randymcbeast Reviews

Justified: City Primeval (2023)

10 for Timothy Olyphant and Holbrook, the rest is garbage, especially the daughter

[2/10 · 5 September 2023]

The Raylan Givens character is awesome and Olyphant continues with more great performances, but the rest is sewage minus Holbrook who also does a great job. It's mostly bad TV but the worst part are very offensive remarks against white people. Let's remember people, reverse racism is still racism and this series is loaded with it. Such a shame and I find it hard to believe that they let this stuff out and that Olyphant signed up for it. Didn't he read the script?

One other piece of stinky garbage to mention is Raylan Given's daughter, who could not be more annoying. I fast-forwarded through every scene she was in. Who thought this character should be portrayed like this? If I worked on this series, I would definitely not list it on my resume.

Devil's Peak (2023)

Ignore the low rating. This one is worth the watch, especially if you're a Billy Bob fan.

[8/10 · 6 August 2023]

Don't trust the low rating. Billy Bob gives another captivating performance and the rest of the cast holds up as well. Hopper Penn especially did a nice job.

This is not a blockbuster though. It's a small cast in a small town setting but it still works. It's probably a 7 rating but I gave it an 8 to offset the negative ratings trying to take it down.

I watched this on a Saturday afternoon and just took my time with it. It does move slow but just stick with it and enjoy the performances. The scenes are well done and the actors really mesh. Hopefully, more Billy Bob fans will give it a watch and back up this review. It's a good film.

The Prank Panel (2023– )

Copyright violation? This show is a ripoff of Revenge Prank.

[1/10 · 29 July 2023]

I was looking forward to this especially being a Johhny Knoxville fan. A prank show, sure, why not, but then I watched it and come to find out that it's a rip off of the Jersey Shore boys' Revenge Prank with DJ Pauly D and Vinny Guadanigno. Complete ripoff. Will MTV be suing for such a blatant copyright violation?

Worse than it being a ripoff is that it's painful to watch. The first joke of the show, an affirmative action joke that completely misses the runway and then it's downhill from there.

My body and mind had very negative reactions to watching so I quickly stopped to protect my physical and mental health. You've been warned.

TURN: Washington's Spies (2014–2017)

A pile of inaccuracies. Don't waste your time. Read the book instead.

[1/10 · 29 July 2023]

This series is based on the Alexander Rose book which is a very accurate historical gem. So why did this Muppet Craig Silverstein have to rewrite it and put in countless inaccuracies? It's mind-boggling. Such a travesty and pretty much a scam.

Why would I be more interested in Craig's take than actual events? They really should have plastered all over the credits that this is not what actually happened and for the audience to view this as Craig Silverstein's fictional take of what actually happened, instead of claiming it's factual.

It's also not very well done, although the actors did a great job. Do yourself a favor and read the book or wait for an honest film adaptation because this one is pretty much a scam. Craig Silverstein blasts his name all over claiming to be the "Creator" of this American history. It's evident in this shameful self-promotion that he did this to reap the rewards and success but he instead will get all the blame for being a con artist or something worse and he should be questioned about his "interpretations" and why he slanted things the way he did. Disgusting.

1899 (2022)

I definitely understand why it got cancelled

[2/10 · 27 July 2023]

I tried to like this. The premise was interesting but it was too annoying to watch. What made it more annoying is that I just finished watching "Dark" and everything that annoyed me about "Dark" was carried into this. I enjoyed the first two seasons of "Dark" but then season 3 was horrible and all of the traits injected into this series became that much more annoying.

The most problematic traits? With 7-10 minutes left in an episode, they play music and pan the different characters to I guess add drama and depth. I've seen this done well and sparingly in previous TV shows so it's totally not original by these makers and they overuse it to where it's just like, wow, can you be that lazy and unoriginal?

Another annoyance is how slow and dragged out everything is. The focus on a person's face for too long. The focus on an object for too long. It's just the same thing over and over and you're left to just suffer through the sludge pace.

There is also the common progressive nonsense that is so obvious that it adds to the reasons why you just want to throw up while watching. Good riddance. Smart of NF to cancel. I gave this a 2 instead of a 1 for the well done set designs and imagery. I'll never get this time back, arghhhh.

The Witcher (2019– )

Season 3 is garbage

[1/10 · 23 July 2023]

Season 1, awesome. Season 2, not bad. Season 3, complete garbage.

Just like many others here, I have to agree that Season 3 was a complete disappointing mess. Henry Cavill is awesome but he gets lost in terrible writing as opposed to earlier seasons when he was part of a captivating story.

There's no doubt he read season 3 and thought, ah geez, I guess I have to stick this out because of my contract but then I am so outta here. There's also no doubt that the writers and production will leave this off their resumes.

