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Series Reviews

TV Show Review: Guilty Party

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Guilty Party is a story about a disgraced journalist, Beth, who is desperately trying to regain her reputation. An opportunity arises when a woman who was wrongly convicted of murder writes Beth and asks for help to prove her innocence. Beth takes it upon herself to search for any proof that Toni didn’t murder her husband.

I really wanted to like this show. It had some interesting elements to it. I liked that the show uses Beath as someone who is too dated for the industry. I liked that while she was trying to write meaningful stories, she gets overlooked for stories about pop culture. The first couple of episodes make some interesting criticisms about modern journalism. It was really well done at first.

I also liked that Beth wasn’t perfect. She stumbles through the clues and is frightened easily. It feels like she is in way over her head but her desperation keeps her from quitting. Beth is a refreshing take on the detective genre because it felt like she could fail. Usually, in these types of shows, you have a godlike lead with easy access to all these connections and clues, but Beth has none of these. She is constantly having to struggle to find any evidence. This gave the show its tension and I loved it until it became self-serving.

Every episode in this series has a scene where someone comments on how hot Beth is for being old. It wouldn’t be a problem if the story didn’t stop to make this a point. As the series progresses, it gets lazy. Hardships are thrown at Beth for the sake of moving the plot forward. Her husband cheats on her to give her the excuse to sleep with a younger man. Worst of all, this show becomes a white savior narrative as she learns how special black people are. It is gross and I can’t recommend it.

I don’t hate that they use Kate Beckinsale as their lead. When the show isn’t about her and she is trying to solve the mystery, it’s great. Beth is a good character with clear motivations and flaws, but the show never capitalizes on it. This show could have worked, but people got lazy.

This is the second project I’ve seen her in where the show spends so much time talking about how hot she is. I wonder if that is a clause in her contract? I wish they would have focused on actually telling a story. If you don’t believe me, you can stream this on Paramount Plus.

Movie Reviews, movies

TV Movie Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

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Journey to the Center of the Earth is a delightful explorer movie that should be a part of your never-ending backlog of movies you still need to watch. To clarify, this review is about the made-for-TV version, not the theatrical one starring Brendan Frasier.

As expected of any made-for-TV adaptation, this movie is a cheesy and low-budget retelling of a book of the same name. While I do not know how true this adaptation is to the book, it is an adaptation I very much enjoyed. Full disclosure, I have not seen the theatrical version, and I can’t make the comparison. That said, this film is proof that a movie doesn’t require a huge budget, fancy computer graphics, or big named actors to have a compelling story. While it may not be Indiana Jones, it nuzzles itself neatly into its charming place in the genre.

Professor Jonathan Brook has been hired by an heiress to find her lost husband Edward. With the help of a local Russian settler, his nephew, and the heiress, Jonathan must comb the Alaskan wilderness for Edward. What they find in Alaska is greater than the mere fate of a long-lost Edward.

I loved this movie, but this movie isn’t perfect. You can tell the actors are trying their hardest to do period-appropriate accents, some of the action is stiff and awkward, and the graphics are terrible, but that is part of the charm. All things considered, it can tell a compelling and interesting narrative. 

The only real issue I had with this movie was how they treated the natives. It is unavoidable for movies, especially older ones, to have problematic representations of minorities. It isn’t bad enough that I would discourage people from watching this movie, but it is an issue nonetheless. 

This is a pretty great way to spend two hours, especially if you love cheesy movies. You can watch this movie for free on YouTube. You can do a lot worse for free. 

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: Julia (2022)

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Julia is a very wholesome show that you should be binging right now! If you are a fan of Ted Lasso, you will adore Julia. I am not a huge fan of biopics, but this definitely has changed my opinion. It is well cast, wonderfully written, and beautifully shot. You should not waste another minute with me, but instead, be watching this show.

Julia is the retelling of the rise of Julia Child’s career. It is quirky, fun, and inspiring. I never grew up with her cooking show, but this show made me feel guilty that I didn’t. The energy and wholesomeness that these actors put into their performances are intoxicating. If you are not smiling by the end of an episode, there is something wrong with you. My only warning for you is: do not watch this show while hungry. Every episode had me craving a bite of whatever Julia was making or eating.

I can’t speak on the show’s historical accuracy, but the story is truly inspiring. If you do not love Julia for her warm and bubbly personality, you will love her for her perseverance. Julia is constantly being overlooked because of her gender, and it is inspiring to see her push through and make her dreams come true. 

You need to watch this show. You can watch it on HBO. The last episode airs on May 5th,2022. If you don’t have a subscription, get one then. It is well worth the binge. 

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: Star Trek: Picard

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Picard is my introduction to Star Trek. I’ve seen the movies, but I wasn’t a fan of the movies. As someone who is unfamiliar with the show, this was a great place to start. While it is a little preachy at points, it did make me start watching some of the older shows. If you are a long-time fan, you might be disappointed by the series, but at least it is better than the movies.

I will say that the first season is the only one that is worth watching. The acting is fantastic, the action is fun, and the story is engaging enough. It isn’t perfect, it makes a lot of weird choices, and the ending is disappointing, but it got me interested in the series.

