Change Your Image
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQ4MTY5NzU2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDc5NTgwMTI@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
cgtam
Reviews
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" film 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. NThis 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. Done shots are old bc planet no longer looks like that. See Plastic Ocean filmed over 10 yrs ago, or Netflix's Chasing Coral.
This Apple series is similar to Sir David's 35 yr old wondrous "Birds of Paradise." Scientists have been studying sound pollution by PPL & adverse affects esp to whales- 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.
Roadkill (2020)
3 stars for Hugh Laurie attempts; talking DULL silly no plot snoozefest. Boring.
Due to high reviews of Hugh Laurie's performance, I watched this 2020 PBS "Masterpiece" mini series free on Amz prime. Regret time wasted. How PBS has lowered its standards. PBS gave viewers Forsyte saga (Damien Lewis "Billions"); Sherlock (B. Cumberbatch) for FREE!
Here, after 1 & 1/2 eps, I lost interest due to poor lazy writing, no interesting plot nor dialog, & did other tasks playing this in background. Literally talking series with NO action, no intrigue, no real satire. Hugh does a fairly good job with a lousy script that fast becomes pure nonsense, playing a "crafty Political survivor & climber" in Britain. His family life drama was def not needed & became a distraction of 2 whining ungrateful blue collar looking adults acting like 8 yr olds brats, blaming Daddy for ALL their personal / life/ career problems, despite his "U are free to choose your own path". Like ALL politicians' kids, both enjoyed many privileges others fail to receive, & neither have $ problems like most struggling young educated adults.
This series has big plot holes, "mystery deaths" that go unexplained. Worst, the supposed "hook" for the viewer to finish dull series is ID of another adult with good upscale upbringing who claims to be his kid after 20+ yrs bc educated mother CHOSE this to hide birth from Laurie. Viewer stops caring fast bc it's torturedly drawn out to end of series. One needs to fast forward 4 eps.
Other cons: The political betrayals are nonsensical. Writer wants viewer to feel sympathy for those imprisoned despite the severity of crime committed. Clear black/ dark skin Brits prisoners are selected for viewers' sympathy but fails since NO character development is written, plus NO remorse shown by any prisoner - just being "black" is writers' lazy justification for sympathy. Def Not Shawshank Redemption, nor Green Mile, nor even OZ. Last, token Asian female has disgusting behavior of snacking like caveman on special hors d'oeuvres she serves for rich while in VIEW of kitchen & during their gatherings; one can HEAR her unsanitary smacking; she's predictably gay; adds 0 to series except nausea.
Summary: Def SKIP IT dull waste of time series despite high praise of Laurie's acting attempts bc poor writing. Like all failed films/ shows, it's free on prime.
Avenue 5 (2020)
Best original satire show in long time.
Ignore the haters. S1 was great. Hugh Laurie & cast were all very good, even annoying characters Karen , who played that part to MAX bc she's supposed to annoying!!.
Sadly S2 became more tame & mainstream. I wanted S3 but it was cancelled bc of overhyped hate reviews. So many formula, NOT funny, Unoriginal "comedy" shows that get YRS of new seasons. The Simpson's is one of them- I never thought that cartoon was remotely funny but I know many who love it. It's not for me but I don't write "hate reviews" of Simpsons.
Sadly, Ave 5 was cancelled. It reminded of when old creative HBO had most creative producers & good writing- thus GOT. Even the tiny but strong Korean aide of billionaire ship owner was spot on. Do u think billionaires retain those who refuse to do their every bidding? & she was HIS rock too, flipping the "meek timid non speaking" Asian stereotype Hollywood populates everywhere.
