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Reviews
Hotel Cocaine (2024)
Time wasting & dull in every way.
2 stars for few costumes & few music selections. Rest is literally a waste of time.
Many reviewers already stated their miscomprehension of why this series set in late 1970s Miami could go SO wrong. The answer is making it a modern soap opera plot, adding bits of previous hit series into it, & doing nothing original, using same cheap sets, cheap costumes, not choosing best iconic music.
Nothing is generic of this time period & place. After big fact intro of how lavishly unique this club & hotel were funded by cocaine big $$, viewer never gets to see or even glimpse this star studded original gem, basis of series.
After viewing 2 eps, each 1 hr long ep that feels like 3 hrs, I read the episode plot summaries & fast forwarded last ep. Nothing notable changed in entire series . This 8 ep entire series could fit in 45 minute show.
Casting: with such SLOW mostly talking, lots subtitles reading, SAME subject plot, same few cheap sets, there needs to be better casting & script. Lead Pino's hairpiece is obvious, as his near 60 yr age. His character age is supposedly in 30s, young & hip. His crude makeup to darken his skin tone makes him look even older. Pino was good in Cold Case. Other lead Chiklis is simply too old & too overweight to play DEA stereotyped role as senior citizen. His old age blatantly shows few times he actually moves. No mustache can hide being senior citizen. Rest of the cast, incl couple cameos of unknowns being iconic artists, all give same monotone forgettable flat performances of reading lines. So there's literally nothing for the viewer to enjoy, not even any "eye candy."
Watch the trailers, that's the entire series. DEF SKIP it series.
Yellowstone Wardens (2023)
.Show for PRO ILLEGAL Hunting, not conservation; Wardens for poachers, not wildlife.
Watched 1st episode from curiosity & became truly disgusted at the uncaring wardens who utterly FAIL to protect wildlife & REFUSE to enforce anti poaching / hunting laws in USA. No great scenery shown. No scenery at all except in car close ups or barren land zooms. This show highlights how these "veteran wardens" do NOT care about animal cruelty nor Illegal hunting / poaching of even endangered species in Yellowstone area.
This does show park wardens are very focused with PPL welfare, esp adults drinking liquor while lounging on anchored boats; & minor jet ski scrape which requires 3 warden teams to question few ppl for hours & make 1 arrest despite NO ONE nor creature was injured.
Yet re ILLEGAL hunting- wardens have total apathy which causes those few caught violators to repeatedly poach again bc virtually no consequences IF caught. When a large elk with huge antlers is found dead bc shot elk managed to walk 100 feet after being cruelly shot twice with exploding bullets, the warden repeats in awe "what a great trophy" ignoring TWO HUGE literal 1 FOOT WIDE deep manmade holes on the buck's R shoulder & R rear flank. The 14 point antler buck def suffered, but all the warden focused was on slaughtered elk's "great trophy antlers," enviously admiring the long antlers instead of showing any concern of how elk suffered before it was shot twice & died on private FENCED NO HUNTING LAND.
Re "endangered YOUNG FEMALE mule buck", another veteran warden fails to penalize 2 poachers who KNOWingly broke laws. Real significant penalties exist to deter illegal hunting endangered species. Here Warden questions both men for over 20 minutes & warden's dog finds poachers 5 inch bullet casing- evidence they're culprits. Incredulously, Warden states he "chooses not to fine them" bc they "told the truth & did him a solid." WTH??!! So lying for 20 minutes, proof found , & they finally ADMIT SOLE GOAL IS POACHING this ENDANGERED species, NONE are factors in warden's refusal to penalize them. These poachers were literally dragging female mule buck behind their car with tied rope.
If one wants to see how lax & Inept our paid park wardens are, funded by taxpayers $$ not poachers $$, then, watch this nauseating mistitled "reality show." These wardens are more concerned being stars of a 5 season show than doing their jobs- enforcing hunting/ anti poaching laws. There are unlimited illegal hunters who are NOT caught, fact this show omits. Series is Absolute garbage. All these wardens need replacing & deserve no federal benefits.
And the USA complains about other countries not protecting their remaining wildlife?
The Penguin (2024)
Nothing realistic nor captivating; dull & dark; needs better acting, plot, script & action.
How can prior posted reviews dare to compare this to "Sopranos" which grabbed viewers attention ASAP & had believable characters in the pilot? Here, only credible fact in this Penguin pilot is Colin's fat suit; his thick facial prosthetics prevent Colin from any subtle or varied facial expressions; his limp is inconsistent, aided by calf foot stirrup crutch akin to old polio days (Forest Gump) despite this 2024 time series.
The black teen Victor sidekick actor is completely unnecessary, of course the big boss is female, making plot bit political. Re teen sidekick, no hardcore gangster would suddenly start mentoring a literal stranger "semi wannabe delinquent" with NO ties to any crime family, esp tern caught stealing Penguin's car. ALL supporting cast are forgettable, no emotion, no solid acting, no character development, no suspense, no arc.
Here, NOTHING feels nor resembles memorable and successful "Batman Dark Knight film trilogy". Also pilot has no action, vast majority of time is lots of nonsensical disjointed dull talking, absent good acting/ emotion behind spoken lines.
Danny deVito's 1980s film Penguin portrayal was superior & true to comics, living in Gotham's sewers, dreaming & strategizing revenge, having no ppl friends bc he's shunned/ ridiculed due to his deformities & waddling, yet he had animal buddies. One could pity the comics penguin due to all persecution he suffered. Plus, deVito is physically very short. When deVito wears a tuxedo he resembles a penguin- hence the deserved nickname.
Here, series plot & script need a LOT of work. Little soundtrack/ music is awful & is totally ill matched. 1 hr feels like 3 hrs. Colin meanders thru mostly dark sets, costumes not eye catching, accents differ from each actor.
Ultimately this series is OVERhyped & very dull bc it's a prolonged disjointed dialogue snoozefest. Zero character & plot foundation for Penguin other than climbing the "mob ladder."
