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Faith-Based Films held in Highest regard
Reviews
World on Fire (2019)
Strong Women hold weak men together and win the war
Take a bunch of 21st Century Leftist characters plop them down in the middle of World War II and you can guess what happens next. All the good "men" freeze up, screw up and throw up when they are not opining away about how bad war is like it's some we hadn't yet realized. Strong independent women take seconds to go from fear/anger/etc to resolve to do what's necessary to get over weak/cheating/faithless men and drag them into doing the right thing. The level of self-righteous permeating all the heroes here palpable. Typical woke tedious store telling.. Since I like war films I got episode 5 before I couldn't take it anymore.
Roswell, New Mexico (2019)
Whenever story and character become subservient to politics...
....you get something like "Roswell, New Mexico". A reboot of a series and characters I loved. I own it on DVD, and would review that for the 4th, 5th,,,,10th time before watching this stale resurrection. I wish I could say they clevely pepper the dialog with "right-think" and flesh out "powerful" women and POC, but political hacks fail to realize that 2 dimensional characters spouting cliches don't a powerful women make. For those you have to go back to the apparently unempowered sci fi characters of the past like Ripley, Sculley, Liei, Seven of Nine or any of the 100's of great female characters before the current politics-over-art folks took the reins.
Nightflyers (2018)
RR Needs to stick with fantasy
RR Martin needs to stick with fantasy where his plot holes can be fill with magic. He should also set his characters in the past where their actions can be explained by ignorance rather than stupidity. By the end of the series the only characters you care about are the poor folk waiting back on Earth putting their faith and futures in this a narcissistic and incompetent band of "heroes".
Charmed (2018)
10 percent of population will love this: everyone else, not so much
I do see the need for shows with strong female characters. MUST SEE "The First" as a great example for how this is done. This show isn't one of them. Only a few minutes in and you'll see this is the Wokest of the Woke of the new teen girl network shows. That is the show's mission and purpose, to cheer on the choir and "wake' you if you haven't been already.. If you like that type of propaganda over plot type entertainment, you will love this show. It confirms all the beliefs of the "everything is sexist" crowd. Example:
Creepy old white guy accused of sex crime against colleague and is exonerated and returns to work without incident, (or nationwide 24/7 TV coverage). The the chief supporter of the victim ends up dead, thrown out a 3rd story window in broad daylight! and ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE!!! Nope. Not a blip on the radar. The victim just happens to be our heroes mother and wait for it..... a Women's Studies Professor. Her lovely, articulate and passionate daughters cry patriarchy and misogyny and can't get anyone to listen and...this is where I signed-off.
Now you either found that story line highly probable or absurd: in which case you will either love or passionately dislike this show, respectively. I thought about continuing to watch it ironically, but came to the conclusion that even that wouldn't be entertaining. If you believe others are "supposed to" watch a show like this you will love it.
Versailles (2015)
A great period piece only somewhat marred by SJW politics and "production value".
More accurate and less infested with 21st Century Feminist Protagonists most of the sludge produced by current Progressive ideologies that, once again, ruin everything they touch. Just ignore lines like" "In order for our economy to flourish we must look beyond religion and IDENTITY, sire." (Emphasis mine). I wish I knew more about the era so I could do better job of self-filtering and not corrupting my own understanding of the period but the politics (of the period) seem otherwise intact and authentic, the execution of the story and drama is captivating.
Lost in Space (2018)
No likeable characters in the whole movie
No likeable characters in the whole movie, except the killer robot. That you hope one day soon will go berserk and kill all the annoying or stupidly annoying humans. Apparently space travel isn't fraught with enough danger you have to make the brilliant elite members of this space voyage make the dumbest decision on any planet, any where. So wanted to finish this but just couldn't sit through it. How does writing get this bad? It's a mystery.
