Reviews
Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023)
If you liked the reboot movie give a thumbs up to ALL the positive reviews.
It was great seeing the whole gang again. Great movie. Here is the thing, someone on this IMDB User board has a grudge against this show. Don't know if it's one of the actors, the writer, the director, the producer. But it's so obvious someone or ones is giving multiple thumbs down on every single positive review. It's odd. It's a reboot movie on a beloved old TV show. If you liked the show you'll watch the movie and be entertained. If you didn't like the show you probably won't watch. If you never heard of it and watched you may give it a tepid 6 at worst. What I don't see is this moving eliciting some passionate I HATED THIS response and I must down vote all positive reviews unless it's personal. So do me a favor (because I HATE bullies), go upvote every singe review that is 8 or above.
American Murder: Laci Peterson (2024)
Shows great respect to the memory of Laci
If you already know this case inside out, there is nothing new or noteworthy here, other than getting caught up with people you've come to care about like Laci's mom Sharon (what a fierce lady), Laci's friends, the detectives, the reporters and the bada$$ Amber Frey. This film doesn't cover too much of the trial, if you want to deep dive on the evidence presented in court and other details I recommend the podcast 'The Prosecutors' starting with Episode 51. It is a 6 part series on this horrific crime and one of the best deep dives on this case. This is a Skye Borgman production and the focus and title stay focused on Laci. The difficult part to watch (and hard to swallow) is the delusion of Scott's sister and sister-in-law. They are really disconnected from what happened to Laci and the obvious fact that their brother did it. When they start complaining about how they were treated walking out of court after the guilty verdict you just want to fast forward. But in true Skye Borgman fashion, she makes sure to give a voice to both sides. At least this documentary wasn't paid for by the Peterson family or the shameful innocence network in LA (not the original innocence Project) that skewed the facts in evidence on that documentary that came out a few years ago before his appeal. Thank god the courts denied it.
Fourth Down and Love (2023)
Worth watching
This was a cute romance movie. I like both the leads and they usually appear in the better scripts. What I didn't like is this notion that an all girls team would beat the boys team in football. I realize this is a fantasy romance movie, so the other parts can be fantasy too but it's not right to give our girls unreasonable expectations. Men are more athletic than women because of genetics and I'm not talking just about hormones. Girls can be better than boys at certain things, but football isn't one of them. Stop the nonsense you're selling our kid's, it doesn't help to set unreasonable expectations. Back to the movie (sorry had to fill up word count), anything with Ryan Pavey is worth watching, even if it's not his best. And Pasquale Hutton has 'it'. Maybe chemistry between them was a wee bit off but it's very watchable.
Sparks Over Brooklyn (2023)
Good romance except for the chemistry.
I'm going on a politically incorrect rant here. I love all romance, even crappy ones. I enjoyed the lead actress very much. Typical romance story line, nothing particularly good but not bad. Not sorry I watched. The problem I had, and have with so many modern day productions, is the lack of a male lead that feels like a man. I don't know if the lead here is straight or gay, nor do I care. But I do care about watching traditional romance (i.e male with a female) and actually think there is a chance they will sleep together and it will be hot. Completely missing here. Another great example is the Bridgerton series, they took the best romance series ever written (in low brow romance genre) and cast the male leads with men who don't feel like men. It's not about looks, consider the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Knightly was not a great looking man, but he exudes masculinity (my god that scene where he's coming over the field at sunrise). Why can't we have men pull off masculinity back in movies?
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
Selena Gomez is the Glue That Holds it Together
This show was recommended to me because I'm a true crime podcast junkie. I came here and read a bunch of the reviews first and it seems this show is either love it or hate it. I was hooked immediately and binged all 3 seasons in a week. I think the show works because of Selena Gomez. We already know Martin and Short have chemistry, for me she is the glue that makes it make sense. Give the show a shot, if you like it you will like all 3 seasons whether or not you think one is better than the other. If you don't like it, just turn it off.
