Queenbee60 Reviews

The Iron Claw (2023)

The father is the cancer in this cursed family

[8/10 · 7 June 2024]

I had seen the VICE documentary about this family a few years ago, so I knew what to expect before watching this movie.

One of the strangest things I learned about wrestling from the VICE series, is how often a lot of wrestlers end up either getting killed by the local Mafia, die from a drug overdose, commit suicide, or murder others.

Wrestling seems to attract the outliers of society. And this family is no exception.

Toxic masculinity is the cancer in this family and it's inflicted upon the brothers by their father, Fritz. He doesn't come out and just say it, but he expects his sons to carry on his legacy. We watch as he pits Kevin against Kerry over who's more deserving in fighting for some title. And how he ignores Michael's dream of becoming a musician.

All this is going on while the mother, Doris, buries herself in religion. Instead of standing up to her husband in order to protect her sons. Especially, Michael, who isn't cut out to be a wrestler. He doesn't have the physique or determination. Yet he's forced into it by Fritz.

The film does leave out certain things such as one of the older brothers, who died by suicide. Also left out was Doris leaving Fritz.

After watching I couldn't help but wonder why she waited so long to leave. All but one of her sons (Kevin) were dead, by then. I also wondered if Fritz ever accepted the blame for the deaths of his sons. Was he really man enough to do so?

Also left out is the fact that Kevin's two sons are actually professional wrestlers. Why?

I can't get my head around that.

Dark (2017–2020)

Quickly goes downhill from a brilliant first season

[4/10 · 6 June 2024]

The first season is brilliant. Which is something other reviewers have stated. Unfortunately, this show follows the same pattern as a lot of American shows like 'Lost'.

Somebody comes up with a great idea. Films it, and we're given a fantastic first season. But with the following seasons, the writers either lose interest, get lost on how to tie the story together, or prefer to extend the series just to get paid for more episodes.

Whatever the reason, this series could have been brilliant if they narrowed it down to just 10 episodes. But, unfortunately for viewers, they didn't. They stretched this series out for a total of 26 episodes. In season 2, the writers have done the old trick of bringing in new characters and new dilemmas for the first characters to overcome. You can get confused as to who's who and what's going on, and what year/decade it is.

By the third season, characters are time-traveling back to the 1880s, and they're using not just the portable time machine, and the cave. But they're also using a large black blob and a small gold sphere.

The ending is piecemealed together. To call the series brilliant after the final 2 series is an unbelievable stretch. This has turned from a brilliant series to something that is repetitive and tired.

It could have been great.

The Restoration Man (2010–2017)

The director and/or producer should be fired!!!

[6/10 · 27 May 2024]

This is a great show until you get to season 3 episode 10, when intrusive music replaces the narrative. Quite often we're shown architectural drawings but have no idea what we're looking at. Or you'll seen George and the building owners talking, but we can't hear them. Then you'll hear George and the owners peak for a minute, followed by views of a nearby field or whatever accompanied with yet more music.

It's almost as if the director or whoever prefers to turn the show into visual images like the wallpaper on your phone, instead of a documentary about people renovating historic buildings.

It's just mind-boggling as to why anyone thought this was a great idea.

As I write this I'm on season 3 episode 13, and it's still going on. So disappointing.

Build a New Life in the Country: Gweek (2005) Season 1, Episode 4

Sometimes it's more rewarding if you do it yourself

[8/10 · 16 May 2024]

Taking on a project such as a house is one thing, but working on a boat, or in this case a barge, is harder. As the walls aren't flat or straight.

This couple takes on a project that begins to prove too much for them financially. No surprise, there. A lot of these couples always seem to under estimate the money needed and the length of time it'll take to complete these projects.

About three-quarters into the episode husband Simon, decides to start a diving business with a friend. The two of them buy a £60,000 boat towards the end of the diving season and get just one customer.

It seems Simon, probably feeling like a failure, decides it's best to abandon his wife and three children, instead of owning up to the fact that he has gotten the family into a big financial hole.

After he flees, it's up to Carole to finish building the barge while raising the children and keeping her day job. I feared the worse.

