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Great Expectations (2023)
Awful casting & writing
The 1946 version of this story is still the best, IMO, though I did also enjoy the 1999 and 2012 versions., But this one...who cast this mess? The actor cast as young Pip is way too old, and young Estella is made up in such a manner as to be not even close to pretty. Smh And the writing is worse...Pip's mean sister is portrayed as a secret sadist with Pumpblechook as the willing object of her sadism...it's practically unwatchable. I've seen several versions of what is an amazing novel, and this is the worst of the worst. The book has plenty of great material, with some plot points that would make great TV yet never seem to get included, but this version seems to go out of its way to add things that are not necessary and just downright stupid. I am 2 episodes in and still not sure I will be able to get through the rest. The actors are good, but I feel sorry for them having to play out such lousy material.
Queen Cleopatra (2023)
Nobody really knows for sure
No one truly knows what Cleopatra really looked like, so I don't have a problem with the casting. I know there are some theories about her having been of African/Greek ethnicity, but nobody really knows; the casting of black actors in this is a silly thing for people to get worked up about. I've read several historical fiction biography style books about her. I'm a historical fiction fan, not a historian, so my beliefs on her story are just that - my beliefs. Every modern depiction of her and her story is largely fiction, because as they say, history is written by the conquerors, so Roman dislike of her probably played heavily into how she was written about. A lot of what regular people think they "know" is from movie or fictional books, and a lot of info is based on Shakespeare's play. Watch it with an open mind and don't think that what the narrators are saying is 100% accurate, as they don't know for sure either. Granted, the historians have studied a lot more material on her and know way more than us non-historians, but among themselves, they also have their personal opinions and those tend to come in when they have to fill in the blanks on parts of her story. It's a very interesting show, and gorgeously produced.
Briarpatch: First Time in Saint Disgrace (2019)
Freaky but fun
Maybe it's the hotel set, but this strange episode made me remember the enjoyment I felt watching American Horror Story: Hotel. The hotel where the main character stays reminded me of the Hotel Cortez in AHS. This show is funky & weird right off the bat, with a guy greeting his landlady at the door wearing nothing but a "wife beater" T-shirt (Pardon the term, please). Another surreal moment not long after involves an escaped zoo animal - and it's not even one of the terribly dangerous types - being gunned down by local law enforcement. The overall vibe is tense and bizarre. Rosario Dawson is magnetic, though her character isn't given much more to do than look like a bad azz in impeccable suits, trying to find out what happened to her sister. I like what I've seen so far. Looking forward to the next episode!
She Had to Say Yes (1933)
She's way too good for all of them!
Gotta love the pre-code audacity! Some of the dialogue is as thinly veiled as a thin veil can be, though it's the type of double entendre expect you'd see in prime time now. People have some really wrong ideas about old fashioned morality; I don't believe it ever existed but was only pretended. The business that employs most of the characters in this film is an apparel wholesaler during the day and an off-site prostitution ring by night! The alternate title could be "Men Are Pigs." When their sales start dropping off, they have a brainstorming session and decide the problem is that the buyers who come from out of town are becoming tired of the "hard boiled gold digger" types of "customer's girls" the salesmen "entertain" them with at night. What a dilemma! What to do? Well, how about pimp out the "nice" girls in the stenography department? What an idea! The female lead, Flo, is dating the genius salesman, Tom, who comes up with this idea, and his double standard is so solid you couldn't smash through it with a sledgehammer. He's fine with pimping out the other girls, but HIS stenographer is also he fiancee, and though he's cheating on her, he thinks he's entitled to keep her pure for himself to enjoy later, and won't let her be part of the "entertainment." Circumstance arise such that she does end up going out with a buyer one night, and soon after, one of her co-workers opens her eyes to her rat of a boyfriend/boss. Everything changes after that. It's often hard to watch these old movies, even code movies, because the way women are treated is just nauseating, and more nauseating because it's an accurate portrayal.
