Reviews
Macbeth (2018)
Not Bad, Not Good
I watched this on BritBox (I'm American). It isn't bad at all. Macbeth is a female actor's dream because "she" has the best role. I didn't care for the naked sex, and it wouldn't be different no matter who acted it. I just prefer my favorite Shakespeare close to traditional. The actors were good. But good grief, why, oh why, does everyone have to use so much CGI and get "trendy to boot?!" Taking the camera view down winding stairs like the movie "Vertigo" does not add to the movie or the plot. I felt like I had vertigo watching it. The actors playing the Macbeths were as I said before, good. And so were the supporting cast. My husband and I both cracked up laughing at their feather capes. They looked like a couple of tall blackbirds! I rated it a bit below average because it was boring. How can anyone make Macbeth boring?? Unfortunately, it was. If you want to see one of the best experimental versions of Macbeth, watch Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood." It's Japanese, it's drama. This is a Lady Macbeth is chilling, especially when she slowly disappears into a dark room, and comes back with a container of tainted wine.
Ghosts (2021)
Love the sereies....BUT
We absolutely love this series. Every character has his/her own personality and back story. We see the ghosts learn from each other and grow, even the ones who have been around each other for long times. What we DON'T like is the constant need to place the Pete Ghost in every damned episode!! Are the writers getting lazy? Always be reticent about a person who appears so innocent and goody-goody. Pete is a very aggressive and manipulative character. He often screams at Sam when he wants when he wants. We love the episodes that gives each ghost a time to shine. We thought it would get better when the writers' strike was over. What do they do? Kill off his wife Carol, and now there's more of both of them!! Then they have Carol fornicating her way through a lot of the male ghost population. A cringe-worthy addition and totally unnecessary. Geeze!! Bring back the good writing, let the other ghosts, Sam and Jay have the spotlight again. We love the series. We'll continue to watch, just dump the constant Pete line.........Please!!!!
Salomé (1922)
Yikes it's Bizarre!
Just saw this film on tubi. My jaw stayed open. Where to start? The costumes, makeup, dancing, plot. Not much of the Salome of the Bible or Hollywood era fer sure! Herod looked like a circus clown. Herodotus like the grandma in the Addams family. Salome like she ran out of the beauty parlor with perm rods still on her hair. The guy with the little pasties on his nipples and a big pearl necklace. The little boys with huge headpieces. I have to admit, it did astound me. You have to have an open mind to watch it. In today's world, everything in this film would be banned in certain states. Since I'm not of that mindset, I watched, looking instead as entertainment. I love silent movies; my husband and I watch quite a lot of them. This one will go down in our viewing history of the weirdest, and that says a lot.
Toast of Tinseltown (2022)
Don't Blame US. This is filmed in England
I love Matt Berry. Loved him in "What we do in the Shadows," and "Year of the Rabbit." We don't get many British shows here in the US and I only saw this one on Roku. It's a mess, but it's American only in the title. It's filmed in England with a primarily British case. Now that I got that out of the way, it's a far cry from any of the good stuff that I've seen Berry in. It's over the top with the idiocy. It reminds me of the movies made in the 70's with stupid college kids. What's with the toilet jokes? Throwing pee out the window, pooing in public? So juvenile. AND it seems that all of the Americans are either dirty, criminal or druggies. The same actress plays Toast's manager both in London and Tinseltown. However, In the US version, she's horrifically made up and a drug addict working out of her crappy taxi. In London, she's attractively groomed and has a professional office. That's just one incidence. Did the writers finally get tired of writing so just mailed it in? I figure this one won't last long. It's too boring. Either get better writers or send Toast back to England....oh yeah, he never left!!
Bram Stoker's Van Helsing (2021)
This truly sucked the life out of me!
A smarmy, condescending and truly stupid Van Helsing shows up at the house of a young woman. He is asked to check on the woman who seems ill. Van Helsing is more concerned if she is cute. She isn't. She is, however, brain dead (her acting that is). Within 10 minutes, so was I. We waited for it to get better. It didn't. We had popcorn and sodas. We vacuumed the carpets.