But surprisingly, she does it. All of it.

At the end of the episode, Carole has invited family (and possibly friends) to a BBQ on thr barge. I couldn't help but wonder if Carole invited Simon's family; and if they would've accepted the invitation?

The Painted Bird (2019)

Fictional

[6/10 · 26 April 2024]

I read up about this movie before watching it and was surprised to find out that the book that the film is based on, is in fact a work of fiction.

I remember when this film was shown at a film festival how people left during the screening of the film. As I watched I couldn't help but wonder about the similarities between some of what was happening in the film, and the atrocities that are being reported by uncensored sources that are currently taking place in Gaza.

It seems in reality history does repeat itself, and no country is righteous even my own - the United States. I truly pity people who have had to live through, died, or witnessed the horrific deaths of loved ones and friends inflicted upon them during the Holocaust.

I assume the author of the book meant well, but once the truth came out, the idea of doing a movie seemed to cloud the reality of the events of the Holocaust and instead placed suspicion onto himself concerning not just his motives, but those too of the filmmaker.

The movie gets 6 stars for the cinematography and the acting. But the length of the film, the unending events, and it being fictional cost it the other four stars.

Ripley (2024)

Murder is hard work

[9/10 · 11 April 2024]

I wanted to give the series 10 stars, but Johnny Flynn's portrayal of Richard Greenleaf just didn't have the charisma that was needed.

Jude Law's Greenleaf was good-looking, unpredictable, fun, etc. A person with magnetism. Whereas, this one seem tired and settled. The only rise out of him was about how many ice cube trays the refrigerator should have.

Dakota Fanning does a great job, and shows that there was no need for the film to have two female characters. Eliot Sumner isn't who I had in mind for the character of Freddie Miles. When he first appeared, I thought it was a boyish-looking woman. Sumner did the job well, but even though the actor is in his 30s, he looked like a teenager.

Having said all that. The cinematography was beautiful and it was great to see how Ripley not just evolved, but also his reactions after murdering someone. The getting rid of the bodies, and other evidence, the cleaning up afterwards, creating alibis, trying to outwit everyone day after day. It's not just physically tiring but mentally as well.

Vivant (2023– )

Way too long - and that's just the first episode

[2/10 · 19 January 2024]

This series spans 10 episodes. The first and only one that I saw ran for 90 minutes.

This series is supposed to reflect a madcap adventure that is about an incredibly unbelievable financial mistake which saw $100 million being transferred to a foreign account instead of $10 million. The accountant who made the mistake has to go and retrieve $90 million of it back, or the company he works for, could fold.

I could watch this show if it was made up of 30 minute episodes, because then I would expect the writing to be tighter and unnecessary things tossed out. But the writers have decided to included everything but the kitchen sink, when our accountant and a few others try to flee from the police.

I would've preferred this show be a drama about a family trying to keep from going bankrupt and save their family's legacy. Unfortunately for me, it's not. Yet other viewers who perhaps have more patience than me, liked it.

Red Rose (2022)

I quit at episode 5

[4/10 · 19 January 2024]

This show starts off as a supernatural drama involving a group of teenagers in the British town of Bolton.

What appears to be a supernatural entity has driven two teen girls to suicide. The second victim named Rochelle, had tried to alert her friends to what was causing her phone to send them strange texts and causing her strange behavior.

It's clear to the remaining friends by episode four that an app on their phones has started to take control of their lives.

So the supernatural angle of the story which would've made this a more compelling series, has been tossed and replaced by technological stalking.

By episode five, I had had enough. Not once did any of the teens contact police to alert them to the dangers towards any teenager who had the app. But the police could've helped them in finding out who or what was behind it.

From reading the comments from others, it seems like the ending made absolutely no sense, whatsoever. So, I'm glad I pulled the plug on this series when I did.

Hard to believe that the BBC didn't demand a better script that made sense before filming this.

Meet the Feebles (1989)

It's crazy. It's unexplainable. And I LOVE it

[8/10 · 15 January 2024]

I've seen this film twice. Once decades ago, and again last week on YouTube (it's free).