Such a pity as I looked forward to binge watching this season but now I won't even bother with part 2.

Jack Ryan (2018–2023)

Season 4 was terrible. I'm out!

[1/10 · 23 July 2023]

This used to be a thrilling joy ride led by a strong lead. Now, it's just a bunch of unrealistic garbage with the same BS happy ending where the bad guys are all the people who are allowed to be called bad guys these days.

The casting is horrible. The story is dumb. The fourth season was just a complete let down from previous seasons.

This TV series started out strong and continually degraded. I used to look forward to binge watching Jack Ryan when a new season came out. For season 4, they cut down the episodes in a season to 6 and that is the only thing I liked about it since it meant I didn't have to waste my time on more of these trash episodes.

What a terrible way to end a good series.

Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story (2022)

It's almost impossible to botch up a documentary about this monster, but they did

[1/10 · 13 April 2022]

Documentaries should not be that difficult, especially when you are covering one of the most interesting stories in British history. You just present the facts in chronological order, provide interviews exposing the most controversial aspects, and make sure you emphasize the important parts, like when the evil gets caught and punished. The makers of this documentary completely messed this simple formula up and made this one of the most frustrating pieces ever to sit through.

They spent most of the documentary glorifying his career and hinting at the atrocities he committed. What a bunch of incompetent morons and they really did a disservice to all of the victims.

There was no in-depth investigative journalism done at all. Why was he never caught over the years? So much more could have been done to get to the root of it all. Instead, they mostly covered the good aspects of Jimmy's life and spent about ten minutes on the bad.

In the end, I was really upset that such an important story was botched. It was so shallow and that is why I gave it the lowest rating I could possibly give. This story will most likely be told properly one day and hopefully the makers of this documentary will never do one again.

Wild Wild Country (2018)

Great subject but very poorly done and very one-sided

[1/10 · 1 February 2022]

This is not a documentary. It doesn't reveal the truth about this whole subject. Instead, it is completely one-sided by giving airtime to criminals and con-artists without much rebuttal. For instance, one of the criminals is never even confronted during the documentary about the heinous crimes she committed. Instead, she was given about a good hour to lie some more and irrationally justify her actions. Garbage, and shame on the Directors and Producers for letting it happen. Honestly, by the end I couldn't even listen to these people for another second without getting nauseous.

On top of that, there was no real investigative journalism done as part of this. There was so much damaging evidence recovered and never presented. You have to wonder if the people making this crap were actually part of the cult itself. It was also very evident that these makers were more interested in bashing the Government than exposing the scandals that rocked the lives of so many victims.

Documentaries have unfortunately gone down the same road as the media. The people behind them push their own agenda and aren't really interested in the truth. There should actually be a documentary that exposes what documentaries really are. Yeah, I just said that.

The Responder (2022– )

Outstanding!

[10/10 · 30 January 2022]

I didn't know what to expect when I first saw this pop up but in the end was blown away at how good it was. Season 1 was amazing. Martin Freeman is brilliant and is surrounded by a superb cast. A very special nod though to Emily Fairn and Josh Finan. They took this to the 10 level it deserves.

This is a gritty, fast-paced, humorous, intense and well-written/directed/acted TV series full of twist and turns. I flew through the 5 episodes and want more. Hopefully, there will be a second season.

One other note, the song 'Pilgrim' by Fink is on the soundtrack. First time hearing the song and loved it!

Home Team (2022)

Just awful

[1/10 · 28 January 2022]

Kevin James has always cracked me up. I even enjoyed Kevin Can Wait. This film, however, is just plain awful. The 1 star is being generous. It's a shame too because I like the premise.

I don't understand how Kevin James could watch this back and then put it out there with his name on it. I suppose it's like when great musicians write classic songs early in their career and then never write another great song.

It was very painful to watch. In fact, it was the worst movie I've seen in years.

Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022)

They should have quit while they were ahead

[1/10 · 21 January 2022]

I'm so disappointed. I've watched Dexter s01-s08 multiple times and always hoped for a reboot. Unfortunately, s01 of New Blood was just terrible. Think of a really bad movie sequel from the past and multiply that by 10 because the original was one the the best movies ever.

There were many reasons why this was so bad. It was amateur hour. I have a list of dozens of plot points that just didn't make any sense. It was like watching a B movie where you start making fun of the stupidity. On top of this, Hollywoke reared its ugly head. Just watch and do the math on who the evil people are and who the good people are. Such hypocritical BS.

This is all so sad really because I used to savor the original Dexter episodes and they could be re-watched for their brilliance.

I hear that there will be no second season which totally makes sense. They butchered this reboot and I definitely don't want to see more that. I just need to erase this from my mind and pretend it never happened.

