Reviews
Devs (2020)
Pretentious, pompous, boring
I really wanted to like this, but thats impossible, at least for me.
Its just another series with a thin plot and subpar acting that tries to make up for it by being overly artsy fartsy.
So slow, a snail would run circles around it. Nothing is really happening, but the music pulling the fillings out of my teeth.
I adore Nick Offerman and his character is about the only one I like, unbelievable as it is. Everybody else is trying to be profound but failing.
Still some characters short, so I have to go into the the motley crew of developers of the strangest demographic who all act like philosophy students instead of programmers.
Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer (2024)
I really love Jimmy Carr, but not this one
I am a huge Fan of Jimmy Carr since his very first show.
I have seen every show since and all of them more than once on DVD.
I have read "The Naked Jape" and loved it as well.
Whenever I stumble over bits and bobs of his former shows on Youtube, or compilations of them I watch it again and again and it is still funny as ever.
If Jimmy is a guest on a panel show, I already know I will have a good time. And even though I am not a huge fan of 9 out of 10 cats, I watch it as well from time to time, mostly because of him.
Now that you see where I am coming from, I am really really sad that "Natural Born Killer" was absolutely lame, mostly unfunny and partially recycled.
He usually had me in stitches right from the start, this time I found a small handfull of jokes mildly amusing.
Had it not been "Jimmy Carr", I would not even have watched it to the end. VERY disappointing for a fan like me.
Fabricante de ovnis (2024)
Flawed but watchable
I really like the idea and the story and from there alone it really could have been a hit series.
I always find it very charming, when elderly folk bands together against a common enemy or to achieve something spectacular.
Sadly, it does not work this time.
It suffers from bad casting and even worse acting, most notably the mayor and her henchmen as well as the leader of the sect are just silly.
Also it sometimes turns very very slapsticky, but without being actually funny.
With a slightly different cast or at least from the hands of a way better director, I could see myself enjoying this way more than I actually did.
Death and Other Details (2024)
Complete series destroyed by last episode
It starts off as a quite blatant ripoff of any Agatha Christie whodunnit, but not in a bad way. We get Hercule Bonmot and Miss Maple (puns intended) on a luxurious cruise ship, trying to solve a murder in sometimes quite gorgeous sets.
Rufus Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin) is the washed up and mostly drunk "Best Detective of all Times" and Imogene (Violett Beane) becomes his witty sidekick in what seems to be a straightforward murder mystery at first.
After 6 episodes that I rather enjoyed, it becomes a bit trippy but still acceptable.
Sadly, it goes straight downhill from there. The second to last episode is really bad already, but had they ended with it, it would have still been worth my while, though not great.
The last episode however, was as idiotic as it was obsolete and made up from thin air and not anything made any sense. Worst of all, it teases a second season, which I will absolutely NOT watch.
King on Screen (2022)
Sadly, unwatchable
First off, I am a lifelong fan of Stephen King. I have read all the books, some of them more than once and have seen most of the movies.
Naturally, a documentary like this sparked my interest.
I quit after about 15 minutes or so, because I could not stand it any longer.
First off, was the sounddesigner on acid or something? Or why did he use "music" that makes your toenails roll up and yout teeth fall out?
Second, either the sound mixer is legally deaf, or let some kids turn the knobs as they please. The difference in volume across the whole thing is staggering and most of the times the godawful "music" is so loud that you can't hear any of the interviews.
Who thought this would be fine and greenlit it?
Did ANYBODY related to it ever watch it themselves? I highly doubt that.
It really is a shame and not worthy of a brilliant and beloved writer like Mr. King.
The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour: Sand Job (2024)
The end of the road
Here I am, a lifelong fan of the old Top Gear of which I enjoyed every single episode.
When it ended- at least for Clarkson and the guys - naturally I started watching The Grand Tour as in the followup series. Sadly, it never came close to Top Gear, but it was still watchable.
And things went downhill from there very quickly when they decided to do only specials anymore.
What was the height of every season of Top Gear transformed to a pure and extremely boring scripted fake shartshow. Do they still think its funny what has become really pathetic and hard to watch?
I guess this is the last episode I will ever watch and since Clarksons fake-farmer-show and Hammonds fake-garage-show are almost equally as bad, I am thankful for at least James May - our man in - wherever it might lead him.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
Completely unwatchable, even if you liked the first one.
