wasecan

Ugh!!!

I got through one season, but I just can't stomach any more. So much garbage and nonsense packed into eight episodes. I, like probably most who made the mistake of watching this, assumed it would be at least similar in quality to the Chucky movies. No such luck. This dumpster fire of a series is a classic example of hastily-made, poorly written, and just plain cheap junk that someone figured they could make money on, being that the name and "brand" was already established. I can't imagine who would give this a high rating (oh yeah: studio lackeys...), but it there's no way it deserves more than a "2".

I was probably expecting too much, as I was anticipating seeing this for quite awhile. It was actually a decent movie. A little disjointed, with the timelines and all. I was constantly trying to determine the year by the clues in the dialogue. The acting was very good, as you would expect from a cast like this. It seemed to jump a little to quickly at times, just when a character or a situation was being fleshed out. Other times, it seemed to drag on, staying with a scene long after the point had been made. Another beef I had - with this one, as well as most "historical" period pieces made today - is that they bend over backward to get the styles, cars, clothing, etc. Just perfect to reflect the era. Then they completely do a 180 with morals and language. He meets a gal, they immediately jump in bed, going at it hot & heavy. Uh, this isn't 2024, guys, it's supposed to be 1940. Of course there were people like that then, they were called Johns & prostitutes. Very common, in some areas. But it would have been very, very unusual for 2 people to meet and go straight to sex, 2024-style, in 1940. Also women (again, non-prostitutes) didn't casually throw around f-bombs thike they do in this film. I realize they have to "sex it up" for today's viewers, but it ruins the authenticity.

The series was more-or-less interesting, but really went off the rails a few (or several) times. The lead was a mumbling stoner, a space cadet who was always in a daze. I don't know if the producers were trying to promote being a pothead as a good thing, but if it was, they failed. This guy was in a perpetual state of fuzzy brain, as are most potheads, but they just had to throw in the unbelievable angle of his mental function working well enough to be an intelligence agent. This would be the equivalent of showing someone who, every day, eats burritos and cinnabons for breakfast, quarter pounders, large fries, apple pie and ice cream for lunch, a box of donuts for afternoon snack, half a pan of lasagna and a whole pecan pie for dinner, and a box of chocolates and a bag of chips for an evening snack, all while doing no exercise of any kind, as a healthy, lean & fit man. Just not believable. He comes off as a mumbling, stumbling fool.

I tried. I really did. Just couldn't do it. Finally just shut it off near the end of the 4th episode. I was expecting a suspenseful, supernatural-themed mystery series. Sure there was some of that, but that was the exception. The entire underlying theme was sex, soft porn and soap opera. A little thrown in here and there? Sure. Every series needs some. This was way over the top. It was like "wake me up when they get back to the story". The story itself, when they would occasionally get back to it, was actually fairly interesting and engaging. Too bad the director stuck it on the back burner, sort of a background for all the sex scenes. Final straw: two male characters making out. Click.

Sorry folks. Just being weird and bizarre for the sake of being weird and bizarre doesn't do it for me. Maybe if I took a huge amount of drugs just before watching, it might be mildly amusing in a way only very stoned people could appreciate. Seeing the rating at 7.7 (I know, I know - I shouldn't base my watch list on that), I assumed it might be, well, SOMEWHAT decent. Wrong. Just a sloppy mess of acid-trip nonsense. Again, this might have some redeemable entertainment value if you are stoned enough, but it's absolutely horrible if you're sober. My guess is that the positive reviews are probably left by people involved with the making of this dud.

Bizarre is probably an understatement. It is very well acted, and the setting and camera work are done nicely.

It seems to be a high-quality "arthouse" type film that evokes emotion, but doesn't really have a plot line.

"Evokes emotion" is probably another understatement. It draws you in and keeps your innards tied in a knot throughout. It does go quite a bit over-the-top towards the end, but that's probably the aim. I'll give it a 5, mainly because it was effective as an emotional jackhammer, but only a 5, because I guess I'm one of those "shallow" viewers who like there to be some sort of coherent plot or storyline.

That line from the insurance ad kept running through my mind throughout this whole movie.