Does any 30-40 yr old man obsessively watch Rita Hayworth in bw? Does younger generation even know who Rita Hayworth is, or her famous "Gilda"? I'm writing this review while listening to the pilot- it's THAT boring & uneventful!
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
2nd viewing yrs later from boredom; regret time wasted
Unlike other Tom Clancy novel to film flicks, this is Most dull, far fetched, uncreative, huge plot holes, poor script, Ryan film in every way. I recall it was a bad dull film after 1st 2015 viewing. Yet bc I was bored & failed to remember anything, I recently viewed it 2nd time that confirms it's DEF skip it.
The meticulous bad Russians are depicted as so insipid, so gullible, all their sophisticated private tech can be breached in seconds after decades of detailed planning & placement. Lead bad Russian (Branagin) described by CIA as "brutal and paranoid", doesn't realize he's been pickpocketed twice after getting rammed in a 5 star spacious restaurant, & repeatedly refuses to verbally green light the economic part of sophisticated digital attack, the most VIP part of the entire plan. Branigan character literally spent his adult life in creating, developing, & dreamt to execute this Russian global plan. Instead, writers gave him ridiculous scenes partying with Ryan & Kiera, refusing to answer his phone, hours before execution. NO security oversees / guards the VIP computer/ servers when he's out, even after Ryan shows up uninvited in his Russian office & is deemed a true threat.
Inexplicably, Brannigan's character fails to execute repeatedly when it matters most- more poor script & plot writing lacking suspense bc film has gone into the prolonged absurd sooo long before this scene.
I completely forgot Kiera was in this film. Her role as the demanding, both independent & clingy girl friend is truly silly. Of course, nothing really happens to her which is unrealistic in itself during this "Wild West" gangster $$ grab time in Russia this film emphasizes.
Silly unneeded relationship plot. Jack fails to keep his CIA oath of secrecy bc girlfriend Kiera is angry he "lied" re seeing a film. Why does Jack keep the movie stub? He knows Kiera for 3 yrs regularly searches his personal things, too, but that's OK. Then obsessed Dr. Kiera suddenly is granted time off from work, travels to Russia without a Visa, & is allowed into Jack's CIA hotel room as a surprise. Yet no one in CIA is aware she's accomplished any of this, only bad lead Russians know her plans. However, re tracking decades of history from the bad Russian sleeper "off grid cell" unit in USA, CIA gets all relevant data instantly from computers during a jet flight.
Action scenes are predictable & incredulous as Jack with broken spine, is supposedly just an analyst who truly dislikes violence, has no spy field combat training, but instantly transforms into Ethan Hunt MI/ James Bond re shooting, fighting, & stunt car/ bike driving. None of action scenes are interesting either.
Ryan's Character time displacement. This film occurs before "Hunt for Red October"- far superior film in every way. Here, script writers updated timeline to modern 2014 when film was made, a huge nonsensical contradiction bc Russia govt / economy was stable after 2006, unlike the late 1990s after fall of USSR. This film ignores all previous Ryan hit films starring Harrison Ford too.
This utterly boring film fails to credibly show in any interesting way how Jack 1st got into CIA as an analyst. Costner is OK but lacks charisma as enigmatic leader like James Earl Jones.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Distortion of Tolkien's novels; needs better lead cast, script, & less meandering plots
Huge disappointment. If u read Tolkien's detailed unforgettable LOTR trilogy, this show fails to follow it. In any significant way.
If one has read the Hobbit or 300+ pages dry history of "middle earth" completed by Tolkien's son, this series fails to follow them too.
One Major problem is uncharismatic actress playing Lead elf warrior bursting with non credible "revenge & hate." In 2 seasons she displays same grim expression of anger. She gets a lot of screen time & dull dialogue too.
Tolkien's Elves are elite beings, ultimate nature conservationists/ environmentalists, not materialistic, nor desiring power over others; cherishing wildlife & its beauty; gifted with advance medicine, science, meditation, weapons, craftsmanship & magic. All various elven cultures reside WITH nature & in different habitats throughout Middle Earth; eating sparsely except for holidays; great elf leaders are of both genders possessing gift of foresight & wisdom, aided by experienced council. Here, these basic facts of elves are discarded..
This series intro states "time is 1000 years before LOTR events." Yet S2 previews show Gandalf & Elrond; dwarf king & Orcs; no Hobbit exists yet, but there's a new species of "star beings" with wizard powers, & nomadic fearful Hartford/ "halfings." Here the Halfings are supposedly ancestral hobbits. Again Tolkien's creations are disregarded bc Hobbits despise traveling outside beloved wooded Shire, love creating & eating gourmet food & drinks with friends.
This series has mostly poor casting & overall character development. Add several unrelated soap opera plots that unfold very slowly as if the show was to last 18 seasons, repetitive dull tedious dialogue, and result is befuddled boring formulatic mess. Little action, no tension, no suspension. Predictable female lead elf does whatever she wants, is really a copy of Captain Marvel, & is always best warrior without receiving injury.
Sad unimaginative writers couldn't simply take what Tolkien created & transfer it to screen. Viewer has to wonder exactly how the big 1 Bil $ budget to produce this show was spent bc it's not the actors, location, script, direction, score, cgi nor decor. 2 stars for the few lovely horses shown, & curing insomnia.
Frozen Planet II (2022)
Stunning & heartbreaking truth @ same time. Should be global Mandatory viewing in every classroom incl colleges.
This should be viewed by every person alive, esp in every type of school.
Cinematography is gorgeous at times, always lovely with good narration & updated facts by Sir David. New behaviors are filmed as wildlife that evolved for millennia in freezing ice worlds face steadily warming oceans & NO ice at all.