One issue that might arise is with the references made to the original show. I felt a bit alienated when they would introduce an old crew member or reference certain events, but it wasn’t bad enough that I couldn’t understand the story. They exist as nods to the fans of the show and add little to the plot. My biggest issue is how much it addresses social justice issues. While appreciated, these moments get tedious and overbearing. I love Patrick Stewart, but he doesn’t need a speech every time he is on screen. There are moments in this show where Picard is more white guilt personified than the great captain the show wants him to be. The first season isn’t perfect, but it is good enough for casuals.

However, do not waste your time on the second season. I have personally created my own ending to the first season to cope with the disappointment that comes with watching the second season. The second season discards everything that makes Star Trek unique and fun and turns into a generic social justice action thriller no one asked for. While I do appreciate the sentiment, the messaging should be a lot more subtle. I didn’t like how the crew kept getting thrown from social issue to social issue as if they were collecting hashtags in their desperate attempt to stay woke and relevant. It isn’t fun, it isn’t interesting, please skip it.

You can watch this show on Paramount+. Watch it if you are interested in sci-fi but don’t know where to start. This is science fiction for casuals. If you are in the mood for sci-fi that requires little investment, Picard is a good place to start. The only problem is, you might not want to stop.

Series Reviews

Halo Series Revisited

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Now that I have seen more episodes of the Halo series, I want to revisit my initial assessment. Halo is a good show if you have never seen a sci-fi show before. Otherwise, it is a generic and unimpressive attempt at sci-fi with a halo skin. If you are a fan of the game, don’t bother. It has been a while since I’ve played any of the campaigns, but even I can see that this isn’t the show you were hoping for.

My biggest issue with this show is that none of its narratives are interesting. I don’t care about the space pirates, the UNSC, the spartan project, the rebellions, or the covenant. Every storyline serves as a reminder to the audience of a better show they could be watching. The build-up to the inevitable release of the flood is so drawn out that it left me apathetic to its various important story beats. This is the flashiest show you won’t care about.

The only good that comes from this show is some of the designs. Some of the costumes, weapons, and monsters are cool to see on screen. The problem is that they rely too heavily on the audience having rudimentary knowledge about the series. There are moments where the story stops to show off its famous iconography, but it does little to the story. Instead, they are shameless reminders that this show is somehow Halo, despite how far it has diverted from its source.

 If you are a fan of sci-fi, don’t waste your time. If you are new to sci-fi, there are better ones out there. Watch Star Wars Rebels if you want something with a familiar IP that is well done. But for those who don’t believe me, watch it over on Paramount plus.

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: The White Lotus (2021)

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You should watch White Lotus because it is a great show. The pacing is a bit slow and some of the arguments get repetitive, but the narrative is well put together. White Lotus has fantastic actors giving wonderful performances in a beautiful setting, what more can you ask for? A fair bit of warning, however, this show gets sad. The ending triggered me. I found myself depressed for a few days after I finished the show. Experiences may vary, but I felt an obligation to issue the warning.

White Lotus follows four groups of people who are either on vacation or working at the resort in Hawaii. It is a modern-day tragedy of the working class as told by the experiences of disconnected rich white people. The main goal of the narrative is to show the disparities between classes against the backdrop of a vacation. Both groups are stuck in a cycle, but the rich get to leave and move on. It is very well done, and I fear I am not doing it justice. 

I love the complexity of this show and how it weaves together all these different stories. I love that by the end, everyone is stuck, although some are worse off than others. I love that it comes in the form of a mystery that they keep well through the whole series. Although the mystery isn’t the most important aspect of the narrative, it is very much appreciated. This is a great show and you need to watch it. Check it out on HBO.

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: Outer Range

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Outer Range is a brand new show on Amazon that should at least be on your radar. As of writing this, there are only two episodes out, but they are enough to at the very least get you invested. This is a suspenseful, ominous, and mysterious take on the rancher’s story, and I for one am here for it. It is a little early to judge this show fully, but so far it is doing a spectacular job.

Outer Range has an exceptional cast that makes it easy to get lost in the drama and mystery. The acting and the unique storytelling are more than enough to recommend this show. Whether it becomes a story about the multi-verse or cowboys vs. aliens, I have faith that the journey will be a good one. The way that it masterfully weaves in this ominous mystery with the story about an ongoing land dispute is proof enough.  

My only complaint with this show so far is that I have to wait another week for the next episode. You can watch it over on Amazon if you have a Prime membership.

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)

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I have mixed feelings about this series. I am really impressed with what this show does well, but it is slow. It builds proper suspense and mystery, the death scenes are well done, there are some cool set designs, and the twist is surprising. The biggest problem with this show is that it is too long. You have to sit through a lot of pointless relationships and teen drama to get to the good parts. There are a lot of plot points and development that lead nowhere. I tuned out a lot of this show because of this. But some well-done moments kept me interested till the end. It is hard to recommend this show because of how slow it gets.

The show follows the same formula as the original movies. A group of friends is out partying and they hit someone with a car. They decide to hide their crime and live with the guilt. Someone knows what they did and now is terrorizing them, hunting them down one by one. For the most part, this show presents a solid mystery. That is if you can sit through all the filler. Most of you have better things to do. I think if you are the target audience, you might fair a little better with all the teen drama than I did.

