redinnevada Reviews

After the Flood (2024– )

low ball BBC fare

[5/10 · 23 May 2024]

I came for the quality we usually get from a BBC show. But this feels like an American stylized police procedural, where one officer is going rogue. That might not have been so bad, if any of the characters were likable. But few are. Aside from Lee, the baby savior, most of these characters have off-putting personalities. I can't get behind the primary character going rogue because she's such a know-it-all I root for her to get chastised instead.

For some reason, maybe her Dad being a popular copper before, they all think she's wonderful. So apparently she's risen through the ranks fairly quickly and maybe even easily. Since no one seems able to rein her in or make her behave like other trainees should, she simply goes about doing whatever SHE wants to do with very little repurcussions for it. Even her own husband can't get her to stop misbehaving. They're playing that as if he's trying to make her be a stay-at-home mom but that doesn't make sense because what he's upset at her over is completely legitimate (not throwing herself in raging floods to save others when she's pregnant). Then we find out she's lied to him about her due date entirely to get what she wants out of being a cop? As if that's somehow excusable because she's just so gungho to make her dead copper daddy proud. Who thinks like this?

Nah, this is just a spoiled child who believes in nepotism in some magical way. As if her DNA is special so she gets to do what she wants. Her dad must've been truly something then. But we don't know...they never really give us any of that backstory.

I'll finish the series because now I'm curious about the 'who done it' part, but not because I like the show itself. But if there's a 2nd season, Im not investing because I don't like these people in general.

Don't Worry Darling (I) (2022)

unexpected surprises

[8/10 · 19 May 2024]

I wasn't planning on watching this movie. The drama surrounding the making of it turned me off, not to mention I'd read a few reviews that weren't very encouraging. It was just mired in too much hype and murkiness.

But I'm glad I did. I came across it on a bored Hulu afternoon and gave it 15 mins to sink or swim. It swam. Then it felt like it was gonna sink but there were enough intriguing balls lobbed at the viewer I kept going. And I'm glad again that I waded through.

It IS murky, a bit rambley, somewhat confusing, but suddenly it's like clouds parted and it began to make SOME sense right when I was reaching for the remote.

This isn't your typical sci-fi thriller. Very much NOT so. It's buried in Pleasantville pastel colors, covered up by Rob Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke show surreality, feeling exposed like in The Truman Show then glossed over with The Matrix blue pill/red pill enigma set ups.

Once I realized the REAL story, I knew it was actually a keeper of a movie. It's even relevant to our political landscape of the moment as in: gender stereo-typing, mans need to reign superior where he's *allowed* to be the provider in an idyllic society where everyone lives happy as long as they just follow the ideological rules that Frank has decreed. Frank's the man...the man's man. No one is gonna ruin Frank's and his accolytes fantasy dream world. No one.

It's got some issues getting this point across. That's a LOT to present to a viewer in just a few hours. And the artistic parts of the movie are WAY too much at times. It also doesn't really bring anything to propel the story forward...it just confuses us viewers as to what it's supposed to mean. I guess the folks who decide how many times we have to watch the water-dancers do their routine really thought it was conveying some kind of subliminal message just can't understand that WE can't understand it's meaning if they aren't gonna give us any clues. They really could've done without all the water-dancing scenes. Waste of time there.

And we could've been let in on the REAL time period we're talking about much earlier in the movie than it was revealed. I'm sure many people gave up on it long before that was shown. Because that's the linchpin there. Once you realize that what we're seeing is just a FANTASY of 1950's lifestyles being "lived" via being in a psy-ops program in the 2020's then it really does start to get interesting. But they only give us that the last 15 mins. Not enough time to REALLY go.. "OMG...that's fascinating!"

This movie is about virtual reality taken to an extreme level by men (and 1 woman) who want to harken back to better days for them. Not the women having better days, although they think the women ARE living their best lives in the "dream", but at least THEY are being allowed to "provide" the way men are supposed to be able to.

See, I kinda wish I'd known that from the start. Or soon after the start anyway. It woulda made this better all the way around because I spent too much time wondering what the heck I was watching. But once that clicked in, THEN I was hooked. And understood more. Better.

They shoulda marketed this in a different way, showed us what we were ACTUALLY watching sooner. And then it could've been a good movie on it's own merit instead of because of all the drama surrounding it in real life..now...2024.. err.. 2023.. whatever.

Worth a watch, but watch closely.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018)

empty drama

[4/10 · 18 May 2024]

Every actor in this is terrific.

Thats as good as it's gonna get.

I get it, actors gotta eat. So they gotta work. So, they grab a book or a script and....make this crap.

The story is drivel. The execution of the story is terrible in it's telling. The characters are all people I don't WANT to see come out on top...well..except for the "nice" neighbors who root for the family despite their weirdness.

