heykateforever Reviews

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

You All Wanted Good Entertainment From Hollywood, Then You Downrate It Assuring We Won't Get a 3rd Part of this Entertaining Movie

[10/10 · 19 May 2024]

And I, for one, find this very thing a massive head scratcher. Are vapid reality shows all you are looking for these days? Because that is where we are headed.

While this movie won't win awards or even the applause of major reviewers, one thing it DID deliver on was entertainment. This second part of a story begun in Rebel Moon Part 1, started off slower and maybe a bit too much talking and celebrating the first win, it more than made up for it as the battle begins and continues.

I loved that a simple farming community was able to destroy a major very bad and evil ruler in their world. Looking at our world today? It is easy to lose hope we can ever bring sanity back to world politics. But this movie, in its own little corner tells us that even the least of us can have hope for better days.

The computer graphics were top notch. The human relationships were wonderful. Was it perfect? Of course not. But it was highly entertaining without mind numbing politics and references to hating certain people thrown in just because Hollywood can. This wonderful story was pure entertainment. It had heart. It had unity, it had great fight scenes, good cinematography, and acting.

Yet most of you chose to ignore these obvious assets of this movie and hate it with every review. I don't get people today. You want entertainment, but you can't see it when it is handed to you on a silver platter. Maybe we deserve the dumbed down television and politics filled movies being spewed at us from every channel, every app on the internet. You revel in the reality shows that are taking over the apps like weeds in an unattended field.

So, for those of you who hated on this movie? Enjoy your TV reality shows, your politics filled Dick Wolf shows, your growing and growing intrusion of sports proliferating when SOME of us just want fun entertainment. Obviously those of us are now in the minority. And unfortunately, we must endure the brainless TV taking over even the best apps on the internet. Whatever you do, do NOT watch Slow Horses on Apple TV. It is highly entertaining and will definitely bore you to tears!

Rebel Moon Parts 1 and 2 are highly entertaining and well acted movies. Thank you Netflix for finally giving us an English language movie that was really quite good. I wish my rating could help pull up the overall ratings of these movies, but like elections, I only get one vote. I wish you all could have seen in these movies what I saw! We would have gotten a 3rd installment for it. So mind numbingly sad!

Invasion (2005–2006)

The Ending

[10/10 · 20 February 2024]

I watched this show in real time when it was on TV. They've cleaned it up a lot and made it one full, easy to follow season. When it originally aired, it was much less cohesive and much more difficult to follow but still excellent Sci Fi. Watching it through on Roku-TV was a pleasure compared to watching the original version.

As for the ending? The reason the ending is such a mess and leaves a major cliffhanger is because it was cancelled suddenly despite loud outcries from its many fans. Even knowing what was coming at the end, I still loved watching every episode. This show had a stellar cast and a very interesting story. Even with the cliffhanger ending, it is worth watching if you are a fan of Sci Fi genre. Even if you aren't. The message is good, the family issues are handled very well. Unfortunately, when this was originally made, there were some extremely bad producers who did not seem to know where to go with the story's ending. I loved this show. Still do! Wish, wish, WISH, we could have had closure!

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Bloated, talky, unnecessarily complicated.

[2/10 · 17 February 2024]

I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since it came out. I studied Oppenheimer in college and he was a brilliant, complicated, odd man. Very interesting to study him. I'm not sure what I expected of this movie, but Cillian Murphy's stilted, complex, weird version was not it!

Understanding the invention of the atomic bomb is very important because it changed the world. Making this oddly jumpy and overly complicated movie did nothing to help the average person truly understand the process and what actually happened during the years the atom bomb was born. While I understood what was happening as the story unfolded, if I had not already understood the history, I'm not sure I would have fully comprehended the importance this process, this time, these people.

Too me? It seemed bloated with too many big Hollywood actors appearing all throughout the movie. Christopher Nolan's self-centered bow to how many Hollywood "stars" he could feature in a movie. It was too much talk, talk, talk; too much jumping around in history; too much show off of Nolan's success in Hollywood. And too little solid information being given about the unfolding of one of the most devastating events outside of all the wars in the 20th century - the discovery of a weapon of mass destruction that killed millions of people in Japan. The fact that the Enola Gay, the plane that delivered the bombs, wasn't even mentioned? A three hour movie and a moment that changed the world isn't even given its due?

I am definitely not an elitist. I don't "get" modern art, I never get invited to posh parties. I am an average American who still knows more about Doctor Oppenheimer than was portrayed in that very long, very strange interpretation of this event. It was a terribly missed opportunity that annoys me. But Hollywood is Hollywood. And they miss the mark 90% of the time. I expect no one to agree with me here because truth today, has become scarce everywhere. This should have been a more straightforward, teachable movie!! Period!!

The Stranded (2019)

Where's the Ending?

[4/10 · 11 February 2024]

I came four years late to this show and enjoyed the twists and turns and even the parts that weren't that well written. It started out with a bang. Episode one was, by far, the best of the show. Too bad it all began to wander here and there afterward, with no even plot and, hard to believe, got worse as it went on.

I don't know what to say from here because I was SURE, given the hints and little Easter eggs everywhere in the show, it would resolve and give us the answers to the hundreds of questions raised in the episodes. But nope! Watching episode seven, I was honestly looking forward to resolutions to the many situations that developed as the "story" unfolded.

