I did the show such a disservice simply because it was on Freevee and I didn't really watch anything on that platform, but about 3 weeks ago I decided to check this show out and WOOO was I hooked. The acting is wonderful. Each character is played to perfection (in my humble opinion) and make you feel like they themselves are the people they are portraying. The stories are gripping and compelling, with me constantly wondering where they were going next. And since this was a book series I never read, I had no idea what was going to happen from storyline to storyline. I'm really bummed that the show is now over, but who knows: maybe when Alex grows up a bit more, he'll come back to save the day again...
Reviews
19 Reviews
Expend4bles
(2023)
A series of slowly diminishing returns...
26 February 2024
When the first film hit theaters? It was amazing.
Second film hit theaters? Not nearly as good as one but still fun.
Third film hit theaters? Watered-down and bland; seemed like the studio was trying to make too many people happy and it failed (even with the "unrated version").
This fourth film? This is just awful. I don't even mean "fun-awful" like three was at times; this is simply terrible. It looks like it was filmed by a "made for TV-movie" production team on a sound stage that was rented from an adult film studio. The premise is terrible. The additional cast is just "who will work for cheap?" at this point. Making Megan Fox the new "boss" is so incredibly cringeworthy that I've debated at least three times just shutting this off. I can't though; I need to finish the film. I'm halfway through and I can't understand why/how this even got green-lit. Money is typically the motivation behind these kinds of films; who thought that THIS would make money? Good grief.
Second film hit theaters? Not nearly as good as one but still fun.
Third film hit theaters? Watered-down and bland; seemed like the studio was trying to make too many people happy and it failed (even with the "unrated version").
This fourth film? This is just awful. I don't even mean "fun-awful" like three was at times; this is simply terrible. It looks like it was filmed by a "made for TV-movie" production team on a sound stage that was rented from an adult film studio. The premise is terrible. The additional cast is just "who will work for cheap?" at this point. Making Megan Fox the new "boss" is so incredibly cringeworthy that I've debated at least three times just shutting this off. I can't though; I need to finish the film. I'm halfway through and I can't understand why/how this even got green-lit. Money is typically the motivation behind these kinds of films; who thought that THIS would make money? Good grief.
15 minutes in...
4 December 2023
Who even pushed this forward to be made? I'm not even fifteen minutes into this film and my eyes hurt from how many times they've rolled in my skull. This writing is the kind of garbage I'd expect on Reddit or Twitter, but not in an action film based off of a CHILDREN'S cartoon show (I wouldn't want my kids watching this drivel). The supporting characters (really just caricatures) are so mind-numbingly bad that it seems like they "acted" in those roles because they got paid a boat-load to be as terrible as they are; the portrayals are so forced-looking.
I'm going to do my best to push through until the end, but good God: if this is what I have to look forward to, this is going to be ROUGH to get through.
Edit: Completed the movie and it's more of the same thing. What a disappointment. Really glad I didn't pay to see this one. The action scenes with the bots are the best parts and even those seemed almost like they were rehashed. Plus, since this is a film earlier than others in the series, the stakes really aren't there since you know how everything turns out later. Ugh.
I'm going to do my best to push through until the end, but good God: if this is what I have to look forward to, this is going to be ROUGH to get through.
Edit: Completed the movie and it's more of the same thing. What a disappointment. Really glad I didn't pay to see this one. The action scenes with the bots are the best parts and even those seemed almost like they were rehashed. Plus, since this is a film earlier than others in the series, the stakes really aren't there since you know how everything turns out later. Ugh.
Touching at times but a mess
10 February 2023
I'm not going to lie: the scenes involving Chadwick Boseman were somber and heartfelt and I really appreciated them. He was a wonderful actor and a great 'Black Panther'; I don't think anyone can replace him as the defacto idea of that character now. That being said: the film, due to his untimely death, had to be rewritten and had reshoots apparently left and right to complete. You can feel it in the writing and in the story of the film. Plot points that either don't make sense or don't go anywhere. There is an actual point in the film where characters argue about not having time to do something that could have stopped the entire final act of the film, but they spend more time arguing about NOT having time than just simply DOING the thing and moving on. It was utterly pointless and stupid. There's so much fluff in the film too. Little scenes and dialogue that isn't needed and so many scenes of a character simply so they can introduce her on her own show (and she's not even that likeable of a character; they could have done better on all fronts there). All in all: it wasn't better than the first (I knew that going in) but it wasn't even just a good stand-alone film with a new "star" to focus on. It was just...disappointing.
