Change Your Image
reb-warrior
π§πΆπ½: 99% of reviews are nothing more than people saying in entirety what happened. That's not a review. All you need is a brief summary, if at all, then give your opinion.
π§πΆπ½: If you're writing a long review, let paragraphs be your friend. When I see long reviews that aren't paragraphed out I give it a "no" not helpful rating. I suspect I'm not the only one. If it's not readable, what is the point?
π§πΆπ½: Don't forget to use the spoiler warning option. Especially when talking details about what happened in it.
π§πΆπ½: Don't review reviewers. That's not why you are here. A reviewer is not a film nor a series. It is in fact in the policy section. Countering reviews with your own opinion about the movie/series is fine without pointing anyone out. Personal attacks are a no no.
π§πΆπ½: One or two lines is not a review. It is an attempt to stuff your profile to get a badge. Be thoughtful and explain why you liked or disliked things.
π§πΆπ½: I think variables are significant and honest. Maybe you didn't like a movie, but however, you liked the acting, or a soundtrack, or a certain scene. Mention those in your review and factor them in.
π§πΆπ½: Don't be contrary for contrary's sake. You know, the thing everyone loves or hates so you decide to go the opposite way just because of that. This is dishonest and frankly, can be very obvious.
π§πΆπ½: Don't attack an actor's/actress' looks. This is considered to be a personal attack and against IMDB policy. I mean, I think you can comment on looks if it's relevant to the character and storyline. But vicious attacks just because you find someone not to your liking is a no-no.
π§πΆπ½: Know the difference between cheesy and campy. I notice a lot of people do not know the difference in reviews:
π§πΆπ½: Don't write irrelevant reviews, such as asking a single question, putting in only trivia, or addressing another reviewer. These are not reviews.
β’Cheesy=stinky, of poor quality, badly made, cheap, unpleasant, insincere.
β’Campy=intentionally exaggerated so that it is amusing and has a sophisticated appeal. Deliberately extreme and absurd in an amusing way. Farcical. A type of art form onscreen.
Reviews
Mayday (2003)
Compelling and addictive
This is an excellent show that effectively recreates real-life aviation incidents through detailed reenactments, interviews with investigators, and testimonies from witnesses, passengers, and crew. Each episode is easy to follow, often starting with the incident and then flashing back to the events leading up to it, including crucial cockpit conversations.
What sets this show apart for me is how it keeps you hooked, making you wonder not just what happened, but how it happened. The investigations are my favourite part-watching experts piece together clues feels like solving a massive puzzle.
It's incredibly compelling, and once you start, it's hard to stop. Whether you're binge-watching or catching it live, the episodes are addictive and well-organized. If you enjoy mysteries, real-life investigations, or true crime shows, you'll likely find this series fascinating. 10/10.
The Commish: Against the Wind: Part 2 (1994)
Better than part one.
I almost wanted to say "so bad that the actress who played Cyd left the episode halfway through." Not quite. But when Tony "fired" her, she was pretty much gone for the rest of the episode except for a little goodbye scene later with Tony and Rachel. She didn't even get to continue on in the current investigation. All kinds of disappointing here.
Too much melodrama again in conversations. Between Tony and Rachel. Between Tony and Dan, the physical therapist. Cringeworthy.
The payoff in the two-parter is seeing Eddie turn out to be a corrupt cop. In my opinion, he was worse than the two mobsters. It was great seeing him squirm with Kasabian. I loved seeing him grovel to Tony near the end and Tony not having any of it.
I saw more of the recurring regulars this time, tho not as many as in seasons 1-3. Looks like Ronnie is stepping up to fill the spot as the main patrolman/uniformed cop on the show. I don't know and cannot recall from watching back in the day. Will have to wait and see.
Anyway, this episode is a little more tolerable than part one. 6/10.
The Commish: Against the Wind: Part 1 (1994)
Bad start to season 4.
If the ratings took a dive in season 4, I can see why. Some new cop, Eddie, is written as if he's been there all along. He's hot-tempered and a drama queen. Him alone is enough to turn you off.
Some other never-before-seen cop gets killed. We have just seen Stan get killed and Tony be shot in previous episodes. We didn't need this story.
Cyd appears to be leaving. I have a vague memory of that when first watching in the 90s. I really liked her. She's a great balance for Tony at work. Many of the regular recurrers appear to missing. It's a shame the show could not keep its actors.
The physical therapist is cliche. Having been around them in real life, this portrayal is made up on many TV shows. You know, that a**hole physical therapist who is psychoanalyzing you and being offensive and bully-like and not taking care that the patient doesn't re-injure themselves. This is all made up on TV and is a massive turn-off. Also, he is magically an ex-homocide cop and is helping Tony investigate. Uh boy.
