Brattsy Reviews

Accused: Danny's Story (2023) Season 1, Episode 3

Silly and lazy storytelling

[1/10 · 12 May 2023]

This episode made me stop watching. Imagine if Law & Order suddenly put an Alfred Hitchcock episode in the middle of the season. It wasn't what I signed up for and just felt incongruent to the theme.

The writers/showrunners likely were trying to stick a different formula in to be less predictable. Instead, the stuck in what felt like an episode made for American Horror Story. It was weird, creepy, and made no sense in the theme of the series. I have no idea if the other episodes are this disjointed and I don't intend to find out. Though I don't mind Alfred Hitchcock, it wasn't the theme I was led to believe. I don't enjoy being misled and cheated.

FBI: Most Wanted: Chattaboogie (2021) Season 2, Episode 15

Gold bars weigh 12.5 kg (or 24+ pounds) each.

[7/10 · 1 October 2021]

Can people please tell actors these things? Having them toss around a bar in their hand like it weighs the same as a bracelet is just frustrating af. It's this kind of thing that ruins a good show.

Sexy Beasts (2021)

Shallow shallow shallow

[2/10 · 22 July 2021]

Stars are for the comedian narrator. When he couldn't save this disaster.

In the first episode you have a hot model and 3 hot guys, one of whom is a total dirt bag. Our dirt bag who admits he can't stay faithful and has a wandering eye is told by our model that she doesn't agree. You can tell she's bothered by it. Yet guess who she picks?

Tbh none of them seemed more than shallow gross products of a failed reality show, so she had no good choices. But then again, she was the epitome of a stereotype I'd hoped had long died--that models are spoiled, shallow airheads.

I watched one episode and couldn't deal with more.

Really awful.

6 Underground (2019)

Honestly thougth I'd watch Ryan Reynolds painting a white wall white. I was wrong.

[5/10 · 23 December 2019]

This movie is so bad. My 4 stars are for Ryan Reynolds. And one star for the movie itself. I'm all about stupid-fun action. And if that was all this movie was, it'd be an enthusiastic 8 stars, because, unlike what the positive reviews are saying, most people know, and like, stupid-fun action movies.

What lets this movie down is the editing, continuity, and flow. A stupid fun movie started out confusing, became tedious, and then became atrocious, and then became unwatchable. My husband and I turned it off an hour in.

Prodigal Son (2019–2021)

Could have been a 9. Probably Deserved a 7. I gave it an 8.

[8/10 · 24 September 2019]

This shows problem resides in writers who feel the need to coddle an audience while at the same time writing a really good main character.

Listen, writers, you don't need this much exposition spelled out for your audience. Trust us. We're smart to read the not-so-subtle subtext. You also don't need to have several cheesy monologues to bad guys in order to have your character have this big reveal to other characters/us. It's cheesy and unnecessary and that kind of thing drags down a otherwise interesting show.

That criticism said, the incredible main character;s development is outstanding. Not the acting, however, because so far that's meh (I chalk that to it being a pilot). But the vulnerability and *genuine* flaws in the main character are absolutely fantastic to see.

I'll keep watching as it was my most anticipated show of the season. I can only see it getting better as the lead wears his character more often.

Someone Great (2019)

Diffult to rate

[6/10 · 28 May 2019]

Let's start off with the one reason I gave this 6 stars instead of 4. The scenes with Nate and Jenny are outstanding. If this move had been just their story, it would have been boring, but I'd rate that part of the movie a 9. They are phenomenal together and the story line itself is outstanding.

That said, I disagree with most of the critics re the girls' 'chemistry'. I found them bland and uninteresting together and even less intereting together. Oddly enough, the best chemistry is the secondary straight romance. I didn't get enough of the gay one to make it in any way significant. In fact, the gay romance felt thrown in as an afterthought (And since I'm gay, this isn't about homophobia). Thus, the score lowered from a 9 to a 7 because, I did smile and enjoy the romances/secondary stories as I felt they contributed in making the story 'lighter'.

However, if I had to rate the 'comedy' portion of the story, it'd be a 1. It was so unfunny that several times I grimaced. It wasn't even cringe-comedy. It was just plain cringe. Unfunny is too mild a word.

Go into this without expecting to laugh and you'll enjoy it.

The Society (2019)

Changed from 5/10 to 7/10 and then to an 8/10 when I started writing the review

[8/10 · 18 May 2019]

I binged watched every episode without figuring out why. Until now.

I started this review with 'stereotypes and formula abound' in The Society, had to challenge my own perspective once I started I finished writing my thoughts..

The compelling thing about this show were the smart characters and the things you don't expect:

No one person is the 'genius'. And even the 'smart' ones are not so exceptionally smart you roll your eyes. There are moments you forgive whatever accomplishment that happens too fast for the sake of time. (for instance, I don't want to watch someone learn to use an IV needle 80x).. Those little nitpicks were all I could fault.

Most of the characters have layers. Even the 'villains'. I also had more than one moment of sympathy and empathy for each 'villain'. You see all of them trying to do the right thing, some being more selfish and some trying not to be selfish and having a hard time doing it, esp since it means sacrifice.

