mikey_editor

IMDb member since November 2000
    Lifetime Total
    10+
    IMDb Member
    23 years

Reviews

Cajun Pawn Stars
(2012)

Basic and obviously staged
We have toi accept the "experts" are just that. I don't think so, There are too many experts in this small town. If you binge watch, you will see a lot of repeat sellers too. Amazing how they keep f9nding things to sell. I think they have this all mapped out in advance and juts bring in actors cast as sellers for the TV. I can see why it was not continued.. I do like seeing the variety. Do not believe any orices are real.

Hit the Road
(2017)

TV has finally hit the worst show ever
The fact someone greenlit this is atrocious. It is an abomination. flashing the butt of the lead singer is of minimal value. Did Jason Alexander do this to lose money? Every plot is thinly the same from casting a black character just to have one to having a brain-dead, post-smoking masturbating son, to the ripoff of the youngest child from any number of mindless movies, where the kid is the sweetest and living on an RV with the above miscreants.

American Grit
(2016)

Too much reality show
It's a fun escape. I think much scripted. Teams meet challenges and one member of each non-winning team has to pass an individual challenge in which one of those drops out. The physicality seems real enough Not much different than other competition shows. As it has completed filming, obviously all of them are paid something to not reveal the end, like all TV competition shows. I am disappointed the first team to be eliminated is obviously the only one led by a woman The injured competitors are also women. This is sending a macho message not all viewers will accept. Cena is impressive I do not understand the overall message, though. I do not see what is being proved other than the most fit will win

Beverly Hills Pawn
(2013)

Reality show doing it best
I love it when Yossi says these are friends of his. All the sellers are those who answered casting calls to "sell" items Yossi already had. They may well be acquaintances. It makes the deal making pale, though, as it is all set up. It makes the experts brought in look good because they have obviously appraised the items long before They had one cringe-worthy scene already wherein the"girls all stole hings and wore them to work the next, Hahahaha As for the cast, the blonde bimbo is an actress acting dumb. She is an accomplished performer, writer, singer and producer This is just her latest gig. The taller bimbo has no attractiveness unless you like hair-loss foreheads, Each are impossibly made up, with too tight skirts unless they are selling massages on the side This is not the Kardashians or even staged people from Alaska , It is a fine half-hour escape showing stuff really on the market in Beverly Hills. I like it.

Scrubs: My Musical
(2007)
Episode 6, Season 6

If this does not win an award . . .
The first reviewer is correct; the songs are so well-done and so appropriate to the continuity of the show. It makes you understand most of these folks have theater backgrounds because every mannerism is effortless. I hope they do one each year. Good voices, good choreography, a total package. It made me check on all the backgrounds. Even the guest star (Patti) was perfect for her role. She fit right in without the "guest star" sheen. And, I noticed, some of the regulars were not present which can only mean they don't sing so well and the cast was going for a real hit. They accomplished it. This is so Emmy worthy and the kind of episode which will become more legendary as time goes on.

Vanishing Point
(1971)

A great '70s movie
This is the essential 1970s anti-hero movie. It is not supposed to make sense and I have often wondered if it were not meant to be someone's psychedelic dream. Nudity when nudity would not seem to fit; bad cops; beaten people out of sync with plot line. Sounds like a trip. The cast is excellent and this is one of Cleavon Little's last main roles as well as the last main role for the early love interest. John Amos is so underplayed he is almost unrecognizable, I'd love to see his commentary on the movie. And one guy is so ripping off James Dean (though as a racist) that it is unintentionally funny. I'd recommend it as an addition to any American tape library. A true cult classic.

Leap of Faith
(1992)

The music alone is worth it
There is a depth of performance here, with a well-written script and a joyous celebration of con men. The role is an unusual one for Martin, who plays it straight and yet satirizes the character at the same time. Martin has never been better (OK, his hair could use work) and Debra Winger, Lolita Davidovitch and Liam Neeson lead a strong supporting cast. It also captures the small town American scene well. It's a high-tech revival show, starring Jonas Nightengale, faith healer and preacher. "Leap of Faith" is the first movie to reveal the actual methods used by some revivalists and faith healers to defraud their unsuspecting congregations.

at least 7 of 10 stars

That Thing You Do!
(1996)

The essential American movie
This movie has it all. Coming of age. A few plot swerves. Great American music. Young people in the fullness of life. I highly recommend it. There are so many positives here. The newness of some of the actors mix so well with established ones. There are almost too many cameos (including Rita Wilson) to catch. And Hanks works in so many old friends plus the record company he created for the movie now actually exists to carry all the soundtracks for his subsequent works. I like the music, all of it, from the featured tracks to the subtracks to the background noise of the other performers. The chronology is very believable as are the sets. The recreated hotel in LA matches everything you'd dream up. The bit with the beach movie (more cameos) is hilarious. You'll watch it to see what you missed the first time. Truly America in an innocent age.

The Late Shift
(1996)

A great look behind the scenes
as a former TV editor, I can say this is as authentic as it gets. It even led to Letterman's producer (thought to be a source) resigning (eventually) in real life. Letterman was outraged (OK, so one goofy thing is it has him throwing softballs at a tire swing on his estate; total fabrication) but the main information is hilariously true, from the silly bidding war for Letterman once he decided to leave NBC to Leno's problems with an agent who was not ready for big time, but who he let run the show (almost to a disastrous exit) out of his famed loyalty. If any of you kids don't grasp the idea of why Letterman is jealous to this day, see this tape.

Consequence
(2003)

Worth the Watch
This one keeps you stuck in your seat with enough twists and turns and sudden swerves -- I think of Pulp Fiction with more blood -- plus an absolutely delightful VW Beetle escape drive at one point. The deadpan Assante signature works this time.

Le Cinquième Élément
(1997)

A haunting memory of the future
Even the music is so unique: I recommend this for the pure visual pleasure and another bravado performance by Bruce Willis. He truly is the Gary Cooper of our time. His quiet exasperation and dauntless courage comes through again. Everything, as it should, plays off the Willis character. He is so much the everyman schmuck, but with muscles. The movie keeps you guessing, even though the general feeling is understandably, that we will survive, how to get there is never clear. Even the colors seem special to this movie. I have no problem telling my friends it is worth seeing as a rental or the occasional showings on HBO.

The Visitor
(1997)

Quality
This is a quality show, from the well-written scripts, to the carefully-chosen cast to the amazing plot line. There are patronizing cheap outs here. Even the things that go unexplained are well-presented so as to enhance believeability. It deserved a longer run (or, at least, a movie).

The Cowboys
(1972)

John Wayne's legacy
He made this movie after battling cancer once. It serves as a legacy in that he hands off the torch of experience in both the movie and in real life. Between 1965 and this movie in 1972, he turned in some of his best performances, including "Sons of Katie Elder" (1965); "El Dorado" (1967); "True Grit" (1969) and "Rio Lobo" (1970). The original novel which served as a basis for this script comes from the meticulously researched work of William Dale Jennings. It is a solid base for the work here.

See all reviews