jfenn53058 Reviews

Elsbeth (2024– )

Derivative plots

[7/10 · 13 April 2024]

The lead character is well portrayed, enough to carry the other-words straightforward, and derivative plots.

I enjoy the show, but there aren't any other relationships with the lead's coworkers to be able to carry separate individual plots during the shows.

It's all built around a single person, counting on her quirkiness to carry it all. If they could bring in a consistent team seen each week and develop their relationships, this could grow into a compelling show.

As is, there is nothing to emotionally become attached. There is no family like in Blue Bloods, no romantic tension like in Castle, no team with which to build interpersonal relationships and therefore emotional connections by the viewer in each hour's show....

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022)

Finally a kids movie without an agenda

[8/10 · 24 October 2022]

Went with 5 year old, audience was comprised of families like us, and older people as well - no one in the audience in the middle age range except with young children.

All the kids and a few adults clapped at the end. Entertaining fantasy, no agenda, just fun...The only reason for the 8 is a bit of a slow part towards the end, maybe 2/3 of the way through, as it is 91 minutes long - a bit long for the young. But still...

Catchy songs, good pace in general, entertaining.

At the start, when Lyle is young and discovered singing, we just accept that he is a singing crocodile - if you can do that, you'll enjoy the movie. If you don't jump into the fun with both feet, or if you can't get caught up in a child's fun at the thought of a friendly singing crocodile, you won't like it.

So grab the popcorn or candy and sit back and have fun.

A Splash of Love (2022 TV Movie)

Good chemistry, scenery, reliably predictable story

[8/10 · 31 July 2022]

I liked this movie for entertainment value though it didn't require much brain power on the plot or outcomes. The leads had good chemistry. I like Orcas and the Squamish/Britannia, BC area where this was filmed, so the scenery made it enjoyable.

I might have thought she was overacting a bit in her school girl glee; reactions in a couple of scenes, except that I have a relative who is also a wildlife scientist and she reacts the same way.

Female lead's voice is at times low and has the start of a smoker's rasp, and then it becomes nearly a squeal with delight which takes the audience along in the emotion - nice acting, gestures, facial gestures. The male lead was laid back and steady...nice couple to watch onscreen.

This is one of those movies that demonstrates why we watch Hallmark movies; nice acting, great scenery, clean dialogue and story, and all story lines get wrapped neatly in a bow in the last 3 minutes of the film.

An entertaining way to spend a quiet Saturday night at home...

One Summer (2021 TV Movie)

Dealt well with real-life situation

[9/10 · 28 June 2022]

I've dealt with several situations similar to this - the death of a spouse with young children still in the house. Through a series of flashbacks/imaginations of the male lead and his late wife, the script moves the story of healing along nicely.

The 16 year old girl plays it pretty accurately to some real life situations I've seen, with the anger, up and down emotions and such...

I felt the final 10 minutes were rather contrived and not really needed. A more creative writing team could have easily brought reconciliation following the same pattern throughout the movie, that of serious conversations - instead, they fell back on a crisis and that narrowly averted, to bring the story to its conclusion.

I liked it, move along more slowly than many Hallmark movies, but the walk through the roller coaster of emotions the actors portrayed is true to life from my experience...well done overall.

Uncharted (2022)

Could have been more family friendly

[4/10 · 16 March 2022]

My wife and I went thinking maybe a fun adventure movie we might want to see with our teen grandkids- The continual use of s**t and the Lord's name in vain throughout, ruled that out.

What could have been a fun, if not believable story line, movie for the family, was in our book ruined by non-family oriented language.

Good Sam (2022)

"House" wannabe without the humor...

[4/10 · 8 January 2022]

...supporting cast chemistry, nor mysterious medical conditions. I wanted to finish the pilot, but lost interest at the implausibility of the events depicted therein. I'll give episode 2 a try....

That said, I realize the pilot sets up the storyline- but they need to move quickly on to actually become a medical drama not a family of doctors drama.

Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)

Very narrow target audience

[1/10 · 7 November 2021]

Bubbly rounded "bot" and the style of animation appeals to young children- when we saw it the theater was filled with families whose children were in the 3-7 year old range.

But the story line is about a disenfranchised middle school boy, friendless, alone, left out. My 6 year old was bored, never connected to the story line from the start, and we left within 20 minutes or so.

But we did enjoy the popcorn and candy while we were there...

Love in the Forecast (2020 TV Movie)

If you overlook some glaring shortcomings....

[6/10 · 15 September 2021]

Cute enough story line, I watched because I like the leads, and they carried the story.

But why in the world did they cast an actress as the mom of the female lead who can't be any more than 4-5 years older than her on-screen daughter? You can't just frost her hair and give her glasses and think the viewers can't tell they could be sisters.

Another mid-cast character is the female lead's co-worker who keeps making advances toward her all movie long - why cast someone who is let us say, is metrosexual or perhaps a negative testosterone level in comparison to the male lead?