I think the opener should have started with Tony being recovered already and perhaps walking around with a cane, which can be ditched later. Maybe some flashbacks. And definitely a better storyline. His recovery in the hospital was cringeworthy. Less seen would have been better.
All-in-all the opener is very melodramatic with everyone acting drama queenish and ott. I will continue and see how it goes. I just wrote a review based on the first 3 seasons and gave it an 8, but may have to reduce that. Anyway, for this episode, 4/10.
The Commish (1991)
Sort of a comfort show from back in the day.
I remember watching this all the time back then and am doing a rewatch now for the first time since the show ended. It does take me back in time.
Michael Chiklis did a great job as Tony, the lead and title character of the show. The show would have gone nowhere without him being as interesting and compelling as he was. They had compelling stories that grabbed your attention and kept you watching. The other regular and recurring cast were likable. The show balanced Tony's family life as his wife Rachel, played by Theresa Saldana, and his son, David, played by Kaj-Erik Eriksen, are featured prominently.
They covered heavy topics at the time, rape, racism, homophobia, child molestation. It might be interesting for people to have a look again at this series as it's a record of attitudes of the time and how things were done, and sometimes even a feeling of "oh, things have not changed." The are also many comedic moments and side stories.
It was filmed in Canada. You can tell something is off, like low budget. Back then production values in Canada weren't the greatest. However, despite this, they still pulled off a decent show.
In my current rewatch, I feel like Tony is a bit cliche at times. As "the bad-tempered Italian." There are many times his cops have to hold him back from attacking a culprit/suspect. In this sense, it was a little ott. I also thought that Tony was unprofessional at times seeming to take every case personally. While I know this is a a hallmark of his character to show his humanness and caring, which the viewer wants, sometimes it feels like as a commissioner, he needs to organize, investigate, give out orders, and strategize, instead of taking everything so personally all the time.
I really liked the characters of Stan, Carmella, and Cyd. I was disappointed when the most prominent female patrol officer, Carmela was no longer there. The actress was pretty good in the role and the character was likable. I was disappointed with what happened to Stan. He was probably the closest to Tony, looking up to him like a mentor. He and Tony had great camaraderie. But his leaving of the show was well-written and shocking. Cyd was a great addition to the show later on giving Tony another great friend, confidant, and co-worker to bounce ideas off of.
I thought Rachel and David were very key to showing Tony as a family man. They had their own stories every episode. Theresa Saldana did a great job as Rachel, helping to balance out the family dynamic of the show. I thought Kaj-Erik-Eriksen was very good as David. Remember, he was only 12 years old when starting this show, and for that age, I thought he did a very good job. It did feel like David was 12 years old for a long time tho. Lol.
There are many Canadian actors in this besides Kaj-Erik-Eriksen. Many recurring. I recognize them. They went on to be featured more prominently in other Canadian shows.
I think the show is sort of like a comfort show. It's not on a grand scale. Police stuff sometimes rings as not realistic. But there are likable characters, including the lead that you care about and come to feel familiar with. You like the characters and root for them, and in the end, the good guys win and the bad guys are jailed.
Anyway, still continuing my rewatch and am about to start season 4. It must have done well back in the day as it has 93 episodes.
*EDIT September 5, 2024 -- It's clear the show took a dive in season 4. The absence of Cyd and Stan is very badly felt. It became ott schmaltzy. The Paulie character is back and he is very boring. They show Tony and Paulie too much. Like, together. All. The. Time. There isn't any dynamic that compels the viewer with this pairing. People act ott with lots of drama queen moments. Less screen time for David and Rachel. Less of the recurring characters are also noted. I don't know what happened. Maybe there were big changes behind the scenes. Maybe Chiklis will write his memoirs one day and explain what happened. Anyway, I'm changing my 8/10 rating to a 6/10.
Hawaii Five-O: Air Cargo - Dial for Murder (1971)
Did anyone else want to see...
An air cargo company steals valuable items being shipped, including pharmaceuticals. They kill anyone that gets in their way including an undercover agent, which is how 5 O gets involved.
I love the way the investigation is shown. The audience is right there all the way as the gang figures things out. I thought the phone message interception idea by McGarrett was clever.
Throughout the episode they keep showing this man and his wife in the hospital They have nothing to do with the investigation. However, the wife is in critical condition and needs an important medication, that so happens is being shipped through the cargo company. They have been stealing it. They keep showing the man, promises are made for more medication to be shipped, only for it to keep being stolen. You wonder where this is going. It so happens that the man is a businessman and is involved with shipping himself.
