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Reviews
The Last Thing He Told Me (2023)
An Excellent Return for Jennifer Garner
This is a mystery, about a woman desperately trying to figure out why her loving husband disappeared, while looking after her angry teen step-daughter. So you aren't going to have explosions and gun fights every other minute. Keeping that in mind, the pace is well timed and the wife's confusion and distress is realistic. The main characters are talented actors and the writing is solid. My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes, so rest assured this is not a "chick flick". It's great to see Jennifer Garner back in a dramatic role that's bound to have exciting twists and danger.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Depressing and Pointless
Lovely, moody scenery, great acting and a storyline that left me wishing I could get those two hours of my life back. The movie pokes and prods at an island village filled with bored, depressed people. I was thankful for the few laughs found along the way, but this movie went from sad to worse. There was character development but it amounted to nothing really. I'm not sure why someone would write this story let alone decide to utilize 2 fine actors in this downward spiral of despair that, in the end, signified nothing beyond a mid-life crisis driving a man to be cruel to his best friend. As he silently spirals, he does some insane things that accomplish nothing.
Wolf Pack (2023)
From the writer of Teen Wolf series- the writing is actually good.
Yes, some of the teens aren't consistently great actors and Sarah M. Gellar should have a bigger part, but this doesn't deserve all the hateful reviews. It follows the werewolf lore, which isn't the same as trite or unoriginal. What the fire or 14 year lapse between fires triggering the attacks is about is a unique idea. I'm a full grown adult and I loved teen wolf, so I'm confident that, after only ONE episode, which I enjoyed, this show will undoubtedly only get better. Hopefully, the directors will do a better job at coaching the one lead that is not always on point with his acting. I recommend it to Sci-Fi lovers.
Your Honor (2020)
Smartly written & excellent acting. Suspenseful
The hate for "the kid" is bizarre. He's a young, insecure teen that suffers from debilitating asthma. This is realistic writing folks. Not all 17 year olds are Jr. Superheroes. Brian Cranston is on top of his game & the suspense is non stop pretty quickly into the show. Many of these negative reviews are based on the first episode alone & frankly, are pretty stupid. Post Katrina left areas of the city thinly populated and there's a reason why thugs are at the spot the kid stops at. If you understand that an untreated asthma attack combined with high adrenaline can mess you up, you won't think what happened is unrealistic. But you have to get past the first 15 minutes to see the realism the writing reflects about the main characters, New Orleans and it's residents. If you liked Breaking Bad, you will like this show. Ignore the haters. This is a great show.
Surface (2022)
The last 3 episodes were very unexpected
The folks calling this storyline predictable or recycled, obviously didn't watch every episode. The villain is NOT predictable nor is the ending. There is great acting by the 4 lead characters and many plot twists that kept the viewer guessing. My only complaint is they stretched out the first 5 episodes into what should have just been 2. This lead to some slow, tiresome points during that stretch. That cost them a lot of viewers, based on the others reviews I read. I'm hoping for a second season, since episode 8 opened up some new unanswered questions about the main character and her forgotten past.
The Guilty (2021)
Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding in this enthralling psychological thriller.
I can't believe anyone can rate this movie below an 8. The acting was phenomenal. Five minutes into the movie, the story hits the ground running and builds to a frantic pitch. Gyllenhaal giving an engrossing performance that carries every minute of this film. He play's an emotionally complex cop with obvious anger control issues and a personal life that's falling apart. Temporarily reassigned to a 911 call center, he's anxious to return to his real job. But one call up ends his final shift and entrenches him in a 911 call that he's determined to see thru to a final resolution. This isn't your typical "911 operator talks the victim through a crisis and calmly saves the day" story. Gyllenhaal rages and is borderline violent at times as his personal issues begin to intertwine with those on the other end of his phone. I highly recommend this film.
Midnight Mass (2021)
An extremely original take on a tired premise
Great story telling, acting and directing sucked me head first into this dark, twisty drama. Episode one unfolds slowly but the pace, suspense and unexpected developments come faster with every episode. I don't usually care for dark and macabre, but this show balances it with good character development and continual suspense.
Physical (2021)
Low ratings are from folks that don't understand the self hate of many weight obsessed people. It's very good.
If you're looking for a bubbly, light hearted romp, watch a network sitcom. This show's lead character is determined to pull herself out of an unappreciated, mundane life. She's obsessed with her weight (like most women were in the 80's). The harshly critical voice in her head is pretty accurate for this type of person. It's not fun to hear, but self hate plays a key role in bulimia. (Would you choose to intentionally inflict the misery of vomiting on yourself if you DIDN'T hate yourself?) Rose Byrne is outstanding. Her character is laser focused and usually upbeat. But her life kind of stinks and she knows it. She's funny, smart and deeply flawed. That's what makes her so interesting.
Prodigal Son (2019)
It's gotten better
Season two has gotten this show to a much better level. It had so many stupid things happen in the first season (FOX "Networked" it up) but the serial killer dad is an extremely talented actor, playing a former top surgeon that needs a "rush" that exceeds saving lives. Unfortunately, torture & murder filled the niche. But this creepy, funny & intelligent killer's screwed up love of family TEMPTS him to abandon his bloodthirsty, murderous compulsions. Ah, but he does love murder...
The I-Land (2019)
The casting director was lousy
Kate Bosworth and some of the other actors are fine, but the majority of the "I-landers" are mediocre to lousy actors. They appear to have been chosen for how well they'd look in their partially removed beach clothes as opposed to how well they can actually act. The directing is pretty crap too. It's too bad, I really wanted to like this series but, after 3 episodes, it's just to painful to continue watching.
Hitman (2007)
This was filmed before Tim Olyphant learned to act.
Pretty awful. I didn't realize this was based on a video game when I ordered it. Tim Olyphant must wince in pain when he's reminded that he made this film. He's trying to play "cold/emotionally stilted but it comes across as just plain bad acting. There's a lot of action but I didn't really care if everyone, including Tim, died. There were some decent actors in this but they couldn't fix bad writing and mediocre directing.
A Simple Favor (2018)
Suspense with a sense of humor- Loved it!!
Anna Kendrick is genius funny and Blake Lively is the perfect, hauntingly beautiful, opposite in this suspenseful twist of naïveté and murder. I think the negative reviews are primarily male viewers that think women are just there to be sexy & one dimensional. If that's not you, you'll really enjoy this film.
The Rewrite (2014)
Slow at first then quite enjoyable
I was prepared for a tired premise and few laughs but ended up really enjoying the movie. Hugh Grant's self deprecating charm is still strong and the rest of the cast is quite funny. Hugh Grant has grown as an actor & this is one of his better movies as of late.
A Quiet Place (2018)
Yes, you can drown in a grain bin IMDB! Do your research.
IMDBs "Factual Error" that States you can't die by falling into a silo full of seed corn is wrong. Around a dozen people a year die this way. Numerous newspapers list accounts of this every year. I'm from the Midwest & yes, it's a very real danger.