We watched paint dry. Then we continued to watch. Within 15 minutes we had switched the TV and watched Christopher Lee do a real Dracula and Peter Cushing showed us what a real Van Helsing should be. This Van Helsing must have been a straight to video deal. Someone tell me....did Dracula show up? Did Van Helsing give the guys a real diagnosis or did he "hypnotize" the chick again, off screen? Okay, honestly, I don't care. It seems that the rest of you felt the same. And no, it doesn't reach "cult status." For that, we'll watch our dvd of Little Shop of Horrors. It was also made on the cheap but a heck of a lot more entertaining than this dung heap.
Sofiya (2016)
Interesting, beautifully filmed, gets bogged down later.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this "historical" account of Sophia. It was interesting and beautifully filmed. However, after a while it got bogged down with the Politics vs Religion wars. I also found it telling that the writers put in contemporary slang for something set in the year 1472. For instance, one of the palaces servants says, "I'll bring snacks in a jiffy." No joke, I immediately wrote it down. Then the Prince later says, "when pigs might fly." I guess they wanted to make sure we were still paying attention. I did. Was it purposely done that the Fydor looked like a dead ringer for Lenin? The only reason why I lowered the score is because of the above, but mainly the ongoing and boring wars between the two factions. Yawn.
The Bookfair Murders (2000)
Full of stupid cliches, silly people and that's the good part
A journalist and a book publisher are good friends. They both show up for a major book fair. They interact with others interested in book publishing and sales. Two men who are supposed to be from the US southwest talk like two cowboys in a bad 1920's movie (call the publisher "little lady" and refer to little doggies). This cringe-worth dialogue isn't the worse. The journalist goes with her friend to a party. She wants to order two gin and tonics but says to the bartender she wants two "panty droppers!" The title, in my opinion, refers to this movie in that it murders the English language. I took it off my Roku favorite list after watching for 20 minutes. Then I read a book to resuscitate my brain.
Astrid et Raphaëlle: La Mort et Compagnie (2020)
It doesn't get better than this!!
American Cable stations and writers.......take note!! As someone who pays a fortune for cable with all the repetitive trash, ......we need something new. "Astrid" is a prime example of creative writing, good acting and well, everything.. Something new. I appreciate that the writers do not downplay Astrid's condition and how she deals with it. Also, we see that she suffers from it. With that said, we love this show. This episode in particular took a bit of an aside and added humor. Was there really a "zombie" who came alive in the funeral parlor during embalming? I don't want to say much but Astrid and her friend Ralph, along with the police solve the issue. I really want to say.....oh heck.........WARNING: stop here if you don't want to read spoilers. There's a poisoning death and a chemical explanation to the inexplicable (unbelievable) truth. All is resolved. I love Astrid's friends and hope there's more with them. She needs the comfort of the group to support her special needs. And of course, there's Raph.
Documentary Now!: Sandy Passage (2015)
Funny, Stranger take on "Grey Gardens"
I love Bill Hader! I was so impressed to actually see Helen Mirren introduce this series as though it was a real quality documentary series and not "mockumentaries." If you've ever seen "Grey Gardens," you haven't seen strange. But you can look for info on that. This program does a great job of making the original program even funnier (the original was more sad). Bill Hader plays the daughter and the other guy is the mother in a previously rich family, not fallen into poverty and nuttiness (as in the real story of the relatives of Jackie Kennedy). I almost fell on the floor laughing when Hader shows up with sweatpants on his head. He's sweet, funny, and sad at the same time. To me the ending is what brought the entire show down. It was a shocker! There were a few missed opportunities to make it funnier. Oh well, I still love Bill Hader.
A Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2015)
Too much Pretense, and an Overdose of Cute
Here we have yet another movie made in Canada, pretending to be the United States.
There's also the star, a 39 year-old woman, pretending to be 17, and a good detective.
Everyone in this movie acts other-worldly "Cute," including the men. The entire upper middle-class town is just too perky and cute. The predominately white folks have immaculately clean homes and gardens. They posture, deliver perky lines and act like the Stepford wives and husbands. There's not a bit of clutter in any of their homes (or someone would mistake it for a real town and not a movie set.