If you combine the movie Pink Flamingos with the Muppet Show, then you get an idea of how twisted this film is. It is NOT for children.

The characters in this film are starring on a TV show, hoping it'll get a contract for a series. That's the gist of it.

Except that in this film you have a knife thrower addicted to heroin; a female singer who shows more 'flesh' than necessary; and a manager who can't keep his hands or another body part away from the singer and other females. Then all hell breaks loose.

I LOVE this movie. Because it's just nuts. It's incredibly hard to believe that Peter Jackson went from this to Heavenly Creatures with Kate Winslett, and then the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

If you're willing to watch a movie where you'll sit there and say WTF? Then this film is for you.

Come to Daddy (2019)

Family and Money don't mix

[7/10 · 15 January 2024]

I haven't seen Elijah Wood in a movie since the final film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Wood plays Norval Greenwood a young artist, reuniting with his father who he hasn't seen since he was five years old.

I thought I could predict how this movie was going to unfold when Norval and Gordon decided to take a selfie together. But no, this movie doesn't follow the clichéd storylines of most psychological thrillers, instead it veers off into unexpected territory about one guy trying to recover money from a bank heist of long ago.

The film is slightly over 90 minutes long and has basically four main characters, with about two or three others making a brief appearance. There's a taste of dark humor and some violence. But credit must be given to the director for giving this film the ending it deserved, and not what we expect.

I ended up enjoying this movie, which surprised me. It's a low-key psychological thriller that's well-made and kept me guessing.

Happy Valley (2014–2023)

I want more!!!!

[10/10 · 11 January 2024]

I'm writing this after seeing just the first two seasons for free, via the streaming service CBC Gem. It'll probably be another year before it gets the final season.

But if the first two are anything to go by, then I'm sure the great writing and acting will still be in place for the last six episodes.

Sarah Lancashire's character in Happy Valley is as a tired, yet driven police sergeant in a small British village. When the show begins, she has already lost her daughter to suicide years before, which led to her marriage falling apart. Plus she's raising her grandson, with the help of her recovering alcoholic sister. Her daughter's death weighs heavily upon her, as she tries desperately to keep her grandson's father in prison. While he goes to extreme lengths to contact his son and seek revenge. But the family storylines are well balanced with the crimes that need to be solved.

Each season is just six episodes, yet the writers do a fantastical job, with the characters as well as the criminal storylines that are compelling yet believable. The idea of compacting everything into six episodes, makes every scene and dialog meaningful. Which is the reason why British crime dramas are so good. This leads to a tense, thoughtful and emotional series.

They attack the topic and gnaw on it until it's solved. They don't add in extra characters or obstacles, like a lot of American shows do.

Broadchurch (2013–2017)

Quality will always trump quantity

[10/10 · 8 January 2024]

The Brits have perfected the crime drama genre. And it's all because the BBC doesn't chase ratings, or stretch a series out between 20 and 24 episodes per season.

With British shows it's all about the writing. I supposed the importance of a great script can be traced back to the 1950s and 60s, when their science fiction movies and programs had to rely on great scripts to convey pain, devastation, etc; all because they didn't have the big budgets that American studios and TV networks had. And yet even without the special effects, their movies and programs were just as good, and sometimes better than what Hollywood would produce.

And so with Broadchurch we're given three seasons totaling 24 episodes of emotional and psychological drama, that is perfectly casted and directed. The first two seasons deal with one tragedy that has befallen a family. The third season introduces us to other people in the same village dealing with a sexual assault.

American shows quite often deal with a victim and suspect in one episode. But life isn't like that; and British programs like Broadchurch are more closer to reality. Quality is reality, quantity is about repetition.

Get Out (I) (2017)

More 'mockumentary' than thriller

[5/10 · 8 January 2024]

People raved about this film, yet I found it unbelievable. I should state the fact that I'm black.

And as a black person, we know how to read the room and white people. This instinct is completely non-existent in this movie.