As many who truly like the quirkiness & satire of this show have already commented, if U don't like it , THIS show is NOT for you. Leave those who DO WANT NEW FLAVORS, writing, original witty shows alone. U can have ALL boring dull formula shows spewed everywhere for YRS. We don't complain about those to remove them off the air.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Rewatched it; remains insulting to Asian iconic cast
Jet Li & Michele Yoeh are wasted in this silly film. I truly like Brandon Frazier as actor. But his talent is also wasted. In a man to man fight, is it believable that Brandon, whose middle aged character relies heavily on guns, can out fist fight legendary Jet Li, esp after Li has immortal powers? Opening shows how fast he is against other Chinese martial artists as regular man. Suddenly Brandon can head butt him 2x & stun Jet Li? If u ever watched Free martial arts contest of real fighting, a head butt is easily deflected. Yeoh is lovely but her martial arts & acting are wasted too. The girl who plays her daughter also needs Brandon SON's help after guarding the tomb for 2000 YRS - right; & she cannot kill 1 lazy rich college dude - Right.
Plot- none. Scenes are copied from Indiana Jones incl traps. Brandon's son digs up the tomb that looks like it's in Egyptian desert, or maybe it's Siberian bc Yetis are in this film too. Lots of CGI special effects than any character development. No tension, no build up. Jet Li has 4 minutes of screen time total.
I won't repeat the many other flaws many others have already posted. This film was made more than a decade before USA had any political conflict with China. Summary: wasted potential all around, esp bias against iconic Chinese Asian martial artists & actors.
Resident Alien (2021)
S1-7; S2-5 for 1st half; S2 second half to S3- 1; degraded to snoozefest show lost all its charm. Overall 4.
S1: This SYFY series surprisengem started out uniquely comedic & fun with interesting characters, entire cast had chemistry- rare indeed. Lead comedian Alan T unique comedy skills shine in S1. Even the 2 kids were interesting. Good writing & no gore, with flawed quirky experienced "big city ego detective demoted to small town Sheriff" & his faithful female "in training" deputy who also skillfully let her boss to take the credit while also manipulating him to do her bidding bc of her wit. ALL characters were unique, humorous, believable, & well cast.
S2: Alan's character starts to erode incl comedy during last half of season, every ep becomes predictable, drawn out & formulatic despite another 1 yr hiatus before filming.
S3: Another Yr hiatus. Show is now Boring slog soap opera. It's as if ALL original writers left the show during S2. Lead characters have notably aged, kids are now teens; & viewer is supposed to believe NO hiatus timeline in plot. Entire cast changed to same boring "by numbers typecast" one expects in this dead time of writing in most films & shows.
S2& 3 cameo Guest stars are "bait" for ppl to watch but add little to decaying plot/ writing. Worst , Entire Cast lost chemistry bc of poor script, & all deliver lines as if knowing script is poor. S3 devoid of real sci-fi, not even bit comedic, DULL as watching paint dry. Main plot is replaced with one that's been done repeatedly thru past generations B flicks. Alan the alien is converted to mostly silly dull human, incl his speech, instead of advanced ET from another galaxy. By end of drawn out S2, All that made this show surprise hit has been intentionally discarded. Most of characters become irritating, & chore for viewer to watch = failed memorable show.
So enjoy S1 & first half of S2, then stop watching & wasting your time bc it just gets horribly bad, dragging out plotless series for $$.
Ghost of the Mountains (2017)
Disney film crew killed entire filmed snow leopard family
In bonus features, Disney film crew boasts how they had 24/7 access to ER care & air transport. This super mother snow leopard WAS a legend to local Mongolians, thus she was tracked, darted & UNNATURALLY COLLARED for THIS film. Those reviews admiring all filmography are NOT informed how Disney film crew caused her death & her twin cubs deaths bc streaming fails to show bonus clips. The film crew boasted they "laughed & ate food for 5 days few feet away" watching her slow death, her 2 nearby teen female cubs shivering & starving to death. The entire snow leopard family's death is entertaining to this horrible film crew.
IF she wasn't darted & filmed, the super mom snow leopard in her PRIME yrs would've raised her 2 cubs- an extraordinary feat, & she herself would remain alive, her incredible genes passed down to populate a near extinct species.