The man, Grayson reports the stolen medication to 5 O. Later Chin supervises a shipment and Grayson finally gets the medication his wife needs. Unfortunately, it's too late and she dies.
Now that Mcgarret figures out the scheme he sets up a plan, involving Grayson using the air cargo to ship highly insured goods. So high, it will ensure that the top man will open it himself. The plan is for McGarrett and the gang to follow the shipment to the final destination and arrest top man.
I had to raise my eyebrow at McGarrett asking Grayson to do this, both knowing that the scheme caused his wife's death. I mean they could have set up a sting using a bogus shipment and company. In my opinion, this was a bad move by McGarrett.
Grayson is so grief-stricken by his wife's death that he wants to see top man dead. So he rigs a bomb in the shipment so that whomever opens it, especially lifts the top part of the case off will be killed. Grayson's friend realizes what he has done and informs 5 O. McGarrett gets there in time to prevent top man from being killed, tosses the shipment off of a cliff and the bomb explodes below. He makes the arrest and the episode ends there.
The ending kind of deflated me. Especially since it was such a rushed ending, those last couple of minutes.. And top man still seemed so smug after being caught. I kind of wanted Grayson to have his revenge. Hey, it's fiction! I honestly couldn't blame him. Yes, it had the potential to hurt others. But from what they showed, his plan was right on track to get top man. It was working. It would have been more interesting if the bomb had taken him out.
My title in the the review: "Did anyone else want to see...the bomb take out top man?" Yes, that was me.
If I could be a director, I would have filmed what Grayson did by planting the bomb, as a crosscutting flashback scene as the shipment got nearer to top man. And with the bomb taking out top man too. Instead of letting the audience in on it right away. Like I said, it's fiction. And it would have been a total karmic ending.
Anyhow, pretty good episode all the way through, though the ending kind of deflated me. 7/10.
Hawaii Five-O: Cry, Lie (1970)
Weak premise and motivation. The gang goes the extra mile. Great job by Kam Fong.
Chin is being framed by an ambitious cocky lawyer for the mob. Apparently, the point of zeroing in on Chin is to discredit 5 O's effectiveness in fighting crime.
I think the premise is a little silly. They spend months framing Chin, setting up a bank account in his name, and having knowledge of his whereabouts in order to frame him for payoffs so that he would not have an alibi during these times. Just too ott elaborate to go to all this trouble. They would of had to be watching Chin, like, all the time.
Let's say they find Chin guilty. So what?? Things go on and 5 O continues to catch bad guys. So this motivation is very weak.
It's basically a conspiracy. The thing with conspiracies is there are multiple people involved. There are always talkers. The "smart" lawyer played by Martin Sheen seems pretty dumb to think this would work. As it is, the banker is getting nervous, so now they escalate to murdering him and try to frame Chin by simply having him not have an alibi. All this to frame Chin in order to make 5 O look bad. Risk murder charges! It's just a bit too much.
I did sort of like the catch-em tactics tho it's on very shaky ground legal-wise. If found out, the case against Callhoa gets thrown out. Including the murder of the banker. On the other hand, I did like the gang's staunch belief in Chin's innocence and loved that they went the extra mile to prove it. Calhao getting caught was a huge payoff in this episode given he was so smug and cocky about framing Chin. It was kind of nice seeing him squirm.
Chin when you got that call you should have called McGarrett. Very weak writing for Chin here. Otherwise, I loved seeing him and his family and finding out more about him. He has 8 kids! Whew! The conversation with him and his wife shows they have struggled with money in the past and made it through it. McGarrett even comments on the type of car Chin drives and how he brown bags his lunch further emphasizing his frugal ways. Chin is a jolly friendly likable humble guy. Kam Fong did a great job playing him as worried and bewildered at the setup.
Anyway, I enjoyed the episode, though I had one eyebrow raised most of the time. Still entertaining tho. 7/10.
Hawaii Five-O: Forty Feet High and It Kills! (1969)
The car follow scene was the best part of this.
The car follow scene was the best part of this as McGarrett organized and led it meticulously giving out directions to each car as to where to go. Until he finally narrowed down the location of Wo Fat and the professor.
The Professor was clever and not a passive kidnap victim. I liked the guy.
Wo Fat's search for the secret of genetic engineering in order to create geniuses reminded me of some of the weird stuff going on today with tech bros and their search for immortality and having many children in order to create genius offspring to lead the world. A god complex. The Professor expresses the idea of too many cooks in the kitchen. A reference that is said a different way in the episode which may not be suitable today. The meaning, however, is a clever insight which rings very true.
I don't understand why Wo Fat is not arrested at the end. This is the first episode I've seen him in. I can only conclude that he may have diplomatic immunity, or if Steve arrested him, it would create an international crisis and he has been told he is not allowed to arrest him. I don't know.