I thought this might be a somewhat interesting movie, even if it did look pretty teen-oriented. Wow. Talk about BAD. The writing is worse than anything I've seen for years. I usually scan through the reviews briefly, or at least look at the overall rating, to see if I'm getting into a cheap, homemade, amateurish piece of garbage. That being said, alot of highly rated movies today turn out to be, well, below average. So, if the general public overwhelmingly feels it's crap, it's usually something I'm not likely to be able to finish. This one I did. Barely. The writers are very obviously NOT professional writers, and possibly not even writing students. The actors are almost as bad.

Like another reviewer said, it's not even so-bad-it's-funny, like you'd see on "MST 3000". Just cheap garbage.

The middle hour of this movie is a pretty decent, heart-pounding sci-fi thriller. Score 9 for that. The first 15 min. Are mostly ground-laying and setup. Not bad, probably a 7. The last 15...

I'll generously give the last 15 a 3. That balances out the whole film to about a 6. I will say, it is original, which I respect - especially in light of what's come out of Hollywood recently. But, originality alone doesn't make up for the strange ending. Even after reading the writer's explanation, it still is pretty nonsensical.

Again, the middle hour of this movie is a pretty decent, heart-pounding sci-fi thriller. Score 9 for that. The first 15 min. Are mostly ground-laying and setup. Not bad, probably a 7. The last 15...

A few things I liked about this. The sets were very well done - very authentic. While Franco's acting was not really, well, good, a few characters were OK. The biggest flop was all the typical far-left garbage thrown out. Even more than most from Hollywood lately. All the correct evils: Nixon, Christians, meat eaters, gun owners, military, etc...

Without that unnecessary junk, it would have been about average.

A few things I liked about this. The sets were very well done - very authentic. While Franco's acting was not really, well, good, a few characters were OK. The biggest flop was all the typical far-left garbage thrown out. Even more than most from Hollywood lately. All the correct evils: Nixon, Christians, meat eaters, gun owners, military, etc...

Without that unnecessary junk, it would have been about average.

Definitely a riveting storyline, with good acting all around. It's one of those series' that keeps you watching "just one more" episode - even way late into the night. The characters are well fleshed-out and interesting, but one in particular is impossible to like. The main character (played by Gillian Anderson) is such a sleaze and a man-hating hypocrite that it's very hard to root for her. I just have to roll my eyes when she gets all righteous and indignant about people who might judge her because of her sleazy, bed-anyone-anytime lifestyle - then proceeds to declare that all men are evil, wife-beating dirtbags. Hmmm. Either judge and let judge, or don't judge at all. Her over-the-top hypocrisy is very annoying. The other "eye-rolling" aspect of her character is that the show presents her as some kind of irresistible goddess, when that character is an annoying jerk to everyone around her - especially men.

I thought this would be a mildly entertaining action series, but it turned out to be a very entertaining action series. Storylines are interesting, and acting is good. Also, pretty much devoid of all the, um, "PC" garbage that permeates most Hollywood stuff nowdays (can't say the dreaded "W" word, or this board will not allow the post). My only complaint is that the series, overall, is just too cliche. Lots & lots of the standard dialogue & happenings - you can usually guess what "twist" is coming up. I really wish it were more original, but even so, it's still better than most out there nowdays.

*Yawn*

Yet another Redbox-quality, "see if we can make a few bucks on this" cheapo. I know garbage like this has it's place. Heck, I know a few people who love these low-end, badly made flicks. I guess I threw a dart, not expecting much, and got even less than expected. Every now and then, there's a low-budget or indie movie that I find better than the reviews. Sorry. Not this one. The premise was interesting enough to take a chance on, but, as is more often the case, it is exactly what you might expect - so don't cross your fingers and hope this one is a "hidden gem". Keep trying, though....

I actually watched the American version for a couple of seasons before I watched this. The US one was, well, OK for the most part, but just not a real "keeper". The Brit version absolutely runs circles around it's US counterpart. Every character is fuller and more complete, not to mention MUCH funnier. All parallel characters are better from the Brit show. I like the viking from the US show, but the caveman is just funnier. The writing is also much funnier than the US version, which, like all American shows now, spends WAY too much time trying to be fully PC-compliant. The only US character that was really funny was "Nancy", the who came up from the basement for a couple of episodes. She was hilarious - they would have done well to give her a bigger role.