The pivotal story is about a child who's allowed to be the psychopath she is. She has her reasons for being this way so apparently her sister excuses it...until it's inconvenient. What makes it inconvenient is the sister is lonely and their good-looking cousin comes to visit, wants to snoop for the riches, decides he can take the sister too. But the psychopath stands in his way of being man of the house. So, she burns the house which kills really the ONLY interesting character (the uncle who writes weird stories)?? WTF?

But nah, it's ok. She had her reasons.

Interesting idea gone to waste on bad story-telling of it all.

But the actors are all great in it. Thumbs up there!

Ctrl+Alt+Desire (2024)

spoiled rich kid

[5/10 · 17 May 2024]

I'm still not sure I can recommend this. It's disturbing but not in the way that's intended I don't expect. First up, I hate this guy. He's the most spoiledest, childish, selfish, egocentric spoiled grown man who refuses to be an adult I've ever seen. Well, in a documentary.

That family was headed for disaster before the murders and they can thank MOM for that. She obviously was driving the super weird set up of having 2 grown ADULT (30 yrs old) sons still living at home who have NO lives outside of the house. All super successful in their chosen fields, until psycho son starts to fall apart and fall behind the golden son. Psycho son professes that golden son is the "love of his life" ....what is that about? Super weird!

Dad only steps up once the finances are impacted but that's only to say he's leaving the mom but not really??

These people are screwy...no wonder psycho went psycho. Well, except for one thing. He's a ROTTEN human! They raised a horrible person!

This didn't deserve to be a documentary, EXCEPT for the unusual family dynamics that set this whole thing in motion. But they never really explored the only thing that I was curious about.

No, instead they focused on his obsessing over a cam model. Yah? So? Lots of men do that...they don't MURDER for it! Neither actually did Grant.

No, he murdered because he wasn't getting his WAY to fulfill his obsession. He moved his obsession to another girl soon as he could after he couldn't get to "Sylvie" in Bulgaria. He murdered his family because they were telling him NO after 30 yrs of giving him whatever he wanted.

That's not a documentary. It's pathetic.

Tracker: Off the Books (2024) Season 1, Episode 12

Perfect just got better

[10/10 · 14 May 2024]

I'm an unabashed fan of Tracker. From the cast in it, to the stories it gives us, to the underlying mystery we are teased with regarding his parents, especially his dad's death. More so now that it's obvious Russell DIDN'T kill their dad.

But adding Jensen Ackles as his brother was a master stroke of luck and/or casting. These two are not only beautiful in their own right, they really could be brothers just by looks, attitude alone. But it doesn't hurt I already loved Jensen Ackles...his acting range is always delightful.

Colter is a bit of an introvert, quiet, even studious at times (gorgeous nerd, be still my heart) but he's also very physically capable of handling bad guys. Russell brings a much loved breath of fresh-air comic lightness to the show that I didn't even know was missing until it was there on the screen.

The two of them together is fun to watch...For that reason alone I hope they bring him back often.

Palm Royale (2024– )

Royale mess

[4/10 · 9 May 2024]

It starts off promising. Shows a young naive, idyllic long lost daughter(in law) of an old money "royalty" family of the nouveau riche in a gawdy materialistic Florida Palm Beach where all the pretty people do all day is drink, smoke and gossip. What's not to have fun with?

But it meanders WAAYY too much into all these other ridiculous plots that keep throwing cast members at us without any foundation and only serves to allow them a new 'skit' to run. Ala an SNL or even a Carol Burnett Variety hour skit. That would be fun too except they don't really seem to connect to each other in the long run. It's all just fodder for Wg to showcase her acting ability, which is undeniable. But there's no real DEPTH here.

And the finale? Ruined everything. What the heck was that hot mess doing, being served up as a FINALE? It could've served a better purpose 3 episodes in to set up an actual MYSTERY to follow along with while they go down the highway towards the 50th Beach Ball. Would've been a crazy ending to OUT "Agnes" at the ball. Instead, it's like the REAL story began in the last 5 mins of the entire series.

And no, it doesn't whet my appetite for a season 2 Royale. Because this feels like an absolute mean trick to play on the audience just to keep us hanging. Too manipulative to make it worth caring about.

Nah, all the finale did was make me Google 'is that it?" "is Royale over with that nasty episode 10?" to find out yep...that was it. Well, alrighty then. Leave us so abruptly, I'll leave too. Don't care enough about your audience to give them a somewhat respectable finale, then I won't be an audience member. Y'all cancelled yourself with that move.

Nice for a Sunday couch session, but skip investing in it. It's all fluff with no substance.