I will never get how things at DC work. They have churned out such a lot of incredibly bad movies it has almost become their style.
Aquaman 1, as well as Wonderwoman 1 were two of the VERY few highlights they ever managed to get out. I really liked both of them very much.
Then came Wonderwoman 1984 and it was a complete trainwreck if I ever saw one.
I really was looking forward to Aquaman 2, but sadly they have destroyed it as well.
The ´story´ apart from not actually being a story is impossibly naive and stupid. Some of the sets have the quality of the original Star Trek series and the CGI which is about 90% of the whole movie is nothing special as well. Who greenlits something like that to the tune of 250 MILLION or so dollars? Please, PLEASE don't make another part of either of them.
The Meme Economy (2023)
Influencer-scum at their worst
What a great collection of absolutely unlikable wannabe influencers peddling their scheme.
Let them invest their money in hypes if it even is real. But don't fall for them and think twice before following their advice.
Yes, buying the right thing at the right time could have made you rich overnight, but those were more coincidences than planning.
If you have to watch this, please please take it with a rock-sized grain of salt and don't spend your money without really knowing what you are doing.
Personally, I would not trust any of them further than I could throw them. That was it, you are on your own now.
The Curse (2023)
Lame show, totally killed by last episode
I honestly have no idea why I even watched this show at all, let alone to the end.
Slow can be good, but this was JUST slow while being absolutely pointless. Maybe I was hoping, that the various plotlines made sense in the end, but no such luck.
I think Benny Safdie was pretty good even though his character was kinda mean. Thinking of it, there might not have been a single likeable character in the show.
Had I stopped at episode 9, I probably would have given it a very generous 5. But then came the last episode. I mostly skipped through it in steps of 30 seconds and most of the time the scene did not change at all from skip to skip. Like multiple minutes long static shots of Emma Stones face without any dialog or reason.
When IT finally happened to Nathan's character I was out and done with it. Very likely the most stupid thing I have ever seen at all and certainly the most useless finale to any show ever.
LOLA (2022)
Interesting idea, very poorly done
"Time travel" in any shape or form is something I will always watch.
And the plot of Lola sounded interesting enough.
Sadly, I could not even finish it.
It is badly done in so many ways.
First, the "footage" does not look at all like it was from 1941.
Second, while I can accept the existence of a "Time Machine" that broadcasts the future (for a movie), everything else is 100% unbelievable.
If there really was such a thing during the war, there is no way that any of the characters would act the way they do.
The general style might appear to some people, to me it was rather offputting as well. All said, it's another twist on the "found footage" genre, which has been overdone so many times and better should be left alone.
Hypnotic (2023)
Sorry Robert, no cigar this time
Robert Rodriguez ist one of my favourite directors and I was excited to watch his new movie.
Sadly, that excitement went away very quickly.
Right off, it's not made "in his style", actually the only thing I could connect to him was the piss-joke from Desperado in the very beginning. It feels very generic at best.
The story itself is a poor man's version of X-Men meets Matrix, but in a very confusing and naive way. Acting is ok, but can't save the mess the story really is.
Not even music-wise any highlights, usually a trademark of Robert and/or Quentin.
It drags along for one and a half hour and I was quite happy when it was over.
FUBAR (2023)
ok idea, but really badly done
The general idea of it could be quite interesting. True Lies comes to mind.
Sadly, from the first minute, it suffers from horribly bad writing and not so great production value.
The "quality" of the CGI-explosion in the very beginning was sadly a precursor of what was coming.
Not only does nothing make sense at all, Arnold once more shows that he could not act his way out of an open paper bag.
Dude never was a halfway decent actor in his whole carreer, but other directors found ways around it. Putting his general character and appearance into focus with a tongue in cheek approach to his miserable acting.
I really wanted to like this, but there is no way I can keep watching after episode 2, life is too short.
History of the World: Part II (2023)
Stellar cast, still totally unfunny
Like a lot of other commenters, I grew up with Mel Brooks' movies and liked them a lot at the time.
I remember History of the World Part I in the early eighties, it had a lot of laughs and for a while I even used some of the quotes with my friends.
Life however, along with entertainment and humor in general, has changed since then. What once was funny might only be cringeworthy today.