Anyone who believes mammals do not share human emotions have never seen harp seal pup relaxing with smile next to mother seal, then cry & show clear facial distress whenever she leaves, especially after the 12th day. The harp pup's look of utter abandonment after her last kiss of farewell, watching mother seal swim far away is as emotively clear as any human toddler's face, ncluding forlorn cries of loneliness. There's also young polar bears ice skating for fun, & playing with each other for days, being social & not living completely alone.
Absent ice or fast melting ice is devastating entire ecosystems causing snow wildlife to barely exist. Artic foxes, small & shy, are being bullied & over run by southern larger fox cousins who steal their food. Grizzly bears are eating artic wolves food/ newborn musks. Mother artic fox cannot provide for her young pups because artic birds refuse to breed @ usual sites. Polar bears are steadily drowning in ice free seas by hundreds yearly for past 20 years. Starving mother polar bears are leaving their cub(s) after 6 months instead of usual 18 - 24 months required for any polar bear cub to learn survival skills & mature into young adulthood.
This program focuses on how ICE on both polar regions are critical to planet's entire health & stable weather for humans. Heartbreaking are albatross, loyal mates for life spanning 50+ yrs, with largest wingspan in world, their 1 chick dying in nest bc of sudden violent killer storms, freezing winds over 125 mph with no parents to protect chicks. Same for emperor penguin chicks.
For those ppl still in denial, or complain "I don't need reminder ppl ruin nature" are missing the point. The series is highlighting that there's No TIME left to waste or wait for "another" to remedy this global issue.
This series was filmed in 2020, released in 2022 & reminds us that things have only gotten worse bc humanity as whole keeps wasting & consuming, focuses on short term greed, destroying only home we got, regardless of wealth One must witness these adverse changes bc most ppl feel insulated due to centralized A/C & heating.
These precious ICE ecosystems MUST exist for humanity to maintain its status quo / quality of life incl growing food.
Humans are top predators & control every part of this planet. It's our choice to cherish by change or apathetically discard by doing nil, dooming everyone.
Trashed (2012)
Global waste truths, real dire consequences & achievable remedies for everyone.
On Prime in 2024 , Jeremy Irons travels the world in 2010, visiting scientists who prove how human trash & plastic waste degrading in soil contaminates all rivers, oceans, wildlife & ultimately harm all ppl globally. It's both shocking but also hopeful bc film provides real answers that everyone can do IF one tries.
Some reviewers complain when Irons travels to Viet Nam & India, to show horridly deformed infants & toddlers 40 YRS after USA used most lethal sulfur "agent Orange" in war & huge impact of growing city has on adjacent villages. Would same commenters state it's"merandering distraction" if the youngsters were European? Only Viet Nam & Cambodia were drowned in deadly "agent orange" & suffer long lasting adverse effects generations later, proving how sulfur remains in mammals, & birthing baby is only way female can rid of some of her sulferyrixibs stored in body.
Film also shows dead whales, orcas & dolphins are autopsied & flesh tested for types of degrading plastics & toxins. More VIP, data provirs there's literally a a toxic soupy like film covering all oceans & rivers by 2011, that remain today.
Film's Global REMEDY to accumulated steadily growing deadly trash is DAILY CONSUMER CHOICE & changing our habits . All govts deny both trash burning & burying trash In landfills causes any harm despite all science, cancers afflicting ppl, deformed culled livestock, & massive govt deemed "toxic crops/ dairy foods" ordered destroyed.
Consumer can either continue def unsustainable discard daily packaged 1 n use items, incl global cigarette butts litter, or change one's behavior.
Remedy is NOT hard to do even after Covid. Irons shows genuine inspiring examples of how different ppl in different cultures changed to become truly garbage free.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Film of prolonged emptiness, bad CGI, similar stunts, & miscasting; no plot, no character depth; long slog of mediocre driving in sand.
Nothing in this long prequel film resembles the enjoyable unique hit of "Fury Road" including the casting. Here, this prequel fails epically to show Furioso's childhood history with Immortal Joe, bad "breeder" leader with bag breather. Chris H. (Thor) is miscast as another yet supposedly different "bag guy" & script fails to give him character depth. Worst, lead young actress who looks 14- 16 with most screen time playing Furiosa cannot act nor resemble C. Theron in either physique nor Theron's great credible performance.
Plot changes for worst bc IF world became post nuclear / climate change land of inhabitable dust, humanity would become Lord of the Flies - strong MALES or maybe females with supporting strong males would rule. Trained Skills, education & rare resources would be gifted to select ppl while rest remain without. This was made clear in every Mad Max film except this one. In this era of formula writing, Young TEEN Furiosa can do anything withOUT training simply bc she's female, incl being best sniper shooter, drive huge tricked out war rig, making vehicles, expert in robotics & neurology, metal wielding, stunt driving anything, combat fighting, & plant microbiology. She's very thin but can easily kill any muscular man in his prime.
Also, the Citadel young men aka milk men/ boys of Immortal Joe have suddenly become soft gentlemen. Furiosa is not touched as if she were in Victorian times; she's believed to be "male" for YEARS bc she wears a handkerchief mask. No clueless male can tell she's female despite everyone living together in a cave. Even when Furiosa no longer needs to hide her gender, all males accept her privileged position & she's not treated like rest of females.
Last, film title does NOT match the film bc there's NO Mad Max character in any of it. There's also No suspense, no arc, no emotional depth, just many dull car / bike chases & some predictable stunts with cheap CGI, no good script nor lines for any character. Film feels like 5 hours instead of over 2 if one can stay awake.
Predator v Prey (2024)
Montage of old pbs , BBC & NG Savage Kingdom clips.
I watched cheetah episode because I adore big cats. Sadly, poor Script gives the WRONG facts , wrong current data & erroneous biology especially why the cheetah became the fastest land animal. Cheetahs evolved to catch small fast twisting Thomson gazelle, their main prey & reason why cheetah body evolved thru millennia esp snapping spine launching 1 leap to 20 feet, to catch that specific gazelle. Hyenas pose greatest threats to cheetahs in wild, especially since 2005 as lions face extinction.
