Reviews

I really liked the first episode and the rest of the series kept me moderately interested. However, there were several missteps that really lessened my enjoyment of The Chair. As a result, I am not 100% sure I would watch a season two if it is renewed. The pros and cons of the show are as follows:

Pros -

• Sandra Oh's character was really likeable, as were her father, Yaz, the IT guy, and the professor who keeps falling asleep.

• Taylor Holland was fantastic. To me, she was the star of the show. So many of her scenes had me laughing out loud.

• The serious aspects of the show were generally well-done.

Cons -

• Oh's character's relationship with her daughter was terribly done. It was never really made clear why the daughter was always so mean to her mother.

• The daughter was an incredibly annoying character. She was a spoiled brat who was rude, disobedient, and pretty unlikeable. This was a huge mistake by the writers and really lessened my enjoyment of the show. The kid was so bad and I couldn't stand her!

• The Jay Duplass character was also pretty bad. He was very selfish, arrogant, and I found myself hoping he would get fired.

• There were a large number of jokes that fell flat. Like I knew it was supposed to be funny, but it just wasn't.

GoT's 8th season has been an incredible disappointment and this episode is a perfect example of how the series has lost its way. Character development has been cast aside for the sake of visuals and advancing the story as quickly as possible. Also, the writers seem like they couldn't care less about logic or making any sense. Just a few examples from this episode:

1) Where did all the Dothrakis soldiers come from? I thought they were all killed in the Battle of Winterfell when they had that disastrous charge? 2) How was Dany suddenly able to dodge all those Skorpion arrows when their aim was so perfect previous episode? 3) How did Qyburn know that the Iron Fleet and all of the Skorpions had been destroyed? 4) How did Jaime not die after suffering two grievous wounds from his fight with Euron? How was barely able to crawl to his sword and suddenly he's able walk up all those stairs with only a small limp. Shouldn't he have died well before then given where he was stabbed and how badly he was bleeding? 5) How did Arya not die? I love Arya but no way she should have survived. 6) Where the hell did that horse come from? Everyone's dead except for Arya and a horse that happens to conveniently be standing right near Arya.

What a disaster. I originally gave it 3 stars but dropped it down to 2. If I write anything else, I'll probably drop it to 1 star.

As I begin this review, I can't help but wonder if my review is influenced by the fact that I saw this movie several weeks after it was released. So much praise was heaped on Get Out that I went in expecting something akin to Citizen Kane or The Godfather. I liked Get Out a great deal, but I don't think it's ultimately worthy of its outstanding reviews.

It is a very good movie, that contains some great social commentary about race in America. As a person of color, I couldn't but help but laugh at some of the inside jokes. This is not to say that whites will not enjoy the movie, though I am sure some will take offense at the depiction of all the white people in the film.

The movie starts a bit slow and meanders a bit before the real suspense kicks in. As Chris starts to wonder what the hell is going on in the Armitage household, I found myself at the edge of my seat wondering what what going to happen. The ending is satisfying and generally ties things up well.

Overall, an exciting, clever, and well-written movie that contains great insights on race relations in America. Definitely worth seeing!

When I first started watching Deuces, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it, since this is a well-trod genre. In the end, I have to admit it won me over. I think the plot is good (if a little clichéd), the actors did a good job selling their roles and were likable, and the movie moves along at a brisk pace. Definitely not The Godfather or Citizen Kane, but worth watching.

My main complaint with the movie is that it never really explains how Jason Foster, the undercover police officer played by Lance Gross, develops such strong relationship with Deuces, the crime lord played by Larenz Tate. They seem to become best buddies at the drop of a hat.

Other than this complaint, I enjoyed the movie and liked the ending (though totally unrealistic).