Which brings us to History of the World Part II where "cringeworthy" may be the best description.
Somebody must have greenlit this, what were they thinking?
"Worked back in the early eighties, it still will be fine"?
Well, it's not. Not at all. And that really is a pity, because with a little bit of thought it could have been great, especially with a cast like that. A chance, completely missed.
Mad Heidi (2022)
A well made, very bad movie
I am not at all a fan of gore or *sploitation movies and started watching this by pure chance and a bit curious what "Swissploitation" might be.
It made me chuckle right from the start because of the very obvious Grindhouse-references and style, so i watched on. It is a parody alright and it does not take itself too serious.
While technically well made, they try really hard to make it "bad". Horribly (but quite possibly intentional) bad editing and directing. A wild story without any sense, tacky dialogues and of course bad acting all around.
Casper Van Dien, in my opinion, is one of the worst "actors" to ever have lived. Which made him kind of perfect for his role as Meili, the "Very Swiss Leader".
Since I grew up with the original "Heidi" the animated series, it was fun to see the original characters reappear in the movie, though very differently.
All in all good fun if you like this kind of stuff.
The Dream Motel (2019)
Impossible to watch
IMDB says, this is from 2019?
Maybe it's found footage or something, everything looks and feels like a rejected Hallmark-show from the early 90s. Wardrobe, hairstyle, cameramovement, everything.
The dialogue at the beginning of e01 sounds like satire, but I fear they are serious. As corny as it comes between two men with no acting ability at all.
If it even had a director, I have no idea what he did, definitely not direct, this much is certain.
I could not make myself watch another minute, fearing for my braincells may commit suicide.
If that wasn't enough, there are loud cicada noises throughout, without any pause.
Dinosaur (2023)
CGI like from a childrens show of the early 90s
I am not particularly interested in dinosaurs, but I adore Stephen Fry and will watch more or less anything he is in.
It says this show is from 2023 and features "hyper-realistic representation of the jungles of the Jurassic period".
In reality, CGI is bad.
And I am talking abysmally bad, like from 25+ years ago. Some scenes comically so, like the early blue screens with halos around.
I could not even finish it, despite Mr. Fry.
Also, IMDB, please rethink your policy on review length. I have already said everything and you still want 166 characters more. Well, here they are, are you happy now?
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
What a huge surprise
To be honest, I am sick and tired of most of the neverending line of even more superhero-movies. More often than not, they are pretty bad "movies" with non-existing plots, but an overload of CGI instead.
The first Thor-movies were okay-ish because of their sense of humor and often tongue-in-cheek dialogues.
Still, I could have done without any more of them. Or so I thought.
Whoever put it into Taika Waititi's hands, will hopefully have a say in more of the coming movies.
This was pure comedy, sometimes even slapsick. Neither the movie itself, nor the characters take themselves seriously at any point.
I can totally see, where the relatively low rating (6.6 at the time of writing) comes from.
If you really liked the "old" Thor movies, or Marvel in general, this might come as a shock to some.
It's very different and even more over the top than the "Guardians", but with just as good music.
I for one, was entertained throughout and will likely watch it again soon. Not because it was a "Thor"-movie, but because it was just great fun to watch.
All I am saying is, GOATS!
The Imperfects (2022)
Does every piece of §$?%$ have to be a show these days?
Hey Netflix, how desperate are you?
Did you run out of scripts and ideas and all you could find was this?
Even more, did you TRY to find the most incompetent people imaginable to actually make it?
I desperately wanted to turn it off after just 5 minutes, but I gave it a chance to redeem itself. Beginnings can be hard to write and it could have went on to be better from there.
But it didn't. Getting worse from such a bad start might be an artform in itself.
But even that was topped the moment Rhys Nicholson's character had his first appearance.
It was a close call between scratching out my eyes or throwing the remote at the TV.
Thankfully, I opted for the third option. Immediately ending the torture by turning it off.
In a nutshell, in EVERY way possible, this was impossibly bad.
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021)
One for the fans
If you don't love Wes Anderson's movies, don't even bother watching this one. Seriously, I adore his style, but The French Dispatch was a bit more - shall we say "special" than most of his other movies.
It features most of his usual actors and his signature style. Maybe a bit more "dry" (for lack of a better word) and certainly even more abstract than most of his other work.
