Movies/TV worth watching (or at least discussing)

[LasVegas]

We just started it. I’m enjoying it. My wife is pretty over pandemics so doesn’t enjoy watching a show that features one as much as I do.

The last episode is great. It’s one of those series that just keeps getting better as you go.

[bundabergdevil]

The last episode is great. It’s one of those series that just keeps getting better as you go.

We finished Episode 4 tonight, which I round laugh out loud unexpected and funny, probably inappropriately so. It involves a busy body lady and a horse. Classic.

[tbyers11]

I started watching Hacks based on the impressive IMDB user rating when it came out. I find IMDB ratings of 7.5+ tend to be decent and 8+ often very good. And Hacks was 8.5 at that time! After a couple episodes I realized this was not nearly as good as the ratings implied. I made mysel plow through ep 3 and gave up. I then went back to look at the individual user reviews. Most were clearly fake. Generic “best show ever” crap, with bunches of 10’s mixed in with a few real reviews.

Personally I thought the show had a lot of potential but didn’t quite work. Some clever lines but mostly boring - no payoff as you say. The chemistry between the leads just wasn’t there. I think it could have worked with a different actress playing the young ingenue. And better directing and editing and writing. Otherwise strong!

I think Hacks made a big leap around episode 4-5 and finished really strong. I was also kind of meh on the first 2-3 episodes (maybe a little more positive than you) but I thought it was a really great show in the last 4 episodes. Sometimes comedies take awhile to find their footing/chemistry

[Skydog]

I think Hacks made a big leap around episode 4-5 and finished really strong. I was also kind of meh on the first 2-3 episodes (maybe a little more positive than you) but I thought it was a really great show in the last 4 episodes. Sometimes comedies take awhile to find their footing/chemistry

Ok, I may give it another shot.

Finished Lupin Season 2 - a fun romp, nothing more, nothing less.

[JasonEvans]

Sigh... another Fast and Furious movie is here... and this one is slightly below average for this thoroughly mediocre franchise. Ugh.

https://flixchat.blogspot.com/2021/0...s-f9-fast.html

[LasVegas]

Rick and morty season 5 off to a great start. I have no clue how they come up with this stuff

[camion]

Sigh... another Fast and Furious movie is here... and this one is slightly below average for this thoroughly mediocre franchise. Ugh.

https://flixchat.blogspot.com/2021/0...s-f9-fast.html

So far I think I've missed nine of them. I like to be consistent.

[budwom]

Evidently Netflix has turned Liam Neeson into an Ice Road Trucker, probably exacting revenge (it's always revenge) for some guy running over his cat.

[YmoBeThere]

Sigh... another Fast and Furious movie is here... and this one is slightly below average for this thoroughly mediocre franchise. Ugh.

https://flixchat.blogspot.com/2021/0...s-f9-fast.html

Sure, but it will make big money overseas...

[bundabergdevil]

Sure, but it will make big money overseas...

I think people underestimate just how loyal that fan base is. I know I did. I’ve met a few extremely passionate fans of that series that went into full mourning over Paul Walker’s untimely death.

[JasonEvans]

Sure, but it will make big money overseas...

Yup but boxoffce does not equal quality. Some of the FF films have had some cool sequences or fun plots, this one is just too over the top . I've seen like 6 of the FF films and this is one of the bottom 3 for me.

I might feel differently about this whole thing if the actors and people behind it were using their buckets full of cash to do something interesting. If Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, James Wan, and others were taking time to make interesting other films during their breaks from the FF nonsense, I'd probably be more forgiving. But, not only do they not stretch themselves artistically or creatively in the FF films but they don't really bother to do anything else that is all that compelling.

Blech!

[CameronBornAndBred]

I might feel differently about this whole thing if the actors and people behind it were using their buckets full of cash to do something interesting. If Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, James Wan, and others were taking time to make interesting other films during their breaks from the FF nonsense, I'd probably be more forgiving. But, not only do they not stretch themselves artistically or creatively in the FF films but they don't really bother to do anything else that is all that compelling.

The fact that Vin Diesel has made buckets of cash with a one line character is pretty interesting.

VD "I got the new script today."
VD's agent "Cool, is your character deep?"
VD "I say 'I am Groot' a lot. With inflection."

VD's agent "Notify the Academy...we'll be there to accept in person."

[JasonEvans]

The fact that Vin Diesel has made buckets of cash with a one line character is pretty interesting.

VD "I got the new script today."
VD's agent "Cool, is your character deep?"
VD "I say 'I am Groot' a lot. With inflection."

VD's agent "Notify the Academy...we'll be there to accept in person."

Considering he is a "big star" it is kinda amazing how little Vin Diesel has done in his career. He makes a FF movie every couple years. He's made a few Riddick films. He voices Groot. He made those awful XxX super spy films and when they did not work, he tried making a Bloodshot film (that was also awful). That's about it.

The pity is that he's not an untalented actor. I recall him being pretty good in Saving Private Ryan and especially in Boiler Room... but it is like all he cares about now is cashing a FF check every couple years and voicing Groot. Sigh.

[cspan37421]

I started watching Hacks based on the impressive IMDB user rating when it came out. I find IMDB ratings of 7.5+ tend to be decent and 8+ often very good. And Hacks was 8.5 at that time! After a couple episodes I realized this was not nearly as good as the ratings implied.

