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To Catch a Spy (2021)
Any movie that has as its principle plot that the protagonist "dreamed it up" is not worth watching
So, I sat down having bad a pretty good time with one of the movies on Peacock. Something about magic chocolates? It was fine. The plotting, while at times a bit tortured, had a decent resolution. Also tried another one and it was really pretty bad something about some guy who accidentally gets involved with a woman at Christmas, he's an ash hat, and she sort of well not very fun to be with.
So I bailed.
Then I have The misfortune to watch this sad little thing. The cast seem nice. The former relationship with her boss seemed kind of icky. Although everybody was acting like they were going to be adults about it. But then they did the whole "oh you're just having a dream" thing.
Hard pass.
Shotgun Wedding (2022)
Wow. These people suck!
I'll be honest, we actually started this as a Hate Watch.
We had tried to watch Marry Me and had to turn it off even with the casting. But the writing had us so disappointed in the plotting, we bailed.
So, we waded into this knowing Josh is capable of playing dumb MFers. His showing up on Holey Moley to ostensibly be there to support a friend of his, and it was absolutely unbearably weird. His very presence threw off the show so much it turned into a one of the male hosts basically sexually harassing Josh as he flashed his sex appeal all over the show - for no apparent reason.
This is one of those romantic comedies where EVERYONE is a complete ash hole.
The intended Bride and Groom are so mismatched and miserable to be around. There respective families are literally open sores of insincerity and horrible motivations.
The only running gag has Jennifer Coolidge repeatedly pointing out a the Bride's father. It's hilarious.
And does the movie slowly turn all this around? Yes.
Is it almost believable? Sure.
Do you mostly feel happy by the end?
Why the heck not?
Here are two very marginal "actors" doing their best.
They're backed by some winning actors.
And Lenny Kravitz.
Who's really there to make the leads look like competent actors.
Are you looking for a silly way spend some time with mostly talented group of performers doing silly stuff for your entertainment.
A Christmas Carol (2020)
Ah few clarifications and the like
First of all - none of the dancing here could ever be confused as ballet.
There's a moment of break dancing. But the rest is what most folks know as Contemporary. But a lot is known in the dance community as Contact Improv.
It is, from my well trained eye (arts critic back when such things meant anything - think 30+ years ago when folks got published in magazines and the like) some of the most emotionally engaging dance I've seen in a Christmas movie in literally forever.
I am also impressed by the number of folks who found this 'boring' and a waste of time.
We all have opinions and levels of what we find entertaining.
The truth is, a filmed stage production is never going to be as visually overwhelming as an Avengers movie.
But at least Scrooge isn't sexually harassing anyone or the like. He's not been buggered as a child.
There are much darker versions out there - which I enjoyed for what it was trying to do - make Scrooge irrdeemable. Unsalvageable. Because the redemption of Scrooge always has felt like a bridge or six too far.
The version here - which doesn't scrimp on the extreme horror of Dickens' London...
He used his very public platform to remind everyone that things were the in service of the ultra weathy which allowes them to disregard the situation of the other classes.
This is a show about empathy and compassion. About realizing that human society is everyone's responsibility.
That the welfare of all people is the duty of every person.
No wonder so many got bored.
It's not about superheroes or multiverse ending conflicts.
It is about the duty we have to each other.
And by extension our world.
The Enchanted Christmas Cake (2021)
Sometimes it's not the movie you're watching, it's the one before
Beloved and I just got done watching Catering Christmas.
And while it was a serviceable movie with two photogenic stars and a standard issue plot improved by a secondary relationship that had a payoff that actually made me really happy.
My main takeaway was it was a story about a capable woman who is looking to make her business work. The conflict is about expectations and a fear of losing their dreams.
Hers about her business and the relationship with a jerk who strung her along. His is about a career he's built to make his family get off his back about not joining the family business.
But this movie?
The lead is a woman who somehow on is Oprah's list when she's apparently never actually baked the thing she's supposed to be famous for.
And she's a whining person.
I gave up on her, and this movie within minutes.
I've got better things to do with my life than spend time with a whiney inept person who is apparently famous for something she doesn't know how to make.
Please pass on this and catch Catering Christmas. You'll thank me.
Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014)
The show? Pretty good. But...