Disney crew caused her death by refusing to aide her after an illegally grazing ram severely injured her during a hunt. That's why she looks pleadingly into the camera lens often at the end. The worthless crap quote of "life's balance being Ying/ yang" is akin to Pinocchio's nose growing 10 feet long. Disney crew justifies their greedy motives & INaction to aide her by stating "it's nature." Is it "nature" to hunt her, dart her & Force a collar on her while she's raising 2 cubs so the crew can easily film her? She entrusted them- a huge gift, & Disney crew betrayed her. All reviews who mention her death due to THIS film have been removed.
I never would watch any film that causes the death a critically endangered creature, esp the lead.. I discovered this AFTER on blue ray bonus features.
Def SKIP this abhorrent profit only purpose film. There are better films of snow leopards filmed with hidden cameras that do not dart them nor Jeopardize their lives, esp when raising young.
The New World (2005)
1 star for nature tree shots; 0 for no plot montage film that insults Native Americans
There exists photo of real of Pocahontas & John Smith in North America @ time both lived. She was only 10 yr old small child, Smith was an old man @ 38. In truth, Pocahontas was demanded & taken like prized turkey by Smith & his men, making Smith a true child predator & pedafile. Real Diaries & letters from Smith & his men exist as proof of this disgraceful sexual enslavery Smith intentionally created with Pocahontas & her outgunned tribe. Smith also raped her before she became his property/ guide in new world.
Here, This film is pure fiction, the actress is near 17, & def never given title as "lady", nor returned to Europe & lived like a "princess" , birthing a royal child.
I Watched out of curiosity bc of lead casting. After falling asleep @ 30 min mark, I fast forwarded it; & regretted lost time. I love trees but there's a better lovely film "Seasons" that is true art film for nature lovers.
This 2005 film is about Pocahontas, & once again, Native Americans are portrayed in a bias "savage / utopian/ naive" manner without sophisticated culture. Utter nonsense! In reality, Pocahontas was later abandoned by Smith after he used her navigation skills & body; she died young & alone when Smith sailed back with "new world" map & all info gained from 4-5 yrs of owning his slave child Pocahantis.
Arrival of Europeans was start of systemic Genocide that continues today. European diseases killed masses of natives, & Europeans intentionally used infected blankets / objects in order to spread same fatal diseases like chickenpox, measles, scarlet fever. NONE of the richness of Native American culture, skills, true values are shown in this film. Also, here the Dutch/ English ppl & royals are shown as benevolent & welcoming to all darker skinned foreign "savages" - all false bc non whites = subhuman. DEF a skip film, unless U need to sleep.
Marlowe (2022)
Down the wandering dull rabbit hole to boredom.
Such waste of talent, sets, & photography. Liam @ 70 has permanent hoarse voice & looks his age despite costumes. His character's "physical prowess" of dirty fist fights & killing strong young thugs is laughable. Script / direction has no mystery, no suspense, esp wandering pointless dialogue between cast & cameos of good actors. Some Nice cinematography & lighting but a lot is dark. Convoluted repetitive dialogue delivery from wide cast is same as discussing paint drying.
Nothing is captivating nor engaging for viewer. I fast forwarded it & Liam & Kruger are exchanging same lines in middle & end of film.
This tries to be "LA Confidential" but fails. Motive is ultimately greed that's written in prolonged dullest manner. Liam lost his acting ability & credibility with each new film released. No young RICH pretty female socialite lusts for 70 yr old poor man (Liam) without social manners, esp when she has many other men available. During THIS time of OLD Hollywood status & classy manners were mandatory. Classy intelligent charisma kept Humphrey Bogart, Betty Davis , & Katherine Hepburn at top during that era.
Def skip this bc you'll never get your time back.
Wonka (2023)
Good sets, cgi but casting too young Willy; trailers are better.