I am not just sad to say, but very angry that I put in the time to watch all 7 episodes, only to have it end without answering ONE QUESTION raised throughout this series. If you are going to write a show, with twists and turns and decent characters, DO NOT let it all end with nothing solved if you do not have another season planned to give us the ending we deserved after spending all that time we'll never get back watching the first part!!!!

Shame on you Netflix! You used to put out decent programming. Now, you are recycling old shows and putting on regular tv shows most of us already watched (Swat, Greys Anatomy, NCIS, Friday Night Lights) and shows you have had posted there for many years! Now, we're getting war movies we already watched on the other internet apps. AND WORSE? Very little American programming. It's all shows and movies from countries all over the world. Which I actually don't mind, since this one was from Thailand, I think. But at LEAST GET THE GOOD SHOWS AND MOVIES and give us the dubbed versions. You used to. Now you are getting lazy and I have had to pass up many recently because you didn't offer a dubbed version.

One notable exception is the French film Vortex! It was superb! In French!

But to have us go through 7 episodes and leave us hanging with not even one mystery solved for us? Shameful!!! I suggest you pass on this one! I just looked up a season two follow up and what I got was maybe yes, maybe no! NOT GOOD ENOUGH, NETFLIX!!! I would hold off watching this one absolutely until season two is released! Just FYI.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

No, Just NO!! Worst Movie Ever Made

[1/10 · 13 November 2023]

My husband and I watched this movie figuring by the title and written blurb about it, that it was a loser. Since it was called a thriller, which is one of our favorite genres, we decided to give it a try.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the WORST MOVIE EVER MADE and my husband's comment was perfect. Who thought this sick piece of garbage was worth investing any time or money in? They are the truly demented!

There was no plot, the acting could have been done by badly made robots. There was no substance, no message, no cohesiveness to the story. Even the so-called music was terrible. I have finally found, out of all the bad movies out there, my number 1 worst movie ever!! This one came out of the minds of truly sick psychopaths who have no clue what movie making is intended for. Shame on Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman for even CONSIDERING appearing in this nonsense. They both went down about 1,000 levels on our respect for actors page!!

How this crap got a 7.0? Shows me what I suspect about reviewers in here. Too many up rate dumb, badly made movies to appear cool and artsy to their colleagues. Seriously? Everybody has an opinion. I cannot believe so many saw ANY storyline or relevance in this mess of a movie. There, now you have been warned. DO NOT BE CURIOUS if you are a normal, sane person to watch this one. We did it for you. DO NOT WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME HERE ON EARTH. You have been warned!

Noise (I) (2023)

Do Not Waste Your Time! You Have Been Warned

[1/10 · 6 November 2023]

Many other reviewers in here have already pointed out the many completely stupid loose ends and terrible plot nondevelopments in this movie. Honestly? It had a great idea. Not sure what that idea was exactly. There were so many ways this bits and pieces of a story could have gone to make it make sense. Instead, it wandered all over the place, never once landing any movement of a story that could have developed. I am in awe at how bad this movie is! And I have seen some stinkers. But what was most annoying, and why I didn't turn it off like I normally would have, was that it kept going down interesting threads and then just dropping them.

In all my reviews of bad movies, at least I could describe a cohesive plot. This one just kept going down side streets with dead ends. I have no idea what the story was about, why ANYBODY would invest good money in this painfully absurd nonstory? Now THOSE are the most interesting things about this movie. Just save yourself the time and effort unless you have an overactive imagination and can make the plot up yourself. Us regular folks like a REAL story, with scenes that make sense and progress to some sort of if not satisfying, at least understandable ending. You have been warned! Pass this non-movie by and watch All the Light We Cannot See instead! Now THAT was truly wonderful movie-making. Flush this one away!

If You Were the Last (2023)

What's Not to Love?

[8/10 · 28 October 2023]

First of all, I will say, ever since I watched Twisted Metal on Peacock, I fell solidly in love with Anthony Mackie! So, I am probably going to like anything he stars in. But, here, he shares the screen with an equally wonderful actor, Zoe Chao. And they make wonderful music together, and their dancing was out of this world sexy!

As for the story, it was actually more imaginative than I expected. The space ship and its broken down engine is not the main focus of this story and I am amused at a few reviews in here who called the production values cheap and that more should have been spent. NO!! You missed the whole point of this sweet story if you thought the space adventure and anything surrounding it, was in any way the point of this movie. Simply put, it was a love story. Period! And had it been anyone but these two playing the parts? It might not have worked. But they both made this movie and the ending, 15 stars for the ending scenes. It was beautiful and it is what love truly is all about!!

Highly recommended, even though they could have cut about 15 minutes out of the film (and why I didn't rate it higher), it is still worth watching if you are looking for a sweet and real love story in the mess of slasher and horror movies being offered right now!

Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders (2022)

Rated a 2 HOP9NG It Would Get Better

[2/10 · 11 October 2023]

I watch a lot of horror/slasher movies. This was one of the worst I have seen. Everything about this movie was bad. There was absolutely no humor, no redeeming values, no good acting, terrible directing and the story was weird. And certainly no thrills. In fact, I just kept hoping it would get better. That's what made me rate it a 2 and not a 1. It DID have promise and I kept hoping it would get better. So I watched it to the end. I only give 1 stars to movies so bad, I cannot watch them all the way to the end.

