Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

blackwing

Member
  • Posts

    6.8k
  • Joined

Posts posted by blackwing

  1. 12 minutes ago, Eureka said:

    No chemistry between them at all. The chemistry between Cruise and McGillis in the original was much hotter.

    I’ve always kind of resented Jennifer Connelly for her Oscar win.  Both Dame Helen and Dame Maggie in “Gosford Park” were far superior to her that year. But she benefitted from them presumably splitting the vote.  
     

    And I agree about her Top Gun Maverick character.  Completely extraneous and boring.  I much would have rather seen Kelly McGillis brought back.  But I guess they thought she was too old and out of shape?  Shame.  

    • Like 7
    • Useful 1
  2. I know Malala was one of the producers of one of the documentaries, but I’m kind of surprised she gets to sit on the aisle so close to the front.  Meanwhile last year’s Best Actress winner is three seats in.

    I kind of felt bad for Jessica Chastain, she clearly had no idea she was going to be called upon and she’s on worldwide TV, the only one seen wearing a mask and clearly wasn’t prepared so was shown awkwardly removing her mask.

    • Like 7
  3. Just started watching.  I loved the Anderson Cooper season.  I don't really remember if I watched the season with the other hosts.  I'm glad this show is back.  I love the puzzles and the tasks.

    The problem I'm finding is that I don't like that too many people are trying really hard to looks suspicious.  Why does the Mole even need to bother sabotaging the game when everyone else is doing it for them?

    Also, because this is a game, everyone should know this is a game, and everyone seems to be there to win.  So when those dossiers came out, absolutely why wouldn't you read them?  The chances of someone else reading them are high.  I couldn't stand the blowhard "I'm playing with integrity" (looking at you, Dom).  There's no integrity when you all know you're in a game, you have to do what you have to do.  The dossiers would contain vital information about the contestants, presumably personal details which would help in the quizzes, like "does the Mole have any sisters".

    I also don't blame Joi for risking the pot to get an exemption.  First off, she was absolutely correct when she said that Greg would look at the dossiers.  And as she said, the goal is to survive for another day.  As an added bonus, some people now think she is the Mole and might guess wrong next time.

    Jacob was saying that he didn't think it would be a good idea to risk money to get an exception because then "everyone would be mad at me".  And???  So what if people are mad?  There are no consequences other than the lost money in the pot.  Why were people so mad at Joi when there was no anger directed towards Greg for losing them the money if nobody looked?

    The way this game is set up, there's no consequences when someone loses money for the pot, and when others suspect them of sabotage.  What I would do if I was the game designer would be to have an elimination midway through the game.  The remaining contestants get to vote off someone they find untrustworthy.  It would be a question on the quiz.  If the person who gets the most votes happens to be the Mole, then obviously they don't get voted off, but the next highest vote getter is gone.  This way, there is a consequence to purposely and overtly doing things to make it look like you are suspicious and getting people to wrongly guess you as the Mole.

    I can't stand Greg.  I dislike everything about him.  The way he tries to purposely make it look like he is the Mole, the way he plays up to the camera, his hair, the way he talks.  His descriptions of his dance moves or whatever he was doing to bypass the lasers was just so ridiculously over the top.

    I also don't like Avori.  Can't stand the way she thinks she is the smartest person in the room because she is a gamer, and the way she is also trying to make everyone think she is the Mole, like dropping the oxygen tank on the beach without even saying anything or acknowledging it.

    • Like 1
  4. 18 hours ago, P2C2E said:

    My conspiracy theory on Debbie Gibson is that she could only do one episode because it was already scripted that the person she was replacing would be a one and done. So she couldn't move on even though she ended up being the superior singer because it would throw off the schedule.

    Ah... yes, I see.  Since I too believe the show is already scripted in advance, this does make perfect sense.

    27 minutes ago, roughing it said:

    I think he was shocked that he was the one let go. 🤷‍♂️

    He might be a better singer vocally, but Squirrel and Gargoyle were pretty good as well.  And they were a lot more entertaining.  He just stood there.  When Robin and Nicole both guessed him after his performance, I knew he was gone, because the pre-scripted nature of this show usually doesn't allow the panelists to give correct guesses on the first try for someone who will continue far into the competition.