With the cute name of "Aurora Teagarden", she has to be called something cuter, so call her "Roe." She's something of an older and plumper Barbie doll with unsuitable clothing for a mature woman her age, perfect makeup and a beautifully made up Braid. At one point she buys a dreary green-colored dress which clings to her stomach and between her legs. Everyone who sees her goggles at her in this drab dress and gives her lavish praise on how good she looks! At this point my daughter, age 13, practically fell on the floor laughing.
The police force is so stupid that it takes the bumbling of an amateur to find the real killer. Of course it's because she breaks multiple laws, such as breaking-and-entering and tampering with evidence. She even plants some. Everyone she knows warns her not to get involved but she gives off a sweet smile and totally ignores good advice.
So what to do? Use evidence as "bait" to trap the killer.
Not to worry....it's a Cozy mystery and she'll be back. Otherwise, it would stop being cute (and remotely realistic).
Bates Motel (2013)
Originally LOVED it.....But...the Incest Angle....
We absolutely loved Bates Motel when it started and we were glued to the TV, even watching reruns.
SPOILERS...SPOILERS....IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED! Well, the writers thought it wasn't good enough, so they introduced the unwashed brother....who turned out to be Dillon's father....due to a devastating incestuous relationship with Norma. Of course Norma reacts like every victim of a Pedophile. she's angry and withdrawn.
Okay, now we are in the latest season. Brother/Father is still around and the incest angle is still pursued with Dillon shouting "He Isn't a Monster!!" (GEEZ, REALLY?) Obviously, the writers think incest is about the same as drug-dealing. The Uncle/Father looks sad. Let's feel sorry for Daddy/Uncle.
This angle is just way too much. The focus is no longer on true horror (such as Norma finding a very ripe corpse in her bed). The series is now all about relationships, and they're not worth watching.
By the way, the hairdresser for the women should be fired. Norma's hair makes her look like an old hooker (white blonde, black roots), and Emma always looks like she just got out of the rain. The makeup for their faces is dead-white.
12 Monkeys (2015)
How did he know?
Okay, this guy called Cole comes from something like 40 years from the future where the world is devastated by a plague. There are no facilities, no food no nothing above earth for survival. Some of the surviving scientists (?) make their way to the upper levels to miraculously find a time machine....and it works.
So if this guy is transported to the past by so many years....how did he automatically know how to drive an SUV, use a gun, karate chop some guy, and overtake lots of armed guys and such? Somebody already mentioned plot holes. Yep, there's that. Plus it makes absolutely no sense. Another SIFFY production that takes the name of a very well-made and popular SCIFI movie. Unfortunately it has little of the entertainment value. We liked the female and the sets are good, though.
The guy in the male lead is really a weak actor too. Did they purposely give him facial hair and a posture that makes him look like a "monkey?" Well he does. Our entire group of nine agreed (after we stopped laughing).
Maybe that's how this series earns its title. Well, Eleven more to go.
Death in Paradise (2011)
No Chemistry with lead actor Kris
It is quite rare for me not to love a British mystery series. I watched this one with the lead actor Kris for five shows and stopped watching. However, today our PBS channel showed the first episode with Ben Miller and it was wonderful (and the reason for the 3 stars). I understand that Ben Miller wanted to leave the show to spend time with his family. But why on earth they picked this guy to replace him is beyond me! He has absolutely no personality. He just seems to smirk through the episodes so he can get his paycheck. The writing is good, and other actors are fine. I just can't see them all working well together in the fictional police station or even as actors. SPOILER ALERT!! Hopefully, they'll rescue what few viewers they have left and bump this guy off for another actor too.
Rage of the Yeti (2011)
Yeti and Arctic Facts (learned from watching this movie)
My wife and I had a great time with this movie. We knew ahead it was a SyFy special, so we had popcorn and notepad in hand. Here's some interesting facts we learned by simply watching "Rage of the Yeti:"
1) Yeti's explode when you shoot them
(2) Yeti's don't look part man, but they are partly invisible
(3) Four people can be in a vehicle without seatbelts, get rammed by a giant Yeti, roll multiple times down a hill, and come out without a scratch
(4) Yeti's get even grouchier if you catch one and put it in a helicopter (a big safety issue for helicopter pilots!)
