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Reviews
Three Little Birds (2023)
Old school helpless females
The acting is fabulous. I guess it's asking too much for character actions to be logical. I'm sitting here yelling at the TV Chantrell get your passport before you try to get out a window! What were you doing this whole time! Wifey, how can you possibly not know that your husband is screwing around with the nannies?? No logic whatsoever, which kind of ruined it for me. I expect Chantrell to give hubby a head butt. I want at least ONE of the male characters to be responsible. Nope. Chanterelle could have quit long ago. She could get another passport. Leah is the only one who kicks some ass, but then it's portrayed that she's less than feminine. All the men are like, whhooooaa, she comes from a weird town where women are self sufficient! Eww. So despite the good acting, the script basically messes up the story in my opinion.
Murder Is Easy (2023)
What did he say??
Right from the earliest scenes, the look of the main male character just shut me down. His eyes look like somebody punched him, he's actually quite a short person compared to the ladies, and his voice has absolutely no resonance, no authority whatsoever. It's laughable when he orders somebody in the crowd to go get the police after someone is found murdered in the street. It's like, who the heck are you to say anything? They should've hired someone taller, with an authoritive voice, and at least somewhat standard good looks. The leading lady also has annoyingly tiny eyes. And her lips have blotchy lipstick, which I've never seen before, anywhere on the screen. There's really no dynamics between the leading man and leading lady, they seemed very much slapped together. People who are flirting should have "come hither" eyes... but you can't even see Fitzwilliam's eyes! And his lipless, constant grimacing grin was annoying. I forced myself to watch both episodes, even though I disliked it from the get-go. My opinion did not change. After the beautiful filming of Agatha Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple, I was really expecting more from BBC. This felt like they let the kids try their hand at playing in the sandbox.
Where's Poppa? (1970)
Low key nostalgic comedy
From a very young Rob Reiner (and a tiny cameo by his fiance Penny Marshall), to jokes about rape, this is obviously a product of a very specific window in history. Reiner's character goes off on a World War II officer regarding the draft, black crime is everywhere (almost it's own character) and women are emotional, needy, and can't figure out anything without a man. Sex is considered creepy and weird, and therefore mentioning porn is supposed to have a huge audience shock value. Sorry, no, there's no actual sex, besides an off screen rape, shown. The movie opens with a scene of Gordon being woken up by a clock radio, with the New York radio show "Rambling with Gambling" playing. I remember that show growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, so that brought a smile to my face right away. The rest of the movie kind of diddled along. I have an elderly mother, so I could relate to Gordon's feelings somewhat. I felt sorry for the guy! With the star power and the funny moments and the nostalgia, I think it's a solid seven.
Baby Boom (1987)
Painful reminder of 1980s corporate attitudes
Wow, years ago I liked this movie. But now I'm watching it and it's bringing back painful reminders of what corporations thought of working women in the 1980s. I was in my 20s, just starting my career, but I had a young daughter. Back then you could barely admit you even had a family at all, let alone child care responsibilities. It was frankly a horrible decade for working mothers. There are so many instances in this movie that scream misogyny and sexism. I'm sure it was thought of as pretty progressive back in the day, but now it's exhausting to watch. I guess the social commentary movies don't always age well.
Without You (2011)
Logic must be suspended.
I just wanna shake them all. This is actually on PBS with the original title from the novel, "What to Do When Someone Dies". I found the premise interesting, but Ellie's logic sometimes failed me. What bothered me the most was all her bullying friends! They were yelling at her to get over it, stop what she's doing, do this do that. God, I'd throw them all out of my house and not be friends any longer! It's like many other shows where you logically know what should be done, but logic needs to be suspended so the drama can flow. But really, she comes across as so very weak. It's annoying. And dang, they drink a LOT.
Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
Maybe even funnier now.
I was truly surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. Some real tummy giggles. Apart from the extremely racist stereotypes, which may even have been appreciated by blacks in the 1970 's (bad ass blacks were a big thing as I remember). Certain references to trans people and condoms I'm sure were very edgy at the time, but now it's just light comedy. I'm not generally a Jane Fonda fan, but she was quite good in this movie. All the actors were quite good I thought! Even given this movie is almost 50 years old, I think modern folks can relate to the feeling of working your hardest but still being slammed by wealthy and possibly corrupt "Corporate America". An enjoyable comedy, maybe even more so today.
Persuasion (2022)
No richness, just meh
This version never goes into the rich history of the familiy's destitution, the narcissism of Mr Elliot, the interference of Lady Russell. There's so much more to the story. All Anne does in the entire film is wink and smile at the audience, like "Fleabag". The 1995 version will always be the one closest to my heart, and closest I think to the story. If you're not looking for any historical accuracy whatsoever, and just a cute afternoon (two hours! Yikes!) of winking, go for it. This is not meant to be a deep story, just something cute and silly to show everyone that black people can play classical historical figures. Bridgerton made us over it. How about some actual storyline?