    • Like 1
  5. I would rather have listened to an entire episode of Nicole Scherzinger singing.  She looked amazing in her Catwoman suit and she sounded great on "Holding Out for a Hero".  Just like when she sang "Phantom of the Opera" last season, I feel cheated that we didn't get to hear more.  They should have her record the full song and put it on the website.

    I thought Jenny looked great as Harley Quinn and I liked Robin's Robin costume and the chryon that he "doesn't need Batman".  On the other hand, yeeech to Ken Jeong.  I loathe Ken Jeong and the opening shot of him leaning back trying to look sexy and mysterious with his "come hither" look.  No.  Just no.  As Nick would say "sit yo ass down".

    I thought Gargoyle was better than Squirrel.  But neither were as good as Debbie Gibson.  I would love to get confirmation that Debbie didn't want to do more than one show, because based on what she said on the show and in EW, she loves the show and loved the experience.  I think she should have been on the show for longer, but it seems obvious that the show is scripted and that they would have to save Medusa with the bell since they wanted to also advance Pentatonix.

    What is wrong with Michael Bolton?  I get that he's old, but something about him just seemed off.  When they took the mask off, he just stood there with zero expression and a complete dead blank stare.  Does he have any kind of mental cognition issue?  When he sang his signature song, he was like a robot.  Just stood there completely still.  Opened his mouth and sang with no emotion or expression.  It was like someone pulled the string on his back and singing just came out of his mouth, like an old-fashioned kid's doll.

    • Like 5
    • Love 1
  6. I loved this episode.  I liked Homer and Marge's alternate life, with the beautiful house and great jobs. 

    I liked the parody of one of those Richard Scarry books, as well as "Harold and the Purple Crayon".  I didn't pause long enough to notice what books the kids were reading in the library, I only saw one that was a parody of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".

    I loved the Itchy and Scratchy sendup of "The Great British Baking Show".  The  decor and look of the stations in the tent, the proving drawer, the decorating, the star baker award.

    Lisa with lots of Malibu Stacys in different outfits and every single one still in the box.

    Skinner getting hit with a dirty diaper and his girlfriend leaving him.

    • Like 4
  7. I don't know why it's taken me so long to find it, but I just discovered the one-hour documentary "Antoine Griezmann: Making of a Legend" on Netflix.  His story has been told before but it was nice seeing on video, from his struggles as a teen constantly being overlooked because of his small size through the 2018 World Cup and a little beyond.  I really enjoyed it.  If you haven't seen it, it's leaving Netflix in two weeks.

    Also found that Neflix has a bunch of documentaries on other teams and players, like Neymar.

    • Like 1
  8. I'm going to talk about pretty much the only good thing in this episode.  Aunt Vi and the gumbo.  I loved the stankeye look she had when Delilah mentioned "Bon Appetit".  I loved that she helped recreate the recipe, and I WANT a bowl of that gumbo.  It looked so delicious.  This show shines when it showcases Vi's cooking.  She made me seek out and find cassoulet and want to cook it, and now I have a hankering for gumbo.

    This is a nitpick, but I'm wondering why Viola and Robyn have different last names.  Viola's last name is Marsette and I don't think she's ever been married.  She is the sister of Robyn's father, who presumably was named McCall.  Robyn's ex is named Fulton.  Unless there is some backstory that Robyn was married before Fulton to a guy named McCall, shouldn't the family name either be Marsette or McCall?  Maybe Viola and Robyn's dad had different fathers?  I guess it's not a big deal, but the show could at least explain it.

    I agree with the sentiment that this was just such an awful episode.  I did feel sympathy for the woman but she went about it all the wrong way.  It's not like her daughter started dying overnight.  She's been having issues for a long time, and clearly the mom had been having issues with paying for the operation and care even before the stereotypical hospital administrator tool denied her again.  She could have set up a Go Fund Me (I see them all the time for things even as mundane as "I need to find a new place to live but I'm on fixed income").  Or a fundraiser night at the school.  Or appeal to the local TV news stations, every one of them has some version of "What's Your Problem" where they will send a reporter to help you get answers or help.

    I did agree with the nasty hostage ("what's to stop others from doing the same") but did she really think she was going to be the hero and kill the mom to save them all?  Instead she ended up injuring the doctor.  I'm wondering if there will be any charges pressed against her.

