berpatcormier-1 Reviews

Rosemary's Baby (2014)

Where is the suspense and fear.

[3/10 · 19 September 2024]

I love the original version and have seen it countless times, so I wasn't expecting anything nearly as good, but this was worse than I thought. I gave it 3 stars because I wanted to keep watching, although not for the reasons you would think. It was out of curiosity to see what changes to the story were made to modernize it. The part in the original that was so infuriating was how patriarchal and controlling the people around Rosemary were and when Dr. Hill calls her husband to come fetch her. I always thought that couldn't be done today. Doctors can't tell anyone, even a spouse, your medical information without the patient's permission. But NO, in this supposed modern version, that's the part they KEPT in. There's no build up of fear and suspense in this version. In fact, the scene where the police officer (due to a spell cast on him) is careening through the streets of Paris, the music is almost comical. A light hearted French ditty. Was I watching a rom com or a horror film? Which brings me to the musical score, or should I say the lack thereof. Some eerie music might have helped. And to end this I want to add that in the original, Rosemary is terrified upon her first sight of the infant. Its not shown so we are left to our imagination. It's hinted that it has claws and horns. In this version? It's dark skinned but with, (gasp, horror), BLUE EYES! Terrifying!

Speak No Evil (2022)

What people will put up with

[7/10 · 28 July 2024]

This may be a stretch, but I see this movie was made in 2022 and I could see the parallels to the Covid restrictions. Granted I'm an American and from what I gather, Denmark and Holland were less restrictive but I'm sure there were still many. Why did this family put up with abuse and control and question their own judgement? Why did they follow the "rules" this belligerent couple imposed on them against their better judgement? They were even lied to (Patrick saying he was a doctor) like we were all lied to by our governments. But the family did not leave, kept acquiescing, and were concerned with looking impolite or disagreeable. And then to have the children's tongues cut out so they could not speak?. Didn't we all lose our ability to speak (censorship) or to fear the ramifications of doing so. To me it's the perfect metaphor of this film.

Secret Obsession (2019)

Abandon your critical thinking skills for this one!

[2/10 · 8 July 2024]

I won't repeat all the comments in the other reviews because I agree with all of them (especially the first one that came to my mind while watching which was "how did he know she would lose her memory? How serendipitous!") But one I might have missed, as someone who hurt my foot a couple times, a PAIR of crutches, not just ONE, would have been a tremendous help to her. You can go pretty fast and up and down stairs much more easily. I'm not even sure what the purpose of the cane was. I also never saw someone get the CCTV footage so quickly of a certain moments from what I assume would be hours of footage. What about her insurance information the hospital would require. No real contact info from that?

Alice (II) (2019)

Misrepresentation of prostitution

[5/10 · 27 October 2023]

To represent that's what high class prostitution is like is absurd. To partially justify what Alice is doing it's shown from the meetings with clients and conversations with her escort friend that prostitution is an easy and simple way to earn a living with no repercussions. You walk in, it takes 5 minutes, and you leave with thousands of dollars. "What's the big deal" the filmmakers are asking. Seriously? Men are not paying that much money for that. They want the experience of a lifetime. She would have to be very experienced and work a hell of a lot harder than that. And not too say the actresses aren't attractive, but they would have to be way better looking also. Those men in the movie can pay 50 for what they got from her. Ridiculous!

Family: When the Bough Breaks (1980) Season 5, Episode 4

Ridiculous storyline

[1/10 · 26 June 2023]

My main complaint about this series is how every season they kept adding a few years of age to both Wllie and Nancy (I suppose to be able to do a particular storyline) although Buddy's age stayed consistent. In a few episodes before this one Kate talks about meeting Doug in college. And the previous episode Nancy was suddenly 29 (and in the same episode says she's 30). Therefore Kate has to be at least 50. Doug says when the baby is 10 they will be 60. I'm sorry, although I'm sure there might be a VERY rare instance of a woman getting pregnant naturally over 50, this storyline was ridiculous. I kept wondering why she was even telling anyone when I knew even if it was possible to get pregnant she would most likely have a miscarriage before 12 weeks, and lo and behold (surprise surprise) that happens.

