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Reviews
Doctor Who: The Star Beast (2023)
The other reviewers are overly harsh.
I don't understand the utter roasting and low ratings that other users have lambasted this episode with. I'm not sure what they've been watching all these years, that they feel this is so wide of their expectations. I really enjoyed this episode. My only quarrel during the bulk of it was how hard it was to hear the dialogue over the score. It is a great score, but shouldn't cause one to miss much of the exposition. I enjoyed the plot twists, for the most part. The only thing that I felt was clumsily contrived was the launch into the next adventure. Kind of over the top absurd and without any thought. Otherwise, I was happy to see this adventure, and look forward to the next one in a couple of days.
Glass Onion (2022)
Utterly brilliant. Monae's performance was a masterpiece.
This was an absolute tear of a roller coaster ride, and so much fun. Daniel Craig is a hoot and a half, and Janelle Monae was a wonder. I cannot tell you all the reasons, lest I spoil some of the best fun plot points, but she was so very good. Oscar worthy. Some of the characters are over the top, and at times the movie seems to unfold like the game of Clue which Craig's Benoit Blanc so disdains, but there is much more to this movie. Absolutely worth my two hours and change. Exponentially better than Knives Out, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope they make more. PS: The cameos are a treat. Keep your eyes open to see the last appearances of two Broadway giants.
Encanto (2021)
Encanto is indeed enchanting.
I wanted to see this, primarily for the music by Lin-Manuel Miranda. This movie is so much more. Brilliantly written, charmingly funny, and touching. The animation is ridiculously good. The expressions are priceless. I was completely taken in, and found my well-past-middle-aged heart caught up in the story. And I watched it in my living room. It's a great movie.
Scrooged (1988)
I watch it every year.
It's not Shakespeare or Masterpiece theater, but it's a fun re-telling of Christmas Carol. I think it's a hoot. I watch the traditional versions, and find this one a hoot and a half. It's ridiculous and over the top, and a lot of fun. It's a Bill Murray movie with the Dickens theme. Quirky and silly and sarcastic and fun. He can be a lot to take, but this is well suited for a once-a-year dose. Alfre Woodard is well-suited to play the straight-man to his goof.
In the Heights (2021)
I enjoyed it. Heard foreshadowing of Hamilton music.
I really enjoyed it. I heard notes and harmonies that called back Hamilton. The music, dancing and effects were good. I was slightly annoyed by a a couple of points of misdirection, but overall very enjoyable. I have not seen the stage production, so cannot compare the two.
Late Night (2019)
I liked it just fine.
People seem to either love or hate this. I enjoyed it. Emma Thompson was her excellent self in it. Mindy is undersold, I think. John Lithgow was lightly used but perfect. The transformation was a touch Hollywood, but Thompson sold it. Some of the writer characters were caricatures, but Reid Scott and Max Casella were genuine. It worked.
Knives Out (2019)
Worth the time.
A spoof that is more a homage than spoof, but with silly spoofy takes, nonetheless. I could have lived without the lie detection "tell" of one of the main characters, and K Callan was sadly underused. However, a lot of fun. More nods to other genres than you can shake a stick at, if you looks carefully. The wrap up takes attentively as well. Worth the ride.
Soul (2020)
I love this movie.
Literally the best animated movie I have seen. Funny, touching, thoughtful, lyrical, even encouraging. Jamie Fox and Tina Fey's character interplay is believable, and makes the otherwise unbelievable, believable too. I cared what happened. All the voice acting was superb. Graham Norton dances through as a guru of sorts, and is a hoot. Pay attention to the piano playing, it's Jon Baptiste, quite literally. And, almost incidentally (but not really) the animation is sterling. Worth your time. Maybe more than once.
A Christmas Carol (1984)
I've seen every version made since the silent version. This is my favorite.
To say that I am a Christmas Carol fan would be an understatement. While the 1951 version is a classic version, and not to be missed (the 1938 version is a bit goofy and over the top for me) this one is the most believable one while keeping to the origin story. The recent 2019 mini-series added elements of abuse and pain that were not in the original material. It was bitter and modern although set in the period. It is the only one that I watched but a single time. This 1984 version made Scrooge (gruff and glorious George C Scott) accessible and believable even when at his Humbuggiest. Likewise the other characters. Nephew Fred, his wife, and Christmas Present, all very fully fleshed out, and easy to accept at face value. George C Scott inhabits Scrooge's annoyed and world-weary self as well as he wonders at the magic he is shown. His conversion at the end is the most believable and natural as any I have seen. I can watch it every year.
Evil (2019)
Well acted- but I can barely stand to watch
This show is imaginative, in a horror movie kind of way. It is well-acted. But I am worn out on Moriarty-type characters that never get caught. Unbeatable evil that is everywhere and seemingly unstoppable. I don't think I can stand to watch. Nothing is ever really resolved.
A Christmas Carol (2019)
Very dark and bleak.
As a holiday redemption tale, I do not recommend it.
I am not sorry that I saw it, as I would have wondered. But it is hard and dark and bleak to get through, almost every moment but the very end. Very much rewritten with a thread of the original woven in. Think Scrooged with no humor-although the last 10-15 minutes are quite the relief. It was just such a long hard three+ hours getting there.
It is an interesting experiment, (and well-acted, by the way) but not something I would watch again. I think I will watch the George C Scott version I once recorded as an antidote.
Window Wonderland (2013)
I watch this every year. Smart, funny, warm. Better than the rest.
I have watched a million Hallmark movies, and most are quite formulaic and predictable.
This one stands out with its excellent writing and chemistry amongst the cast. Mild possible spoiler with the following question: In that one scene where there is " no cell signal", why wouldn't the phones work out on the balcony? That is the only true suspension of disbelief needed, on this otherwise flawless holiday romance. An annual must. Still.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Two Steps Back (2018)
Arrrrgh!!!!
Spoilers follow:
This is the second time they have pulled this "you think you know who died, but you don't," switcheroo. Before it was when Caitlin died. They had us worried about McGee in the ground, then shot Caitlin, had her vest save her, and then killed her with a shot to the head. This time, we are led to believe Abby is dead. And she's not. We know she's leaving the show, so did they have to cut us off at the knees with the additional loss? I loved that guy. Why????
Deception (2018)
It's fun, it makes the unbelievable, believable
I like it. For those who find it derivative, I say, in. TV universe where we are watching reboots of Will and Grace and Roseanne alongside new versions of MacGyver and Hawaii 5-0, this is well down the copycat scale. It is like The Magician with a sense of humor. As to the acting: Spoiler ahead: I find the differences between the Cameron and Jonathan characters noticable and relatively subtle. Yes, the Moriarity like ever-elusive mystery villain bit is tiring. I can only hope that they defeat that one , and move on to a true partnership. I think the acting is just fine, the characters diverse and clearly defined. And it's fun. And I hope our captive member of the team gets free to join the team in adventures.