Anyway, a pretty decent episode. 8/10.
Hawaii Five-O: Along Came Joey (1969)
A to B. No surprises. Boring. Main guest start unlikable.
Joey Kalama is killed after he wins a boxing match. In the match, he almost loses when he is knocked down. But he gets up and beats his opponent. In the audience, a villainous mobster looks very unpleased. Joey is the son of Phil Kalama, a fellow officer and friend of Danny and McGarrett. In fact, Danny was at the match but took off afterwards. Joey is killed by a severe beating by two men after the match, which is witnessed by Joey's girlfriend, Lois. This all takes place in the first several minutes of the show.
Well, based on the above, it's pretty easy to figure out, isn't it? Joey was supposed to take a fall and lose but changed his mind and the mobster killed him. And that is exactly what happened. No surprises. No twists. You pretty much know the gist of it right away. And that is what is disappointing about this episode. It's A to B. Mainly it gets caught up in trying to prevent Phil Kalama from going rogue cop killing people in vengeance. He does in fact go rogue. This was boring to me.
It would have been far more interesting if the mobster was in fact, not behind the killing. Perhaps after Joey is beaten, Lois is the one to kill him by hitting his head with a rock or something. Or, one of the men the mobster hired had a personal grudge against Joey. Or, even that Joey's father was the killer for some kind of reason, meaning only to have him beaten up but things went wrong. But instead, the whole thing is pretty much solved right away by any viewer's correct A to B assumption.
There was a slight question mark as to who made the deal with the mobster. Joey's coach, Keller? But nope it was Joey himself. Ok, that's a shocker. No not really. Because if Keller made the deal, then it would have been with Joey going along with it anyway. We find out Joey did it to get the money for his marriage with Lois. Snooze. His father thinks his son is noble, but the reality is his son knowingly made a deal with a mobster and he reneged on that deal. That's it. That's the truth and lesson the father had to learn. Like who cares?
So does Phil Kalama go to jail over what happened to Keller? The episode seemingly forgets about it. No, he did not push Keller off the balcony. But there was a chase and struggle after Kalama illegally went after Keller after Steve told him to stay away from the case. I don't get why initially it appears Kalama was on the case of his dead son's murder in the first place. Steve had warned him, and Kalama agreed and said he would take himself off the case. So it appears he was actually on the case.
I did not care about Kalama. He seemed a bully to me and abusive to women. Grabbing up and hurting Lois' arms. What a creep. This is another thing that made me not care about this episode. Their main guest star, Kalama, was unlikable.
Anyway, boring A to B plot. No surprises. The main guest star is unlikable. 5/10.
My Life Is Murder: The Widow's Club Part 2 (2024)
Who Did It? Lots of suspects as Alexa finds herself on the other side of an investigation.
Alexa is in total detective mode no matter what, never mind that she's the suspect in one of the murders. No big deal, right? Business as usual. Lol.
I wish we had seen the rest of Alexa's confrontation with Ray. It would have been interesting if they inserted it somewhere in the episode.
The motive of the killer seemed very weak to me. To kill two people? But I have to give it to the writers and Lucy Lawless; Alexa made the motive sound really plausible. So, good writing in this dialogue and great delivery.
Poor Harry was stuck in a difficult situation as his friend is the prime suspect and he was under a lot of pressure to make an arrest.
I love that the whole gang pitched in to help Alexa investigate, including a suspended Harry.
Fun and compelling season finale and we learned more about how Alexa's husband died. This was almost a 9 because of the weak motive, but the ending was so warm and fuzzy and I absolutely loved it. 10/10.
My Life Is Murder: The Widows Club Part 1 (2024)
Stunning twist and things get a little heavy in this usually light series.
In this one Alexa, Mads, Will, and Reuben go undercover in an exclusive golf club where a mysterious death took place. This setup alone makes for a fun and interesting episode, but a stunning twist makes it even more compelling
It was great seeing Will get deeply involved in Alexa's investigation. He's funny, slick, and a charmer, adding to my enjoyment.
Love all the great banter as usual.
You know something is up when you see Ray's reaction to Will mentioning his sister's name. Then later Alexa spots him and shocker...she knows him. It turns out Ray was the one who killed her husband in Australia when he ran him down in his car at a police blockade. Alexa is stunned and determined to confront him.
Loved that Mads and Will were so concerned about Alexa after figuring out what was going on.
In a stunning twist, Ray is killed and it looks like Alexa could be the one who did it.
Great job by Lucy Lawless as Alexa, in a rare moment, gets very emotional in her conversation with Mads about confronting Ray.