It's been my observation that IMDB ratings have a highly positive early-adopter effect, one that tapers off as a film ages. This is particularly noticeable if you look at the "Top 100/250 rated movies on IMDB".

One could reason that those most inclined to like a movie are more likely to see it first. And then of course there are the fake reviews.

[Skydog]

It's been my observation that IMDB ratings have a highly positive early-adopter effect, one that tapers off as a film ages. This is particularly noticeable if you look at the "Top 100/250 rated movies on IMDB".

One could reason that those most inclined to like a movie are more likely to see it first. And then of course there are the fake reviews.

Both valid points. The large # of obvious fake reviews for Hacks has made me more wary of the new show ratings. But for older shows that aren't dominated by fake reviews or early adopters my rules of thumb usually work for me.

I'm bored and too much time on my hands today so I will flesh them out:

9+ = OMG - you have to see this. Classics. The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Last Dance.

8.5-9 = A great show. May or may not be a classic. Fargo, Firefly, Ted Lasso, Seinfeld, Black Mirror, Chappelle's Show, 1st True Detective, West Wing, Better Call Saul, Curb Your Enthusiasm.

8-8.5 = Most of the very good and some great shows fall in this category. If you like the genre, you will like the show. The Newsroom, Justified, Ozark, Twin Peaks, Silicon Valley, The Night Of, The Big Lebowski, Gone Girl, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.

7.5-8 = Often well made but formulaic shows, with great older shows that have lost a few points because they seem dated to younger audiences. The 100, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Cruel Summer, Lupin, Adaptation, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Silver Linings Playbook, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr ver),

7-7.5 = Hit or miss. Some funny romps, some well done formulaic shows that are good for killing time - you aren't thrilled you watched but don't hate yourself afterward. Also includes gems that that divide audiences - a bunch of 10's mixed in with some 3's and below. Eyes Wide Shut, National Lampoons Vacation, Jerry Maguire, The Full Monty, The Big Chill.

<7 = Usually pretty bad, sometimes a silly divertissement, but an occasional good show that slipped through the cracks. The Ice Road (Liams new "thriller"), Weekend at Bernies,The Wedding Singer and Wedding Crashers (both borderline at 6.9), Mindhunters (I would have given this an 8), Miss Congeniality, Walking Tall, American Ninja Warrior, Blair Witch Project, Sabrina.

I trust Metacritic user ratings even more than IMDB but it's hit or miss if you can find your show on the site. The MC users are more stingy with their ratings - a rating of 7 on MC is roughly like a 7.5 on IMDB. If your show is there, look at both the user and critics ratings. If critics love it and users don't it's usually either an artsy slow moving show or a a "politically correct" show. Critics go for these, users often don't. But Metacritic users tend to be more sophisticated in their tastes than IMDB - they are better than throwing 9's and 10's at a movie just because it has car chases. If a show has a low critic ratings but high user ratings it is often a more culty shows, like Doctor Who, etc.

And then there is Rotten Tomatoes. It's great for broad strokes but I find the other sites more useful.

[bundabergdevil]

We just finished Hacks (via HBO Max), starring Jean Smart as an aging Vegas stand-up comedian that gets paired with a 20-something comedy writer. While the show had its moments, I feel like I'm still waiting for the payoff. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the comedic stand-up payoffs that Mrs. Maisel seemed to frequently deliver.

Haven’t started watching it yet but Hacks features a Duke grad — Paul Downs plays Jimmy.

[JasonEvans]

Marvel screened Black Widow more than a week before it is released, which is always a sign that the studio thinks they have a good film on their hands.

But the movie was pretty "blaah" to me. It is fine, but nothing special and I can't figure out why they waited to make this now. This flick would have fit much better into the MCU a few years ago. It just feels old and unimportant now. Oh well. Here is my 100-word review: https://flixchat.blogspot.com/2021/0...ack-widow.html



-Jason "stick around for a post-credit scene... that will only make sense if you have seen TFATWS" Evans

[CameronBornAndBred]

Marvel screened Black Widow more than a week before it is released, which is always a sign that the studio thinks they have a good film on their hands.

But the movie was pretty "blaah" to me.

From what I've read, you aren't alone.
Uninformed question, didn't they make it a couple years ago when it would have been more timely?

[Acymetric]

Considering he is a "big star" it is kinda amazing how little Vin Diesel has done in his career. He makes a FF movie every couple years. He's made a few Riddick films. He voices Groot. He made those awful XxX super spy films and when they did not work, he tried making a Bloodshot film (that was also awful). That's about it.

The pity is that he's not an untalented actor. I recall him being pretty good in Saving Private Ryan and especially in Boiler Room... but it is like all he cares about now is cashing a FF check every couple years and voicing Groot. Sigh.

I liked him in Knockaround Guys, a movie Rotten Tomatoes indicates everyone else hated.

From what I've read, you aren't alone.
Uninformed question, didn't they make it a couple years ago when it would have been more timely?

Seems like it should have come out right before or right after Endgame​.

Edit: I have to admit two things. First, until I rewatched Endgame the other day I had compelete forgotten that *

Spoiler!

she had died

Second: I totally thought she was getting a TV show and only just now realized it is a movie.

*For any out of touch whiners out there

[roge054]

Dirty John/Betty on Netflix are very well done. Most unlikely zombie killer in DJ.