The Group (1966)
Almost modern
Way less "groovified" than most movies made around this time. I keep forgetting it's almost 60 years old. It's supposed to be set right before World War II. Absolutely fascinating how each woman's life goes in a different direction. They had so many hopes and dreams, and then life happened. Honestly I think it's perfect for modern eyes. The ebb and flow of life expectations and disappointments never seems to change from one generation to another. I was very surprised at how much I really liked it.
Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
Pathetic
I saw this movie years ago and liked it, so I thought I'd watch it again in 2022. All I did was yell the TV. These women are just such idiots, they don't have any common sense whatsoever. That really rubs me the wrong way. So this time around it was not nearly so charming. I suppose ditzy business women are supposed to be funny, but I couldn't laugh.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Used to be progressive
This used to be one of my favorite movies, but oh my heavens. It's got some very cute parts, but other parts that are just so cringeworthy now! Especially the maid character Tilly, as played by Isabelle Sanford. Oof. Interestingly, the problems that were worth talking about in 1967 are for the most part still problems in 2022. I was in elementary school in his first came out, and I remember the uproar that it caused, it was considered so crazy liberal. Now it seems almost conservative, where the parents are asked to approve the marriage. I love all the actors, they're all brilliant, so just watching the acting can be satisfying.
Emma (1972)
Better than I remembered
I mean, it's from 1972. And BBC. So the production quality really is horrible. But the acting is actually better than I remembered it, and I enjoyed it this recent time around. Everyone is actually English so the English accents are genuine, which is nice for a period piece that's supposed to be taking place in...England.
Charlie Says (2018)
Finally depicts an era almost correctly
The hair is right, the clothes are right mostly, and the acting is great. My question is, in one of the very earliest scenes, the hitchhikers are picked up in a junker car. It would be brand new in that year!! They kind of screwed up on that. It kind of bugged me throughout the entire movie. Anybody who does a period piece really should grab some people who actually lived through the time to double check on things.
Clickbait (2021)
Very tricky
Wow, I just feel like I've climbed through spaghetti. The story itself is pretty darn good. What bugs me no end is the way it portrays the family pushing its way into every dangerous police situation. I'd like to think that wouldn't happen, wouldn't be allowed. Other than that, very interesting work.
Clickbait (2021)
Very tricky
Wow, I just feel like I've climbed through spaghetti. The story itself is pretty darn good. What bugs me no end is the way it portrays the family pushing its way into every dangerous police situation. I'd like to think that wouldn't happen, wouldn't be allowed. Other than that, very interesting work.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
Fine acting, awful story
I love all the actors and actresses, and it's directed wonderfully, there's nothing cinematology wrong about it. However, the story makes me want to throw things at the screen. Another woman has to give up her ambitions so she can marry the apoplectic man and pop out mini me's. Because obviously, that SHOULD always be a woman's only ambition. Get married now, or oh my God, maybe you won't!! This movie was made over 10 years ago, I want to believe it wouldn't get too far these days.
Cinderella (2021)
Not FOR you
The people writing these ratings are probably adults. This movie is not for YOU, it's for tweens and teenagers, probably specifically females. It's cute. It's got lots of cool dance moves, and the songs are uplifting, appropriate, and sometimes poignant. I understand why the ratings are so low, they're made by adults who analyze things too much. This is strictly for fun, not meant to be deep in any sense of the word. If you're able to fast forward through the too-long songs, it's pretty fun.
Bigfoot Family (2020)
Sweet movie for a new generation
The bad reviews are coming from older people. This movie is for the young people who are living a different reality from the 1960s. It's very cute and pertinent to young people.
Babel (2006)
The white Americans are the only winners
I honestly don't understand the point of this movie. The only people who are okay at the end are the spoiled twerp, whiny, privileged white Americans. Everyone else fails, through being "stupid" foreigners. I thought the connections between people were going to be more interesting, but except for this one gun that changes hands a couple times, it really is not very interesting at all. At the end, I just shook my head and wondered what the heck I was supposed to feel.
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Must take the time period in context
It's very difficult for me living in 2020 to watch this movie. It used to be one of my favorites, of course. But given the current climate it's so strange now to see how they romanticized the civil war and slavery. The feelings of black people were totally dismissed. I know, I shouldn't be shocked, this has been true for centuries. I guess it's just finally truly sinking in.
The Lie (2018)
These people deserve what they get
It started out to be nicely dramatic, but when the parents start to bury the victim's purse and cell phone in the victim's father's yard, and the mom is screaming her head off in the middle of a suburb and nobody calls the cops, it goes downhill super fast. The parents are total idiots, and you find yourself rooting for the cops and the victim's dad. Get them, get them! So stupid.