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Dark (2017)
Hits Its Mark 100%
This show...
Where to start? It's weird, intense, and so involved I almost needed to take notes to keep up with the details of each character and story. It does it all perfectly, too.
This isn't a show to watch to relax or space out in the evenings. This is the kind of show critics love and I rarely watch. I'm glad I invested in this one though because it's one wild ride and sucked me right into the story. We watched it as a family and my teenagers loved it as much as my husband and I did.
It's a little work to watch, though, so wait until you're up for it.
Fresno (1986)
Near National Lampoon
I have just recently watched this - in 2020! I was five when this originally aired. I am, however, a huge television lover and have watched old soaps like Dynasty. I cannot imagine anyone that loves those shows not finding this series completely hilarious.
The cast is fantastic - maybe even more fantastic now than it was then seeing how many of these actors went on to have solid and interesting careers. Carol Burnett nailed the character of Charlotte to the wall of her crumbling dynasty and I adored her in this.
The storyline was solid enough that it kept me intrigued for all five hours. It had twists and turns I didn't expect. Sometimes they were funny sometimes they weren't.
The humor in this reminded me a lot of the humor in the classic Lampoon's Vacation films. I wish they still made this style of entertainment. Silly & ridiculous are underrated. Maybe bc they are hard to do really well as they did here. Yes, that's what I said. There are quality levels of silly and ridiculous and the quality of Fresno is top notch.
Moon Over Broadway (1997)
Moon Over Boring
I love Carol Burnett and I love the theater and I have even been a part of a production of Moon Over Buffalo, but this doc... did not age well.
There were no body mics so it was often difficult for me to make out exactly what people were saying as the ambient noise was so prominent.
I didn't really see much of what other reviews have stated. Although most were written almost 20 years ago. The entire doc is mostly about the production team absolutely obsessing over every detail and whether or not they should use the word "lemonade." They came off as pretentious and self serving in my opinion. I didn't think there was a ton of theater drama either - tho that is inherent in any show. People working together so closely for so long - it feels like family and with that comes a bit of the love/hate bond.
The main thing I took away from this is that straight shows on broadway aren't all that different than quality local theater - just bigger names and so much more pressure. I cannot imagine how anyone involved can squeeze out even a drop of enjoyment from the experience.
Lemonade.
I wish there hadn't been just so much talking by the powers that be. It bored me. I really would have loved to see more backstage interactions and more rehearsal time. I think it could have been a really fun documentary but its focus was off. But again... it was 23 years ago.
Overall - I was a little bored but not enough to turn it off. It was worth watching for Carol alone. Personally I found her as sweet and warm as ever. Most of the doc shows her just "being". She isn't on stage so she isn't "on" or in performance mode. She's just being a person that's working. I thought it was a nice peek into that side of her - to see how she is when she's not in character.
If you're interesting in seeing this doc - it is available on YouTube.
Devs (2020)
Made me want to watch myself kill myself.
First off - it is hard for my husband and me to agree on any television so that is the only reason I finished this series.
Minimalistic. Slow. Thinks it's far smarter than it is. Every thing that had the potential to be exciting was made entirely boring by how long it took to happen.
It is pretty to look at which is why I gave it 2 stars. But so slow that I got sick of looking at it.
I also love Nick Offerman and while I can see why he was drawn to the role he played... not even he could pull this piece out of the gutter.
Make your teens watch this if you need an effective punishment.
The Skeleton Twins (2014)
Mixed Emos
I have mixed feelings about this movie. It's one of my favorites - but not because I think it should win any awards or expect anyone else to love it.
I find it to be a pretty revealing look at mental illness from a mentally ill person's perspective. The view we are given of the twins is confusing, self indulgent, and frustrating. It's obvious that they don't want help from outside sources and even the help they find from each other is resisted. It's difficult to get to the bottom of their issues not because the film is bad but because they themselves cannot find it.
As a person that has dealt with both mental illness and abuse issues, I identify with the twins struggle to pinpoint the bad of their struggles when every day life feels daunting. As the audience, I felt confused and frustrated. I felt like the characters around Wiig & Hader were a lot of noise and didn't offer much help... and at times I just wanted it to end. I was left with the feeling that the movie was trying to show the audience what mental illness felt like. Which isn't a good feeling... so personally it felt like a misunderstood success. Not that I think it's perfect. But a decent attempt at a near impossible feat.
