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Reviews
Foundation (2021)
Not even close to the Spirit of Asimov
Over dramatic acting. Super CGI But falls into the self important trap that ST Discovery did. The outline of the over arching story is there but the heart and soul of Asimov's vision is not only missing but betrayed in the name of entertainment value. Too bad. Such a waste of money. Perhaps you need the author to be alive to guide as big a project as this ala 2001. Or a devoted reader to bring the true vision to life ala Blade Runner.
Veronica Mars (2004)
Edgy Dark Social Commentary With Charm
I'm a Kristen Bell fan and had never seen this show before. Right off the bat the writers created a strong sharp and compassionate young woman for Bell to inhabit with her signature style. Veronica Mars is a mature and unforgiving examination of many stereotypes and their interaction in So Cal. The most interesting aspects are the focus on individual relationships and what lies beneath the stereotype. Think 90201 meets Rockford files and Mean Girls mashup.
Dr. Ken (2015)
As a physician, many of the sentiments and jokes are right on
While the writing on the show is sometimes inconsistent, the overall theme is to be applauded. Like the Cosby show many years ago, the stories do not hinge on the ethnicity of the core cast, but rather how all peoples/families deal with similar conflicts and tribulations, but with a little spin. The teenage daughter and son could be anyone's child, and that is what makes the family aspects work for me. The physician aspect is much more fleshed out and rings so true on many levels (speaking as one with a physician in the family). Of course many of the jokes are just things that a care giver would think and not necessarily say, which is the strange attraction of the Dr. Ken character. He is an unfiltered, un-PC mirror for the health care community. This is a solid twist on the Dr. in television, more like Newhart than Marcus Welby, and in some ways more realistic than the hyper-aggrandized Hollywood babble of shows like House or even Quincy ME.
Into the Badlands (2015)
Movie level Martial Arts action on the small screen
I had to binge watch this series, as I came to it a bit late. It was well worth it. The Martial Arts action is unbelievably good, movie level quality. This is not 300, but more along the lines of Kill Bill. An homage to old school kung-fu/martial arts movies. I compare this show favorably with Spartacus (first season)as far as action, with more mystery than suspense. The more that this is a straight forward story with action as its focus, the less likely the writers will write themselves into a box. The action sequences flow with the plot so far and do not seem tacked on, which is always a danger. I hope that the writers to not fall into the trap of trying to be over sophisticated with the plot/story and try to over elaborate the mystery story. They should focus on the action/strategy aspects and leave the mystery/detection at a middle level. Like the producers said, this show combines elements of many different genres of fantasy, sci-fi, action and Kung-fu. So far it has been a very pleasing mix.