Reviews

Where do I begin? This film is deeply moving and beautiful in so many ways. It's powerful, inspirational, and educational. It's fundamental New York history, Italian history, religious history, and overall, a story of American growth. But even beyond that, this is a story about civil rights and the founding of countless charitable organizations, both in America and around the world. Most of all, it's a story about God, about love, and a tough little Italian nun with the biggest heart. A literal saint. And the movie proves that if there's anyone deserving of sainthood, it's Mother Cabrini. To say that she is an inspiration is an understatement. The actress that played her was absolutely fantastic and really did her justice. Regarding immigration, this film is more relevant today than ever. I think if everyone watched it, some hardened hearts in the world would be forever changed. This movie could literally change the world. And that is not an exaggeration. If you watch it, you will understand why. If you cry at movies, have a box of tissues ready. I was brought to sad tears and happy tears multiple times. I haven't been moved by a movie so deeply in a long time. Not only because I'm a Catholic whose great-great grandparents immigrated to America from Italy, but because I'm a human being. To put it quite simply, if you are a human being with a heart, you will love this movie. Anyone who isn't incredibly moved by this movie needs to engage in some serious introspection, because for whatever reasons, they've lost their compassion, empathy, and humanity, and may be lacking love in general. Nevertheless, maybe simply watching this movie helped them in some way, planted some seeds of love, or stirred their heart. Even if only a little. This movie is a gift to our suffering world. Please watch it, if you haven't already. I promise you won't regret it.

Tim Burton has once again, as usual, graced us with a fantastically impressive visual feast. (A delightfully ROTTEN feast, of course!) Even after all these years, his creativity remains limitless. The stakes were high because the original Beetlejuice is such a classic, cherished movie. For me, as a kid in the early 90s, it was new and different. I loved it, as I've loved all of Tim Burton's movies through the years. I really didn't know what to expect from this sequel, but I knew there was no way it could disappoint if Tim Burton was involved, along with elements of the original movie and cast. How could you go wrong? Well, the movie IS wrong... in all the right ways! It's more graphic in terms of the gore and creepiness factors. And it's just more... EVERYTHING! It's Beetlejuice 2.0... Beetlejuicier! Also, nothing in the movie is predictable. Throughout the movie, I was like... whoa I didn't see THAT coming. Or that... or that. Or THAT. The storyline is crazy, quirky, and all over the place! It's a lot busier and there's a lot more going on than in the original movie. It's a bit different in that aspect. There are a lot of moving parts (no pun intended hehe). There is just a lot packed in, which is why it may come off as a bit disjointed or discombobulated at times (again, no pun intended!) But that didn't bother me at all, and I'm glad they included all those cool ideas rather than cutting any of them out, because it made everything more interesting and entertaining. Another reason the movie is overflowing with material is because it pays homage to SO many things from the original film, which I thought was awesome and nostalgic. Overall, it is a superb movie and a WILD ride!!! So sit back and enjoy. If you love the original Beetlejuice movie and classic Tim Burton, and are in the mood for autumn, Halloween, spooky season, and lighthearted fun... then you will thoroughly enjoy this movie!

I'm not a political person, so what's happening politically right now has nothing to do with my opinion of Vance regarding Hillbilly Elegy. I thought it was a great and moving storyline and I thought the whole cast was excellent. Books are typically even better than movies, so I imagine that the book is great as well. To me, the film came off as Vance paying a loving tribute to his roots and giving credit where credit is due as far as his upbringing, while being completely transparent about it all for what it was... the good, the bad, and the ugly. It seemed to be a story that he genuinely wanted to write about because his family is dear to him, and not for some political agenda or for street cred. And it is one heck of a story! Definitely book/movie worthy, mainly because of the way Vance told it. You have to be a gifted writer to write an autobiography about a life such as his, in order for it to be captivating. But he did, and it was. As far as the film, I thought it flowed well, and the switching back and forth between the past and future added to the movie. I liked both actors that played Vance. Vance's character in the movie was always super likeable and endearing. His character came off as being sweet and humble both as a kid and a young man. Life is hard and sometimes people change for the worse in some ways, but I truly hope that Vance is still that same guy as the movie made him out to be. I was really invested in his character and rooting for him and Usha. I'd really like a part 2 movie made exactly the same as this one, but showing what happened with the interview and in the years after, including his life with Usha. It seems like that would make for a really good story as well. It felt like the end of the movie was the beginning of a new movie. I don't know anything about Vance's life other than what's in this movie, but I can imagine that a movie showing what happened between then and where he is now would be just as eventful and engaging. Of course, a lot of that credit goes to Ron Howard. Overall, I think it was a really good, inspirational movie that most of us in low/middle class America can relate to in one way or another. I empathized with that kid so much, and the family in general. It brought me to tears a few times. Kudos to Vance for excelling in life despite so many obstacles and for recognizing his family for all that they were and are.