Black Panther
(2018)
Middle of the road
10 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
So I saw this in theaters when it came out and I'm only now adding a review because I saw the sequel (Wakanda Forever) this past week.
Looking back on the original, I will talk about what I liked. The characters and the actors who played them were spot on. There will probably never be another actor to play Black Panther that will be remembered like Boseman. His presence was simply POWERFUL and commanding. The supporting cast of his mother, sister, guards, rival (M'Baku played by Winston Duke) were so well fleshed-out (in my opinion), each with their own motivations and failings. Then we get the villain: Killmonger. Played by Michael B. Jordan and played well (I didn't like the guy the entire time). He was cocky, rude, and most of all entitled (seriously couldn't stand the guy). His entire motivation is essentially to create a race war. Once again though: the entire film's plot hinges on a stupid mistake (just like the sequel) which is the death of Killmonger's father and T'Challa's father just saying "...not my problem" when he leaves MBJ in the hood to grow up father-less. THAT'S his motivation to get revenge on "colonials"? I feel like Disney just wanted to slip another one of their patented "messages" into a film without any real thought. At the very end of the movie (after the beginning of the credits) they try to walk it back a bit by talking about "building bridges" and "unity" after the whole film does the exact opposite. It just made no sense to me. At least it wasn't as bad as the sequel...
Looking back on the original, I will talk about what I liked. The characters and the actors who played them were spot on. There will probably never be another actor to play Black Panther that will be remembered like Boseman. His presence was simply POWERFUL and commanding. The supporting cast of his mother, sister, guards, rival (M'Baku played by Winston Duke) were so well fleshed-out (in my opinion), each with their own motivations and failings. Then we get the villain: Killmonger. Played by Michael B. Jordan and played well (I didn't like the guy the entire time). He was cocky, rude, and most of all entitled (seriously couldn't stand the guy). His entire motivation is essentially to create a race war. Once again though: the entire film's plot hinges on a stupid mistake (just like the sequel) which is the death of Killmonger's father and T'Challa's father just saying "...not my problem" when he leaves MBJ in the hood to grow up father-less. THAT'S his motivation to get revenge on "colonials"? I feel like Disney just wanted to slip another one of their patented "messages" into a film without any real thought. At the very end of the movie (after the beginning of the credits) they try to walk it back a bit by talking about "building bridges" and "unity" after the whole film does the exact opposite. It just made no sense to me. At least it wasn't as bad as the sequel...
Velma
(2023– )
Seriously?
15 January 2023
I'll say this: the collection of voice actors they hired for this show is probably the best thing that show has going for it. The "comedy" is...it's just simply awful. Kaling turned a beloved character into a college course on how not to write characters or a show. I forced my way through episode one (really wanted to give this an honest review) but I won't be returning for episode 2...or possibly anything else produced by Kaling (or for that matter Grandy and/or Sekar it seems). Why did they try so hard to destroy the source material? I get that Scooby isn't in it so it was supposed to be its own thing but it almost seems...mean? Like they made it while angry at fans of the original? This one just sailed over the goal. Oh well. HBO Max is more like HBO Minimum now I guess...
Clerks III
(2022)
Where do you go from here?
23 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
First I need to tell a story. I was 10-11 when "Clerks" came out. I watched it as a child and while I didn't understand it all, I thought it was hilarious. And as I got older (my 14th birthday) I finally got to meet Smith himself. He was rude and full of himself. Never meet your heroes, kids. I met him again about a decade later and he was the same, so after that, I stopped really caring about (and really watching) his films.
