tenore65 Reviews

Dark Desire (2020–2022)

Good at the Beginning, then Just Boring

[3/10 · 20 January 2024]

I really got into the first season, even though there was a lot that bothered me. As others have noted, at first I thought the multiple flashbacks (many of which are merely fantasies rather than what may have really happened) were interesting, but then they became confusingly irritating. Also confusing was the editing of the piece: at first I thought it was cutting edge; then it became so disjointed that I had to re-watch scenes to make sure I had seen what I thought I had.

But when I got to the second episode of the second season, I just gave up. It got to where I just didn't give a damn about any of the characters, especially Alma. She just comes across as a psycho lunatic: she wants him, she doesn't want him; she pursues him, gets him, then tells him to stay away. And the song goes on and gets really, really boring. I don't know how it ended and I really could care less!!!

Fellow Travelers (2023)

Compelling but Flawed

[5/10 · 19 November 2023]

Contrary to all the other reviews and reviewers, I have a problem with this show. Yes, it is well acted and well crafted in direction and execution. My first problem is with the character of Hawkins: he is such a narcissistic, pathological liar and, ultimately, snake, that I don't see this as much a a love story as I do a story about a predator and its prey. Skippy is far too sweet and innocent to have fallen for such a complete jerk. Second, although I am a gay man in his 70s and have been around the block many, may times, I find Bomer a bit too pretty and effete to be believable as the character he is playing. Still, that might be a tribute to his acting so, again, conflict. Despite all this, I am looking forward to the remainder of the show to see if there is any resolution and, in fact, absolution of Hawkins' character.

Play Misty for Me (1971)

Doesn't Hold Up Well

[3/10 · 3 January 2023]

I used to think this was a really great movie. I must have seen it 10 times back in the 70s and 80s. Now, some 50 years later, I think it's just plain awful. Yes, there are a few beautiful scenes, particularly those shots of the California Coastline. But other than that, it's a mess. The filmography is pedestrian, the editing is atrocious, and if you really analyze the storyline, it's ridiculous. Why would a strong man (physically and character-wise) like Garver allow himself to be harassed the way he was. From the very beginning, when the psycho shows up at the bar and takes the keys to his car, he should have beat her up (sorry all you #metoo people) or at least been much more forceful in making it clear that she was NOT to return to his home. He could have handled the Madge Brenner episode more honestly, and especially with his real love interest. He could have told her from the very beginning what was happening, rather than letting it go on and on and on. To me, the only good thing about this film was the song, "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face." Now that was sublime.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999– )

Another One Bites The Dust

[11 November 2022]

I used to LOVE this show and its interesting, sometimes complex story lines. The past few seasons started to disappoint me; however the current one, season 24, is really, really bad on so many counts. First and foremost, Mariska Hargitay (Mariska HagToday) is just too old and haggardly looking to be credible as a department chief. I know we are supposed to believe that over the years she has mellowed and become more compassionate; however, the fact is that she is just plain over-the-hill and should retire to Italy and enjoy the mega-millions she has made. Rollins (Kelly Giddish) has had so much work done on her face that she is almost unrecognizable; albeit a great actress, but not given enough to develop a decent characterization except that she is a drunk, gambling sex-a-holic seeking redemption. And the new team, especially Molly Burnett, is so laughable that I just can't watch her. That's why I come over here to write the review. I have enjoyed the development of Sunny Carissi and wish he can, in the future, get his own show, because he is a great actor and very charismatic and could definitely hold his own. Finally, the store lines of late are so predictable that one can guess, from the opening frames, what is going to happen. It's almost become a caricature of its former self. Too bad: so, I feel it is apparent that another one bites the dust.

Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

Great as a Comedy

[1/10 · 8 November 2022]

I really loved the original Jurassic Park and will never forget how awesome I found everything about the film. The scenery was gorgeous and the animals were so realistic that I was astounded. I praised it to anyone who would listen and I saw it multiple times to see their reaction and to see how it related to my own.

