I've always loved Candace Cameron. Bure in any movies she appeared in. This movie was a real disservice to the persona she has built into all of her characters-optimism, consideration of others and attentiveness. Her character in this movie was oblivious to the needs of anyone but herself. Her family seemed like it was just an extension of her own need for control. She claimed she wanted to help her brother and niece through their grief yet she consistently ignored everything they wanted. It was painful watching how dysfunctional she made her entire family. I'm not sure what the writers were trying to achieve. She didn't seem to have a genuine epiphany and her family just grudgingly went along for the hellish ride she put them on. I finally turned it off three quarters of the way through. It felt like it took three hours just to get that far. I'm sure they finished the movie with some sort of personal revelation but it just wasn't worth it to me.
Reviews
96 Reviews
Death on the Nile
(2022)
Nice scenery and costumes
22 October 2022
Other than the scenery and costumes, the movie had no redeeming qualities. Poirot seems to stumble from one scene to the next without gathering details or making astute observations. The "diversity" plot points are superfluous and don't add to the story. The acting was overdone by all and led by the King of Hams, Kenneth Branagh. He disgraced the character of Poirot. The fact that Branagh thinks he could remake a character already done to perfection by David Suchet shows how arrogant he is. His attempts to "humanize" Poirot only make him seem pathetic rather than sympathetic. Hopefully Hollywood puts this "franchise" out to pasture.
They've already lost their way
4 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Law and Order always covered plenty of "ripped from the headlines" topics but they didn't make them character driven political hit jobs. They were procedurally driven and Jack McCoy usually pulled a rabbit out of his hat by the end. The detectives asking the governor for an alibi is ludicrous when they already have eyewitnesses and the description doesn't fit the governor. Then they arrest the brother because he fits the description of a "young white male wearing a baseball cap". Are they serious? If they want to be really current, how about showing the DA not allowing them to arrest most people and releasing the rest ROR? The lieutenant being angry that the governor thinks New York is crime ridden and it turns out he was right is laughable. The last straw was them making the brother the killer. How did they even get a search warrant based on that vague suspect description? New York is a crime ridden cesspool these days where people are routinely pushed on to subway tracks and into the street by random strangers. Most of which are committed by people other than "young white males wearing baseball caps". This isn't "ripped from the headlines". This is ripped from a Democrat campaign ad. Liberal viewers will love this episode. Longtime Law and Order fans see it as a shadow of the quality it used to have.
Hire Better Writers
28 September 2022
Their episodes are more and more heavy on message and light on good writing. If you want Ripped From the Headlines stories, this story's whole gun message isn't rooted in facts. Families mowed down by strangers almost never happens. And the idea of Scott going undercover and immediately convincing someone to trust him enough to show him his weapons cache is ludicrous. Maybe they've been losing cast members because of the quality of the storylines and writing. They don't seem to care about compelling stories or good writing anymore. They should take a page from the Chicago series and hire better writers.
Groundswell
(2022 TV Movie)
Just not enough
27 August 2022
The movie has a typical Hallmark plot about a woman whose boyfriend takes her for granted with the added complication that he also takes credit for her work. They've used this plot device on an almost yearly basis. But I was interested in watching it because of the setting in Hawaii. I really wanted to love this movie but it was somewhat of a miss. I always enjoy Lacey Chabert but, as attractive as they are individually, the two leads had no chemistry. Her ex boyfriend looked old enough to be her father. The dishes she prepared with the other chef didn't look or sound appetizing at all and they didn't have a plausible explanation for the ex-boyfriends presence at a contest that he's not judging. He just stood around with mostly nothing to do. I kept wishing it was another episode of Hawaii Five-0 because that cast had real chemistry. The settings were gorgeous and I really enjoyed the aunts character but it's just not enough to watch a second time.
Just cancel it
4 August 2022
The name shouldn't be Station 19, it should be Drama Queen 19. They've stopped fighting fires and it's nothing but personal drama and "rescues" that are ludicrously unrealistic. It took me two months to dredge up the energy to watch the season finale. I shouldn't have bothered. I'll stick with the Chicago and 911 series. They're more realistic, less in your face political commentary and have much less bizarre personal drama.
Wasted time
8 July 2022
The episode was a clear "indictment" of the right. Very heavy handed and not very well written. The problem with getting political is that you may find approval with one side of the debate but you risk offending the side you're openly criticizing. I'm sure a lot of reviewers here enjoy their enemies being skewered. Which is why politically oriented episodes generally have higher ratings on IMDB. The issue becomes viewership. Writing an episode that pushes half your audience to stop watching your series doesn't seem to make much business sense. Maybe Seth MacFarland doesn't care how many people watch his show but I'm sure Hulu does. They may take a lesson from CNN where people are getting ousted for showing too much bias.
Where's the Firefighting?
