psmaak2 Reviews

Derry Girls (2018–2022)

Beautiful

[10/10 · 10 October 2022]

I just discovered this show a few weeks before the last season. It's hard to put into words how amazing it is. It's hilarious for starters.

Louisa Harland is both adorable and hysterically funny as Orla but they are all fantastic. It felt like they were all my best friend too.

And I can't say enough about Siobhán McSweenet as Sister Michael. Her deadpan delivery is always on point.

On the adult side of things, Tommy Tiernan's Gerry was perfect as the only normal person in the house.

All of this juxtaposed with the real-life seriousness of the IRA makes this a must-see show.

The final episode was everything it needed to be. A beautiful ending to a beautiful story.

House of the Dragon: Driftmark (2022) Season 1, Episode 7

Could be a 9 with better lighting

[7/10 · 8 October 2022]

I could give this a nine if I could have seen it better. "Watching" Aemond trying to tame Vhagar would have been much more impressive if it was actually viewable. Even when it's supposed to be daylight everything is dim and gray. Maybe that's the mood they're going for and that's cool. But we still need to be able to SEE it.

I really enjoyed all the twists and turns and Laenor's surprise ending was fantastic. Paddy Considine and Matt Smith were both brilliant as usual. I'd previously only seen Paddy in comedies and to see the his dramatic side is surprising and marvelous.

Overall the series has been great and I've enjoyed all the twists and turns to this point.

Just a note for season two - turn up the lighting please!

Being the Ricardos (2021)

Decent but Dark

[7/10 · 20 January 2022]

Dark is literal. The movie was interesting and I enjoyed the behind the scenes look into Lucy and Desi's lives and the making of the show. But the lighting is terrible. After all these years of seeing Lucy's world in black and white I was looking forward to seeing color but I could barely see anything.

My advice, it's worth a watch, just watch it at night in a dark room.

The Princess Bride (1987)

Quite literally the most perfect movie

[10/10 · 5 January 2022]

There's a shortage of perfect movies in the world. 'Twould be a pity if you missed this one.

If you haven't seen it, stop reading reviews and watch it now. It is inconceivable that one should live a life without seeing this movie.

Star Trek: Voyager: Before and After (1997) Season 3, Episode 21

One of the best episodes of ANY Star Trek

[10/10 · 1 October 2021]

This is exactly what I love from Star Trek. A trippy mystery that takes a while to even figure out what the heck is going on.

Robin and Marian (1976)

What Did I Just Watch?

[5/10 · 25 July 2021]

As a big fan of Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn I was excited to find this movie. Honestly those two and the $2.99 I paid to rent it are the only reason I finished it.

It was very slow moving and despite good performances, it wasn't really emotionally engaging.

And what the heck with that ending? Save two hours of your life.

Star Trek: Enterprise: These Are the Voyages... (2005) Season 4, Episode 22

Could have been so much more

[6/10 · 15 July 2021]

The jump into the future for the Enterprise crew was appreciated but since they didn't really finalize anything it wasn't especially helpful.

The jump to the past for TNG seemed odd. I never did figure out why Riker was doing this research. And while I appreciated seeing Enterprise through the lens of the future, it seemed like there was too much focus on the future and not the present.

The episode also felt rushed. Since they knew it was the last it would have been nice to have a two hour episode - or start it a week earlier so there was more time to resolve everything.

The big thing that spoiled it was Trip's death. So pointless and unnecessary. And the blatant spoiler of that death given by Troi was also unnecessary.

What saved this for me was the last 30 seconds or so - hearing all the captains each say part of the "Space, the final frontier" opening monologue. That gave me goose bumps.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

Very enjoyable

[9/10 · 14 July 2021]

Minor spoilers I really enjoyed this series. They did a great job of filling the gap between what happened in TNG First Contact and TOS. I really enjoyed the was it was almost serialized. I enjoyed the continuity from one episode to the next. Season 3 was almost like one long episode and it was fantastic!

My only "gripes" are: The relationship between Trip &T'Pol feeling forced.

T'Pol always wearing skin tight clothes even after she became a member of Star Fleet The random major character death in the final episode. It seemed senseless and useless.

Definitely a binge-worthy watch.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Could be and 8 or 9

[7/10 · 6 July 2021]

Really enjoyable movie with a lot of unforeseen twists and turns. The premise is great. My biggest problem with the movie was the sound. Either the dialing was too quiet or the music and sound effects too loud. I was constantly turning it up to hear people talk, then getting blasted out by music and sound effects.

Thunder Force (2021)

Fun!

[8/10 · 11 April 2021]

I don't know what other reviewers were expecting here. If you're looking for a Marvel movie, you won't find it here. But if you're looking for an entertaining and funny movie for the family, you're set.

Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer are both entertaining and Jason Bateman is fantastic as always.

