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Murder Made Easy (2017)
A reasonable story let down by really bad acting
The story itself is quite good. The "twist" ending is pretty well done. I enjoyed that. However, it really wasn't an Agatha Christie homage.
It tried to be clever by making each of the murders a course on the menu. It was a clever idea but it felt like they were trying too hard.
But the acting. It was bad. It was worse than bad. It set a new benchmark for bad acting. Remember every cringe-worthy high school play you've ever sat through? Those deserve Oscar nominations compared to this. I was really disappointed. Jessica Graham had next to no expression. It was eerie.
What were they thinking with the character of Cricket? I'd have killed her myself before the meal was even served. Talk about a stereotype taken to an extreme. That was farcical.
Seriously - save your time and give it a miss.
Return to Eden (1983)
I watched this when it first came out and just found it online. It's aged reasonably well.
There are only a couple of TV shows that I still remember years after I originally watched them, and this is one of them. I watched it when it first aired. I just watched it again, hoping that the rewatch wouldn't tarnish a fond memory. It didn't. I loved it all over again.
The 80s fashions and hairstyles are fantastic. The story line is reasonable and has held up well. The acting is only a little dated, it's held up better than some of its contemporaries. I did find the smoking on screen a little surprising, having not seen that is years.
If you enjoy "retro" shows this is a fabulous walk down memory lane, or a peek back into the "decade that fashion forgot".
In Limbo (2023)
Excellent handling of an important topic
A humorous and deep show about how friends and family react and cope after a suicide. The acting was marvelous. I really enjoyed Bob Morley as Nate, Ryan Corr as his best friend Charlie, and Emma Harvie as Freya, Nate's wife. The characters are so relatable.
I found the portrayal of depression in this series to be very accurate and powerful. But it isn't a depressing show. That seems to be a hard combination to achieve. It is funny, sweet and raw at the same time. The description of how depression feels and affects people given by Bob Morley is the best I've seen in a show that I can recall.
This is really worth the watch.
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: How to Con a Con (2021)
One of the best movies in this series
This movie was quite good, an intriguing mystery without any of the annoyances that plagued other movies. There were two main reasons I wasn't going to watch this. Sally Allison's whining and Aida Teagarden's narcissistic chauvinism.
Sally Allison didn't whine at all! Even when she was trying to get out of doing what Aurora wanted. It was refreshing! I'm so glad she is being portrayed as an adult instead of a whiny little kid.
Aida is no longer harassing Aurora to "get a man" and "dress to attract" and asking her fiancé to control her. She seems to have finally realised that her daughter is an independent adult who can make her own choices. She's still protective but is no longer treating Aurora as a child.
I'm assuming that this is down to the new director, if so I certainly hope he directs many more. This is how the series should be!
Jonathan (2018)
A thought provoking and interesting film
I really enjoyed this film. It did take me a while to figure out what was going on and it was slow in some spots but by the end I wanted to rewatch it to pick up everything I missed.
I'm usually really bad with slower movies but this one held my attention until the end. And I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. Happy? Sad? Both?
I would definitely recommend.
Groundhog Day (1993)
I recently rewatched this and was struck by his predicament
It is a great comedy and most of the jokes have translated well to 2020, which is not always the case with comedies from this era.
Bill Murray is brilliant as someone who starts out as a complete jerk and ends up a reasonable person.
Andy McDowell - well she's still got the range of a plank of wood but does ok.
The rest of the cast are pretty good.
I read that Harold Ramis stated that Phil lived the one day for about 10 years. Given the pandemic and stay at home orders I could better relate to this. Every day he needs to build relationships again as no-one remembers him. He even seems a little sad as he makes his rounds saving people.
Instead of a movie that I forget pretty much before the credits were finished I've found myself thinking about it. It really is much deeper than I've picked up on before.
Good Omens (2019)
One of those series that you watch again and again and find something new each time
I just adore this series and would love to see more. It was well acted, well scripted and mesmerising. It's thought provoking and funny and sweet and very clever. It captures the essence of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
David Tennant and Michael Sheen are outstanding and have excellent chemistry as the demon Crowley and angel Aziraphale. Jon Hamm as the most annoying angel Gabriel is just brilliant. He seriously makes you really dislike him, and his foray into the world and trying to be subtle is hilarious.
Young Sam Taylor Buck did a fabulous job as Adam. I think he's going to be one to keep an eye on.
If you haven't then give this series a try, especially if you're a Gaiman/Pratchett fan
Ruby Herring Mysteries: Prediction Murder (2020)
Mediocre story with some seriously cringeworthy acting
I usually enjoy Hallmark Mysteries. They are bubblegum for the brain and a great antidote to 2020 blues.
This series is just adequate/mediocre and a real disappointment.
The real problem is with the acting. It's so bad in some places that I wasn't really paying attention to the story, I was just staring in awe waiting for it to improve. The worst offender was John Wesley Shipp who played John Herring/Dad. He used to be quite a decent actor. I don't know what happened but he was ham fisted, flat and his timing was off.
Taylor Cole as Ruby Herring is as wooden as ever and always seems conscious of where the camera is to show off her cheek bones and tilt her head.
Stephen Huszar as Jake Killian was pretty good, although how he managed the performance he gave with the co-stars he was working with is a mystery. I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to keep a straight face.
I tried, I really did. I wanted to love this series but I won't be wasting my time on any more of these. Hallmark have much better scripts and actors to waste time on this. I hope Stephen Huszar finds something better.
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
So slow with absolutely no character development. I wish I hadn't wasted my time
This movie is so slow which would be forgivable if there was some character development. But there isn't. The mother is the same all the way through, from the birth of Kevin until the final scene. Kevin is the same and even though some sneakiness is hinted at it's never really developed.
It seems like too much focus was put on arty shots and everything else was forgotten. For instance - why did she get to the school at night? It should have been daylight but I guess the emergency services lights wouldn't have looked nearly as good.
Why didn't the police search her house and find her family? Isn't that standard in these types of situations?
Considering the hype I've heard over the years for this movie I was extremely disappointed.
Tough Nuts: Australia's Hardest Criminals (2010)
Pretty decent look at some of Australia's infamous criminals
I'm enjoying this series and finding it quite informative.
Good - pretty well researched. I really enjoy Chopper Read. They'll be talking about how violent someone is, and Chopper will say "He was a great bloke"
Bad - Some of the acting is cringe worthy.
They have Roger Rogerson as an expert. In 2016 he was convicted of murder. I suppose he is an expert, being on both sides of the law. Every time he comes on screen I just want to slap him.