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Reviews
Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers (2024)
Third rate (on average)
I confess that, yes, I usually like Hallmark movies. And I like period pieces. So this movie is a terrible disappointment.
I just finished watching season 2 of The Gilded Age so I hope I didn't grade this movie further down in comparison but these are the thoughts that came to mind while viewing:
It has second rate acting.
It has third rate plot and dialogue.
It has fourth rate directing. Over directing.
(Third rate on average.)
The endless and all too frequent quick cuts during conversations were nauseating. And the puzzling way some of the actors uttered their lines had me blaming the director too.
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023)
Brilliant!
A cleverly formulated combination of the DC Universe and gothic horror in the tradition of H. P. Lovecraft. It is brilliantly cast and expertly acted.
This is perhaps the finest DC animated feature that I have yet seen. (There are only a couple I haven't yet seen.)
This movie takes place in an alternate universe or alternate history. It is the 1920's and Bruce Wayne, a grown Dick Grayson, Alfred (and a few other characters) are investigating the disappearance of an expedition in Antarctica-one led by a Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin in our history). Horror ensues.
It's really interesting to see what the authors have done with our familiar DC characters: Oliver Queen, Barbara Gordon, Harvey Dent, Ra's Al Ghul, and others. Any DC fan should enjoy it as long as they're ok with the fact that this is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE (which some conveniently forget).
The Flash (2023)
WORST superhero movie ever
When you develop characters for audiences, they should be likeable (even many villains are likeable in a negative way). No one in this movie is likeable except Barry's mom and dad. Barry is the LEAST likeable. He's a fricking idiot.
When you write an action movie and it's supposed to include comedy, it should actually be funny when it's supposed to be. Shazam actually achieves that but it's the only one.
I so much wanted to like this movie. There are so many wonderful, admirable superheroes to love at DC.
James Gunn is DESTROYING the DC universe in film much like Greg Berlanti destroyed the DC universe on television. It's so sad to see.
Blacklight (2022)
Relevant
I can hardly.think of a movie more relevant and cautionary to our current political climate (other than a few documentaries. In the movie, the FBI director mentions COINTELPRO. That was a real FBI operation. You might want to look it up.
Beyond that important point, it's just a nice action movie.
All of the acting is at least competent, if not excellent. (When is Liam Neeson not excellent!). The dialogue may be a little overly earnest but the writing keeps the plot moving along and you care about the characters.
This movie portrays the press the way I wish it was but often is not. Curious and skeptical of the powerful. But it is a small outfit and not network news so it works for this story.
All in all, it's worth your time. Something that is getting rarer in streaming television.
Francesca Quinn, PI (2022)
Terrible acting partly due to bad writing.
We generally like Hallmark movies. I even use the Hallmark Movie Checklist app to keep up with new productions because we enjoy the Christmas movies and series like Mystery 101, the Martha's Vineyard movies, and Signed, Sealed, and Delivered. But this one is truly bad.
I sympathize with the poor actors who have to make the best of the bad writing but even then, other than the main protagonists, the acting is flat to downright poor.
The story itself is like a bad soap opera and the dialogue is worse.
I don't think the actors were miscast. With better writing they are very fine actors, as evidenced by their performances in other Hallnark productions.
I really hope they don't plan on making any sequels. We certainly won't be watching them in this household.
Last Light (2022)
Ugh! I wasted 4 hours of happy life for this.
Save yourself. Don't waste your time. You'll do nothing but lose brain cells. And just possibly throw something at your TV.
You actually do get attached to the characters. Yes, I'm a sucker for blind kids. Go figure. And the acting is good for the most part. It has some very fine actors in it.
But they ultimately can't save the series.
The problem is not the acting but the writing. The plot is sometimes incredulous and some of the scenes downright silly.
But the I ultimate problem is, at the end, I felt like I had been manipulated.
SPOILER BELOW. STOP IF YOU DON'T WANT IT SPOILED.
It ends in unadulterated BS. Because it justifies terrorism, in fact worldwide chaos, death and destruction, all in the name of the false god of climate change. Because save the Earth by killing off half its population, which is what would happen.
I had some of this author's books on my wish list. No longer. I don't want to be subjected to, nor support, any of his utter nonsense. Entertain me. Don't try to indoctrinate me.
The Terminal List (2022)
Excellent!
This series will please fans of the book, fans of the thriller genre, and fans of Chris Pratt. (I'm all three.)
It is well-written, well-cast, and well-acted.
Chris Pratt does an incredible job as James Reece. I'd love to see him in more roles like this.
We binged this series in two days because we enjoyed the roller coaster ride so much. Well done Amazon!