The Looming Tower (2018)
View if your want to understand the Progressive narrative
View if your want to understand the SJW/Progressive narrative in regards to the reasons for and who's to blame for being "too busy" to concerns themselves with "the number 1 threat to national security". Even The Patriarchy" gets its credit for the failure. When Daniels gives his usual "Woke" speech, (to his priest):
"The world's in Chaos. Okay. Men screw everything up. I know I'm part of that. We both know I'm part of that. But i'm trying to put things right "
Then they cut to him going doggy style to one of this two mistresses. It's okay though because it's just a dramatization "inspired by" the events of 9/11 for the other 80% of its content.
The Orville: Majority Rule (2017)
Dark Mirror rip-off done worse
Not a second of this episode is something you don't see coming. Just think of the dumbest thing to do in the situation from ground party selection on and you too could have written this dribble. I so want to like this show, PLEASE get some decent writing going. More Galaxy Quest or Wraith of Khan instead of this unfunny dirivitive jumble.
The Brave (2017)
Law and Order for the Covert Intelligence World
Like a Law and Order for the covert Intelligence set. Only here it's about the intelligence analysts who identify the threat and the Spec Ops folks who eliminate them. So far none of the usual moronic mistakes by folks who are supposed to be smarter than the audience, in order to create tension when the situation should provide plenty. Nor the invincibility of the good guys to survive hails of bullets while dropping the bad guy with one shot. I'm very hopefully. I suspect the really bad reviews are from the crowd that would/will never like this kind of show.
Liar (2017)
You can see where this is going
One episode and you'll know exactly where this ode to feminist theology is going. She'll act in such a way that no one would ever believe her account over his. Seasoned veterans of the police force will fail to ask the questions or pursue the lines of inquiry that would be obvious to any fresh grad from the academy. He will be totally believable and no one will support her, causing heart wrenching trauma as she takes more and more desperate measures to gain justice. Then, when all seems lost either 1) some fluke will uncover paradigm shifting evidence or 2) Mr. ALL Smooth and Innocent will, thinking he's alone,confess showing his totally evil character. But alas someone, somehow will have witness him and - Justice!! It will be so brilliantly and sympathetically acted by, Joanne Froggatt, that you will be helpless but to come to the conclusion that you should have just done the right thing and, "Listen and Believe" because, well you know - she is a she. You'll also believe this happens all the time and that false accusations never do. There you go. You got those 6 hours back. Your welcome.
The Detour (2016)
Over the top of over the top
Two of the most idiotic parents (but still among the smartest characters in the show) take their far smarter progeny on a road trip where all the lies of there marriage come to light and where the trust the most important things to the absolutely least trust-able characters the mind of scriptwriter can conceive and what happens is the most predictable slapstick you could ever imagine. I'm sure I would love it - if I were twelve. No vomit or diarrhea yet but you can bet it's coming. Disappointing, but I love Natalie Zea in everything she does, well everything but this. Seriously, I think anyone could write this shtick. Just take any of your favorite characters, put them on a road trip and have them make the worst possible decision in every case. Viola! It's comedy gold!
Quantico (2015)
Homeland meets Saved by the Bell
I was exceedingly disappointed by this pilot. The creators of this show have no idea what kind of audience likes these shows - sorry but it's not the PC crowd. It's designed as a 'flashback show; but the flash can't save it from bad fundamentals. I found the acting to be two dimensional by just about everyone, but especially the main character. She is definitely stunning to look at and I'm guessing the don't have a single crew neck in wardrobe for her but her character was just so insubstantial that I can't imagine ever rooting for her. In fact, I found all of the characters to be equally vaporous. (i.e. good writing is also fundamental.) Got about halfway through the 2nd ep before it became apparent that they want to teach me to think right about what's most important in fighting terror. No thanks, I'll get that from the slightly less fictional purveyors of that information.