The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman (2022)

Something is definitely off about this documentary

[2/10 · 18 January 2022]

There are so many details and facts that should have been presented but weren't. The victims couldn't possibly be as stupid as they came off. There had to be self-interest involved that would explain how they could be deceived so easily and for so long. It's not possible they could have been this gullible so I'm guessing the makers wanted to really live up to the "Ultimate Conman" label, which certainly was one of the things that hooked me.

With that said, this guy is an evil conman and there is proof of it. I just think the documentary failed to present a believable story. They also tried to be clever by jumping around in time and comparing similarities between victims. They jumped back and forth quite a bit, too much, and it distracted from the story. Anytime a documentary uses a timeline graphic and slides back and forth over the years dozens of times, they've failed. The three episodes also moved very slowly, very annoying.

It's a shame this was so poorly done because there is a very interesting story here that should be told.

Murder on Middle Beach (2020)

Not a complete waste of time but pretty close

[2/10 · 16 January 2022]

Spoiler alert. They don't even come close to solving this murder so get that completely out of your head. This is about a guy doing a documentary about his mother's murder by interviewing family and friends about it. I feel for the guy but that it doesn't deliver what you would normally expect out of a true crime documentary. There is nothing wrong with that but maybe they should warn us about this or label it differently?

I was waiting and waiting in that final episode for some kind of smoking gun but got more of the same ridiculous speculation and hearsay. There is a science to murder investigation that people enjoy insight into and certainly some kind of conclusion to those efforts. I understand 'Unsolved Mysteries' but typically you go through a rigorous process and see why it is still unsolved. Here, you are just dragged through hours of family videos/interviews and some amateur hack sleuth work. The whole thing seemed put together with duct tape with a bunch of fake Aha! Moments that kept fizzling out.

In the end, you are sitting there with nothing to show for the 4 episodes of enduring through this. The thing is, if they had waited until there was a real break in the case or even an arrest, this could have been something special and unique. Instead, it seems that they needed to get paid for years of footage so put this out. HBO should have said to come back when it is finished. If there is a season two I will first read about it to see if there is an actual resolution, otherwise no way I will put myself through this again.

The Tourist (2022–2024)

This one is special

[9/10 · 15 January 2022]

I was absolutely loving this mini series. The first five episodes were brilliant and this was easily headed for a 10. The final episode was a bit choppy though and knocked it down from perfection but it did manage to finish strong.

To start, Jamie Dornan is such a powerful screen presence and gave such a strong performance. It was a pleasure watching him throughout. Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, amazing! He stole every scene. I just looked at his past credits and will certainly be watching some of his previous work. Woooo, I just saw that he was Bing Partridge in NOS4A2. I didn't remember him from that. He was a standout there and certainly here as well.

Another standout was Damon Herriman. I did remember him from his past work. Dewey Crowe in Justified and Charles Manson in Mindhunter were just a few of past roles where he crushed it, especially Dewey. I wish they would bring Justified back.

Other supporting cast did their jobs as well but a special mention to the actors who played the various locals, pretty much all of them. In particular, the helicopter rentals guys and Rhonda Doyle (Constable Carter), hilarious. These were all captivating performances that kept a smile on my face and really pushed this rating up so high.

This is a very special TV mini series that is not only worth the watch but should be saved and then savored for when you want to be thoroughly entertained.

The Night Caller (2020)

Annoyingly slow and not well put together

[2/10 · 15 January 2022]

I love a good true crime documentary. This was not even close to making that list. It could not have moved any slower and kept running off on moronic tangents to fill time. This could have easily been edited down to one or two episodes. They kept repeating previous accounts over and over as well. I was like, "yes, we know that already because five minutes prior you just told us that", and then they would do this over and over again.

This should be used by future true crime documentary filmmakers as a reference on how not to make a documentary. Do yourself a favor and just read an article on the subject. You will save a good three hours of your life.

Don't Look Up (2021)

Should be called Don't Watch

[1/10 · 24 December 2021]

I knew I was in trouble the first minute of this garbage film. Jennifer Lawrence with a nose ring rapping Wu-Tang. Hey, look at me, I am going after every demographic and I'm the smartest and coolest person in the world. Rap jumped the shark a while ago and it looks like JLaw has to.

Leo, why? At this point in your career you've made it so why not do quality movies. Don't be like Robert DeNiro and take crappy movies. What's your next role, The Intern 2, where you intern for Anne Hathaway in France? DeNiro went from one of my favs to one of my least favs so time to wake up.

Aside from that, Jonah Hill makes my stomach ill and the movie was painful to watch, pretty much every second of it.

Mare of Easttown (2021)

Easy binge

[9/10 · 16 December 2021]

There were moments where this dragged on a bit but I knocked out these 7 episodes in one day. Much like a good book, I didn't want to put it down.

