jendett Reviews

American Fiction (2023)

Dragged and could have used editing

[7/10 · 29 February 2024]

This was overall a good film, but the pacing was off and it dragged. The comedic aspects were pretty subtle, and could have been played up better. While the actors all did a great job, a few of the characters could have been eliminated with little change to the overall story and improving the pacing. Other characters were really interesting, but you didn't learn much about them. Cutting the cast down and expanding other roles could have helped tremendously.

I wish they had played up the beach side location more. The sets felt a bit flat, like they were an off-season Air BnB.

With some tighter editing, it would have been a higher score. I'd like to read the book it's based upon.

You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment (2024)

Ignore any results that don't fit the narrative

[2/10 · 13 January 2024]

I was truly interested in how this would play out. What could be more defining than comparing two people who are genetically the same? The results would speak for themselves, right? Sadly, that answer was a resounding NO.

When they did the comparisons of twins, anything that didn't match their narrative was explained away, stating it *would* have been different *if* they had done something different. While one small difference in 8 weeks was considered "maintaining", a similar measurement for another participant was considered an adverse outcome. The twins really weren't the focus of the series. You would see them occasionally, but mostly it was just a very long commercial for going vegan.

Another example was in the production of cheese. The animal based version was criticized for using 1000 healing gallons of water, while the cashew version used minimal water. It ignored that cashews require hundreds of gallons to produce a pound of cashews.

I did learn some issues with the production of meat and eggs, but I already buy from a small family farm, so I'll just concentrate more of my purchases there, and be more selective of my seafood purchases. I have no plans to go vegan after viewing this show, as they failed to prove health benefits.

Bullet Train (2022)

Loved it so much, I went back the next day and saw it again

[10/10 · 29 August 2022]

This is movie I could watch over and over again. I loved everything about it, the acting, the stunts, the visuals. I especially loved Lemon's use of Thomas analogies, and the fact that every character understood the categories. The story telling was perfect, winding all those story lines together and delighting you in a twist ending. Brad Pitt was perfect for Ladybug. I can't even imagine anyone else in the role. Lemon and Tangerine had a chemistry that brought their characters to life. If you have a sibling you would do anything for but drives you crazy, you'll understand.

I think I may go back again tomorrow for a 3rd viewing.

The Batman (2022)

Doesn't live up to the hype

[4/10 · 4 March 2022]

The movie failed to make me care what happened to any of the characters. The sound mix was TERRIBLE. Is everyone in Gotham incapable of speaking above a hoarse whisper? The car chase was probably the biggest disappointment. Here's a great chase - except they shot it through water droplets on the lense and you can't actually see most of it. My teen fell asleep through it and I think he was the wiser of the two of us, as at least he got a good nap.

Selling Tampa (2021)

Nothing ever happens!

[2/10 · 1 February 2022]

The title is a lie. You won't see powerful agents acquiring luxury listings and then showcasing them to their clients. I think there was one sale in the whole series? The homes are after thoughts. They aren't showcased, and the few you see aren't mentioned again.

You'll instead see women gossiping about other women. You'll see bad leadership. You'll see people whining about how much is on their plate without ever showing what those things are. There is NO teamwork happening. One woman shouting that she should get a commission for talking to a client for a few minutes? Really? Just, no!

The show failed to make me care about the women. Alexis, for example. She isn't performing well. She claims she has a lot on her plate, with her fiance retiring and she has to support him through that. The only time he is shown is when he's doing the cooking. How is this something that is causing problems? The only thing they showed is she has someone to do domestic chores for her. There probably was a lot of things causing her issues and pulling her in different directions, but we weren't shown any of that.

Rena is the bright light in this fiasco. She's smart, ambitious, knows her worth and when she's being taken advantage of and won't stand for it, doesn't engage in the childish behavior (recruiting is NOT backstabbing - they couldn't be recruited if they were happy). IShe stole every scene she was in and left me wanting to know so much more about her. Give me a show around her building a new brokerage firm. I'd watch that.

Midsommar (2019)

Choose ANY activity over watching this

[1/10 · 1 February 2020]

I wish I had spent this time scrubbing toilets instead of watching this. At least then I'd have clean toilets.