22 June 2022
The show has jumped the shark. Instead of concentrating on fires and emergencies they're spending their time in ridiculous "hot topic" plot lines that are more distracting then interesting. It was bad enough when they had a mobile Physician Response Team unit operating from a firehouse instead of a hospital. Now they've opened a medical clinic in a functioning firehouse and saying they want to expand the program. Every episode has to inject at least two hot button topics whether or not they're fire or emergency related. Its become nothing but a soap opera that happens to be firehouse adjacent with no actual firefighting involved much anymore. It's nothing but silly plot lines like toes falling off that are more ludicrous than interesting or exciting. And making the Florida parents the bad guys in a trans plot line is too obvious for words. They failed to show that 80% of all "trans" children change their minds by 18 and those Florida parents may not be the monsters they want viewers to believe. Good writing is sacrificed for hot topics. The 911 series and Chicago Fire are much better shows of this genre and have the ratings to prove it.
Moriah's Lighthouse
(2022 TV Movie)
It's Just Not Very Good
19 June 2022
I love Luke MacFarland and Rachelle LeFevre. And he was his usual charming self. She was not at all believable. Her fake accent was grating and seeing her "working" on an antique wooden chest wearing a shoulder less blue sweater and a leather apron was laughable. I struggled to stay interested in spite of the beautiful scenery and architecture. They just weren't enough to compensate for the lousy storyline and fake accents.
Can the Cartoon Villains
28 April 2022
The bad people these days are all cartoon versions of the writers' fantasies. Always white people, always conservatives and always bigots. And if the killer happens to be on the other side he is always sympathetic. Rinse, wash, repeat, all the shows are the same across all the networks. It's not a statement when it becomes one long, boring lecture repeated ad nauseam.
Road to the Lemon Grove
(2018)
A Travesty
17 April 2022
This movie is an insult to Sicilian families everywhere. The characters are nothing more than cartoonish caricatures of what some Anglo writers thinks Sicilians are like. They have no dignity, are greedy and insensitive. They don't even speak much Sicilian. They scream and yell at each other more like the Jersey Shore Italians on tv than any Sicilians I ever knew. I grew up in a large Sicilian family in a large Sicilian American community and don't recognize a single thing in this movie other than the statue of Jesus the kids break at the beginning and the plastic cover on the couch. I found the movie boring. The storyline wasn't believable and neither were the characters, even setting aside their inauthenticity. It was more like an Italian Monty Python movie than a heartwarming family story.
Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators: O Thou Invisible Spirit of Wine
(2020)
I'm really sorry
Season 3, Episode 9
11 April 2022
I'm really sorry but I couldn't get through the entire episode. Closed captioning is too distracting and I couldn't for the life of me understand the ghost hunter's speech. It wouldn't have been so bad if she'd only had a few lines but she dominated some scenes and I couldn't understand what was going on. My sister in law has the same condition. We all struggle to understand her but do so gladly. A television show is not that important to me. I'm all for inclusion but not to the point of making the show unwatchable.
Always Amore
(2022 TV Movie)
A different movie
9 April 2022
I must have watched a different movie than the rest of the reviewers. The one I watched had way too many grating fake Italian accents, a story that wasn't at all believable and two leads with no chemistry whatsoever. What kind of successful restaurant insists on keeping an old, stale menu even when they're going bankrupt? What kind of restaurant owner and chef refuse to try new dishes just because someone who's been dead for three years didn't create them? I usually like the two main leads but the script was a dud and there was nothing they could do to save it.
Absurd
25 March 2022
The show has become more and more absurd. When you have a locked gate and you can't unlock the digital code you don't stand around bleating about how often hostages are killed. You call the fire department and they come with a power saw and cut off the gate. When a man is shot in the leg and bleeding out, you take someone's tie and put on a tourniquet. You don't tick off the villain by having fellow hostages crawl over and help you "apply pressure". It's as if the writers refuse to have anyone or anything take credit away from the SWAT squad's heroics. And how is it a good idea to have Hondo's father make constant complaints and demands? He was nothing but a jerk throughout the episode. The worst was having the hostage taker confessing exactly how he was hired and explaining all to Hondo on the phone like a father confessor. They need better writers.
More and More trite
23 March 2022
The current crop of tv dramas must all employ the same writing staff. All of their stories are a rehash of the same type of story with the very same villains. At least they got one thing right- many of the Asian hate crimes happen in New York, the setting for this show. It's too bad they got the villains wrong. Almost 100% of those crimes are committed by people who are NOT tall blond guys. Just more overused Hollywood fantasies and boring as heck for those of us who want to see some creative storytelling.
Rehash after rehash
21 March 2022
The show has gotten boring and stale. It not only rehashes the same right wing villain fantasies, it rehashes the same fantasies that every other woke Hollywood series is doing. Enough with the repeating plot lines. With everything going on in the world can't the writers come up with something more "ripped from the headlines" than ripped from their wishful thinking? And why are they giving Fatima all those weird headscarf arrangements? She used to look like she was wearing a traffic cone under her scarf. This week she looks like Professor Quirrell from Harry Potter. Why can't she look like a normal Muslim woman wearing a typical headscarf? They're everywhere and very easy to copy.
