pcrime-17089 Reviews

Magpie Murders (2022– )

I loved the book and this is...ok

[6/10 · 8 August 2023]

It's certainly not a bad mini series there is some great acting from the men who play Pund and James and then some shocking acting from some of the other characters from the 50s era. The blends of stories worked really well and it zipped along at a good pace. My main issue though is that the main character in the book appears to be mid to late 40s and as good as Lesley Manville is, she is a lot older and it just jarred with me all the way through and spoiled it. Also the character came off as far harsher on screen and I don't remember the stuff with her Dad but Horowitz wrote the teleplay and I'm sure he knows best. It's fine, I just didn't like some of the cast choices.

A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)

A suspenseful thriller I will never watch again due to one Horrible scene

[7/10 · 28 April 2022]

This film is actually pretty darn good. It has suspense, its gritty, the acting is good. However there is a scene in the film that I believe was cut for some distributors (alas it was in the one I saw). A woman is naked and restrained by two clothed men who are tormenting her and are about to physically torture her. I don't watch horror and you don't see anything, you just hear her scream but it was so realistic and horrible that 8 years later I still can't face the film. So if you find torture a bit much, skip this one, or skip that scene.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses (2021– )

Cringe worthy

[1/10 · 30 December 2021]

Oh dear, this is the worst quiz I have ever seen. The way the contestants were clearly told to explain their thinking rather than just, answer the question is daft and the set up is like a weird mash up of 6 different gameshows. I am not a big fan of the films but I love the books so I was disappointed that it was film focused for the most part (that's just preference though). The guest stars are random aside from those from the film, Helen Mirren who is fantastic usually is oddly wooden here and she cuts off the contestants when they are speaking (I imagine because someone in an ear piece is telling her to or its bad editing). Anywho I couldn't get through the first episode. Not worth watching in my humble opinion 😕

Friends (1994–2004)

My Comfort Blanket TV Show

[9/10 · 18 September 2021]

I grew up with this show and I just love love love it. I have watched it so many times I can recite it. It feels like I know them. Yes it's ridiculous that their flats are huge and that they all hang out all the time and rarely go to work but it has a billion brilliant moments, the characters are well written, they all have a nice arc, it ended before it jumped the shark and I don't care what anyone says. They were, on a break 😉 I took a star off because I have to agree with the criticism that it is fat shamey and features virtually no diversity.

Baby Daddy (2012–2017)

For me it became Tiresome

[4/10 · 18 September 2021]

I really liked this show at first. I liked Danny's secret love for Riley, who loved Ben, who loved himself. Tucker's character seemed to get rather lost in the shuffle but I hoped it would develop.

Then I slowly became aware of a small issue. ALL THE CHARACTERS WERE HORRIBLE PEOPLE, annoying, self centered, particularly Riley and Ben. I couldn't stand the Mother either as she was so two dimensional. I'm loud and drink wine, may as well have been her only lines. Danny was the only nice character but for some reason he had to take his shirt off every episode. If this was a female character I'm sure this would have been flagged as problematic.

I gave up in the end as I was just annoyed when watching but I see that some people loved it so that's good.

Oh and Riley used to be fat? This was made years after Friends let's move past fat shaming shall we?

He's All That (2021)

Oh Dear

[3/10 · 28 August 2021]

The original wasn't my fave film as a teen but it has a place in my heart and despite the ridiculous idea that Lainey was supposed to be unattractive pre makeover, it was fun, well acted and had a great song.

Alas this remake has none of the charm, the song is ruined and the lead actress is unfortunately not quite good enough to lead a film. I am sure she is fab on tik tok though and I am way past my teens and that's who it's aimed Also there is a weird dance off that is not half as good as it thinks it is.

Matthew Lillard should have had more screen time.

The Woman in the Window (2021)

Great idea, great cast, terrible film

[2/10 · 21 May 2021]

I love thrillers, even bad ones usually...

As many people have said, it's hard not to think about Rear Window when you watch this, especially as they show a shot of it at the start of the film.

This film is both confusing and boring, the narrative jumps and jerks, I assume to echo the main characters struggles but it doesn't work unless the aim was to be annoying.

The cast have random moments where they are suddenly enraged and screaming out of nowhere. If I didnt know the actors involved are generally very good I would think they had all been hired from the over acting theatre group as they each play their parts as if they are in a bad stage play.

The central crime is so confused, you can't really engage with the heroines desire to solve it.

Julianne Moore was fine but her, level, performance made it look like she was in another film.

I kept looking at the time to see how long I had left to go and I was relieved when it ended.

I'm searching for something positive to say as I don't want to be all negative but I cant think of anything. Watch Rear Window instead, that's a really good thriller. Or even the Steve Guttenberg take on the "crime scene from a window" that's quite fun too. I think it's called The View From the Window....

Oh but if you do want to watch this one then dont look it up on wiki as the cast list contains a spoiler.

Mare of Easttown (2021)

Gripping Show with Fantastic Acting

[9/10 · 10 May 2021]

Although this is a crime procedural like many others it is the casting that raises it above the norm.

There are a lot of known names such as Jean Smart, Guy Pearce and Evan Peter's who all bring their characters to life making even the most perfunctory scene engaging. Smart deserves special mention playing a far dowdier character than I have seen her play before.

Each episode has a twist that has lead me to yell at my tv screen and you really care about the victims and their families as the teleplay builds fully fleshed out characters who earn their screen time.

It's Kate Winslets show however, as she gives a career best, as the title character of Mare. I usually stick to true crime but this has me hooked.

