Atlas (movie, 2024)

Atlas

Watched 2024.

The future-AI, sci-fi plot was actually respectable, but the casting of JLo was poor. She is supposedly an anti-social genius AI programmer who argues her way into a military guerilla mission and then spends the whole movie complaining that she is just an "analyst" who should not be on a military guerilla mission. Suspend belief that one of the hottest babes on any planet is anti-social. JLo covers 98 km on foot with an AI-bot running on a supposedly dead power source that magically lasts the whole movie, even after the bot is intentionally damaged.

Ticket to Paradise (movie, 2022)

Ticket to Paradise

Watched 2024.

Cute and funny, appealing to baby boomers in the early 2020s, nothing profound.

Midnight Diner (TV series, 2009-14)

Midnight Diner

Watched 2024.

I can't really give more than an 8 to something that has no plot. Each episode is a vignette, but even in that short format, it would be nice to have more ongoing character development of certain recurring characters. Some episodes are great, some are OK. The recurring characters are endearing (even the mobsters and sex workers), but they don't evolve from episode to episode except in a couple rare cases.

The Beach Boys (documentary, 2024)

The Beach Boys

Watched 2024.

A detailed look at the Boys, well done, as if anyone cares in 2024.

The Birth of a Nation (movie, 1915)

The Birth of a Nation

Watched 2024.

This film is recognized as a great film that argues for evil. In the end, fabricated events glorify the KKK and white supremacy. In some ways, the mistreatment of blacks is accurate, but it is justified through fabricated scenes with fabricated crimes by blacks. It is unclear why DW Griffith would bend history that much except to achieve some racist objective.

The Fall Guy (movie, 2024)

 The Fall Guy

Watched 2024.

Comedy:8 - Romance:1 - Drama:1 - Action:9 - The funny bits were really funny, and this movie is really all about action stunts, but there is little plot.

Monarch (TV series, 2023-)

Monarch

Watched 2024.

It takes several episodes for the viewer to figure anything out. The character's personal dramas and motivations are childish. The plot has many technical holes; I was always left wondering how a person got into the right place at the right time. It's always fun to watch Godzilla stories, and the special effects are great, but the plot proceeds very slowly.