The biggest mystery in this movie was why some of these great actors agreed to BE in this loser! Another dumb movie glorifying serial killers without humor or any redeeming qualities (See Dexter for the standard I look for in excellent serial killer shows or movies). Do not waste your time.

A Million Miles Away (2023)

I Loved This Movie!

[9/10 · 7 October 2023]

After a long period of horrible offerings, in TV and movies, finally, there came a movie that was inspiring, well written, well acted, well directed, a lot of fun, no foul language, and made me feel good!

Michael Peña was perfect playing the first migrant Mexican American to become an astronaut and flew the first mission to the space station in the shuttle Discovery in 1988 after the disaster of the Challenger exploding on reentry in 1986. But that is the end of the story. And not what made this movie so inspiring.

Based on the true story of a Mexican migrant family and Jose Hernandez, who had a dream of becoming an astronaut. The story revolves around his journey to becoming a college educated engineer, with a supportive wife and ultimately five children as well as the rest of his extended family. His story is certainly one of many challenges, overcoming stereotypes and advancing his career without preaching and with a sense of humor seriously lacking in most minority makes good in American movies today!. But mostly, this is a story of courage, of perseverance, of hard work, of the importance of a supportive family, no matter what your dreams are made of.

The movie is very inspirational, often with a lot of humor, and of overcoming obstacles that seemed impossible. I especially loved the ending with pictures of the real Jose in the Discovery, with his real family, and his achievements. I really loved this movie and will rewatch it again! Very highly recommended.

The Golden Bachelor (2023– )

So Wonderful To See Us Old Foggies Getting Some Love!!

[8/10 · 30 September 2023]

I KNEW this show would get creamed in ratings in here because, having just turned 70 AND having the audacity to be a Boomer, well, it's a double social no-no whammy! Even though, without us, the people bashing us Boomers wouldn't BE HERE to bash us! I loved the first episode. I loved seeing the beautiful older women and the handsome 71 year old guy at the center. We watch these shows (Bachelor Nation) because we enjoy a running discussion of mockery. But this was different because FINALLY, a network looked at us, not as old and useless, but beautiful and deserving of love, too!!!! I guarantee my review will get blasted here. I'm used to it because, well, it seems to me the only exception on the WOKE menu is the elderly! Why? I honestly don't know unless the youngsters are afraid to look at their own futures because they all will get here if they are lucky!!

So, I LOVED The Golden Bachelor and have new respect for ABC for having the guts to approach their formula with an older audience! I thought the women were absolutely beautiful and honestly? If I closed my eyes, they acted JUST LIKE their younger counterparts. I took away a star for having guts, but only for an hour. Definitely needed two hours even if just for the first show!

Highly recommend this version to ALL ages. You might learn we aren't, in our hearts and personalities, that much different from the youngsters they usually showcase! Three cheers for ABC. Now, WATCH IT!!! Or it will be a one season wonder!!

The Club (2021–2023)

Excellent International Show - The Club

[10/10 · 21 September 2023]

If you like historical stories, well told, with some allowances, mostly truthful, then this excellent show is for you.

My question is why did I have to go looking for it in Netflix? Why isn't it on my front wall? If not for the recommendation here in IMDb, I would have missed this gem!

The story takes place in Istanbul, Turkey around the 1950s through the 60s. I remember watching the news in the 60s when the military took over Turkey. I didn't understand it then, but the show, with excellent actors, stories, explanations, and cinematography showing the beauty of Istanbul, explained it without too much complexity.

It revolves around a club which involves some wonderful characters and some not so wonderful characters. It's hard to explain because this Club is not put together in a way my country would put it together. There are a lot of mysteries and twists and turns as The Club becomes the toast of the town until the end. No spoilers here! I cannot speak more highly of this magnificent cast of actors and the writers and producers and directors behind them!

But what I liked most, was the highlighting of the clashes between Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Jews. For the most part, this story shows them getting along better than in most countries in the Middle East. But what really stands out is how greed and power and money managed to disrupt and finally destroy what could have been a city on par with Paris, Rome, London, NYC (maybe not now!), and other large, important cities. But greed and power won the day until the military stepped in. A cautionary tale for the entire world!

Also, please do not turn this movie off after two or three episodes. Hang in there! I got so involved in the characters lives and stories, I cried at least four times from my own grief.

I would be very happy for a season 3, but not holding my breath. Netflix SHOULD be promoting this show. I WANT to see what happens to the characters after the second season ended! Whatever, I gave it a rare 10 because it's been a long time since I lived in a story like I lived in this one! Very highly recommended!!