Pretty compelling stuff. I can see why there is a two-parter. Now, there is not only one murder but two to solve. Are they connected? Will Alexa get arrested? On to the next episode to find out what happens. 10/10.
Hawaii Five-O: Journey Out of Limbo (1972)
I love the investigation in this one.
Danno is found unconscious after being dumped out of a truck. He has a concussion and amnesia and can't remember what happened. In a separate part, McGarrett is assigned as security to protect dignitaries including a visiting Chinese dignitary.
I love this episode because they go step-by-step with the investigation. First, retracing Danno's steps as he tries to piece together his fragmented memories, which leads them to the place where the incident began. Then later, I felt like I was watching an episode of one of my favourite TV shows, Murdoch Mysteries, when McGarrett made a chalkboard chart. I loved as Steve and the gang made the chart and put together what little they knew. Seeing the chart helped Danno remember more stuff.
The two separate stories collide as you will probably figure out from the beginning as most viewers are pretty savvy.
Anyway, a great mystery to puzzle out for the gang. The investigation was my favourite part. 10/10.
Hawaii Five-O: Good Night, Baby - Time to Die! (1972)
Under Duress
The premise starts good, but then you wonder why the woman is kept at the high rise and not moved elsewhere. L. B. Keeps advancing and advancing like a super-smart phantom and no one can catch him. Then you begin to suspect something is up.
As for the woman's confession, it would never stand up in court because it would be considered under duress. If it were that easy to get confession by simply threatening them so that they feared for their lives, it would be done all the time. The thing is, if someone is fearing for their life, they might say anything, maybe the truth or maybe lies. What 5 O did here was illegal. It is not allowed. You cannot have someone threaten someone else with a gun and threaten to kill them to get a confession. It's against the law.
So the episode is kind of disappointing given McGarrett and 5 Os illegal tactics. 3/10.
Hawaii Five-O: Bait Once, Bait Twice (1972)
Compelling episode but weak rushed ending.
The plot and premise of this episode were compelling. An assassin is in a room in a building across from a highrise and has his gun ready to kill someone. Meanwhile, he is in constant contact with a mysterious man on the phone. A woman comes out walking on the ledge, apparently gearing up to commit suicide. But she is not the target. McGarrett shows up, and you think he is the target. But no. The waiting game by the assassin continues.
This was an intricate and meticulous episode. The culprits planned everything down to perfection: timing, McGarrett's routine, and what McGarrett would do. I think a lot of time was spent on "the set-up" of the episode and there wasn't much time left for an investigation and wrap-up.
I kept wondering about Betty's daughter. Why no one on 5 O was investigating the kidnapping? We find out later that, apparently, she was returned to Betty. But this was not shown, nor was any investigation shown.
Later Bonamo is arrested but Danno has his doubts. The next thing we know is that Betty is setting up the real culprit, Bart, with McGarrett and Dano waiting in the wings and ends there. It was like, did I blink and miss something? Oh, yes, the investigation. What put them onto Bart? What clues? Usually, the show does a great job of showing the investigation. But here, nothing. It goes from Danno having his doubts to Bart being at Betty's and being caught.
Honestly, I think this should have been a 2-parter or some more editing of "set-up" to cut down on the time spent on it and give more time for the investigation. This episode was on its way to being 8-10 star rating but the weak rushed ending kind of deflated me. 6/10.
Diagnosis Murder: The Murder Trade (1996)
Strangers on a Train. Good in many ways, but. Also no satisfaction with the cop.
This follows Strangers on a Train and puts their own spin on it. A random stranger wants to swap murders with Mark and it goes from there.
This was good and compelling in many ways but some things had me scratching my head. Such as when Mark confronted Trent in his office. What a perfect opportunity to record him Who cares if it wasn't legal? Given that dumb cop, Kincaid didn't believe him, Mark was about to be framed, and another murder was about to take place, I'd say extraordinary circumstances warranted it. At the very least, even if it couldn't be used in court, it would prove what Mark was saying was true.
Trent who seemed smart and diabolical was kind of dumb in the end. He was making himself very seen in the hospital, instead of staying lowkey. So if he did murder the person, and Mark and the gang figured out who the victim was, all it would take was questioning the staff to eventually show that Trent was there. Thereby giving more credence to Mark's claims. Trent could have shaved his stache off and worn a hairpiece. At least, it would have made it a little more difficult to recognize him. To be fair, it appears he was a drug addict and his plan was failing which is why he had to kill the person himself since Mark would not do it.
