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Reviews
Travelers (2016)
Love it and wish it'd come back
Time travel shows, and movies can wear thin for me, but Travelers is the one pleasant exception to the rule. The writing is solid, and the acting is simply incredible for the most part. I enjoy the plotlines and can get lost because everything is done well. I highly recommend binging this on Netflix before it goes away, and if any producer types are reading these reviews, this franchise is waiting to be rediscovered. Years before the name "COVID" was known, this show handled the concept of a global pandemic so realistically, I thought maybe the episodes were written during the lockdown! Please consider new episodes!
You People (2023)
I get what they are trying to say, but...Nah.
Despite some notable performances and a good message about racial harmony, You People is truly flawed film that isn't really worth your time, unless you are some kind of a Jonah Hill fan or Hip Hop culture fan boy or girl. I never got over Hill playing the lead in You People. He is just disgusting looking and you have to suspend reality pretty hard to accept that a beautiful black girl would fall for him. The script doesn't help with that, since they never really explain how that happened and Hill brings so little to the role in terms of making his character likable. Eddie Murphy and Julia Loui-Dreyfus were both excellent in their roles and there were more than a few good laughs deprived from the "Meet The Parents" scenario. I really liked a few of the lines that made you think about interacting with people from different cultures, which is why it is a shame that the rest of the film is so hokey and charmless. The hip hop references and music are non-stop and anyone steeped in that culture could possibly enjoy that. I found it kind of annoying and maybe a little on the nose, and I am not even a fan. I think it could cut both ways, to be honest. So, yeah, we need a good movie that confronts the racial divide still with us in the 2020s, but You People ain't it.
Mike & Molly (2010)
One of my all-time favorite ensemble comedies!
Looking for a show to binge watch that makes you laugh as much as "Frasier," "Golden Girls," and "Cheers?" Try Mike & Molly. It's just funny with great writing, casting and acting by an ensemble cast. Early season are a little silly and slapstick, but as the show matures, so does the writing. It ends up touching on some fairly important social topics without being preachy or heavy handed. Of course, Melissa McCarthy is off the charts hilarious. The writers figured out pretty quick that she has a knack for physical comedy that audiences haven't seen since Lucille Ball. But don't look at this as a star vehicle for McCarthy, who went on to do so many great things. It is an ensemble comedy with fine performances by the entire cast, especially Rondi Reed as Mike's mom. She is so funny sometimes she gets laughs just with a facial expression. I don't know why she isn't in a primetime sitcom of her own right now. Probably because the networks are so down on the genre for some reason, thinking it is passé. Whatever. The legendary James Burrows directed quite a few episodes and the pilot, I believe. In his autobiography, he goes over how the cast grew together to make this one of the best shows on network television. Definitely worth your time.
As They Made Us (2022)
Just not a film you'll "enjoy"
I love Mayim Bialik. Love her. I also am a big fan of Candice Bergen and Dustin Hoffman. But, this melancholy, cringe worthy film just wasn't for me. I was disappointed because there was so sadness and little resolution. Critics and some on here seem to love "As They Made Us" for just that reason. I am sorry but it didn't do anything for me. I did appreciate the solid acting by a wonderful cast. I think the choppy storytelling style was annoying and made the film even harder to follow. Hoping Mayim finds a more joyful story to tell next time.
The Gilded Age (2022)
Excellent Writing, Acting and Stunningly Beautiful
Not since Downton Abbey have I enjoyed a television series more than The Guilded Age! The cast and storylines are superb. Christine Baranski is flawless as "Aunt Agnes" and Morgan Spector stands out in his role as Mr. Russell as well.
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
A heartwarming charmer
Great writing and a good story make up for some classically wooden performances. You'll spot a familiar face from TV's "Gillian's Island" when he was just a pup, a much thinner pup with more hair! A good way to spend the evening!
The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)
Gratuitously Violent And Crude, But Also Funny And Full of Action
Samuel L. Jackson uses the MF word as a noun, pronoun, verb and adjective. In one scene, a mother and young child are shot at point blank in front of their husband and father. Along the way, limbs are severed, a man is electro tortured, people are stabbed in the neck with broken beer bottles, blood gushes everywhere...It's pretty gory. But it has a light hearted almost sentimental thread running through it that I really liked. And the action scenes are amazing. Some of the best car chase and fight scenes I've ever seen. Jackson and Reynolds are superb together and you will laugh out loud when you aren't clutching your pearls in shock and disapproval. Definitely not a movie children should even know about.
Call Me Kat (2021)
Fresh and funny
As noted by other reviewers, this show is different. If has a fresh, upbeat positive vibe to it while occasionally dealing with some pretty serious topics in its own homespun way. I hope Fox will give it some time to find it's way. I love the characters, the writing and the setting in Louisville, KY verses the usual NYC or LA. Leslie Jordan is amazing and gets some great laughs. Mayim is lovable and genuine as Kat. You find yourself rooting for her and identifying with her all at the same time.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Stunningly beautiful but cinematically weak
Gorgeous cinematography, costumes and sets. The acting with so little dialogue was decent. But, I am left scratching my head at some of writer/director Sofia Coppola's choices. A film noir tribute, perhaps? The soundtrack was jarring and totally disruptive at times. Who could imagine Adam Ant or The Strokes showing up In a 16th Century love scene? So much potential here, but I just didn't feel like it ever crossed the finish line.