Tag: CIA

Spoiler-Free Review of “FUBAR” on Netflix: Spy Series Falls Flat

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“My daughter’s in the CIA?!”

FUBAR premiered on May 25th 2023 on Netflix with eight episodes available to stream now. The comedy-action series stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Monica Barbaro, Fabiana Udenio, Fortune Feimster, and Travis Van Winkle. Each episode runs for approximately 45-55 minutes.

After announcing his retirement, a CIA operative gets dragged in for one last mission that involves a family secret.

Here is the trailer:

FUBAR has a True Lies vibe and a star that can carry almost anything, but does this series do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Fun cast and premise.

It’s always fantastic seeing Arnold on screen and I was thrilled that he was getting his own series that seemed like it could be the perfect balance of comedy and action. Arnold basically played another version of his characters from other movies so there’s that. We also got a familiar, but fun premise to work with.

The father/daughter relationship was strange, but developed over the series and had its share of heartwarming moments and there was an effort to bring us some comedy along with the action so that the series wouldn’t feel that heavy. 

The pros stop there, however…

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Ridiculous one-liners and cringe-worthy dialogue and exchanges…

You can basically download an entire soundboard filled with Arnold quotes from his movies over the years, but this series failed to deliver any noteworthy ones, which was extremely disappointing. The dialogue was boring and forced. Many of the exchanges between the father and daughter seemed unrealistic and a lot of the humor just didn’t land for me personally.

Well, maybe there’s some good action…

Watered down action.

No…the fight scenes felt flat and boring. I get that Arnold is 75 years old now, but this film was seriously lacking in this department and tried to rely too much on tropes I have seen before in similar series and films.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Netflix

Unfortunately I’m out on this one…

This series was watchable at times, but it played it safe and relied on humor that did not work. It’s always fun seeing Arnold on screen, but he deserved a lot more here and overall I was disappointed with my watch.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on FUBAR in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

PLAY BY THE RULES…STAY ALIVE…

A harmless night of fun turns deadly for six college friends but the game has only just begun. Take a mystery thrill ride right from your own living room. Dash and Seek is out now! I hope you enjoy!

READ IF YOU DARE…

Dash and Seek is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “The 355” in Theaters: “Ocean’s Eight” Spy Edition

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend…”

The 355 premiered in theaters on January 7th 2022. The action thriller film stars Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o and Fan Bingbing. It is approximately two hours long.

A CIA agent joins forces with agents from other countries to track down a dangerous drive that could put the world in immediate danger.

Here is the trailer:

The 355 has an all-star female cast with plenty of kick-ass moments, but does it do anything truly extraordinary? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

The 355 Spoiler Free 1

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Fabulous cast!

I loved every single one of these ladies and Diane Kruger really stole the show for me! They all brought plenty to the table with stunning outfits and bad-ass moves to keep us entertained for the most part. They were the best part of the movie and I loved the dynamic between them all.

The 355 Spoiler Free 2

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Lots of action.

The film delivered in this department. There were some pacing issues here and there, but there were plenty of chase and fight scenes to keep you invested. I loved the opening chase scene the most, but there were a lot of other satisfying moments to keep you rooting for these ladies throughout the movie.

The Cons:

The 355 Spoiler Free 3

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

Predictable and by the numbers…

Even though I enjoyed this film, it didn’t really do anything truly unique or extraordinary. I’ve seen this type of movie before and while I’m all for a film that highlights female empowerment, the movie really struck the audience over the head with this and fit very neatly into tropes and clichés.

Everything just felt really generic and the cast honestly deserved a better plot.

Needed some humor.

I enjoyed Ocean’s Eight a lot more because there was humor involved to balance out things and while this film attempted to channel that vibe, it didn’t execute it as well. It made me focus more on the generic plot and even though I loved the actresses in the film, many of the characters needed some more layers as well.

So am I in or out?

The 355 Spoiler Free 4

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures

I’m 50/50 on this one…

I loved the cast and there was plenty of action to keep me watching, but I just wanted so much more for this movie. It just felt like something I have already seen before. There’s plenty to enjoy, but I wouldn’t say that you need to rush out to see this one…

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The 355 in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

Watching Girl Number Thirteen

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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