Jon Loder's Reviews
All woke, no funny
There's not much to be said about this. It's just a woke-fest, unfunny, liberal agenda in movie format. Hemsworth destroyed masculinity in this one.
Created: 11-24-2025
Good story. Lead role is lesbian.
I'm through episode 3. The lead role, Carol, was established to be lesbian in episode one. Her partner gets killed off within the first few minutes so Carol is by herself. There was a flashback in Episode 3 showing the two checking into a theme-hotel. There was no depiction of affection beyond the same kind of hug that sisters would share. This doesn't seem to be a LGBT... agenda, just an incidental thing. It still deserves a tick on the woke-meter. There may be more flashbacks, or even future relationships. Perhaps this aspect was just to check the box for the inclusion-Nazis.
The theme of this series is genuine sci-fi. The hive-mind concept is well presented. In short, everyone knows everything that humanity has ever experienced. Anyone can perform brain surgery, fly an airliner, or replace a broken axle on a truck. When you talk to anyone, you're talking to everyone. It sounds simple, but there's a lot to it. Rhea does a great job as the cynical Carol. She's kind of a one-dimensional character, but it fits. According to Vince Gilligan, the part was written with her in mind.
I'll make edits as the series progresses. Good sci-fi is rare. I'm hopeful with this one.
Created: 11-24-2025
Exceptional production
I'm a fan of Walter Tevis. He wrote six novels: The Hustler, The Color of Money, The Queen's Gambit, The Man who Fell to Earth, The Mockingbird and Steps of the Sun. As you probably noticed, 4 out of six have been produced as movies or mini-series.
This movie is his first film adaptation. The history behind making the movie is a story in itself. The result was a blockbuster that received 2 Oscars and was nominated for 7 more. Scott refused his nomination. He later refused an actual Oscar for Patton. He doesn't like his art to be competitive.
This movie is a love story centered around the pool playing culture. The pool action was authentic. You don't need to be familiar with pool to enjoy this movie. It's intense and engaging. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Created: 11-21-2025
Not a bad flick back then.
This one didn't stand the test of time. It's a little like the original Star Trek series. It was great back then. Now, it's openly ridiculed. I've seen it several times over the years. I still don't see any woke in it. It's worth watching. Just don't expect too much.
Created: 11-18-2025
Intense!
This movie kept popping up as "Recommended for you." on streaming services. I finally watched it one day when I didn't have anything better to do. I'm glad I did. It's gritty, action-packed, suspenseful, and vengeance driven. The SS Guard should not have messed with this dude! I think there's a sequel hitting the theaters soon.
Created: 11-17-2025
Better than the reviews suggest
This was a clever story. Sandler and Hoffman played their roles to perfection. I've seen this movie on a list of "Sandler's worst movies." I can't come to grips with that. First of all, this is fantasy. When Max figured out that he had a supernatural power, his first thought was, true to human nature, self-indulgence. After he wrestled with the burden of responsibility, he set out to make things right. Movie rating, or any art form, is subjective. So, subjectively speaking, I recommend this movie.
Created: 11-17-2025
Outstanding movie
Every aspect of this movie gets 5 stars including casting, acting, directing and, probably even the grips. Colonel Winter glorifies war, having never actually participated. General Irwin has been there and understands the tragedies of battle. The two clash when Winter becomes the General's warden. Not much is said about the crimes Irwin was convicted of. Over the course of the story, Irwin helps a prison population to rediscover honor and self-worth. They learn that war isn't a game, but, when it's necessary, the discipline and honor of a soldier is vital.
Created: 11-16-2025
One of a kind series
I remember when the full season was available in the early days of HBO streaming. It was probably my first TV binge. I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The character development and chemistry was outstanding.
Dark humor made surprise appearances often. There's a full array of characters you love to hate, or hate to love. I'm not sure how they did it, but they made this entertaining without glorifying organized crime.
One of the best things to say about this series is that the knew when to end it. It stayed interesting up until the final episode.
Created: 11-16-2025
Unrealistic funniness.
This movie breaks new ground. At PG-13, the f-bomb was dropped a few times. The physical humor is clever. I did mention unrealistic, didn't I? This is kind of like a live action genre of things like The Simpsons, Family Guy or South Park. If you like that kind of comedy, you'll enjoy this movie.
Created: 11-16-2025
Halfway through episode 2... some Woke boxes checked.
This started out with a couple of major woke flags:
- The protagonist is black with a white wife.
- Episode 2 had a monologue rant in a 1692 slave ship that had some post-slavery agenda. I'm not defending slavery in America's first century. That is an atrocity that was ended with the blood of many Americans. I agreed with slave traders being burned alive on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic. This rant mentioned 300 years (to 1992) including being shot by police and deprived of human rights, etc.
Episode 3: A deal killer for me. A homosexual sex scene was pending. One of the participants walked into the room with full-frontal-nudity. His partner was sitting on the edge of the bed in obvious desirous anticipation. Click... no more. On to reruns of The Sopranos for the night.
CAUTION: If this was MPAA rated, it would have a hard time keeping R. It really pushes the edge. Perhaps crosses over. In the first 3 episodes, there were three full-frontal nudity shots and a dick-pic. The sex scenes were beyond MPAA - R.
There was also a lesbian sex scene in episode 3. It was brief, but there nonetheless.
If the wokeness presented as an agenda, I would've maxed the scale. It's just incidental and edgy from the minds of the woke.
The acting is great. The story is interesting. I really wanted to see where it was going. I may read the book.
Created: 11-15-2025
