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Reviews
Lioness (2023)
Disappointed With Taylor Sheridan!
Binged this over a couple of days. Lots of disappointing plot holes, but most distracting was the fizzog on Nicole Kidman!! What the hell has she done to her face?? Especially the mouth. She reminded me of Plug from the Bash Street Kids, (UK comic folk my age will remember - google for pics!) or even Smithers or Moe from the the Simpsons! Good Lord woman! Get a grip!!
Was it worth watching? Not really. Surprisingly disappointing fare from the usually excellent Taylor Sheridan. I'm sure the CIA/NSA procedurals were intact for the most part but to be honest, who cares? The glaring inconsistancies, such as the Whitehouse staff knowing nothing about the operation until the very last moment. And a whole host of other plot holes that I can't be bothered to mention, meant that although I watched the complete season, I ended up laughing at much of it.
The Lovers (2023)
Captivating Says It!
Unbelievably reassuring of the reality of love at first sight. Both lead actors are perfectly cast in a slightly deviated form of the classic romcom genre.
After just the first 3 episodes, (half) I am hooked and I only never binged the series as It was so late I just had to tear myself away.
I'm confident however, that the entire series will keep folk hooked as much as it has me. And I'm fairly sure that I am indeed in love with Roisin Gallagher now. Both lead characters carry the show and the wonderful Alice Eve also adds a certain something with some excellent dialogue.
Watch it, you won't be disappointed, and here's hoping there's a season 2 in the offing!
Stargirl (2020)
Judge It For What It Is.
I like it! I've watched this since season 1 and although it's not bingeworthy, it's very watchable at ones own pace.
Let's face it Stargirl is just nonsense, but it's fun. Fun nonsense so just enjoy it. Brec Bassinger is perfectly cast and Amy Smart is just quietly sexy as the maternal presence with added oomph when needed.
I admit the various characters lack substance and the Stripe character is a bit pointless perhaps, but like I said, it's nonsense, and pretty enjoyable nonsense in my opinion.
Season two let me down a little as the plot seemed to wear a little thin here and there and became a little haphazard. But that aside, I hope this third season which I've only just been made aware of, (catching up to do now) brings the plot lines back in place and resurrects the basic elements from season one. Fingers crossed it won't disappoint!
The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself (2022)
British and Brilliant?
I came across this by pure accident and to be honest, I didn't have high hopes since A. It was British, and B. The title implied to me a draw-you-in-out-of-curiosity gimmicky attempt.
I couldn't have been more wrong! I hadn't seen any promo material, even the basic promo on IMDB didn't give me any clue really, so I wet in blind. So glad I did! This was an excellent series that had me hooked from episode one, and I therefore had no choice but to binge watch the whole series over an evening and early morning marathon!
The acting was faultless from the main characters although I did have trouble taking. Paul Ready seriously through most of the series, since I had only really seen him in his comedy role as Kevin the single parent in the "Motherland" BBC sitcom series. That apart, the cast were all competent and Nadia Parkes stood out especially! As for the sinister and hate-inducing portrayal of "Jessica" from the obviously talented Isobel Jesper Jones, you couldn't hate a character more and right to the very end!
I am not into the whole "witches/vampires/werewolf" genre or even Harry Potter, but I don't think this falls into anywhere near that category. The production values were outstanding for a British fantasy-drama of this type I'd say. Or maybe I'm just more used to seeing this sort of production coming from the US. Either way, I'd recommend watching "BTS&TDH" without reading any negative-rated reviews, (not that I've seen any) or any reviews at all. Take it as you find it, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
As a final note. I must add that the filming locations are also to be acknowledged as well chosen. Only nine stars because I don't think anything really warrants 10/10 really?
Devil in Ohio (2022)
Drivel in Ohio?
I had high hopes for this series being a dark, demonic drama. But it turned out to be no more than a domestic soap opera with some mild cult/black magic secondary references. The feeble attempted plot twists were nothing more than see-through family dramas, with the hints of a possible romantic liaison between the female lead and the case detective that would only interest romance-novel fans, whom I assume had no interest in this.
The acting was passable at best, the two older daughters in the family were almost too pretty for anyone to notice if their acting was competent, and of course you can't have any "drama" these days without the obligatory lesbian relationship and gay best friend scenario just to keep the woke crowd happy!
I could go on, but I can't be bothered. This series started well, but quickly deteriorated. It was like someone had this great idea and then realised that they didn't know enough about the subject to stretch it over a perhaps standard ten episodes, and so reduced that to eight and found there still wasn't enough subject matter to hand. In the end it was filled in and padded out with trivial family and relationship nonsense which actually bored me so much that I took a break from it after episode five.