    On 3/5/2023 at 9:21 PM, statsgirl said:

    It's a good thing that this episode is three seasons in because if this were in season 1, I don't think that I would stick around.

    "My mom really wanted me to carry on her restaurant [but she didn't write down any of the recipes so that I actually could do it]". That's okay, Mary Sue Aunt Vi is going to fix everything.

    Why didn't Robyn ask the senator's son to call his mom and get her to call off the police?

    Iranian doctor tells Harry that he can't do the operation because he's not authorized in the US. Harry appeals to his feelings. Better would have been to say that he's going to get him emergency authorization.

    Did Delilah's father tell her that he wants sole custody?  What is she? 16? I'm pretty sure that any judge is going to take her wishes into consideration.

    Agree with all of these sentiments.  The restaurant has been in the family for 100 years, did the mom create the gumbo or was it a family recipe?  It seems to me it would have been a family recipe.  The mom would have taught her son those recipes ages ago, like when he was a teenager.  He would have spent every hour after school at the restaurant, doing his homework and being called over to observe what she was making.

    I was saying the same thing about the senator's son.  Robyn could have told the mother that this man could call his mom and get her to call off the task force and allow the surgery to proceed.

    Since this is a TV show, I would expect that Dee doesn't go anywhere, and the custody battle is all just unnecessary drama.  She is 15 or maybe 16 by now and even if she's not a legal adult, surely she is old enough that her wishes should be taken into consideration.

    On 3/5/2023 at 10:33 PM, Trini said:

    Well I enjoyed the Aunt Vi/gumbo  B-plot more than the main plot. However, I did like that it wasn't the usual plot where Robyn has to beat up some thugs.

    Aunt Vi for the win.  Sometimes it does feel like Vi is shoehorned into the episode, but I think Lorraine Touissant is great, so I don't mind.

    14 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

    Not gonna lie, that bothered me more than lack of hair nets.  I kept yelling, "Where are the separate tasting spoons???"

    The lack of hair nets or the re-using of the spoon should have bothered me.  But after watching Gordon, Nyesha and Richard all dig their forks into the same plate of food on "Next Level Chef", I guess nothing surprises me on TV.  And these are actual world-class chefs and don't seem to be concerned that neither of the other two are sick.  At least with the gumbo it was heating on the stove and perhaps the heat would kill any germs.

    • Like 5
  9. Regarding the nudity warning for two seconds of bare butt.  I watched this episode on OvationTV.com so maybe they cut out the warning since there aren't any commercials and because Ovation is a cable channel?

    I'm wondering why producers felt the need to show butt in the first place.  It didn't really add anything to the story, they could still have said the man was stripped without subjecting us to it.  After all these years, show decides that this storyline demands bare butt?  Why now?  And not, for example, the episode where George went to a nudist camp, where it would have made sense to see a few butts.

    • Useful 3
  10. On 10/4/2022 at 9:55 PM, auchic said:

    Ep. 16.04 - Promising Young Ladies

    Dang, a nudity warning on MM, for 2 seconds of naked butt? 

    Not a bad case. Knew it wasn't the wife, since they did that last week, and I knew it wouldn't be one of the burlesque dancers, and then as soon as Higgins found that article about the guy stripped naked in New York, I knew it would be the moral outrage guy and that they had pulled the same stunt on him.

    Two weeks without Watts is enough. He better be in the next episode.

    On 10/5/2022 at 10:23 AM, Grundoon59 said:

    Ep. 16.04 - Promising Young Ladies

    @auchic - I agree with you about the nudity warning (which repeated every commercial break as far as I saw) being a whole lot of warning for very little nudity.  Based on the warning I was expecting some sort of wardrobe malfunction at the burlesque show.

    I was never a big Nina Bloom fan (no slight to the actress but I could never care too much about the character) but I did like that the episode was written so that her relationship with George was acknowledged and that Effie was utterly fine with it all. 

    I figured out the who did it quite early but not how the body got to its location.  Enjoyed the Crabtrees, Higgins, Brackenreid and Julia portions of the episodes.  Also the salon partner (I really need to remember her name since I am liking her more) - not much Ms. Hart but enough to show she is still seemingly preoccupied by her father issues.  Absolutely agree that we need Watts back sooner rather than later. 