The Morning Show (I) (2019– )

A Lot of Truth About Today's Elitist Culture

[10/10 · 16 September 2023]

I just finished the second season of this show and I think I have a different opinion of it than most of you who wrote in here have. My takeaway is that this show reflects the culture we currently are living in. From the beginning, to me, it was very evident that egos run large in those in people places of power, whether it be on a morning TV show, an average corporation, the elitists who run our government today, pretty much anyone who has enough money to buy themselves out of trouble. I know this was just a TV show, but the story was brilliantly written, showing the cracks in a society which values power, money, getting ahead. Skin color, nationality, sexual preference, or whatever issue of the day, over average everyday people who toil away just trying to make ends meet and/or raise their kids the best they can on a salary those who are making policy at networks, the top of the government, the WOKE society, anyone who thinks they are bigger and better then everyone else, could never live on!

I loved this show because I don't think they meant to "out" what most of middle America sees in the new cancel culture currently wreaking havoc across the nation. I could actually review the show itself, because that is important, too! I disagree with many of you who took issue with season 2 because it was too woke, to scattered, too immersed in issues most of us do not understand nor care about. What was portrayed, and portrayed very well, I will add, by the actors and the crew involved, the writers, the producers, all, in my opinion, excellent, was that the cancel culture is and has gone too far. I'm not sure that was what the people involved in this project meant to leave me with, but I can tell you, I will NEVER watch a news show or morning program again without thinking about what happened on this show.

If you go back and read my almost 100 reviews in here, you will see that I have been railing against Hollywood and their ignorance about middle America all along. This show highlighted my opinion! They threw all the blame on one character for being a sexual predator, and a racist because of innuendos and one woman's confession. This man, Mitch Kessler, excellently played by Steve Carrell, was ostracized and his 20 year career with 8 Emmy awards, was trashed until he ended up a pariah in Italy. And after taking all the blame on himself and being obviously tortured by his own decisions, drove himself off a cliff and died. Not one other person took any of the blame themselves, mind you! And THAT was the brilliance that many people who reviewed this show did not get.

I loved this show because, for once, Hollywood outed itself! Some will say it's just a show. I know with all my heart, it was much more than a show. I truly have come to believe what is portrayed in this show is what is happening all over corporate America, Hollywood actors, and possibly the world. Those with the most money and a cause to blow it all over, win!! The rest of us, just trying to live our lives, make a decent living, fighting with family, loving our family, have became slaves to this new culture and the consequences often left behind or covered up like a cat in a litter box.

Kudos to Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon for their portrayals as lead anchors on a popular morning show. The breadth of their talent was definitely apparent in this piece. In fact, the entire cast was excellent. I hated some of them, OK I hated most of them. I think the only one I did not despise was Mia, played by Karen Pittman and the Italian documentarian. So much talent, so well used. Everything was great, including the cinematography, the seamlessness of the story (good show runners!), and the brilliance of the writers. I don't know that they intended me to see through all the cracks in our, spoiled, specialty, WOKE, society, but as I said, I will never watch live TV again on any station, anywhere, with the same eyes!

I highly recommend you watch it yourself. I will admit that the liberal progressive slant disturbed me at times, but they really did not make that the center of the show or I would not have binge watched it all the way to the end of the second season. There is enough content in this show to make every sides' opinions feel insulted at times. THAT is when you know you've made a good show! When every side doesn't get everything it wants! I will revisit my 10 rating after viewing season 3 if it does not live up to the first two seasons.

The Flash (I) (2023)

Why?

[3/10 · 10 September 2023]

Why did they make this awful movie? So, pretty much everything I thought about this ridiculous movie has already been said here, but let me explain why I rated it a 3 and not the minus 10 it deserved.

First of all, seeing my favorite Batman again, Michael Keaton, was a delight. Not sure how Ben Affleck ended up in that part, the worst Batman ever, but Michael Keaton is and will always be my Batman! Then, there was the homage to George Reeves and Christopher Reeve that brought tears to my eyes. I watched the original Batman with George Reeves when I was a kid! He was amazing!

What I haven't seen written yet is the weakness of the story, using an amazing actor like Michael Shannon as Zod for about 5 minutes and allowing this mess to revolve around a young man, Ezra Miller, with the acting ability of a flea take center stage! Really? They could not find someone, anyone, better than this awful actor? The TV Flash actor who played Barry Allen, Grant Gustin, was a hundred times better!

The CGI, as covered fully by others here, was kindergarten grade, the story implausible, the story was terrible!!! I would have taken away a star for allowing such a terrible actor to play The Flash, but decided to leave it there in honage, 100% to the three actors listed above. One of the worst Marvel, Justice League movies ever made! Not kidding. Do yourself a favor and pass it by. Watch one of the older movies over again instead and be happy you didn't give up those minutes of your life you will never get back!

Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023)

Terrible Preachy Stupid Movie

[1/10 · 5 September 2023]

For the Star power this movie had, this was a disgrace to movies and movie actors everywhere. As a woman over 70, I expected a lovely romance filled with joy and celebration. Instead, we were preached to, once again, by Hollywood about how marriage is not important to a relationship. That "the universe" has all the answers, but humans know better anyway!

There is a crowd out here who actually WANTS an "old fashioned" older movie full of romance and adherence to things NOT generated by people who espouse liberal theology. Don Johnson was one of my favorite actors, but he outed himself as another Hollyweird cult member in this movie.