SO, I had heard how bad this one was and couldn't believe all the terrible things I heard because how could you NOT like a film about these amazing-looking beasts! I ended up enjoyed this as a comedy for too many reasons to list. First and foremost, the script was ludicrous. From the first scene, I knew what was going to happen and how it was going to end. The most notably hilarious to me personally? First, DeWana's hair and makeup throughout were perfect, even with all the dirt and hysteria, including falling through the ice into frigid water and coming out dry and not shivering at all. Second, Campbell Scott's "menacing" character was as villainous as my great grandmother when someone didn't enjoy her pasta. And finally, the dinosaurs themselves were seen too infrequently and they looked ugly and unreal, unlike in the first installment of the franchise. The first scenes were actually comical instead of menacing.

Avoid this disaster at all costs. Don't waste your money. The only thing I can say in a positive way is that it finally cured my insomnia!!

American Gigolo (2022)

Disappointing

[3/10 · 17 October 2022]

I was really looking forward to seeing this based upon what I had heard since I really liked the original. But so far, and I've now seen 5 episodes, I find the whole thing very disappointing. A lot of women reviewers are raving about Benthal's great looks, but as a gay man who can appreciate a good looking dude, I find that he has a great body, but with the face to protect it. He reminds me of Little Ricky on the old I Love Lucy show! Somehow he isn't sexy enough for my tastes. And Gretchen Moll is even worse. Her acting seems to consist of strange twitches and grimaces. Plus, for an hour long show (supposedly), it takes 15 minutes to roll the initial credits, and then the episode is over 30 minutes later. I think the writers are having a hard time making this whole mess work.

I would definitely recommend skipping this one.

Passing (I) (2021)

Bizarre at Best

[1/10 · 17 September 2022]

I find this movie very, very bizarre. I love Rebecca Hall, as an actress, and have eagerly watched almost everything she has done; she is particularly incredible in The Gift.

But this movie leaves me so flat because I just don't understand the point at all. The story becomes boring and trite within the first 20 minutes: a woman passing as white because she can? The weirdest thing at all is that Ruth Negga, a competent actress, doesn't appear white at all. She looks like what she is: a black woman, albeit light skinned, proud of the fact that she is able to pass as white? She looks like a black woman sporting white makeup; which all the more leads me to the question? What is the movie, and Hall in particular, trying to prove?

Beyond strange.........

Uncoupled (2022–2023)

UNWATCHABLE SLEAZEFEST

[1/10 · 11 August 2022]

I, like so many here, am a gay man, in my 60s, and have led a very, very sexual life -- and now am happily married. So I am hardly a prude. But this series is so bad in every respect that I don't know where to start, other than to say that it's sleazy to the point of creepy. I don't know what NPH was thinking to produce and then star in this garbage. What is he trying to prove after such an illustrious career? Seeing all the nudity, especially his scenes, illustrates the adage, NPH has a beautiful body but with the face to protect it. I hope he gets over this narcissistic period and returns to reality.

Anything's Possible (2022)

Nice Try

[3/10 · 1 August 2022]

I really admire Billy Porter, a super talented individual who is great at acting and singing. But given this offering, I think he should stick to acting and singing and perhaps stick to producing and finding the right director for his material. Although I was looking forward to a good movie featuring a real trans person and a good script, the whole affair was terribly derivative and so sticky sweet it bordered on nauseating. It reminded me of watching an episode of "Leave It To Beaver" or "Father Knows Best," for anyone out there old enough (and you'd have to be really old) to remember how artificial those episodes felt.

Still, it is groundbreaking in some aspects and I hope to see more movies like this, albeit more realistic and with characters a bit more believable and down-to-earth.