    Oddly William seemed to be hardly in the episode - I mean I know he was but it felt like he was on the edges somehow. 

    On 3/4/2023 at 7:11 PM, buckboard said:

    Ep. 16.04 - Promising Young Ladies

    If was good to see Nina again, although I thought the way she and the other women teased George in front of Effie was awful.  Effie is an angel the way she dealt with the women and George's past.  They are a great couple.

    Good to see Julia getting back to her medical practice, small as it was as part of the episode.  

    Besides missing Watts, I'd love to see Margaret Brackenreid.  

    I liked this episode, although I agree it was very obvious who the killer was going to be.  I was hoping it was going to be the loudmouth lady, if only there was a way to make her an accessory.

    I thought Brackenreid confronted those three about the bomb and basically told them to stop protesting and he wouldn't do anything?  But yet they still showed up protesting loudly?  He should have arrested her for disturbing the peace.

     

  11. I'm really late to the party, but I've been really putting off watching this show, and finding excuses to find anything else to watch.  Finally ran out of excuses and just finished the season.

    On 10/14/2022 at 1:49 AM, Camera One said:

    I will watch the next season, but I would also not care too much if the series was cancelled.  Whenever there was an effective visual, my next thought was what a shame the writing and the story was so subpar that I couldn't get myself to feel emotionally moved by any of it.

    On 10/15/2022 at 8:28 AM, shrewd.buddha said:

    I find this show to be mentally exhausting.  The show runners decide on an end-point, then force the characters to get there despite any logical circumstances.  (Galadriel bringing only a 'severely injured' Halbrand to the Elves, on horseback.  Did she say it was a six-day ride with no rest?!) 
    I'm writing this show off as badly-written television and not worth giving too much attention to.  
    The Higher-Ups will need to do A LOT of rehauling to fix its problems, which are at the fundament plot/writing level (visuals are great).

    Overall, I can't say I enjoyed the season.  I loved the visuals, which were amazingly impressive, but the storyline was terrible.  I thought there were too many storylines, too many characters, and I fully admit to not really understanding what was going on some of the time.

    The Harfoot journey was tedious and boring.  Oh ok, that guy is probably Gandalf, but it didn't make the Harfoot journey any more interesting.  I also didn't care about Isildur.  Or Theo and his mom and Arondir.  Or that elf/orc Adar.

    I did enjoy Elrond and Durin but did not enjoy the endless discussion about the mithril, or the king denying Elrond.

    Galadriel trying to find Sauron and then finally realising he's been under her nose the whole time... that's what I would have focused the story on.

    I honestly am not sure if I will be back for a second season.  I also thought there would be a lot more magic involved.  Apart from a few bursts of flame from Maybe-Gandalf and some magic from the evil shapeshifters, there just wasn't a whole lot.  Doesn't Galadriel have magic?  She didn't seem to use any of it at all in this series.

    • Like 1
  12. Against my better judgement, I read The Retreat by Sarah Pearse.  I am a glutton for punishment and seem determined to seek out any and all "And Then Were None"-adjacent type books.

    I remember distinctly disliking Pearse's debut novel "The Sanatorium", which featured a detective who was on a break from her job who travelled to an isolated hotel (formerly a sanatorium) in the mountains to meet up with her brother and his fiance.  Things went wrong, and she was left trying to solve the crime.  I remember thinking she was a terrible detective, she was wrong almost every step of the way and didn't seem to have a good instinct for detective work.

    Somehow, that book got picked by Reese Witherspoon in her "I wanna be like Oprah and make authors rich" book club, and it was very popular.  

    Well, now that same terrible detective is back in "The Retreat".  I thought, how bad can it be, it's on a remote island off the coast of England.  Just like ATTWN!  Nope.

    Quote

    Most are here to recharge and refresh. But someone's here for revenge. . .

    An eco-wellness retreat has opened on an island off the English coast, promising rest and relaxation—but the island itself, known locally as Reaper’s Rock, has a dark past. Once the playground of a serial killer, it’s rumored to be cursed.

    Detective Elin Warner is called to the retreat when a young woman’s body is found on the rocks below the yoga pavilion in what seems to be a tragic fall. But the victim wasn’t a guest—she wasn’t meant to be on the island at all.