Jules (I) (2023)

Cute

[6/10 · 29 January 2024]

As a senior citizen myself, it was great to see so many aged actors in one place as the center of a movie. Ala Cocoon, this one is heartwarming and hopeful for us of a certain generation.

Enjoyable movie, liked the idea of some random citizen being 1st contact and deciding to keep it a secret because in these "disclosure" days, don't we ALL know that to report it means they'll swoop in, take it and literally (probably) tear it apart to reverse engineer it? Apparently even us old folks know this, so that was pleasing to see.

It was also interesting to see the portrayal of how an aged persons deteriorating mental state (aka dementia) could have an impact on younger folks taking older folks seriously. I mean, we know this will be true when it happens to us, it's just kinda depressing. Only other old folks will take us seriously, seems to be the message there. Not sure that's NOT accurate (depressing in itself).

Where it lost me was the final scenes. All that build-up, all that slow road to nowhere's-ville. Granted, probably how it'd really happen, no publicity, no parades, no accolades for being the one to save an alien being, etc.

But this is a movie. We GET to play with how we WANT something to end. And those final scenes where they not only didn't get to go with the alien (unexplained, after he offered them to go aboard) but why getting dropped off in a very inhospitable location on earth itself? WTH? That is NOT understandable, not satisfying.

So, yah, watch it...but maybe turn it off when they're running out to watch the alien escape the calvary coming to get him. Just pretend it ends on a better note. Because the last 3 mins will leave you deflated. =/

Yellowjackets (2021– )

slide to ridiculous

[4/10 · 22 January 2024]

I liked season 1. It was unique, weird, engaging, kept the storyline interesting and moving along, terrific actors (besides Juliette Lewis, what's wrong with her now? She seems so twitchy in everything she does lately), etc etc..so all worthwhile. Sure there were parts here and there that didn't make sense, but it was so interesting it was easy to overlook, plus there was more interesting parts than ridiculous ones to have to overlook.

That's just not true of season 2. They've gone completely off a cliff of any kind of sense and most episodes are spent by me trying to justify it's gonna get better. It has to, because it was already so good! Right? Wrong.

It hasn't and here I am on episode 7 of season 2, Burial. Where some eejit thought it was a great story to let Shauna beat the crap out of Lottie. I'm not talking just a slap or two. This is a straight up beating that can kill a person only halfway through what this beatdown included. And she did have physical issues afterwards but it didn't really add anything to the story so it got brushed over pretty quickly it seemed.

But this is a huge problem. They throw in vignettes of scenes that just don't need to happen and/or don't add ANYTHING to the story. It truly feels more like filler than truth to the story. And to choose one person literally kicking the snot out of another to the brink of death is a glaring neon sign of WTF are you people thinking? You're ruining what was a good show. Ruining it!

Are they letting different people write each episode? There doesn't feel like much continuity of some ideas being followed here. I'm on episode 8 so I'm going to finish this season, but I am not planning on watching any season 3, 2 yrs from now. This has become crap and the only reason I was still engaged so heavily was Christina Ricci. She's still terrific in everything she does.

Deadloch (2023– )

a struggle

[5/10 · 27 September 2023]

Before I start I have to say that I LOVE Aussie tv, it's always a geat time, pushes the envelope on ideas and usually comes out ahead of everyone else in the game.

But this one was a real struggle. It wasn't ruined by the dirty language, being irish we have lots of potty mouths in our family. It wasn't the sexuality, again...irish...we can get down and dirty with the best of 'em. It wasn't even that quite a few of the characters are truly obnoxious, the kind of obnoxious that seriously...I'd shove out the front door and lock it in their faces. I'd staight up do that to detective Eddie Redcliffe in a heartbeat.

Nah, this was ruined by 2 ridiculous caricatures of human beings. Detective Eddie Redcliffe and girlfriend Cath York. NEITHER of these clowns are bearable. I couldn't stand either of them. Over the top ridiculousness mixed with irritating stupidity.

Every scene they were in was cringey to the extreme. Are they bad actresses or are these just really super sh....tty characters?? After episode 4 I didn't care anymore and I stopped paying attention to them period. I only stayed to find out the "who did it" part.

If you can tune those 2 out, you'll be ok. If not, then you'd better go with what others say and decide this is a super wacky comedy because NOTHING else after that will give it any allowances for being worth wasting 8 hours of your life on.

Comedy with a side of seriousness or Crime with a side of stupidity....either way....it's not really worth it this time.

Us (II) (2019)

Us, They, Them. Get OUT

[1/10 · 24 September 2023]

In the beginning, I was so excited by what Peele had to offer. I really like his comedy pieces. And he seemed to offer up a new breed of horror from a new perspective with unusual twists and turns to keep it exciting. Much like M Night Shyamalan, his fresh takes showed promise of something new and exciting to enjoy.