Anyone who gives Matt Rife bad reviews must be hella jealous of him. Which makes sense, because there is A LOT to be jealous of. Who cares about the mainstream haters. I hope Matt doesn't waste even a second of his thoughts on them. Matt has an ENORMOUS fanbase for a reason, and as always, the fans have spoken!!! Matt surpassed all comedic expectations, as usual. What stood out to me the most about this special is that it showcased how incredibly personable he is with the audience. There's a kind of therapeutic quality in how he talks to people. It's amazing to watch how it comes so naturally to him. It's a true gift. He's a master at making people feel at ease, and gives everyone in the room a good feeling. I don't understand how it's possible to make comedy that is obscene yet at the same time feel-good, but Matt has managed to achieve this perfect balance. It's such a unique combination and I've never seen anyone do it like that. It's pure genius. At one point, someone in the audience brought up some very cringy subject matter that made a lot of people visibly uncomfortable, and Matt managed to diffuse the situation and turn it into comedic gold. I've never seen a comedian do that so smoothly without any awkwardness on his part. He handles the crowd like a pro. At this point in his career, there's no denying it... he is a pro of pros. His crowd work is legendary, and he's already accumulated enough footage to create a legacy to last for decades. He has made an indelible mark in comedy. Anyone who can't recognize that is a simp who is blind to what the general population likes. And that's what it's all about... THE PEOPLE! Matt gets that.

I loved the "dream" theme that was chosen. Such an excellent premise for amazing crowd work. I also loved the opening with the music and the 3D photography, and I loved the ending with the little blurbs about all the people who had the privilege of interacting with Matt during the show. I will be watching this special again many times. It will forever be one of the many examples of Matt at his comedic best. He should be incredibly proud.

I was 10-yrs-old when this masterpiece was released and it left the most wonderful impression on me. I'm 40 now and this film is so embedded in my heart that I literally just started ugly crying when the last scene of Jack and Sally came on. The waves of nostalgia hit me so hard. As a child of the 90s, watching it for the first time, I'd never seen anything like it. It was magical. I'd always been fascinated with stop-motion and I was amazed by how the movie was made out of tangible materials. And on top of everything, I was obsessed with spooky, Halloween, ghostly things my entire childhood. Like, checking out every spooky book in the library, telling my cousins and friends ghost stories every chance I got.... obsessed. So this movie hit the mark for me in every way. I felt like it was made just for me. Tim Burton was a dream come true for a kid like me. The only other movie I'd seen that was comparable at the time was Beetlejuice, and I was in awe of that one too. What else is there to say? Tim Burton is a genius, and the collaboration with Danny Elfman who is also a genius... just out of this world magical. A match made in heaven (or hell in Burton's movies. Hehe) So amazing to hear Elfman's voice. Just beautiful. And Catherine O'Hara gave such an outstanding performance as well. This movie is perfection. 30 years later and, in many ways, it surpasses animation today. Burton payed such close attention to every detail. This film will never be outdated visually. And of course... the storyline has depth and is quite moving. This movie defines the expression "total package". And Jack Skellington is welcome to leave one on my doorstep any day. Now if only Burton would make a part 2... I would probably explode with joy. Oh well. A girl can dream...

Clearly, mental illness runs in the family and wow, this episode did a genius job of unpacking that. Mom most likely has Bipolar Disorder and it seems that Mikey inherited it. Both are obviously self-medicating. Carmy and Nat are dealing with their own symptoms simply from being raised around extremely mentally ill relatives. The genius of this episode is the dynamics of all of it, between everyone. What especially interests me is why Nat can't stop herself from asking her mom if she's ok and triggering her mom, even though she knows better. It kind of makes me wonder if part of her is doing that on purpose? Like it's her own passive aggressive way of asserting some control in an environment that constantly makes her feel powerless. And then she plays innocent? Interesting psychology there. I do think she has a good heart. She's just perhaps not as harmless and innocent as she tries to appear. Or maybe she is. Who knows. This family is as complicated as the dishes they prepare.

Clearly, cooking is a real art in this family, to the point of madness. There's a fine line between genius and insanity, as they say. They are the bears. And also mad chefs.

And then there are the tender moments sprinkled throughout. The moments of sanity that provide a breath of fresh air. The quiet, beautiful, loving conversations in the corners. It's a family of contradictions... rational one second and irrational the next. They can be so loving and genuine, but also so angry and hateful. They are ruled by emotion. They're passionate. These people are not monsters, they're just human. And Italian.

The way this whole episode was put together, especially the absolutely perfect ending... it was just so incredibly moving. Just beautiful! It was so touching to see the softer, more humble side of the characters and how some loose ends were closed at the end... all of the reveals were really perfect and brought everything together. Again, I can't express enough how very emotional and touching this ending was. Families are complicated. Grief is complicated. We can all relate. Not gonna lie, I was ugly crying by the end! Kudos to the writers and the amazing cast. About to start Season 2. Really looking forward to seeing what's next.

One of the best finales of any show I've ever seen. For some reason, this episode struck me to my core and I sobbed. Like, cried my SOUL out. The script, acting, cinematography, music... it was all just perfectly matched to create this POWERFUL mixed emotional cocktail of EVERY kind of love (friendship, romantic, parental, spiritual, eternal, transcendant etc.) and EVERY kind of pain (letting go, grief, injustice, tragedy, etc.) This episode pulls the entire show together. It is everything a finale should be. The only other show that's ever made me cry like that is This is Us, probably because it takes a similar approach of tying everything together and combining the love and pain of life all at once. Both of these shows remind us that when you combine love and pain, you get meaning and beauty. Basically, what these shows have in common is genius writing. And great acting. Particularly the acting in The English, and especially in this episode... just PHENOMENAL!!!