Those two mis-cast actors combined with the supposed setting of Conway, Arkansas when the foliage amd scenery is clearly the Pacific SW Canada...

Mediocre, like assembled too fast to get details right, even to the point of those two mis-cast characters. And yet...worth watching if you like the two leads.

Jungle Cruise (2021)

Not a young child family movie

[3/10 · 11 August 2021]

Zombies, snakes, some of which coming out of un-dead bodies....could have been a fun adventure, they took it dark.

Crashing Through the Snow (2021 TV Movie)

Amy Acker makes it worth it

[7/10 · 25 July 2021]

The ex-husband was really, really, miscast, and while the all around nice-ness of the ex and step-mother dynamic is a bit too saccharine for me, the emotions of a blended family during Christmas make it worth watching.

Spirit Untamed (2021)

Not a sequel, totally different

[8/10 · 13 June 2021]

The first 20 or so minutes had the 6 year old with me looking around at anything but the movie, but once Spirit made his appearance and from that point on, all eyes were on the screen. It has everything a kid likes; horses, trains, ship, good guys, bad guys, drama and some humor.

It doesn't stray far from the basic formula so common in the digital animation movies nowadays of girl power, cute animals, weak, evil, or inept men, racial diversity, and everything works out in the end (ie; Spirit, Moana, Frozen, Tangled, Mulan, Lilo, Pocahontas, etc) - but after the first 20 minutes or so the action is non-stop and totally held the attention of kids and parents alike.

In other words, nothing new here folks. But it is entertaining and the action soon starts - adults just don't expect this to be a sequel to the original, your child won't care and will love the movie.

The Good Doctor: Frontline, Part 1 (2020) Season 4, Episode 1

Not the same chemistry

[1/10 · 6 November 2020]

Melendez dead, opening new season about Covid...they lost me. What is best about the show is number one, the chemistry between the characters, and number two, the dealing with health issues which are not hitting you in the face in every headline encountered in life. I might tune in a couple weeks down the road after they get off this topic to see it it gets back to its former glory.

Castle: The Blue Butterfly (2012) Season 4, Episode 14

My favorite Castle, hands down

[10/10 · 15 May 2020]

Has everything Castle was known for: Chemistry, comedy, drama and irony, and lots of fun...all while keeping you guessing all the way through.

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

Constant cursing moves this out of kids movie category

[2/10 · 23 March 2020]

What, something like 4 "GD's and a "Chr*st" in the opening minutes...We were hoping for a more family oriented movie like the previous ones. Glad we waited until it was on rental because after a few minutes we just turned it off and did something else.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)

4-5 year old bored, 10-13 enjoyed it

[8/10 · 23 August 2019]

Overall they did a great job with many nods and references to cartoon Dora. The issue is that cartoon Dora is meant for young children, while the intense temple amd warriors/magic scenes in the last 30 minutes of the movie are not cartoonish, but are instead intense at a level above the normal audience of the cartoon.

Our four-year-old granddaughter was enthralled with the first 20 minutes but then quickly lost interest. The 10 & 13-year-old granddaughters loved it and there were several laugh out loud moments.

If only they could have lightened up the temple/treasure scenes of the last 30 minutes.

Toy Story 4 (2019)

Where's Bullseye the horse and the rest of the friends?

[4/10 · 22 June 2019]

I would rank the 4 movies in the series in order of best to last 1, 3, 4, 2. This is more plot driven than the others, to bring the series to an end I suppose, with chuckles and laughs spaced far apart.

Unfortunately Buzz Lightyear is seen sparingly so the give and take between Woody and Buzz is missing, replaced with Woody alone front and center. There's no Bullseye, the other characters really aren't involved to the same degree of the others. Rather dark but not as bad as #2. Just average, go to see how they end the series if for nothing else. Entertaining, but not their best effort.

Love Takes Flight (2019 TV Movie)

Touching and well done multi-generational story

[6/10 · 28 April 2019]

With the exception of the pilot character calling the helicopter rotors 'propellers' in the beginning, this movie hit solidly on several themes: Closed-off single mom, hurting widower father and adult son, job romances, job pressures and dangers.

Yes, there is the usual break-up around the bottom of the 2nd hour that seems to be a Hallmark movie requirement, but all the elements come together in the end.

I appreciated the less than saccharine tone, choosing to deal with real-life issues providing more depth than many a Hallmark movie. Well done. A keeper.

Dumbo (2019)

Almost skipped because Tim Burton direction, but pleasantly surprised

[7/10 · 29 March 2019]

With 3 uses of 'hell' in the movie and a person dying in the first few minutes, you'll know this is not merely a remake of the original. The first 50 minutes more or less follows and sums up the original, but it departs to its own story after that. That last part takes place mostly at night, and that's where you especially see the Tim Burton influence. The said, being Dumbo it is pretty tame and all is well in the end - it was entertaining, and the 5 year old with me enjoyed it.