The Batman (2022)
This Batman possibly should be confined to Arkham
The real Batman is Bruce Wayne. He lives in Wayne Manor, a mansion. He runs a very successful mega-corporation. He has many friends. He smiles and functions well in society. He is always about town, going to parties and charity events. At the same time, he is a man dealing with a painful past and still fights sone personal demons. It's what drives him to become a crime fighter.
This "Batman" is none of those those things. He's a brooding, dour, depressing autobot. He's a recluse that lives in a tenement-like penthouse. He smiles never-not once in the entire 3 hours. Who runs Wayne Industries? I don't know if it even exists. Gotham isn't a city with many good people and a few very bad apples. It's an apocalyptic hell-hole where it's never daytime.
DMZ (2022)
Distopias are generally depressing
This one is more depressing than most. Now I need to go watch a cartoon or something to help me get happy.
I root for her but I just can't watch anymore.
Bottom line : UGH!
The Equalizer (2021)
After 20 episodes, I'm done
As much as I love Queen Latifah and the rest of her crew (except her annoying daughter), I just have to stop watching. I'm tired of being preached at instead of entertained. They got away from the original Equalizer concept.
Laramie: A Sound of Bells (1960)
Heart-warming
Stands among the best Christmas episodes of any TV show. .
A tale of realization about what is really important in life as this varied group rallies around a young orphan in the face of almost certain death at the hands of marauders.
Eternals (2021)
Wow, it deserved all the panning it got.
I didn't like a couple of the other Marvel movies but those weren't unwatchable. I just didn't much like what happened or that it tried to be a comedy or how they treated my favorite superheroes. This is a truly bad movie.
We love the actors and we tried to like it. But no dice.
It's not a terrible concept but it was handled terribly. The plot and the dialog are truly bad.
The first Marvel movie that needs to be put in the vault without a sequel.
1883 (2021)
The best show since Game of Thrones
If this show doesn't win a dozen Emmys, there is something wrong.
The acting is outstanding. The writing is too notch. The music, cinematography, costuming. All outstanding.
Invasion (2021)
Slow and pointless
...with exactly ONE smart and likable character (in Japan). After patiently waiting for many episodes for an actual alien to appear, we're not going to wait around for someone besides one brave person in Japan to actually mount some kind of resistance. We're THROUGH!
Go watch Falling Skies or Colony instead.
Foundation (2021)
Completely depressing
Hard to tell all the MANY MANY players without a program. Tedious is a good description that some people used. But just completely DEPRESSING is the best word I can think of since I'm much more than halfway through and I'm thinking in vain for some point where something good happened.
The 2nd (2020)
Entirely implausible
If there was ever any great explanation to a Justice why the general populace needs to be armed, this movie is it. But it's clear the writers think the opposite.
And President Clinton giving a medal to a whole unit wouldn't have happened. And what part of Monica was on that watch? Ewwww!
The Ice Road (2021)
I don't get the bad reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed this film! It has good action and Liam Neeson is great. I care zero if any of these things don't really happen to ice road truckers. The action was great and the acting was great. Particularly good was Neeson's brother, a vet with severe PTSD.
The Republic of Sarah (2021)
Jam packed full of misinformation about civics
It didn't take long fir the show to get annoying until it became insufferable.
I like the characters but that doesn't help the plot.
Too bad because it has an interesting premise.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Terrible!
The worst version of The Invisible Man I have ever seen.
Little Women (2019)
Tedious
Does the book jump around in time so much like this movie does? It's extremely hard to keep track of when they were.
I didn't care about the characters near as much as I wanted to.
The angst in this film is almost oppressive. I just couldn't wait for it to end so I would no longer be subjected to it.
Mare of Easttown (2021)
Ugh!
This trend of shows with characters who are all miserable basket cases is just tedious, boring, and a chore to watch.
There is no one to root for. I have better things to do than make myself miserable.
Voltaire (1933)
Underrated
Count De Sarnac: Mr. Voltaire, you are a great poet and a great liar.
Voltaire: The first accomplishment gave me an entrance to the court. The second enabled me to stay there.
If you get a chance to see this movie, I recommend it. Very entertaining!
Emma. (2020)
Took a star off for gratuitous nudity
If I could have skipped the nudity and it makes no difference to the plot, meaning, or exposition, it's worthless. And a waste of my time. And unnecessary for any Jane Austen story anyway.
The Witches (2020)
Entirely inappropriate for kids
The witches are FAR, FAR, FAR too creepy and scary for a kids movie.
The acting is superb but that doesn't matter.
Too bad. I wanted to like it.
The Hardy Boys (2020)
Loved it!
It's great! Highly recommended and rated PG, so you can safely watch it with your middle schoolers and above.
A lot of fun and well-written. Really engaging characters.