I'm a huge Kate Winslet fan and this just added to her very high quality body of work. She is a powerful and very talented actress and this was a great TV series for her to showcase her talents. She carried this and was supported by an incredible cast.

I've also become a fan of Jean Smart recently, well, since Fargo. Winslet and Smart were fun to watch together. The humorous moments they shared provided glimpses of what they could do together so maybe we'll see more of that in the future.

The whole cast did a great job and the direction and production were top quality. Definitely worth a binge.

The Murders at Starved Rock (2021)

Great ingredients, poor execution

[2/10 · 15 December 2021]

This is a compelling story but as with many documentaries the editing and production is poorly done. A shame really since the ingredients are all there for an awesome documentary.

All they had to do is keep it sequential and make sure the information presented doesn't conflict. They weren't able to do this so it was a jumbled mess and in the end you didn't know what to believe. That completely contradicts the point of a documentary.

I will say that David Raccuglia did seem genuine and passionate about the subject and pursuit of the truth but once again the direction and production missed the mark. I wish I didn't waste my time on this one. I am now interested though but will rely on other sources if I want more information.

The Sinner (2017–2021)

Season 4 is really bad

[1/10 · 13 December 2021]

I just finished watching season 4 and it's bad. The only good thing about it is the scenery, seriously.

The season is just so poorly done. One or two red herrings, okay, but there must have been dozens along the way and there were some that made no sense at all. The inconsistencies in how people acted from episode to episode was also pretty amateur. People lying, then telling the truth, then lying, then being cleared, then being arrested, so ridiculous. The Director(s) just lost track of what was going on episode-to-episode so it was a jumbled mess that ended in a nonsensical and annoying way. Some major league incompetence going on here.

As for the acting, Bill Pullman, awful, time to retire. Alice Kremelberg, awful, get over yourself. Thankfully, Jessica Hecht's character was rendered irrelevant and we didn't have to see her terrible acting too much, which is the only good thing I can say about the acting this season.

The Now (2021)

A fun ride with Dave Franco and a great cast

[9/10 · 12 December 2021]

I didn't know what to expect going in but I have to say that I was most pleasantly surprised. The series is well written, directed and has an outstanding cast.

Dave Franco was brilliant. Jimmy Tatro and Bill Murray knocked it out of the park. Rob Yang, what can I say, I was in awe watching him do his thing. It was a really top notch performance and my favorite of the bunch. Also great to see Alyssa Milano playing a warm character on screen and not selling a bunch of fashion nonsense.

As mentioned, the writing, direction and production were top notch. The subject matter is real and was handled nicely. A show that makes you think just a little is not a bad thing. Couple that with some crazy and unexpected twists and turns and this was such an easy series to binge. It's not perfect by any means with some of the turns being a bit juvenile but it makes up for it many times over.

The Night House (2020)

That's an hour and 45 minutes I will never get back

[2/10 · 5 October 2021]

I am actually upset that I spent time watching this movie. It was just pointless garbage. I kept waiting for something to happen and hoping that there was some kind of payoff for patiently waiting for something to reveal itself as meaningful but that never came. Most of the movie, nothing happens. I'm not kidding, nothing. The camera just follows the lead around, a little something happens, but really nothing happens.

The Card Counter (2021)

Oscar Isaac is brilliant!

[8/10 · 30 September 2021]

This movie is getting torn apart in the reviews and I can understand why. The story is all over the place and not connected in any meaningful or real way, but I still enjoyed it. Why? Oscar Isaac does a phenomenal job. He could easily be the most interesting and talented actor of this generation. It's a pig of a movie but he's some fine lipstick. The movie is fun to watch because of him and I hope he finds better roles in the future. It's a 5 rating movie plus 3 stars for Isaac.

The Ultimate Surfer (2021)

Fun reality show done well

[8/10 · 25 September 2021]

I was really enjoying the show until they pulled a network TV "woke" BS move and had "favs" from The Bachelor show up. I was barely able to stomach the host being Jessie Palmer but it was better than having some tool like MTV's Romeo wearing stupid outfits and acting like an extra fool. This show would be so much better if it wasn't associated with ABC. Better than CBS but ABC is trash and they polluted this great show. Overall though, the episodes are produced well and the contestants are fun to watch.

Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)

Pointless garbage

[2/10 · 22 September 2021]

I made it through all 8 episodes but had to fast-forward through all of them. I wanted to get to the end to see how it ended and I'm sorry that I did. I can't tell you how many times I cried out, "Ohhhh, just shut up with your whining already. Just please shut up". It was dozens of times.

After the first episode, I was pretty stoked. Great actors, an intriguing plot, and beautiful scenery. That fell apart and I quickly came to dislike all of these characters and the actors who played them. The story is meaningless and it goes nowhere.