Clerks and Clerks 2 were the films that I came back to all the time. I may not have liked Smith but I loved those movies and grew with those characters. They were me and my best friends as we grew, first as slacker high schoolers/college kids and later as jaded 20/30 year olds. Now, as a 36 year old who is married with a kid on the way, I watched Clerks 3 thinking it would be a fun adventure from my old friends, not knowing that it was them signing off and saying goodbye to me. The feelings and emotions that Brian (Dante) shows in the scenes with Becca simply broke me into pieces and as we got closer to the ending and I realized Dante's story was coming to an end, those pieces shattered. The final conversations of Dante and Randall along with the final montage made me cry so hard. This was me and my best friends growing old, losing friends and family, losing pregnancies and wives/girlfriends, being stuck in a place we didn't want to be. That cry felt so good. Kevin Smith made me cry with this film. I NEVER thought I would say that. EVER. This was an even more honest film for me than Chasing Amy (arguably his best film to date). With this film, I sat with Kevin Smith and looked at the lives of our friends and family, from the beginning to the inevitable ending. And it was amazing. Thank you Kevin. It was good to meet you.
Clerks and Clerks 2 were the films that I came back to all the time. I may not have liked Smith but I loved those movies and grew with those characters. They were me and my best friends as we grew, first as slacker high schoolers/college kids and later as jaded 20/30 year olds. Now, as a 36 year old who is married with a kid on the way, I watched Clerks 3 thinking it would be a fun adventure from my old friends, not knowing that it was them signing off and saying goodbye to me. The feelings and emotions that Brian (Dante) shows in the scenes with Becca simply broke me into pieces and as we got closer to the ending and I realized Dante's story was coming to an end, those pieces shattered. The final conversations of Dante and Randall along with the final montage made me cry so hard. This was me and my best friends growing old, losing friends and family, losing pregnancies and wives/girlfriends, being stuck in a place we didn't want to be. That cry felt so good. Kevin Smith made me cry with this film. I NEVER thought I would say that. EVER. This was an even more honest film for me than Chasing Amy (arguably his best film to date). With this film, I sat with Kevin Smith and looked at the lives of our friends and family, from the beginning to the inevitable ending. And it was amazing. Thank you Kevin. It was good to meet you.
Spirited
(2022)
Simply fun
21 November 2022
I'm actually not a big fan of Christmas movies (or even Christmas in general) but I decided to give this film a chance based on the cast and initial trailer alone. And honestly: it was very predictable in my opinion, but I didn't care. The performances were wonderful, the music was fun and catchy, and the story was a holiday treat. Honestly, it was probably one of the better Christmas films I've seen in quite a while and I was not disappointed watching it. Reynolds and Farrell play off of each other very well, and Spencer belts out her songs with some serious gusto. Even the side characters were perfectly funny and witty and charming. It made me really enjoy another (slightly different) version of the classic "Scrooge" tale. I may catch it again next year even.
This season already is losing me
5 July 2022
Young Justice
(2010–2023)
Such potential wasted
27 May 2022
Wow: season one and two? Incredibly compelling stories, amazing characters, humor...it was great!
Season three? It wasn't bad. A little slower but it was also coming back from being gone for a while.
Season four? ...seriously: this season is absolute garbage. It's like they went full-on CW drama on the show. Guess good things aren't meant to last. I quit within the first few episodes of season four. What a waste...
Season three? It wasn't bad. A little slower but it was also coming back from being gone for a while.
Season four? ...seriously: this season is absolute garbage. It's like they went full-on CW drama on the show. Guess good things aren't meant to last. I quit within the first few episodes of season four. What a waste...
Ted Lasso
(2020–2023)
An absolute 10
10 September 2021
This show has everything: comedy, drama, sports. An amazing cast of characters with a compelling story. The biggest thing is has though is HEART. Miles and miles of heart. Amazing. EXACTLY the show I needed and I didn't even know it.
Ugh.
16 August 2021
Wow: I went through 7 wonderful seasons for this dumpster-fire of a season 8 opener? It was tone-deaf in the worst possible way. If the season continues like this, I'll be glad it's the last one. If it gets better, I'll just skip this episode going forward.