I knew with Jane Fonda, there would be preaching, but hoped she had grown up a little bit from her Hanoi Jane days, berating a whole generation of men and women who did nothing but serve their country. But I was wrong. She is still a progressive liberal who has not learned that there are a lot of people who will never forgive her for her bad behavior during the Viet Nam War, a war I did not support, but supported and cheered for the men and women who served their country for something they did not understand but were asked to sacrifice to their country for, anyway!

That aside, this movie was so bad, despite the previous diatribe by me, it is not worth the 1 hour and 47 minutes out of your life to watch. Despite the Woke preaching, it STILL would have been bad. It was not funny, the acting, for such phenomenal actors was abysmal. The story is, frankly, full of stupidity. The other three great women deserved better. It was silly, unromantic, and, frankly uninteresting. I nearly turned it off half way through before most of the woke nonsense even started. Shame on Hollywood for putting out such a piece of garbage with the star power this one had. Now I know to steer clear of the first movie without even looking it up!! If I could give minus numbers? This one would be a minus 10! My first minus 10 review in here! Peacock TV app showing it's true colors, I guess!

Love Again (I) (2023)

What Can I Say? I Love Sam Hueghan!

[8/10 · 4 September 2023]

So, it was a step above a Hallmark love story only because of the star power in it. And Sam Heughan! I loved all the actors, the story wasn't particularly unique but it was a great feel-good movie, better than a Hallmark movie, if you want a good laugh and a happy story! OK, not a totally happy story, but a step above many others in the same genre.

I need to stretch this out - I honestly think they could make it less words because a movie like this? Simple, sweet, funny, fun, handsome leading man I have loved for a decade? What more can I say? I highly recommend this movie I'm done!!! Watch it and be kind to it! We want to ENCOURAGE more movies like this! Getting tired of documentaries and True Crime stories!!!!! We needed more good rom-coms!

The Unheard (2023)

Dumbest Ending On A Promising Movie EVER

[2/10 · 28 August 2023]

This movie had me absolutely entranced. The whole story starts slowly about a girl gone deaf at 8 years old because of Meningitis. Fast forward in her 20s when she decides to enter an experimental treatment using her own DNA and stem cells instead of a Cochlear Implant to restore her hearing. She is drawn to recover at a house her family rented on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Her mother disappeared from this house sometime during this part of her life.

Then the mystery begins and the tension mounts and mounts in a very cool, creepy way. Great story, good acting, story uncomplicated, definitely catches you up in it. We meet several people she knew as a child and learn some information that stretches the boundaries of reality, but isn't completely impossible.

I admit, I knew who the culprit was early on. But that's because I watch these types of movies as it falls in one of my favorite genres. My husband says I "game" things early on and has learned I am usually right. However, it did not take away from the story for me.

And then the boom came down. Evidently, the writer, and/or director, and/or producer could not think of a finale suitable for the entire rest of the movie. I was ready to rate this one a solid 7! We got to the best part where everything starts getting resolved and suddenly, fade to black!

WARNING: If you like a little closure to your movies or shows that are otherwise pretty good, do NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. There was no suitable finale whatsoever. Two hours of my life I'll never get back type of ending! Unforgivable!!!!

The Last Thing He Told Me (2023– )

Why All The Low Ratings?

[9/10 · 7 August 2023]

I am seriously confused over all the low ratings for The Last Thing He Told Me offered by Apple TV as a limited series. I loved this show. I never even heard of the book before watching. But even I picked up about halfway through the series that this show was not about the love story between Owen Mitchell and Hannah Hall. It was about the love story between Hannah and Owen's daughter, Bailey. And so much hate toward Jennifer Garner's performance? I watch a LOT of movies and TV shows because I am severely handicapped and luckily, I am an avid reader as well as a movie and TV show lover.

I thought Jennifer Garner was excellent in this show. I know most of you will downrate me for this, but I watched it all the way through TWICE to see what I missed that the rest of you saw! Did many of you who wrote scathing reviews and downrated the show even get past episode 3? When I pulled my husband to watch it with me the second time, I warned him the first few episodes were slow but that it picks up fast after that! So, if you were bored by the third episode, then came in here and rated this show, I am sure the ratings system in IMDb failed this gem.

I had to tell my husband several times early on to stick with it. And he did, for me. At the end, I asked him what he thought. He said, and I quote, "You were right! I'm glad you made me watch it all the way through. It was very good!" We are so quick in today's society to judge anything that doesn't catch our eye like a sparkling jewel in the first half hour of a show! But in my many years watching more movies and shows than most people, I have learned an important lesson. WAIT! Watch at LEAST 5 shows. Watch at least 30 minutes of a movie before turning it off. Especially if you are going to come in here and leave your mark on that show or movie!

This was NOT MEANT to be a love story between Owen and Hannah. It was meant to be a love story between Hannah and a spirited, disrespectful daughter of a lover who abandons both of them. He IS part of the love story as he knew his spiteful, evil father of his daughter, Bailey's mother was eventually going to come after his grand daughter because Owen's wife, Bailey's mother, was killed in an auto accident and the grandfather ended up in jail because he is a felon who made a lot of money in nefarious ways. Evidently Nicholas, the grandfather, is also a powerful figure who, above all, cherishes family. He would do ANYTHING to get Bailey back. So, Owen disappears and leaves his daughter with Hannah whom he has come to trust implicitly in their short relationship to make the right choices for Bailey.