Unfortunately for Peele, he doesn't seem to be able to keep it consistent quality offerings. M Night's can be a bit erratic but he hits the mark pretty close about half the time. Peele isn't even hitting the quarter-mark.

I absolutely think Peele's talented. But I think creative genius's get so caught up in thinking that they have to make EVERYTHING above and beyond special EVERY TIME that they lose sight of the fact that people have to LIKE what they're making. I don't care what the artist's name is, if it's crap, it's crap.

And this...is crap.

I feel badly for all the actors and anyone else involved in this endeavor because 30 yrs from now, their descendents are going to look at this mess and think "what the heck was grandma/grandpa thinking when they decided to be involved in this mess?"

Not a great legacy for any of them. And a complete waste of time for us viewers.

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

WAY better than most of the reviews declare

[9/10 · 20 August 2023]

I don't know what's gotten into people. I know M Night Shyamalan has a bit of a spotty record. I myself wasn't thrilled with The Village, OLD or The Happening. He has an off-beat, off-kilter way of telling a story sometimes. But never is it off-putting. Not like some of these reviews go into anyway.

But this particular story was delicious. It's telling, it's editing, it's cinematics...near perfect. (I only saw one blooper but it wasn't a biggie so no biggie)

Apocalyptic movies are ABOUT choices in a disaster. Seriously, that's the whole bottom line. Who has to do what to survive and make sure their loved ones do too. But what if part of that was deciding who of your loved ones literally had to DIE? But next up is no.... YOU don't get decide who, the victim has to decide it's them but YOU have to kill them? Holy heck batman...now what? I honestly couldn't do it. In fact, I'd choose to BE the one who died just so I wouldn't have to live with that afterwards. That's how much of a COWARD I am.

The fact this had a religious overtone to it, at first wasn't great to me, as an atheist. But it's a good plot point to base it on, the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. I like that, just like in Seventh Sign, another good "omen" movie that a lot of people panned as ridiculous. Mystical always holds my interest if not my belief system.

The actors took it to a higher grade as well, with everyone but ESPECIALLY the kid who played Wen!!! Doing a fantastic job. Was a nice break for Bautista to show us a softer, but also somewhat more menacing side to his talents than we get with Guardians. No wrong talents in this bunch.

This movie is so much better than the 6 or less folks are letting on.

100% worth putting into an M Night Shyamalan movie-thon night with Sixth Sense, Signs (my personal favorite), Glass, Split and now THIS one.

Hinterland (2013–2016)

Atmospheric palaver

[6/10 · 1 July 2023]

Came for the quality detective series that the UK offerings usually provide, stayed for the scenery and sets.

UK Detective series are my #1 genre. Smart, intelligent, provides good storylines without relying on a lot of useless fight scenes or car chases. All in all good storytelling.

This one doesn't quite live up to it. The mysteries aren't really all that engaging. And it's hard to tell if it's the story or the dull delivery of it all. I'm sure these actors are terrific in other gigs, but here the whole thing seems dimmed and not because of the gloomy atmosphere.

They all feel like they're bored. With their life in Wales, with their jobs, even with the mysteries they're charged to solve. The only character on the show who has a spark of life is Hannah Daniel. The character of DI Mared Rhys isn't very likable. She seems to go around judging people and finds everyone wanting. Even the main character, DCI Mathias isn't compelling because we're left too long wondering what his whole moody deal is. With no answers, after a while, we stop caring.

But the scenery, the sets inside big old Welsh mansions, the cobbled streets headed down to the sea, all of that will keep me watching if only to feel like I'm visiting home (in a way as some of my family comes from Wales).

Even that's not enough to keep it going forever though.

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

Quite intriguing

[9/10 · 26 May 2023]

I hadn't seen any trailers or anything about this movie so had no preconceptions before finding it on Prime. But I love both the main actors so figured how bad could it be? Even half bad would still be good enough for a 2 hour checking out of real life and enjoying something else instead.

Found this did the job better than just OK too.

The concept is original, the story even more so simply because who would think to have a running theme of ancestral history over thousands of years to help tie the djinn's lifetime history together? I certainly wouldn't have had that kind of creative well to pull from. So great job on original story lines and ingenuous continuity.

And the STORY...extremely engaging. Truly connects with understanding love lost, perils of loving too much or too deeply as well as how, even while great, might not be the best thing ever to happen to a person.

His need to connect, causing him to love quickly where and when he can juxtaposed with his forced isolation for centuries is heartbreaking all the more because we recognize we live through that ourselves on a much lesser scale.