(5) Hundreds of people are killed by the Yeti's (and they have major weapons), but two main stars can hit one with a hatchet and stab it ....result...dead Yeti
(5) You can be in "the Arctic" with as much cold weather clothing as I wear during winter in the deep south.
You too can learn all these fascinating facts by watching this movie. We had more fun watching and writing down all the ridiculous things that happened.
I would love to read YOUR new movie facts. Just remember....You have to watch this movie.
$40 a Day (2002)
What a Greedy Cheapskate!
I think a few reviewers stated this up front, but I will too. Ray goes big on the food and Alcohol, but she's cheap with the tips! Even when people fall all over her to serve her good meals and lots of alcohol, I don't see much of a tip if any at all.
She should know better if she's a chef.
As far as the show itself. Been there, seen that. Others have done a much better job of showing off good restaurants in the U.S., where we can get a good meal. She appears to be drunk when she's talking to the owners, or is it just that she always looks lit? One thing for sure, Ray really likes her booze.
Nothing original or entertaining here.
Man v. Food (2008)
After a Year......50 pounds heavier and two more chins
Yep, in his quest to give us sheer "entertainment" and a "great concept" of having a man EAT until he's ready to throw up.....Adam Richman looks like he's ready for the grave. In other words, he looks like every other obese male out there who's ready to make a happy new widow. He's at least 50 pounds heavier, barely able to breath out his words and/or waddle to the next 25-pound burger....with fries.
Please guys, continue to watch this show. We want to encourage you to follow the paths of this guy and eventually you too will blow a major artery. We can't wait to cash in those life insurance policies and find us a younger more virile model to cozy up to. (Now THAT's Entertainment!!)
Haven (2010)
Haven has Unique Story lines, Beautifully Filmed
I'll just jump right in and say SyFy has a good series with "Haven." The main characters of FBI Agent Audrey Parker and Haven Deputy Nathan Wournos have their own quirks. Parker is uptight, brusque and by-the-book, while Wournos is laid-back and literally feels no pain. Together, they make an interesting pair. Of course it's been done before but the stories so far have not.
It seems that everyone in Haven has a secret, and each episode reveals those secrets. After she is sent to Haven to find a fugitive, Agent Parker stays to find out more about her past (which may be her birth mother and family ties). I think her character could use a bit more energizing because she seems unfazed by even extraordinary events. For example, she's more aggravated than shocked by being hit by lightning in the first episode, and mysteriously bound by rope in another.
One thing that stands out besides the decent story-telling, is the absolutely gorgeous scenery. Although the setting is supposed to be Haven, Maine, it's actually filmed in Canada.
UPDATE: I've watched all the episodes in the Second Season, and so far...so good.
Tosh.0 (2009)
BEASTIALITY Anyone??
Of course we know Comedy Central is not family viewing. But I never guessed that anyone on the channel would be so desperate for laughs that he would sink this low. This is pathetic, even to a non-prude like myself
I just happened to switch onto the Comedy Channel and this show was on. They were showing a somewhat funny clip of two women riding horses when one horse gets a little "frisky" with another. The women on the horses looked scared, while trying to get free so the horses could have a good time. THAT wasn't the end.
This guy named "Tosh," who looks like every dweeby college loser you ever knew, decided to do his take on the clip. He mumbled one comment about "Sodomy." Next you see him in a barn, behind a white horse......simulating what two horses would otherwise do.
As funny as a kick in the teeth....which is what he should have gotten from the horse.
Supernatural: Changing Channels (2009)
Hilarious Spoof.....Winchester Style
One thing I absolutely LOVE about "Supernatural" is they don't stay all dreary gloom-and-doom. This show has such terrific writers, who let Sam and Deam battle demons and monsters.....but occasionally add humor to keep from staying in a rut.
In this episode, Sam and Dean are transported into the world of Television and they think it's the Trickster at work. The Soap Opera (with the guys playing doctors), Game Show (the hilarious Japanese "Cracker" game)and the absolutely wonderful Knight Rider show with one of the guys as the car were our favorites. This is rounded out by the side-splitting "Genital Herpes" commercial. It seems as though the Trickster is at it again and the guys are forced to play along. The seamless working of the fake Commercial was so terrific, I wondered if we were going into another one after that. Unfortunately, we actually got a real commercial break.