dianan-15427 Reviews

T11 Incomplete (2020)

Didn't think I'd like this, but...

[9/10 · 11 March 2022]

This movie shows the struggles that everyone suffers in one way or another. Kate is a recovering alcoholic who has lost everyone important in her life because of it and she's been sober for 10 years. The only thing she has left in her life is her dying cat who she steals money to try & keep alive because she's all Kate has left. She's a home health care nurse who does the best she can, but it's still not enough,it seems. Her last patient is a paraplegic who grows attached to her because as a former prison CO she's used to observing people and knows that while there are evil people in the world, some are just one mistake away from ending up with the evil ones. They are not bad people but for one mistake end up in the same prison. There is a love story here, but, it's more about forgiveness and learning to understand each other than simply categorizing people as good or bad.

There are some really awful characterizations of the different people in Kates life, but I think it was necessary in order to see the contrast in some of their characters once they take a good look at themselves and Kate towards the end and understand that she is just doing the best she can with what little she has had. Not sure why the ratings overall are so low. I thought it was a good story about the dysfunction passed down due to an addiction and what a struggle it is to survive that.

Along Came Wanda (2021)

My "feel good" movie this year!

[10/10 · 15 February 2022]

I watched this on Valentine's Day with my wife...my cynical, hard to please wife when it comes to lesbian movies, as she wants them to be more mainstream. Me? I just enjoy any kind of representation so I'll admit when something is poorly done, but still love the effort. This movie, however, is good. I loved it and my wife thought it was "cute", meaning she enjoyed it, too.

As a fan of Cathy DeBuono I thought it was the best I've ever seen her. Yes, she is very funny as Wanda, but, had some brief scenes showing the depth of her character'a "backstory" peaking through. I think that's something she's never been afforded in some of her past performances and maybe the sign of a good director, too?

It's no wonder she's won so many Best Actress awards at the film festivals for this role this past year. And, Constance Brenaman is perfect for her part, too. She plays off DeBuono, and others very well and you can see in her face that Wanda is just the breath of fresh air she needs and has needed for a long time.

All of the other characters and actors are great, too. I especially loved Davina, whose role in Wanda's life is much bigger than we're first led to believe. What a great character in this movie!

Overall, this movie just made me feel good. It's another good one like "Snapshots", which made me a Jan Miller Corran fan. (Which is another movie that I love!) See it. Funny, and poignant. 10/10.

Christmas at the Ranch (2021)

Nice movie with great scenery, horses...

[9/10 · 8 December 2021]

Cute movie with attractive characters. I enjoyed watching this before Christmas. The fact that the two main characters are lesbians was a treat, but also in how their sexuality was relatively incidental and not a big deal. Definitely a PG movie, too. I wouldn't hesitate to watch it with family. My only complaint is it wasn't long enough.

How 'Bout a Cuppa Tea (2020)

Loved this idea

[8/10 · 5 April 2021]

First of all someone needs to use Cathy DeBuono more. There is supposed to be a feature follow up to this one where I hope her talent for humor and acting gets more exposure. I love the idea this was shot during the pandemic. It's really about regrets about the decisions we make when we're younger in order to be "more normal". It made me think of another movie with a similar theme called Snapshots which I think may be written by the same person. It's wonderful with Piper Laurie and Brooke Adams, Emily Goss, (and another small but excellent role with DeBuono). Directed by Melanie Mayron (from 30 Something) who has quite a talent for directing. Hope they follow through with the feature which says in in production.

More Beautiful for Having Been Broken (2019)

Beautiful movie

[10/10 · 5 April 2021]

I honestly never know what I'll see when I watch a Nicole Conn movie. Over the years they've gotten better & better. This one was beautiful. I am not sure, but I may have watched the Directors cut, but since I plan on watching it again I will make sure I do. I loved the actors. The 2 main characters were attractive & I could feel the chemistry. How could you not be impressed with Bruce Davidson? He really nailed this role. And, finally, the little guy who was in the center of it all? What a performance! Or, was it? I'm mean really I fell in love with him immediately. How could he fake that much charisma at such an age & with everything he must deal with? It wasn't the ending I was expecting, but it was a very satisfying ending.

I've seen some really negative reviews here that will bring the overall rating down and a lot of them are simply homophobic & I suspect done on purpose for that reason. (A trend I've noticed a lot, lately, IMDB.)

Cold Justice (2013– )

This is NOT a "reality" show.

[10/10 · 5 February 2021]

It is a REAL show. I love this show! Why? Because it doesn't keep recapping ALL the details after a commercial break, but wait! There's more. I've noticed that you actually see the "stars" of the show (who really aren't, nor do they act as if they are) doing the actual work such as taking notes, and talking to witnesses, etc. It's little things that some people may not recognize, but, in my professional opinion is just not scripted. Do they have to edit it to keep it moving along or seem less dull and boring as the day to day work really is? Of course they do, but Kudos to Dick Wolf, and everyone involved in this show for putting the money out there so Kelly Siegler and the teams she assembles to do this work can help these places that otherwise have to allow killers walk free for years due to lack of money and resources, and a lot of times enough expertise. (One town I recall only averaged 1 murder a year. How much expertise might they have had?) She helps people. The investigation teams in whatever town they're in AND, the people left behind by the never ending ripple affect caused by murder. I was aware of Kelly Siegler long before this show. I had been aware of her reputation prior to this, but hadn't really been exposed to her personality or methods. Now, though, I'm a fan. She reminds me of my mentor who also happened to be a tough, strong, yet human Texan not afraid or apologetic about doing what she does or how she does it. While my mentor and I didn't always agree on politics or certain ideologies, per se, we both had respect and care for one another in the end and the end goals in our jobs and life were the same. Her humanity really shows in some of these shows and you can really see her relief when she gets to tell a family the good new or her regret if they aren't quite there yet. It is a real show.