What the heck happened to the makeup on poor ol' Seth. It looks like they just sort of painted on a hideous orange oval (that you could see the border of when he's in profile) over his face.
The band looked great. The guests looked as good as you could have expected - I love Paul Bettany but he's only 50 and his neck is man-pushing-70 creapiness. It's distracting.
But my poor TV couldn't figure out how to naturalize Seth's face.
And don't get me started on that wig/hair. I hope it's a wig. It looked terrible.
OMG
If I did anyone's hair or makeup that badly, I'd be out of the industry by morning.
Menorah in the Middle (2022)
Here I thought I was going to get a Channucka RomCom
Instead I got a movie so badly written that we gave up after listening to the Bad Boyfriend make the same cruddy antisemitic social missteps.
I don't blame the actor, but it was literally unbelievable that the family would be taken in by this piece of dreck.
That was bad enough, but our heroine is that sad combination of being a doormat and so emotionally disconnected that she would be happy to marry the huge ash hat she brought back from Paris.
There's the Boy Next Door who gives up and is bullied by said Ash Hat.
The scene where the ash hat insists the family doesn't want the neighbor's photos was the breaking point for us.
I wanted to shake the writers of this idiocy because the mistreatment was so blatant and - worse - made ZERO BUSINESS SENSE.
Here's this self described business wiz (who mentioned NFTs and Bitcoin which have not had any value) and he literally seemed to be more interested in control than the actual well-being of the family.
That was it. I couldn't spend another second with any of these people.
Sadly, I bet there's at least as many holiday movie tropes that could be applied to Jewish tradition.
Instead we got this very sad exercise in idiocy.
Christmas with You (2022)
What a delight to see two mid-40'a leads in a Christmas Rom-Com
It's a little movie with a literally stunning support cast.
The Abuela had me rolling.
Freddie did a great job with what he was given and while his hair plugs were a distraction, what music teacher had that painful surgical procedure done back when they did such things? But I really appreciated that he looked his age and he looked really dapper in his Big Reveal.
Our lead actress is always a delight, even when she's not being the kind of person anyone should ever date. But she's made a living playing characters with edge and a sad center.
Nobody did a bad job with the limited scope of their performances.
And, come on, it's a Christmas Rom-Com. They're not going for the Nobel Prize for literature.
Sit back, relax, and know that a happy ending is assured - even if it isn't any more "earned" than it is with any of these things.
It'll put a smile on your face ~
Christmas Ever After (2020)
Ali and Daniel make the very best of it
Are there artificial barriers keeping these two apart?
Sure, it's a Rom Com.
But there are honestly breathtaking twists that hurt my heart when they dropped.
I could see these two actors in a variety of holiday inspired movies. Maybe they could do a semi-scary Halloween romcom? Or maybe something for like A Wish for Thanksgiving. I could see a Valentines Day bit of fluff. His Rockets Red Glair? (for when Daniel is against the 4th of July because his dog is afraid of explosions?
Their chemistry is really palapable. He does a good job of being conflicted. She does a good jof of pulling you in, even when her set ups are tenuous.
And Daniel looks good out of his shirt.
Please give it a chance. It will leave you with a wistful smile on your face.
The Great British Bake Off (2010)
Has anyone else noticed that Noel and Matt seem to have lost the brief?
I've never been a huge fan of these two together. But they seem to have given up.
I loved the original ladies. They had a huge amount chemistry together.
And I didn't hate Sandy on here. She had the right mix of humor and compassion.
Noel has never had that mixture. He is just doing the Noel Show.
Add in Matt and you've got two juvenile acting snarky males.
Noel does gay-vauge and Matt does tangentially gay. It sort reads the same.
It seems like they've given up. And my spouse wonders if they've got pay or play contracts. Which would explain why they're still
They obviously don't seem to want to be there.
I know I don't want them there.
The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell: The Dinner Date (2018)
All of the episodes are fun - this one is bonkers
Christina is always the best hostess. This episode shows her making bear paw doughnuts that she takesvon her visit her Grandmother - who can't cook as well as she used to (because she's undead and buried).
Grandmother is hungry for the doughnuts and she seems to be a bit of a lush since she grabs the entire bottle of brandy.
It's while visiting Grandmother that Christine meets her suitor - whom she invites to the house for a chicken pot pie the size of a thanksgiving turkey (with individual feathers and a impressive chicken head).
