astazg-84625 Reviews

20/20 (1978– )

20/20 has turned into a 2/20

[2/10 · 25 February 2023]

20/20 used to be a compelling, well produced show for great many years. Enter the 2022/23 season - Just what has happened?! Gone is the captivating storytelling which is now being replaced with rush-for-ratings productions of inferior quality. The scripts are incoherent, the editing seems to be done by interns. The choice of music is beyond questionable, not to mention the sound level which many times surpases the narration. Add to it the completely unnecessary, cheap special effects, and you have the recipe for one inedible smorgasbord. The producers should rethink the road ahead, and perchance follow the example of one Keith Morrison who manages to turn even a relatively uninteresting subject matter into a compelling story, with no tricks or gimmicks used.

A Kidnapping Scandal: The Florence Cassez Affair (2022)

Captivating documentary

[9/10 · 23 September 2022]

The story examines one of the most controversial cases in Mexican history, featuring Florence Cassez and Israel Vallarta, a French woman and her Mexican lover, who were accused of pursuing kidnapping for ransom and ultimately jailed, based on the false evidence by the corrupt government and its newly-established federal anti-crime agency. The process and the outcome will depend on the highest levels of Mexican and French governments, exposing massive corruption and human rights violations in the process.

The first couple of episodes are a bit challenging to follow, since they contain the chronological layout and many characters - all of which will ultimately become clear as the story unravels. My only objection is a lack of more detailed background on Florence and her brother (namely, their activities and life in Mexico prior to her arrest), which would serve as an enlightening factor in better judging her character and motivation. On the other hand, hats off to a fantastic group of Mexican journalists who helped to evaluate and expose the intricate levels of corruption, and whose courage and conviction makes them the true heroes in the whole unfortunate saga. The same goes for the production team which brought this story to light.

Blood Relatives (2012–2017)

The stupidest, cheesiest, worst produced show. Ever.

[1/10 · 20 August 2022]

Wish it had a -100 rating. Every single aspect of it. If I were a relative of a crime victim, I'd sue the producers for emotional distress. A shameful abuse of real life tragedies for a quick buck.

The Vanished (2020)

The half hour of my life I will never get back

[2/10 · 8 August 2022]

(Yeah, bless the forward button!)

I somehow managed to last continuously throughout the first 10-15 minutes, mostly thanks to a friend who recommended this "Honey, you gotta watch it, great thriller!" piece of highschool production. Dunno where to start...from bizarrely bad script, to the incompetent, forced acting, and across aggravating and nonsensical pacing through scenes. The "saving Grace" ending was equally slanted and combobulated. The two lead characters have the chemistry of oil and water, with Heche being particularly bad and overdramatic. Jason Patric and few nature scenes bring this rating to a 2.

Now, excuse me while I give my friend a call...............

Scorned: Love Kills (2012–2016)

The sleaziest crime show ever, hands down

[1/10 · 7 August 2022]

Badly written, horribly acted, unrealistic, cheap, exploitative, and then some. If my family member were a victim portrayed within, I wouldn't blink before suing them for emotional distress.

Citizen K (2019)

Enlightening documentary, especially when viewed in 2022. Unfortunate sound problem.

[7/10 · 31 May 2022]

It is interesting to witness how Putin's paranoia disproportionately grew with each passing year - from waging war against his opponents and critics, to a full scale aggression against another country. Great archival footage. The only problem is the overbearing soundtrack, at times so loud that it completely muffles the dialogue.

Law & Order: The Right Thing (2022) Season 21, Episode 1

Unwatchable

[1/10 · 8 April 2022]

What made the original Law & Order so enjoyable, besides having a great cast for the most part, was the fact that it was different from all other shows which followed the same schablone. This latest attempt to revive it fell flat across the board, resembling a badly acted high school drama. Every single role is badly cast, the script is laughable, the sets are unnecessarily polished, high heels and make up abound. Worst yet, political and social correctness is shoved at the forefront, in lieu of authentic, believable storytelling.

Betrayed: A Bitter Pill (2020) Season 4, Episode 1

OFFENSIVE IN SO MANY WAYS

[1/10 · 29 November 2021]

I am basing my review on the first few minutes of this unwatchable soap opera, replete with horrendous acting and cast, as well as lame and cheap dialogues. Every time I hear the saccharine voice of a narrator at the very start, I know that I am about to watch an exploitative garbage. If I were a family member of the victim(s), I would feel disrespected and greatly offended.

