Someday, HBO will learn that just because you can, doesn't mean you freaking have to. The moment the episode started with the gratuitous nudity and violence, I could tell Joss Whedon had left the helm. I really like the characters and plot, but PLEASE bring the direction back to being story focused and not so misogynistic.
Reviews
8 Reviews
Austenland
(2013)
Know what to expect
5 December 2020
Honestly, the poor reviews are from people who didn't understand what kind of movie they were going to see. First of all, read the book. Second of all, were you looking for high drama with the cast they assembled? I loved the book and loved the movie. I liked the changes they made in Mr. Nobley's character backstory. I preferred the original plot for how she ended up in Austenland, but this one made for a quicker explanation. The tone was certainly more farcical in the movie than in the book, but it held up just fine against the novelization.
A Cookie Cutter Christmas
(2014 TV Movie)
Just painful to watch
27 October 2019
I am assuming this was written by someone who has never actually advanced beyond 8th grade or assumes no one in the audience has. In fact, if you made the leads 14 years old, it still isn't believable. There is little chemistry and two women who have no idea how to read any situation. If I were left alone with either of the two female leads, I would be hard pressed not to resort to violence to escape. The idea that people leave their children in their charge is laughable. I love most of the Hallmark Christmas movies but this one is just awful
Just plain Fun!
9 December 2017
We went to see this as part of the early screening for Amazon Prime members. I always worry that all the funniest parts of a movie are spoiled in the trailer leaving nothing left in the film. That isn't the case. I was either smiling or laughing the entire movie, as was the rest of the theater. Is it Citizen Kane? No. Was I going to the theater wanting to watch a drama that delved deep into the characters' lives? No, again.
Our 4 heroes are sent to detention where they discover and are consequently sucked into Jumanji. They become the avatars they chose for the game and must complete the object of the game without using up all their lives. They have to work together, as a team. It is so much fun. It's predictable, funny, cute and the most important, entertaining. The actors are great in it, including a few cameos that were unexpected.
The humor isn't too crude, but still slapstick-y and funny. It was along the vein of Shrek, Rat Race, or Clue. Again, if you're looking for deep and can't stand watching a movie without questioning everything, skip this one. This is one of those movies I'll be buying just so I can put it on and laugh.
Our 4 heroes are sent to detention where they discover and are consequently sucked into Jumanji. They become the avatars they chose for the game and must complete the object of the game without using up all their lives. They have to work together, as a team. It is so much fun. It's predictable, funny, cute and the most important, entertaining. The actors are great in it, including a few cameos that were unexpected.
The humor isn't too crude, but still slapstick-y and funny. It was along the vein of Shrek, Rat Race, or Clue. Again, if you're looking for deep and can't stand watching a movie without questioning everything, skip this one. This is one of those movies I'll be buying just so I can put it on and laugh.
Shadowhunters
(2016–2019)
Much better than others would lead you to believe
13 January 2016
Let me start by saying that I loved the books and hated the movie so much I tried to get through it twice and never made it beyond the first 15 minutes. Does this stick completely to the books? No, of course not. It follows the story line much better than the movie. Remember, this isn't a mini series so they need to set up a broader world. The characters are true to type and so much better cast than the crappy movie. I can already see that I am going to like Simon. He's pretty much exactly like in the book and bonus, Alec doesn't look like one of their dads :D. 1pilots are almost always meh and require setting up the premise so don't worry about it being plot heavy. They settle in nicely in the second episode. (already on Hulu plus a week in advance). Give it a shot if you like the books.
The Holiday
(2006)
Perfect piece of sugar plum
12 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, the opinions on here are so wildly divergent you will wonder if we all saw the same film. I put it down to expectations. If you're looking for the next Lawrence of Arabia, you will be pretty disappointed.
The film is about an English writer for a newspaper, Iris who is trying to finish off an unhealthy affair with her toxic co-worker and Amanda, an American owner of a movie trailer production company who recently ended another unhappy relationship due to boyfriend infidelities. It's a few weeks to Christmas and they both want to escape across the pond. Iris swaps her cozy, Surrey cottage (exactly what all Americans think everyone outside of London lives in) for Amanda's Bel Aire mansion (what everyone outside of LA thinks Calfornians live in). From here, their stories are told independently without much intermingling (save one phone call).
Iris travels to America, is suitably overwhelmed with the mansion she is staying in and and meets up with Amanda's co-worker, Miles (Jack Black), a movie score composer. Their friendship begins along with a friendship with Amanda's neighbor, Arthur Abbott (Eli Wallach) a writer from the golden age of Hollywood.
