The core mysteries are engaging, the scenery is lovely, the production is overall professional. However, the series suffers in numerous aspects from hyperemotion. The female detective is on the verge of tears just ordering coffee. Gamache (Molina) is constantly wringing his hands about man's injustice to man. The historical wrongs to indigenous people are of course troubling, but the preachy, angry handling of this topic goes on and on, and it is used to justify not merely irrational but hateful conduct by indigenous characters. There is little to like about the other town residents, a collection of foulmouthed artists and writers with seemingly overblown reputations whose quirks and conduct are so off-putting the town would never survive on tourism. We lost interest after four episodes.
Reviews
7 Reviews
Bingo Hell
(2021)
Possibly the worst movie ever made by Blumhouse
24 November 2021
There is absolutely nothing to commend this movie, and it's a massive disappointment coming from Blumhouse. I have no idea what demographic Amazon thought it would attract that it was willing to invest in this drivel.
I realize that this is intended to be a sendup of B horror movies. However, the movie is truly worse than the movies that it's attempting to satire. For instance, there is no subtlety or nuance to the acting that might suggest wit is in play. Every mannerism, every syllable, and every expression is overblown, and not in a fun, campy way. The incessant shouting of each sentence makes you wonder how the actors are able to continue at this level without eventually passing out from lack of oxygen. The furrowed brows, curled lips, and flared nostrils are so grossly rendered that the faces appear to be viewed from the wrong end of a telescope.
The composer of the soundtrack must have received the same memo, since each scene features soaring violins, loud brass waah waah waahs, and dissonant clarinets bleating staccato into the mix. Watching the performance will quickly wear you out, just as you would become physically exhausted from listening to two hours of polkas at full blast.
The cast appears to have been randomly selected from an AARP membership directory. No one demonstrates any talent other than the ability to maintain an offensively exaggerated accent consistent with the actor's "Black," "Hispanic" or "Italian" ethnicity. The script religiously adheres to these same stereotypes, with racial cliches appearing in literally every sentence. Until I saw this movie, I didn't know that older Hispanic women prefer to utter every other word in English (eye roll).
With the acting, scenery and script beating you about the face for attention, you may not initially notice that this "horror" movie does not contain a single moment inspiring fear. This banal tripe lacks even a single jump scare. Don't mistake the "hipsters are taking over our neighborhood " plot line for a heartwarming drama, either. You'll quickly join the wrecking crew in razing the houses and building a coffeehouse for dogs on every corner so that you never have to watch this movie again.
I realize that this is intended to be a sendup of B horror movies. However, the movie is truly worse than the movies that it's attempting to satire. For instance, there is no subtlety or nuance to the acting that might suggest wit is in play. Every mannerism, every syllable, and every expression is overblown, and not in a fun, campy way. The incessant shouting of each sentence makes you wonder how the actors are able to continue at this level without eventually passing out from lack of oxygen. The furrowed brows, curled lips, and flared nostrils are so grossly rendered that the faces appear to be viewed from the wrong end of a telescope.
The composer of the soundtrack must have received the same memo, since each scene features soaring violins, loud brass waah waah waahs, and dissonant clarinets bleating staccato into the mix. Watching the performance will quickly wear you out, just as you would become physically exhausted from listening to two hours of polkas at full blast.
The cast appears to have been randomly selected from an AARP membership directory. No one demonstrates any talent other than the ability to maintain an offensively exaggerated accent consistent with the actor's "Black," "Hispanic" or "Italian" ethnicity. The script religiously adheres to these same stereotypes, with racial cliches appearing in literally every sentence. Until I saw this movie, I didn't know that older Hispanic women prefer to utter every other word in English (eye roll).
With the acting, scenery and script beating you about the face for attention, you may not initially notice that this "horror" movie does not contain a single moment inspiring fear. This banal tripe lacks even a single jump scare. Don't mistake the "hipsters are taking over our neighborhood " plot line for a heartwarming drama, either. You'll quickly join the wrecking crew in razing the houses and building a coffeehouse for dogs on every corner so that you never have to watch this movie again.
How I Live Now
(2013)
High hopes, with very few of them met
3 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
My experience of this film consisted of a series of annoyances. Many of these concerned enormous gaps in:
Critical information - why does Daisy stay in the UK after the war without any reference to her family or her life of the past 16 years? Was the United States obliterated, or does she actually have the worst father ever? NOTE: At least the writers occasionally addressed this issue spot on, e.g., Eddie should seemingly have been killed along with his brother and all the other occupants of Gatesville Farm, but arrived home in a catatonic state. What really happened? "We'll never know." Hee hee.