IMDB requires more words. I've always known about Steve Martin because he went to my High School. I remember seeing the Jerk my senior year. He is our most famous alumni other than Lenny Dykstra, who was the little kid next door begging to play sports illustrated baseball with my brothers. While Steve's comedy didn't always land right for me, I have always loved him. My love grew exponentially when I read Shopgirl, followed by the Pleasure of My Company. God, I love those books. Steve is clearly a renaissance man (Grammy for Bluegrass?). I will always give him a shot in whatever he is doing, and for me this show was a home run.
A Marriage Made in Heaven (2022)
A Romance Movie that's a Rollercoaster ride.
I just started watching and had tears in my eyes 15 minutes in. So I decided to start the review now because I know it's going to be an amazing journey. It's a Romance comedy and drama all rolled into one. I wonder why has no one reviewed this movie? It seems like it wasn't shown on any big platform and slipped under the radar. Probably because it's a faith-based film. Believing in God has become a dirty word in Hollywood. For some reason many Americans can watch a movie with Hindu Muslim or Buddhist religions undertones and give great reviews, yet the minute it has Christianity involved, the reviews get resentful, critical and defensive. I'm saying this as someone who is on the fence about Christianity. If you'd check that particular prejudice off to the side, you will find a romance movie with SO MUCH HEART. This is one of those second chances to learn important lessons movie.
The main characters have great chemistry. Elizabeth Rohm looks amazing. The male lead Robert Krantz looked familiar and after searching I see he's been in a few movies I really liked. In the ones I've seen his character is always a fun and joyous dancer including this one. I adore Tom Arnold's character (Johnny Angel), I always enjoy Tom Arnold. The FABULOUS Vivica A Fox plays the boss lady, and as always gives a great performance. Then there is Connie Sellecca playing the mom/grandmother. She is clearly someone who has mastered the art of aging gracefully in Hollywood, although her character is playing a character feeling older than she really is.
This movie is a masterful reminder of living in the now (even though the plot is about living in the past). There are some really funny moments (the uber skit, dropping the kids off with grandma and the 'my man' moment) but there's also many moments you will need to grab some tissues. I usually don't cry during romance movies but did with this one. Please give this movie a chance and watch it.
Homicide (2024)
You had me at Barbara Butcher
This is the best crime series I've ever seen. As one review said, please give us more. The cast is mostly familiar faces for those into true crime. The two stand outs for me are the always beautiful and charismatic Irma Rivera and the fabulous unbeatable Barbara Butcher. Two powerhouse women. I could listen to Barbara Butcher any day and all days of the week. She is so smart and such a thoughtful human that always delivers her unique perspective. I wish this had more than 5 episodes or they would provide more seasons. It is so well produced (probably because it's a Wolf production) and while a few of the stories were familiar, there were a few I had never heard of. If you enjoy true crime this should be at the top of your list. And ignore the reviewer who thinks he or she can do a better job, you can't fix stupid .
Mother of the Bride (2024)
Well done predictable rom com
This is exactly what it is advertised as, a predictable cheesy ROM-com made for the 50 crowd. The love story is the parents not the kids getting married. If you love ROM-coms, you'll enjoy this. The rest of this review is in response to other reviewers. First all the comments on the looks of the leads. One person actually said they looked older than their age which is ludicrous! HD makes everyone look old without proper lighting. I want you to think back to what a 60 year old looked like on tv before the filler and botox generation (and that was not HD). And God bless Brooke for not Botoxing and filling. She looks gorgeous while clearly not messing with her face. People in their 60's (Brooke is 59) have wrinkles, except if you're fat then your face looks younger and these 2 are not fat. Another commented on her 'weird' brows. Um, Brooke is famous for her heavy thick brows. Nothing weird there. Another commented Benjamin looked old, wtf? He looks like a ridiculously fit and hot 60 year old who spends time outdoors. Again, not fat and not doing filler to make up for no facial fat. In the world of online reviews, you are damned if you do cosmetic stuff and damned if you don't . As a sixty year old who knows what aging means, I'm so sick of reading these clueless comments.