Kate Winslet (Iris) was a gem in this and I am not always a fan (see Hideous Kinky). I could really feel for her character, feel her pain and understand her story arc. Jack Black is really out of his element here which is a crying shame because he did brilliantly and I would love to see him as a normal, romantic lead again sometime. I really loved his character and the way he brought him to life on film. Eli Wallach made me wish I was Iris and could spend evenings in his company listening to him tell me about his life. (on a side note, I would definitely watch a film based just on the Arthur Abbott character)
Amanda travels to England to stay in a tiny cottage in the English Countryside. She is, of course, completely out of her element (ie driving on the wrong side of the road, tiny bathtub, farm animals, etc). She meets Iris' brother, Graham (Jude Law), who I believe is an editor of some kind. They connect rather quickly due to some alcoholic influence, and Graham seems to be another guy with secrets that she can't trust. Cameron Diaz has never been my favorite actress but I can usually put the mild distaste out of my mouth long enough to enjoy the movie (see Knight and Day) but she was just dreadful in this...at least at the beginning. I can't tell if she forgot how to act, or if she was directed to overact scene as if she were in a high school play. Either way, I usually fast forward right through her scenes. Jude Law is an actor I don't have much knowledge of but I though he did a fine performance. Outside of Sherlock Holmes and AI, I don't think I've seen any of his other films (how is that possible?). Any defects in his character were written that way, not acted poorly.
I recommend this to anyone in the mood for a lighthearted Christmas rom-com. It's the perfect film for an afternoon in front of the Christmas tree with a cup of hot cocoa.
The film is about an English writer for a newspaper, Iris who is trying to finish off an unhealthy affair with her toxic co-worker and Amanda, an American owner of a movie trailer production company who recently ended another unhappy relationship due to boyfriend infidelities. It's a few weeks to Christmas and they both want to escape across the pond. Iris swaps her cozy, Surrey cottage (exactly what all Americans think everyone outside of London lives in) for Amanda's Bel Aire mansion (what everyone outside of LA thinks Calfornians live in). From here, their stories are told independently without much intermingling (save one phone call).
Iris travels to America, is suitably overwhelmed with the mansion she is staying in and and meets up with Amanda's co-worker, Miles (Jack Black), a movie score composer. Their friendship begins along with a friendship with Amanda's neighbor, Arthur Abbott (Eli Wallach) a writer from the golden age of Hollywood.
Kate Winslet (Iris) was a gem in this and I am not always a fan (see Hideous Kinky). I could really feel for her character, feel her pain and understand her story arc. Jack Black is really out of his element here which is a crying shame because he did brilliantly and I would love to see him as a normal, romantic lead again sometime. I really loved his character and the way he brought him to life on film. Eli Wallach made me wish I was Iris and could spend evenings in his company listening to him tell me about his life. (on a side note, I would definitely watch a film based just on the Arthur Abbott character)
Amanda travels to England to stay in a tiny cottage in the English Countryside. She is, of course, completely out of her element (ie driving on the wrong side of the road, tiny bathtub, farm animals, etc). She meets Iris' brother, Graham (Jude Law), who I believe is an editor of some kind. They connect rather quickly due to some alcoholic influence, and Graham seems to be another guy with secrets that she can't trust. Cameron Diaz has never been my favorite actress but I can usually put the mild distaste out of my mouth long enough to enjoy the movie (see Knight and Day) but she was just dreadful in this...at least at the beginning. I can't tell if she forgot how to act, or if she was directed to overact scene as if she were in a high school play. Either way, I usually fast forward right through her scenes. Jude Law is an actor I don't have much knowledge of but I though he did a fine performance. Outside of Sherlock Holmes and AI, I don't think I've seen any of his other films (how is that possible?). Any defects in his character were written that way, not acted poorly.
I recommend this to anyone in the mood for a lighthearted Christmas rom-com. It's the perfect film for an afternoon in front of the Christmas tree with a cup of hot cocoa.
Bachelorette
(2012)
Wow, did this suck!
12 December 2013
I was recommended this by Netflix (should have known right there). Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey and Melissa Mccarthy are all hilarious actresses and some writers. The films they are in work because they can be crude, but still funny. The actresses and actors in this movie are all really good at their jobs, but the script is straight up crap. It isn't funny at all. Not even a little bit. And whoever said that it is refreshing to see strong female characters...are you f-ing kidding me?!? This is a horrible attempt to knock off some great comedienne's work. In the same way that Date Movie attempted to knock of Abrahams and Zucker's style, this poor attempt at duplicating gifted writer's fails on every level. Save yourself because you can never unsee this.
Plot is great but...
3 March 2013
The "American" accents in the episode are positively cringe-worthy if you are an American. They use all the correct verbiage, sort of, but the accents sound like the actors learned them while watching Madonna perform Shakespeare. For me at least, it took me completely out of the drama and I could not enjoy this particular episode. In general, I enjoy every thing about Midsomer murders. The characters of Barnaby and Jones (as well as Barnaby's family and the medical examiner)are stellar as always and even though they've been on the air for so long, they still manage to come up with new motivations and means for each murder. Normally the guest cast is amazing and recognizable from the pool of British actors that you have seen hundreds of times on both the big and small screen. This episode just fell a bit short but if you are from anywhere but America, you probably won't even notice the accents. But if you are, it's like nails on a chalkboard.
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