contradict what others have said in the past. There is one detective that says a statement about a physical characteristic were false, yet there were multiple doctors at different locations from an earlier time that say otherwise. I don't know why that difference would exist but I do know that a detective is not a doctor and would not perform a physical medical exam and HIPPA laws would make it tricky for him to access any medical records or reports from a medical exam that were not ordered by the court. It is one of those strange points of this show that with one episode left to watch I don't think will be explained.

Don't Look Now (1973)

Slow, terrible, boring

[1/10 · 19 May 2023]

Whoever wrote the script for this movie needs to go back to school, and learn about the arch method of a plot. There is generally rising tension, a climax and then falling tension. This movie has none of that, it has little to no tension throughout the entire movie. It is a movie about a couple who takes a vacation in Venice after their daughter died in a drowning accident. Doesn't sound like a thriller horror movie, does it? The fact is it isn't scary or thrilling or a horror in any sort. It is a random pointless drama. There is one woman that claims to be a medium and says she can talk to the dead, but she feels more like a con artist in a drama than a mysterious character of a thriller. This is one of those movies I watched because it is suppose to be influential classic and I ended up cleaning the house while watching it because it was boring me so much.

Cronos (1992)

Dull, and not a vampire flick

[4/10 · 18 May 2023]

The movie starts out with a description of how an alchemist in mid evil times developed a device to prolong one's life, it was called the cronos device and when he died it was never found. Chronos is the personification of time in Ancient Greek mythology, so I was intrigued by the name alone. Then it's modern times Mexico and an antique dealer finds this device in a statue and accidentally uses it. Another gentleman who is very rich and sick has the book that describes this device and how to use it and is looking for it. Most of the movie is about the two of them basically fighting over this device. I would not say it's a vampire movie because there is a lot of insect imagery discussed, specifically mosquitoes, cockroaches and spiders. There are two scenes with blood and mosquitoes drink blood and one with not liking sunlight and cockroaches don't like sunlight. There are some other features that would be insect features but not vampire features. This movie felt more like The Fly movie than any vampire movie I've seen, and truthfully it moves slower than The Fly did and lacks the deep personal connections. This movie goes in the hood premise poor execution resulting in a slow boring movie that really does not accomplish anything.