Last Seen Alive (2022)
Not high budget but good old fashioned entertainment
This is a short movie but we really enjoyed it. The watching experience is enhanced by knowing that the fabulous Gerard Butler ad-libbed most of his scenes. This is isn't intended to be an Oscar worthy movie on any level. It is meant to entertain for about 90 minutes and it did just that.
I have to write more to post a reviews, so now for my rant. I don't know what is wrong with people or understand their perspectives. Ignore the bad reviews, unless your are a woke movie snob. This is a movie where there are good guys and bad buys and the good guys win. There is no token woke character parts that you know are just checking boxes, other than the white trailer trash meth heads (with some color mixed in). And I don't need movies to mimic real life. Sure, some of the outcome is implausible, but so what. I want some good action with a happy ending and this movie delivered.
Captive Audience (2022)
Well done Hulu
I know the case. It is so tragic and it feels weird to give a rating. But for years I tried to find more recent interviews with Kay and other family members so this series provided some kind of closure for me. Kay seems like an incredibly strong woman and I can't imagine the tragedy of her 'true' life. When she said true stories rarely have happy endings my heart broke. My review is simply to say that I was happy to see the family and to know that they did survive.
As far as all the negative reviews about the having scenes from the old tv movie and the actors reading old interviews, so for me it made perfect sense. Steven's 2 children are quoted as saying they thought the move WAS their dad and that is where they got all their impressions and information because nobody talked to them about their actual dad. I thought weaving the fictional movie into this documentary was pitch perfect, because that is the actual reality. They did a great job on reminding us what was real and what was fictionalized for those of us that watched the movie when it came out and thought the movie was the true story. I wish the best that life can offer to Steven's family, they have been through so much. Kay is an inspiration on what it means to persevere.
City of Angels, City of Death (2021)
Well done crime documentary
If you are in to true crime this is a fantastically produced documentary. They don't repeat the same stuff over and over like the cable crime shows. The actual detectives who investigated the crime are in this production. And some well known faces to the true crime community are here (Paul Holes and Matt Murphy). It's so nice to see Matt since I live in Orange County where Matt was a prosecutor and the recent host at Crime Com awards.
As usual, I'm reminded about how much I absolutely hate the media, this series does not provide any exception to that sentiment. They are a bunch of vultures that care more about a story than respecting an investigation. If they are exceptions it just proves the rule.
Beauty and the Billionaire (2022)
For Romance lovers this GREAT, way better than usual chessy romance
I watch a lot of romance movies from big budget RomComs to Hallmark. Although I pretty much enjoy them all, there's often frustration around the scripted 'conflict' that leaves me screaming at the TV "just tell him!" I stumbled upon this Prime offering not expecting more than the usual Hallmark level fare. To my surprise I found the writing of this was way above my expectations. The actors all did a great job and all the elements made sense. The set up to allow the romance to occur worked. The always needed 'conflict' really worked (no misheard end of a conversation that a simple dialogue would solve or silly secret). The whole movie gelled together really well. I looked up the production company, candlelight media LLC. That lead me to another one of their romance movies 'Love in Aruba' also on prime. It featured the same actress (she's really pretty, likable and believable). This was another romance with a great story line! Kudos to them, it's awesome to see someone putting in an effort to come up with above par scripts to fulfill my need for cheesy romance. Both movies were delightful, thank you for that. When I logged into IMDB I saw something in the trivia section about 5 collaborations between writer producer and actress, I will have to seek them out.
Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire (2021)
the first 2 parts are compelling
It was hard to watch this, very raw to watch the parents of children who tragically perished in this monstrous act. The takeaway for me is that the fire was started intentionally by some hoodlum youths. There was clearly some corruption in the fact that the few corrupt upper echelon police officials wanted it 'case closed' and could possibly be for their own financial gain by acquiring the land. But no way did they even come close to showing that these few were actually behind the fire, that was a real stretch to me. The story line they pursue by accusing these officials of being behind the original act of arson seemed way out of line , but that is the kind of story the public eats up. I almost turned off Episode 3 because it was sooo far fetched.