I don't understand the criticisms of the ending. After watching the movie and reading them, it strikes me there IS NO OTHER ending that actually makes sense! He can't stay in this modern world. It's way too vicious on him, no matter what he does. How he's made vs where we're at technologically speaking is another juxtaposition that most of us never have to think about. But he has to because of how it's destroying him.

This story was magical...made all the more so by the cinematography through the ages from Sheba and Solomon's kingdoms to Sulieman's courts down to a modern hotel room. Very visually appealing.

Two hours magically spent.

The Rig (2023– )

what a mess

[3/10 · 6 May 2023]

Given the star power involved in this endeavor, I immediately thought "oh, this'll be good!" plus I usually enjoy a good disaster movie having grown up on the first forays into the genre in the 70's. Even campy disaster movies can be great fun just for the thrills of there-by-the-skin-of-my-teeth near death experiences they evoke.

But the truest disaster here was how much it devalued these stellar actors by making me wonder "what the heck were they thinking?"

Did NONE of them read the lazy script? The dialogue is brutal to have to listen to. It's so ridiculous, childish, tantrum throwing bs that it's actually comical, not worrisome. Not exactly what they were going for there, I'm sure.

Every other scene has every other actor flip-flopping on their attitude about what's happening and around and around they went.

Then throw in the most hateful character I've seen in a while and wow...just WOW! He's the main one I WANT to see die off and quickly, yet he's one of the survivors? Yah..no pleasure there.

This series had absolutely NO saving grace from start to finish. The ONLY reason I stuck it out was because I wanted to enjoy said death hateful person that never came.

Note to self: quit while ahead...turn this garbage off.

FBI: Doomsday (2018) Season 1, Episode 5

reviews full of ridiculousness

[7/10 · 7 March 2023]

This will probably be more of a review of reviews than the actual show....but....

nah, I'll review the show too.

This episode is fine, full of twisty turns that keep you interested without getting too technical in how a nuclear power plant actually functions.

Sound about right for having an enjoyable, hour-long, procedural FBi show we like tuning into? Ala' NCIS, Moonlighting (OLD OLD show), Castle (such fun) or any other well-written but obviously not FACTUAL procedural show? Yah...suits me too for what I expect when I'm tuning in.

If y'all are coming here to get a college degree on nuclear physics, JAG practices (NCIS), being a PI (Moonlighting), novel writing (Castle) or...then.. what-the-actual-???...you should be in college! Not tv watching to become experts! Gawd forbid it just be FUN! (eyeroll)

This episode was every bit as fine as the rest of them...maybe more so because it had an interesting backstory to it as well (the guy being a 10 most wanted as well as a "plant" at the plant)

True Lies: Pilot (2023) Season 1, Episode 1

True fun

[8/10 · 5 March 2023]

Don't listen to any negative or "shoulda been better" or not believable jibberjabber.

This opening episode was just True Lies FUN style, like the movie. The movie was pure fun, not MEANT to be a serious type action/drama/OR spy type offering.

JUST fun! This show captured that all.

Howey was great as Harry (he was funny in shameless too, Kevin Ball is fine by me), the actress who plays Helen was a great casting choice (not familiar with her stuff but appears to have her chops about her).

I hope the writing stays tight to be at least half-way plausible. That's the only area I could see becoming a problem (how do you have endless jobs where you teacher wife has to go too?).

I'm happy to see it. Hope it sticks.

The Captive (I) (2014)

man, I wish I could

[4/10 · 26 February 2023]

I wish I could give this a higher rating and give this a higher review. Ryan Reynolds is an all-time favorite of mine and while his acting in this movie is still stellar, this movie is pure crap.

There are just WAY too many plot holes in it to be watched without derision. I'm all for suspending belief in logic to get to the end of a great story, but thes stinker expects you to check your brain at the door and just think stuff that happens in this movie could REALLY happen.

Spoiler he actually gets to SEE, hug, talk to his daughter 8 years after she's abducted. How? They steal his trailer full of trees he's contracted to provide on a construction job where he ends up having to spend the night due to a blizzard. They steal the trees and then leave them in a straight line up a mountain and behind a locked fence where there's been a camera installed. He follows the trees up the hill to find...his daughter waiting for him. She talks gibberish to him about a riddle of "gimmicks" that he's somehow supposed to figure out. Then, surprise, surprise, when he refuses to leave and leave her behind, they shoot him with a tranquilizer. Knocking him out for 10 mins (they state this). But apparently, when he wakes up, he's got NO CLUE as to where she went. So no frantic running around trying to figure out where she disappeared to (which would make sense). But MORE importantly...he tells NO ONE this happened!!!

