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Reviews
Shotgun Wedding (2022)
Offsetting some of the J-Lo haters
Is this a perfect movie? No.
However..... it IS an enjoyable movie if you like your RomComs with a bit of action- just not THAT kind of action.
Lopez and Duhamel are great in their own rights as actors. I'm sorry, but if J-Lo was as bad as people say, she wouldn't be a household name. She's the epitome of a romcom heroine. I first enjoyed Duhamel on 'Vegas,' and enjoyed him in this as well. They just didn't have as much chemistry as I would have liked. But it still worked. Her teasing him in the bedroom and his opinion of her dress modifications were the highlights of the "ROM."
The remaining characters (highlighted by Coolidge, Marin and Kravitz) were okay, but most of the "COM" here felt forced and fell flat. I respect Coolidge's talent (She's amazingly funny on her own) , but can we say type-cast? Enough already.
The plot twists were predictable and the plot holes fairly sizable.
The saving grace for the entire film was/were the scenes between Lopez/Duhamel and their would-be captors. I just watched it and already have forgotten the character names. All I can think of is DiDi. Lol
Again, if you're a rom-com fan, and can be a bit forgiving, give Shotgun Wedding a chance. It's not a bad way to kill some time (and some pirates!). In my humble and honest opinion, I'd give it a 7.
The Umbrella Academy (2019)
Three Season of Reviews
Season One:
We get introduced (in a bit of an odd manner, tbh) to our little academy, our beloved Hargreeves family and their respective quirks and abilities.
We learn what an ass ol' Reggie was and a lot about the effed up sibling relationships. Takeaways: I left feeling a bit sorry for Hazel (Yes, Hazel!), Diego and Ben. Vanya (Ellen Page) is boring and flat. Should have stopped at six. Of the remaining siblings, Five is the greatest of the characters. I was left wanting so much more. Stars: 10
Season Two:
Time jump, lots going on. Oh, and we discover ol' Reggie may have been even more evil than originally thought. JFK, really? I felt very sympathetic to Allison and the multiple layers of demons she was dealing with. Didn't care for the Vanya/Sissy/Harlan storyline, it felt very out of place and had no purpose to me. Felt like it was filler to give the actor screen time. Takeaways: Klaus is really beginning to grow on me. Aidan Gallagher (No. Five) still proves he is carrying the show. Page (No. Seven) still is flatter than plywood. Oh, and the addition of Lila and the Handler (carryover) are snarky and fun. The season finale cliffhanger had me more excited than.... well you can fill in the blanks. Stars: 8.
Season Three:
What. The. &%$@××=%";*???
This season totally went off the rails. What happened??? The intro to the Sparrow academy was perfectly hyped and HORRENDOUSLY executed. Allison, Vanya and even Pogo both make 180s in their character traits. I get that it's "alternate universe" but, come on! The Sparrows BARELY have any purpose this season, even though that was the whole season tease. The aforementioned Vanya storyline now has more point (sorta) but still isn't good because again, it's Page, and Page can't act. (Sorry, not sorry). Takeaways: Robert Sheehan (Klaus) was the highlight of this season for me. He's more brilliant than I gave him credit for in Season One. It was nice to get to see more of Ben, albeit as a Sparrow, despite his personality "flip" from Umbrella Ben. The Diego/Lila/Kid arc made me LOL, Luther's arc made me cringe - just awful. Stars: 3 (One for Gallagher, one for Sheehan, and one for the kickass design team in putting sparrow logos EVERYWHERE. Your attention to detail did not go unnoticed. It's a shame the writers didn't share your enthusiasm or talent this season. )
Overall, most everything that was great about this series is gone. I'll still watch Season Four - if we get one - because I care what happens to Five, Klaus and even Diego. The rest, not so much.
S1: 10
S2: 8
S3: 3
Series average: 7.
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
So good you'll see it again!
My mother and I spent every Sunday during the pandemic watching 2 episodes of the TV Series. The first movie had only been out a few months, so we followed right up with that. Now, we were excited to see this beloved series find its closure.