Lost & Found in Rome (2021)
Great Cheesy Romance
If you hate cheesy Hallmark romance movies don't watch this. If you do like cheesy romance I thought this was well worth a watch. The only 'issue' is the naivete of the heroine and using a pretty ridiculous premise to set up the plot. But she's so kind in nature (and so pretty) that you want to buy into the story anyway. Every other part of the movie, once you suspend disbelief, is well done. All the actors are great including her father (played by Max Caulfield), the cafe owner played by Jamie Lunar (who I've adored since The Pretender) and the Hero played by an Paolo Bernardini who I've seen in other movies (e was the reason I sought this out) and his parents in the movie are absolutely gorgeous. I don't think this every played on tv because something was wrong with how a few of the scenes were shot, kind of like watching an old 90's tv movie. I made an effort to get to this and really enjoyed it.
9/11: Life Under Attack (2021)
Hard to listen to these people
Anything with film footage from 9/11 is a must see. But this one was hard to get through because of the attitudes of some of the people living in the area and on the live footage. Specifically the young man Josh and the two twenty-something roommates (can't remember their names). They just seemed so callous, joking and thinking it was cool or something (until the girls feared for themselves or their cats). I remember watching 9/11 unfold live (in California) and balling my eyes out thinking of the poor souls in the buildings. Some of the people (not all) in this documentary seem to not have much feeling for anyone but themselves.
Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022)
What's not to love
I'm a diehard Hallmark fan, so of course I loved this movie for all the reasons mentioned on so many reviews. But what really struck me was some of the subtle things like not winning the contest, making friends with the neighbor instead of getting some kind of lighthearted revenge and the annoying girl you think will not get one of the handsome Wise Men does. There was a feel to this that seemed to eschew some of the typical hallmark themes by putting the romance as more of a sub plot while rekindling the love between a mother and her sons. Paul and Kimberly are amazing at taking familiar cliche movie stuff and repackaging it into a fun Hallmark worthy story but with a modern twist. Keep up the good work.
The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020)
Ignore the cynical basement dwellers
If you like feel good movies that lift you up just watch it, you won't be disappointed. It reminds me of the old Hallmark Sunday night movie specials before hallmark movies became a weekly event. High production quality, top notch actors and a great script. I've loved Katie Holmes since 'Pieces of April', if you haven't seen that one, find it and watch it. She's a revelation in that. The message is valid, the secret or laws of attraction have been around forever, in my youth it was packaged as the power of positive thinking. Ignore the bad reviews unless you hate romantic feel good movies. But if you do like the genre you won't be disappointed with this gem.
Dog (2022)
Loved everything about it
Lately I've been learning more about war then I ever thought about before. I admit it comes from listening to Jocko podcast. I hadn't paid attention to what it is all about and the debt we owe to our military. I didn't know this was advertised as a comedy as many reviewers have pointed out. I don't care. There are funny moments but this movie is as serious as it gets. It's a glimpse into the darkness that war can leave on a soul, man or dog. I also didn't know that Mr. Tatum directed it. Fantastic job. The entire movie was pitch perfect. Side note, I find the down votes on the positive reviews really strange. Are these anti-war people? If they would only pay attention to what would happen without war when many evil people exist on the planet. God bless freedom.
A Tail of Love (2022)
Bad Message
The movie was well done. The acting and writing was good except for the thing that made me rate this a 3. Our Hero is a soldier but to be with the Heroine he has to give that up. She didn't grow or learn things about herself. She just got what she wanted which was to force him to give up his military career that he was happy with. I prefer my heroines with more of a backbone and the ability to to be admirable. She was an immature child woman and by the end I wasn't rooting for her, I wanted him to leave! That is probably a first for this Hallmark addict.
Crashing Through the Snow (2021)
WE NEED A DUO WEDDING SEQUEL
I haven't missed a Hallmark/Hallmark MM/Lifetime/UP romance movies in over a decade. I love them all, although some stand way above others. This is top of class, mostly due to a story line that put the conflict on the divorce/insecurity situation instead of the usual easily solved misunderstanding between the H/h. Then add the HIGH caliber acting, I swear that Amy Acker steals every production she's in, although Warren Christie, with his classic movie star good looks, holds his own. I always wonder if acting is like playing tennis, you rise to the level of your opponent. They were both smoking hot!