Weeks later I decided to see if it was going to revert back to the demonic and maybe hold my attention. Nope, still the same and I only persevered to the end out of curiosity just to find the ludicrous ending that, of course the writers hoped would herald a second season. Personally, I doubt it will be returning and I seriously hope not.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (2022)
Has Nobody Noticed The Glaring Goofs!
I can't say I'm not enjoying the series and I am about to watch episode 9 of the 10, but for heaven's sake has no other reviewer even mentioned the glaring DNA goof??
The girls decide to collect the DNA from the boys in the school so they can match with whoever fathered Imogen's baby via a paternity test, thus discovering the rapist of Tabitha and Imogen. To do this, they decide to collect the DNA samples by gathering the cotton wool swabs from the boys. But they collect them all together in the same plastic bag without identifying who's belongs to whom?!!
On the same DNA collection theme, since the school jock's are reluctant to give blood due to the possibility of them being discovered for using steroids, the girls must find another way to harvest their DNA. So they opt to sneak into the players locker room where they gather any DNA-bearing items including..........a bunch of hair from the shower drain!!! Surely this contains another mass of mixed DNA samples??
There are many more inconsistencies in the show, but these examples are so obvious I can't believe they haven't been mentioned anywhere else!
No Exit (2022)
Surprisingly Good Movie
You could be forgiven for thinking this would be a B-Movie effort when looking at the cast and the plot but I thoroughly enjoyed this tense thriller with it's various twists. The cinematography is exceptional for a relatively low-budget movie and, (with the exception of Dale Dickey and Dennis Haysbert), fairly unknown cast. A well-acted and worthwhile effort with enough plot twists and turns to keep your attention.
From (2022)
Promising Start
This one caught my eye and after watching the trailer I was intrigued. The first 2 episodes seem promising and the concept, though not exactly new, has the potential to keep the viewer hooked. Emerging back stories might just get in the way of the main theme but I hope not. I found some of the characters a little annoying and unlikeable to start with but they may grow on the viewer as the series progresses. Very atmospherically and threateningly shot with much detail afforded to the gore and FX. Like I said, promising but with only the first 3 episodes released at the time of writing, I'll reserve full judgement for now.
Born a Champion (2021)
One of The Best Movies of 2021
I was sceptical before I watch this movie since the subject matter might not appeal to everyone, but it had me hooked from the start. Great lead performance from Sean Patrick Flannery and really the rest of the cast including the Flannery's sons who played Kyd at different ages. Outstanding story of grit and determination and an ultimate need to avenge a past deed. The chemistry between Katrina Bowden and Flannery is obvious and adds to the emotional hook in the film. I'd recommend this movie highly to anyone with a pulse!
Lisey's Story (2021)
Mindless Rubbish
Absolute drivel from beginning to end. Why I keep giving these Steven King adaptations the time of day I don't know. I only gave it the one star for Julianne Moore. 8 hours of my life I'll never get back. That's all I have to say.
Oldeuboi (2003)
Superb Film
I agree with the comments of Genevieve_X almost to the letter! I had never seen or heard of this film, but saw it on "Film 4" in the UK last night. The presenter gave us a quick run-down of the plot, and that, along with the blurb in the TV listings did more than enough to make me want to watch. I couldn't agree more with other contributors, that the film is a work of superb surrealism, and therefore should not be taken as literally as any similar Hollywood offerings might. All in all, the best foreign language film I have seen in a long time. I would hasten to add, that the story itself is told in a fantastically twisting, to-ing and fro-ing manner which adds to the superbly crafted atmosphere of the movie. Superb!
Awake (2007)
I enjoyed it!
I just watched this, and was unsure as to what to expect from it. I thought Jessica Alba did a surprisingly good acting job, (but I actually do think she can act) probably the best performance in the film besides Hayden Christensen. All the other performances were adequate I'd say.
The premise of the film, and the medical questions raised shouldn't matter to the audience, the film is supposed to scare you and get your own heart pumping. I think It managed this to an extent. Personally, I wouldn't describe "Awake" as a horror, but a thriller. I wouldn't say that I was "thrilled" by it either, but I enjoyed it. The various twists in the plot helped the film to stay afloat by providing the element of surprise. And although a couple of these were obvious, and the last twist with the father completely unnecessary as some others have said. I enjoyed it and reckon it to be worth watching.