About Me

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Hi, my name is Jonathan Denard McNeair and I grew up in Lexington, North Carolina, also known as Pig City...Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha...The town is mostly known for its barbeque where they often throw barbeque festivals every October. In my chosen career, I am a self-published author of fiction.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Hellraiser on Halloween








I know I'm a little late on this but in the following week, I will showcase all four of the Hellraiser movies. Yes, I said four. I know there's like five or six more sequels but I feel that the first four are more connected story-wise as to the rest of the sequels were stand-alone scripts with Pinhead attached to them.
The thing about the Hellraiser movies is that it could've been so much more. The first, especially, had an interesting story that hooks you in instantly. And even though there are some people who are mixed on the second one, I still liked that it added more to the story on a wider scale. To be honest, the Hellraiser franchise is kind of a mess and probably would've worked better with just four movies. So without further ado, I will begin the reviews...

Friday, October 19, 2018

Bonus Trailers









Oh Yes! I am happy to announce that the new Halloween movie is in Theaters and the trailer looks awesome. So glad they'd bring back badass Laurie, it's just what I needed. You go, Jamie Lee Curtis! You go!



And I never thought I say this about a remake but the Suspira remake looks kind of good, very artsy. Dakota Johnson is perfect as the lead. And Tilda Swinton is in this movie too! Hell yes, I am on board!

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Charmed (2018)







Charmed was one of my favorite shows growing up. Although it's not the best-written show ever, at least I had fun watching it. The first four seasons in particular.
From hearing that show was getting a remake is odd to me. It's been twelve years ago since the show has been canceled, so why remake it now? Even the original actors disagree with this.



From the look of the trailer, It felt as if I was watching a Disney version of Charmed. At least 90's charmed had a bit of edge to it you know. Now I will say this, I am happy to see a diverse cast this time but the thing is, it's never explored. What I liked about the original is how they go into depth about their family ancestry through their witchcraft, tapping into Irish folklore and history. Since the witches in this version are Latin/Carribean/African, why not have them as Island witches from centuries past? Why not get into the basics of Vodoo, Santeria, or Wicca beyond just having powers? If Charmed was to be more cultural, why not delve into that?



Another thing I found disappointing with this trailer is the special effects. Now I know there wasn't anything "special" about the effects in the original but it literally looks like they cut and paste the CGI images.



Now let's get to the new cast. By the way of the acting, it's kind of bland. The script's dialogue really doesn't do the actresses any favors.


Within the entire trailer, the whole plot is explained by a British guy (who comes off like a puesdo-Giles) who happens to be an advisor or some sort, while the girls are being tied up in chairs. How does that make any sense? Pretty much the entire plot is shown and explained to us, which kind of spoils everything. There is just no mystery at all. The thing about the original Charmed, mainly in the first three seasons, is that it had heart. And I feel the true heart of the show was Constance M. Burge. Without her, I think that's when the show fell off a bit in my opinion. The people behind this didn't even THINK to bring her on board or even have her to be a consultant. It's a shame when headshots remake something and don't care to have the original creator involved.
But sadly, what's done is done and just have to see the results in the pilot episode so I might share my thoughts on this soon. Wish me luck!




Monday, October 15, 2018

Heathers (2018)






The 1988 teen comedy Heathers was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Winona Ryder was at the top of her game and I was gradually a fan of hers.


The thing about the movie was that it wasn't you're typical happy-go-lucky 80's teen comedy. It was pretty dark in some places. It actually had THEMES. Suicide, teen angst, depression, corruption. Heathers is probably the best-written teen comedy of that decade and it's truly an all-time classic.
Come to my surprise that the Columbia TV streaming service is making a television series and judging by the trailer, not a good one at that.
Now what makes the original memorable is the insatiable witty dialogue in which this show fails to match. It just seems so forced and the jokes fall flat.



What they also did differently was cram in a lot of SJW agenda. The Heathers in the original was your typical hot cosmopolitan-type of girls. In this version, the main Heather is an overly confident plus-sized girl, the second Heather is a gossipy gay guy, and the third Heather is an African-American Lesbian. This could work if it was executed well. Yes, I do see potential in this, I mean what if the main Heather was this bullied girl who suddenly became popular by chance and uses her newly found puberty by showing off her hips, curves, and sexuality to get her way. But no, pretty much all of the Heathers are portrayed as obnoxious and don't seem like complexed characters.



And as for the two leads, they are tragically bland and does not match the charisma of Winona Ryder. Very, very poor choices.
Just the thought of making a series out of this just seems way out of bounds. How can you make a day to day story arc from a simplistic plot like Heathers? It just doesn't fit. And If this has a second season, where to go from here?
All I have to say is it's just a TV show with the same name. Nothing more, nothing less.
Just by the trailer, I don't recommend this.


Sunday, October 14, 2018

Dynasty (2017)







Boy, this was a stinker. When I first looked at this trailer, I literally thought I was watching a parody of a Prime Time Soap. Not only the thought of remaking Dynasty was uncalled for, but the sheer over-the-top, cliched feel of the show makes it even worse. I don't know what the hell is going with CW but their content is really shitty. Hell, they're much better running cheesy comic book superhero shows than TV dramas. And what boggles me even more, is that this terrible show is getting a third season! How the hell did they manage that!



Okay, let's examine the original. The OG Dynasty is not a perfect show by any means but at least it was entertaining. The show also had this fine majesty to it. The cinematography, the music, the fashion, it was absolutely beautiful to soak in. There was no way you can make a show like Dynasty now, it's the epitome of the 80's. It was made for that decade. Though the show that we have now is a typical, generic potboiler with amateur writing.


And yes, I do love Nicolette Sheridan but I just don't see her as Alexis.


I feel like Joan Collins is the only actress in the world that could play such a role. Hell, she was the one who made the original what it is now. So how can another actress replicate that?
Anywho, I'll probably talk more about this show in the future as the first two seasons are on Netflix. But don't think twice that I'll just hop on it immediately. This show is not on my radar and I'll only look at it just to warn to AVOID THIS.


Friday, October 5, 2018

Reboots! Reboots! Reboots!








Gosh, I don't know if it's people running out of ideas or this seems to be the norm now. There's one thing to remake movies but to remake tv shows is wholly unnecessary. All three of these reboots are based on proprieties that were practically over twenty-some years ago. It's not that long you guys.
But anywho, these are the shows that I'll look over, which in my opinion comes off like stale copycats of much better source material but I'll save all my negatives for each contained reviews. For right now I'm just focusing on the trailers. Maybe in a lifetime, I'll watch an episode or two of these shows but it is gonna be a while and I might have to be in a certain mood to watch them. There are just not appealing to me, however, I'm willing to be a martyr for my work, so maybe in the next year, I'll give you my word. Here I present to you, the reviews on display...

Friday, August 10, 2018

Manhattan Girls Available Now




I am happy to announce that is finally published. I have been working on this for years, so I should have a good pat on the back for the hard work. This is the first in a series of books, so keep a look out for the second one by the end of this year. Be sure to check out Manhattan Girls on:
Kobo
Amazon.com
Barnes and Noble Nook


 Thanks!