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Reviews
It Follows (2014)
Atmospheric Horror / Thriller That Isn't Campy!
It's a difficult task to find a horror or thriller horror that's not campy or just plain silliness. For example, I loved Silence of The Lambs. I couldn't stand the Jason or Freddy series (after age 14, st least!) This film is atmospheric, spooky, and just plain good. My boyfriend can't stand horror movies of any sort and he loved this. This is right up there with films like The Ring as far as the feeling you get while you're watching. This can only stem from excellent production and directing. The characters are well defined and well-acted; a few years older than typical high school grads and are living in a sort of alternate reality, waiting for their real lives to begin. They're in college and living at home, all friends who have grown up together in their Michigan neighborhood. There are also some messages in this film: be careful who you are intimate with!
The Stranger Beside Me (2003)
Kind of confusing because of the mistakes
This was a well written story, however there were a tremendous amount of scenes out of sync with the film. For example, the scene is set in 1975 yet everyone is at a juice bar located inside a gym (which didn't become popular until the late 1980's) and everyone was dressed like it was 1990 something. Then, the 1988 version of Standing On Shaky Ground plays in the background..then Ted, the only person dressed like the 70's midst the large group dressed like skaters from the 1990's, suddenly stands up and walks out into the parking garage where we see cars ranging from 1972 to 1978, exactly 3 years into the future. The movie is well done however whoever made these mistakes was pretty blind. I can understand a few errors in the film here and there and I do not expect perfection, but if you have a movie set in the 70's, don't include fashions and music and hair styles from 20 years into the future.
Transparent (2014)
These parents raised the most selfish kids on the planet.
The sort of message this show is sending in my opinion feels like: "Persons who identify as Trans and their respective families will be cursed in shame, guilt and negative karma." Is that the message we want to be sending to our transgender people?
At first, this cute series starring some of my favorite people looked interesting. Unfortunately, it turned out to be just.. a bad creation. The story and series is addicting and I keep revisiting it so there is definitely a story there but the writing is just..bad.
The directing is great and the idea its self to bring a show based on transgender families is stellar. There are more and more trans people and thus trans families every day. I loved the idea of the show its self because done the right way, it could send a positive message and help people and families in transition. It could spread awareness. But, the characters aren't very believable which makes them very difficult to resonate and identify with.
More to the point, no one on this planet could possibly be as selfish as these characters. The children of the (transparent) are absurdly self-absorbed, narcissistic and every one of them has a histrionic personality disorder. It's just uncanny.
With EVERY character, all of whom are completely one-dimensional, seem to command that the earth revolve around them. Gas lighting, deflection, outright little white lies grow into outlandish plaid lying, not to mention deep deception and harming one another and thus themselves constantly. Even the parents' relationship and marriage began in..you guessed it..DECEPTION. Mort was originally dating his ex-wife's best friend prior to marrying and producing these selfish kids.
In addition, the series included Kathryn Hahn, one of my fave actresses but as usual, they made her look like an obsessive, neurotic, badly dressed, unkempt paranoid weirdo. They did the same thing to her in I Love Dick, another Amazon exclusive. This bites for her career, she's gone be type cast as the blooming idiot.
I Love Dick (2016)
Strangely addicted to...Dick.
This is a really addictive series whether you're into drama / comedy, or not. Kevin Bacon is amazing as usual and this series just wouldn't be Dick without him. Pun totally intended. This is a must see.
Like Bacon, Kathryn Hahn's presence literally makes the show in the manner that the characters compliment one another so well. She has an uncanny ability to bring her character to life, adding so much dimension that you can't help but bond with and feel total empathy for her character, Chris, even though Chris is devoid of empathy, herself.
Kathryn is awesome! Kevin is awesome! This story though, is completely unbelievable. As in, so far off the mark that no one could possibly resonate with or identify with ANY of these characters. It is as though a band of sexual screwballs, degenerates and misfits became selfish narcissists one day and then decided to start a ranch in Texas. Every. Character. Is. Absurdly. Selfish. And. Narcissistic. It is a weird combo of characters with an absurdly ridiculous story line but it works!