Little Boy (2015)
A Guilty Pleasure
Others have recounted well enough the story line here so I won't bored you with that. In broad strokes, with a lot of talented and well- known actors newcomer Jakob Salvati steals the show and carries the film. That's taking nothing away from the other performances of which Tom Wilkinson's nicely underplayed priest and mom played by Emma Watson. Lot of small roles by well know actors, (Ted Levine a personal favorite and with a nice performance here.) Not at all preachy or tied up with a neat little resolution at the end as many of these faith-based movies can be. It's also not a fantasy which is what I thought from the trailers: the value of faith as process or journey verse believing and seeing miracle outcomes. Can be a bit overly sentimental at times but not out of line for the gravity of its subject. I enjoyed the guilty pleasure of a couple good cries. It's hard to be lured away from where a movie like this usually goes but it was able to do so with me. I couldn't project the end and having seen as many movies as I have that's not easy to do. It's a good movie for the whole family though perhaps not for the very young.
Poldark (2015)
The Post Modern Period Piece
This 3rd remake (and perhaps that says it all) is another in a far too lengthy list of "Period" dramas without much affection for Period dramas. I'm not sure of the genesis of this production but it misses the key to success of shows like Downton Abbey. What the creators here couldn't resist was telling us how they'd change the period for the better with an all too squeaky clean and correct protagonist saying all the right lines in all the wrong places (or times). The hero(s) are riddled with post- modern angst and politically correct messaging and are all too predictable (mostly because they'll act a lot like you do) and as a result are uninteresting and boring. I prefer they give me a glimpse back into a bygone era, warts and all, filled with eccentric characters and mystifying social conventions that yet somehow let me figure out what motivates them.
The Last Ship (2014)
Finally an authentic tale of mankind on the edge
Surprised by the rather vehement dislike displayed by many of the negative reviewers, (Some after viewing only 10 and 13 mins.) and suspect its analysis is rooted in something other than production or its entertainment value. The charges of its gung-ho and stoic acting seem to stem from of lack of understanding (or perhaps contempt) for military culture. It is refreshing to finally see a show that portrays not only how it works but how it must work. I would defer to kcammie's excellent and informative review here for the shows authenticity from someone who's actually served on board ship. Suffice it to say if you don't like the military you won't like this show.
Even most of the logical fallacies seem contrived. Suddenly we have a problem with the concept of finding patient zero in a viral epidemic? Being quite drawn into the show I did not view specifically for production flaws but neither was I jarred out of my suspicion of disbelief by anything. The sets and action come across as real and believable. The "Why would anybody" questions appear to come from those unfamiliar with the apocalyptic/dystopia genre. We don't know and that's big part of why we watch shows that place mankind out there on the ragged edge – to discover and perhaps be surprised once again by what we find. In any case, show a little more patience than the 2nd episode(or 1st 10 mins) to get all your questions answered. Imagine how frustrating and unenjoyable such persistence would have made ones viewing of LOST.
I like the "Think Star Trek Voyager mixed with I am Legend, only without the Zombies" of Vlak Haas's review but also without the life threatening concern for things like the civil rights of aliens on the verge of annihilating the crew nonsense of Voyager. The Captain here is more Seven-of-9 than Janeway and the crew's chances and the shows authenticity is better for it. Also enjoyed journalist1 revelation (to me at least) of the shows comparison to the Stargate series with every stop bringing crew to a new world deformed in some way but world pandemic, yet not unconnected to the original aspects of that location. "Welcome to Gitmo" episode is a prime example and alleviates some legitimate concerns for the story lines ability to last beyond 2 or 3 seasons. So far I have found this show very enjoyable and can't wait to see the "why would they" do that that happens next.
The Musketeers (2014)
Intrigue 101
A very talented cast and some interestingly earthy and multi-layered performances. Maimie McCoy as Milady de Winter is particularly captivating, you know her light is going to zap you but you want to fly into it none-the-less. The rest are in most ways filled out but there is but a brain and a half between them all for the purpose of plotting and conniving to destroy the powerful and rule the country. Within the first minute, bad guy puts on a mask and then tells everybody his name is Athos and everybody believes its him, rather than anybody but him. The idiocy digresses from there. I can only suspend my disbelief so far before I start WANTING these heroes to be jailed or executed. I give it a 6 or 7 for now and continue to watching hoping they replace the writers with some who can do a little heavy lifting (Or hopefully learn to do it themselves).