The most unsatisfying aspect of this episode was there was no comeuppance for Kincaid. He was glib, smug, and condescending to both Mark and Steve and it would have been satisfying to see him taken down a peg or two at the end. Maybe reporters could have asked him questions: "Is it true you did not believe the swap-for-murder-theory despite it coming from a credible source." Or "is it true the case was solved by Mark and Steve because you refused to investigate their claims and gave no help to Steve at the hospital." Or maybe Kincaid could have been reamed out by his superiors. In other words, I would have liked to have seen him be embarrassed the hell out of him for his shoddy police work. That would have been satisfying.
Anyway, good in many ways, but missed opportunities, and unsatisfying ending. 7/10.
Hawaii Five-O: The Bomber and Mrs. Moroney (1971)
Intense episode
A man takes hostages at 5 O headquarters, including, Chin Ho and Jenny(receptionist). He demands to see Danny. He has barricaded themselves in an office and has bombs.
This was a very tense episode as the team tries to figure out a way to get into the office and take out Collins. Making things even more puzzling is why Collins is even doing this. Why does he want Danny? More baffling is when Danny sees the man, he does not know who he is. No one does.
It's a combination of many things focused on the office and is almost like a real-time episode. Collins is smart in what he has done and very spiteful. Even shooting a police officer who was a hostage on the balcony in order to make a point he was serious.
I had to laugh because Mrs. Moroney kept mouthing off to him, and he kept giving in to her. In fact, it was her mouthing off that ultimately led to him being taken out,
It was interesting when we finally found out why Collins was doing this. I think maybe it relates to a previous episode? I don't know, as I just kind of see whatever shows up on the streaming service I use. But there was a flashback scene.
I was satisfied when Collins was taken out. What a scene! Perfectly timed. 5 Os plan here worked thanks to Danny picking up where Mrs Moroney left off. A part of me almost wishes that Collins hadn't been killed and was jailed again. Mainly because he was so smug, it might have been satisfying to see his expression when his "perfect plan" failed.
McGarrett phones it in. Quite literally. Too bad he wasn't actually there. I'm not sure he was actually needed to make the story work, but I appreciate that he was in the episode.
Anyway, a very compelling episode where you don't want to take your eyes off the screen. 10/10.
Three's Company: Jack in the Flower Shop (1978)
Jack was a jerk to be honest.
Janet gives Jack a job at her flower shop.
I found this one kind of cringe. Jack carries on, acting like a clown and is completely inappropriate on the job. Even making a pass at a customer. This forced Janet to be very pointed with him. IMO, Jack felt entitled to act like a clown because he was working for his friend, Janet. A huge lack of respect as it seems he cannot accept Janet, his boss, telling him what to do. He doesn't take Janet's place of work and her seriously. Then he plays the victim and exaggerates how Janet is treating him.
This could have been a funny premise, but it wasn't. To top it off Jack never apologizes for his behaviour. He sort of redeems himself when he takes the blame for Janet not having flowers delivered at her boss' friend's wedding. However, the reason Janet forgot, was not only because the store was busy, but she had the added stress of Jack playing the victim at the store and acting like Janet was some kind of dictator boss.
If it were anyone else, that was the manager, Jack would have been fired on day 1. I mean just imagine what would happen if you behaved the way Jack did at your workplace? It's ok to have fun with the job in a friendly engaging manner. As long as you are doing your job. But not clowning around and making passes at customers. And not doing what your boss tells you to do. In other words, not acting professionally.
The saving face for this episode was the Ropers. They were fun. Mrs. Roper's machinations were funny. Got to give it to Stanely in this one, as he figured out what she was doing and didn't let her know. The ending was hysterical when he gave Helen flowers he got from a grave in the cemetery. She was so mad. Lol.
Not the greatest episode. The Ropers were the best part. 6/10.
My Life Is Murder: Tough Love (2024)
Murder by tennis
A coach is murdered by a high-speed tennis ball from the ball machine.
Loved the scenes of Alexa and Madison on the tennis court with Mads trying to hit Alexa with the tennis ball. That was fun.
I kind of liked the private investigator, Christine, played by Lisa Chappell. I thought Alexa and Christine's banter and trying to outdo each other were funny.
Then Alexa realized who the killer was and it was a bit cat-and-mouse.
I thought the motivations of the killer were a bit weak. Alexa telling the killer that there were alternatives to what was happening was spot on. The mystery was ok. It was almost too easy a mystery to figure out. I think most viewers will know who the killer is very early on. So if it were a twist they were going for as to who the killer is, it didn't really pan out.
I missed the sketch scene. You know, those funny scenes where Alexa has a run-in with a random stranger who has nothing to do with the murder. Those are always hilarious and emphasize Alexa's cranky side.
All-in-all, a fun and very light episode. 9/10.
Hawaii Five-O: Full Fathom Five (1968)
Aloha Baby!