Wonder Park (2019)

Mediocre and misleading, potentially hurtful

[4/10 · 23 March 2019]

This isn't about an imaginative little girl's pretend amusement park with cute talking animals that are the true stars; it is about a little girl working through her fear and grief of her mother's life-threatening illness while the mom leaves her husband and daughter to seek specialized treatment in another city. For anyone touched by the threat of a terminal illness it comes like a slap in the face because ads make it appear to be a light and airy fun filled fantasy. There is no effort to cause her animal friends to connect with the audience; they are utterly forgettable. Nothing memorable here, and potentially hurtful for those affected past or present with life-threatening illness.

Falling for Vermont (2017 TV Movie)

Entertaining if not implausible.

[7/10 · 13 February 2019]

The basic premise is understood; woman gets in car wreck, suffers amnesia, temporarily adopted by loving family consisting a single dad and two children.

An hour into the movie and I'm still wondering how incompetent the law-enforcement is in this little town, LOL. The fact the Sheriff finds her walking down the middle of the road would naturally lead law enforcement to the theory that she had a car accident. Work backwards from there, find her car, and her identity is discovered within 24 hours.

That said, I really enjoyed the movie and will hope the good citizens will elect a new sheriff by the time the next movie rolls around, LOL.

A Dog's Way Home (2019)

Cute, heart warming, if you can overlook the agendas and stereotypes

[8/10 · 12 January 2019]

I went with children ages 4, 10, and 12, and all (including me) thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The 'agenda' items like the married gay couple about mid-way through, and the war veterans suffering from depression utilizing dogs for therapy, went over the heads of the kids.

So if you can be adult enough to overlook the agendas and stereotypes and enjoy a nicely paced (no slow parts) family movie reminiscent of 'Homeward Bound' without the sassiness, do so. Take the kids or grandkids and you'll come away from the movie the way movies like this are expected to leave you - happy, wiping away a few happy tears, and all the loose ends tied up in a bow.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

No songs you'll come away from singing

[3/10 · 21 December 2018]

With the multiple references to the original Mary Poppins throughout this movie, and even in the title, my hope was this movie would be as light and airy as the original - a movie that had every kid in my neighborhood and school singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Let's Go Fly a Kite and I Love to Laugh.

This is not that. Sadly, no one came out of the theater humming or singing any of the songs - not our grandchildren, no other kids, no adults...that tells the tale. In fact there are some suggestive lyrics in 'The Cover is Not the Book' that is over the heads of the kids, but it surprised and disappointed the adults in our group.

That said, the visuals are generally amazing, and there were several things to smile about, but it was a bit like washing your feet with your socks on...gets the job done, just something isn't quite right. One person near by was overheard to say as he left, 'That was excruciating to sit through', while a roughly 12 year old girl was overhead saying "I thought it was really good." Same with these reviews which range from 10 to my 3, so you'll experience the same range I would guess upon seeing the movie.

A Star Is Born (2018)

Great songs if you can wade through 73 f-bombs and 3 min graphic sex scene

[3/10 · 8 September 2018]

Take out the time for the 10 songs or so and you have an f-bomb every minute or so. Can't see Judy Garland nor even Streisand versions this vulgar. In the 'old days' scripts had to be thought out, innuendo, intrigue, and suggestive material was nuanced by the actors. Just sad to see writers not using much brain power to communicate the rawness of characters and their situations, choosing to just drop f-bombs everywhere which does not render the same impression on the viewer.

Christopher Robin (2018)

Slow first half for this simple reason...

[5/10 · 10 August 2018]

The show opens strong, with the young title character in the Hundred Acre Wood with his 'Pooh' friends. But then there is a probably 30 minute void without them as we watch C. Robin grow up. Both my son (5) and I were bored at that point and I was left wondering how much more I could handle.

If I were writing this movie I would have, and could have easily woven the 'Pooh' characters throughout the movie, rather than having a large void without them.

Once past that point the movie is fast paced with the characters interacting with people - it finishes strong, thus the 5 stars. Nice to see once, but no need to see again. Even 2 non-relative kids ages 7 were overheard talking among themselves upon leaving "The first part was boring, but it was a good movie at the end." 'Nuff said.

Yes, I Do (2018 TV Movie)

Put your mind and body in neutral and give it a chance

[6/10 · 8 July 2018]

I was not familiar with any of the actors or actresses so had no expectations on them beyond wanting a couple hours of resting my mind and body and watching a G rated rom/com.

Other than the lighting making the female lead looking washed out half the time, this story followed a fairly predictable course but was fun. The lead female character definitely had some emotional issues to work through, lol, but the formula works...nice movie if you just need to slip into neutral and just play along with the plot...