Gene Wilder's Willa Wonka is best portrayal of the eccentric mysterious chocolate maker. This musical redo is absurd bc NO TEEN can create such incredible masterpieces of confectionery, ESP CHOCOLATE!! Try making just 1 chocolate plain candy bar from scratch yourself. Ingredients alone are costly. Then special pans, heating & stirring etc. It takes decades of manual artistry & usu requisite mentoring to just make a good plain chocolate bar before one can do fillings, ganache & fancy chocolate candies with fillings.
Sets are nice but the main plot is Willy & how he became such a great confectioner, esp from poverty.n That critical development is missing here. No amount of " imagination'l songs, dances, & cgi packed decor can alter that VIP plot. Here this Willy is portrayed too young & lacks maturity to build a candy chocolate empire, esp when only 3 unnamed families maintain monopoly control over the entire GLOBAL cocoa bean market = chocolate market. Hugh Grant as 1 tiny red burned color Oompa/ elf is not really comedic despite obvious slap stick jokes & digitized gadgets Hugh has, incredulous at this period of time - early 1900s.
If Gene Wilder had the same cgi tech available in 1970s film, it would remain a classic bc Wonka is a multi layered charismatic character. Depp's remake performance as Willie was better than this remake, but Depp's film had wrong director (Burton) who focuses on weird, not magical delights.
Wildlife Specials: Lions: Spy in the Den (2000)
Stunning natural behavior; groundbreaking film of what WAS & why restoration is VIP.
Sir David @ his best in this series made about 27 yrs ago from 2024, which captures TRUE natural, undusturbed lion, elephant, penguin, tiger, & dolphin behaviors when our planet still had large pristine ecosystems.
DEF MUST WATCH series.
Should be mandatory viewing globally in every school, @ Every level to remind & show youths how much PPL have allowed to disappear globally. No music score- just real wildlife sounds & Sir David narrating wonderfully. No PPL noise back then. It's the young that must survive their entire lives in now unstable planet bc Old Guard refuses to change out of greed.
No nighttime military grade cameras but LOTS of cubs / pride/ youngster/ family behavior & dusk & early morning.
Nat Geo & BBC should release these unique films freely, or at least stream them despite our military cameras can now film color @ night. Older Heat lenses display a lot- NOT shining blinding bright lights @ wildlife esp during hunt or conflict bc light clearly disturbs natural behavior.
In past generations, PBS released "Nature" freely @ 8 pm Sun, incl these wondrous films.
Despite most of habitats now destroyed, there remains tiny areas PPL can & are trying to save, incl areas that are being restored. These films show the result of such VIP endeavors that benefits ALL humanity.
Queens (2024)
Dull basic clips; nothing new.
Narration is delivered at a monotonous whisper, with well known facts. Lots of ads. Lead animals get 1/4 of screen time while other animals not advertised get the majority. Distracting score is odd mix of modern songs incl heavy metal rock; wildlife sounds are not synced. Bias agenda of pro female is emphasized throughout each ep. Producer Basset claims this took "4 yrs to make" but not for filming bc of huge time gaps. During that time, Africa & other wild places have drastically changed, but it's not shown.
No real background of lead females' survival. Most clips are recycled from other docu series. Tries but fails to copy scripts of successful docus like Savage Kingdom, Dynasties, & Planet Earth series. Better than Ambien for sleeping, so it's good for that purpose.
Shôgun (2024)
Needs better script & lead European actors. Sets & costumes do NOT create a hit story.
Overhyped show. So much potential wasted here. Bad lead European cast. Sets are OK, costumes are credible, sitting in chairs or cross legged is NOT credible for Japanese during 750 AD. Japanese male cast is better. Mariko actress is OK , but better actress, script, & no modern agenda would've improved this series greatly.
Some reviewers claim this is next GOT. Def NO. GOT had well known Brit actors/ actresses & unknowns in 1st ep. GOT was global hit bc it's FANTASY with dragons, magic, based on European history. Plus Old HBO had most creative producers, & diverse cast bc they FIT character & could ACT- no political agenda. GOT would never be made now.