In 2022, there less than 1,500 wild cheetahs left and every year 10% - 20% continue to vanishing due to habitat loss, prey loss, & ppl interference.
Completely vast pristine wild habitat shown here has NOT existed in the past 17 years. Cheetah males do not kill cheetah cubs to mate like lions.
Omitted fact is Cheetah tail is the rudder that allows sudden twists & turns required to trip speedy Thompson gazelle. Cheetah do hunt other prey differently like young Warthogs, newborn deer.
Only one out of ten hunts are successful for best cheetahs. Many do starve & are forced to scavenge. There have been some Cheetah super moms well documented. Male Cheetahs comprise into a coalition, the 5 "Beastie Boys" being the most famous and died by 2020.
Narrator sounds like a very poor copycat of Tom Hiddleston, and narrates in dull monotone voice. Hunting water is very difficult for cheetahs, & delta has dried up due to human farming sucking it dry & climate change turning delta into desert with intense droughts, causing dry season to last YEARS not 8- 15 months. No "5 million wilderbeast migration" anymore, just 500k + others = 1 million animals total that continue to dwindling yrly in size. Most expensive private game parks have manmade eco diversity. No gore here so it's rated G.
Most offensive is this series states it's dated "2024," while showing OLD AFRICA clips; narrator fails to give new data and all the new dangers cheetahs face daily, humans being the greatest threats; ie., Typical for 70 TRUCKS with engines to circle a successful mother cheetah kill while her hiding cubs wait for her quiet chirp but cubs cannot hear her repeated calling over the bombast of human noise pollution. Thus, the mother/ cubs are either killed by hyena / predator or she must Abandon her kill, hence she cannot produce milk nor feed her cups.
Apple earth @ Night proved Cheetahs are becoming nocturnal due to constant tourist invasion bad behavior that disregards their welfare since yr 2000. Lack of Thompson gazelles prey bc ppl set thousands of daily traps for free meat is certainly not helping wild cheetahs nor an any wild predator either.
None of these VIP current facts are stated this dull silly series of recycled clips that are not even enhanced.
Def a SKIP it series.
BBC 20 Yr old The Hunt & Africa (2012) are far superior docu films of top predators & mammals.
Snowpiercer (2020)
Gets worse each season, esp S4, becoming left wing political show instead of main theme
By S3, all good actors left incl Connolly & Sean Bean. By S4, after a coupe & Leyton leading mutiny for "democracy" where ppl died , it's now Leyton's world, & every last human is fine with Leyton dictating whose life matters which is usu his own & his relatives.
Leyton has been written as a black savior, "only one" who can lead & fight despite possessing no scientific nor engineering skills to aide the train nor new Eden. Leyton is the "angry black man." Everyone , incl the wealthy, is fine with sacrificing their freedoms, lives & family for whomever Leyton chooses.
Wilford, well played by Sean Bean, is "evil" bc he's white. Never mind it's Wilford who built both trains & Global track , sustainable food, energy, etc & is brilliant engineer. Most VIP, Wilford hand picked paying passengers of his train & all his loyal employees, scientists, drs, healers, entertainers, & lady loves. Wilford allowed freeloaders like Leyton to live & gave them precious resources too.
All Acting become poor bc writing gets intensely lazy & by the numbers in this era of shows. Gone is the uniqueness of living on nonstop train with expiring resources in a deeply frozen world, hoping climate somewhere becomes habitable.
Mildly enjoy S1 &2 but skip 3&4. Film is more believable.
Elysium (2013)
Starts out promising, wasted cast talent; dark comedy & times
It's not ET nor anything originally intelligent. Sadly, this planet will be in similar state soon except "billionaire space club" hasn't built Elysium yet. IF top privileged did, it would be protected at all costs. If u can over look the many plot holes & typical format @ the time this film was made, there's humor in it. Wish Fichner had more screen time. Kruger is a seen stealer too bc actor enjoys his character & plays it to max. Foster is ok, she's done better.
The msin thing to remember is to know Matt is like Iron man & of course will prevail. Biggest plot hole is lack of security from the CEO who created & coded Elysium & all machines that run dilapidated overpopulated sickly poisoned Earth & its inhabitants who also have very sophisticated tech and weapons too.
Thus, Enjoyable, just disappointing bc creative writers gave up after 20 minutes.
Tiger (2024)
Enhanced film of BBC old Tiger spy film; old clips made to appear new.
Disney regularly buys old films, enhances pic quality & re narrates / re scores them to stream as "new." A lie.
This film is made from the original groundbreaking BBC Tiger Spy in the Jungle, filmed in early 2000, with Sir David @ height of his nature shows output & narration. 90 minutes of that old incredible gorgeous detailed Tiger film of super mom & 4 cubs was cut before its mass release from German co. Those old unseen 90 minutes are inserted here in this film. Entire BBC "Spy" Sir David series is excellent, capturing true natural behavior with many hidden cameras, & filmed when planet still had pristine areas packed with wildlife, unlike today. Series is on Prime.
Here, India's tiger reserve has NOT looked like this in past 17 yrs due to bombardment of local tourism & more public interest. Sadly, still much ppl noise, extreme prolonged heat, extreme drought, draining of tigers reserve water stolen for farming, illegal livestock grazing daily in Tiger reserve, & ppl poaching tigers main prey & tigers themselves ALL contribute to less tigers, esp NOT breeding.
Fact: Tigers need QUIET diverse rich ecosystems without ppl to survive. Tigers cannot be darted, transported to new area & expect to survive- many young adult tigers have died bc they need to master their environment, means YRS with Mom as mentor, Dad as protector, in their "childhood to adult" area.
Trying to make this film hip by inserting modern songs is totally silly bc its nature, not rock concert.
