Change Your Image
lorenarufino11
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Wednesday: If You Don't Woe Me by Now (2022)
One of the best episodes
Anyone who's been looking forward to meeting Uncle Fester won't be left disappointed. Not totally sold on this portrayal, but a welcome appearance nonetheless.
Also on this episode, Enid is shaken by the mayor's death, who knows why. After Wednesday's poor treatment of her, the perky werewolf decides to give her the cold shoulder, which is rendered less effective by the number of more pressing matters Wednesday has to tend to. Turns out the monster belongs to a species known as hyde, because they couldn't come up with anything more on the nose. Wednesday goes on her first date and it's pretty perfect. Someone dared harm universally loved Thing and we all felt Jenna Ortega's distress. And Tyler is no longer too normal for our favourite cold blooded weirdo.
Wednesday: Quid Pro Woe (2022)
A good effort
The plot thickens. Another death, another brush in with the monster and, unfortunately, more Goody and Crackpot visions.
Wednesday manages to hurt/piss off just about everybody, which is only to be expected, because, while we love her cold and unfeeling disposition, it tends to offend the average person. Time to throw closed ones a bone in order to keep them at arm's length.
It's becoming increasingly obvious that Xavier is not the monster. Nothing exciting could ever happen to that boy. But Wednesday ought to put him firmly in his place soon, because the kid is straying into stalker territory.
An action packed episode and a solid effort.
Wednesday: You Reap What You Woe (2022)
Basic but the Addams' reunion make it better
Morticia and Gomez are an absolute delight. It's good to see the family reunite, including Pugsley and Lurch.
But this episode showcases two of the series' biggest issues.
Firstly, it succeeds in building suspense, but the resolution doesn't always pay off. Sheriff Galpin spent decades obsessing over catching Gomez for murder, but turns out he's totally innocent and Morticia had legal justification to use deadly force. It was all rather convenient and mundane.
(Unless Garret is not dead, but a time traveler who now goes by the name of Xavier and has transferred his unrequited infatuation to Morticia's daughter. They seemed to describe the exact same character, only Garret wasn't an outcast.)
Anyway, the second problem is that the show struggles with its own sense of morality. When is murder bad and when is it fun? Where do we draw the line between good and bad "terrible", to borrow Wednesday's words?
In other news, Bianca found herself a subplot that doesn't involve teen romance. Good for her, but let's hope it doesn't get too convoluted. This whole siren thing has been kind of terrible, and not good terrible.
Wednesday: Woe What a Night (2022)
Fun and intense
The mischief-at-the-morgue was so on brand, as an opening scene it's up there with the pilot.
On this episode, everything happens more or less at once - we get a dance, romance, highschool drama, a glimpse at the blood thirsty monster - except any actual schooling, perish the thought.
Among the many positives, we avoided the traditional makeover cliché (since he handled everything herself in, like, 5 minutes and without fanfare) and, though Wednesday and Tyler prove they have chemistry, I'm glad she stood her ground and stayed true to her innate weirdness.
Hopefully, their conversation at the Rav'N is an indication of what we can expect of their relationship down the road. The series hit the jackpot with the main pair, as the two teens are complex characters, from different backgrounds but much in common, particularly the fact that, each in their own right, they're both somewhat unhinged misfits with mommy issues.
Xavier, however, is at his most insufferable, not much to say about that. Again, could do without any love triangles.
And, lastly, while Enid provides timely lightheartedness, Eugene proves he's also a worthy sidekick - loyal, overexcitable, eager to chase trouble.
Wednesday: Friend or Woe (2022)
Consistent
While Jenna Ortega is, once again, excellent, the actress who plays Bianca continues to overdo it, as she has every episode thus far.
On the other hand, the problem with Xavier is still the character himself. Ajax claims he has a dark side; so far all he's done is try to look intense and whine. May the writers never follow through with the threat of making him a romantic interest for the protagonist.
Still speaking of what's been overdone, the ancestor that could have been the lead's identical twin is uninspired to put it mildly. Vampire Diaries comes to mind, and that's never a good thing.
All that said, save for the vision sequence it's a good episode. Jericho, the town, makes for a much better backdrop than Nevermore. The year long Thanksgiving craze offers the best contrast to Wednesday's no nonsense, monochromatic world view.
Wednesday: Woe Is the Loneliest Number (2022)
Nevermore leaves something to be desired
The second episode does a good job at introducing various characters, but it's not as strong as the first one, in my opinion. That's because Nevermore doesn't look like a school since students are mostly seen engaging in all sorts of extracurricular activities; Bianca's plan to win the Poe Cup is lame and takes up too much screen time; and every scene, no matter what they're doing, it's the same group of 4 or 5 students.