Mother! (2017)
"The Giving Tree" for Adults
Basically a mature version of "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.
It kept me interested which is the extent of what I expect from a movie - a well done wild ride.
Very British Problems (2015)
Everything Seinfeld Left Out Bc It's Boring
Yeah. This show is just a bunch of Brits talking about all the awkward things human beings do everywhere. Same kind of stuff that Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David do - minus the humor. Kinda makes me wish I could kick the entire British Commonwealth in its super tight ass.
The Hours (2002)
Addicted for Life
This movie, and the timing in which it came out, were just right to make an impact on my life. I was 22 when this was released and came out on VHS. I literally wore out the VHS tape because I watched it so often.
I distinctly remember my gut reactions to this movie - especially to Clarissa's story line at the end. I felt that this movie was a truly interesting look at depression. It kind of makes you feel like: "snap out of it" at first. You get 3 different glances at three different female lives and at the beginning of the film it looks like all of them have pretty nice lives. It is also starkly obvious that none of them are happy in their "nice lives." This interests me particularly because the devastation is often pushed on to the depressed by those around them. It is very easy to think, or to say to them: "you have a good life. why can't you be happy?" The movie does not really address this for us. It does not tell us why they cannot be happy and I believe that is because each of these women wonder that a bit themselves - even to the extent of feeling some guilt about it. As each story unfolds it becomes obvious that their happiness or unhappiness is out of their control. Virginia has obviously battled her demons for most of her life and both her and her loved ones are close to the end of what they can bear. The first thing we see is Virginia's suicide, so you are warned very early that this movie is not going to be a gentle ride.
Laura Brown was the most frustrating character to me personally. You can tell from the first glance of her that she's depressed. Her poor husband and child that both try so hard to connect with her but just cannot... and I felt so deeply for her little boy. It is obvious he knows something is wrong but also that he cannot fix it for her. It's a hard situation to watch. It's so important, though. Having a wonderful husband, children, a nice home... none of these things guarantee happiness.
Clarissa is the character I sympathize with. She is longing for days past and is weighed down by her past - the things she she wishes she could return to and the opportunities she feels she missed. What I see as the watcher, though, is that maybe her expectations for herself and her life were just a little too high. I think this is an emotional place where many women find themselves.
Here's my major spoiler - just a warning.
The scene in which Richard commits suicide is so perfectly done. Meryl Streep's expression will stay with me forever. My husband accidentally sat down for the last half of of this movie a few days ago and I warned him: the end get rough. He just looked at me like that was silly. But when the end came, he was speechless. lol Many movies that touch on depression almost make my depression worse but this movie never has. I feel amazingly understood by the way this movie was handled.
End game, it is a very well done movie. It's probably not the type of movie you want to show at a party, and I wouldn't say it's a really relaxing watch, but if you want to understand depression or want to feel that someone understands yours, hopefully this movie will help you too.
Mad Men (2007)
Mad for Mad Men
Hands down this is easily one of the best shows ever made. They have thought of ever detail. The stories are fantastic, the writing is fantastic, the characters are fantastic, the sets are fantastic, each character is so human, flawed, yet lovable - and that's fantastic too.
Everything about it is believable. A bonus for me personally was that Sally was "born" very close to the same time my own mother was. It was fun for me to watch the historical events that they included in the story lines, and see the way that humans and culture reacted to them.
The first time I watched through this show, I kept asking myself: "why do I keep pressing play?" The story lines are subtle enough that I wouldn't say there are cliff hangers at the end of each episode, but you do care and want to know what comes next.
Just excellent. Possibly my favorite show of all time.
Doomsday Preppers (2011)
This show cracks me up
This is not a show I can take seriously. I do, however, find it extremely entertaining. Similar to the way I appreciate "My Strange Addiction" or "Man Vs. Wild." Although "Doomsday Preppers" takes itself less seriously than either of those. The guy that is running for government office because he thinks everyone should be required to prep? Hilarious. The weirder the prep, the better! Every prepper preps for something different, yet all are dead sure that this cataclysmic event WILL come in to play in the near future and WILL end society as we know it. I've probably watched 20 episodes. Nearly every prepper has their own fear. I think some anxiety meds could go a long way to kill their fears and diminish their need to prep. But hey. We all have our own ways of coping. Definitely worth trying if you like that type of reality show.