But honestly, why would he? They think he had something to do with the kidnapping...from the cops thinking he sold her to pay bills he never pays after 8 years even, to a wife who from the split second she disappears blames him for leaving the 10 yr old in the truck while he ran in to pick up a pie, per usual after lessons. The cops are idiots and the wife is a HUGE......... She's spent 8 years telling him it was his fault every chance she got and he, like an idiot, just says "I love you honey" every chance he gets! I wanted to smack him for his simple-mindedness!

The side-hustle of gaslighting the mom at her job was a neat little storyline but they didn't capitalize on it enough to make it more interesting. Then they didn't follow up on the visitors to a guy they arrested who they knew was involved in the pedophile ring, which would've led them directly to the guy holding the kidnapped girl in the first place! I mean...come ON! These cops were USELESS!

All in all, this movie was a mess. I can't in good grace say watch it, even for the fun of laughing at it's ridiculousness. Ryan Reynolds deserved better. Man...I wish I could.

Reminiscence (2021)

Wouldn't it be nice...

[8/10 · 26 February 2023]

The low reviews aren't valid, I'm glad I didn't listen to them (not that I would) to decide on watching or not.

This is NOT an action movie. It's a story. And there's a lot of moving pieces in this story that don't scream out at first. Small things add up to the big reveal. But if you're not watching the small pieces, you won't understand the big story.

This movie reminds me a lot of Minority Report but without the non-stop action, it's the small pieces it reminds me of. But in this telling it's actual memories people can go visit...again and again and again. And others can see them too. At least those who have access to the machinery that provides this treat.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to visit great memories, as if they're real, again? I think it would. But the option can get addicting. We'd want to live there. And we'd want to NOT be reminded of the bad ones.

Hugh Jackman always plays a great romantic lead, especially when he's sad or somehow having to deal with angst. Those are his niches. Seeing Miami as a city partially under water ala Venice was surreal. Given what we know about climate change, etc. I just don't see Miami as having much going for it right now, so inconveniently under water too makes me think society should just abandon it fullscale. That they don't seems implausible. Which isn't the only implausible thing here, but the other ones were sci-fi stuff...sooo.... I can live with those since I love sci-fi stuff.

I think people who like to think, like to listen to a story told by your grandparents about a time when they dealt with a different world, or someone from a different country talking about how something happens in their world, would love this piece. It's got enough logic mixed in with the twists and turns, good guys and bad guys, to keep it moving along nicely to a good ending. But you've got to pay attention to understand the ending, irony and all.

Spoiler part: He always knew he'd get caught...the very fact we're dealing with MEMORIES that can be used against a person guarantees that. Which is why he went to his old mate Watts to discuss it all. It's also why he sends her packing right before he went off the deep-end...so she wouldn't get caught up in his shenanigans, be complicit. But he bargained his way to a finale he could "live" with...which was under sedation for the rest of his life, reliving his best moments with the person who pretty much ended his life. Where he found his most joy. Wouldn't it be nice if that WAS a viable way out?

I found it ironic that Wolverine chose to end up in a tank for the rest of his lifetime at the end of this movie. Just struck me as funny.

Lamb (2021)

disquieting and incomplete

[4/10 · 23 February 2023]

If I had known that The Lamb was a movie in the style of The Witch beforehand, I probably wouldn't have bothered to watch it. If I had known it was all in Icelandic so you better pay close attention to understand the dialogue via subtitles is necessary, I probably wouldn't have watched it.

So that's 2 things that would've stopped me from the get-go. Alas, I ended up watching an interesting concept based on folk-tales from Iceland and or greek mythology (in a way). But the concept fell flat. WAY flat.

This movie doesn't explain itself very well, so that viewers can understand what they're watching. I think that's a disservice to the viewer. The story relies on a folk-tale that many of us don't know about. So from the get go we're kinda lost.

If I were in a theater watching this, I'd have gotten up and left about 30 minutes in as I did with The Witch along with about 10-15 other people. Because I'd be so lost, it'd be frustrating. But I was at home so I could google to ask a few questions so I could understand just bare bones of what was happening.

The writer, director, etc simply didn't do a good job of laying any foundation for the story itself. That's so unfair to the viewer. If you're so busy going WTF? About the movie, you're missing valuable info while you're viewing it still. NOTHING makes sense then.

Until you see the "baby" move in the crib and realize it's got human appendages. (I only knew this by googling, so knew to keep my eyes open)

This could've been such a GREAT movie. It has great actors, fantastic scenery, unusual concept for the story line.... I mean..all the right ingredients! But they screwed it up by thinking they need to be SOOOOO artsy-fartsy that they would paint a Picasso but only give us pieces of it at a time like it's a puzzle. If you've ever seen a Picasso you know those faces aren't standard faces. So HOW would you know where Picasso intended his pieces to end up? You don't. Same here. There's no way to discern what they want us to even know to help us build up to the final scenes, where all the "action" takes place.

