McKealty

IMDb member since October 2012
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Reviews

The Curse
(2022)

A poor imitation of better attempts
Packed full of things done better in other places. And any attempts at originality failed.

Lots of creative decisions (frame wipes, catchy songs, montages) were innovative and interesting a decade or two ago. Now? Not so much.

All the male characters are different versions of the same archetype: bumbling fool/sitcom dad.

The women characters are just as undeveloped. The writers are just too afraid to have the women be the butt of a joke, so they lack any flaws. That isn't "strong women"...that's cowardly writing.

So because of this, you're not really invested in any of the characters. You don't really care if they succeed or fail, you're just watching to see what plot tricks they pull off.

All of this combines to make a very boring, very familiar experience.

Black Books
(2000)

Wasn't my cup of tea at first, but warmed up to it
Once you realize that it's not being played perfectly straight, the show actually gets pretty good.

I thought the performances were a little over the top and hammy but after a few episodes the tone of the show came through and I ended up enjoying it very much.

The Monuments Men
(2014)

Clooney must have been reading some Daniel Silva books
Clooney tries to channel the feel of Silva's Gabriel Allon series and fails miserably.

He has all the great cameras and lenses and equipment to make a nice looking picture, but none of the artistic instincts to know when to linger or really let a scene flourish.

He also doesn't seem to understand the human connection to art other than on some binary "good v evil" choice.

And what's a George Clooney movie without he and Matt Damon seeming to barely contain their smiles about how clever they make each other feel?

Hacksaw Ridge
(2016)

Fantastic
It started off a little maudlin but once he joined the Army the movie was absolutely fantastic.

The cast believed in the material and their performances reflect that. Gibson's direction is always solid and workmanlike, with a few really beautiful flourishes here and there.

Well worth the watch and well done.

American Assassin
(2017)

Completely disappointing
Because Hollywood can't make a movie with a Muslim bad guy, they had to twist themselves into knots and made this nonsense.

Leftwing, myopic millennials aren't the target audience of Vince Flynn books, so why make a movie aimed towards them? The better decision would have been to remain faithful to the source material and the original audience?

All that being said, it's not just that it's a bad adaptation (it most certainly is), it's a bad movie in and of itself.

Staged
(2020)

Pretentious dreck
Celebrity self worship. From the purposely disheveled hair to the forced Shakespeare quotes.

Better Call Saul
(2015)

Easily the most overrated show in decades
And the fans are completely insufferable. The loudest, most circlejerky fanbase in the world after comic book movie fans and Star Wars fans.

Robin Hood
(2006)

Not very enjoyable for some reason
The actors don't have much in the way of charisma and it's incredibly overscored.

Whomever the costume designer was went way overboard. Every outfit has more buckles and stitching and hooks and ornaments than the setting really calls for.

Merlin
(2008)

Extremely charming, great fun, tons of adventures
Completely unpretentious and loaded with charm, Merlin is a really fun show to watch. It never takes itself too seriously, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have anything to say either.

It deals with all sorts of important issues like friendship, love, betrayal, life and death. But always in a very enjoyable way, never overbearing.

I definitely recommend watching it.

Game of Thrones: The Long Night
(2019)
Episode 3, Season 8

This is terrible
If you think this is in any way good writing or a good show you need to get out more and watch more stuff. Because the nonsense this show has turned into is embarrassing.

Game of Thrones: The Long Night
(2019)
Episode 3, Season 8

This is terrible
If you think this is in any way good writing or a good show you need to get out more and watch more stuff. Because the nonsense this show has turned into is embarrassing.

Stargate SG-1: Frozen
(2002)
Episode 4, Season 6

Procedural medical drama
I've never been a fan of overwrought hospital drama where all the tension is just listening to someone yell medical terms (milligrams! intubate! he's crashing! stat!).

Probably my least favorite episode yet.

The Umbrella Academy
(2019)

More superhero comic book nonsense
Because obviously the market isn't saturated with this stuff enough, might as well make more.

"But this is different!" eyeroll

Stargate SG-1: The Fifth Race
(1998)
Episode 15, Season 2

Really great episode!
This is one of the more fun and interesting episodes of the series. It's got it all...science, drama, humor and best of all a really great plot that uses all the characters very well.

One of my favorites!

Dark Matter
(2015)

Derivative nonsense motivated by identity politics and forced "inclusion"
Every male character is evil and flawed, every female character is completely amazing yada yada yada....

Stargate SG-1: In the Line of Duty
(1998)
Episode 2, Season 2

Amanda Tapping MVP
This is one of my favorite episodes. Amanda Tapping really gets room to shine and she did a great job.

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