This is a pretty good start to the series. A murderous couple is killing off rich women in order to swindle them out of their money.
McGarrett employs a seasoned police cop, Joyce, to go undercover as a rich woman in order to lure the suspects out.
Danny was a jerk in my opinion. Not believing Joyce could pull it off. He almost seems disappointed whenever his dire warnings don't come to fruition. He's the type that doesn't think a policewoman can handle herself. I would have liked to see him admit he was wrong about Joyce's abilities and apologize to her and McGarrett. To be fair, Joyce was not let on to how he felt.
Joyce does, in fact, pull off the sting. The whole operation goes smoothly. One can argue that was detrimental to the episode that there were no glitches in the operation, which could have made it more suspenseful. But this was very much a how-to-catch-em scenario. I think it's a cat-and-mouse game, but mouse has no idea.
Victor and Nora were very diabolical. They are very cold-blooded. Nora says of Vic, "he always was the lucky one" after he is killed and she is being hauled off by the police.
Love the ending where there is a sense of poetic justice after Victor is killed and the "Aloha Baby" sign is seen floating in the water. Nora's last words, the sign, and the climatic music was a cool ending to the episode. 8/10.
My Life Is Murder: To Dye For (2024)
You had me at the opening scene. Great start to season 4.
The opening scene had me in stitches. Hilarious! Love these sketches where Alexa has run-ins with random people who have nothing to do with the mystery.
A woman is murdered and her cat inherits everything. Cruz the cat was beautiful. Love Alexa having fun being a cat person. The mystery was ok with twists and turns. Madison does more interaction investigations. So she has grown as a character.
No sign of Beth this season. I guess she was only there last season due to covid . Too bad because I really liked her. But it makes sense given the circumstances.
The nude beach scene was fun. Alexa and Madison have definitely become BFFs. They are very light with each other and teasing all the time.
Still very colourful! Love the colours in the show. Great scenery. Extremely light episode. Makes me smile and laugh. 10/10.
Bridgerton: Into the Light (2024)
Penelope's Journey
Just wanted to write my thoughts on the character of Penelope.
I like Penelope Bridgerton but can't stand that she prides herself in being a...... gossipmonger. I get that she feels invisible and bullied, but the people she gossiped the most about were her close friends, the Bridgertons. And I feel jealousy was a factor in what she did to Marina. She could have told Colin directly. She ironically became a bully herself with her gossipmongering and love of being a tabloid reporter.
I did find Lady Whistledown clever and fun and very central and key in the series. I kind of wish Penolope's story was last and the reveal was much later in the series. But I did love her romance with Colin. Those two have great chemistry. And I did root for her. I just think what she was doing was kind of crummy.
If I were Eloise, I don't know if I could forgive her. Think about if your BFF had gossiped about you in real life. To a tabloid. Just saying. I missed their friendship and hanging out together this season.
She did get an easy pass by The Queen and the ton. Too easy, I think. I mean, just think about how you would feel about it in the real world if you were tabloid fodder.
I feel sorry for Cressida. I thought she developed into a more layered character this season, as we see why she is the way she is. Also, her friendship with Eloise showed a different side of her.
Anyway, lots of developments this season with many different characters that make me look forward to more seasons. Especially Eloise's story. 8/10.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
Beautifully crafted film that combines human drama with creature and action that leave a touching emotional impact.
This is the best Godzilla movie I have ever seen. It's not campy. There is no bad acting. There aren't absurdities. It is written like a thing that actually happened at a time in history.
This all takes place at the end and after WWII when Japan is already reeling from the devastation of the war. Ryunosuke Kamiki gives a brilliant performance as Koichi Shikishima, a Kamikaze pilot, who was not able to go through with it and pretends something is wrong with his plane and lands at a repair engineer region. This is where he first encounters Godzilla who wipes out all the engineers. He is already raw from his actions in the war, or inaction, and now he freezes when he has an opportunity to "kill" Godzilla on the island with the guns on his plane. He is now wracked with guilt and at war in his own mind. This is his journey and story.
Skikishima encounters a woman with a baby, Noriko and Akiko. The baby is orphaned and Noriko simply follows Shikishima home after an earlier encounter. Skikishima is struggling with his guilt. But somehow they develop a beautiful family-type relationship that is centered around Akiko and how they must take care of her. As they struggle to regain their footing after the war, the threat of Godzilla lingers in the background.
This movie reminds me of animes I have seen. The writing, the stunning events, the drama, the action, and the emotional impacts on characters. Even the dialogue. Only it is not anime. This is most likely my own ignorance as I have watched very limited Japanese movies, but a few animes. The direction was spot-on for every scene.
