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richardguion
Reviews
Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres (2022)
The story of a legend
Count me in on the fans who bought Rolling Stone in the early 70s and was always thrilled to see a profile written by Ben Fong-Torres! This documentary has everything I wanted to learn about his life and career. Not only is it the story of 60s/70s music, it's the story of the counter culture in San Francisco, as well as an Asian American story. I was shocked by what happened to his brother, that was tragic and previously unknown to me. The documentary shows him reconnecting with many famous people from the past, including Steve Martin, Annie Leibovitz, Quincy Jones and Jann Wenner. They probably shot so much footage but they had to trim all of these for time.
The Bear: Honeydew (2023)
Marcus and his Copenhagen journey
I was really intrigued by Marcus' story arc in season one, as he leveled up his game and became more serious about his craft. And I was pleased to see that the writers did develop this further in season two, by sending Marcus to study in Copenhagen. You can almost feel Marcus' consciousness expanding as he spends time there, not only through cooking but exploring the city. Will Poulter has a dynamite role as Luca, the more experienced chef who passes on his knowledge to Marcus. Perhaps one of the best performances I've ever seen from Poulter; he put a lot into this role. Now I want to go to Copenhagen and eat pastries!
You: The Death of Jonathan Moore (2023)
A transformative season for Joe
A lot of things can be easily picked apart in this series. Joe gets away from things too easily, he doesn't wear gloves as much as he should, and Nadia really should have called the police when she found Marianne. But I think there are a lot of great story elements here. One is that we were too used to seeing things from Joe's perspective, where he seemed like a sensitive & misunderstood guy who was compelled to kill those he loved. We finally saw how terrifying Joe is when the POV switched to Marianne a few episodes back. Episode 9 of Season 4 had a lot of terrifying emotions churning through Joe, as he had to confront his dark side and meet his past "You" loves (well directed by Penn Badgely). And now this conclusion, setting up a final season 5, where Joe comes to terms with who he is, and with the resources to do almost anything - he's stepped up to the level of a Hannibal Lecter.
Westworld: Fidelity (2022)
Boring filler episode
This episode seems like pure filler. I think the further Westworld moves away from the Michael Chrichton film's premise, the amusement park full of robots, the weaker the story is. The previous episodes had some compelling stuff and Ed Harris had some interesting scenes to play. Here we have Caleb suffering for an entire episode. I agree with the other reviewers who said Caleb is a boring character, despite Aaron Paul's acting, the writers don't make him into an interesting character. The show runners must have been too busy making Prime Video TV shows. I do keep watching because I love Ed Harris & Thandie Newton's performance. Tessa Thompson is also great fun, the dominatrix torturing the human race. WTF happened to Evan Rachel Wood's storyline? She's totally wasted this season.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Phantom (2002)
Excellent story & acting
This episode has made me understand why people are fans of this series. The plot is about a murder in dicey circumstances, it took me a while to figure it out. Future stars Michael Emerson (from Lost) and Cara Buono (Mad Men, Stranger Things) are excellent as the suspects. Vincent D'Onofrio as Detective Goren displays both cunning and charm as he interrogates various people in the episode. Goren is a cross between Columbo and Sherlock Holmes. Katherine Erbe is very effective as his partner; the way they tag team Buono in an interrogation is very effective. Emerson does a role he would do a few times over (most notably in The Practice), a seemingly nice guy who is capable of much more.
Man vs Bee (2022)
Fans of Mr Bean will love it!
My wife loves Mr Bean and can rewatch those episodes anytime. This character isn't exactly Mr Bean, he talks, he used to be married & has a daughter. But the same slapstick silliness occurs, over the obsession with a bee. We thoroughly enjoyed this & laughed a lot.
Star Trek: Discovery: All Is Possible (2021)
This deserves a rating of either 1 or 10
I rated it 1 because this is the worst written episode yet, a new low for this show. Or, it could be a 10, if Tilly is gone forever, but I'm sure she comes back later. The three plot lines in this episode, none of interesting. I skipped around and got the point of each one. The cadets saga made me groan. First of all, on that shuttle, as it falls to the moon, wouldn't these people be dead, bouncing around as gravity systems fail? This is the writers thinking they are redeeming Tilly by saving the cadets. I was laughing at how indifferently they react to Tilly at first. And Burnham's solution to Ni'Var's diplomatic problem was ridiculously simple. There is one thing worse than this episode: watching The Ready Room, where Wil Wheaton fawns over Mary Wiseman.