Dolittle (2020)

Pure silly fun

[8/10 · 19 January 2020]

I loved this movie. It was full of silly moments that had me laughing the whole movie. It could have used a little tighter editing, but overall was enjoyable.

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Nothing like the TV series

[1/10 · 5 September 2019]

If you are looking to reconnect with your favorite SATC characters, KEEP LOOKING. The ones in this movie are pale imitations of the characters we grew to love. It was tediously long and boring. The costumes were terrible, the locations under utilized, and the script seems to have been pieced together from half ideas jotted down on post it notes.

It won't satisfy your desire for quick wit and interesting characters from the past. Stream the original series instead.

Searching (III) (2018)

Smart script, well acted, believable

[9/10 · 7 September 2018]

This was one of the most enjoyable films that I have seen this year. The plot has twists and turns, and keeps you guessing the whole way through. I can't wait to see it again to see if I can pick up on any of the foreshadowing.

The Happytime Murders (2018)

I laughed twice in 90 minutes

[1/10 · 7 September 2018]

In 90 minutes, I only laughed twice. Both jokes were in the previews, too, just a little funnier in the context of the full scene. Poorly done all around.

Peppermint (2018)

A semi could fall through the plot holes

[5/10 · 7 September 2018]

This film gets 5 stars because it is full of action, and I love Jennifer Garner, and on the negative side, it is full of plot holes, implausibilities, and despite being career criminals, the bad guys can't hit anything when they shoot.

First, the movie name. The only reference to Peppermint in the whole movie was when her daughter ordered that flavor of ice cream right before she dies. Why does that mean the whole movie is named Peppermint?

The lawyer comes to bribe her. A cartel doesn't have anyone else to do that? It has to be the someone who will be in court? I though that was the purpose of underlings?

The cop turns out to be dirty. Then why did he pull her out of the hospital to identify the suspects, against medical advice? Why not just let it go down to "the suspects couldn't be identified". That made no sense at all.

The villain in the movie was inconsistent. He guns down a little girl (in public in front of witnesses) for someone considering robbing him, but he hesitates to kill the homeless kids?

Jennifer Garner goes from incompetent person to ninja in just 5 years? With no formal training? She just gets it from surviving on the streets? Those kind of skills take a lot longer than 5 years to accomplish, and I bet they cost more than $10K/year to acquire.

If you go, have low expectations, and then you will not be disappointed. I thought it would be phenomenal, and when it wasn't, I was let down.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

Two and a half hours of non stop thrills

[10/10 · 30 July 2018]

This movie had me enthralled from the beginning to the last scene. It is non-stop action and thrills and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The two and a half hours flew by, and not even once did I think it was dragging or needed tighter editing. The car chase scenes are mesmerizing and rival the French Connection. I can't wait to see it a second time.

Eighth Grade (2018)

Drags on and on - just like your 8th grade math class did

[6/10 · 27 July 2018]

I REALLY wanted to love this film. There were things I did love about it. Elsie Fisher is a great actress, and I look forward to seeing her in other things. The script unrealistic and it would have been a better movie if a good portion of it had cut. I found myself looking at my watch several times and calculating how many minutes were left. It is a shame that the script didn't put in the effort the actors did.

Blockers (2018)

Just don't

[1/10 · 9 April 2018]

This really had to be the worst movie I've seen all In a long, long time. The jokes fall flat, the acting is worse, and the script seems to have been written by a group of baked individuals. The whole premise is flawed. Teenagers are interested in sex - what a shocker! No one could raise a child to their senior year of high school and not know this.

Certain characters just disappear. Unfortunate, because they were probably among the most intetesting.

The one redeeming feature is the cast is fairly diverse. I liked seeing different races well represented.

I'm just really glad a certain subscription meant I didn't pay for this fiasco.

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

The person next to me fell asleep

[5/10 · 10 October 2017]

I WANTED to love this film. Idris Elba, Kate Winslet - I mean - it should have been a shoo-in for best picture, right? I must have checked my watch 30 times during that movie. It was very disappointing.

I don't know how they managed to make even the near death scenes boring, but they did. The person next to me fell asleep in the movie.

Kate Winslet's character never really gives us anything to make us like her - and thus I spent most of the film wondering what Idris Elba's character is thinking.

It is good for a long nap, but not much else.