Mourning Becomes Electra (1947)
Odd Casting Distracts From Great Story
The story was excellent, but the acting and casting bogged it down. From the beginning, there were distracting aspects with the cast. The characters are supposed to be New Englanders, but one of the nosy visiting ladies in the opening scene sounded very hillbilly-ish, pronouncing "pretty" as "purty," sounding more like Granny Clampett than a New Englander. In the same scene, the caretaker of the house frequently used the Maine-style "ayuh" expression - it was a bizarre contrast in accents. Unfortunately, the main character, played by Russell, was ruined because Russell seemed so out of place, much too old for her part. She didn't seem much younger than the actress playing her character's mother; when I looked them up, I found the age difference was only 7 years! I was very surprised to read that she, and many others, expected her to win the Oscar for Best Actress; there were only a few scenes where I felt she was believable. Russell seemed to have the same haughty expression on her face, with her chin in the air, through most of the film. She was either wooden, or excessively emotional. All the main characters played their parts "over the top" much of the time. I felt this could have been a superb film, but the acting and mis-cast performers
Penny Dreadful (2014)
Dark fantasy mayhem & indulgence
Finally getting around to watching this on Netflix...If you like movies or shows about monsters and monster hunters/fighters, this is right up your alley. I've only watched 3 episodes, so far, and I am loving it. The only aspect of the show I dislike is the casting of Billie Piper, whose attempt at an Irish accent is like nails on a blackboard. I've seen her in a couple things, and I just don't like her. However, the other characters are so intriguing that I can ignore her when she's on screen.
This show has a fair amount of graphic sex and violence; the graphic sex stuff isn't my cup of tea, but thankfully, someone invented fast-forward. The episode "Demimonde" is particularly loaded with cringeworthy content. So far, the storyline has jumped back and forth in time quite a bit, so it can be difficult to follow at times; I just go to a fandom site when I get too confused (beware spoilers in those sites, though, if you don't like knowing ahead of time what will happen). The costumes and sets are very well done. The seedy side of old London is as seedy as it gets.
The best thing about the show are the characters & how they've been brought together; for those who have read the classics of horror, or are even just familiar with the modern re-tellings, characters from Dracula, Frankenstein, etc. have been brought to cross paths with each other, along with some unknowns added. Dorian Gray and Vanessa Ives are my favorites, but every character other than Brona is a pleasure to watch and hear. I've peeked at some spoilers [can't seem to watch anything anymore without doing that], and I am eagerly anticipating the story progression.
Criminal Minds: Solitary Man (2010)
One of the worst for plot nonsense
Spoilers*** This could have been a good episode but a couple of really dumb things popped up. First of all, a child would not be adopted away from a parent for the reasons shown in this show if the parent did not want to terminate parental rights. Another ridiculous item was Reid idealizing outlaw bikers' relationships with their "ole ladies," i.e. sort-of-wives, legal or not, describing them as protective of their chosen women above all else. Bikers' first loyalty is to the club, not to an ole lady; they treat women like crap, and while they might treat their own ole lady better than a "pass around" (girl who is sexually available to all of them) the ole lady must know her place, which is figuratively under her man's boot heel. Those two idiotic flaws just ruined this episode for me. The show is far fetched in a lot of aspects, but they don't usually get quite this blatantly wrong on things.
American Horror Story: Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag (2017)
Works as dark satire
The first episode of this series about did me in & I wasn't sure I'd watch any more this time around, but I kept reading reviews of subsequent episodes, and things started to make sense. If I were watching this with any other view than that it is a very dark satire, I would hate it. The non-linear content in the past several episodes has been confusing at times, but seeing all the layers of manipulation Kai has laid down has been mind blowing. This particular episode had some bizarre history woven into it, with an amazing twist at the end.
The Unexplained Files: Fred Valentich and Texas Blue Dogs (2013)
Texas Blue Dog BS
This so-called "Rancher" woman who got a hold of the "mystery" carcass is ridiculous - her story is full of holes so big you could drive a truck through them. First of all, she claims she lost 28 chickens, one by one, but had no idea what was killing them. She's never heard of a trail cam? Hello, McFly!?!?! We keep chickens & I follow chicken forums...nobody loses 28 birds one by one without setting up a camera and/or putting out traps. The mystery critter somehow ended up in her possession after it was killed being hit by a car. So, having no idea what it is, she had it taxidermied and got a DNA test done on it. She didn't take it to a veterinarian to have a necropsy done? No skin samples tested to determine if it was a hairless animal or one with mange? This makes no sense whatsoever. If she had DNA tested at a university, as she claims, why wouldn't she have had a full examination done on the carcass? I think she has a lot more info on the animal and either she, or the show, deliberately omitted a lot of pertinent facts. There is a lot of BS going on with this woman & this show.
Expedition Unknown (2015)
Anything ever found?
I've watched some episodes of this show, and it seems that like all the other shows with the same premise, whatever it is the host is looking for never, ever gets found. Yeah, there's great scenery, and lots of interesting information, but it becomes very irritating, show after show, when there is never any payoff. "Reality" TV is such BS anyway; I'd rather they just present it as a documentary.
Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
Just watch the trailer
I have seen the first two; this is a prequel to the events in those movies. After watching it, I read the reviews and then watched the trailer. Other reviewers had mentioned scenes in the trailer that weren't in the movie as it was released. I was astonished to see some of the scariest - as well as essential to the story - scenes in the trailer, but not in the film itself. What the heck?!?!? This movie would have been so much better if they'd left those scenes where they fit in the sequence of events. These PA movies are boring for about 3/4 of the screen time; there are lots of segments of the "found footage" where nothing at all happens. Nothing. If they'd left in the scenes that were in the trailer, at least there'd have been more scary moments to make up for all the dull ones.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Watched without preconceived notions
My daughter's high school just did this musical, and that was the first time I ever saw the story of Beauty & The Beast, in any format. I knew the basic story line, of course, but had never seen any of the movies. From the comments in the other reviews, this version failed to provide the same level of enjoyment of the animated movie. Having only seen a high school production of the story, I actually found this movie very enjoyable, with most of the songs & dialogue the same, and more content that fleshed out the story. I guess if you saw & loved the animated movie, this one may well seem disappointing, but without the preconceived notions, I would think it would be a pleasure to watch.
Go Fish (1994)
Did not enjoy
In short, this is an old, very low-budget, poorly acted, "artistic" movie with LOTS of profanity, graphic sex talk & some nudity/sex scenes. I watched this movie as part of a meeting with LBGTQ youth & group admins, as basis for discussion about LGBTQ experiences in the 90s vs. how things are today. I'd advise reading some background on the film & on Troche before watching it. It's a significant film in some ways, as it was Troche's early work & she's now incredibly successful, famous, etc., plus, for the time, it was daring subject matter. You should prepare yourself to NOT expect this to be a regular movie - it's not done as a story depiction in the typical way. It works very hard at being "artsy," sometimes rather too hard, IMO, but I am not a fan of that stuff anyway. I prefer getting lost in a story, for lack of a better way of putting it. As I was watching it, I thought "This must be what people used to joke about as'avant garde' cinema or 'art house' films." The acting is pretty bad, the sound is often lousy, and though some of the characters are interesting, they are portrayed woodenly. If you like off-beat artistic style filming, you'll probably enjoy it more than I did. Like instrumental jazz solos with oodles of scales, it's something that the artist, and other artists, enjoy a great deal more than the average consumer. LOL It is shot in B&W, with lots of symbolic images flitting across the screen at different points, and not always linear in story progression. One scene does not even attempt to be realistic; it's meant to make you think about the varying, often contrary, judgments made about someone who goes outside the "norm" of what's accepted sexual activity among a peer group; in this movie, lesbians are the norm - the controversy isn't about same-sex sex. Half of the content is meant to be thought-provoking in that way, and the other half is supposed to be about relationships, mostly focusing on one potential relationship. It tries, and sometimes manages, to be funny, but then you get some freakish angles, like at knee level (a shot of their blue-jean clad knees???) or closeups of someone doing dishes, and it derails the feeling of the story progressing. Sex is almost always the topic of conversation, and the characters are cliché - one sleeps around A LOT, there's one committed couple, and then the two that everyone else wants to fix up with each other. Getting the two of them together would seem fairly simple, except one is not the least bit attracted to the other, and the other has a long term, long distance "partner" that she's not broken up with yet. It's useful for discussion, but for enjoyment, the movie didn't suit me.
American Horror Story: Election Night (2017)
Ugh
This well cast, well written, well acted show has always pushed me to my limit of tolerance for gross-out sex and violence, but this season, with the addition of clowns & politics, I think I may drop out until next time. After 8 mos. of daily irritation, I'd prefer to forget about politics for a while. And sex scenes with people in clown masks - truly vomit worthy. I don't have a clown phobia, but I do find them creepy & annoying, so this is just too much of a bad thing. The first episode is all I've seen so far. The writing doesn't seem quite as good; there were a few moments where I didn't find the characters genuine. Usually, the show is so engaging, I can overlook the crude/gross/perverted scenes, but I'm not feeling optimistic with this season. Hotel was amazing, Asylum was nearly as good, and Murder House comes in 3rd for me. Roanoke would have been more enjoyable but the format constantly interrupted the flow of the story & having 2 sets of actors for almost every "character" added to the amount of work needed to make sense of it for the first few episodes; I prefer a story I can lose myself in, and I can't do that with so much non-linear story progression & two sets of faces to remember. The season centered around the circus people is the only season I have not re-watched, as most of the characters creeped me out so much, but I am not sure I even feel like watching this one the first time around. I may try one more episode before changing my DVR settings, but I haven't decided yet. Hoping next season is better!