It was WELL WORTH the wait. We both left feeling that each and every character had the "new era" they deserved.
I laughed and I cried, and when a friend asked if I would see this with her, I didn't hesitate to go back and see it a second time. I still giggled, still cried, and I STILL left feeling very satisfied. Don't listen the the nay sayers... if you're a true Downton fan, this movie is the perfect ending.
Glass (2019)
Disappointing end to an unusual trilogy of films
For those of you curious of "GLASS," with no prior knowledge, here are my suggestions.
#1. Watch "UNBREAKABLE." It's a great film.
#2. Watch "SPLIT." View it as it is just a completely separate movie. Disregard the first film entirely. BUT.... in the very end of the movie, skip the diner scene.
#3. Then, skip, "GLASS."
Individually, the first two movies were brilliant in their own rights. When I saw the aforementioned diner scene connecting the first 2 films and teasing the third, I was OVER. THE. MOON. I could not wait for GLASS to be realized.
After MONTHS of anticipation, I never saw this coming. 30 minutes into the film, I was already looking at my watch. We didn't leave early, but we left feeling like shattered glass. The ending of this great - now trilogy - made no sense whatsoever. The entire build up of the initial hero was completely wrecked in an instant with absolutely no plausibility. Just plain dumb.
I give it a 3.
1 point for each of the 3 title characters who deserve better than this film.
Emily in Paris (2020)
Just WOW.
First, this is (for lack of a better term) a TV show.
Americans, French, Brits, Chinese, Ukrainians and Dutch all under one parapluie.
So let's see we have: stupid, rude, lazy, emothional, socially inept, jealous, and sexy. I think that covers all the characteristics the reviewers know.
But that's the point, is it not? This is life. All these people really exist; somewhere. But... there's also heart, emotion, lust AND love. So what if Emily is bubbly and at times waaay too perky and pleasant. Lord knows we've all had our "fake it 'til you make it," moments. She's young and a bit naive, but therein lies her charm. I hope we get to see the real Emily's colors and growth in the future.
Don't listen to the outraged. They aren't seeing it for what it truly is: life in the big city and entertainment in the small one.
Pretty Smart (2021)
Give it a Chance!
I'm not gonna lie, the first 10 minutes were pretty rough. I thought, WOW... this is BAD. But then, I saw it through to the end of the episode. Before I knew it, I'd binged the whole series in one shot.
Is it perfect? No.
BUT.... It's light hearted and the characters are ACTUALLY likeable. (With the exception of the sqeaky voice.)
The episodes with the guy's mail and the double date had me laughing out loud. And the mouse? Oh, my.... sooooo me!
Yes, they're young and horny, but who cares. It's a fun watch and I'll cry if we don't get a resolution to the cliffhanger.
Give it a chance.
Pretty Smart (2021)
Give it a Chance!
I'm not gonna lie, the first 10 minutes were pretty rough. I thought, WOW... this is BAD. But then, I saw it through to the end of the episode. Before I knew it, I'd binged the whole series in one shot.
Is it perfect? No.
BUT.... It's light hearted and the characters are ACTUALLY likeable. (With the exception of the sqeaky voice.)
The episodes with the guy's mail and the double date had me laughing out loud. And the mouse? Oh, my.... sooooo me!
Yes, they're young and horny, but who cares. It's a fun watch and I'll cry if we don't get a resolution to the cliffhanger.
Give it a chance.
Murder, She Wrote: Murder in High "C" (1995)
Reviewers think they know it all....
I don't usually take the time to review, but I had to in this case. All these people griping that MSW ripped off this storyline are missing a key piece of evidence. "Murder in High C," is a classic nod to Lansbury's breakout role in 1944's "Gaslight," all the way down to the opera connection. So... who REALLY stole this plot?? If you haven't seen Bergman/Boyer and Lansbury in this film, check it out and you'll see what I mean!!