Hannah makes a decision that the Marshall's office vehemently disagrees with, wanting to put her into Witness Protection. She basically makes a deal with the devil because she is betting Bailey will be safer with her grandfather in her life, than going into hiding spending their lives running from this man. The last scene takes place 5 years after that decision is made and we find Bailey is happy and well adjusted and calls Hannah, Mom. For her part, Hannah gets validation in the last 5 minutes of the show that she made the right decision for Bailey!

If you were in a hurry, you would have missed many nuanced parts of this story! This was a lovely story, well acted despite what many people are writing here, and we'll done! Kudos to Ms. Garner's troubled and frightening portrayal of a woman put into an agonizing position! I loved this show. I encourage you to skip past the negative reviews and watch this show without interruptions all the way to the end. For once, it wasn't a waste of my time. A rare occurrence these days! I highly recommend you watch this show. It reminded me a little bit of Where the Crawdads Sing, a nuanced movie that has notes of betrayal all over it. Give this one a chance!

It wasn't perfect, so 9 and a half stars rated down because it was good enough for a 9 rating, but just short of a 10 rating. Still, excellent compared to most of the junk being offered as entertainment today!

Joe Pickett (2021–2023)

Love This Show!

[9/10 · 31 July 2023]

The only reason I took a star away from a 10-star rating was a couple of places I noticed there were editing errors. This show is one of the best offerings on TV today. The editors need to be more careful!

Joe Pickett is a Game Warden new to the job in Season 1 in a small very rural town I believe in Wyoming. He has a wonderful wife and two birth daughters and one daughter they are basically fostering. Michael Dorman does an amazing job of capturing the emotions of a man who feels like a fish out of water in this job where he is a stoic law following lawman in a lawless town. His wife, MaryBeth, played perfectly by Julianna Guill, is his best friend and soul mate. I think their relationship was one of the best things about this series. So many shows feature bad marriages, cheating spouses, bad parenting, and generally give marriage a bad name. This show gives us an imperfect marriage with two people who obviously are in it for the long haul.

The first season was exceptional. A murder mystery, lots of twists and turns, quite a thrill! In fact, we stumbled on this series and only watched it because it had a pretty decent rating here on IMDb. We were thrilled to learn that a second season was being dropped on the Paramount app just as we finished watching the first season. And we were a little afraid that it would not be as good as the first. Pleasant surprise: it actually might have been better than the first! Joe is a complex character. A man who lost something huge in season one and we watch him struggle as a man, to make sense of that loss while trying his best to follow the laws of a Game Warden against a civilization who does not care about hunting and fishing laws. And, as in season one, he finds himself and his family in deep water with the population of the town and a corrupt Sheriff's Office.

The action is never ending, reminding me of a faster paced Longmire. I am not particularly fond of westerns, but Joe Pickett is not just a western, it only has a lot of shot guns and horses. Mostly, it is a murder mystery that moves along at a faster pace than Longmire without bringing in the Woke nonsense, but dealing with indigenous peoples and strong women characters without preaching anything. They are just part of the storylines and they are wonderful!

As of yesterday, a third season has not been ordered by Paramount, possibly because of the writer's strike. I am here BEGGING Paramount to give us many more seasons of this smartly written, thriller ride of a sort of western murder mystery. Please renew this series for many more years? And if you haven't seen it yet? Please watch it. My husband and I really want more seasons of Joe Pickett! Please, Paramount? Give us more! This show is what I call a hidden gem. It is excellent, well written, well acted, beautiful scenery, great cinematography, all around wonderful show. We need MORE of these! Very highly recommended!

Cardinal (2017–2020)

Have Loved Cardinal For Several Years....

[9/10 · 28 July 2023]

And had no idea after watching the first two seasons of this excellent Canadian police drama that two more seasons were made and available until today. John Cardinal, well played by Billy Campbell, is a haunted homicide cop because of his wife's ongoing mental illness. Each season deals with different homicides as Cardinal works through dealing with a new partner, wonderfully played by French Canadian, Karine Vanasse as Lise Delorme. I think Season 1 is still my favorite, but as each season builds on the relationships and casualties suffered by Cardinal, I never lost interest in any way.

In many ways, Cardinal is my favorite show about cops; the things they experience, the way they are treated and treat each other, and mostly the grief many cops suffer because they are often torn between the job and their responsibilities to their families. This show is raw in portraying the secrets they must keep, the horror of what they witness, the guilt they carry when they cannot solve every crime, the life they choose to try to bring Justice to a populace that many times does not appreciate them. As well as the corruption and inner politics they must muddle through to get their jobs done.

I watch many cop shows and there are other excellent shows: Law&Order, Law&Order Criminal Intent, Prime Suspect, Vera, The Fall, Hinterland, and so many more on Peacock, Acorn and Brit Box. Cardinal is on Hulu! I'm not sure why Cardinal has stayed with me (so has Criminal Intent), and I watch those two over and over. There is something that touches a nerve in me in these shows and when they are well written with great characters and actors perfect for that character, I just wish they would never end. Highly recommend Cardinal if you love really good murder mysteries. As an addendum, we also discovered "Class of '09", an FBI thriller that takes place over 25 years last night and binged it. It is also on Hulu and highly recommended! But Cardinal is still my favorite. If you love a good, complex mystery cop show, watch Cardinal!