Super Troopers (2001)
Incredibly stupid
This has to be one the most idiotic movies I've ever seen. Dumb doesn't even begin to describe it. The stupidity of the story & the lousy acting defy description. I've seen few movies that fell more flat; never once was I tempted to laugh. I don't know what they were thinking with this script, but it was utterly worthless.
The Handmaid's Tale (2017)
Fantastic - Excellent Adaptation, Plus!!!
This isn't a show where people who've read the book are likely to be irritated very much by differences in the production. There are a lot of similarities, but additional content that fits in very well. The book is really pretty brief, so there is a lot of potential material that could be filled in, and the creators of the series are doing that, superbly, in my opinion. Some elements of the book are absent, most notably the white supremacy aspect of the imagined Republic of Gilead (there are several good articles out there explaining why), but overall, the show aligns closely to the book. The idea of a future where government is a theocratic nightmare, for everyone but upper class men, is certainly plausible, given the examples of religious extremism we see in current life. It's no stretch at all to imagine that there is a contingent of extremist Judeo-Christian males, right here in the USA, who'd love to turn the clock back a few hundred years to the days when White Men Ruled The Earth, so to speak. The Republic of Gilead is a Christian version of the Islamic State, though the structure seems to be all based on Old Testament stories & rules. The show illustrates the horrors of what could happen if the separation of Church and State did not exist in America. It's certainly a wake up call for anyone who thinks it couldn't happen here; the explanation of how Gilead came about provides a very plausible progression of events that might be used to effect such a change in government. The creators of the show have done a great job with casting; the actors are fantastic. I've watched all the available episodes, and I can't wait for the next round. Next season will begin pretty much where the main section of the book ended, so I am eager to see where they go with the story.
Harlots (2017)
Very Guilty Pleasure
This show is not for the faint of heart, but it's delicious entertainment if you can stomach it. As to be expected from the title, there are a lot of graphic sex scenes; you'll also encounter a great deal of profanity and a fair amount of violence. I've watched all the available episodes and can't wait to see more. The basic plot of two rival brothels quickly becomes a complicated tangle of relationships, grudges, and secrets. There are several very interesting story lines, fascinating characters, and an ongoing mystery to keep you engaged. The two rival madams in the show have well- developed characters, a realistic mix of good and bad. The decisions they make regarding their own lives, their children's' lives, and their employees' lives are at times brutal and at other times very sentimental. Some characters in the show are pretty one-dimensional, but most are realistically portrayed as very human in their inconsistencies. It's hard to believe the things that go on, but as a history buff, I will say a lot of it is probably not too far out of the realm of accuracy. I got the free trial of Hulu for The Handmaid's Tale, and between that show & Harlots, I think I will have to keep a subscription to Hulu.
Taboo (2017)
Love this show!
I've seen Hardy in lots of movies over the years, and he just keeps getting more intriguing. His portrayal of Heathcliff in a version of Wuthering Heights was amazing. This show is dark, broody, and sometimes overly vulgar, but I am hooked. I DVR it and end up watching episodes more than once in order to be able to grasp everything that is happening. Hardy's character is a terribly flawed hero, but he seems more likable than not. I'm not sure what to make of the sister - the obvious conclusion seems too obvious, so I am still hoping for other clues. There are more characters in this show to hate than to like, but the ones you like are the underdogs, so it's easy to root for them. There is some seriously crude, rude content, so if you're squeamish about how ugly people and life can be, it might be too much for you. I would love to see more backstory on Delaney's parents...fingers crossed!!! Can't wait to see more!
World Without End (2012)
Disappointing
There is some good acting - Cynthia Nixon especially - and it's visually pleasing, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. I've not read the book, but I did read Pillars. After watching the movie version of Pillars, I knew I would like the book even more and I was right. Maybe the book of this one is better, too - from comments others have made, it would seem so.
Some of the acting is really bad, I think, especially Pryor Godwyn. The excessive use of the "F" word is something I could have done without, and it's not even accurate sine that word wasn't used in that era.
What irritated me the most, however, was the rehash of characters and story lines from Pillars - there are too many similar relationships, personalities, etc. It's ridiculous after a while, seeing how little original material there is in this story (don't know if that's a bad adaptation or if Follet actually wrote it that way).
I may like it better if I watch it again, but probably not much; there's just too much copycat material from Pillars.