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carolinejgarnett
Reviews
Buying Beverly Hills (2022)
Very disjointed
I'm not clear if there are any storylines in this show apart from mauricio's crumbling marriage. Very few houses appear to ever get sold / bought. Maybe they are such high value , you don't need many to be sold.
The worst thing in the whole show is the total pretence that mauricio's daughters actually do anything productive at all for the business. They clearly would not make it in the real world of real estate because they are far too busy stirring up trouble over nothing or having makeup / hair / nails constantly redone. They wear ridiculous clothes for a so called professional job and simple faked enthusiasm is not normally sufficient to clinch a sales deal. That's all they have - fake enthusiasm . We all know nepotism is everywhere, and that's okay, but in this case, shame on mauricio for employing such lazy entitled no hopers.
Also Shame on anyone listing their property with his agency , the show makes the staff look so unprofessional. A very poor advert for his business.
The Gentlemen (2024)
Abysmal writing, weak characters , but some good acting
I had really high hopes for the series having read the reviews and seen that some scenes are filmed locally around Ashridge. I was so disappointed with the story that just suggests it is written for people with an IQ of less than 90.
The positives are that the acting is great from most of the characters, given the appalling lines they have to work with.
The direction is on point, it's guy Ritchie , so the series is absolutely in his genre.
The setting of Ashridge is beautiful, although I see it doesn't quite hang together in all the scenes as some are filmed elsewhere and the house doesn't quite match. It sure ain't Hollywood budget.
However, all of this is massively let down by shoddy cheap stereotypical characters on both ends of the spectrum, ie the completely unbelievable hapless and stupid aristocrat and the wheeler dealer violent but silly and charming drug criminals. The plot could well have been written by a 15 year old boy, it is so bad and lacks any complexity or substance.
Vigil (2021)
Series 1 good, Series 2 just trash
Having enjoyed series 1, I decided to watch series 2. That was the first mistake here. Series 1 wasn't bad, the writers did a reasonable job with keeping dramatic effect going, without treating the viewer like an imbecile. The writing in S2 is so awful , it is off the scale. I get that a good crime thriller is always going to stretch the boundaries of credibility, but the S2 storylines have become so far fetched that it ruined it for episodes 4/5/6. Apart from suranne jones , the actors probably knew they were dealing with a dud , so just went through the motions. I'm sure they will regret being associated with this project again. The one playing Suranne's partner is really a one trick pony, she can do fast panicked breathing and a threat of losing the baby again and again and again. This review may be harsh, but S1 worth watching, give S2 a swerve. Average 3/10 rating for both to reflect how bad S2 was.
Mad Men (2007)
Brilliant series
I was late to the party watching madmen , but I absolutely loved this series. The writing was excellent, the acting was superb and I loved the development of the characters over the season progressions. There were some brilliant comedy moments particularly from the actor who played roger stirling. He was so natural , that it felt like he was ad libbing some of the lines himself. The actor playing don draper was superb and he expertly managed to capture the essence of the troubled soul that he was. The music choice and the costume department were absolutely amazing. I know this has won golden globes and emmys and all sorts of awards, but I would say rightfully so. Definitely recommend this.
You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment (2024)
Vegan propaganda pretending to be science
I'm not opposed to vegetarianism or veganism, I've cut down on meat myself over the last year, but the scientific method displayed in this series is appalling. It shows they had a predetermined agenda to follow and a very specific outcome to conclude. They only showed results which put veganism positively and all the tv infills on the vegan restaurant and US livestock farming just demonstrated how poorly this programme was put together. The irony of a morbidly obese woman saying her health had suffered because she lived next to a pig farm, never mind mention of how many animal products she was troughing down herself. There was zero mention of how unhealthy ultra processed food is, and a lot of vegan food purporting to be meat is ultra processed. If I were the scientists doing this study I would be ashamed of being associated with this programme.
Britain's Most Expensive Houses (2020)
Narrator in series 2 has odd voice
The narration ruined this for me. They need to clear their throat. It's horrible. The rest of the content is great, the editing is good, the only thing that lets it down is the narrator. It really grates on my ears after a while. The show is a documentary on high end estate agents Sotheby's in the uk. The main characters are real people and not actors. They all come across very well and are likeable people. It's interesting in a rising property market, but may be difficult to shift some of these properties now the market is a bit tighter. Anyhow, if you can put up with the narrator then watch it.
The White Lotus (2021)
Brilliantly innovative and sumptuous
Having read some of the reviews on here, I was fully expecting this show to be a complete dud, but decided to give it a try due to the awards it has picked up.
How wrong I was, I think both seasons have been fantastic, I love how all the characters have their flaws exposed. Normally filmmakers and individuals try to cover those flaws or minimise them, but here they are laid out to be be feasted on by the audience. We all know that no one leads a 100% perfect life, and here we have primarily tourists, although some staff and locals too, exposing their thoughts and acts out to us.
In addition to the brilliant characterisations , we have sumptuous locations in both seasons that all add to the bacchanalian feast. I love how both seasons build up to a crescendo where I get the sense of characters just feasting and gorging on each other until it's just all too much. I can't wait for S2 episode 7 to drop at the weekend to find out more. I'm recommending this show to everyone I know, as long as they're ok with nudity etc.
Love it !
It's a Sin (2021)
Brilliant
I binge watched this. Just loved it from start to finish. Reminiscing about the late 80's what was going on in our culture and in London. Music was fab, I was late teen / early 20's in the mid 80's. This was all massively relevant. Thank goodness we have come so far since these days. Loved it .
Maid (2021)
Compelling story and brilliant acting
Loved this show, the acting was just brilliant. The actors that play the lead characters Alex and Shawn and her mom were all amazing. They were so convincing, I felt like they were real. The story takes some twists and turns, but it still clearly shows how extremely hard it is to get yourself out of this situation when you are in this part of society and have addiction and mental health issues in the mix. Loved it.
Selling Sunset (2019)
Guilty pleasure
I've watched all the seasons and can't wait for season 5 to be released. I think we all know what we're getting in terms of characters and plots. If you're watching to get a slice of real life in a real estate agency with real employees, then probably don't bother with it. This show is pure escapism and fantasy with these crazily exaggerated plot lines to create contrived drama out of literally nothing at all.
I love the endless sunshine, high fashion, beautiful houses, the glamorous girls and the two super-bitches (Christine and davina). I just zone out all the irritating behaviour of the women and there is quite a lot of it ! Watching S4 in the UK during December, is the perfect antidote for my grey, rain-sodden, cold, pandemic-cancelled Christmas this year.
Agree with the other posters on the crazy bursts of really loud music, I watch at the gym on the treadmill with AirPods , it hurts my ears.
The Dig (2021)
Beautiful cinematography
A very moving poignant film. Interesting story, but it explored many themes and some subtle undertones going on. We enjoyed it all the way through.
Virgin River (2019)
Addictive
I wouldn't usually watch this type of show, but I grew to love it. Quite a few of the characters are annoying, and the storyline is a bit weak, but somehow it hangs together and manages to keep me entertained and wanting more. Hope there is a new season.