Chris is a personality disorder nightmare comprised of narcissism, selfishness and a histrionic borderline personality who insists on embarrassing herself, her husband and then her husband's boss, regardless of the cost and to whom, or to what extent because she is a NARCISSIST FROM HELL. NO ONE on the planet would behave, let alone think like Kathryn's character, Chris. Nor would any of these characters if you really think on it, but that is just bad writing. It's SO BAD that it actually works.
Citizen X (1995)
Such beautiful acting!
I won't give any spoilers for this amazing film, but I'll say that if you have never seen Stephen Rea before, you'll really appreciate him as an actor in this particular film. I've seen him in a few films in the past, and always appreciated his work but somehow this gem of a film slipped by me until just now. He's simply stellar, and that puts it mildly. His input truly allows the viewer to experience his character's empathy. He should be given more parts in other films, I'd personally like to see him a lot more often. Anyway.. HE is the reason this movie is so excellent as it is. The film it's self, I give 9 stars. It was well written and directed. If you like thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, this is one for you. My taste in films is rather scattered and eclectic, and there are a few that stand out as timeless and I want to watch them again and again. This is one of those films.
At the Devil's Door (2014)
Excellent writing
I wish there would be a sequel. The story spans over decades and is very well written. If you're into horror / thriller films, you will be sucked into the atmosphere and story line and you'll keep watching again and again to be taken back to that place of mystery and suspense, seeing things you missed the last time you watched. If you liked The Ring, you'll love this as far as atmosphere and suspense.
Orange Is the New Black (2013)
Addictively Dark
This series contains an addictive plot with absolutely no lull, and is peppered with equally addictive and well-written subplots. It's as close to real inmate life as possible, albeit it is noticeable that each and every inmate happens to be extremely beautiful, even the characters that are supposed to be "hardened criminals." It's easy to fall in love with and root for each and every woman as their real lives and true personalities are revealed throughout the series. There is never a dull moment, ever. As the women form cliques and pair off in friendships, each woman's story and soul is discovered by the viewer. It's not only an exciting plot as a great thriller would be, but it also includes intense drama and above all else, comedy. Really, really good comedy. After episode 1, I wanted to see more. After the 3rd episode, I couldn't stop watching the entire series back to back and staying up late in order to do so. I felt like crying, as though I'd actually miss the characters as real people or something when the season was over. That's rare for a series, so I had to leave 10 stars, watch the 1st season all over again as I anxiously anticipated the next season. You won't want to miss a moment!
Gilmore Girls (2000)
Cute series but the intelligence gets sucked right out of your head.
This is definitely a cute series that would be best geared toward girls and boys ages 8 to 15 years-old. The characters are colorful and none have ever spewed forth a complete sentence without inserting at least one or two quips or teenage-sounding sarcastic comments, especially and including the adults. The dialogue is SO juvenile that it is almost strange. Loreli, the mother, became pregnant at age 16 and now is raising her 16 year-old alone by choice, despite the requests and advice of her own parents, friends, and even her own daughter, Rory. Loreli strikes me as a perfect example of why all prime time series are geared toward a 14 year-old mentality as a rule of thumb. She's a complete idiot and buffoon who constantly gets herself into disaster after disaster, even though she's reputed to be one of the brightest in her class and on her way to Harvard, had she not become pregnant as a teen. Rory also adopts the elocution and communication skills of a 7 year-old (no joke) although she, too, is attending a high school for exceptionally intelligent and apparently competitive children. The story revolves around Loreli the mother who possesses an almost insulting narcissistic right of entitlement attitude while ousting her own parents for things such as reasonable table manners, and lives vicariously through her daughter while somehow, simultaneously, making everything her daughter experiences, eats, breathes, somehow about herself. The daughter, Rory (who was named after her narcissistic mother, Loreli Gilmore but prefers to be called Rory) struggles to adapt to life in general. Rory's best friend is Lane, the Korean girl with very strict parents. In just about every episode, both Loreli and Rory consume about 25 cups of coffee and in every single scene are eating a tremendous amount of junk food. Just another example of how Loreli has the "I'll do as I please" especially regarding her daughter. More than a quarter of the slang words used are Yiddish, which makes absolutely way under zero sense. Whoever wrote this series is a blooming idiot.