Tiny World (2020)
Beautiful cinematography; several BBC clips; good script
This series shows what most consider as bland as fascinating & fragile. Nothing really bad occurs so it's a feel good docu. . It does show hard struggles of survivorship. Of course, some creatures & scenes were staged bc it's impossible to film such detail of minuscule, fast beings & plants. BBC did the same.
Rudd does a solid job of narrating, & no false facts are stated.
Episodes are short so if one needs a "pick me up," this is the series. The "Savanah, meadow, pond & coral reef" are my favs. Little human impact is shown but that's not the focus of this series which is how smallest creatures in different ecosystems still must fight to survive & are required in an ecosystem, or human old share with nature farmed meadow.
After years, this Apple series is still enjoyable & rewatchable due to some new gorgeous footage , good script, & solid narration.
Knox Goes Away (2023)
Keaton carries entire film; Marsden is solid; not an action film
Better editing would've made this film more effective. Keaton does a good job directing but script needs improvement bc plot is simple. Marsden playing his son gives solid performance. Pacino is simply saying lines. Thankfully No time jumping scenes which occurs in ppl suffering from dementia. Keaton acts out the blanks with credibility.
Keaton's character shows a meticulous credible behavior similar to "Dexter" series, & performs them well incl the photography.
This film is def a streaming one re quality. The worst character was the bratty daughter. If she was abused or homeless, that would explain her ridiculous selfish emotions in her brief screen time. She's old enough to give consent in some states, but zero character development of her online then real love affair with predatory older man to explain her deep devotion. Since birth, daughter been surrounded by loving caring middle class parents in good neighborhood.
There are few twists but if one watched enough CSI shows that flooded free TV for a decade, one knows what Keaton was doing, thus no real mystery. Virtually no score either.
Thus, watchable in today's standards despite prolonging the end.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Missed opportunity of VIP true tragedy that remains Osage daily lives.
I didn't know this was based off a book which others reviewers stated is very good. DiCaprio really tries to deliver. Casting should've been better. This film is near 4 hours long, yet nothing is truly memorable.
Today's Osage ppl are not wealthy anymore. This horrific era for them is named "Reign of terror." There were many, many more known but uninvestigated murders of Osage natives to give whites oil rights, then land & mineral rights. Osage were & remain under Indian bureau of land management, thus isolated from other native Americans. Osage ppl were "compensated $138 mil" decades later after litigation from govt, but Indian Bureau of land management still controls their wealth, lives & bought land. Do quick online research from Osage descendants reporters & get real story & facts.
Such a wasted Opportunity from Scorsese to make an engaging film, esp the ending. It doesn't need to be a docu. "Wolf of Wall Street" was engaging though very few real life facts, but it was memorable & entertaining. "The Reverent" or Costner's "Yellowstone" are both fictional tales, big & popular hits, with fictional characters based on true history of American Natives & remaining bias in this country.
Flowers in the Attic: The Origin (2022)
Dull cast & plot with inaccurate historical plot inserted.
Entire cast is weak except Kelsey Grammer, who has two minutes of screen time. Shame he did not play a lead character which would've saved this show based on.popular novels. Nothing shown reflects authentic 1919 in segregated Virginia USA, esp black workers, gay ppl, poor whites, & women's rights. Lead female narrates her feelings & emotions bc lacks acting dkills to display them, like rest of cast.
Series starts out bit interesting that an Independent,, single woman is working as equal business "Partner" with her father before 1919. Grand mansion is way too clean with few house servants . High society in USA back then would've made in depth "inquiries" of unknown male suitor before she married, not just rely solely on rumor of wealth. There would've been real in depth courtship too if she were so beloved by her Dad & male cousin as narrated. Lead female has no $$, no dowry is spoken of, so WHY rich handsome Southerner marries a poor non Traditional southerner who is not beautiful, charming nor young is utterly silly. New hubby has lots of Southern traditional manners that were the norm back then, but is narrated as "evil." The estate is deemed "evil" too bc of its Virginia location.
This SLOW moving 4 ep series plods on, shifts to soap opera plot incl incest & current political agenda is clearly inserted making this series nonsensical. Its timeline is much older than well acted & cast film " the help", yet here blacks have all the power & common sense.
Lead female quickly changes into her hubby, despite narration, & soap opera plot / agenda continues. Best part of this series is the estate & grand house, but only 3 rooms are shown. . Despite vast wealth, no character travels, no balls, gowns, jewels, nor parties are shown - all Southern customs. No one really age's either, some cast are ageless, & hubby is always "late for unspecified work." Time drags in this boring, short series that feels like 12 episodes instead of 4.
OK to play this while doing chores due to constant narration.
Severance (2022)
8 for 1st 3 eps; 6 for rest of series; more subplots & plot holes irritate viewer
This was very interesting when it premiered in 2020. After 2nd viewing in 2024, it has not NOT aged well because of the huge potholes, too many subplots, and too many cliffhangers, giving viewer no real payoff esp after slogging through 3 of the last eps.
Most of cast is well chosen with good acting & having chemistry among cast too. Mark, Petey, Haley & P. Arquette are well cast with good acting. Ben Stiller directs 1st two episodes well, giving it humor & uniqueness. Lumen itself remains a mystery intentionally - a mega corp that's "into everything."
Main cons: WHY is Mark so VIP that his boss must watch him 24/7? In 3 yrs, why has no one, incl Mark's sister or her hubby, visited his obvious nosy neighbor Arquette's fictitious bakery store? Mark has good Character development from the start, so viewer understands Mark's reason to sever himself. The rest of the cast do not get real Character development. Writers give superficial depth to their characters, keeping the viewers guessing as to why they chose to be severed. S as Leo, why Lumen is so strict re emotions & following rigid rules, microruling every act @ work while severed, & every punishment, though viewer must guess WHAT ARE consequences of accumulated "penalty points."
IF Haley had been given a Lumen VIP executive job with lots of perks, instead of data entry, there would've been no Catalyst antagonist. Petey was being developed initially until the writers sadly abandoned his character.