You: Red Flag (2021)
A Guilty Pleasure
This show is dumb fun, I look forward to it each time it comes back. This season has been a laugh, I love how Joe & Love skewer (both physically & verbally) the Silicon Valley people. But these crimes fall apart if you think about it. Joe commits an assault in a parking garage, which must have security cameras? Love uses Sherry's phone to write a blog post that they are going camping for two weeks? The phone is recording your location, unless Love was smart enough to turn it off back at her house. That would make two sets of victims last seen at the bakery. And Joe, stabbing Ryan by the front door of the fitness center, that seems really sloppy. Also, I don't think bleach is enough to remove blood stains in their house, the police have ways of detecting that stuff. Like I said, dumb fun, I try not to dwell on these things.
A.P. Bio: The Harvard Pen (2021)
Is this a Series Finale?
Most endings to a series will refer back to the pilot. I'm not sure if this is the end, but the actors playing the kids are getting older. This episode is a clever one that showcases all of the actors (except for the coach) as the Harvard Pen gets transferred around. And it is designed to show Jack's growth, in the final scene, as he went from being a total jerk to a person who cares about his friends. I always thought an ideal ending would be for Jack to finally teach real biology in the final scene, but that was too conventional a choice for the writers, who prefer telling unconventional stories. I'll miss this show if it doesn't return. This season had developed the roles of the kids in school, and they are all great characters.
A.P. Bio: Gary Meets Dave (2020)
Innovative comedy episode!
Usually whenever I see a "Previously on..." at the beginning of any show, if I'm all caught up, I skip it. AP Bio usually has one in done episodes, so it seemed weird. I love material that takes the conventions of network TV and plays around with them. Like the Season 2 episode "Wednesday Morning, 8am" this one is experimenting with storytelling by quickly cutting from scene to scene, utilizing the entire cast and even guys we hardly see enough of, like Dave & the Coach. I think it's genius & if there was any justice, it would have won an Emmy.
Westworld: Crisis Theory (2020)
Core crashed
This series was pretty good up until the past two episodes but this finale was so bad, I doubt I will watch again. Plot holes an airplane could fly through. Evan Rachel Wood deserves better material. The fight scenes were so badly choreographed, the stunt guys are just pausing the action to give the heroine time to react. I agree with the other guys who say Aaron Paul's character adds little to the show. Ed Harris was totally wasted this season.
Upload: Freeyond (2020)
Funny, charming, inventive!
I loved this series from start to finish. If there were 60 episodes I would binge them all now. The writing, direction, acting & cinematography is all top notch. The cast is perfect. I can't believe how this episode ends, it's the perfect cliffhanger.
High Fidelity: Ballad of the Lonesome Loser (2020)
A different point of view
I loved this episode. It flipped the POV to Simon and we get to learn more about his life. Simon's room in a shared apartment looks a lot more realistic than Rob's swanky place. I thought it was cool the plot with his boyfriend was setup in the previous episode. I think High Fidelity can run for a few seasons if they invest in Simon & Cherise as well as Rob for stories.
High Fidelity: Uptown (2020)
A Collectors Dream
If you collect anything like music, books or comics, what happens in this episode would be your greatest fantasy. No way would I have the strength of character to do what Rob does. Parker Posey has a terrific performance in this guest starring role, everything she does makes me laugh.
For All Mankind: Prime Crew (2019)
Excellent episode
This series is responsible for me subscribing to Apple TV+. Each episode builds on the alternate history of the space program, this one was superb. When I first heard about the show, I thought, it's going to be about all the guys and the women will be in housewives roles. No, the women get into the astronaut program right away. Sonya Walger as Molly Cobb gives a terrific performance.
Supergirl: Man of Steel (2018)
Well thought out villain
I thought this episode was one of the best of any CW superhero show. It's an hour long origin story about Agent Liberty, played very well by Sam Witmer. You really sympathize with his journey from college professor to villain. Also I found myself comparing this episode to an issue of Astro City which often shows the lives of everyday humans affected by superheroes fighting supervillains.