While the whole movie has a fun, campy feel there are a few times where it goes a little overboard but overall it's fun, funny and entertaining.

Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020)

Just Excellent!

[10/10 · 1 January 2021]

I've been waiting for a year for this to be free on Prime. If I'd have known how funny it is I would have paid for it long ago. Every episode is laugh out loud funny. And contrary to other reviews, you don't have to be British to get the humor. Highly recommended.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Underwhelming

[6/10 · 26 December 2020]

I really enjoyed the first movie. I was excited for this one to see how they would bring Steve back and adding in Kristen Wiig seemed like it would make this one great but it was a disappointment. The action scenes were great but there weren't enough of them. The backstory was too long and the basic premise of what Max Lord was doing was convoluted and felt forced. The way it was resolved was not at all believable. There were great performances from Gadot, Pine, Wiig and Pascal but they weren't enough to save the movie from mediocrity.

Jingle All the Way (1996)

One of the worst movies I have ever seen.

[2/10 · 6 December 2020]

Arnold is wasted in this movie. He can be funny but this movie is a hot mess. Predictable, not funny and often awkward. Save yourself two hours of your life and skip this one.

Spenser Confidential (2020)

It was OK

[6/10 · 23 November 2020]

It took a while to get going but the last half hour was great. I'm not sure why comedy is the first tag on this movie. There are funny parts but it's more drama and action than comedy. Mark Wahlberg was good as usual. Winston Duke & Iliza Shlesinger stole every scene they were in. If you're looking for a good story and mystery, it's worth a watch. If you're looking for a comedy, look somewhere else.

Troop Zero (2019)

Just a Lovely Movie

[9/10 · 1 November 2020]

I don't know why the average rating is 6.9. Sure it's not the "Disney" ending but it's still a heartwarming story. Not many movies give me goosebumps at the end but this one did.

Gracepoint (2014)

Pretty good!

[8/10 · 30 July 2020]

I watched all 3 seasons of Broadchurch and loved them. I didn't know this existed until last week and was excited to watch it. Some other reviews had me a little worried but overall I enjoyed it. It did take a few episodes to get invested in this one where Broadchurch hooked me at the start. Nick Nolte did a great job as Jack Reinhold. David Tennant is always great - just had to get used to not hearing a Scottish accent. Virginia Kull was good as Beth but didn't hit the feels quite as much as Jodie Whitaker. Anna Gunn was fine as Det. Miller but it's hard to measure up against Olivia Colman. The only casting misstep for me was Michael Peña as Mark. Just not enough range or emotion. There were plenty of twists in this one that weren't in Broadchurch so it kept me guessing all the way until the surprise twist at the end.

Defending Jacob (2020)

Superb

[10/10 · 12 July 2020]

I was nervous starting this after reading reviews that the ending wasn't great but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Enjoy might not be the right word with something so dark but it was decidedly gripping. As a mother of three sons I felt the fear and anxiety of Jacob's parents. A parent can love a child unquestionably but the teenage brain can be a murky inscrutable thing. I had no issue with the ending. This wasn't a Disney story and it would have felt cheap with a Disney ending. I signed up for Apple+ just for this and would absolutely recommend.

Snowpiercer (2013)

Needed a better ending.

[7/10 · 7 June 2020]

Really enjoyed this movie. It's a great allegory for classism in the world today. There were so many ways it could have gone at the end and there was a great twist right at the end but then it felt like we were left hanging. Given the feel of the movie I wasn't expecting a Disney ending but a little more resolution would have been good. I would have given it 8 or 9 stars except for that. Great performances by Chris Evans, Jamie Bell and Sir John Hurt. And Ed Harris is as smooth and ageless as ever.

Good Omens (2019– )

Just Fantastic!

[10/10 · 2 June 2019]

I've not read the book so I had only a vague idea of what to expect but this was outstanding! Watched all 6 episodes in 2 days. Great, sweeping story and extraordinary characters. Seeing all the separate story arcs come together was a treat. And I love stories like this where you get that little extra at the end to really wrap up everyone's tale. This is a must watch!

Victoria (2016–2019)

Almost perfect

[9/10 · 9 December 2018]

Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes are outstanding. The costumes and scenery are gorgeous and the Victorian mood is excellently captured. The only thing that keeps this from being 10/10 for me is the sometimes loose relation to the truth. I'm all for artistic license but major plot lines about romances that didn't exist (Queen Victoria & Lord M and Ernst and Harriet Sutherland), along with a few jarring anachronisms in speech (Peel: "I'm just saying," really?) keep it from being perfect. But I will still gobble up every episode and anxiously await more.

NCIS: Third Wheel (2018) Season 16, Episode 4

Classic NCIS

[9/10 · 24 October 2018]

Really enjoyed this episode! Always great to see Fornell and who'd have thought we'd ever hear Gibbs sing!