Change Your Image
marissawharton
Reviews
The Artful Dodger (2023)
Such Good Fun
This show was just great fun from start to finish. The premise was interesting and the plot lines were fun, the chemistry between the main characters was great, and even the supporting characters each had something to offer.
They did so well with the slow burn between Jack and Lady Belle and it really paid off in the end. Props to the actors for how they played each line and look between the two characters.
I thought the younger sister was also a surprising standout and the actress who played Fanny had great comedic timing.
And a special shout-out to Fagin - so incredibly well acted from his posture to his inflections.
All around a really fun show. Fingers crossed for a Season 2!
A Brush with Christmas (2022)
It was okay...
It was a decent concept but not the strongest writing or acting. The male lead carried the movie while the others just kind of recited their lines. There were also some incredibly cheesy choices (cheesier than usual for these types of movies) made between the dialogue, delivery, and cinematography.
The mom especially was poorly written - very flip and flop about whether she wants her daughter to pursue her dreams or not. And the apple doesn't fall far apparently because the daughter seemed very flip and flop about her own dreams. It's okay to be lost and confused but sometimes her decisions just don't really add up.
I liked the wardrobe choices and the sets and the Christmas decorations but it was hard to finish the movie.
P. S. He shouldn't have given up the job, she should have gone with him!
Dream Wedding (2023)
Please don't waste your time
I love Great American Family so I hate writing this, but after spending the last hour and a half watching this movie, I have to help prevent others doing the same thing.
The plot is thin and tired, the actors are caricatures of themselves (especially the "villain" and the parents), and the dialogue is just bad. Kate's change in character and decision making makes no sense given how they established her in the beginning and some of the lines of dialogue in general are kind of mean. At least the magazine editor had common sense and was reasonable. The wrap up was far too quick and the payoff wasn't there due to lack of chemistry and no build up! Why are we supposed to root for Kate and the photographer (sorry, I don't even recall his name) when she showed absolutely no interest in him the entire movie and spent her time fawning over the body builder just to later make him feel bad about his entire personality with a single sentence?
Jesse Hutch and the actor who played the sister's fiancé did their best, but unless you are realllllyyyy a fan of either of those actors, just don't waste your time.
If this was your first introduction to Great American Family, please don't give up on the channel! This is by far the worst movie I've ever seen on the channel. I'm not sure who greenlit it but hopefully Great American never releases anything of this level of quality again.
Asteroid City (2023)
I struggled with this one...
I haven't seen all of Wes Anderson's work, but I've seen enough to have a good idea of his style. Nevertheless, I sat in the theater struggling to fully grasp Asteroid City. It had it's moments of comedy, romance, conflict, and reflection, but none of it came together for me. I found myself confused and bored for the majority of the runtime, and I - and the rest of the group - left the theater wondering if I was the one lacking media literacy, or if it was the writing that was the source of confusion.
Per usual, the visuals are stunning and it was fun to see the all star cast in new roles. But alas, it's not a movie I'll rewatch or recon to others.
Shotgun Wedding (2022)
A good plane movie
Watched it during a flight and it was decent enough entertainment. Certainly wasn't the best movie I've ever seen - weak script, no chemistry between the mains, and unnecessary violence for a comedy. I won't be recommending it to others, but it had a few good moments, Jennifer Coolidge's scenes being among them.
IMBD is requiring me to add characters to this review in order to submit, so here are the extraneous words to fill the space and keep you occupied in the time you could be spending watching a movie. Although reading this fluff might be a better use of time than watching Shotgun Wedding.
Along for the Ride (2022)
Pleasantly Surprised
You know what, I was very pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a very predictable, cheesy coming of age Netflix movie, and that's exactly what I got. But the chemistry between the cast, especially the two leads, was fantastic. They created a fun, heartfelt story in a cute setting and it was certainly a bit different than most of the other Netflix teenage romcoms out there. Not an award winning film perhaps, but they don't all have to be. It was time well spent in my opinion.
Adding another sentence or two to appease the idmb character count. Nevermind this statement written purely for fluff.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
Read the book...
... and then don't watch the movie. The source material is fantastic and they had a very hard time adapting it for the big screen. Sadly it just didn't work.