mkenyon1978 Reviews

The Last Thing He Told Me (2023– )

Garner and Rice are stellar, but pacing too slow

[7/10 · 16 July 2023]

Let me start by saying that I have not read the book, so not making that comparison. I enjoyed the series, found Garner and Rice's acting to be really good.

But the pacing was too slow. My second complaint is that there was little chemistry between Hannah and Owen. But regardless, this was beautifully done, beautifully acted. The way everything, every feeling, every gut punch, every hope, joy and sorrow was visible on Jennifer Garner's face really made this show worth while. And the lack of chemistry between Hannah and Owen was redeemed by that of Garner and Rice's. From their surly teen and patient and hopeful stepmom exchanges, to Rice's Bailey understanding that Garner's Hannah can be trusted, it felt authentic.

Archetypes (2022 Podcast Series)

Boring, and over edited

[4/10 · 14 April 2023]

This was wildly over edited. Did not enjoy and would not recommend.

I generally like MM and feel like she is treated unfairly and criticised far too harshly. She did not come over well here, the issues she discussed felt outdated, her rapport with her guests wasn't warm or funny. Even with Serena, and they are good friends. I listened to the Serena, Mariah Carey and Mindy Kaling epis and all felt super stiff. Maybe it's because of the over editing, I don't know, but they did not reel me in at all and decided to stop listening. Not a successful Archwell outing if you ask me. If she does decide to continue, she needs to rethink the approach, and make it looser and more freeform.

Sacred Cow: The Nutritional, Environmental and Ethical Case for Better Meat (2020)

Beautifully made movie, but would have liked more info

[7/10 · 1 December 2020]

I thought that this movie was beautifully made, BUT, also very slanted in one direction. I would have liked to see more scientific proof against the theory that meat is bad for us. Just because it was done for thousands of years doesn't mean it's the right way forward. Also, the ex-vegan claiming about back issues due to diet, I would have liked more info on why this happened. And also why some do thrive on vegan diets, while others have issues.

I know, and think most of us know, that processed food is not the most healthy choice, and while the idea of using a more sustainable and regenerative farming method sounds good to me in theory, I would have liked to hear more about the downsides to this type of farming. I for instance worry about the scalability and global affordability of this.

Ava (IV) (2020)

Chastain and Malkovich are good, but can't fight a horrific storyline

[5/10 · 7 September 2020]

Jessica Chastain is good, as is John Malkovich, but everyone else is mediocre and the storyline is cliché filled and full of absurdities. I enjoyed the fight scenes, and the first 30 minutes or so were really promising, but the family drama was overdone and didn't contribute in a meaningful way. Not the worst film I've seen, but not one I'd recommend.

#BlackAF (2020)

Funny and raw

[8/10 · 26 April 2020]

I really loved the first 5 episodes, 6 and 7 less so and felt that the show came back strong for it's 8th and final epi. It's basically a raw, less polished and in some ways more real version of Black-ish. Super funny and down to earth, and while plenty of the subtext is definitely a repeat of his other works, there is still enough fresh stuff in the mix for it to feel different.

I feel like KB isn't going to win any awards for his first foray in-front of the camera, but he does a decent enough job. For me Rashida Jones is the star here, she really shines as Joya, she's super funny and very 3-dimensional, in short she kills it! Iman Benson as Drea does an excellent job too, she walks that comedy/drama line well here. The other kids are given less space to shine, but when they do I thought that especially Scarlet Spencer and Justin Claiborne were really funny as Izzy and Pops.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (2019)

Sweet, funny, diverse and most of all really well done

[10/10 · 26 January 2020]

Let me preface this by saying that I was never a huge fan if the original film. I enjoyed it, but it was never a must see for me. This miniseries is definitely a must see for all romcom fans (so many fabulous romcom homages!). The diverse cast is perfect and the two leads have so much chemistry it's insane. There are plenty of romantic moments, teary moments as well as funny ones. An allround excellent miniseries. The ending was perfect, yet I also found myself wishing for me!