    When a guest drowns in a diving incident the following day, Elin starts to suspect that there’s nothing accidental about these deaths. But why would someone target the guests, and who else is in danger?

    Elin must find the killer—before the island’s history starts to repeat itself . . .

    I had the same issues with this character that I did the first time.  She's just not very competent or believable as a detective.  Worse is that she apparently has some lingering PTSD or whatever she is calling her "trauma" from the events of the first book.  It's mentioned several times that she's not even supposed to be investigating murder cases, and yet here she is.  I found her just as bad at her job as the first time around.  Is the fact that she clearly has some issues and flaws supposed to make her more relatable?  Because it didn't work for me. 

    I prefer my detectives to be strong-willed and assured and competent.  I want to see the story unfold through the eyes of someone who is supposed to be the alter ego of the reader.  As they discover the truths, so do I.  I don't really care for the "unreliable" type of narrator/detective.

    Even without my issues with the main character, I have issues with Sarah Pearse's writing.  She namedrops names of characters that I vaguely recall from her first book, but there are other characters in the detective's circle that are supporting characters in this book.  I think I am supposed to remember them but have absolutely no recollection of them at all, and Pearse doesn't help me at all.  

    I don't think she knows how to tell a good story.  The resolution of the mystery was predictable and not satisfying.  The identity of those responsible was telegraphed early on.

    I'm done with Sarah Pearse.  She joins Lucy Foley in my "don't even think about reading another by this author" list.

    • Like 5
  13. 20 hours ago, magicdog said:

    Seems crazy to take books written during a different time and try to excise parts to make them more "acceptable" to today's audiences.  I wouldn't even say there needs to be a disclaimer at the front of any of these now-so-called offensive books.  People should understand when they pick up a book that it might contain things they don't agree with or find offensive.

    What's next?  A rewrite of "Of Mice and Men" to excise the character of Lennie because he could be considered offensive to those with mental disabilities?

    • Like 2
  14. I couldn’t stand the doctor (first he said ER then he said ICU, those aren’t exactly the same but I guess it doesn’t matter). Didn’t like his arrogance so I’m glad he is gone.  
     

    I guess he had never seen corn husks before, what did he think he was going to do with them?  I loved how Nyesha asked him if he had tried eating it and had to tell him it’s not edible.

    I feel like last season had more professional chefs than this season.  It seems most of these people are “home cooks” or “home chefs” meaning they just cook for their families.  I don’t care for the abundance of “social media chefs”, I didn’t really know that was a thing. 

    On 2/21/2023 at 9:08 AM, MMLEsq said:

    So, one rule that I think I didn't realize in the first episode:  apparently they have to use everything they take as part of their dish...?  

    I didn’t realise that either and I can’t remember if that was the same rule in place as last season.  Another rule I am just realising… apparently you can’t share ingredients.  So if someone forgets to grab a starch or a veg… too bad.  

    • Like 2
  15. 1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

    This is the first of her books that I've read, but I'd have to say no to the "woman in jeop" trope. In either timeline. Nor was there any gratuitous violence against females, which I try very hard to avoid. Have you read any of her other books? Like I said, I liked this one but I'm not sure on some of the others, based on reviews I've seen. 

    I haven't read any of the rest of her books besides "Reckless Girls", which is very much in vein with the Agatha Christie "And Then There Were None" type of book.  I would recommend "Reckless Girls", it was a decent read and I liked the island setting.

    • Like 1
  16. 14 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

    Just finished listening to The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. Quite liked it. A fun listen, but if you don't like jumping timelines it might not be for you. 

    How does it compare to her "Reckless Girls", and is it another "woman in jeop" book set at an isolated location? 

    I remember liking "Reckless Girls" but I did notice that, as with many books in this genre, the author relied on the use of flashbacks in alternate chapters.  It doesn't necessarily bother me that much, however I do think the use of the alternating flashback for books in this genre is a bit overdone.

