zopop119 Reviews

Left Behind (I) (2014)

Oh My God.. literally

[1/10 · 17 May 2015]

There is so little to say about this film. Nick Cage is a great actor.. and how he got lured into this script is mind boggling...

In a nutshell... Interesting Premise.. cluster of hot chicks... bad script, unlikeable midget.. plot goes nowhere.. why didn't cell phone service and the towers continue? Were ALL the tech support and air traffic controllers godly?? ... stupid ending..

IMDb is telling me I need 10 lines of text.. I cannot think of that many lines of text to say about this movie. Did I mention the unlikeable midget?

This movie is as stupid as the concepts of the end times themselves and with that said ----

Glee (2009–2015)

Weekly Shark Jumping

[7/10 · 7 February 2015]

If you asked me what I felt about this show after the first 3 seasons, I would have told you that it was one of the most entertaining, socially ground breaking, bold and different approaches to a weekly television program in a long time...

But things have gone progressively worse since the 4th season. The musical performances, the guest stars that have come in and really been fun to watch... all have remained good, even as the plot lines deteriorated.

Once the first group of seniors left, I think it was okay to see how their lives were changing. And the parallel story lines from Lima to New York worked a little bit. At the same time you had the kids still there and trying to rework the glee club... But somewhere in that season, things just went the wrong way. By the time you get to Season 5.. reality has just gone out the window. Kids are back and forth to Lima, a lot.. to help perform, etc.. nobody seems to need to earn a living.. The Sue Sylvester antics are getting sillier and sillier.. although very funny.. but really tripping reality big time.

And now Season 6... a total farce. These post adolescents, Rachel, Kurt, Blaine and Sam are... teaching? Mercedes has the time to build a singing career but keeps popping into Lima to sing with 6 kids.. they haven't really even rebuilt a glee club or bothered to develop new characters... Its great they are continuing to deal with all the social issues of the day.. but.. the plot lines have all but collapsed.

In my opinion, the show should have concluded, probably before Cory Monteith's untimely demise, although I feel like the writing changed drastically after that. The show ought to have ended with Rachel triumphant in Funny Girl, Mr Shu getting married and some good tie ups for the rest of the group. Instead.. we have to painfully watch a good show go down the tubes.

Ill stick with it to the end. The music is still the best part. But I keep rolling my eyes at the wide parameters they give to so many of the characters directions. I would have given this a 10 for the first few seasons , but a 4,3,2 for the last 3 ... so a 7 overall.

Star Trek: Enterprise: These Are the Voyages... (2005) Season 4, Episode 22

Love the series, but the ending just stunk...

[4/10 · 21 January 2013]

I just completed watching Enterprise on Netflix. I have to say as a long time Star Trek fan, I was a less than enthralled during the first two seasons, however the final two picked up the pace and I ended up enjoying the way they moved the story along. I particularly liked the cover episode regarding one of the age old Trek questions about how the Klingons from the original series might have developed ridges by the time the movies were made... at any rate.. the finale for Enterprise was lame on several counts, some of which have already been talked about. I don't have a problem so much with them bridging into the TNG... but it was a little too much of that and not enough closure for the series. Killing off a character is always expected.. but Tripp's death was just lame and Troi spoiling it early sort of lamer. Not allowing the series to end with the Captain's speech to the delegates was also sort of lame.. sort of short cheated the Captain Archer legacy... I have to think that this was thrown together once they knew the series was not going to be renewed.. at any rate, its too bad it ended where it did, because I think it was just starting to get good. It would have made more sense to try and bring the story as close to the roots of the Original series time line as they could in a bridge than to do what they did...

RED (2010)

Great Cast and a lot of fun!!

[8/10 · 26 January 2011]

This film was a great blend of casting especially placing Helen Mirren and John Malkovich in the sort of roles you don't ordinarily expect. Bruce Willis was really great as well. In addition, Mary Louise Parker, Karl Urban and Brian Cox do a fine job in their respective roles. And it's always great to see Richard Dreyfus show up as a bad guy.

The only disappointment I had was the underutilization of Morgan Freeman. I felt like they began to develop his character but just when you thought he was going to have more to do, he didn't...

After watching a few recent DVD releases lately that really made you think to follow the plot (Inception and the A Team), it was nice to view something that was just plain fun....