Here, the lead Englishman male does Tom Hardy "Mad Max Fury Road" impression at times. He's not charismatic nor believable. NO prisoner SCREAMS out temper tantrum continually at LEADER of one's captors, esp after witnessing beheadings of natives from samurai swordsmen, & how Japanese ppl act in reverence when in presence of same samurai.
Here, the Japanese male lead cast is better but too much importance is placed on Mariko & esp her Catholic beliefs. All Daughters must honor their father's by unquestionable obedience - a duty that remains in modern Japan.
The 1980s show was such a huge hit bc of Richard Chamberlain, good script with author's input, realism of male dominance & correct male chauvinism in Japan that also existed GLOBALLY in 750 AD. Yet, the 1980s hit show insulted every American Japanese person I knew. I read the book too- enjoyable fictional tale of Japan from white westernized male view.
In real history, Japan distrusted all European missionaries / foreigners, incl Christian religion. These Europeans believed daily bathing caused lethal flue, were riddled with body lice & diseases unknown to Japanese. Europeans were kept on a guarded special island and killed if they left it without escorted permission.
Here, I've seen both new released eps. It's average for THIS era. Shame lead "Englishman" & Catholic priest are lame. The subtitles are fast a few times & do not bother me. But knowing so much about Japan from close friends, having read bestselling book, studied Japan's history, & remembering original TV massive hit with Chamberlain, causes this series to be a disappointment bc so much potential was discarded. A good story already exists.
Thus, Watchable, but not really memorable like the original series nor book.
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Entertaining for civilians; fictional tale based on true event
This film is engaging & rewatchable, one of the best war films I've seen. All star cast, good score, chemistry among large cast, & mostly believable action until I saw real pics & docus of this same event.
This film did very well in USA alone. Due to docus & real footage clips, I now can hypothesize why other nations did not like this film. The recovery / rescue was an international coolaberation. Also, USA military ppl strongly dislike this film is a fact to bear in mind that this is FICTIONAL account of a TRUE event.
Here, what Ridley does do very well is entertain mass civilians & cause sympathy for all various USA military soldiers who endure the living hell of combat, esp in 1993 before "smart bombs" & drone bombs were invented. Civilians cannot Empathize this type of real horror due to lack of combat war experience when odds are 100 to 1 against you, & well armed enemy waiting to ambush you.
NO film could show true battle scenes nor wounds bc it would be horror film. Nor show true hell of tens of thousands of bullets, RPGs, etc being unleashed non stop onto our USA & allied troops for hours during that night op. Also, film fails to show Clinton admin tragic failure to provide proper protection to our military, denying common sense requests from general Garrison, bc in truth soldiers are "expendable".
It's incredulous that very young men, just graduated from high school with no real combat experience could perform this recover dead / dying soldiers op.
This film states 19 elite died but not the USA 66 dead 18 yr olds who comprised ground forces that performed heavyweight dangerous burden of removing many enemies' burning barricades, house to house clearance, so armed humvees, squads, etc could reach both crashed black hawks & many wounded. Also, film omits courageous great leadership / cooperation from Italian , Pakistani, and Malaysian militaries. In 1990s the UN had global power to rectify many atrocities in other nations.
This Ridley film draws in the viewer very well with what should've happened, & myriad emotions new & non veteran soldiers in combat war must overcome against overwhelming odds, incl intense strict leadership to keep them alive, & how ALL the military leaders kept modifying the plan out of necessity. In reality, the rescue / recovery of wounded, & dead pilots occurred mostly at night, not in daytime.
Regardless, Plato's quote @ start of the film is true "only the dead have seen the end of war." This film is from an USA patriot viewpoint. I do not know how Somalians or other nations feel about this 1993 event, but globally other nations sacrificed significantly to aide them.
As USA patriot, & knowing truth from docus & pics, I enjoy this film & admire our military more, despite few incredulous scenes ie, dead soldier with live rocket stuck in his body is loaded into a crammed humvee with the wounded; colonel's driver shot in face, then Colonel is shot, & both keep on driving.