Firefly (2002–2003)

Time For Me To Review What Is Possibly My Favorite Show Ever Made

[10/10 · 21 June 2023]

I originally watched this show the first time 12 years ago. After calling my sister and raving about it, she made a point I want to pass along to everyone shocked that this amazing show got cancelled after only one season. She was furious with me as she pointed out how, when it was originally playing the first time, she kept telling me to watch it, and I was raising children and working and just didn't take the time. And so, basically, it was cancelled for the same reason every show gets cancelled - very low ratings at that time. Nobody watched it.

Fast forward through time to 20 years later, and this show is STILL being found and amazing new viewers! But the time of the show has passed and it will never see a second season. Firefly is an enigma amongst SyFy shows in that Joss Whedon had a vision that was so futuristic and realistic, it was way ahead of its time. Captain Mal Reynolds played by Nathan Fillion as Captain of a post war junk ship called Serenity, made Fillion's career, because he was perfectly cast as the troubled, troublesome, fun, and funny, and very sexy captain of this ragtag crew sneaking around that galaxy after a failed war with a totalitarian regime. Mal fought with the rebels. And lost. He ends up in this junk heap of a space ship with perhaps the best ensemble crew I have seen in any SyFy show. And I am a huge Star Trek fan! Alan Tudyk is perfect as the pilot, Marina Baccarin as the call girl who rents a stateroom on the ship, Gina Torres, the strong-willed feisty character married to Alan Tudyk's character, Jewel Staite as the mechanic that keeps the engines going with literally chewing gum and duct tape at times, Adam Baldwin in one of his best characters he ever played, Summer Glau, Ron Glass and so many more fine actors had roles in that first and only season. Each episode was a story about the travels and the troubles they run into throughout this galaxy trying to evade the Alliance who won the war.

This show is a classic and will be for many years to come. They did make a movie a couple years later to finish out the story left unfinished called Serenity. It was decent, and definitely worth seeing, but wasn't nearly the caliber of Firefly. If I had one thing to turn back the hands of time and go back and change? Amongst some personal things, I would have watched the show in real time and done my best as my sister did to encourage higher ratings for this show. We will never know what would have happened if Firefly had been an immediate hit with a few extra seasons to savor as time goes by. Truly top-notch stories, characters, actors, cinematography, music, pretty much everything. One of those very rare shows that will stay with you for a lifetime after watching it. I admit, I have now seen it 3 or 4 times and enjoyed it every time. You don't have to be a fan of the SyFy genre to love this one. The humanity, the excellence of the stories can be enjoyed by everyone.

If you haven't seen it yet, get it and watch it and know many of us are envious that you get to see this fantastic show for the first time. Off the charts highly recommended! Have fun!

Echo 3 (2022–2023)

Could Have Been Great!

[5/10 · 18 June 2023]

I truly hate watching shows with great potential, great stories, lots of thrills and intelligent narrative, lose their place and forget that much of it could have ended up on the editing floor and it would have been at least an 8 or 9 star rating. It seems to be happening more and more recently. As if producers and movie studios think the audience wants MORE instead of excellence.

Echo 3 has a great story. Usually, I let other reviewers tell the story. To put it simply, a somewhat idiot decision is made by a newlywed wife who is a scientist looking for a way to "cure" addiction, to go to a Colombian rain Forrest for the many natural wonders she can explore. Married to a very rich man whom she loves deeply, and is a CIA operative, she COULD have brought an army of security with her to keep her safe. But she brings no security with her. She gets caught by Venezuelan rebels and put in a horrible Venezuelan prison.

Meanwhile, CIA newlywed hubby finds out from his team mate and brother, that she does small work for the CIA as well. She lied to hubby as did his team mate and best friend. So far, we are very interested. But it also starts about this point to go off the Too Much Information track. From here, we start to watch things that SHOULD have been left on the floor that does not advance the story and the story weariness starts to set in. Plot holes start piling up fast from episode 5 until we simply wanted it to end. The mother-in-law story should have been left out altogether. The whole kidnapping of the brother of the guy who could have given her back to the Americans dragged on mercilessly with a nothing ending to it.

I am writing this at the end of episode 9 which should be where it ended! But, frankly, I have lost all interest in this story but my husband wants to watch it to the end. So, I decided to review it in here while listening to dumb dialogue between different characters drag on and on. I understand the ending is stupid and terrible after reading several reviews in here. It would have surprised me at Episide 4, but now? I expected it to be as bad as the last half of this story has been.

This could have been great! It SHOULD have at least been good. In the end, I am bored and no longer care if they rescue her or all get killed or she becomes a citizen of Venezuela from the torture she unendingly endured! If I was you, I'd pass this by for the much better French movie, Vortex, on Netflix or Silo on AppleTV. Now they were great shows! With 6 episodes altogether Vortex never has a dull or wasted moment with as perfect an ending as I have seen maybe forever! Still waiting sor the last episode of Silo to come in, but so far, it is 100% better than this one. Go watch them instead!