What's worse is the fact that the movie was written and directed by a black man. Who should know better. So I'm assuming his target audience are white moviegoers. Those are the ones raving about it.

So watching it from my point of view, it's less a thriller movie and more like a 'mockumentary'. If that's the right word.

After seeing this I'm highly unlikely to watch anything else from this director.

Beef (2023– )

You never know what will happen when you honk your horn

[9/10 · 6 January 2024]

Wow! I binged watched this yesterday. I wanted to give it 10 stars, but I felt that the mother-inlaw character wasn't needed, and the series should have been wrapped in just six or seven episodes, instead if 10.

This is a great reflection on society. More and more on social media we're seeing people stalking others, trying to break into homes in the middle of the night, having meltdowns in stores, or having rage issues on planes or on our streets. The world has become a battlefield.

Going to the store could literally cost you your life.

BEEF is a dark comedy that takes road rage to the extreme. Some people may complain because 99.9% of the cast is Asian, but that doesn't bother me. The series is well written, and will cause you to suspend belief at some things. But the anger, and lack of respect that the two main characters are feeling will resonate with viewers. And it's those feelings that fuel this series, to the point of no return, for some of the characters.

So I give it 9 stars out of 10. Because of the acting, the script, the production values and.... the surprise ending.

Society of the Snow (2023)

Harrowing fight for survival

[8/10 · 6 January 2024]

A short plane trip over the Andes mountains turns into a living nightmare for a team of rugby players who were looking forward to playing a game in Peru.

There isn't much background given about any of the passengers, as the film shifts quickly from the team shown briefly playing a game, to being at the airport and then experiencing the devastation of the plane being ripped apart.

It's October and the team await rescue from planes that are heard flying overhead, but nothing comes of it. Within a couple of weeks, the government calls off rescue attempts until the weather changes, and the snow starts to melt. Their camaraderie is commendable, even though food is scarce. They are forced to do the unthinkable to survive.

Come December, the remaining passengers, who have survived the crash, starvation, illness, and infection decide to set out in search for help. It is only due to their perseverance that they succeed.

However I can't help but wonder why they didn't set fire to some clothes or suitcases, when the rescue planes flew overhead. Quite often the men were shown smoking cigarettes, and at one point one man had a lighter. So they had the ways and means to try to alert authorities, yet didn't do it.

I can't understand why?

The Golden Hour (2022– )

Unexplainable, unbelievable and unprofessional

[4/10 · 5 January 2024]

The Dutch try their hand at doing a US styled mass-shooting terrorist miniseries. It doesn't go well.

This story is basically about two cops trying to stop four terrorists.

Both of them go rogue, leaving protocols aside, as the terrorists first steal a large truck and then use it to run over people at a street market.

One of the cops was a friend of the head terrorist, when they were children in Afghanistan, and decides he can prove his loyalty to the Netherlands and the police force by handling the situation himself.

The other rogue cop, Ilja, is a Dutch-born racist who uses fear, intimidation and brutality to get answers. Even if it means beating an elderly man or the wife of the other cop, or kidnapping the other cop's young daughter.

One terrorist is dead, while two go to a shopping mall and spend what seems like *hours* shooting people. They have so much time, that they make their rounds through the mall several times, shooting more people. The police task force *finally* show up to kill the third terrorist, after one cop shot and killed the second one.

The series ends with the good rogue cop in jail after confronting his former friend, the terrorist; and the bad rogue cop getting his own form of justice.

While watching this series, you can't help but notice the incompetence of the police on multiple occasions, the reactions of pedestrians who kept running in front of the truck, and the willingness of some officers in helping Ilja, in ignoring the protocols that police officers are supposed to obey.

Don't be surprised if you give up on the series, mid-way.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023)

This show could of been great

[7/10 · 4 January 2024]

I watched the first two seasons back 2021, and the rest of the series in December 2023.

With that being said, I immensely enjoyed the first two seasons. The show was a fresh and funny look at a woman finding her voice in a male dominated society.

By season three it was hard to believe that as a stand-up comedian who did observant type comedy, that she didn't realize that she had 'outed' a famous singer that she had been hired as the opening act for. In doing so she gets dumped from his world tour, and in order to rid the scandal about his sexuality, causes him to marry a woman he obviously has no desire for.