I'll go against the grain and say it's got great acting. Although, I did have to challenge my own perspective when I get tired of the constant crying. As I write this,.I had to remind myself how I would react to these things, and, yes, bawling would be happening a lot.

Drilling down even further to the compelling aspect, I think what drove home the shows premise is a moment when I saw a real tparalysis of decision. When it came to a teenager being faced with an emergency, and having no idea what to do or who to go to, they did what you'd expect--nothing.

There are other moments when the paralysis and lack of knowledge played out how you'd imagine irl. Those moments make the show better than most. As I wrote this review, I bumped my stars to an 8 because I realized how many times those scenes made things more real, and thus, made the show more compelling.

A Vigilante (2018)

Tough to Review, tougher to watch

[7/10 · 29 March 2019]

I think some of the other reviewers were expecting Death Wish or Taken 4. That's not this movie. This story is about abuse survivors. It's about what it takes to break free.

It has some powerful moments that make your stomach drop and your heart ache. They felt real to me. Several times, I found myself wondering if they hadn't cast real victims retelling their stories. That's how good it is in that portion. But this is a slow film, so slow that I almost pulled out my phone to do stuff. That's never a good thing. I dropped my stars to a 6 because of that. If I were more honest, the story is more of a 5, but I bumped it up to a 7 because of the acting. It really is phenomenal, imo.

The Order (2019–2020)

It's Really Good But...

[8/10 · 7 March 2019]

Don't expect Magicians-caliber writing. Honestly, when I saw the trailer, I looked at my husband and said , the acting will be awful, the sfx awesome, and the story meh. But, I was wrong. It's less pithy than Magicians, less clever, but it's well written, most of the acting was good-some really good (the villain is outstanding).

Cons:

The lead characters have no chemistry.

The lead female character is bland and boring.

The lead male needs more of a character development. He starts off more interesting and then a couple of really big plot points that could have been a major development stages just sort of...changed behavior not the character himself. As in, it felt like he was acting a certain way because that was the script not because of these life changing events. Missed opportunity on the writers' part.

The ending made me nearly throw something at my TV. Rawr.

The Kissing Booth (2018)

Hard to Rate

[7/10 · 13 May 2018]

The acting was good, for the type of movie it was. The chemistry was great. I liked all of the main characters, but the writers WTF? They blamed the love interest for what the main female character was responsible for? WTF? Did I miss why everyone hated the love interest as well? I mean, sure, maybe they didn't think he was right for her, I get that, but they all seemed to actively DISLIKE him. EVERYONE in the mc's life hated him. I didn't get that at all. I actually came to write I think my third? review on this site after 10 years because I'm so confused.

Is this explained in the book or something? Did he do something other than kiss/sleep with a lot of girls?

Burnt (I) (2015)

Boring. Nothing. But beautifully shot

[4/10 · 9 January 2016]

I wanted to love this movie. I can't count the number of cooking shows that I watch or the number of movies I love about cooking/chefs. I mean, I love some really terrible movies (No Reservations, Simply Irresistible) and, yet, Burn left a sour taste-- no, that's not accurate. At least sour would have been tangible.

It's well-acted. The shots with the food are out of this world beautiful. The characters are likable. The problem is that this movie is about nothing. Not the food. Not the characters. Not the restaurant. It's about nothing. Worse, it starts strong and with the promise of a story, and then it slowly deflates midway until by the third act, it's a lifeless pile of blah where it wallows until the end.

Red Dawn (2012)

Awful

[1/10 · 8 March 2013]

I have never rated anything on IMDb this low. This movie is simply awful. From the misogynistic, superficial portrayal of the women in the groups, to the ridiculous dialogue and premise, this is a forced emotional manipulation of the lowest order.

Soldiers by the thousands PARACHUTING into a city? Really? REALLY?

I'll start with the portrayal of women as weepy sycophants who bemoan their plight while the men stand around and comfort them. Not one of the guys in this movie cried, but every woman who entered the scene after the invasion was weeping.

One of the two leads is vapid(Jed) and the other is an idiot(I still can't remember his name--the younger brother). I don't feel like devoting any time to explaining why.

Bad. Bad. Bad.

Comic Book Men (2012–2018)

Oddly Awesome and Compelling

[10/10 · 25 March 2012]

I clicked the stars to rate this at first an eight, but then I got to thinking about how I came about watching this show and I had to bump it to a ten.

Normally, Reality TV and I do not mix well. They're just not a type of show that interest me. When I started the first episode, I had no idea it was reality TV. I almost turned it off. And then a customer came into the shop.

It was like the Antique Roadshow(a show I love), but with comic books and a funnier cast.

I quickly found the rest of the episodes and I haven't stopped watching.

The store's manager is funny, smart and he has integrity, something many Reality TV shows lack in their main cast of characters. The whole cast of the show is quirky and interesting, actually.

This is the first review for anything from me on IMDb, though I've belonged for years. I just felt compelled to write this review, much like the compulsion to watch the show.

I don't even like comic books! It's still really, really great.