Last Con: Mark's sister has broken her promise again by telling anyone Mark is "severed." Plus she fails as new mom bc she cannot hold her newborn & listen to frantic Mark speak with house full of close friends incl her newborn's Dad. Mark "talking to his sister" is 1 constant reminder repeated throughout series. So when Mark urgently begs to finally speak to his sister, she IGNORES him, a prolonging tactic writers use to extend episodes without any plot. Summer
After ep 4, script gets convoluted & unnecessarily prolonged without payoff. All humor has faded too. Apple states it plans to release S2 in 1/2025. With so many cliffhangers and public's lack of attention span, I doubt many will be awaiting S2 bc 5 YRS is too great of time lapse, esp with each character getting a cliffhanger in last ep of S1.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
Series of ptsd, Not Godzilla, no monsters; Soap opera, plot and script.
Kurt Russell & Anna (Cate) save this series from being Unwatchable. Ep 1 starts out interesting for 20 minutes, then time jumps start occurring rapidly, big plot holes, & by Ep 2 full soap opera mode/ plot/ script. Of course, current political agenda is pushed hard in this series- glad I don't need to explain all public Female Intimacy to a young kid.
Re modern Tokyo- it's one of the most densely packed cities in world. May being a black female will stick out obviously, like EVERY foreigner.
Also, it's Incredibly insulting to tech crazed Japanese that only an American black female can convert tapes. More incredulous is that May has many "spy level" fake passports & resides in HUGE apartment with many screens & computers, working as freelance "home editor" like in the 90s, before iMovie was created for every smart phone.
Fortunate Tokyo families reside in ONE 40 x 40 ft room. Many singles live in "Pigeon holes" or stacked tubes. More incredulous plot- Japan remains rigidly STRICT regarding passports from foreigners incl those with work Visas. If one overstays vacation, better have good reason. Govt deports & bans entry to Japan IF one even APPEARS to have done something wrong, not even breaking any laws. Also, Japanese remain incredibly male chauvinistic, which is why Japan has real "working class population problem" because it's female citizens refuse to marry nor birth any kids, not wanting to give literally everything up to the male spouse, her career, freedom, & all her property like their mothers.
Japan is also like France regarding language- One must speak it perfectly to blend in. Anna/ Cate said she didn't speak Japanese after her father's disappearance more than a yr ago. So how can she speak it flawlessly on whim?
Did all the creative writers in Hollywood after the long strike decide not to work or create anymore? Every new show is Predictable and formulatic. Russell's son should know how to mimic his Dad, but he fails.
2-3 Monsters are shown very briefly repeatedly, usually the same clips from Cate's ptsd flashbacks. Def wrong title bc there's nothing about monsters, Godzilla, or even Monarch in this series to add to the films.
Mammals (2024)
Recycled enhanced clips from other docs; nothing new.
This series is nothing like Sir David's "Life of Mammels." Here, Every episode is a montage of footage from many other docs including Apple's Earth at Night series. Insects are shown as fillers. Lots of $$ & time was spent to make Sir David's 98+ yr old failing voice 15 yrs younger, by inserting old enhanced clips. His narration switches from when he was 60 to 85,
If you've been an avid nature doc watcher who also bought the DVDs, streaming shows, save programs in DVR, you will see many of same clips. The few "new" clips are ones edited out from previous docs, enhanced & inserted here.
Sadly despite all the editing to make this series appear new by inserting 15 yr old enhanced clips with younger Sur David narrating, causes the series to be Disneyfied, meaning nothing bad is shown.. It's certainly not even a good BBC doc. "Perfect Planet " & Apples "Year the Earth" changed are the last 2 truly new & fascinating docs from Sir David, showing how this planet & every drop of water is ALL CONNECTED with wildlife being 24/7 custodians. Without wildlife, there's no wild places - fact repeatedly proven in 20+ yrs. Independent films Plastic Planet, Intelligence of Trees; Seasons; old but still good NG Volcano doc made in 1990s narrated by J..Irons (Prime) are all ground breaking.
Re BBC: "Frozen Planet 2" was last solid groundbreaking doc proving how PPL are THE MAIN problem & WE control our future by cherishing last few intake wild natural places, managing resources esp seas, or through apathy & short term greed, we let this once global paradise die, dooming our own future.
Remedy: Our global CONSUMER purchasing power & bit of behavior modification that aids our health & pocket book is all it takes to stop this drastic death of our planet.
The CURE: For those who DON'T know simple remedy/ cure: 1. Eat 2 vegan meals every week &.
2. Weather proof one's home. That's it.
Bonus: Stop eating all poisoned sea life/ creatures loaded with 10-20x toxins, mercury, lead, & centuries of human chemical waste. Eat omega PLANTS or capsules bc fish do NOT POSSESS omegas- fish eat omega greens. DO NOT eat Krill pills bc ALL sea life depends on krill, esp Blue whales who CREATE KRILL& plankton via fertilization- proven facts by scientists. Without polar ice that's melting faster in past 1 MIL YRS, there's no habitats for krill/ plankton - foundation for all corals, fish & sea mammal life. Farmed fish & shrimp are ALL diseased- see "Seaspiracy" filmed in 2009, Plastuc Planet 2010, Netflix Chasing Coral 2007, & Frozen Planet 2 (2012).
Re THIS series. It's OK for toddlers but to show decades old enhanced clips of pristine ecosystems that are EXTINCT & shown as "current" is a DISSERVICE to those who do not regularly watch nature docs, once free on PBS like all TV once was 10 yrs ago, nor read / listen to scientists re state of our rapidly changing planet. This is esp an illusion to young kids / adults who must live / survive their entire lives in a dying planet with truly unstable weather that increases YRLY, including release of tons of instinction level methane bc of daily melting ice caps, no creation / retention of annual sea ice, & MASS wildlife extinction that stores same killer methane for HUMAN benefit.