Emotionally this film gives viewer TINY taste of real combat, & immense courage our military & allies faced in insurmountable odds situation. Not heroes, not supermen, but real youngsters & elite military who served their country proudly without hesitation to aide starving masses in Somalia for humanitarian purpose, not political nor to protect oil / other coveted resources.
True Detective (2014)
Review for S4 Night Country snoozefest; S1 to S3 very good
Writers for S4 "Night country " in Alaska are def not same as previous 3 seasons.
In S4, usu female pro agenda is clear. Yet, script writers believe that females cursing like a sailor = brains & courage. Cursing is fine as long as it's done well & with purpose ie., Wolf of Wall Street; Happy!. A character can spew foulest language but delivery & meaning need to justify it. AI can do better writing.
If Hollywood want females to be "more clever & better" than males, give females an intelligent vocabulary 1st, not just cursing or bad 1 liners.
Aged Foster fails in her delivery, going thru motions. Cursing at everyone to "f** off" etc, as her main dialogue in insipid script reduces her intelligence. Foster's very young black female "alaskan native" ex partner is not credible either.
No reason is given why Foster & her ex partner despise each other. Flashbacks are nonsensical & are filler time killers. Foster's ex partner is given the same type of poor script with abysmal delivery. Worst , 0 chemistry between the two females.
NO character development for anyone, no suspense, no resolution, no pay off for viewer. Entire cast has no chemistry with each other & give poor commercial ad quality acting; Sudden discovered "murders" & "frozen scientists"are nonsensical too, creating unexplained sci fi aspect.
This S4 gives no closure IF one can slog thru this snore fest. I skipped to ending of last released ep, which repeats the 1st ep.
NO native Alaskan is cast in S4. Many white & other ethnic ppl are "Alaskan natives" but no REAL Alaskan natives.. So Hollywood bias against American API.
Incredibly boring 1st ep that feels like 3 hrs is def skip series. Tragic every new hyped Hollywood show / film has same formula agenda plot. Watching concrete crack is more entertaining than S4.
Monsieur Spade (2024)
SLOW; Dull, boring, sporadic time jumps; no plot; poor casting & acting.
Unlike Humphrey Bogart who was Old Hollywood's great leading man, Clive fails to resemble any engaging character is this hyped, no where, achingly slow & stagnant plot series . Cast has no chemistry nor decent acting. Clive lost twinkle in his eyes & looks bored most of the time. Trailers are more interesting. Lots of subtitles too.
Aging Clive did not beef up for this role causing the few physical scenes against young thugs , or lust from very young pretty ladies, UNbelievable.
This fails even as slow burn bc there needs to be some foundational plot to set up any series. Here there's NO plot in 1st ep. All viewer gets is a "possible unknown Dad" who supposedly does not want to care for a teen girl, but other "unverified unknown bad guys" want same teen girl; they maybe kill other ppl to take possession of teen. Everyone & everything is literally unknown bc nothing is shown, no facts stated in short script. No real reason why Clive continues to be risk his life & be part time guardian of teen.
All these unknowns facts / plot holes viewer must "guess" every motive & persons' identity, incl lead Clive- it becomes tiresome fast.
If you want to see older Clive sit, light & smoke a lot of cigarettes, then this is for you.
I will not be wasting any more time on this nowhere dull series where cast goes thru the motions. Def skip it series.
The Lion King (2019)
Redo ruins iconic original; dull cast & cgi; boring script & score
This redo fails in every aspect. Flat vocal acting, no emotional peaks, different score, changed script , all add up to one dull prolonged joyless film.
Unlike the original, casting & script was more about current politics like virtually every film. No Quality vocal acting. CGI of lions is bad- their fur looks electrified, not sleek.
Lions like all mammals do have facial expressions esp in EYES. Besides, this is CGI - one expects artistic license- not docu. In wild , all lions & cubs DO show emotions from crying, getting misty eyed, to joy, love, family bonding, fear & anger. EYES & eyebrows display expressions, incl whole body. They smile when content & happy.