The Kitchen (2019)

Terrific acting, but horrible editing

[7/10 · 18 January 2020]

Despite the horrible editing of this movie, I enjoyed the 3 leading ladies, Haddish, McCarthy and Moss. They each did a terrific job. It's hard to judge the writing; as it stands the story is messy, lacks cohesiveness and leaves you feeling like you are missing tons of vital information. I strongly suspect that most, if not all of this is due to bad editing. The movie did do a great job of showcasing 1970s New York in all it's grittiness.

Overall, the movie was ok, but had some serious flaws and could have been so much more.

Last Christmas (2019)

Enjoyable, but not the best

[7/10 · 2 December 2019]

I just got back from watching Last Christmas. I enjoyed it. The chemistry between the two leads is excellent and despite Emilia Clarke's character Kate being a hot mess, she comes off as likeable and I found myself rooting for her. Henry Golding is gorgeous as ever, and he has such an expressive face ... and Emma Thompson was enjoyable as Kate's mother. The ending was excellent, and I enjoyed the music. My main problem was the execution of the plot twist... it was truly and horribly forced.

Poms (2019)

Cute! Boys on the Side, Bring it On and Pitch Perfect meets Calendar Girls.

[7/10 · 11 August 2019]

I enjoyed this movie, is it clichéd as all get out? Yes, but is it also cute and fun and a reminder that friendships, and keeping fit is important at any age? Definitely.

I don't think this movie is for everyone, but if you enjoyed the movies mentioned in the review title you'll likely enjoy this one too.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

Decent movie, but don't compare to book

[6/10 · 28 April 2018]

Purely on it's own merit, this is a decent, well acted movie. My only complaint is Michiel Huisman's accent - it is all over the place!

But, compared to the book it is based on, it's left wanting. It's focus is so narrow and they scrapped so much of the fabulous subplots, that it has lost a lot of what makes the story so wonderful.

Miss India America (2015)

The anti girlpower movie

[2/10 · 7 June 2017]

This movie is about a smart and ambitious girl, Lily Prasad, who loses her longtime high school sweetheart to Miss India Nationals and misguidedly decides to enter this year's pageant, with her heart set on winning.

I was expecting this to be Legally Blonde meets Election meets Miss Congeniality with an Indian lead. While it does have elements of all these movies, it doesn't inspire you at all, nor is it enjoyable, mainly because Lily is unlikable and obnoxious and her "pivotal" moment, that moment where she sees the error of her ways, is completely forced.

Magic Mike XXL (2015)

Pretty good 2nd effort

[8/10 · 2 July 2015]

I loved Magic Mike. I enjoyed XXL as well, but it just isn't as good as the original, mostly because of the complete lack of a cohesive storyline. I liked that all the main guys got their own back-stories in this movie, but I think that that, combined with the absence of a over-arching story, gave an overall disjointed effect. I was left with the feeling of having binge-watched a bunch of "Magic Mike the series" episodes, which is not un-enjoyable, but it does not make it a movie. However, there were lots of killer moves, the guys were all fabulous and there was tons of eye candy to enjoy. I loved the "Queen" angle and thought that Jada Pinkett Smith was perfect in her role. I thought Elizabeth Banks' small roll was wonderful as well, but I wasn't a huge fan of Angie MacDowell's character and felt that her storyline was forced and weird (although the Richie bit at the end was hilarious!).

Sex Tape (2014)

Funny, hilarious even but pretty raunchy

[8/10 · 6 September 2014]

I really enjoyed this, it was hilarious with a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. It starts off with Annie and Jay, a couple who are in a rut in their relationship, their lives pretty much revolve around the kids, they still love each other, find each other attractive, but have a hard time finding time for the more intimate moments of a marriage. One night they they have something to celebrate and instead of celebrating family style, Annie decides to send the kids to grandma's for the night so she and Jay can finally get it on. They have a little difficulty getting started (things go wrong), but after a couple of shots they decide to film themselves doing all the positions in the book "the joy of sex". The next day, after receiving a text message, they find out that not only had Jay forgotten to delete the video, but it has also synced with all the iPads Jay had given away as gifts (their son, best friends, mailman, her mother and her boss), so now they have to retrieve all the iPads as well as figure out who has been texting Jay.... This movie won't win any awards and it wasn't the funniest thing I've seen, but it did have lots of hilarious moments and I think that Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel are both perfectly cast in their respective roles. I also really enjoyed Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper as their best friends.