Locke & Key
(2020–2022)
Wasted Potential
27 June 2020
Seriously, the writing on this is just...bad. People can be stupid in real life, but the amount of stupidity the characters portray is just insulting. Seriously I feel like the writers used crayon when submitting the scripts. I've watched the rest of the season hoping it got better but...it doesn't. Absolutely not coming back for season 2. I have better shows to watch than this.
The Punisher
(2017–2019)
The Weakest of the Marvel Netflix shows (IMO)
26 November 2017
I'm not a professional critic. I watch things for entertainment purely and to take myself out of the world around me. That being said, I really wanted to enjoy "The Punisher". With him already showing up as Frank Castle in "Daredevil", I would have thought that they would have added on Jon Bernthal's portrayal. That would have been great...if The Punisher was really IN the show for more than a few episodes. Don't get me wrong: Frank Castle is there, but this is not The Punisher. The first episode or two has some story and a little bit of action, and then gets into a series of sub-plots that were so boring that I found myself debating skipping entire episodes just to get to something worth watching again. The final 3 episodes of the series seemed worth watching, so...that's maybe 4-5 episodes out of 13 that were really worth my time? 13 episodes and only a 3rd- 4th of them worth watching? Even Iron Fist, the show everybody claimed was "unwatchable" seemed to have a stronger pull for me as it actually had stories and characters that I cared about. These stories were boring and drawn-out with no real pay off, and even the end of this "season" had me going "all that for...this?". I don't know what show the rest of you watched, but I wouldn't recommend this to anybody without saying "This isn't 'The Punisher'; this is the punishMENT". Hopefully season two has something better to say than spending so much time on SJW issues, PTSD, Frank's "special-needs" grunting/anger issues, and flashback after flashback after flashback of his family over and over and over again (we get it: they died).
The Voices
(2014)
"Disturbed"
8 August 2016
Honestly, I can't really tell you what I watched. I feel like the film was something that Reynolds and the rest of the cast were just like "Hmm... I don't have ENOUGH indie-films under my belt to hit that audience. This would be good for my career. Might as well...". While the acting in the film was top-notch (Reynolds absolutely KILLS IT *no pun* as the pro/antagonist of the film), I came out of it feeling...off? Like "What the hell did I just watch?" kind of feeling. I expected more "comedy" from a movie categorized as a "dark-comedy" but all I really saw was the "dark". The animals are "funny" in their bit parts, one being the voice of reason and one being the voice of "KILL THEM ALL", but even that made me grin some times and wince during others. I'm sure (since a lot of the reviews I'm reading are positive) that their are some that appreciated the VERY dark tones of this film, but I personally just didn't feel it as I was expecting something different. And no spoilers, but the scenes during the credits made me feel like I was coming down off of come LSD/acid trip of some sort. All in all, I gave it a 5 out of 10 due to the terrific acting, but I just feel this was someone's dark wet-dream that they wanted played out in front of them and it wasn't really made for an audience. I'll never need to watch the film again, nor do I really have any desire to.
Iron Man
(2008)
Wow...just....wow
1 May 2008
I cant even begin to explain how great this movie was. As an avid comic reader since preschool, I went into this movie like any comic fan would...with fear. I left just wanting more. I cant thank all of the actors and everybody who worked on this movie for allowing me to share in this cinematic gold in my local theatre. Definite theatre movie. Definite DVD buy. I highly recommend it. It is an "adult" super hero movie, in a way that others have not been. And an amazing pick by the casting department and creators on the folks that borough those characters to life. The special effects were nothing short of brilliant. And...Im rambling. Please, if you enjoy comics, or even if you don't and you just want something different, this movie is something different. It has recharged my batteries just as much as Batman Begins did for the super hero movie genre (after I was let down so horribly by X3). Go see this movie.
Why I want my money back
10 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Alright, I went into this movie with such high hopes, and there are many reasons why, after the credits started, I sat there literally cheesed off.