Silo (2023– )

So EXCELLENT

[9/10 · 15 June 2023]

I just wish the producers would get the Hugh Howie series of books correct. This is from the set of books he wrote called Wool. Silo is one of the stories in the set. I READ IT!! Watching it, I kept thinking, I KNOW THIS. But couldn't place it. It irritates me that in every episode, they are misleading the public.

That needing to be said, I am LOVING this adaptation of a complex story by a genius Sci Fi writer. Had I remembered this story from book series up front, I would have been more afraid to watch it.

As it turns out, while it leaves much of the story out (the Mayor's trip to the "Bottom" was full of wonderful stories on different levels), I like that they are sticking to the highlights of the story and it is close to how I imagined it.

Won't waste time going into details, that is for the professionals, but just saying this is one of the best Sci Fi series I have seen and that includes the boring Foundation, which should never have been filmed! So far, Apple finally got the BEST OF SCI FI right!!! TCC

Highly recommended whether you are a Sci Fi fan or not. The cast is fantastic, the story never boring - very thrilling, just an all around entertainment wonder! Worth getting Apple TV app for a month! Enjoy!

Based on a True Story (2023– )

Addictive, fun, well done, and a dab of horrifying guilty pleasure

[7/10 · 12 June 2023]

I wanted to uprate it to a 9 or 10, but the subject was so kind of horrible, I felt like because of everything that is so excellent about it, I had to compromise. It is a classic guilty pleasure for sure! I am not one who thinks murder and especially psychopathic serial killers should be, in any way, celebrated. This show is very well done. The cast is beyond fantastic. It made me laugh more than I like to admit. It is a thrill ride from the second episode until the final episode, which was a major cliffhanger, making us want more. But in today's violent society? I have to admit, be aware that to a certain extent, Based on a True Story has a very psychopathic edge to it.

I suppose there are different ways to look at this show. It is so edgy and humorous and off the wall, it is hard to take it seriously. I am not a prude or a judgy person, but in retrospect, I am a little embarrassed to recommend this to my friends. Obviously, I have very mixed feelings about this show because of the subject matter. That being said, I watched it to the end like eating potato chips. I will leave it as a guilty pleasure and feel guilty that I really, really want to see another season. Just be aware, this show is not for the faint of heart! And I want a second season because I am hoping there will be some sort of closure of the subject matter to those who have experienced severe losses of innocents murdered, and will see real justice win! It is a great thrill ride, includes a lot of humor, but with some very nasty people and issues involved! JMHO.

Vortex (2022)

I Wish Netflix Had Dubbed This One

[10/10 · 8 June 2023]

Because more people would have found this top-notch, excellent six episode series! So many people have gotten lazy about reading a television story in another language. I am one of them. But I am also a huge fan of The Butterfly Effect and all things sci-fi, so I dropped my laziness and watched it anyway. Soon, I had my even lazier husband hooked into it!! He has NEVER watched a show not dubbed. But he was very happy I talked him into this one!

A twisty tale of love, intrigue, mystery, science fiction, done with an excellent cast, up there with one of the best stories I have seen anywhere, anytime. I used to give out 10 ratings to too many shows. I dropped that over a year ago. My standards have increased as the quality of entertainment across the board has decreased. I won't drop any spoilers in here. There are plenty of other reviews if you want more information about this story. Just going to leave it at - this is absolutely one of the best shows I have seen in a very long time. You decide if you can drop expectations on a few plot holes and the sci-fi aspect of Vortex. Well done, France!! Extremely highly recommended watching.

Rabbit Hole (2023)

Weird Show With A Fresh, very intense, storyline

[8/10 · 8 May 2023]

I wanted to give this show a 9 or 10 stars so much because my husband and I loved it. Admittedly, if you only watched the first three or four episodes and gave up, it would be understandable. BUT, it really did come together after that and was literally unputdownable. We raced through the last 4 episodes. For the people here who rated the show because it was so dark, SO WHAT!! It truly WAS very dark and often hard to see. But that does not affect the storyline or the quality of the acting! That is a cinematography issue and that department should be fired immediately!

Yes, there were issues with timelines being unreal, and a few plot holes that should have been filled in, but the story itself? Was compelling and, for us, quite relevant considering the state of our country right now. There was a lot of timeline jumping that was confusing in the first few episodes, but that was resolved if those of you who rated this after only watching a few episodes had had more attention span than a flea! The story itself was compelling and fascinating. The ensemble acting was top notch.

The name Rabbit Hole was perfect for this show. There were so many rabbit holes the story lead us to, it could be confusing to those who didn't pay attention. Like I said, I KNOW with a few tweaks and better writing, this would have definitely been a 10 star show. We have watched so many loser shows recently on the networks and other apps, it was refreshing to watch Kiefer Sutherland and Charles Dance weave their magic and bring us a true thriller with great potential. Hoping for a season 2! We got to the very last scene thinking the story was resolved. Nope!! The very last scene made us both drop jaws and now await a BETTER season 2 with better lighting, less plot holes and more of that Sutherland genius we have missed so much. Definitely recommend you watch - not just the first half, but all the way through. In the end, it was NOT a waste of time, but time well spent on a show with a lot of potential to keep following those evil threads that so invade our own government in real life today!! Lots and lots of material to make many more seasons!