The Love Punch (2013)

Entertaining and funny but pretty improbable

[7/10 · 14 July 2014]

An entertaining and funny movie. I love all the main actors in this and think they did a good job. The plot is highly unlikely and the fact that they pull it off even more so, but that just added to the fun. Yes they are old and their methods laughable and really only succeeded due to a fluke, but the fact that they tried and ran with their half-cocked plan is part of the charm. The bickering between Richard and Kate was believable and oh so recognisable and I also really enjoyed the more loving bickering between Penny and Jerry as, again, it's also very recognisable. I also loved that they brought their son in on the plan, mum and dad obviously passed on their felonious genes there.

Neighbors (I) (2014)

Not the worst movie, but it never really flowed

[6/10 · 23 May 2014]

This movie definitely had it's funny moments and a few laugh-out-loud ones too. I enjoyed this, but will probably not watch it again. The main problems for me were: 1. There was very little flow to this movie,it never really came together. It was more a series of sketches. 2. The two main characters never really did it for me and I never really wanted to root for them. 3. Those two as a couple was just downright bad casting. There was no chemistry. 4. None of the characters felt real. I don't expect every character to be well-rounded, but this was the other extreme.

I thought that Zac did a good job, but again he wasn't complete, wasn't a real person. He is supposed to be this crazy unhinged frat guy, but honestly, they were way crazier than he was. I understand that his behaviour drove them to it, but his actions never really justified theirs for me. He's a kid and they are grown ups.

The Hangover Part III (2013)

Funny and better than I expected

[8/10 · 4 June 2013]

I really enjoyed this movie, thought it was much funnier than I expected and definitely worth the ticket price (I am a 34 y/o female, so not exactly the target audience). I loved the first of the trilogy and thought the second, though funny, was mostly a carbon copy of the first. I had not heard good things about this one so went in with low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised, it was quite a bit darker and didn't have the standard hangover theme, but did have a good storyline and some excellent jokes and I liked that it deviated from the standard premise of the first two. Although the jokes made me laugh, most of them really skirted the line and quite a few blew that line to pieces, so from that perspective I get that many don't find this movie funny.

The movie starts with Mr Chow escaping from a Bangkok prison and then we witness Alan causing a massive pileup on the freeway after beheading a giraffe driving under a low overpass. His father is furious and after arguing with and berating Alan dies of a heart- attack. After the funeral Doug informs Stu and Phil that Alan is off his meds and that the family is planning an intervention and talks them into participating. This leads to Alan only agreeing to go into rehab if the wolf pack all take him - and so it begins... The guys are just on their way when they are run off the road and kidnapped and tasked with finding Chow or Doug gets killed.

Ken Jeong and Zack Galifianakis are both brilliant in their roles and I think the chemistry between the wolf pack is fabulous as always. A funny and entertaining movie that I would rate above the second installment but below the first.

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Strted slow, but ultimately a laugh-out-loud comedy

[8/10 · 27 December 2012]

I think this movie is best described as a cross between the Bring It On franchise and Glee, in a college setting. But where I never really enjoyed Glee, I totally loved this movie. It started off a little slow for me, but it soon picks up and became a true LOL movie. Highlights, for me, were the song mash-ups, Beca's audition for the Bella's, her singing at the riff-off and any scene with Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy. This won't win any prizes, is not terribly original, but it's well cast and the actors and script are both seriously funny. An enjoyable movie for a girls-night-out, a date and if you are in the mood for some uncomplicated fun.