  17. I loved the meals listed on the meal train chart.  I can't get the screenshot to embed but they are:

    • Fat Tony's Cereal That Fell Off A Truck
    • Lunch Lady Dora's Shredded Pork Po' Boy
    • Sideshow Bob's Fingers Food
    • Helen Lovejoy's Lord Is My Shepherd Pie
    • Chief Wiggum's Chicken Fried "Steakout"
    • Herman's Roast Chicken Missing A Wing
    • Frink's Hyperintelligent Pigs in a Blanket
    • Drederick Tatum's Black Eye Steak au Poivre
    • Krusty's Whatever Mr. Teeny Doesn't Eat
    • Luanne's Store-Bought Enchiladas
    • Mrs. Muntz's Classy Girl's Buffer Breasts and Thighs
    • Bernice's Better Version of Whatever Luanne Brings
    • Mrs. Skinner's Bitter Greens With Sour Cream
    • Moleman's Prune Stroganoff
    • Comic Book Guy's Large Movie Theater Popcorn Free Refill
    • Brandine's Roadkill TBD Sweetbreads
    • Smither's Endangered Panda Express
    • Sarah Wiggum's Bacon Wrapped Bacon
    • Fat Tony's Everything But The Head of The Horse
    • Cat Lady's Blanquette de Veau a la BRRFLMHAHAAM!!
    • Grounds Keeper Willie's Gopher Goulash
    • Patty & Selma's Home Smoked Fish
    • Bumblebee Man's Peanut Butter And Royal Jelly Sandwiches
    • Kumiko's Fried Pokemon
    • Marge's I Know This Is A Scamcakes
    • OId Jewish Man's Matzo Ball Soup with Extra-Large and Salty Balls
    • Sideshow Mel's Bone Marrow Broth
    • Mike Wegman's Homer's Favorite Donkey Steak

    I loved that it was apparently Tuesday, Luanne brought her store bought enchiladas into the bar, and Bernice came in with her own homemade enchiladas and criticised Luanne's.  Hah.

     

     

    • Like 3
  18. On 2/28/2023 at 3:57 PM, Anela said:

    I can't remember everything that happened, but they wasted time trying to paint the main character as one of the killers. All of the visions of her father, one of the OG killers. I hope they don't keeo going there in the next one, if I even watch it. I don't know if I will. They should have given Neve whatever she was asking for.

     

    On 2/28/2023 at 10:55 PM, Bastet said:

    Seriously; I highly doubt she went crazy and demanded $10 million or something, so fucking pay her.*  The thing that saved 5 from being a weak entry in the franchise was how the OG's were integrated even though not the focus, and it still shook out to just fine, so now, especially, with Dewey gone, how they used Gale and Sidney in this one was again going to be a huge factor in my enjoyment of 6 since I am not invested in Sam and only mildly so in the other survivors.  Kirby was my favorite new character in 4, so I'm glad she's back, but she's no Sidney.

    I don't have high hopes for this, but that means it will be quite a pleasant surprise if I wind up digging it.  As I said before, if I like it, I hope Gale lives, but if I hate it, I hope Gale dies so I don't feel the need to watch any additional sequels.

    *I wonder if Neve didn't like how Sidney was written, and asked not for a ridiculous amount but something she knew they wouldn't pay, so she could "we couldn't come to terms on salary" bow out without having to say she didn't want to play what they'd written for her character.  I do not at all have my ear to the ground on this; has anyone heard any scuttlebutt? 

     

    14 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

    I read somewhere (I think Facebook, so take with a grain of salt) that she wanted $2 million, which is what she got for the last one. And they wanted to pay her less because it was a smaller role/less scenes than the last one.

    Supposedly even though it was less it was setting up a bigger storyline for her in Scream 7. No idea if that is still on the table.

    $2 million for Neve Campbell and they refused to give it to her?  Cheapskates.  She IS the face of the Scream franchise.  What are they thinking?  This terrible actress that plays Samantha isn't going to carry the franchise.  Why would they have cast her as the lead and not Jenna Ortega?  I could easily see Jenna Ortega carrying the franchise especially after her Wednesday popularity.  They should have switched those two actresses for the Samantha/Tara roles.

    Hayden Planetarium coming back to VI is a plus.  I thought Kirby died in 4, but if the twin brother and the twin sister can survive after being brutally stabbed, I guess the rules have changed and a stabbing in Scream isn't as fatal as it used to be.

    I hope they still leave the door open for Neve to come back in VII.  Ideally, Samantha dies.  Tara becomes the younger face of Scream and Kirby, Sidney and Gale are the elder guard in VII.

    • Like 3
    • LOL 1
×
×
  • Create New...