Movies are about stories. It's the writing and directing that is supposed to tell us a story. But if they give us NOTHING for the story to be based upon, we're not getting a story. We're only getting pieces of concepts that only THEY understand while they're generating it. That's an arrogant "gotcha" set-up.

But this movie went one better. It gave us NOTHING in the final scenes to show us what Maria will be left with, dealing with after Ram-Man comes to take his "child" back. Maybe we're supposed to feel bereft, like she will. Probably, given their methods here. But by then I didn't really care because obviously, we're only expected to go along for the ride. Not participate in it.

I'll be keeping an eye out for the writers and directors involved in this offering. So I know NOT to watch whatever it is then as I don't appreciate this type of story-telling.

Babylon (I) (2022)

just like cotton candy...

[4/10 · 21 February 2023]

Just like cotton candy...this mess has NO substance or value. It's literally a circus, complete with elephants, clowns and schtick. From the get-go the audience is bombarded with style. Flash. Excess. Everything Babylon had in the bible that made them want to destroy it. As if that's the ONLY thing we're looking for.

It's not. I for one want STORY. Not just images trying to tell a story that comes up as empty and classless as this does. Babylon is living up to it's name in everything it threw at the camera in the first 30 minutes.

I can live without all the big name stars and all the big grand cinematography if the story is good. If all I'm looking for is flashy picturesque wonder then I'd like this movie. But I'm not so it doesn't. And since I'm not, I wasn't interested in the story after getting through the introductions. That excess turned me off. I didn't like that Hollyweird history to begin with so making a movie about it just seems...yah...self-indulgent like many others have said better than I.

Greenland (2020)

wow...just...wow

[9/10 · 18 February 2023]

This is an outstanding apocalypse movie. Not the usual offering. For all the naysayers, it's obvious their opinion must be ignored as flawed. Straight up. They're looking for 2012 (a favorite of mine) or San Andreas (another favorite of mine) for just non-stop action. That isn't this.

This disaster movie jumps right in and doesn't let up one second. But it's not about relentless environmental disaster. This is HUMAN disaster that won't let up.

It taps into what made The Walking Dead pretty specatcular in the beginning (then became a repeat of the same tropes season after season).

How we're such rotten humans we'd kidnap a sick child from it's mother because it might get us to safety over being left out in the cold, literally.

How we'd shoot an invalid woman in a wheelchair because her husband didn't wheel her fast enough out of a looted pharmacy.

How a relentlessly ignorant bigot would demand a "chosen" person (Gerard Butler's character) didn't deserve a wristband because he wasn't born in the US (he keeps his scottish accent in this movie). Nevermind he's a structural engineer and the bigot is an obviously uneducated entitled redneck. (stereotypes abound)

All of that is happening while an extinction level comet is about to hit the planet.

As humans, we're the worst. And our best isn't enough to overcome that in the end when there's just so MUCH worst going on. I think I prefer the comet to any of those awful awful humans.

Great reason to decide that if/when an extinction level event happens, I'm just hunkering down. I have cupboards full of food to last me 6 months. I'll figure the rest out as I go. Just so I don't have to deal with those awful humans.

The Little Things (2021)

(yawn) it's like WE'RE on stake out

[5/10 · 18 February 2023]

I love a good crime procedural show. CSI, Law & Order, etc etc. And I don't need non-stop action like you see in all os Liam Neeson's movies. I'm a reader so I'm happy to follow the plot until the grand reveal starts to happen.

But this was NOT any of those slow-burn build-ups. Unfortunately it wasn't even good writing for much of it. Pointless sentences uttered by 2 top-notch actors who can't give any more intonation to their utterances because they're weighed down in very mediocre writing.

We knew who the bad guy was way too early in this movie for it to be a movie built solely on "anticipation" on nabbing said bad guy. Someone opined this was a movie to show how tedious cop work can be. Umm.. I think we ALL already get that. But we don't pay (or want to pay) actual money to sit there watching the flies land on different leaves while a slow season change is happening. And that's about the pace of this movie for much of it. There was NO mystery to any of it. No anticipation of something different coming up. No joy in finding out some new clue that might change what we "THINK" we're watching. Nothing. That's the problem. The bad guy reveal lost all momentum with nothing else to go for it.

And now, character issues. I'm a huge Denzel fan. But he was boring here. Is he allowed to BE boring as an actor? Sure, if the part is boring. But this cop has some bad history. Despite that, even that wasn't enough to make the character more interesting. The bad thing he did was apparently just getting obsessed the way people do and having it impact his life. Hmm....gee...that sounds like...life. Again, boring. Nothing huge.