Getting less and less believable
12 March 2022
The storylines on this show are getting less and less believable. The ploy of "good cop/bad cop" is a pretty standard practice so why would an FBI agent feel that was immoral and resist doing that in order to save lives? And when the terrorist was close enough to his target to kill him why would FBI agents merely pull the intended target to the ground and not whisk him away while one of their agents struggles with the shooter? What would have happened if the shooter overpowered him and was now two feet away from his target and armed? The last few episodes have holes big enough to drive a truck through.
Power failure saves the show
5 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Dick Wolf has lost his mind. This series has never risen to the level of Law and Order SVU because it has lousy storylines and worse dialogue. Dylan McDermott was a cartoon villain with crazy eyes twirling his mustache and the police department is so politically driven as to be useless at policing. It's bad enough them not finding Wheatley at the end, raising the possibility of returning one of the campiest villains on tv, they have to start a witch hunt because of public pressure. Nothing like litigating a 23 year career when it's already been investigated several times over on another series. It's no wonder they keep bringing Benson on, they're hoping she'll lend some quality to an otherwise lousy story. The power failure storyline was the only decent part of this episode. Either put it out of its misery or hire some decent writers.
Whose side is she on?
5 March 2022
After the first episode I wanted the two detectives replaced. Now I also want that moronic ADA Maroun replaced, too. Absolutely NO evidence of abuse but our woke ADA wants to give a cold killer the benefit of the doubt. That's the jury's job, not hers. Where's Abby Carmichael when you want her? You can tell by the IMDb ratings that this show is in trouble. They usually manage to get lots of 7s for even the less popular programs.
What a shame. I miss Briscoe, Green and Abby.
What a shame. I miss Briscoe, Green and Abby.
Replace the detectives
25 February 2022
If they want to save this series they need to replace the two detectives. The greatest team Law and Order ever had was Briscoe and Green. Old school and new school but they respected each other and learned from each other. And they both had the sense of humor that you need to do that job. The new team is like oil and water. They don't respect each other at all and both are in a perpetual state of anger. I expected them to each break out in a lecture at any moment. I thought the rest of the cast was great and props to Hugh Dancy for doing a credible job of the old McCoy slot. I loved that he tried to do things "ethically" and found that sometimes doesn't result in justice being served. I've never cared for Jeffrey Donovan because he always over acts but since Anderson did a credible job when he worked with Jeremy Sisto in the series I have to believe it's the writers' fault. Hopefully they get back in the groove of great storylines, plot twists and McCoy pulling a rabbit out of his hat at the very last minute.
Sister Boniface Mysteries
(2022– )
A cheap ripoff of Father Brown
20 February 2022
This is a terrible show and a cheap ripoff of Father Brown. With Father Brown they developed his character over time and even when he's doing all the real investigating he does it below the radar of the police. Sister Boniface from the start acted like Sherlock Holmes, arrogance and all, taking over the investigations. I can barely understand the cop's Jamaican accent and all the characters act like they're on amphetamines. Constant chattering, constant silly music in the background and not a likable character among them all. I made it through the first three episodes but I won't waste my time on the rest. They shouldn't bother with a second season.
Cut, Color, Murder
(2022 TV Movie)
Don't bother making another one in the series
13 February 2022
Who in the world thinks a crime solving hairdresser is a good idea? Cozy mysteries usually involve a female small business worker/owner but it's a business that the reader might be interested in. Like a bakery, teaching or a library. Who is interested in watching people getting their hair snipped over and over and over again while the female snoop gets the clues? They don't even do an entire haircut before whipping off the cape and declaring them done. Gonzalo and McPartlin are decent actors and I enjoyed the supporting cast but the premise is boring and the pageant storyline was even more boring. As the other reviewers said, the ending was ridiculous. Nice way to dirty up your leading man in a cozy mystery where you're expecting a romance in their future.
One trick pony
28 January 2022
All the current crime shows have become one trick ponies. All of the crimes are committed or made worse because of racism. It's like watching the same episode over and over again. No creative storylines, just lazy writers reaching for the same tired plot points. It was interesting the first four or five times but it's gotten terminally boring for the viewer. There is a world of crime out there and they need to expand their view.
Enough Snow and Stupidity, Already!
27 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Are they going to spend the rest of the season in the Tundra? Is this some sort of climate change statement? Or is it just an opportunity to show how stupid the characters are? How dumb was Marjan to drive up in a snowstorm and then leave a safe place in a snit and get herself stranded and hurt? How dumb was Owen to run out in a blizzard after someone who left of their own free will? The entire cartel plot was the final straw. They need to get back to the drama 911 is known for and avoid these cheesy scenarios.
Less Fantasy and more drama, please
20 January 2022
The show has becomes more science fiction and fantasy than drama with this ice storm storyline. Some parts were very good and typical for the show. Especially the collapsed shelter and the boy under the ice. The rest of it was ridiculous. The idea that a firefighter would deliberately leave a warm house in anger and drive off into that ice storm shows incompetence and arrogance. The captain walking out into a whiteout chasing after someone who fled his house is absurd rather than heroic. The whole illegals plot line doesn't make them at all sympathetic although it's meant to. The writers need to dial back the fantasy and the political messaging and get back to the drama they did so well last season.
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