Seemingly made-for-TV moving about a NY detective who doesn't like people who is paired with a new partner detective just moved up from Atlanta. Slow, deliberate, angsty. Plays like a serial with very little actual arc of tension. Just another high tension day at the office, with the net effect being that these detectives are definitely going to be alone and burnt out in another 5 years.
2 stars (out of 5)
The 2000 Russel Crowe vehicle that tells the story of Maximus, the star Roman general of Marcus Aurelius. After conquering the germans, Aurelius dies and his sociopathic, tyrant son names himself emperor. Maximus becomes a slave/gladiator who works from that stage to support the senate and overthrow the emperor... of course. Subtly touches on the meaninglessness of war, just enough to be able to say it is not a warmongering movie, but not enough to really shine through the warmongering movie that it is.
3 stars (out of 5)
Season 2
It has been awhile since I saw the first season, so I didn't really remember any of the characters. Apparently this season has a few changes, although Scooter and Rabbit still play prominently. Otherwise, the characters themselves only play minor roles in this reality series. The real star this season is that in the 10 or so cars that are restored and flipped, they are all wildly different genres. Without a characteristic style that the team needs to live up to, they can be creative in new ways and make the project fit the car. So in that way, I liked this season.
3 stars (out of 5)
A former CIA assassin (code name The Painter) gets pulled back into the life when his daughter tracks him down and people start trying to kill them both. Sort of like Hanna with a child abduction, trained assassin vibe. Actually pretty ordinary in terms of spy thrillers and pretty low quality in terms of motivation for action. Most of the painter killing CIA agents is gratuitous for the sake of action. I suppose there is some hope for a follow-on series (also a la Hanna the series) where the child assassins are tracked down and rescued from the life while father and daughter renew their relationship and find common ground in a shared skillset.
2 stars (out of 5)
Season 1
A new car restoration series paid for by Netflix. The team takes regular people rides and dresses them up. It is a fun twist on the genre and the team is great. Chris Redd, not so much.
4 stars (out of 5)
Season 6
Back to basics. Burnt in the past season, the team returns to building fun cars that they enjoy and have their stamp on them. Basically pursuing artistry instead of the monster payout. Better.
4 stars (out of 5)
French version of Jumanji, but set in a medieval village instead of the wild. A "normal" family gets pulled into a game that is basically a real-life version of werewolf. Cute, just clever enough.
3 stars (out of 5)