The Green Hornet (2011)

Rogan Slapstick Comedy? Thumbs up - Super Hero Movie? Thumbs Down

[5/10 · 16 January 2011]

Whatever expectation you had walking in to see Seth Rogan's Green Hornet will ultimately determine how you feel when it's over. For months I heard the criticism that Rogan would turn the Green Hornet, a somewhat campy, 1930's Radio character, into his own brand of slapstick and half witted wanna be super hero.... and than there were the responses that "No, Rogan wants to do justice to the history of the character"... I have to believe watching it that Rogan DID intend to make a super hero movie along the lines of the Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man venues.. with just enough camp and humor to keep us laughing in between the action... But for the most part I think he missed the mark. Some gags went on too long, some sequences between He and Kato became tedious. I think what was missing for me was that Britt Reid didn't seem to grow into his role as the Green Hornet and the stage was certainly set for that to happen. Rogan's portrayal was pretty much the same at the start of the film as it was at the end. After having just watched a marathon of the GH TV series from the 60's.. Rogan and Chou were no Van Williams and Bruce Lee - I think this film is okay as long as you walk in with an expectation that you are going to see a Seth Rogan comedy film....with a bunch of shooting in between.... Don't go in thinking you are going to feel the same way when as might have at the end of Iron Man or Spider Man ....

Robin Hood (2010)

Pretty Good Version of a Worn Out Story

[7/10 · 10 October 2010]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this version of Robin Hood and I was pleasantly surprised. I like the twist on the usual versions although i must admit I was waiting for the other shoe to drop on Robin's alliance with King John.... For where this film wanted to go, the casting was pretty good. They sort of take the Sheriff of Nottingham out of the plot for the most part and as things developed it seemed more likely that it was setting up for a sequel for sure. However, this film could stand on it's own just because of the many versions before it where King Richard returns at the end as the big hero.(that is sort of left hanging as well since the last time we saw Richard in this movie he was alive) I like the multitude of characters in this and that several plot lines were developed to all coincide near the conclusion. Russel Crowe and Cate Blanchett did a fine job, but Max Von Sydow is such a classic and really great in the role of the elder Loxley. It was good to see his "Merry Men" and the boys of the forest presented in a more realistic way than the simplistic fairy tale versions of this story. It all addressed the real nature of England during that time period as opposed to simply the struggle between the rich and the poor. I am glad they put King John back in his rightful place as the ultimate horrible tyrant, because I was beginning to buy into his reformation for a few minutes...

Of course nothing will ever replace "Men In Tights"... but I give this one a whole hearted thumbs up that will keep you in it til the end.

Streets of Blood (2009 Video)

Total Confusion

[4/10 · 24 January 2010]

I am really disappointed in this film. Seeing the premise in it's description it sounded like it had a lot of potential. Val Kilmer is generally a good actor and he is not horrible in this however the plot is so confusing that it really doesn't do him justice as an actor. Sharon Stone's accent is so bad, it upstages her performance which really could have been anyone. That part didn't even warrant star billing. I don't have a problem with 50 cent. I think for who he is, playing this part was a stretch and it shows that maybe he is developing some range as an actor.

Overall the plot is just too confusing and the story seems to roam around finding itself. I still do not understand the end in that it didn't seem to be set up well in the earlier stages of the film. As I said, lot's of potential.. obviously a poorly written script.

The Sopranos: Made in America (2007) Season 6, Episode 21

Ending gets more perfect

[10/10 · 23 December 2008]

I have watched this episode a dozen times since its airing.. and I have to say that David Chase got what he wanted out of this... the whole point to the Sopranos is that they are ordinary people living anything but ordinary lives. In the end, you as the viewer have all this fear, all this anticipation that something extraordinary is going to occur.. and its been building for the past 3 episodes right up until the moment that Meadow enters the diner and Tony looks up and... BLANK..

we will be debating it for years, but I agree with the posters who say that we are in fact over analyzing..

in the end, the Sopranos are going to finish those onion rings and do what they do best.. eat some more... and so on and so on with their lives. Thats the point.

I disagree with the concept that the screen goes blank, because Tony is dead and we have been watching it from his perspective. Thats just not accurate. for 7 seasons we watched meetings to whack him, counseling sessions with his wife, kids, Dr Melfi... dozens of snitches.. and many occurrences on the show that Tony never knew anything about... from his kids sexual romps to his wife's affair with the teacher while they were separated, all of the scenes with the FBI and Adrianna, etc etc.... and all the goings on while he was dead in that Dream sequence... so... lets not analyze it....

it was a great ending to the best produced television series in history.