I don't want to go into too much detail, but to say the story here is what really works. It's the human drama and the rawness of an already suffering Japan, and now this man on his journey in life must deal not only with Godzllia but the demons that haunt him which have become conflated into one. Yet, all this is tied to amazing action and epic visual sequences, and the fx of Godzilla himself. What happened here in this movie is more than just action. There was a developing love story and family, beginning with a friendship created by hard times. There is a man who is struggling with guilt and trauma. It is life and living.
The final fight was brilliant. I loved the idea of a scientific approach to dealing with Godzilla. Tho, things take on unexpected turns of events here and there. I found the movie very compelling to watch as I wanted to see how things would turn out for Shikishima. I was very touched by the ending. That was just utterly beautiful. 10/10.
Diagnosis Murder: An Explosive Murder (1996)
Really stinky. Lol.
All I could was what is this teenager doing going undercover for the police? Tracey Gold was terribly miscast. Every time she tried to sound tough or look tough, I just plain laughed. Basically, she was her character as Carol Seaver from Growing Pains. That persona and character. Zero change to to get into a completely different character. She was Carole Seaver as a cop. Lol.
Just not believable that anti-government terrorists would trust her. And two of them were enamoured of her. Lol. She was completely unbelievable as an anti-government soldier. The terrorist group were pretty dumb. Eric McCormack just seemed silly as the terrorist leader. He was miscast too.
Look, I realize this was a spinoff attempt. But who in their right mind ever thought this was compelling enough to gain a series? I suppose you could look at it as being unintentionally funny and enjoy that way. But otherwise, it was stinky and I advise skipping it. 3/10.
Diagnosis Murder: A Blast from the Past (1995)
Kind of a dark, tense, violent one.
This one gives up some of the comedy and light moments, for a dark, tense, violent episode. A man Steve put away is paroled and he wants revenge against Steve.
What ensues is a cat-and-mouse game between Gualt and Steve as Gualt has figured out how to play the system. He stalks Steve and gets a job at the hospital and stalks Mark and Amanda. Great job by Jack Coleman playing Gualt as almost a soft-spoken charmer with an underlying violent streak. Mark was right when he called Gualt a psychopath.
They had some very violent scenes between Gault and his girlfriend, and later with another character where he implies a very sick and twisted plan.
It's very tense because there is little Steve can do as a cop as Gualt has a restraining order against Steve. Steve is suspended and the gang just doesn't know what Gualt will do next and how to catch him.
Anyway, an intense one that kept me glued to the screen in order to see what would happen. 9/10.
Family Ties: Simon Says (1989)
Being a stalker and harraser is not cute.
I don't see how being a stalker and harassing Jennifer all the time is written as cute or adorkable. Simon shouldn't get a pass because he is socially awkward. He's creepy.
Jennifer keeps saying to Simon that he is her friend and keeps giving him a pass. But he does not understand the word "no" or "stop." He keeps getting in trouble and nearly almost gets Jennifer fired. He completely ignores the boundaries that Jennifer expresses and makes her uncomfortable.
I see Simon as a future criminal. Because of his stalkerish behaviour. And all of the above that I have written. He doesn't accept boundaries and the words "no" and "stop."
In contrast, a little girl, the newspaper girl, has a huge crush on Alex. And she is indeed stalking him. But somehow they made this funny. Mainly because Alex acts scared of the 10-year-old and keeps hiding and running away from her. So that is funny. It's not uncommon for little children to have crushes on older people. This is all exaggerated humour and works as a background humorous story. But Jennifer with her school peer of the same age as her being a stalker does not work. 4/10.
Family Ties: Beauty and the Bank (1986)
Alex should have been fired.
As much as I love and enjoy the character of Alex P. Keaton, I just can't give him a pass on this one. Maybe it's because of how things are in current times vs the 80s. However, I think in that time period this would have still been considered unacceptable by society. Indeed many of the characters saw Alex's behavior as a real problem.
Alex was disrespectful to his new female boss from day one. As time went on, he engaged in sexist, patronizing, and even sexually harassing behaviour.
To. His. Boss.
He really should have been dismissed on day one. Alex is republican and so therefore maybe his atrocious behaviour does go along with that ideology. This isn't me. This is what is shown in the show. He has a really low view of a woman's place in the world, especially in the workplace.
They gloss over this, after all, Alex is the central draw to the show, by having his boss work things out with him and Alex, apologizing and changing his opinion of working for a female boss, and she forgiving him. But this was all a little weak. A real lesson would have been him being fired. It's a comedy show so they just keep it light and everything resolved.
Anyway, not my favourite episode. I didn't like Alex very much here. He was cringe-worthy. Very weak to have his boss forgive his disgusting behaviour. 5/10.