Helix (2014)
A Recombination Review
UPDATE/UPGRADE: My perseverance has been rewarded (Cuz it's all about me.) Helix characters are filling out into a nice mix of authentic motivation and dramatic eccentricity. The subplots are rising to relieve the confusion and I'm in for the long haul. PLEASE Ron Moore to not allow this one to digress this into politically correct melodrama!
I had high hopes for this show when I first heard about it. (Still have low hopes!) Sort of a "Thing" meets "Andromeda Strain" - I enjoy these scenarios where you put characters on the edge of existence and get there real reactions. So far this is not it. My biggest complaint is, contrary to what some have stated above these are not scientist acting like scientist. I understand that might not be holy grail for intense drama but when they don't act like scientist please don't have them act like morons. I am so sick of the cause for drama being people who should know better than that, doing things that are so obviously inclined to lead toward disaster. Also hoping this doesn't continue to digress into one of Ron Moore's mankind on the edge drama's muddled by characters whose armchair liberal sensibilities cause them to ruminate on whether the rights of their enemies/patients are being violated at the expense of those they are charge to protect losing their lives.
Alpha House: Pilot (2013)
Amazingly Blah!
I'm a pretty easily laugh. and there are a few good ones here, but for all the talent being brought to bear on this pilot one would have expected something a little more groundbreaking. The "laugh" lines are fairly predictable, like they don't feel they need to set anything up because everybody knows these guys are slime. I really wanted to like it because I'm a big Murray fan but he's gone in the first 2 minutes. (Maybe they bring him back when ratings start to fall! :)
I was a bit wary when all the characters were from the same party. Where's the conflict going to be? The conflicts are the characters despicable selves - conflicted by what they know they should be to get elected. Not enough for me. It comes across like comedy hit piece and I'm supposed go with that assumptions of about these characters. Might have worked pre-Jack Donaghy but we have a taste for something with some sympathy for its characters. Someone we can care about, even if they are scum.
The Hour (2011)
Gave it a chance but
I so wanted to like this show that I watched the whole first series... I love Madmen and wanted to give this time to develop into something similar,another richly subtle and voyeuristic view into a begone era.
What I got was someone's a 21st Century wish what they would have liked the 50's to have been. Chauvinism-lite that let's our talented and plucky girl get everything she wants accept an affair. Racism that is challenged with no apparent consequences, just do the story and problem solved. People lighting up in studio like the 50's while others go outside to have a smoke like modern second-hand pariahs.
I waited patiently for this to take off, for the conspiracy to make sense. Figuring there is some missing clue that will bring this all together. Then the climax into some hazy non-revelation.
They tried so hard to make the government the villain even when the characters or their motives make no sense. She's being targeted for recruitment by the Soviets and then suddenly she's British intelligence who kill her because she can't keep secrets. What made her so recruit- able in the first. Meanwhile the completely invisible soviet spies finally appear as the tortured intellectual souls that the left (and I assume the creators of this show) know them to be. Which would explain the revisionist of history casts Britain as the violator of international law and not Nasser whose nationalization of the canal is just delivering the needed comeuppance to the arrogant colonial superpower.
I assume this is the first and last season.
Strike Back (2010)
Very uneven series.
Show starts out great and Armitage is fantastic in the central roll but bails out after six episodes. One through four are well done but takes big flying (logical) leaps in episodes 5 and 6. These villains make no sense and case hardened operatives make bonehead mistakes and then wonder why it all went wrong. Looks like heavy American influence in second season with EVERY major character bailing out with Mr. Armitage, and lots of sex and nudity to distract you from plot holes, continuity errors and conspiracy theory inspired villains. Some marvelous performances from both regular and quest actors, even more impressive considering the uneven writing.