My favourite is "Darjeeling Limited", followed closely by Mr. Fox. I believe, those two can be watched without having to be a fanboy and still be enjoyed.
But as long as it has his brand of set design, camera angles and narration, I will watch whatever the man dreams up and directs.
Sprung (2022)
Without Martha Plimpton, this would be watchable ...
... but WITH Martha Plimpton, it becomes "must watch".
Seriously, this is one of the funniest shows in a while, but Ms. Plimpton's character takes it over the top. I can't imagine anybody else playing Barb this great.
That said, "Rooster" Phillip Garcia is the second highlight for me. His antics, though sometimes over the top, made me chuckle more than once.
Fingers crossed for a second season with the same writers and director.
Still not 600 characters? Seriously IMDB, not every review needs to be that verbose to say what a show is about. This is about Sprung, the show Sprung, Sprung ist the name of the show until 600 characters are reached.
Talking about stupid rules, this is one of them.
Orphan: First Kill (2022)
Major problems here
In the first Orphan movie, Isabelle Fuhrmann was a 10 year old girl who brilliantly played a 30ish year old woman, playing a small child. And it worked.
Here we have a 23 year old Isabelle Fuhrmann, playing a woman in her mid-20s, playing an even smaller child.
And it does not work at all.
First, Ms. Fuhrmann just does not look like a child anymore, despite all that makeup and wardrobe are able to do. Nobody would believe it for a second in real life.
Second, her height is very noticeably changing from shot to shot, because when seen from the back, it is an actual small child playing her.
This is done so in-your-face-obvious, that it annoyed me throughout the movie.
Other than that they did what they could for a prequel.
All in all it's just "meh".
Müllers Büro (1986)
It aged really badly
I was 23 when this movie came out and it was an instant hit.
Everybody was laughing about the jokes and singing the songs long after.
Watching it again now, 33 years later, things have changed slightly.
It can and will still be considered an Austrian "cult movie".
But boy, is it actually BAD! Every single actor (even the known ones) seems like somebody they just got off the street and gave them a script to read. A lot of the voices are not the actor's ones and synchronization is abysmally bad. Just like any other aspect of it.
One thing that's still great is the music, if maybe only for sentimental reasons. But I found myself happily singing along after all that time.
It was cool seeing it again, but other than that I most certainly would not have sat through it.
Going by "value" to Austrian film-history and cult-factor, this would surely be a 10. Judging it just as a movie, a "1" would be generous. So 5 it is from me.
Nope (2022)
Let the title be your warning
Rarely have I seen such a comglomerate of idiotic make-no-sense criss-crossed together meaningless, plotless uninteresting scenes like this in my life!
This is beyond bad and if it did not have "Jordan Peele" written on it, it would not have been made and nobody would ever have watched it.
JP made the great "Get Out" and I liked it like everybody else.
Then came "Us", which I did not even finish because of how idiotic it was.
I was hoping for that to be the one out. But Nope is another dimension of time-wasting manure put on film. Words fail me to describe how pointless and horrible it is.
Tokyo Vice (2022)
What ever happened to endings?
I really enjoyed watching the show and would probably have given it a 7 or an 8.
But there seems to be a new trend, not to finish anything by the end of a season. In fact, *everything* stays wide open and new plotlines are introduced in the last episode. Not the only series that does this, sadly.
It's like the first half of a season, only you have to wait half a year or longer to continue, when you already have forgotten most of s01.
If you think that makes me want more and I can not wait for season 2, you are dead wrong.
It only leaves a bitter taste and I will definitely NOT watch any more of it.
At the end of a season, I want an ENDING, a season finale. Yes, give me a cliffhanger for the next season.
But watching for over 8 hours and then be left only with more questions is unsatisfactory and unacceptable.
Man vs Bee (2022)
Insultingly bad
I absolutey loved Mr. Bean back then and it's still funny today.
But Man vs Bee is an insult on comedy itself. I can honestly say I hated it from the first second, because it was obvious where it was going.
Impossibly constructed, unfunny slapstick with Rowan Atkinson to feign credibility.
Could not even finish e01.
Edit: Check out the profiles of the reviewers that call it a "masterpiece" and give it t a 10, 90% of them have only this one review and some even the same text/parts. Fakes, all of them, This show stinks!