Jon Loder's Reviews
Huge letdown!
I've read every Connelly novel. The Brass Verdict is my personal favorite. When I saw that story in the trailer, I couldn't wait to see the series. The original character, Mick Haller, is half Mexican. If you're comparing it to the movie, that would look like race-swapping. It is actually an accurate depiction. I have two major complaints about this series. The first being that Harry Bosch never made an entrance. The meeting of the half-brothers was a huge part of the Brass Verdict story. The other issue I have is that one of the best supporting characters in all of Connelly's stories is Trick (Patrick Hensen), a recovered addict that Mick met in rehab. He was a professional surfer before he was injured and became addicted to pain killers. Mick exposed fraud by the "victim" and got Trick off with time-served. Trick then became Mick's new driver and, occasionally contributed to the case. In this Netflix version, Trick is replaced by a chubby, black lesbian who saves the day. That's about as woke as you can get.
Created: 07-31-2025
No woke. Good movie. Book was better.
Michael Connelly is one of my favorite authors. His older books are the best. Harry Bosch was introduced in The Dark Echo. Mickey Haller was introduced in The Lincoln Lawyer. They are half-brothers who met up in The Brass Verdict, my personal favorite Connelly novel. His stories are exceptional because of his background. He was a reporter who worked the crime beat before he was a successful novelist. His work depicts realistic scenarios. It can be a little disillusioning at times. In the real world, criminal prosecution is more of a game than a search for truth and justice. The DA crew isn't interested in guilt or innocence. They're more like an attack dog. The command to attack isn't questioned. They have a mission. Mickey is a character who is the stereotypical defense attorney. He will provide his best defense, regardless of guilt, to those who pay for it, except that he also has a conscience. Matthew McConaughey plays the part well, except for one thing: the original character was half Mexican. From a wokeness standpoint, that's a step in the other direction. In this story, Mick is faced with an impossible situation. He fell into a trap that was set by pure evil. With no way out, the only thing to do was create a way out. It's a brilliant story, and it's told well in this movie. The acting is top-notch. The supporting actors are outstanding. The all-star cast includes Marisa Tomei, Will Macy, John Leguizamo, Bryan Cranston, Josh Lucas, etc. I was hoping for a sequel, but it looks like this is a one-and-done.
Created: 07-31-2025
Silly, but very entertaining. AKA-Adam Sandler
Some of Sandler's best work. There are almost as many catch phrases in this one as Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It belongs right alongside of Caddy-Shack for must-see golf comedies. It also has my favorite cameo ever. Bob Barker throws hands on the Links. Oh, and, no hint of agenda. This one is from before that nonsense gained traction in Hollywood.
Created: 07-29-2025
My favorite animated movie
Great story. Great voice acting, especially Chris Sanders. I understand this was the last film style movie by Disney using the camera system Walt invented. They're all rendered CGI after this one.
Created: 07-28-2025
Worth the watch. Not as good as the original.
Created: 07-28-2025
Season one is bait. Season two is hardcore agenda
We enjoyed the first season and looked forward to the second. This is the first time I recognized the liberal agenda bait-and-switch that is so common in TV. The first season was just as good as any adaptation of Montgomery's novels. The second season went off script. Anne was immersed in what was portrayed as wonderful sub-culture, a secret society of be-what-you-want-to-be people. This is probably the most agenda-driven TV programming I've ever seen. It's utterly disgusting! Keep the kids away from this one.
Created: 07-22-2025
I concur
If there's a record for the most catch phrases in a movie, this is the hands-down winner. If you disagree, Ni upon you! Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
Created: 07-22-2025
Good, not great
It's definitely worth the time to watch. The tic on the wokeness meter is due to the typical scenario of a strong boss woman with morals going against an arrogant white dude. Actually, that's a half tic rounded up. It's tolerable. Most of the best parts of the movie are in the trailer. The swimming pool scene was classic. The final showdown against the bad guy was clever. The acting and directing are top tier.
Created: 07-16-2025
What has happened to M. Connelly's stories?
I've read every Michael Connelly novel and short story. Most of them at least twice. There's no apparent agenda in any of his written works, or even the movies, such as Blood Work, and The Lincoln Lawyer. The TV series have been getting progressively worse. In Ballard, the story starts up when Rene is in Cold Cases. That's book 5 in the series. That's too bad. There are some great stories in Rene's night shift times. Maggie Q does a great job of portraying the character from the book. Her supporting actors in her ragtag group of volunteers do a great job. The wokeness became apparent a couple of episodes in. A strong, masculine character was revealed to be married to another man. In following episodes, he became more apparent. Also, Rene was attacked in her sleep by a combat-trained bad guy. He's an ex-cop working for cartels. He's bigger, stronger, trained in fighting, and has the advantage of starting the attack by strangling her while she's sleeping. She still bests him, lethally. Connelly stories are great material. It's depressing to see the agenda ruin the show. The character in the book got by with her patience, wisdom, determination, and intelligence.
Created: 07-13-2025
F1 is to Formula One racing as Rocky is to Boxing
The Karate kid (the original one) had teenage combatants in "legitimate" competition winning with kicks to the face. F1 is kind of like that. You need to leave the "realism" behind and just enjoy the ride. If things like this happened on a real track, the driver would lose his super license, the team would be fined severely, and the penalty would be DQ. that said, they did a great job with the story. The action was very real. They merged real racing into the movie somehow. I'm still wondering how much was staged, CGI or cleverly edited mix with real race footage. They did get a lot right, such as the implications of cold tires, virtual safety cars, pitting strategy, etc. That's not surprising since this was produced by Lewis Hamilton, the second-oldest driver active. A lot of real drivers, team principals, team owners, etc. were featured. Some had speaking roles. The only thing that may be considered woke is a petite, female, pit crew member on the tire gun. I don't consider that woke for one main reason: she flubbed it and punctured a tire. A woke movie would've had her be the hero somehow. The acting? top notch. From Brad, to the supporting cast, and even to the cameos by F1 people, it was award-worthy.
Created: 07-04-2025