When Philip Met Missy (2021 TV Special)

INTERESTING STORY, WELL TOLD

[7/10 · 29 November 2021]

A nicely documented small-town mystery. In a place where locals gather either at McDonald's or at Burger King for their daily dose of coffee and gossip, one would hardly expect the police force to be up to the task of solving a murder. Well, you just may be surprised....

In the Dark of the Valley (2021)

IMPORTANT SUBJECT, UNFORTUNATE SOUND EXECUTION

[7/10 · 21 November 2021]

This would have been a powerful documentary if only fully watchable, since a good portion of the interviews and presentations are muffled and barely audible, thanks to a hugely irritating loud music which drowned the most important parts.

Over 60 years after the Rocketdyne nuclear leak, a large portion of the NW San Fernando Valley area, about 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles, remains radioactive. The massive 2018 Woolsey fire only further contaminated the grounds, and spread out nuclear compounds and harmful chemicals. The clusters of rare cancers have been documented - in October 2006, the Santa Susana Field Laboratory Advisory Panel, made up of independent scientists and researchers from around the United States, concluded that based on available data and computer models, contamination at the facility resulted in an estimated 260 cancer related deaths.

The site's owner, the Boeing company, as well as NASA and several of the state's and federal regulatory agencies keep avoiding the responsibility, and are proposing only a partial cleanup which would leave about 84% of the ground contamination still present.

A Time to Kill (2020– )

PROBABLY THE MOST BORING CRIME SERIES EVER

[1/10 · 15 October 2021]

About as exciting as watching a paint dry. Tediously done, badly written & produced. The ID execs would greatly benefit by watching an episode or two of any show done by Keith Morrison who manages to turn even the most uneventful story into attention-grabbing narrative.

Sex, Lies & Murder (2018– )

Cheap, exploitative garbage

[1/10 · 14 July 2021]

This is one of those shows where one wishes to have an option to give it a -10 rating. So bad, it is laughable.

My Murder Story (2020)

Storytelling at its worst

[1/10 · 14 July 2021]

Here comes yet another one of ID's lousily produced crime stories - featuring bad script, direction, editing, and just about every other aspect of production. It is a boring and discombobulated storytelling with no head and no tail; fast-churned, as are most of the ID productions in the last few years. Perchance viewing few Keith Morrison episodes may offer the producers a clue as to how to put together a quality, animated script.

Exhumed (2021– )

BADLY WRITTEN, BADLY PRODUCED

[2/10 · 15 February 2021]

This is yet another among those churned crime series of late which uses the same old recipe of soppy voiceover along with regurgitating old crimes. Badly written narrative, lacking too many facts and elements to make for a compelling story.

Homicide City (2018– )

Tedious storytelling

[2/10 · 9 September 2020]

The first episode I saw looked promising, mainly because the show producers thankfully did not succumb to cheap tactics as seen in most ID productions these days. However, the stories offer mediocre writing, omitting important details and sequiturs, and are presented in painstakingly slow mode, featuring mostly unengaging actors. All in all - yawn to creativity.

Murder Calls (2017– )

REPETITIVE, EXPLOITATIVE & BADLY SCRIPTED

[1/10 · 9 August 2020]

It seems like the ID crime show producers are competing to come up with as many titillating and fast churning productions as possible, each being barely half-baked yet spiced with plenty of ridiculous gore, both visual and verbal.

Killer Affair (2019– )

ANOTHER EXPLOITATIVE SERIES

[1/10 · 7 August 2020]

The creators and producers of crime series should understand that gore-for-effect does not belong to a docudrama (constant fake blood dripping or phrases such as "screams like slaughtered animal"), nor is this ultimately respectful to the victims of the crimes and their families. Yes, using the real crime scene footage is sometimes necessary - albeit for documentation, and NOT exploitation. Add the honey-dripping narrator's voice (she sounds like she is selling feathery pillows for infomercials), and you got a recipe for cheap entertainment and quest for ratings.

James Patterson's Murder Is Forever (2018)

Awful in all aspects

[1/10 · 17 May 2020]

This is yet another in line of badly produced, so-called crime shows which lately abound across networks that carry such, offering cheap entertainment for the masses based on bad scripts, poor acting, and laughable visual effects. These shows are the insult not only to the crime victims, but also to the intelligence of people who appreciate a well-told story without gimmicky and scandalous lining.