Rami's character. Rami is a very specific niche, for good or bad, that's true. His pensive jaw-clenched look is just his natural face and it is what it is. It's perfect in some roles, not in others. For THIS role...as a tense, stick-up-the-arse cop role here you'd THINK he'd be perfect. But he's not. He doesn't appear to be comfortable at all. Ever. Maybe that's the point? I don't know but it didn't come off that way. It was an ill fit somehow. Even his holding a gun on the bad guy, looked like he was untrained for holding a gun. WTF? So weird. He's a cop for gosh sake! He should know how to hold a gun. His whole body language all the way through was AWFUL.

Jared Leto was the ONLY one who seemed to fit his role. And his goofy, awe shucks, murdering madman demeanor brought some enjoyment but it's not enough on it's own.

I'm not gonna say don't watch it...big name stars are in it, sooooo...but yah, maybe play some family games or something to make your evening more enjoyable while it's on.

George & Tammy (2022–2023)

Another heartbreak story...

[8/10 · 10 February 2023]

This is a MUST see for folks who like country music. Or good music. Or story telling music. Or just...music.

Par for country music, it's about having a life full of heartbreak, turmoil, big personalities, too much excess against too little control. If I knew nothing about George Jones and Tammy Wynette I could tell you their story just by their music.

Don't get me wrong, that isn't a BAD thing. I PREFER songs that tell stories. I was HUGE into old country in the 60's, 70's right up to country pop of Achey Breaky Heart of the 90's. As the daughter of an Oklahoma Cowboy (yes, CAPITAL C!) I enjoyed my fair share of barn dances, barn raisings and plain ole' barn snogging with a cute teenaged Cowboy. Makings of a country song right there!

So I knew who Jones and Wynette were from the start. Even so, this series brought so much more to light. Wrapped it in a big bow of showing what their turmoil was that fed their music. Beautifully. I cried over just listening to that old music. Knowing what the lyrics meant.

Showtime did one helluva job on this endeavor. I'd watch it again just to watch without all the emotion clouding my eyes. Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon are PHENOMENAL...the rest of the cast top notch to boot. But Chastain and Shannon ARE Tammy and George forever more now.

Don't miss it or you'll miss out on the music. Everyone needs to hear the music. And understand it better by watching where the music came from.

Bandit (2022)

Duhamel steals your heart while stealing from banks

[9/10 · 9 February 2023]

There's no other way to say it: This is Josh Duhamel's BEST performance yet! He has ALWAYS knocked it out of the park with every acting job he's been in. But here we're seeing a man truly get better with every role he does. He sits in the skin of the bank robber/conman/actor/boyfriend/husband/daddy role as if it IS his own. Nothing about this came off as "acting". Not once, from any of the actors involved. So huge kudos all around. But especially Duhamel. This would not be as great if it had been any other actor playing the Flying Bandit-whom I'd never heard of before this.

I'm a huge fan of Mel Gibson too (despite the drunken drama of years gone by) and he's done an excellent job of a low-key loan shark who becomes mentor and best friend of the Flying Bandit. Their camaraderie is palpable...transcends just acting parts. Wouldn't surprise me to know they actually go to each others houses for BBQs on weekends.

Every other actor was top-notch too, but those two made this movie what it is. Terrific.

Watch it, enjoy it for what it is. An excellent story of a true life renegade presented the way all movies should be-as if they're sharing their story with us over dessert after a great dinner. 100% all in on this one!

I hated to see it end.

Fire Country (2022– )

can't no more

[6/10 · 30 January 2023]

I started off really loving this series. I like every actor in it, so many great ones here. The series topic is not only relevant but provides potential for endless great stories. Especially the con camp. I've heard of these, so this coverage of it was a great idea.

So what's wrong? Well, seriously...they TALK too dang much! Mid fire they're stopping to have heart to heart chats ALL THE TIME! It's freakin' ridiculous!

Tonights episode was the one with the old codger who wouldn't evacuate. So the team decides to help him prepare to stand his ground. But at one point, he makes a point of saying they need to stop yakking and get back to work. I actually clapped for him! Because they WERE only yakking...AGAIN!!!! Then when Gabby snapped back they were working as fast as they can....um.. HELLO...NO you're NOT! Old Codger was right and had every right to call y'all out on it! It's move 2 branches, chat, hoe 4 feet of line, chat, grab a hose and water down the house for 5 minutes...guess what? CHAT!

Jeez, I hope (no, I KNOW) our real firefighters don't behave this way. They don't have TIME! But seriously, this is the thing that's gonna break for me in this series. It's ANNOYING.. every 5 minutes!

Fight the fires then go back to the station and have your feelings meeting. Like in the real world.

I'll probably watch a few more episodes but I don't see me sticking with this series. Too MUCH touchy feelie stuff when it's not appropriate.