Jon Loder's Reviews
Good watch, but... Petite girl kicks butt on powerful beings
Possible spoilers...
Early in the movie, it was mentioned that whatever is in the gorge defeated an army of thousands. When Drasa and Levi met up with them, the petite Drasa fought off multiple monsters and occasionally rescued Levi from peril. Other than that, this movie was non-woke and a lot better than I expected. As the plot unfolds, it becomes less "supernatural" and more Sci-Fi. It's worth the watch.
Created: 07-02-2025
Good, clean movie
As you can see from the trailer, it's obviously somewhat predictable. Sports movies normally are. The action was great. I would've preferred to see more real-time bull-riding instead of the slo-mo mix they used for every ride. With the exceptions of Mcdonough and the reigning champ character, all of the bull-riders were real. Some had speaking roles. Neal played his part to perfection. The supporting acting was top-notch. The story had enough depth to be interesting. I did notice a kissing scene between Joe (McDonough) and his wife, Rose. He's noted for avoiding that sort of thing because it cannot be faked. While walking out of the theater, I had to check the credits to see who played the part of Rose. Her last name is McDonough. Neal is a man of conviction. I don't regret supporting his projects.
Created: 05-23-2025
Typical sequel. Almost as good.
The first Accountant is a high standard to live up to. That was the first time since Good Will that I actually liked Ben's acting. The Accountant 2 is one of those movies where most of the good stuff was in the trailers. I would've liked it a lot more if it wasn't for the too-forced situation. The big showdown was at a compound that was holding a dozen or so kidnapped children. They need to be rescued by The Accountant (and his bro). They were being guarded with enough fire power to coup a small nation. Why? I know better than to look for reality in a John Wick style action flick, but, why guard 12 kids with 30 commandos? EDIT... to address the woke elements others have reviewed, the female "commando" type is a result of some brain damage that caused her to be highly aggressive and capable of violence. I didn't put that in the same category as the "woman who beats up men" scenario that's so common in movies and TV. I didn't really see an agenda in it so it didn't register on my woke-meter. I can definitely see how it could, though. Decide for yourself.
Created: 05-06-2025
Zero woke agenda! Great writing and acting!
The premise is, the borderline agoraphobic identical twin of a missing detective needs to impersonate his brother to solve the mystery of his disappearance. The actors play their parts to perfection. The writing and directing are top notch. After watching season one, this is one of the best series I've ever seen. I hope season two is good. They have a lot to live up to.
Created: 05-02-2025
Season 1 okay. Season 2, bring the woke.
There are a few series that have done this. They keep the woke at bay until you get invested in the story. Season one was interesting. There is a homosexual character, but it's incidental. A few episodes into season two, it becomes a central theme. When two high school boys (ghosts) go to the prom and start slow-dancing, that's enough.
Created: 03-13-2025
Minor wokeness
The casting seems to be somewhat DEI. Check that out for yourself. The bits of wokeness I detected would be the environmental alarmist based rising sea levels. There's a scene where the Golden Gate bridge is under water. Also, the idea that predators can coexist with their natural food supply is a Bambi kind of wokeness. I was hoping for some of the clever humor that Dreamworks is notable for. There's really not much there.
Created: 02-19-2025
Woke and ruined - Avoid!
I've read most of the books and binged the original series. This is a terrible let down. There's a lot of Homosexual agenda. The straight, white guys are evil and incompetent. An entitled rich, white young man wants a rifle that will show up his buddy because he has to outdo him. Dexter recommends a Remington 700, which is available in some very powerful calibers including 300 Win Mag. The guy wants "that one." being a black assault AR15. That's a .223 with less than 1/3 the power of the Model 700. Dexter says something like "that's more power than you need for deer hunting." This dumpster fire of a sequel has much woke agenda on all fronts. Avoid.
Created: 01-06-2025
Follows the books in spirit, mostly.
Possible spoilers...
The casting is incredibly close to the books. That is, except for Deb. In the book, she was aware of what Dexter was up to before the story line began. She was also a tenacious, reckless driving, detective who was accused of getting promotions due to her full-figure beauty. That doesn't describe Jennifer Carpenter. In the book, the Dark Passenger was a sentient, etheric being who basically possessed Dexter.
The series:
The TV series is addictive. It's as bingeable as a show can get. I believe it's the interactive narration provided by Hall that makes it so entertaining. If you like bad guys with moral codes that you find yourself cheering for, this is for you.
Created: 01-06-2025
Blatent LGBT agenda ruins a great show
This American copy of the UK version has a great premise. The only issue is the gradual culturing of a homosexual relationship between two of the ghosts. It blossoms into a full blown romance. The UK version has something similar but it's more of a series of small quips rather than agenda. I recommend passing on the US version.
Created: 11-19-2024
The woke starts slow and builds
The wokeness is mostly subtle over the first few episodes. Most of the cases involve greedy corporations exploiting poor black folks. White males are predominately either incompetent or nefarious. One of the running plots in character building is a lesbian. Her coworkers encourage her to pursue a same-sex relationship with a lesbian IT tech. As much as I like Kathy Bates and the basic plot, this one has an agenda.
Created: 11-19-2024
