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Reviews
The Veil (2024)
I think I've lost the plot...
So this spy thriller started out really good with loads of potential. A series you could really get stuck into. But then it went pear shaped, with intelligence agencies being outwitted more than once by two women driving cross country.
Elisabeth Moss's English accent was believable, but her long intense stares into the camera were Handmaid's Tale all over again. Then there was the story about losing a child. And in the final episode she wears a red dress. Okay, it wasn't anything like her handmaid's dress, but why did it have to be red?
The first 4 episodes were good. Episodes 5 and 6 were drawn out and lost the plot. Very disappointing.
Unfrosted (2024)
Snap, Crackle, Flop
How did all these stars get roped into this train wreck? Did Jerry Seinfeld call in lots of favours?
Seinfeld is one of the funniest comedians ever; clearly his comedy chops do not stretch to a movie format. Did he really write this piece of garbage and think that it was entertaining? Perhaps the target audience are Americans who grew up eating pop tarts?
I honestly have nothing positive to say about this movie. Hugh Grant as a mascot in a costume? Is he strapped for cash? Jerry being kidnapped and having to run the gauntlet through a cow's milking shed? None of it made sense.
Only gave it 2 stars because Melissa McCarthy is in it.
Just a dumb movie.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz (2024)
Harrowing and moving
I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz a while back, so was keen to see whether the screen adaption measured up to the excellent writing of the book. The answer is yes. The series was adapted very well.
The book was not an easy read, nor is the series an easy watch. But I highly recommend that everyone watch this important piece of history. We should never forget the horrors and atrocities of WWII. The portrayals of Lali and Gita were brilliant. Actually the entire cast was brilliant.
Warning: Have the tissues handy. And watch something light hearted inbetween episodes. This series is not for the faint hearted.
Scoop (2024)
Scooped
All I can say is wow, wow, wow!
Ignore the negative comments, watch this fictional dramatization, then decide for yourself.
The story of how this train wreck interview with the Duke of York (the D. O. Y.) had me pausing the doco every 20 minutes to discuss what we'd just learned with hubby!
Every actor in this presentation was outstanding. Gillian Anderson, as always, was absolutely perfect. The inclusion of her annoying Whippet dog in the doco just added to her perfect performance. And hasn't Jasper from The Holiday come a long way! Took me about an hour to realise it was my favourite love rat.
The D. O. Y. = a P. O. S.
Boy Swallows Universe (2024)
Beautifully done!
I'm a huge fan of Trent Dalton's books, so was very excited to learn that Boy Swallows Universe was made into a Netflix series. It's a big story with lots of twists and turns, so to adapt this to the screen could have been tricky. But it worked and the result is excellent.
Such a stellar cast! The performances of young Eli (Felix Cameron) and his brother Gus (Lee Tiger Halley) are brilliant. Both those young men deserve the highest of praise. Simon Baker as their dad...wow! Took me ages to realise who it was! Bryan Brown was perfect as Slim. Loved his gritty performance.
For any Trent Dalton fans, keep an eye out for his cameo appearance!
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Leo, Marty, what the actual?
Surely anyone over the age of 60 will concur that this is a 2-pee-break movie! Well, it was for moi!
Excellent cast, as you expect from a Scorsese movie. But why oh why did it have to drag on for so long? Yes it's a story worth telling, but the drawn out storylines and character development was way too long.
And then when the justice part of the story finally arrives, it was told in a big rush. This part of the story needed more time, and the character developments needed much less time, by about 2 hours. It was like the last hour of the movie couldn't be told quick enough. Did everyone have other commitments and had to wrap quickly? Just weird.
Wellmania (2023)
Funny but cringeworthy
I'll start this by saying that I'm a huge fan of Celeste Barber and her parodies of models. Her irreverent humour is brilliant.
I was excited to see that she was starring in this series and couldn't wait to binge it. I have to say that I almost stopped watching after a couple of episodes. I found the main character played by Celeste was so unlikeable and self-centred. She didn't seem to care much about anyone around her.
But I persevered. I saw the series out and am still in two minds about it. I loved the character played by Miranda Otto and thought she played the role beautifully.
Series 2? Hmmm....
Tár (2022)
Fár Out!
I'll start by saying Cate Blanchett was brilliant. An incredible performance in a long and boring movie.
The credits at the beginning of the movie were about 10 minutes long. Do we really want to sit through the billion or so names accredited to this movie? Well my friends, we had no choice!
The storyline is not apparent and still isn't. Was it about bullying in the workplace? A tortured artist? Cancel culture? Trolling? Work / life balance? I dunno. Maybe a bit of all of the above.
So much of the dialogue was filmed from behind people's heads, so it was very hard to hear their words. I found this quite frustrating. And as far as beautiful orchestral music is concerned, there was hardly any.
Most of the movie was as slow as me trying to assemble furniture from Ikea. Then the last 30 minutes seem to jam in a whole bunch of new storylines that were clunky and disjointed (bit like my Ikea furniture).
The Watcher (2022)
Kept us guessing....
...until the last episode. What a massive disappointment it was. Clunky ending that didn't end up telling us whodunit.
Up until that point it was a pretty good story, with lots of twists and turns. Apparently it was based on a true story. Crikey! Who would want to live in that neighbourhood with those weird neighbours?