Family (1976–1980)

Brings me back to a more innocent time

[8/10 · 23 June 2023]

I remember this show but I wasn't a fan as a teenager. (I am the exact age of Kristy McNicholl.) Now at 61 years old I see it differently and I love it. I now connect with Kate, the mother. But it also brings me back to my teenage years and I watch it with nostalgia. Even Buddy's clothes is exactly how we dressed and now girls that age look like hookers! And to think my grandmother was horrified by 70s television! She must be turning in her grave. My mother also! Yet at the same time it had some quite controversial topics for the time. Sexual harassment, homosexuality, infidelity, abortion, etc.

Pieces of Her (2022)

How was this filmed?

[5/10 · 6 March 2022]

I was so distracted by trying to figure out how this was filmed in a country that had the strictest lockdown policy in world during covid. I checked and not every actor was an Australian resident. It was the most hypocritical country which has been exposed since. If this gets past the censors I'll be shocked.

Not as a Stranger (1955)

I guess becoming a doctor was easier in 1955

[6/10 · 2 February 2022]

If I overlooked the age of the actors playing the medical students, (way too old) and pretending Gloria Grahame was supposed to be more attractive that Olivia deHavilland, and that any old doctor can actually perform HEART SURGERY (isn't that a specialty?) I actually enjoyed the movie.

Clickbait (2021– )

Ridiculous but I had to watch until the end

[5/10 · 20 November 2021]

As others mentioned off the bat I realized there were going to be all the woke boxes checked. Interracial family, Muslim, Asian..I wondered where the gay couple was but lo and behold they appeared a few episodes in. Then there's the standard stupid detectives who can't even put in the work the reporters and family members do to solve the case. There's a cheap trick the writers pull when you realize towards the end certain scenes were actually someone's imagination. Cheap! And lazy writing. But most of all the stupidest scenes were when police were in dangerous stand-off situations involving firearms (even a Swat team) and they allow family members to go along with them. How easily someone could get killed by a stray bullet! This would never be allowed!

Bridgerton (2020– )

Pick and choose historical fact

[2/10 · 8 February 2021]

The first time I watched I made it through 10 minutes. It's so historically inaccurate I knew it would be too painful to continue. Then I read a piece in Oprah Magazine that said to look at it as a fantasy movie so it doesn't need to realistic. I watched again with that in mind but after making it to the fourth episode that time it occurred to me, why does it just change some of the historical fact? Why not also change gender roles? Why not change everything and they can just show the characters behaving as if they were born in 2000? How far should we take the "fantasy?" We can't rewrite history no matter how much the woke brigade would like to.

Giada in Italy (2015–2019)

Beautiful scenery and clothes

[5/10 · 28 July 2019]

I actually watch this just for the beautiful scenery and the dresses she wears. Can't stand her other shows unless Aunt Raffy is in it. (They're great for a drinking game. Take a drink every time she says "you just kind of like..." ) Otherwise her recipes are pretty much a joke. She keeps making the same things over and over again for the past 15 years. Why hasn't anyone realized this yet? And by the way, I love Aunt Raffy. I am always happy to see her in an episode.

Greta (2018)

What was Isabelle thinking??

[1/10 · 1 June 2019]

Isabelle Huppert is my favorite actress and in my opinion one if the best living actresses right now. I will watch anything if she is in it and was the only reason I put this on top of my Netflix queue. The entire time I was watching all I could repeatedly ask aloud was "why would she agree to be in this movie??" I don't love everything she is in but if I don't I always assume it must be too cerebral for me; her acting is always worth watching. But within the first few minutes I realized it was a really bad script. There was the typical male written cliche female movie friendship where two polar opposite women are BFFs. Maybe the stalking would be more believable if more time was spent on the developing relationship between Greta and the younger woman and show how much time they spent together and their conversations. Crazy is crazy, but there needs to be some form of credibility to be invested at all in the story. It looks like they maybe got together a couple times...to get a dog and have dinner once? So when the "big reveal" (it has to do with handbags) occurs it doesn't create the effect I'm sure the writer intended. Bad script, bad acting, bad directing. It's a mess, don't waste your time. I would love to hear the reasons why Isabelle Huppert would agree to do this. I'm dumbfounded!