Nature has been giving PPL loads of escalating warnings since 1980 - are we listening?
The Crowded Room (2023)
Pointless, slow burn, wandering confusing flat plot
Tom Holland gives a fresh and comedic performance in Spider-Man trilogy. This "Thriller / mystery" series gives viewer opposite as he carries the entire series with dull cast. This is definitely not Blackbird, which is engrossing and well cast.
Here, there is way too much confusion and subplots distracting from the main plot of the opening scene, which is WHY did Holland's character attempt to shoot someone but couldn't ? WHO was the intended victim? How many victims actually exist? After three long episodes, each over 40 minutes, Viewer is still not given any of these vital facts.
Worst the seasoned serial killer "expert" profiler detective is a pretty young female that looks 21, in a police station filled with experience male seasoned cops. She can neither act nor possesses any credible experience to be such an expert, let alone obtain her Doctorate and write a book. Think Dexter who writers created at end of series- a mature intelligent female psych who created rules Dexter's Dad instilled in him so he wouldn't be a menace to society.
Here, Today's modern agenda is heavily pushed into a 1974 era plot and is obviously awkwardly placed.
More VIP, the pretty blonde "expert" fails to ask any provoking lines and Holland's character fails to deliver any relevant answers. Many brief confusing flashbacks do nothing to engage the viewer. No one is watching this high profile interrogation behind the glass nor is this being recorded. Entire unknown cast is flat, no suspense , no emotional investment causing viewer to be just as apathetic to series.
After slogging through three eps of this series, I doubt I can watch anymore or kill off anymore brain cells. There is more ludicrous plot holes, but I've wasted enough Time on this absurd DEF skip it series.
Earthsounds (2024)
Lovely filmography & good narration with interesting facts; must see
This Apple series is well done, showing how wonderful natures' sounds are WITHOUT PPL noise that bombards entire planet 24/7.
Best, the Apple film/ sound crew did not harm nor kill any of wildlife shown in this series, unlike Disney's "Ghost in the mountains" & "Born in China" films where Disney crew repeatedly darted & collard the supermom snow leapard renowned by natives, & then cruelly watched her die slow death of starvation along with her 2 FEMALE TEEN CUBS. If Disney didn't choose her for their film, she def would've survived & raised her 2 cubs to maturity- so skip THAT film.
Here, Apple crew film with many hidden camera traps & wait over 2 yrs to capture snow leopard mating call & courtship.
Many enchanting new clips are captured. Tom Hiddleston does very good narration with better written interesting script, showing glimpse how fragile & vulnerable top predators are in reality.
What script omits are vast amounts of resources PPL take DAILY ie, known fact in few managed seas - whales, orcas, dolphins, seals etc as total group only take 1% of ALL fish, esp herring, while PPL TAKE OVER 95% of ALL & every fish type DAILY. This should be in script. Also, Japan kills all dolphins while its huge ships fish in other countries oceans & international waters bc Japan deems dolphins as "competition eating too much fish." Watch the horrific chilling true docu "the Cove" if u don't believe this. Fact not in script: Other 4% = billions of bycatch that's killed & dumped back into the sea as trash, from endangered turtles to sharks to orcas- all "trash bycatch" due to NO regulations of fishing in last few places fish are somewhat plentiful. NATO govts refuse to regulate the seas.
Here, there's no gore so rated G. Hearing nature with new tech microphones & recordings is a delight. Many shots are old bc planet no longer looks pristine, & last ep gives behind scenes tidbits of consequences of global warming. See Plastic Ocean filmed over 10 yrs ago, or Netflix's Chasing Coral 2009.
This Apple series is similar to Sir David's 35 yr old wondrous "Birds of Paradise." Since 2005, many Scientists have been studying global "sound pollution by PPL" & real adverse affects esp to endangered whales, turtles, dolphins & orcas; script should include some of those facts.
When Sir David finally retires, it should be Jeremy Irons or Tom Hiddleston as voice of BBC.
Big Beasts (2023)
Good for very young kids; what planet WAS 75 years ago
Tom Hiddleston does a good job in narrating a script written with very basic solely positive facts for very young kids/ toddlers where nothing bad occurs in nature. Lots of factual omissions ie, rate of species survival; every giant Pacific octopus lays eggs only once bc she dies & out of a clutch of 100K eggs, only 1 newborn octopus will mature & lay eggs; blue whales are dying from lack of global large krill blooms, grey albatross tha mate for life are very critically endangered due to climate change & now not 1 chick will survive bc of sudden violent storms & mother albatrosses are dying faster in seas due to human over fishing & ingesting plastic contaminated fish that kills albatross, adverse consequences of human ocean pollution. These facts are well documented in last 15 yrs due to scientists tracking these critical species lives & cause of deaths.
Here, most of film are clips from previous docs. Sir David's docs : Life; Mammals, Blue Planet 1&2, & Frozen Planet 1&2 are far more educational with gorgeous filmography.
If u want to see what we destroyed & what SHOULD BE & ignore the truth, then these short episodes of half truths is for you.
It does give the very young kids an enchanting semi fictional introduction of nature in most basic terms. Old clips have been converted to HD. After this, show the young above stated docs on CURRENT state of this human planet & how PPL are ones choosing to cherish or discard to humanity's detriment.
Versailles (2015)
Fairly good at times S1&2; S3 dull; more of real Versailles should be shown.
NOT Tudors, NOR Borgias. NOTHING like film "Elizabeth" starring Cate Blanchate & great star cast. NOR is it DiCaprio's film with great cast "Man in Iron mask."
Here, Versailles is supposed to be a series about how Louis XIV built famous Versailles. But very little of how it was built is shown except for few of Louis' "visions." Most humorous parts were interactions between royal Brother Phillipe & his true soul mate Chevalier, a love that endured 70 yrs in truth. Chevalier's unpredictable many acts of jealousy = comedic relief for show & proved his love for Phillipe. This real relationship is completely erased in S3.