Here , Scar has freakish body, flat vocals. No one can beat J Irons "Scar" performance like most of the main characters. Even the new "Circle Of Life" score lacks same vocal quality .
Clearly animators & director never watched any wild lion docu where lions show variety of facial expressions & body language when relaxed, scouting, hunting, playing, grief, danger, or during pride conflicts.
Skip this & watch original. Ruins iconic film; poor vocal casting & cgi; dull from start to end.
Happy! (2017)
Unmatched Uniquely satirical humorous S1; S2 boring
I saw this on Syfy when it was 1st released, prior to it becoming huge hit, bc I enjoy C. Meloni. What a joyful surprise to find a gem instead same shows. Use of Xmas music & themes for satire are innovative & hilarious. Those who view Christmas as sacred, or watch "vanilla by the numbers shows" will NOT like this.
Meloni stated he did a lot of improv during filming, Unicorn voice & animation were added later to match his great comedic skills.
Thoroughly enjoyable since there's huge selection of Xmas music, themes, & props to use for comedy.
S2 huge disappointment bc Easter has few commercial music, & writers changed Meloni's character to average Dad. All weird unique satire of S1 is gone- nothing is funny. S2 pot of "be good Dad with job" is dull; script & Unicorn are bland; girl has same stereotyped teen issues.
Enjoy S1 but skip 2.
The Real Black Panther (2020)
Enjoyable Lovely filmography, lots of old stock NG scene fillers; overall good narration factual story; good for kids
WHY ppl complain millions of other sentient mammals stories, most have gone extinct by 2023, CANNOT be told as if human, is an INSULT to ALL same beings who evolved over millions of yrs, esp top predators, long before chimps evolved to humans. Humans have existed for mere 10k yrs & in under 1 century, destroyed true Eden for greed.
Here, Narrator's voice fit the rare true black panther that usu fails to live long bc black fur does not give adequate camouflage in India's wild areas, & is killed as cub.
Note: this film says 2020 release date but uses many DECADES OLD scenes been enhanced.
Yet, ALL black panthers endure same survival challenges. Tigers kill regular coated leopards when Indian rangers try to bring diversity back to their national parks .
Script is well written & narrator has vocal
acting ; no kills , no gore, shown so def G rated. Real facts are told in tale, too. VIP: Kids can see what existed 60 yrs ago in India's tiger reserves.
Filmmakers followed this decades old black panther for 2 yrs & hard work shows.
Fact that no nighttime heat vision/ night vision was used to film which PROVES TRUE Age of this film in 1980s, def not 2020.
If PPL can try to see this world thru perspective of other intelligent beings on this planet who are needed in any health ecosystem, the natural world would be cherished & protected. Since 1990s science has proven repeatedly ecosystems benefit PPL MOST.
Despite 30 yrs global info free spreading of facts, PPL continue to plunder & destroy all nature & wildlife for short term greed, putting HUMAN survival at risk since 2010 as global climate accelerates & entire pristine habitats are erased forever.
For haters who posted reviews:
Plenty of OBJECTIVE boring dull FALSE nature docs, made for arrogant who believe only PPL possess emotions & culture. Those same PPL, incl their kids, will suffer in an ever rapid climate changing "no natural" HUMAN planet, as last few viable ecosystems die/ harvested. Billions of PPL will suffer globally bc of these antiquated beliefs & short term greed.
Without WILD natural ecosystems working FREE tirelessly 24/7, THIS planet is doomed because of certain PPL's apathy & arrogance. That's fact- not fiction since 1990s.
Sean Chandler Talks About: Disneynature's Penguins Movie Review (2019)
Recycled scenes of BBC's Frozen Planet, Blue Planet Frozen Seas with new fictional toddler narration
Watch Frozen Planet 1&2, Blue Planet 1 & 2 instead of this folly. This film is a disservi once to viewers intelligence by enhancing outdated scenes to HD, which Disney tries to fool viewer one is seeing recent antarctic conditions. NO. It's a LIE.