***SPOILERS!!!!!!!***** ***TURN BACK NOW!!!*****
Alright, first off, WHAT IS UP WITH THE STUPID LOVE TRIANGLE!?!?!?!?!?!? The first movie, she loves Will. She is so happy to be with him. Doesn't show an inkling of care towards Captain Jack Sparrow. If anything, there is a mild disgust. Then, in the second one, when she is all angry that she Isn't GETTING MARRIED, keyword, MARRIED, to Will, she starts falling for this dumb character!? What the heck is that crud?! The only reason that is in the movie is that all the people going into the movie loved the character of Jack so much that the directors wanted to capitalize off of that and made Jack end up with the girl just so the masses would follow like SHEEP!!!! Its presumptuous crap!!!!!!!!
Then the action scenes, which were lacking a little bit. Which, I'm not really mad about that, but I thought that I'd comment.
The fact that Barbosa, the dead pirate captain from the first movie, is alive again.
The dumb monkey, "Jack" from the first movie, is still undead even though the curse is broken?!
This movie had so many plot holes that it seemed as if it was typed over the weekend on a large piece of swiss cheese!!!
For shame. for shame...
***SPOILERS!!!!!!!***** ***TURN BACK NOW!!!*****
Alright, first off, WHAT IS UP WITH THE STUPID LOVE TRIANGLE!?!?!?!?!?!? The first movie, she loves Will. She is so happy to be with him. Doesn't show an inkling of care towards Captain Jack Sparrow. If anything, there is a mild disgust. Then, in the second one, when she is all angry that she Isn't GETTING MARRIED, keyword, MARRIED, to Will, she starts falling for this dumb character!? What the heck is that crud?! The only reason that is in the movie is that all the people going into the movie loved the character of Jack so much that the directors wanted to capitalize off of that and made Jack end up with the girl just so the masses would follow like SHEEP!!!! Its presumptuous crap!!!!!!!!
Then the action scenes, which were lacking a little bit. Which, I'm not really mad about that, but I thought that I'd comment.
The fact that Barbosa, the dead pirate captain from the first movie, is alive again.
The dumb monkey, "Jack" from the first movie, is still undead even though the curse is broken?!
This movie had so many plot holes that it seemed as if it was typed over the weekend on a large piece of swiss cheese!!!
For shame. for shame...
Superman Returns
(2006)
What an honor to the memory of Chrisopher Reeve's Superman
1 July 2006
I had originally seen the trailers for Superman Returns, and like any person who saw a man fly for the first time in the original "Superman" movie, I was actually rather outraged to see that they would even try to make a new Superman movie now that Christopher Reeves (may he rest in peace) was gone. But, my love for comics over-threw the idea to not see the movie. So, on opening day, I was there, as skeptical as can be. And as soon as the opening credits rolled, I knew that they were honoring Christoper Reeve's Superman. And a smile spread across my face. Then I saw how the new Superman acted as both Clark Kent and Superman, and the smile became wider. They really did do the right thing, not just in the fact that they made a new movie to continue the series (and make no mistake, this is not like Batman Begins, where they remake a series. Superman RETURNS is when Superman... RETURNS...) but they also made the right choice when they chose the actors for the movie. Not just the actor Brandon Routh, who does an amazing job not just mimicking Mr. Reeve's rendition of Clark Kent/Superman, but also by adding his own edge and charm to the character. And as for the Kevin Spacey/Lex Luthor, he was absolutely brilliant. I was worried that, like Chris Reeves, nobody could play Lex like Gene Hackman, but I was wrong. Kevin Spacey pulls yet another great movie off with his spectacular rendition of the villain who is as ruthless as he is hair-less. I thank Bryan Singer for once again an amazing flick that didn't screw up any of the legend and glory of the original comic.
For those of your wondering... Superman truly has returned.
For those of your wondering... Superman truly has returned.
The Da Vinci Code
(2006)
Pretty Decent Movie
21 May 2006
Overall, for those who never read the book (like me) it was a good movie. A few moments where you sat there and went "Huh?" but a little bit later things were explained, and a good few moments where people jumped out of there seats. All in all, the story holds your interest to a certain peak, but its not an action flick or anything for those idiots saying "this movie sucked! There were no explosions! I'm gonna go beat it to wrestling videos". Its what would be considered an "intellectual thriller" with as many twists and turns as a merry-go-round. I gave it a 9 only because I was one of those people who thought that maybe there was a little too much information, but afterwards I knew it was necessary.
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