Jon Loder's Reviews
Racial issues and underdog sports theme combined.
There was good potential. It just didn't come together. The racial issues were too forced. The agenda was obvious. A dramatic depiction of racist history isn't necessarily a bad thing. This movie was just too overbearing. The agenda was blatant from beginning to end. The acting was very good. The underdog story, aside from being a worn out theme, was overshadowed by the angry, agenda-driven writing and direction. Maybe I'll read the book, Mustang Miracle.
Created: 08-15-2025
More like this, please!
Kudos to everyone involved in making this! The movie has an agenda and it's aimed at children. Remember when that was a good thing? It's back. The children are targeted with advice like: Don't talk too much. Don't be a bully. Listen to what other people have to say. Respect each other. You know, that kind of agenda. I'm all for it. The movie itself was top-tier, animated comedy. There is nothing second-rate about it.
Created: 08-06-2025
It's Adam Sandler. What do you expect?
I really liked this movie up until it got over-the-top silly. The cameos were great. It was a real laugh-out-loud movie until the final showdown tournament. There was no agenda. It's remarkably similar to the time they tried to make a sequel to Caddyshack. It's worth watching, but don't expect too much. I would rate the first half of the movie with 5 and the second half with a one. That makes it a 3.
Created: 08-06-2025
DEI casting of a good Sci-Fi story
I just finished Season One. The core of this story is true science fiction. The story from the book is conveyed as well as can be expected. The previous reviews are accurate in the matters of DEI. There was an obligatory homosexual added. One of the main characters was changed from a male director of a research facility to a strong female corporate director. The strongest, moral-based leaders are minorities while the foolish and morally deprived characters are white male. The author is a bit of an enigma. It's true that he's a Chinese communist. In an interview, he said that democracy won't work in modern day China. He also criticized the Communist Party in some of his works. He also seems to be an advocate for one-world government. That theme runs through a few if his books, including this one. He also expressed that he avoids talking politics. Meanwhile, his works shout politics. Not necessarily in advocacy one way or another. That said, the story does come through. This is about contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. The initial, light-speed, communications and development of real-time communication are on-par with physics theory. That is, the parity of particle spin not being subject to distance. Therefore, real-time communication across unlimited distance is theoretically possible. The book delves heavily into high level dimensional theory. That part didn't come through in the movie all that well. The acting and special effects are good. The brutal attack at the Panama Canal was very graphic in the movie. This is good science fiction if you can wade through the obligatory woke casting.
Created: 08-04-2025
One of Ritchie's best.
The two "woke" elements would be the strong female wife of the protagonist and the homosexual character. I don't consider either of those to be woke in this movie. The wife is a strong character. She's married to the alpha male. He considers her opinion in important matters. He called the shots. When it came down to it, she was courageous. She defended herself against three men with a two-shot derringer. The husband came to the rescue in the nick of time. She showed no surprise. It's as if she knew that her strong man would protect her. I like this woman character. Self confidence and courage in a woman isn't woke. As for the homo... Hugh Grant played this part perfectly. Homosexuals, by nature, have no moral anchor outside of reinforcement of their lifestyles by like-minded. That's why Pride Events are so important to them. They're basically anchored on each other for a false-morality en-masse. This character was disgusting. He was blackmailing criminals and dropped innuendo at every opportunity. This movie portrayed him for what he was. That is, a filthy, disgusting, greedy pervert with no redeeming values. That's not woke at all. The story was as good as anything Guy Ritchie produced. I rank it just a notch below Snatch but a little above Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Judge it for yourself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Created: 08-02-2025
First 5 episodes... loads of raunch, but funny.
I've only made it through 5 episodes. I'm not sure where it goes after that. So far, there's not a lot of "woke" agenda. There is a lot of deep, white-trash, raunch. It's centered around a third-generation teen-pregnancy. It's a Chuck Lorre (Big Bang Theory) production. That shows. There's a lot of resonance. It's like someone got the idea to portray Penny as she would have been if she never found Leonard. That is, alcoholic, single mother who is indiscriminate about her romantic partners. She's sober (4-months) and breaking off an affair with her married boss. She's also almost in a relationship with a diminutive, intellectual (Civil Engineer) type with self esteem issues. Sound familiar? It's hard for me to find humor in 3 (soon to be 4) generations of openly slutty behavior. All of the acting is very good. The writing is on par with BBT. If you can tolerate the raunchy theme, the humor is good. Decide for yourself. I probably won't see episodes 6 and beyond. I wonder what else is on. Maybe a binge of the Andy Griffith show to cleanse the palette.
Created: 08-01-2025
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
