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Reviews
Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce (2014)
Avoid at All Costs!!!
Yes there are spoilers but don't worry, you're not going to watch it anyway. I am here to save you the trouble and utter waste of time that this program is. I gave it 2 stars because I liked it at first.
To start, I know TV shows' writers change, they just do, but the least we can hope for is that they are familiar with the storylines and character development. In this case there is neither and that makes for a program with no flow. It just becomes God awful!
It was great binge watching (Netflix) at first because the characters were similar but different enough to create layered story-lines and then they got rid of Jake! By far the best and most down to earth character. He kept Abby likable and without him she was overbearing and immature, like really childish. His departure was the beginning of the end and that was the end of season 2 with Skype calls in season 3.
Everything went downhill from there.
Abby is a two year old in Prada. This is a woman who wears 5 inch heels at home writing. They never come off!. Ever! They are gorgeous, all her outfits are, they just don't make any sense. They are usually over the top and out of place. There is nothing she handles with grace and she lacks the good sense to know that boundaries aren't actual lines in the sand but rather in your behaviour. She never knows when to shut up because every situation is somehow about her. There is nothing out of bounds and she comes off as pretentious, obnoxious, resentful and rude. They tidy her up in a little bow at the end. She has her cake and it's it too! So frustrating. No consequences for Abby! Everything comes up roses and it is so unsatisfying and disappointing.
Abby is forced into a relationship with a ridiculously demanding Little League coach, yes, Little League. Her whiny, obnoxious 7 year old, Charlie, who has recently regressed for all the wrong reasons now needs yet more attention and a new father figure so in walks Mike Brady. A married, sort of separated but still living at home, retired pro baseball player with no job and no savings. He is not a bad guy but these two have zero chemistry, it's totally forced and, let's face it, he's a loser with no job. Ick!
Moving on to the friends...
Jo is the Bronx Latina. She is obnoxious yet funny and entertaining. This is a woman who won't be caught dead in "Uggz" or any flats for that matter. She is an angry woman but she has the right to be given her deadbeat ex-husband who has another wife. This is annoying at best and her daughter is really her mother. I still liked Jo, she was bold and in your face.
Phoebe is vapid, and should be, but that was part of her charm. Eventually she just becomes condescending. She never would have been had the writers been informed. She should have been likable and she was. She is also the only character, however, I can actually believe Abby being friends with, they have the school in common among other things. They create a brother for her out of nowhere because there is just nothing left to do with her.
Delia is a gorgeous, well-rounded, smart character with a great job at a law firm; a beautiful wardrobe and the figure for it! She is a divorce lawyer so that's her connection to Phoebe and by extension, Abby. She was, by far, the most grounded but we can't have that, not on this show! They turn her into a train wreck. She is commitment phobic yet they force her into a relationship with a really nice guy only to have her cheat on him in an office romance with her boss who sends sex pics to the fiancée who, as punishment, marries her anyway so as not to ruin his reputation. Really?! There is no immediate close to this as they just jump ahead for the next season's convenience. They then have her follow him around, dressed like Cher, looking for forgiveness. By the end of the series, she is desperate for a baby, which also has nothing to do with the original character nor does it truly develop. It's just tossed at us like spaghetti at a wall hoping it will stick, it doesn't.
Barbara, I love Barbara. She is also smart but stays smart throughout. They dress her in clothes she would never own (they're horrible) and couldn't afford, but it's whatever. She develops as she should and her ending is the easiest to believe. The only problem is she would NEVER be friends with these vapid entitled overdressed (cough, Abby) women. She just wouldn't. They bring her in with no friends and this is a woman who would have a posse.
I'm disappointed because I have always liked Lisa Edelstein. It's made worse because she has a producer credit. Did she not realize how ridiculous she looked?
Locke (2013)
A Great One Man Show!
Tom Hardy, as always, is excellent.
Ivan Locke is a man who when he makes the decision to do something, no matter the consequences, it's because it's the right thing to do. He is a man of character and honor. He's practical, reasonable and rational to a fault.
The movie takes place entirely in his car on a drive to fulfil what he believes is a wrong that needs to be made right. A responsibility if you will.
During his drive he has to deal with what he's left behind at a critical moment in his life while he's headed toward another critical moment.
It's more fast-paced than you'd think while taking place entirely in his car, on the phone and in his head.
It's a wonderful piece of art. Steven Knight's simplicity in direction is nothing less than brilliant. There's a comfort to it.
Haven't we all been in our car or otherwise stuck during a crisis with no escape and no other choice than to continue forward and deal it nonetheless?
The Lighthouse (2019)
So Weird but Oddly Satisfying
I'm giving it 7 Stars because it was so strange and I can't imagine the average Joe enjoying it. That is not to say they shouldn't.
I watched the movie because I love Willem Dafoe, and Robert Pattinson is always surprising in the best possible way. I had to research the mythology after I watched the movie because it left me confused and disturbed. It's very difficult to watch; it's very dark; it's very strange.
If you're looking for something intense, and disturbing with great acting and real, muted visuals this is the movie for you. The cinematography is wonderful. It takes place in the late 1800s so the black and white seems relevant and necessary.
I was ultimately left confused and disturbed but in a really strange, good way. You could describe it as an artsy film but those aren't necessarily bad films many of them are worth the watch.
I recommend it if you are interested in something different. No happy endings here.
Rectify (2013)
Perfect in Every Way
MAYBE SPOILERS...?
This is by far one of the best programs I've ever watched. It is completely realized in its concept. Each character is completely developed and defined from the first moment you meet them.
It takes place over a very short period of time, 6 months maybe, but the growth is substantial for each character. However, they never veer too far from their introduction. I believed in and rooted for every moment. I wanted Daniel, beautifully and heartbreakingly played by Aden Young, to survive and to thrive and in his quiet, small way he does. His sister Amantha's sacrifice, played by the striking Abigail Spencer, had to mean something. And in the end it did. She didn't know who she was if she wasn't saving Daniel and then he was saved, allowing her to find a life of her own. His mother, played by J. Smith-Cameron, had a suffering you can't possibly fathom yet she comes across in this quiet intensity that is identifiable to the viewer. Daniel's stepbrother Teddy, played by Clayne Crawford, a treasure, is the most difficult of the characters and was portrayed beautifully. He grew in a way he needed in order to become a better person because he was unrealized until Daniel was released. The friendship and support Daniel received fromTawney, played by Adelaide Clemens, was exactly what Daniel needed at the time. Even though it created waves throughout the family, it was necessary for everyome's development. There was such purity in their relationship.
Ray McKinnon is a brilliant storyteller and I am ashamed for the Academy for not recognizing this painful yet satisfying portrait of a family in crisis.
A completely satisfying story. I walked away from it feeling better for having seen it.
The Wall (2017)
Engaging
I have to say I agree with the better reviews that this was a very well done one-man show. Aaron Taylor-Johnson carried the movie flawlessly. I was glued to my seat and very engaged. My only problem is that I don't know why it was made.
The Big Sick (2017)
Wonderful
This is an amazing story!
It's got your ups & downs, your good & bad, your happy & sad. It is so well done and so wonderfully told. There is something for everyone . The characters are so easy to identify with.
I Loved it!
Everybody should see this movie!
Offspring (2010)
Amazing
This is one of my favorite shows. It can however be emotionally taxing. There are ups and there are downs but you care about every character. I love them all. I know that's weird because it's a TV show but they are so engaging. The writing is superb. The cast is amazing. Everyone should watch this show. It's like an emotional roller coaster in the best possible way.