Jim Gaffigan has always been a reliable and hysterical laugh and this was just not it. He took a couple mediocre bits and absolutely rode them into oblivion. It really seemed like he either fell into the "they'll laugh at anything I say" trap, or he thought he could completely change his style. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he witnessed the meteoric rise of Joe Rogan and his band of edgy comics and decided to try and tiptoe that way too. We chuckled a few times and watched the whole show but it didn't have the same punch any of his other shows. I'm rooting for his next set to get back to funny Jim.
Reviews
11 Reviews
The Mother
(2023)
Commando in 2023
14 May 2023
This film is essentially a 2023 remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Commando movie with a women protagonist, and instead of tropical island scenes it takes place in Alaska. It has the same cheesy and over the top cliches, but without the self-awareness that it's such. Jennifer Lopez is good enough in the role of an action hero type, but the story, script, and filmography are disjointed and convoluted. The major problem is it has the absurdly unrealistic aspects of a shoot-em-up movie (laughably impossible feats, innumerable henchmen taken out with ease, and a scar-faced antagonist) while trying to be a serious action/drama film. It would have been better if they had chosen one or the other.
Bigfoot Family
(2020)
Garbage story
9 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It had great potential and it's well produced but it's nothing but an anti-oil caricature. The people giving high reviews strictly based on its political messaging are, ironically, submitting those reviews on devices produced from oil. And they watched it on a device, again, made from petroleum products. I'd venture to guess that their homes are filled with products derived from oil.
The oil company owner was first portrayed as a soft spoken tech mogul type, but was then revealed as evil by donning a cowboy hat, buckle, and U. S. southern dialect. One could even create an antagonist out of an oil tycoon in a tasteful way, but this was done in a way to portray the bad guys as such *because* they were an oil company. The story was obviously written by an ideologue that doesn't know anything about the petroleum or energy industry, and is also ok with fabricating equipment and techniques such as "fracking bombs" to illicit a pathos response from the child audience. I support the creators' ability to make and distribute this film as far and wide as they can (they have an agenda and they can push it), but I'm also discussing all the inaccuracies and hypocrisy therein with my own children.
The oil company owner was first portrayed as a soft spoken tech mogul type, but was then revealed as evil by donning a cowboy hat, buckle, and U. S. southern dialect. One could even create an antagonist out of an oil tycoon in a tasteful way, but this was done in a way to portray the bad guys as such *because* they were an oil company. The story was obviously written by an ideologue that doesn't know anything about the petroleum or energy industry, and is also ok with fabricating equipment and techniques such as "fracking bombs" to illicit a pathos response from the child audience. I support the creators' ability to make and distribute this film as far and wide as they can (they have an agenda and they can push it), but I'm also discussing all the inaccuracies and hypocrisy therein with my own children.
Wednesday
(2022– )
love-hate
28 November 2022
The actress portraying Wednesday is the saving grace. Production quality seems good enough, with some good contrast between Wednesday and other color palettes. Otherwise, it's a tween drama masquerading as an Addams Family story. The story could have been better with a little less predictability and the unnecessary modern-revisionist pilgrim history that was shoehorned in. It was a weird attempt to walk the narrow line of not offending most of the audience while still appeasing the self-righteous Hollywood powers-that-be. The reviews comparing this to bad CW shows are spot on, but I did want to at least finish the series. The 12-17 y/o minds may be the targeted demographic. If so, this will probably succeed.
Cautionary Tale
30 July 2022
A sign of where western culture is headed and with one common denominator... California, the cultural indicator for the rest of the West. Raise your children to not be as hateful or disgusting as Hunter, or as naive as these victims. Respect yourself and respect others. On another note, I am always a bit suspicious of documentary subjects that are also aspiring actors, like the mother and daughter. I don't doubt their struggle but there always seems to be some character(s) in Netflix docs that have fully stocked IMDb profile. The mom has made a career out of trying to be famous and relavent.
Don't Look Up
(2021)
It's just not good
26 December 2021
The point of the movie gets across clearly, but it's just too long and boring. It is a bit ironic to receive an hours long satirical lecture from a group of people who's individual carbon footprint is hundreds, or thousands, of times that of the average person.
Without Remorse
(II) (2021)
Disappointed
30 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Was stoked to see this with MBJ as John Clark. However, it's a cheesy knock off of anything worthy of Tom Clancy's writing. Most scenes are so dark nothing can be seen. There's always a bit of suspense in belief in action movies, but the superhuman feats and bad tactics in this are laughable. John Clark was not John Wick!
-For example, the bad guy can drag his wounded self out of the house, but can't drag himself four feet to the other gun on the ground to finish John off?
-John acts drunk (barely able to stand) and guards push him away. He sees what he needs to see then straightens up and walks away straight as an arrow right in front of the guards he was just trying fool. Guards say/do nothing.
4 stars are only because Michael B. Jordan is a great actor.
-For example, the bad guy can drag his wounded self out of the house, but can't drag himself four feet to the other gun on the ground to finish John off?
-John acts drunk (barely able to stand) and guards push him away. He sees what he needs to see then straightens up and walks away straight as an arrow right in front of the guards he was just trying fool. Guards say/do nothing.
4 stars are only because Michael B. Jordan is a great actor.
Upload
(2020– )
Premise Good, Execution Bad
27 October 2020
I really liked the show until the overt political agenda was forced down my throat. It's lazy and cheap. All the white people are portrayed as ignorant, self-centered, capitalist pigs. All other races are portrayed as hard working, virtuous individuals called "angels" who are routinely persecuted by white capitalist. Another avenue to convince people their lives are defined by their born characteristics. Ignorance at best, covert racism at worse. Ironically, it's a show created by a wealthy white middle aged man who wants everyone to know how virtuous and woke he is.
The Rocket
(2018)
Cringe
9 June 2020
The message is good, but it takes sheer will-power to not turn it off due to the writing, acting, production quality, even for an independent film.
For example: Kid says "my dad's the coach", Guidance Counselor responds "yeah, he's your dad right?"
... uh...
History 101
(2020– )
Not history
26 May 2020
The episodes are liberal political propaganda. If the episode topics don't tell you that, then the non-historiography format will. They each start innocuous enough, but slowly devolve into thinly-veiled liberal talking points.
The topics themselves are fine enough, but it's not ok to try and hide bias and sneak in political projects under the guise of "history". It cheapens actual historical works.
This is beginning to be a trend with Netflix Originals.
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