Having said that, the show was great until it got to season four. That's when things began ro unravel. The whole season revolved around Midge working in a strip club as an emcee. Plus unfortunately, we had more scenes with Midge's and Joel's parents. This season along with the number five should've been rolled into eight episodes and ended.

Instead we had episodes focusing on Abe's boring rants about pink toilets among other things and his wife's endless need to be a matchmaker. If I had it my way, I would've left the peevish foursome out of the last two seasons.

And perhaps it's just me, but I found it highly doubtful that a person like Susie could've been so vulgar and obviously lesbian in the 1960s. Her constant need to swear and insult people with every other breath was wearisome.

So what stopped this show from being great were the parents repetitive condescending, narrow-minded view of the world, and Susie's overzealous nature of insulting anyone within ten feet all day, every day.

Saltburn (2023)

Various sex scenes and a wafer-thin storyline

[5/10 · 3 January 2024]

Promising Young Woman was such a breath of fresh air, in dealing with the topical issue of 'date rape'. It may not have been the best film of the year, but at least it got people talking about a very real and important topic; and earned Ms. Fennell an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Saltburn, also has people talking. But not for the acting, script or storyline, but for sex scenes that probably haven't been filmed before. I won't go into the storyline, because the only thing people are talking about are the sex scenes. That's the main attraction of this movie.

If you've been on TikTok, you would have noticed that people are posting clips of themselves with their friends or family watching the sex scenes.

The scenes are the gimmick Ms. Fennell is using for the movie. A movie whose storyline is weak and unbelievable, and may I add, forgetable.

This is Ms. Fennell's first written work of any kind since she tried her hand in writing for the theatre. A collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber of the epic failure of Cinderella. A musical in which she reinvented the storyline, and stretched out the production for 2 hours and 45 minutes. It bombed in London, and after being reworked for Broadway, it bombed there too.

But from such an auspicious start as a writer/director, Saltburn is such a disappointment. Hopefully there'll be more thought placed into her next film.

The Terror (2018–2025)

Because of season 2, a perfect concept is downgraded to 5 stars

[5/10 · 31 December 2023]

SEASON 1 : I agree with everybody else that the first season was great. I couldn't find any flaws in it.

SEASON 2 : The gist of this season is an interesting one. Certainly not covered before in my opinion. But unfortunately, the producers get caught up in believing that each season has to be 10 episodes. And for that reason, this show suffered greatly.

The story centers around Japanese Americans who are rounded up and put into camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. One family seems to be haunted by an evil entity that wants a baby that is due to arrive in this family.

That seems straightforward, except that this entity which followed the family from Japan to America, seems to target non-Japanese people as well. And it's at this point I got confused as everything became a puzzle as to who was who, what was what, and whose baby belongs to whom, and where's the baby?!?

This series would've been so much more coherent if it was just 4 or 5 episodes. But pushed to stretch it to 10, the writers created obstacles and added characters that weren't needed and only confused the viewer.

I give season 1 : 10 stars, but for season 2 : I'll deduct 5.

Heartland Docs, DVM (2020– )

Questionable decisions

[7/10 · 12 December 2023]

I've watched this show on and off for the past couple of years, and I've noticed two things that don't make sense.

Problem #1 : it doesn't take two vets to work on a cow, horse, etc., yet she'll accompany her husband leaving the clinic without a veternarian. I've watched other veternarian shows and noticed those vets answer the calls alone or with a veternarian assistant. Imagine if an emergency is brought in, and both Ben and Erin are out on the same call, the animal would have to be taken elsewhere.

The second problem : is that Erin acts like she needs her husband there like a cheerleader or sometimes coach, when she's doing a surgery. It gives the impression that she isn't totally confident in what she's doing.

We know they're married, but this 'attached at the hip' style of working, raises questions that I've not seen on other veternarian shows.