I didn't realize this was a remake until after I watched it. My first impression was, well. Sure, it is almost exactly Gran Torino, with all the un-PC bits removed and the usual, um, "present-day Hollywood legal requirements" injected. That was obviously necessary, though, as no film or series is allowed to be released without them. None. And who would put up all that money to make a film, only to have the "powers that be" in Hollywood refuse to release it because it doesn't meet the "minimum requirements"? Anyway, other than minor details, this is a well-made film, very well acted, reasonably engaging, but ultimately the story is just a weak version of Gran Torino.

I like movies with conflict and tragedy as much as anyone, but there was nothing in this story BUT gloom & doom. As almost everyone agrees, Fraser's acting was very good, as was the rest of the cast (IMHO). But the lighting, dialogue and constant misery just wear on a person after awhile. Also, the extreme twisted morals - a fairly recent Hollywood staple - were overflowing. Religion was treated as a horrible & evil thing - yawn. Same ol same ol'. He was portrayed as a kind of hero for abandoning his family for another lover. Oh yeah, a gay lover. I guess that makes him a hero. Now, if he left his wife & daughter for another WOMAN - well, as we all know - he would have been painted as a horrible, unsympathetic villain. What else? Oh, yeah: education is BS, being a stoner is a good thing, and it's OK to not get medical insurance that you most certainly CAN afford, causing people around you extra hardships.

Too bad Fraser's performance is wasted on this dismal piece of misery.

As someone who grew up in the 60s & 70s, I usually really like period pieces like this. The story was well-written and interesting (although it kind of went off the rails and sidetracked for a bit in ep. 7, but managed to steer back to the story). For the most part, the actors were great. The core band members were perfectly cast - except Riley Keough - who was just annoying in the role she had. Maybe just me, but something about her just flat-out didn't fit that character like all the others did. While the other actors created great, believable characters, she just looked like an actor reading a script. I would have liked to see Timothy Olyphant's character with a bigger part, also.

My second beef is the music that the band plays. The series' soundtrack was fantastic, but then the band would play that smarmy pop stuff, and the original songs they came up with were, well, just plain bad. I really think this could have been WAY better, had the producers hired a couple professional songwriters. Tom Hanks had a half-dozen REAL songwriters contribute material for "That thing you do" (including one himself), and those songs are as good - or better - than alot of the mid-60s pop & rock. They also constantly over-emphasize lyrics. She hears him read a few lyrics, and says "sounds like a great song". Uh, no. Sounds like great poetry. Great lyrics + crappy music = crappy song. Crappy lyrics (or NO lyrics) + great music = good song. Great + great = great. I guess for some people the lyrics are all that matters, but some of us are moved by the music more than the lyrics - and the music this band played (save for one or two examples) were all garbage.

Third beef: the same old, tired, game of Amazon, Netflix - or whoever - shoe-horning a completely irrelevant character into the series, for no other purpose than to try to make a political point. Sure, you get your "message" out, but it really wreaks havoc on the flow of the story. Plus, it always tends to get heavy-handed and preachy. OK, OK, we get it already. Sheesh!

Pros - Interesting enough to keep you watching. Scenery and effects are decent. Acting is pretty good, and the cast is perfect. Best of all, it's refreshingly free of the same old, stale, enough-already, w0keness that seems to infect everything out of Hollywood nowdays. Not "politcally-incorrect", just not w0ke.

Cons - Cheesy, unrealistic dialogue - especially from the youngest, Will. Every line he has sounds like a profound, dramatic proclamation. Very much NOT like a 10-12 year old's dialogue. Then there's the "comedy-relief", "class clown" characters, who are entertaining enough, but, come on, too much is too much. Also, the stopping cold right in the midst of major, life-and-death, every-second-counts emergencies to give an cheesy speech, or deal with petty teen crushes, ...ugh.

I guess what it comes down to is decent all around, except for the dialogue, and some of the writing in general.

I really, really tried. I kept hoping it wasn't as bad as it seemed. The writing and dialogue were beyond laughable, right from the get-go. This was even below "redbox" quality. I wasn't aware of the cast when I started watching, but was very surprised to see a handful of A-listers in this. I can't imagine what kind of leverage the studio had on them to get them to agree to something as horribly-written as this. The acting wasn't good, but absolutely every line of dialogue is cringeworthy, and had me rolling my eyes.

I rarely give up on a movie, but my wife and I both agreed halfway through that we couldn't take anymore.