This is a keeper and how fun would it be to have a them reprise these characters in a June 'duo' wedding movie? Yes a little unrealistic but isn't that what romance movies are all about?
PS when I read people criticize the movies I love best for not being realistic or whatever the usual Hallmark criticisms are, I always think I have way too much realism in my life, please give me fantasy, cheesy wholesomeness and lots of HEA's!
The Toolbox Killer (2021)
You have got to be kidding me
It is a well done documentary. But I had difficulty getting through the murder details, so just skipped when the details got to graphic. The main interviewer, Laura, was psycho herself. All her giggling on the phone made me physically sick. You can say this was for some greater good but I call BS. Her 'connection' to this sick sadistic killer and visiting him while pregnant? Then talking to him while in labor, sending pictures of her SON and asking him to be an honorary uncle? OMG this woman should be ASHAMED of herself, but instead she is proud of putting her goals before her son. Look how empathetic and non-judgemental I am!!!! Can you imagine sending your kid's picture to a serial killer and ask him to be his her uncle? She never once condemns a man who tortured young girls with items from a tool box in the worst way imaginable, let that sink in. His murders were so horrific the investigator killed himself over it. She actually buys into his remorse when he's dying as something other than self-pity and manipulation. And she states she was sad when he died because he was an authentic friend? God I hope no one in law enforcement employs this woman. Thank God for the voice of the FBI profiler (who is a bad-a** lady) and the prosecutor, or I wouldn't have been able to get through this tripe. One star for each of them.
Crazy, Not Insane (2020)
Apparently Evil is a religious concept and doesn't exist?
I admit I didn't get past the first 5 minutes. As soon as I saw the interview where the main character states that evil is a religious concept I hit stop and delete. I can't understand how anyone can possibly believe that the concept of an evil person is somehow connected to religion. So therefore if you don't believe in a creator/God, good and evil don't exist? If I was someone who didn't believe in God I would find that just as offensive as when religious people spout that you can't be moral unless you believe in God. Utter nonsense. Evil exists, period. I've seen it. If you're not as bothered as I am about this statement it's possible it's a decent documentary.
Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography (2017)
The importance of family
Wow, this was very compelling. I'm old enough to have been completely immersed in this horror story when it happened, shocked when she was found alive (she really is the poster child of HOPE for families with missing loved ones) and happy that she seemed happy in later years. This documentary gifted me with knowing how well her life has turned out. She is one amazing young woman, one of a kind. The takeaway for me was really about the importance of strong family values. I don't think Elizabeth would have survived and thrived after her ordeal had she not come from such a loving close knit family unit. It doesn't have to be centered around faith or religion, although those kind of values can certainly lead to a stronger family life. And I'm not even religious. IMHO the fact that she came from such a loving family played a role in the happy outcome of this story and cannot be ignored. I'm so glad she still believes in fairy tale endings...
Enola Holmes (2020)
I'm a woman
What a shocker, another 'Men are BAD' movie. The top review says ' If you are a grown man criticizing it, back off'. I'm a grown woman, grew up in the 60's and 70's, and I'm criticizing it. The new world order is to portray all (or even the majority of) men as controlling towards women and girls, which is simply not the truth. It hurts to see society is swallowing this load of crap hook line and sinker. To be told you need to be empowered is to take away the power you already have.
Bridgerton (2020)
As a huge fan of Julia Quinn this was a bomb
I couldn't even finish the 1st episode. If you're a fan of the regency historical romance genre, you may be as disappointed as I was. Maybe not, to each his own. For me it was a complete bomb. Didn't like any of the characters right out the gate. Maybe the problem is Ms. Quinn writes such fiere funny characters it's hard to accept what I perceive as bad casting choices. Maybe it would be very enjoyable to those not attached to the Bridgerton books.