My Big Fat Fabulous Life (2015– )

Abuser, thy name is Whitney

[1/10 · 10 December 2023]

The original premise of this show was about an obese woman who didn't let her weight stop her from dancing.

Well, she gave up dancing years ago. This show has now become two things. 1) what will the producers get Whitney to do, so that she'll embarrass herself; and 2) watch Whitney force herself on men, ridicule her relatives, stuff her face and try to control everyone.

She claims to have PCOS, yet no doctor has diagnosed that.

The current season (2023) has seen her mother's funeral filmed for her TV show; throw out just about everything of her mother's without discussing it with her father; and mocked and insulted her newly found half-sister and niece. Doing all these things and more with not one thread of shame or embarrassment. She cares for no one but herself.

On top of it all, the 'relationships' she's in aren't real. Neither are the 'friends'. Just about 99% of the people around her are paid actors or wannabes.

Every filmed vacation/trip she goes on she ruins it for everyone, because her weight disallows her from fully participating. Which quite often results in a trip to the hospital.

What were once her fans, have become haters of the show, and it's easy to see why.

Locked In (V) (2023)

Though highly touted by Netflix, it was a bore

[3/10 · 10 November 2023]

I looked forward to watching this film and found the idea of a patient able to communicate with just one eye, the fact that someone tried to murder her.

But my interest started to ebb halfway through the film. As parts of it reminded me of the 2013 film 'In Secret' with Jessica Lange and Elizabeth Olsen. Unfortunately, unlike that movie, this highly touted Netflix drama turned out to be a waste of time.

There were various twists and turns in the storyline, that at times seemed to be decisions chosen by a flip of a coin. Causing me to hate this picture, even before it was over. In fact I could hardly wait for it to end.

This was a good idea that was ruined by trying to make it more dramatically interesting than it needed to be.

Woman of the Dead (2022– )

Foreign shows have similar plots

[4/10 · 23 September 2023]

I've recently watched Ragnarok (Norwegian and Denmark co-ptoduction) and Black Spot (French and Belgium); and I've noticed a similar storyline that is used. Each of these shows is based on a powerful family that controls the small town along with police who seem inept at doing the basics that their job requires.

This show is no different. The idea is repetitive and tiresome, which basically causes me to lose interest in the show early on. Because you just know how it's going to end.

As for this show here, taking into account it's from Austria, I had a good idea what the series was going to be about. And of course I was right.

It's possible that there could be a second season, if so, I'll skip it.

Black Spot (2017–2019)

This made absolutely no sense, whatsoever!

[3/10 · 22 September 2023]

The end of this show sort of becomes a version of 'Groundhog's Day', and why this got high ratings is a surprise to me.

The 'Captain' must've gotten her job through a lottery draw, because she seemed to do everything to ignore a prime suspect - her married boyfriend.

I drew the line at one of the last episodes of season 2, when the boyfriend (who is the town Mayor), starts beating some guy's head in with a rock, than threatened to shoot him, yet....didn't get arrested. That made no sense, and at that point I said this is BS!

The odd setting seems to suggest the writers wanting this to be based in some Southern US backwoods town. For instance one character is watching NASCAR...nobody in Europe thinks that sport is worth watching.

This show is a mishmash of ideas that get overshadowed by some mythic god that is killing people. Why? I don't know. Nor did I care, as it wasn't needed.

Alone (2015– )

Repetitive slaughter of animals

[4/10 · 15 June 2023]

I've watched this show since the series first started. But I didn't watch last season, nor am I watching the current season (June 2023).

At first it was both entertaining and informative, and yes the crying and whinging of the contestants was off-putting, but understandable.

But when I last watched it, I began to think of how people keep intruding on the forests of various animals: squirrels, birds, muskox, moose, etc and killing some of these animals while in the comfort of their own habitat.

Then of course there's the cutting down of trees, and the shelters that are left behind, blemishing the beautiful landscape. It's too much. And quite often the people selected to be on the show, who are supposed to be experienced, seem quite unprepared emotionally, and end up defeated not by their surroundings, but by themselves.

I've no problem with people eating meat, or Native people relying on local game to survive, but not this.