The Same Sky (2017)

Don't bother unless a confirmation of a second season

[5/10 · 23 February 2019]

I was actually quite enjoying it and was looking forward to see how it ended and I realized when there was about 20 minutes left of the last episode that there was no possible way the story could be wrapped up that quickly. I then assumed there must be a second season, but lo and behold, there is no second season and from what I could find out there won't be one. This isn't the first time this has happened watching a series and I can't believe I haven't learned from previous mistakes. If you want to see what life was like in East Germany during the Cold War (I can't even attest to how accurate it is) and a bit of suspense here and there I would recommend watching. If it drives you crazy to be left with all the story plot lines hanging and knowing you will never find out, then don't bother. I'm annoyed I invested almost 6 hours to be left hanging permanently.

Secret in Their Eyes (2015)

Ridiculous plot holes

[2/10 · 16 November 2018]

Most of the reviews here are focused on the structure and pacing and performances. My main complaint is with the plot holes as wide as a river. Is it just me or did anyone else think they didn't have enough evidence on EITHER guy to suspect him much less hoping to arrest him? I was never convinced to begin with that the kid was the murderer. Just because the detective was so sure based on nothing, we were to be also? It seemed the only thing the detective was relying on was that the kid was looking at the murder victim in a photo. And later it is revealed that the suspect was an informant in a terrorist cell for the police so they didn't want to show any connection between the cops and him, yet he not only shows up at a police department picnic, but joins in a photo that anyone could have posted online! Pretty shoddy undercover police work there! Then worse yet, the "second" suspect, during which a cop was killed while trying to apprehend, is based on the detective being convinced he was the murderer because he looked like him if he had had plastic surgery (really??) and he liked horses. The ending didn't ring true either. I was convinced when the detective left the gun for Julia Roberts that she was going back in to kill herself. That would have been a better ending. (Oh wait, no, of course not, it's Hollywood after all.) And in typical sexist Hollywood fashion, what was the point of Nicole Kidman's blouse becoming unbuttoned when her arm was grabbed. (Another eye roll out of a dozen from me.) Do any of these actresses ever have the gumption to stand up to these directors over these gratuitous shots? Nothing to do with the story at all. Maybe due to the MeToo movement there will be an end to this crap.

Wonder (I) (2017)

Confusing, predictable mess

[4/10 · 8 April 2018]

I was hoping for something a little more original than a Little House on the Prairie episode. First of all, maybe I missed something, but when the future bully Julian was taking Auggie on a school tour he may have said a few insensitive things, but only because he's a kid, not out of mean spiritedness, yet Auggie makes a know-it-all wisecrack about the mispronunciation of a word by Julian and then Julian turns against him. Can't say I blamed him.

And why did his sister have only one friend? Her best friend blows her off and then she is completely a loner? She seems normal and nice enough to have other friends.

Julia Robert's characterization of the mother confused me. At first I thought she was dressed liked a sister wife and had her hair in braids because she was a homeschooler. But then she became a little more hip looking as the movie progressed. Why? Because she was no longer a homeschooler, but back out in the real world? And what did Owen Wilson do for a living to be able to afford a place like that in what I assume was Manhattan (maybe Brooklyn?) and pay for private schools. We never find out but I was dying to know because he came off as a bozo.

Overall, I don't think Auggie had it so bad at school. I guess that was the message. Everyone has it bad. Pretty depressing. He has one friend, and yet his "normal" sister only had one friend also. I don't think he didn't have a lot of friends because of how he looked. He just didn't have the kind of personality to become popular. I liked the boy in "Mask" because his schoolmates overlooked his deformities because he had a likeable, friendly, outgoing personality.

One last oberservation as trivial as it may be. What kind of supervision did this school have? In the middle of the showing of a movie during the field trip, the two boys get up and walk out with no one noticing or saying a word. They could have run off to the lake and drowned. As a parent, I was horrified.