Jon Loder's Reviews
I really miss good, binge-worthy, TV like this.
From his roots in BBC Comedy sketch performance in Bits of Fry and Laurie to Stuart Little's adoptive dad comes the best Sherlock Holmes rendition I've seen yet. Doyle's classic character comes alive in modern day medicine. Something like this couldn't possibly be made today. The show goes head-on with issues involving gender, race, bigotry, misogyny, abusive law enforcers, wealthy bullies, etc. It's a shame that Shore went on to create the woke agenda based, The Good Doctor.
Created: 01-02-2023
One of my favorite re-watchable movies.
This did get a little over-the-top with the unrealistic he-man situations that Selleck excels in. If you want realism, this probably isn't for you. It's fun and a little ridiculous. This movie is the antithesis of Woke. The main character is masculine and protects the weaker at every turn. Alan Rickman delivers a perfect performance as the ultimate bad-guy. The final showdown is absolutely classic Selleck. Another thing that I really like about this movie is the behind-the-scenes history of the iconic rifle. Look it up. It's worth reading about.
Created: 01-02-2023
I didn't expect a sequel to be this good!
I don't know if "sequel" is the right word for this. The only thing that carried over from Knives Out is the main character. Once you get over Daniel Craig having a southern gentleman accent, it's great. They did one major thing right in making this one: they used a good Whodunnit story like they did in the first one. The acting was nothing short of perfection in all characters. The sequence of story telling was on par with Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino. I expect multiple Oscars going this way.
Created: 12-27-2022
Entertaining in the Tim Burton fashion.
The woke level in this series is so low that it looks like a minor concession by Tim Burton to the Woke activists that are lurking around Hollywood threatening to attack with propaganda. One character alluded to his "two moms." Other than that, I didn't notice anything woke.
Created: 12-27-2022
Meets expectations...
This had much of the comedic elements of the movies (1&2) but without the elaborate movie production budget. The only nudge of wokeness would be when some "alternate lifestyle" guys take a liking to Drax. He refuses to dance with them but they drink at the bar together having a great time. The quick-witted humor between the characters still has the chemistry that made the franchise so watchable. It's not a bad way to spend 30 minutes.
Created: 12-17-2022
Screenplay writers sometimes actually read the book.
This is so close to the book that it's not really worth splitting hairs on the differences. Lee Childs is far from my favorite author but, overall, I like his character, Reacher. It's nice to see that they completely departed from the Reacher-in-name-only disaster by Tom Cruise. The casting is perfect. As far as Woke goes, I noticed none. Good series are few and far between so savor them when the do come around. Enjoy. SEASON TWO UPDATE: What a let down! This series is taking a massive tumble down into woke valley and lazy screenplay writing. I hope they pull up in time for season three. I've read all the books that these series are based on. The first season was reasonably close. Most of the wokeness is from the idea that a woman can be trained in hand-to-hand combat to the point where she can defeat a trained man. I hope parents are smart enough to teach their daughters to know better.
Created: 12-09-2022
So far, so good
I've only watched the first few episodes but this is turning out to be one of those shows where I really look forward to the next episode dropping. There's no Woke agenda that I've noticed. Sly plays the part perfectly.
Update:
I love the show. I can do that because I can account for the unrealistic, forced situations. It's entertainment. I never noticed any woke agenda. The worst thing I can say about it: There's only 9 episodes!
It is another one of those "root for the bad guy" scenarios like Sons of Anarchy or The Sopranos so if that bothers you, maybe you should pass on this one. The plot keeps setting up impossible situations and the protagonist keeps getting out of it by being Sly. (double entendre intended)
Created: 12-09-2022
One of my favorites
I can't understand this movie getting any less than rave reviews. Watch it for yourself. It's got some action and a good story line but the main strength of the movie is friendship, loyalty, deception and greed.
Created: 12-05-2022
Episode 1: Predictable and forced.
I only watched one episode. If it got better from there, let me know. All other reviews (on other sites) indicate that it went downhill fast. So... Episode one: A tranny, truck stop hooker (good guy) Two smart, strong, scrappy women (main good guys), Two teenage sisters, one is super smart while the other is stereotypically shallow (good guys, of course), a white, male, insecure and idiotic, law-enforcement officer (bad guy) a white, male with severe mommy issues that rival Norman Bates (really bad guy) come together with a forced plot that is as predictable as anything I've ever seen. The situations are about as unrealistic as you'll ever see. Stun guns do NOT cause unconsciousness. They are designed to temporally incapacitate for a few seconds to provide escape.
Created: 11-10-2022
I didn't detect any agenda.
Wokeness seems to be a subjective term. In my opinion, if there's no indication of agenda, I don't consider it woke. The opening scene definitely had a forced situation of "toxic masculinity." It as a depiction of a complete jerk getting what he deserves due to some quick thinking by the female characters. The plot tends to be on the somewhat unrealistic side considering the choices made by the main characters. It did, however, present some thought provoking scenarios. It seemed very Shakespearian to me. The connection between a prisoner in the US and a captive woman in the UK was actually kind of clever. In the same way that Michael Corleone, who was "outside the family business" became the ruthless Godfather, the main character encounters situations that turn him from a dedicated, faithful Vicar to a kidnapper. I really enjoyed the series. I'm looking forward to the next season.
Created: 11-06-2022