Batwoman (2019–2022)

I don't usually write these, but...

[10/10 · 14 December 2019]

It's not a bad show at all. I don't understand the severe negativity I've seen in other reviews. It's a Batman-type atmosphere, so it's dark and dry. I love the Chicago backdrop as the city of Gotham. It is SO recognizable. It's story and villains are your typical Gotham over the top villains, so it captures that. As for the acting, I think it's good although the writers do need some work on their dialogue for many of the characters. And who cares if it's called Batwoman or Batgirl? Either way the point is the character is female. As for the fact that Batwoman is a lesbian? Give me a break. I always thought she was gay. Even when I was a kid reading comics I knew this even though I didn't know what it was. I just kind of knew I guess. Why are people so threatened by this?? Makes sense to me. Stop making it a giant political issue. At least they found someone attractive for the part.

This is camp to me but in the best Batmanesque way. If you don't care for that, find another one that you do instead of the campaign of negativity to purposely push the ratings down.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: The Last Days of Howard Stern (2014) Season 3, Episode 7

A little too "on", but...

[6/10 · 1 November 2018]

It had good moments, but it was mostly Howard doing Howard in much the way he used to do with Letterman, albeit, not as much over the top. There are some insightful moments as there usually are in this show but I would claim this as a favorite.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: How Would You Kill Superman? (2014) Season 3, Episode 2

Love Patton, but...

[7/10 · 1 November 2018]

This was not the best pairing of comedians. I like Patton but I don't think he has the passion for the punchline that Jerry does. Worth watching, though.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Kids Need Bullying (2013) Season 2, Episode 6

An interesting surprise in this one

[10/10 · 1 November 2018]

I won't give it away, but it was an interesting turn of events in this one and I loved the dialogue and different views between Seinfeld and Rock. Good episode, for sure.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: I Like Kettlecorn (2013) Season 2, Episode 2

Anything with Dave is ok with me

[10/10 · 1 November 2018]

I've been a fan of David Letterman all his years in television. I thought the story he told about Paul Newman's tie-in to the car they were driving was funny. Another good one.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: It's Bubbly Time, Jerry (2012) Season 1, Episode 10

Didn't think I'd like it, but...

[9/10 · 1 November 2018]

I heard about this "series" when it was first being promoted and thought it sounded like an experiment that would fail, even with Seinfeld's name attached to it. Now,many years later with so much great content on the internet and streaming, it's a different world than what I grew up in. When my TV went out recently, I decided to explore what I might find on YouTube, at least, until my new TV arrived. I stumbled onto a Paley Center interview being given by David Letterman of Seinfeld,specifically about this show and I was curious...then I got hooked and binge-watched it.

This Michael Richards episode was the most poignant and rather sad. You could tell how horrified and sad he still is about what happened in an instant one night several years ago to push his career off the rails. It was funny at times, too, but it left me feeling sad for this man as he seemed as if he was just broken, yet appreciative that Jerry stuck by him and was still his friend. (Not making excuses for what he did that night, but, neither does he, really.)

This is a good show. It misses the mark occasionally, but I have still enjoyed something from each of the shows. Cars, comedy and coffee. Three of my favorite things. What's not to like?

Something Wild (1961)

Haunting...

[10/10 · 26 August 2018]

I was pretty young when I first saw this movie and didn't quite understand all that was going on as I do now, however, for some reason over the years it would just pop into my head with vague memories of this woman being held prisoner in this dingy apartment in NYC and how frightening it was. I didn't understand why she came back. Stockholm Syndrome?

As an adult, and with the internet at my disposal I was able to look it up and then was finally able to watch it as an adult on TCM. Wow! No wonder I remembered it throughout the years. It was as powerful as I remember it, but even better, I now appreciate the story and characters as in a way I couldn't at the time I originally saw it. All I knew was it had left an indelible impression on me.

Over the years, I recognized Ralph Meeker as a wonderful character actor who usually played a lot of "heavies", but in this, his character is so sensitive and desperate. Carrol Baker is very good as the rape victim who just can't deal with how her life has changed after the rape from an emotional perspective and you can really feel her loneliness and the weight of what has happened to her while everyone around her haven't a clue and carry on with their lives because they don't know her secret. And what if they did? Back then, she might have been victim shamed. In fact, it's almost a given. I didn't care for the abrupt ending as I would've liked more interaction between her mother and Ralph or Carrol, but at least it showed they were happy and had friends and seemed to be at peace.

I've now seen this movie a couple of times as an adult and every time I do I see more things I missed.