This is where we meet Vivian (Ditta Von Teese) as the house ghost.
Christine makes herself a beautiful, if painful to wear, dress.
The dinner goes off without a hitch (nothing hits the floor and nobody is tortured or threatened with death) so it's probably the most normal dinner ever thrown at the house.
The best part is the way everyone is shown as a warped version of a human/werewolf/mummified cat/whatever Rose is.
This show really needed another 3 or 4 seasons. This episode underscores why.
Ghosts: D&D (2021)
Why is Collins not in the cast listing?
Oddly, he looks sort of familiar.
But it's weird.
I love this show. Not every episode. Halloween I'm not overly fond of.
And some of the later episodes lack the snap of a lot of the others.
This one adds new ghosts to the show - and has a MAJOR continuity issue. This happens after the Farnsby's attempt at extort money out of Sam and Jay. But here Sam is ordering the destruction of a structure. Totally against local land use laws.
Oh, well.
But the D&D jokes are lots of fun.
Design Star: Next Gen: Redesigning the "Ugliest Rooms in America" (2021)
The got the right person ejected first
In a lot of ways this is a pretty sad affair.
I already know who won the season, and I really like their show,
But the folks the cast here seem to be weaker than other shows.
There is a lot whining.
And the judges are (as is SOP with these shows) people who are capricious and honestly pretty underwhelming.
Pink and Grey are so 1980's, this sucks.
Pink and Grey is so current and so beautiful.
I wish they could afford decent judges that seem to have any self-determined opinions.
They'll complain that they're independent, but we all know better.
Nobody believes the judgement are those of the so-called judges.
It would also be nice if the folks doing makeup on these shows could get a consistent look on the contestants. Do they force them to do their own makeup?
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
Literally one of the best documents I've ever seen
The overall tone, the precise editing, the understated drama, and moreover the FOOD! I never fail to watch this that I'm not moved, inspired, and left HUNGRY.
Brainchild (2018)
Beautifully cast - expertly researched
I am a geek.
I am interested in science and find stuff like this to be candy.
So, in a way, it is just up my alley.
I love the way the show gives the presenter interesting ways of explaining things. I also love how bright and cheerful the thing is.
The Holiday Calendar (2018)
Feel-Good movie suffers from pacing, muddled plot
If you watched the preview for this one, you've guessed the plot.
A young woman, whose life is going nowhere, is pulled from her doldrums by a holiday calendar (a gift from her doting Grandfather).
Problem is, the movie is trying too hard.
And about 3/4 of the way through the protagonist has to go back and rethink how she viewed her life with this magical device.
When your lead has to step in and course correct the plot - you've got problems.
Additionally, there are too many coincidences and jarring reveals.
Not a bad thing to put on your TV during the slow part of a family get together. But nothing that's going to hold your attention.
That, and I didn't buy the 'chemistry' between the romantic leads.
But still not the worst thing I've ever seen.
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Such a good movie - too bad folks are staying away in droves
Tight script. Top notch cast. REALLY dirty and messy and super violent. Should appeal to young men who like crass humor and violence (with some set pieces that rival the 'big boys'). But the screening I saw it in (virtually empty) was mostly middle aged and older women.
There plot holes and things that are simply unbelievable. But it's a romp, a comedy, and bat-sheet crazy.
I haven't laughed that loud in a movie in many months.
Highly recommended.
Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004)
Not my first, but my favorite
The truth is 'Princess Mononoke' was my first by the masterful M. I was instantly in love with the mixture of fantasy and heartbreaking emotion.
I went back and saw Spirited Away. It endures as a masterpiece.
I hit Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Air. Fun, if restrained.
But this was my first film on the big screen.
Maybe it was the format, maybe it was the age of the protagonists (because this is two young adults, not the children of Ponyo, Totoro, etc.) but this film knocked me to the ground. I cried so hard I felt in the souls of my feet.
Despite the fact the source material is miles away from the plot of the movie (I like both a lot) and in a weird way the book actually speaks to the film (though there's no requirement to read the book) the romanticism and lyrical sweep are what makes this my favorite of The Master's films.
Masterful.
And that the couple in question are in love and together when all this ends is the fulcrum around which my heart bends.