Bob's Burgers: Larger Brother, Where Fart Thou? (2016) Season 7, Episode 5

I always skip this one

[4/10 · 11 February 2021]

I love Bob's Burgers it is brilliant but this episode really annoys me because it makes zero sense that Louise is suddenly afraid of Logan. She has always stood up to him and then all of a sudden she is frightened. The rest of the episode is good but this point annoys me so I just skip the episode

A Beauty & The Beast Christmas (2019)

Apparently a minor burn makes you hideous

[1/10 · 13 December 2020]

I turned this off after half a hour. As a person with a skin condition, I found this film insulting and shallow. The main character has a skin reaction resulting in a red sore patch of skin close to her hair line that apparently makes her too hideous to be seen. She also appears to be a rather vapid idiot. I love a silly Rom Com but this one was beyond

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

A great performance in a film that doesn't follow it's own plot

[4/10 · 10 October 2020]

Billed as a film told from Liz Kendalls point of view you see hardly any of the relationship between her and Bundy, it skips ahead six years almost immediately. It feels like you are watching a film that is being fast forward every now and again so you get very little sense of the relationship bar the fact that he called her a lot from prison. The second half of the film is the court trial by which point Kendall had broken things off. It doesn't show her doubts and indecision to the extent that a film focussed on her could have. In fact she isnt in it that much. There is also a fictionalised meeting at the end which is at odds with a film that sticks close to the facts the rest of the way through.

Aside from some strong performances, especially Zac Efron this film is a scattered attempt at what could have been a great look at Liz Kendalls story.

Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer (2020)

A Voice for the Victims and Survivors

[10/10 · 27 September 2020]

This documentary is excellent. It tells us the story of Elizabeth and Molly Kendall and their unique experience with one of the worlds most notorious serial killers but it also gives a voice to survivors such as Karen Sparks and Carol DeRonch and to the families of some of the women murdered. It's great that the focus is on the people around Bundy whilst also giving an in depth look at the man himself. I dont like that he continues to be so well known in a way, as he would love it but it is a compelling story and this documentary tells it well.

The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

Its ok

[5/10 · 25 September 2020]

The actors are all seemingly enjoying themselves and the new love interest is just as good in this as she is in 'You'. Bella Thorne and Robbie Amell are particularly good fun although surely the latter should be getting more opportunities to play an adult by now. Like others have said, the twist of having the main characters best friend from the first film be the big bad kind of spits in the face of the original and it feels like there is a lot of plot filler. Also the fact that the main boy (can't remember his name) has lost all the courage he built in the first film feels like a back step.

Certainly not terrible but inferior to the first one which I found to be a lot of fun.

Ocean's Eight (2018)

It's just Awful!

[3/10 · 19 July 2020]

I really like Sandra Bullock and most of the actresses in this film are women I would watch a film for on their merit alone. So how bad could it be to watch them all together?

Really really bad. Bullock gives a cold dull performance and none of the others are really given enough screen time to do anything except Sarah Paulson who provides some nice moments. Although the Clooney & Co Oceans 11 also didn't do a deep dive on their characters somehow they managed to be more vibrant and engaging and you routed for each one. In this film, you just dont care and the heist itself contains plot points that even the suspension of disbelief doesnt aid.

Then there is a sort of twist involving a character that is so ridiculous I winced. James Corden pops up, making it worse again and as for the secrets of the heist, well by that point I just didn't care.

A huge waste of many talented actresses with the only bright moment being a cameo or two and some lovely dresses.

My advice would be that you go each ladies IMDB page and pick another of their films

This Is Your Death (2017)

Not what I expected

[7/10 · 17 July 2020]

Much like another reviewer has mentioned, this film plays out similarly to an episode of Black Mirror and is just as intriguing. It follows a reality tv show host and a down on his luck family man against the backdrop of a show that shows people voluntarily committing suicide. The journey both the characters and the show take is paced well and the film asks some fairly apt questions regarding what audiences are willing to watch.

Life of the Party (I) (2018)

Slow and Unfortunately Not Funny

[4/10 · 21 June 2020]

I was looking forward to this film. I usually like Melissa McCarthy (Ghostbusters aside) and I am a sucker for a sweet comedy.

Unfortunately I found myself cringing through it.

Maya Rudolph provides some good comic moments and McCarthy is likeable as always. For me though this film just didn't land, it moves from scene to scene with nothing much happening and when it does it goes on too long. I kept checking the time to see how much longer I had to go.

Not a terrible film but not a good one either.

Bob's Burgers (2011– )

I just love it!!!

[10/10 · 15 January 2020]

This is one of my fave shows. It's both smart and silly so if you like dry humour it's in there and if you need a fart joke that's usually there too. The family are hilarious and have very distinct characters, it makes a nice change that Bob is not a dumb Dad (this is no offence to the great Homer Simpson who is awesome) but a man who is doing his best to run a business that despite his great Burgers, doesn't do very well. His family are fairly crazy but in a fab way, Lynda loves to sing everything and there are quite a few songs in the show which I like, Tina has a teenage obsession with boys, Gene is an exhibitionist. My stand out is Louise who rules over the family despite being the youngest because they are kinda of scared of her. Whilst being highly machiavellian she tends to do the right thing in the end because she has a big heart. It's quite a sweet show so might be a bit too gentle for South Park, Family Guy fans but if you like an adult cartoon and ya haven't given it a go, maybe give it a try.

The man who voices Bob also voices Archer so that can take some getting used too if you are an Archer fan so I'm told

Magnum P.I. (2018–2024)

I appear to be in a minority but I like it

[8/10 · 12 January 2020]

Yes it's not the original and yes surely tv execs could and possibly should concentrate on new material, however as Sunday night easy viewing this reboot is fun, amusing and an easy watch. I like the chemistry between the now female Higgins and Magnum and the other cast members work well. Jay Hernandez has easy charm and is believable and all in all its harmless fun