Some of the plot lines were questionable, but we stuck with it because we really wanted to find out who The Watcher was, and why. And, we still don't know...
Note to self: never have a teenage daughter. What a piece of work she turned out to be, but she was also very believable.
The Whale (2022)
Heart wrenching story
I cannot stop thinking about this incredible movie. We saw it today and loved it. An outstanding performance by the cast, particularly Brendan Fraser. Watching him try to move, pick up items, shower, get into bed, or eat, all make you feel uncomfortable. It's like you're watching something you shouldn't. A glimpse into a life you don't want to know about, but can't look away from. His awkward relationships with those around him is hard to watch too. I sound like I didn't like the movie. Far from it! I adored this warts and all movie. Can we please just give Brendan an Oscar for one of the most incredible performances I've seen in a long time.
Significant Others (2022)
Did this series hire a new writer after the second episode?
The first two episodes had me intrigued. It was a good solid story of a missing woman, presumably drowned. A dysfunctional family come together to try to find their missing mother/sister.
Episode 3 was watched with great anticipation. Did she drown? Will the family resolve their differences under this cloud? But the episode was a total disappointment. The acting was clunky. The storyline seemed disjointed and confused. And why chuck in a random sex act? Did it add value? I think not.
Much discussion was had in our household. Should we persevere with this series? We decided to give it one more go. Perhaps episode 3 was a slump and it would pick back up in ep 4. Wrong! We bailed about halfway through it and have decided to ditch this series. Episode was as slow as a wet week, and seemed to be filmed in real time. The ep added nothing to the story and seemed to have forgotten that the series is about the missing family member.
Did she drown or was there foul play? I'll never know...
Feud (2017)
Absolute perfection!
Two giants of the screen playing two giants of the screen. A stellar cast. Brilliant costumes. In parts it was hard to watch, only because you wanted them to be better people. Watching them tear each other down was awful, but that's what Hollywood wanted. What a shame they couldn't have supported each other and held each other up against the powers that be. Who would want to be a female actor after watching this? If you grew up watching Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, you will love this series. Will definitely be watching it again. Saddest line came from Davis after finding out that Crawford had passed away...
Aftertaste (2021)
Laugh out loud!
This series is hilarious, self-deprecating, and just fun! If you need a good laugh, do yourself a favour. Loved the banter between Easton and Diana, and old Jim steals the show.
Bullet Train (2022)
Child support payments must be getting expensive...
...that's the only reason I can think of for Brad Pitt doing this train wreck of a movie. I gave it 1 star because my popcorn was hot. Oh, and the cinema had recliner seats which were very comfortable.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
Didn't adapt well to the screen
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but almost walked out of the movie (in fact, I nodded off for a while). The movie just didn't seem to capture the story of Kya and her circumstances. The movie was beautifully shot, and that's probably the only positive thing I can say about it.
Elvis (2022)
Hail The King!
Was mesmerized from the start! Big, loud, glitzy, glamorous...this movie is all that and so much more. Baz doesn't disappoint. Cannot rate this extravaganza more highly! I can't wait to see it again!
Six Minutes to Midnight (2020)
Absolute garbage
Well there's a couple of hours I'll never get back. Izzard and Dench, both powerhouses in my book, were the saving grace of this stinker. On the plus side, my
popcorn was hot and I found $2 on the floor.
Nomadland (2020)
Houseless by choice
I am one of those people who live on the road by choice, and have done so for 10 years.
I felt as though this movie did not paint a true picture of folk who are houseless, but NOT by choice. Their day to day struggle was only touched on. Safety, security, health, food, fuel costs are all issues faced by these good folk every single hour of every single day.
The raw close ups did make you feel every emotion and the scenery was beautiful, but the movie didn't hit the mark for me. The camaraderie with fellow travellers was spot on. We all help each other out, no matter the circumstances.
I would be very interested to hear what other permanent travellers think of this movie.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Wow wow wow
Just when you think this true story can't get any worse, it does. No wonder people lose faith in the judicial system. Unbelievable. A must watch.
The Boys in the Band (2020)
Compelling
A tough watch, but compelling. Jim Parsons and the rest of the cast are brilliant.
Unhinged (2020)
Disturbing!
This movie had me stressed from start to finish. Russell Crowe is so menacing and believable. Somehow I don't think this role was much of a stretch for Rusty! We left the cinema and was sitting at a green light and the car in front of us didn't move. We just sat there, too scared to toot the horn!
The Good Liar (2019)
Keeps you guessing
This was one of those movies that you think you can guess the plot line, but you'd be wrong! Outstanding performances by everyone. The big twist was a bit much though. The story could stand on its own without going down that path. Still an enjoyable movie.
The Goldfinch (2019)
Enjoyable
I haven't read the book, so I can't comment on whether it translated well to the screen. However I thought it was an enjoyable movie. All the actors were believable and the storyline was great. I think I'll download the book now and have a read.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Cringeworthy
When did WF stop being funny? Did I miss that memo? Switched off after 20 minutes. Just couldn't sit through anymore cringeworthy moments. Only gave it 1 star because of the stunning scenery.
Marcella (2016)
WTAF?
What an absolute shocker this series is. Plot lines that go nowhere. Characters introduced and mysteriously disappear without explanation. And why oh why does Marcella dress like a 15 year old boy in every episode?