NO declaimer these scenes were shot decades ago & bought by Disney simply to enhance & stream in 2023 with new silly fictional script.
It's Been over 25 YRS since Antarctica looked like this!!!
Images from space prove the thick snow, frozen sea, & millions of penguins, like all other snow dependent wildlife, have been greatly reduced to extinction levels. Penguins have moved to other viable habitats- that's still NOT enough survive.
Disney should STOP steaming its OUTDATED nature films made by others , unless Disney puts big BOLD DISCLAIMER to viewers the film is near 30 yrs old , incl habitats that been extinct since 2000. Since 2005, millions of penguin species populations have collapsed globally like the rest of world's wildlife due to PPL nonstop activities.
Next, what's missing is VIP INFO re daily consumer choices that can stop global warming, ie, replace all lights with led bulbs, weather stripping windows & doors = $$ in one's pocket instead paying utilities co. Eat 1 vegan meal 1x per week- it'll keep U healthy & save $$ too. Eat NO SEA LIFE from poisoned toxic sea bc ALL SEA FOODS, ESP FISH have NO OMEGAS; we squeeze oil from fish for omegas. Fish eat omega greens - their bodies have 0 omegas.
Not eating seafood = not being poisoned with 10x lead & mercury, plus every toxins ppl made &! Then dumped in ocean for centuries , incl Nuclear waste.
This script is farce. Lone penguin usu dies in blizzard- Steve main penguin is clueless for comedic attempts. Yet Clueless in nature = no survival, but that's not shown here. Main character adaily penguin Steve is shown doing series of fatal blunders. Camera switches to another adaily penguin with silly narrative naming another penguin Steve. Nothing bad is shown bc truth is hidden.
1 star for cherry picking best scenes of 4 films. ZERO stars for fictional script & lies to kids who must survive in this severely changed warming planet & shall never receive great benefits of healthy planet, unlike ppl who lived 80 yrs ago.
Polar Bear (2022)
Recycled BBC "Spy in Ice Den" film scenes; fictional narration for toddlers
Disney nature simply buys film rights, enhances it to HD, & inserts new narration / script. It's sanitized so ppl can believe lies that wildlife do not die or experience bad things. Even if they do, they're not human so it's impossible for any other creature on this planet to be sentient.
Script is written for kids & barely touches on how tough life is. When cub loses her brother, no mention of grief is hinted. BBC's Frozen Planet 1&2, the Hunt, & "7 worlds 1 planet" narrator, Sir David , describes how polar mother & twin cub stayed dying cub's side, protecting weak twin cub from our changing planet's increasing frequent sudden below freezing prolonged violent blizzards. Both Mother & twin cub remained next to dead cub's body for 2 days despite their own hunger. Those are facts but omitted from this film. How is that behavior not grief? They did not eat the cub despite both were starving.
1 reviewer states "no proof ice is melting" & spewed lots of same propaganda that puts humanity's future in jeopardy. Have u been living in a cave? Space & satellite images prove 1/3 of both polar ice caps have permanently melted. This ice has NOT melted in millions of The yrs. Polar bears are now endangered- many adult polar bears drown at sea.
Scientists who tag & count remaining global polar bears , see mothers abandoning cubs before 2 yrs- far too early. Or worst, cubs die when still on milk bc mother bear has NO seals to eat at all = no milk for cubs. Largest iceberg on planet is cracking off huge chunks size of empire state building & falling into the sea bc sea is warming.
Only science model needed amending were the ones created in 1970s , who stated this climate crisis will be evident by 2010. Ppl ridiculed them. Not anymore.
Narrator sounds like Scarlett Johansson with sore throat.
1 star for choosing best shots of BBC films.
Zero stars for nonsensical entertainment written false script.
All wildlife is being pushed to extinction due to PPL.