What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012)

Enjoyed it and was pleasantly surprised

[8/10 · 11 July 2012]

I really enjoyed this movie and think it's got an unfair rep. They did cram a lot in there, but I think that was a good thing as it seems to me that it represented a lot of different situations. The movie didn't have a lot of depth, but with such a big ensemble cast what do you expect? Plus what was there was done well IMO. I really liked Anna Kendrick's character Rosie, for me she really shined in this movie and when she lost the baby I cried and then when she kicked Marco to the curb after I understood but was rooting for them to get back together again. I also really enjoyed the contrast between Elizabeth Banks and Brooklyn Dekker's characters. It was overdone in parts, but it did make me laugh. In fact the whole movie was overdone in parts and underutilised in others, but these kind of movies should not be analysed, you just got to sit back, relax and turn your brain off and enjoy.

Larry Crowne (2011)

Pretty enjoyable

[7/10 · 16 August 2011]

Let me start off by saying that I definitely feel that this movie has gotten an unfair rap - I agree that this isn't an earth shatteringly good movie and I thought there were quite a few holes in the story, but it was certainly an enjoyable feel good movie that left me with a smile on my face.

First of all, I genuinely liked Larry and thought Hanks played him well and though that his situation and life was thoroughly relatable. Likewise Julia's character - Mercy Tainot. And I also thought that they had good chemistry together. I found his enthusiasm to be infectious, but thought they didn't explore that properly wrt his effect on Mercy and his fellow students. I also thought there was a lot going on with the supporting characters, but the tie-ins with the main story line were often left hanging, which in the end gave a bit of an incomplete feel to the movie.

So, all in all, not the best movie ever, but definitely enjoyable and worth the price of admission.

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Great movie, a true full feature film version of the series

[8/10 · 26 May 2010]

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, it was fast paced and truly funny. I must confess that I didn't always like the series, I only really started enjoying it from season 4 onwards and then when the first movie came out I was a little disappointed. I didn't dislike it and even enjoyed it in some parts, but it missed the fun spark that the series had. I mostly put this down to it being too difficult to make a 20 minute comedy/dramady series engaging enough for the big screen. But, with the sequel they had oodles of spark, one of the few times I actually enjoyed the sequel more than the original. Or could it be, that because the series came first, then the movie and then the sequel, that this actually falls under the "the 3rd installment is almost always (nearly) as good as the original and waaay better than sequel" rule?

27 Dresses (2008)

Funny, feel good movie.

[8/10 · 16 March 2008]

This movies reviews weren't all good, actually a lot of them were not good at all, but I really enjoyed this movie, it's funny, even hilarious at some points, sweet, totally recognisable and an out-and-out feel good movie. The story isn't really anything new, but Katherine Heigl is so convincing as Jane, the original yes-girl, a people pleaser of the highest degree that she totally carries the movie. The interactions between Jane and her best friend and between Jane and Kevin, her love interest - who both don't understand why she does what she does - are hilarious. And even though you know what is going to happen all through the movie, it doesn't matter, because the things that happen in between are delivered in such a funny or heartwarming way that you end up walking out of the movie theater at the end with an upbeat feeling and a smile on you face. This movie won't win any awards and it isn't the best movie ever, but it's good entertainment nonetheless that leaves you feeling happy and for that alone it is well worth the price of the ticket.

The Nanny Diaries (2007)

Funny, sweet and endearing

[8/10 · 15 February 2008]

I tried reading the book a few times and could not get any further than the first chapter, so when a friend suggested we go see this movie I wasn't that enthusiastic, but went anyway and was glad I did. Its entertaining throughout and completely shows the difficulty of raising someone else's child as well as living in someone else's home as a live-in nanny without being boring or an overly long rambling movie. Miss Johansson was good as Annie Braddock, she really seemed to capture the character and perfectly acted out the emotions and confusion you feel when confronted with another person's life and choices and childrearing ideas outside the realm of your understanding. Laura Linney as Mrs. X the employer was brilliant and I also loved Alicia Keyes as the best friend and Donna Murphy as Annies Mom. All-in-all a good movie for when you want to be entertained but don't want to have to think too much.