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Reviews
The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
I skipped about 3-hours worth after episode 4...... and I don't think I missed anything!
Here's what I did:
After 4 episodes, I was impressed with the accomplishment, but didn't find I was actually enjoying myself. So, about halfway into episode 5, I just said "Enough!"
I realized I really didn't care what happened to these people or HOW it happened to them (which is mostly what the episodes are about.) All I really wanted to know by this point (mid-episode 5) was how the whole thing wrapped up!
So...I skipped ahead to episode 8, then fast-forwarded until there was only 45 minutes left. Then I hit play!
What I got when I did that was a very satisfying wrap-up to the story.
What I chopped out ultimately was all of episodes 6 and 7; the second half of episode 5; and about the first 30 minutes of episode 8. And frankly, I DON'T THINK I MISSED A THING!
I just don't think the stuff I chopped out would have made the story any better, or my enjoyment of the miniseries any greater! I'm glad I saw the parts that I watched, but I'm also glad I didn't waste my time watching the parts I didn't!
(It's kind of like what I imagine watching an 8 hour SAW movie would be like: Once you've seen 8 imaginative ways of killing trapped people, is there really a reason to watch 5 more hours of more-of-the-same? Really?)
Don't get me wrong. There are lots of things to like about this miniseries. But I think making it in 4 or 5 episodes would have done the job just as well. Better, probably.
Getting it to 8........ just meant a lot of filler!
The Prom (2020)
I guess because of the subject matter, I'm supposed to give it an automatic 5 stars, then add on. Forget it!
It's terrible. I got to the under-the-bleachers scene and gave up. Couldn't take it any more.
I didn't find the songs appealing or imaginative; mostly just showtune cliche-ish. And the lyrics! The lyrics are suposed to carry the story forward, since there are so few non-musical scenes to do that job. But the lyrics are frequently inane and vapid, and have no vaue for carrying the story forward. The rule seems to have been, if it rhymes, it stays! Making sense for the story didn't seem to have been a priority!
I'm sure there's a happy, teary ending that has a wonderful, heartwarming payoff. But for me, the feeling of crawling through glass that I experienced while watching the first 25%.........just wasn't going to be worth it!
La La Land -- Yes!
A Chorus Line -- Yes!
Rent -- Yes!
West Side Story -- Yes!
Mamma Mia (1 & 2) -- Yes!
This movie........ No way! Find something better!
The I-Land (2019)
There are a lot of bad reviews...
Believe them!
The single most clever thing in the whole seven episodes---I mean the MOST clever thing---is the fact that the name isn't what you think it is. This is because a capital letter "I"......... also happens to look like something else!
That's the most clever thing...... and that really ain't all that clever!
They need fresh water. They find fresh water. Do they move? Do they camp where the fresh water is? No.
They need shelter. They find shelter in the form of an abandoned resort with, you know, walls and furniture and running water, and such. Do they move? Do they get away from exposure to the heat and the sun and the storms? No.
They discover there are sharks in the water. Later, while exploring, they hit the end of the beach, so they decide to swim around a small promontory to get to the other side. Do they remember, "Oh yeah, there are sharks!" No. They just jump right in.
I could go on and on!
The dialogue is not believable.
The characters are not believable.
The action is not believable.
The sequence of events is not believable.
The explanations are not believable.
I'm a big believer in "suspending disbelief." I really am. But when tasked instead to suspend any and all intelligent thought... well, that's just bad!
How could they possibly have managed to get seven episodes made without SOMEONE on the production side saying, "Hey, wait a minute, this is just crap!"
The mind boggles!
Instant Dream Home (2022)
But what about.........???
First thing, I enjoyed the show. I've got to keep that in mind. But with every episode, I kept asking myself questions about practical realities. I found myself asking.
What about building permits?
What about inspections?
What about code violations?
What about neighborhood color requirements?
What about Homeowner Association restrictions?
In one episode, they add on a new bathroom to the house. Typically, you can't just do this on a whim!
In another, they add/build a "tree house." Typically, you can't just add a new building on the property without permits and permissions!
See what I'm getting at?
And how about the neighbors? In one episode, they go into a neighborhood that seems dedicated to Red Brick. That appears to be part of the character and image of the neighborhood. And then they paint the Red Brick blue? Yes, it looked good. But in the context of the neighborhood, it might now be considered a horrible eyesore! It might be considered an insult to the character and tone of the neighborhood!
If suddenly the City (or the neighbors) decide to take issue because they believe they've done something "wrong," who pays to make it right? To fix it? To fight it?
Even as I enjoyed every episode, I couldn't help asking myself again and again, "But what about...? "
Lastly, I kept asking myself...
Am I really supposed to believe that in this day and age of nosey neighbors and cell phones, phone cameras and the desire to be a 'spoiler'........... that no one called these families to tell them what was going on at their homes? Really? No one? Pffft! Not buying it!
Stay Close (2021)
Disappointing On Many Levels
Suspending disbelief. That's the whole game. It is the key to whether we accept or reject a given story or performance. The actor's job is to make the character believable, sincere. That these things are really, truly happening to them, and that their reactions are truly how a person-----this person-----would react to them.
Early in the first episode, our protagonist, Megan (formerly Cassie) has arrived home, having been to the market shopping. As she comes into her home, she tries to get her children to help her bring in the groceries. This is a minor scene, overall, of little consequence. But this scene is significant TO ME because it is the LAST TIME-----the very LAST TIME in the whole series-----that Megan/Cassie seemed BELIEVABLE!
There were virtually no other interactions in the whole series where I believed that these people would act in this way in these circumstances! And that is just tragic.
Suspend disbelief. I believe in that. I'm good at it! But when there's absolutely nothing believable about how the people in the story act, react, and interact, it's just too much.
Sadly, the series fails in a number of other ways, as well.