Some problems with the series manifest as early as this episode: the difficulty in establishing Wednesday's moral standards (good and bad "terrible"?) and the attempt to turn whining, tortured artist Xavier into a love interest. Can't a girl make friends with the people she meets without getting embroiled in a love triangle? Eugene, however, is adorable.
Finally, Wednesday's problem with her mother and Tyler's with his father make for interesting parallel plot points that most people, especially teenagers, can relate to.
The Noel Diary (2022)
Bad with an even worse heroine
Justin Hartley is actually a competent actor, but nobody could carry a movie this bad alone.
There's no chemistry between the main characters, who also don't spend enough time together to fall in love in a remotely convincing way.
But, above all, I can't overstate how UNLIKEABLE the girl is. She's condescending ordering and asking for the check in Italian at the restaurant, then voicing her assumptions about the guy's financial situation. She cheats on her fiancé halfway through because it's her birthday and she's entitled, and plans to carry on with wedding plans like nothing happened. I think she didn't even offer condolences about the leading man's mom's recent passing.
And her journey to find her biological mother is so contrived. She somehow found time to read a whole book overnight, but only reads the diary a page at a time while in the car with the guy for company. There isn't even a good reason why this diary, that lends the cheesy title for the movie, was left behind in the first place.
You can have sappy and fun, but this isn't it. All around bad.
The Sandman (2022)
A letdown
I want to start off by saying that Tom Sturridge is absolutely fantastic. Playing a stoic, brooding character, he could be tempted to stick to stony faces and the occasional smirk, but he actually displays a wide range of emotions with much appreciated subtlety. He is supported by a fine cast with few exceptions and the CG is impressive.
That's pretty much all the show has going for it.
The storytelling is silly, pointless and overly sentimental. There's no atmosphere and the dream sequences are overdone and lack that otherworldly quality.
If you're hoping for action or philosophical and existential discussions, you'll be very disappointed. This project drags on scene after oversaturated scene with an excessive number of boring subplots that just don't work, at least on TV, and dry, dimwitted dialogue.
Could Cain and Abel be more pointless and on the nose with their repetitive jokes about fratricide? Why spend half an episode following death around as she waxes cheap poetics about mankind? What do we care for Constantine's sexual history or that other lady's dead husband?
In its misguided and heavy handed attempt at inclusivity, the series wastes an inordinate amount of time pushing far too many relationships and sexual dalliances, as if the characters' sexual orientation had to be showcased at least twice per episode. Otherwise, the story takes place in a world without racism, famine, war or any of those pesky problems we're faced with daily and that actually make us question our purpose here. But with writing like this they're better off not trying to tap into anything deeper, anyway.
Seeing the title character at work was a rare delight as he barely had any screen time, let alone anything useful to do.
In short, despite its name, the show doesn't concern itself with the stuff dreams are made of, but, rather, obsessively focuses on LGBTQ relationship clichés, trying to sell us how wonderful humans are without ever inspiring a sense of wonder.
The Undoing (2020)
Intriguing enough, with great acting but for Nicole Kidman
Intriguing plot, though not at all original and unintentionally leaves relevant questions unanswered.
Other than the convoluted defence statements in the trial scenes, the dialogue was pretty good.
All that being said, Hugh Grant, Lily Rabe and Donald Sutherland were superb.
Nicole Kidman, however, was artificial and caricatural. She used to be a great actress, but in The Undoing her facial expressions (which were either numb or overdone) never matched the tone of the scene; she just never seemed in character, more like a walking wax figure. It was so distracting and annoying it actually took away from the story.
Seinto Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac (2019)
Must Netflix ruin every great anime?
The art is far too childish, the changes regarding the original series' storyline are unnecessary (a new human villain, WHY?), the omissions are regrettable (stripping the amazons of their iconic mask, for instance), not to mention the gender change (representation - you're doing it wrong), but the last nail in the coffin was the change of names. No fan wants to see these beloved characters harness their cosmo and shed their blood to save... Sienna?! Why change Saori to Sienna, like, WHY? It doesn't make you feel like you're watching a classic Japanese anime, but a generic American cartoon. Much like with Death Note, Netflix blew it.
Northanger Abbey (2007)
Lovely and aptly cast
A good adaptation of the novel, if a little hurried and simplified. It's a fun and sweet film and the title estate (Limore Castle) is a stunning location. But I was most impressed with J J Feild and Felicity Jones, who were aptly cast as the leading couple.
In fact, Henry Tilney, arguably one of Austen's best heros, is flawlessly portrayed by Feild.