The first few episodes were pretty good, although not up to GOT standards. Then, in episode 4, Princess Rhaenyra - who had been noble, wise & ethical - suddenly and inexplicably becomes a sleaze, pairing up with what had been her nemesis. Absolutely out of the blue and without any rhyme or reason. Completely lost me on that one.

Then, episode 6. Some of the main characters are now suddenly played by new (inferior) actors. This was probably to accommodate the sudden 10-year leap in time (although the actors replaced could have still been used effectively). This was probably the nail in the coffin for me. This whole mess seemed very sloppy and rushed.

And I'm sure there's a few 17-year-olds out there that only care about seeing CGI dragons, but they do nothing for me. I'd rather see them focus on well-crafted plot and characters instead.

The first 5 episodes are well-acted, interesting and engaging. Often difficult to watch, of course, due to the extreme sickness of the crimes, but still very well done.

Starting around episode 5 or 6, it completely turns into yet another woke-O-rama, The big difference between this and all the others with the same agenda is the ridiculous, over-the-top, almost cartoonish caricaturing of an entire race/culture. Every member of this particular race/culture (save for one priest) is depicted as horrible, evil, selfish, arrogant, racist, corrupt, and just plain bad (yes, ALL of them). EVERY member of all other races/cultures are depicted as decent, moral, ethical, kind, caring, sensible, and just plain good (yes, ALL of them). The ONLY exception in the entire series was a priest, and possibly Lionel Dahmer and Chief Arreola (although he was depicted doing the right thing ONLY because of public pressure). I have no problem with showing the truth, warts and all, as that is very necessary to tell the whole story. It's just that it turned into a clumsy, almost laughably obvious attempt at depicting ALL people of one race/culture as evil. Even all the minor characters from this particular race/culture are slimeballs - according to Netflix.

There's almost no other way to describe the last five or six episodes as anything other than racist propaganda.

Season one was hilarious. It seemed original enough, and the cast really clicked. I'm a huge fan of ANYTHING Steve Martin does, and I also really like Martin Short. Selena Gomez was reasonably good as the "kid", but it was really the Martin & Short show. The 2nd season just seems to drone on, like the writers were worn out from season one. There are plenty of decent gags & one-liners from Martin & Short, but the rest is annoying filler. Schumer was horrible - she must have paid someone off to get in this. They also had to play the *yawn* woke card in season 2, just like every other product out of Hollywierd today. Too bad - it had alot of promise at the start.

Not very well written to begin with, this series seems to be a nonstop barrage of overgrown teenagers (aka millennials) in a "Lost-Survivor-Bachelor" hybrid. Right off the bat, the only thing anyone thinks about is who will end up with who. The "mystery" element is a very weak attempt at copying "Lost". And fails miserably. Nice scenery, though.

Sorry. Wanted to like this, but it's just, well, bad. Mostly. I cut it a little slack because I know I'm probably subconsciously comparing it to the original. The main culprit for how sucky this pile of garbage is, is, of course, Jordan Peele..

Season 1 was pretty good. Nothing really heavy or deep, but funny and interesting enough to get me to DVR season 2 while it was running (I much prefer watching the whole season over the course of a week).

They really changed direction in season 2, It's definitely squarely aimed at the 18-21 age group. The characters are all suddenly power-drinking like teens, talking like teens, acting like teens, and the writers constantly throw in these "music video" sequences - which only appeal to teens. There's even a bunch of bizarre "S&M" scenes that, I guess, are supposed to be funny or "edgy", but just come off as sick & desperate. The whole season 2 follows this pattern, although it is still really funny.

Season 3 is more like season 1, although the storylines start to get a little weirder. Still hilarious - Alan Tudyk is perfect for this - but an awkward psychological "tell" about the writers/producers is starting to show. While all the millennial moms are reasonably decent, ALL the mothers/grandmothers of the millennial characters are horrible people. ALL of them. While all the fathers/grandfathers are written as decent, reasonable people. Looks like someone with a lot of influence in the direction of this show has some massive "Mommy issues".

Thought I would like this, but it was so cliched & unoriginal I could barely finish. The characters are ALL annoying - you root for all of them to be killed. It is VERY apparent that this was made for (and probably BY) 13-20 year olds. Everyone knows Hollywood is not allowed to make a single movie anymore without the required dosage of PC. This one goes eagerly over the top, and we are bombarded from the start. I was able to finish the season, but it just doesn't get much better. Definitely NOT something worthy of Stephen King's legacy.