Indiscretion (2016)

Oh How The Mighty Aphrodite Has Fallen

[2/10 · 4 May 2022]

This is possibly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I know Lifetime Movies aren't academy award winners and have plots similar to this one, but I expected so much more because of Mira Sorvino. I'm always amazed when an actress with real star power stoops to such a low position. There were so many holes in the plot that I found myself laughing out loud. The worst was when she was running in the garage in stiletto heels, looking more like a drag queen than her beautiful self.

Super Pumped (2022– )

Bad is Bad; This is Worse

[1/10 · 21 March 2022]

I'm really surprised because I've always been a super-huge fan of JGL. I think he's a great actor who has made a few somewhat bad choices. But in this, he is at his worst because of a horribly written script. It's just loud and annoying, as if the louder and more annoying, the better we, the audience, are supposed to be impressed. But with me it's the opposite. Perhaps his career has stalled and he thought he might need this to "pump" up his cool rating. I'm just disappointed and a bit embarrassed for him.

Blue Night (2018)

A Singer??????

[6/10 · 15 February 2021]

I see many, many very bad reviews here. But there were some really good aspects, at least for me. I think the main problem was that this woman was supposed to be an internationally renowned singer, and I'm sorry, but she just did not have that type of voice. She had the type of voice, at best, that one might hear at a karioke bar, but hardly a renowned voice. It could have worked had she not sung that number at the club. That's what ruined the movie for me. But as a story, I found it interesting and think it could have worked had they just left that scene out, or perhaps dubbed the singing scene with a really great voice. I loved SJP in Sex and the City, but unfortunately have not seen her in anything else of merit.

Maybe she should just stick to producing, or just retire and enjoy all the money she made from that terrific show. And to tell the truth, she is not aging well, to put it mildly.

The Brittany Murphy Story (2014 TV Movie)

Oh My Lord!

[1/10 · 7 September 2014]

I am a 68 year old Italian male, and I was a huge fan of Brittany Murphy. The first time I saw her was in "The Sidewalks of New York." It was a lovely New York City slice of life type story. I loved everyone in the movie, and I loved the story lines. Brittany, in my estimation, stole the show. She was so talented and so beautiful, yet had the look of the proverbial girl next door that you would love to hang out with and chew the fat. But I must say that I look more like Brittany Murphy than Amanda Fuller -- fat, untalented, with a double chin and baby fat that made her look bloated. That, and she couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. What was Lifetime thinking? I usually love Lifetime movies. I love "chick flicks," so pardon me if I'm gay. I can understand that when portraying famous people, there is usually a stretch in finding someone with all the looks and qualities of the subject matter. But this girl looked and acted nothing like Brittany. Poor Brittany would turn over in her grave. Are all young, blonde, talented actresses dead or involved in other projects? I was a HUGE Brittany fan, and this is nothing more or less than a disgrace. I just can't understand this bomb. And Eric Petersen as her love interest? Did anyone else think he looked a lot like Miss Piggie?

Under the Skin (I) (2013)

Really, Really, Really BAD

[1/10 · 14 April 2014]

I can't believe all the good reviews. I just saw this dreadful movie. Mind you, I'm a movie buff, and love all types of movies. This was not only bad, I would say it is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. And for Scarlett Johannsen fans, she looks so ugly, so fat, so insipid, that it must hint at the fact that her career isn't going where it should be. I can't believe she would appear in such a piece of trash. Sorry, this was so bad that I don't know where to start.

I saw her on Broadway a few seasons ago in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, and she was sensational. I was really surprised, because I've never really cared for her. Yes, she has sexy lips, but her voice is so flat and one-dimensional that I'd never understood all the uproar about her supposed incredible talent. In Don Jon, she was supposed to be a shrill witch, and she did the part very well. So I thought, "yes, the woman can act."

But now this. I just don't understand. She must command a very high salary, and must be able to pick and choose her assignments. So why would she waste her talent on this? And especially looking so hideous with that ugly black wig and, as stated before, with a belly and love handles that perhaps the director wanted her to have? Terrible move, ludicrous premise, horrible acting, horrendous filmography, mamma mia, non capisco niente........