Despite large budget, most characters wear same custom/ dress/ jewelry/ hairstyles for YRS in all 3 seasons, despite being royals & having "lavish wealth." No CGI here, series was shot in Versailles palace or other opulent French palaces/ gardens. Wish MORE of Versailles was shown instead of same 4 rooms, chapel, 1 pond & fountain. Should have been more horses, carriages, boats, & riding too. Louis Sunking was infamous for opulence!! During his reign, torture was normal. Here Sex was normal. I don't understand the prudes who criticized the sex in this show & caused S3 to be so dull & rated G. This show is NOT for little kids. Also, bedroom scenes are VIP to show how women gained power @ time when men owned women as property; females in public couldn't even speak unless spoken too, even a married queen.
Script / plot: Political intrigue is lacking along with dialogue; acting is above average for some, barely average for others. Sex breaks up the monotony of dull script. Several eps in S2 prolong the Dutch William of Orange meeting. Lack of security, esp guards or Musketeers around both king & queen, & along VIP parts of King's road is very skeptical bc Louis quickly moves out of Paris into Versailles & starts rebuilding it when show starts. All royals in world had secret guards & spies everywhere. Road bandits stealing / killing regularly is incredulous, esp royals who traveled with many armed guards in reality. True but prolonged poisoning plot gets tiresome bc every noble/ servant can get any poison from same source except Louis' spies/ secret guards. Nobles stand out from public due to fine horses & silk cloaks vs filthy rags impoverished public wore. Crime was real against any rich noble who ventured out alone, esp young girls. Thus there's not a lot of good plot in series despite France's & Louis rich history. Shame & wasted opportunity.
Amazon streams S1&2. Tubi streams S3 bland drawn out skip it S3.
S3: True Rome & Pope had lots of political power throughout Europe during this time of religion & little science, when kings were deemed "anointed by God" but that's common knowledge & unnecessary to continuously repeat theme.
If you have nothing better to watch, see S3 but prepared to be bored many times. How S2 ended was solid ending & the show's formula didn't reverse itself as in S3.
So semi enjoy 2 seasons, & know you've haven't missed anything by NOT watching S3 - a dull, chaste, Catholic / religious "search for God" obsessed plot with & meandering subplot "man in mask" who is a fictional "relative" created by writers.
Blue Planet Now (2019)
Whale sanctuary review
There's only few moments of grey whales shown in Baja California despite the title "Whale sanctuary." More footage of green turtles, newborn hatchlings & esp sharks are shown in this ep.
My 6 rating is due to some incredible shots of ppl interacting with all types of sharks to debunk the false "Jaws" unwarranted myth author Peter Benchley deeply Regretted for the rest of his life, and created a foundation to remedy the "fear myth" theme in his Best selling book.
Once ppl see how calm & rational all sharks truly act in their natural habitat with lots of bloody bait in the water, one will NEVER believe the FICTIONAL film or book again.
Sharks are NOT mindless ppl "killing machines" holding grudges or seek revenge killings as Falsely depicted in "Jaws films".
ALL sharks are requisite top Intelligent predators that NEVER HUNT humans as meal. Surfers get Accidentally bitten, not eaten, bc their modern surfboards are intentionally shaped like seals, & resemble seal esp when kicking surface. Hawaiian long surf boards do not get bitten bc their profile fails to resemble any seal.
Here, Penguins are briefly shown but the result of trying to rescue a colony by moving them with decoys is not given in this ep.
Liz allows other scientists to speak - a relief.
2 other male hosts show brief shots of other marine life. It's a worthy watch.
Note: This series is OUTDATED in 2024 bc much has adversely changed globally in past 5 yrs, esp intensive shark fin soup craved by China, & every country OVER FISHING, incl large ships choosing to travel where fin & blue whales regularly eat causing strikes that kill these whales; & Gargantuan fishing nets millions of ships use daily to fish, catching ALL MARINE LIFE, & dumping tons of dead endangered marine life overboard daily bc fishing is NOT regulated / managed in any way. Ocean is warming too - very bad for ppl & ppl homes.
Last note: James Cameron, Titanic/ Avatar Director /producer, has built the best deep Submersible for ppl & robots in his search for the Titanic wreck remains. He's loaned it to BBC & has made his own film on whales, evidencing their language & culture in "Secret of Whales" film.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Hollywood American Asians stereotype continues; formula Marvel plot
This long film proves Hollywood bias remains against American westernized Chinese/ Asians. Since "all Asians look the same", just blend & create new styles etc in their unique historic cultures so it becomes sci fi. Director is Japanese, & not one that knows Chinese martial arts nor action. Look at his prior films. Again, he's Asian so it's all the same to Hollywood. Only Europeans can have distinct cultures correctly shown in Hollywood films.
Here, plot is hodgepodge of snippets of prior action films easily recognizable. Casting isn't suited for most of the characters. Script is bland with no character development, lots of holes, no suspense nor comedy.
Many posted reviews claim this film is all "China propaganda"; yet I doubt those reviewers watched it. China banned this film, & many wonder why.
Macau is an island China rigidly regulates in every way bc of legal gambling. Yet here the plot has open unsanctioned cage fights that Supreme Sorcerer Wong regularly partakes. Would Tilda Swan be given that same hobby in Dr Strange?
This film had lots of potential wasted, incl cast talents. Of course, the female is better than male political gender theme is loudly portrayed here as in all Marvel/ Disney productions. CGI is not consistent, but good plot & acting would've made that less obvious.
Some reviewers urge American Asians must support these bland biased stereotype Asian films so American born westernized Asians will appear in more Hollywood films/ shows. That simply perpetuates the stereotypes, & is not progress other ethnicities receive in past 7 yrs.
Marvel finally makes an America Asian hero but maintains all the old negative stereotypes unlike the comic book late Stan Lee created. Big dull disappointment.