I wish this series were a movie instead. If they cut out all the filler, you have a solid mystery and some impressive creativity. There are some fun death scenes and some suspenseful moments, but the pacing takes away from this. I want more creative deaths and mystery because the show does the few it has well.

I also thought the use of shifting perspectives was a neat idea. Every episode would follow a different victim and you would get a different perspective of a shared experience. It provided context and deeper insight into each character. The problem is that it got repetitive, and often it would be a rehashing of the same story you’ve already seen too many times. I think if each retelling added useful information about the mystery instead of drama it would have been more effective. Maybe even have some details misremembered because everyone was so high. But I appreciate the attempt nonetheless.

I am not surprised it got cancelled after one season. I think it ends fine enough, any story after would have been too off the rails to be tolerable. Overall, the pacing really hurts the show. Watch this if you want something that doesn’t require much attention because you will zone a lot of this out. I wouldn’t rush out to watch this, but it is something to check out if you have nothing else to do. You can check it out on Amazon if you have a Prime membership.

Series Reviews

TV Series Reviews: Halo (2022) First Impression

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I honestly forgot this show was in the making. It’s been a while since I’ve played any of the Halo games, and while I am not the biggest fan, I do remember enjoying it. I went into this series with the faintest memory of the story, making this a whole new experience. My advice to you is to do the same. You shouldn’t hold onto the expectations that come with the hours of nostalgia this game has created for you, but rather go into this with the idea that this is a new sci-fi show with a halo skin on it. 

I think this show intended to reboot the series and introduce it to a new generation. This will offend the die-hard fans who are expecting this show to expand the lore they have already spent hours of investment in, but I am far enough removed from this that I can only hope that it will succeed in creating a whole new narrative that can garner a new fan base. I am still waiting for a sci-fi show as magical as Firefly.

There isn’t anything objectively bad in the first episode. The acting and graphics are fine, but it is too early to tell whether or not this new narrative will live up to any hype. The first episode spends a lot of time introducing this new story, and so far, I fear it might end up being another generic sci-fi show that gets abandoned halfway through. Unless they can break away from overdone and easy tropes, I don’t see much of a future for this show. For this show to be successful, it needs to be able to tell a story that is unique to the Halo universe. 

 But it is still the first episode, and thus too early to make any fair judgment. Based on the pacing, it will probably take two or three episodes for this show to find its footing. Until then, I can only be hopeful. If you are interested, I would wait for the release of a few more episodes as the first episode doesn’t do much to hook the audience. But for those of you who don’t have Paramount+ and want to check it out, the first episode is on YouTube. 

Watch it Here!
Series Reviews

TV Series Review: Upload Season 2

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I need to revisit my initial review of this show because of how disappointing the second season is. The second season of Upload is full of plot holes, filler, and bad acting. There seems to be a trend with shows that go to streaming where they are made too long to be watchable. You see this a lot with those true crime docuseries. Instead of a meaningful story, you get filler. Filler served its purpose when shows were released weekly, but filler has no place in streaming. Filler is the death of good storytelling. The second season of Upload is more filler than story. 

I enjoyed the first season of Upload. It is a cheesy love story that explores philosophies about life, death, and personality. It isn’t revolutionary, but it has its charm. All of this charm is gone. The second season turns into a generic and boring spy thriller with a plot riddled with plot holes and obvious twists. There is maybe an hour of meaningful content within the second season; the rest is boring filler. Any growth or interesting plot points made in the first season are forgotten and replaced with a story that isn’t worth your time. The characters are unlikable, the holes are too many to ignore, and there isn’t anything to care about. I don’t care about Nathan and Nora’s relationship. I don’t care about this weird rebellion that is brewing. I don’t care about who killed Nathan, and that is a huge plot point in the first season. I don’t care because everything takes so long to happen that I lost interest. The only reason I stuck with this show was that I loved Ingrid’s character arc.

Ingrid had the best character development until it is ruined by mediocrity. In the first season, Ingrid is presented as this shallow, entitled, and vain character, but there are meaningful moments where she allows herself to be vulnerable and be compassionate. You learn that her attitude results from her complicated relationship with her family. In the second season, Ingrid begins to do a lot of self-reflection. She begins to work through the guilt she has about Nathan’s death. Ingrid realizes that she is alone, and her personality is to blame. There are powerful moments in this season where she begins to grow as a character as she learns from her experience. She even expresses a desire to become more compassionate, loving, and motherly. The tragedy of Ingrid is that she wants someone to love her as much as she loves Nathan. 

I really thought this show would have her become a more complex character as she works through her flaws. I wanted her to realize that she doesn’t need the approval of her family or Nathan to be happy. She could have had interesting character growth, but she doesn’t. Instead, they make her the crazy obsessive ex-girlfriend. There is also a clone of Nathan now because the writers want to lazily set up an ending where everyone ends up with their true love. Gag. There is no risk, no tension, so why does it matter?

Don’t waste your time on this show. It isn’t worth your time or your data.