Continuity - why was poisonous radiated water that all came from the same sky sometimes safe to drink? How did Daisy and Piper's hosts and their neighbors return home when the terrorists had taken control of the sole entryway to the development and were killing everyone on sight?
Logic - the hike back home was apparently 7 or 8 days. Daisy brought one bottle of water and no water pills, so she and Piper must have the hydration requirements of cacti. And after Piper says she can't go any farther after roughly 5 days - you know, without any water, or food, and bleeding feet that turned her socks red, and the fact that she's 8 - Daisy tells her to grow a pair, and that's enough to get her all the way home.
Other irritations centered around the personalities and behavior of the characters, e.g., London is destroyed, hundreds of thousands die immediately, the rest of the country is under siege, and the teens act like it's summer camp. Whee! No one misses Mom, although she couldn't be bothered to cook or wash a single dish and barely acknowledged she had children, so maybe that was realistic.
Honestly, there was no point at which I liked Daisy. From the moment she arrived in England, she was a stone-cold bitch (and was never called out on it). After sleeping with her cousin, he becomes her reason for living, and everyone else and their concerns be damned. She has the organizational skills of a kindergartner. Oops, forgot the water pills! Lost the map! Lost the compass! Not that any of that matters, as noted above; but maybe she needs to turn up the volume rather than shut out the critical, unexplained "rules" running through her head.
My final frustration is aimed at Marketing. Couldn't you have acknowledged in advertising that the movie is about an Instagram influencer who becomes obsessed with an incestuous relationship, then engages on an abbreviated Bataan Death March while torturing a cute little ginger? I would have easily known that I should pick a different movie.
Critical information - why does Daisy stay in the UK after the war without any reference to her family or her life of the past 16 years? Was the United States obliterated, or does she actually have the worst father ever? NOTE: At least the writers occasionally addressed this issue spot on, e.g., Eddie should seemingly have been killed along with his brother and all the other occupants of Gatesville Farm, but arrived home in a catatonic state. What really happened? "We'll never know." Hee hee.
Continuity - why was poisonous radiated water that all came from the same sky sometimes safe to drink? How did Daisy and Piper's hosts and their neighbors return home when the terrorists had taken control of the sole entryway to the development and were killing everyone on sight?
Logic - the hike back home was apparently 7 or 8 days. Daisy brought one bottle of water and no water pills, so she and Piper must have the hydration requirements of cacti. And after Piper says she can't go any farther after roughly 5 days - you know, without any water, or food, and bleeding feet that turned her socks red, and the fact that she's 8 - Daisy tells her to grow a pair, and that's enough to get her all the way home.
Other irritations centered around the personalities and behavior of the characters, e.g., London is destroyed, hundreds of thousands die immediately, the rest of the country is under siege, and the teens act like it's summer camp. Whee! No one misses Mom, although she couldn't be bothered to cook or wash a single dish and barely acknowledged she had children, so maybe that was realistic.
Honestly, there was no point at which I liked Daisy. From the moment she arrived in England, she was a stone-cold bitch (and was never called out on it). After sleeping with her cousin, he becomes her reason for living, and everyone else and their concerns be damned. She has the organizational skills of a kindergartner. Oops, forgot the water pills! Lost the map! Lost the compass! Not that any of that matters, as noted above; but maybe she needs to turn up the volume rather than shut out the critical, unexplained "rules" running through her head.
My final frustration is aimed at Marketing. Couldn't you have acknowledged in advertising that the movie is about an Instagram influencer who becomes obsessed with an incestuous relationship, then engages on an abbreviated Bataan Death March while torturing a cute little ginger? I would have easily known that I should pick a different movie.
High-Rise
(2015)
Simply dreadful
1 June 2021
This film is the futuristic dystopian spin on class warfare and materialism that Terry Jones would have produced if he (a) were completely talentless, but oblivious to that fact; (b) included a thousand times over the gore, violence, nudity, and general vulgarity contained in his actual works; and (c) kept at it relentlessly for two hours.
Is that a movie you would like to watch? No. No, it is not. Me neither. I'm rating the film a 2 instead of 1 because as someone else noted, the art director is skilled if not completely deranged.
Watch Brazil instead of this flick for a genuinely outstanding viewing experience.
P. S. I read the other reviews after I posted mine, and I returned to make this comment. The 9-10 star reviewers explain away low ratings as the product of poor dears who just aren't bright enough to *understand* the movie. If you can't counter a substantive argument with anything other than an ad hominem ploy, reconsider the accuracy of your opinion.
Is that a movie you would like to watch? No. No, it is not. Me neither. I'm rating the film a 2 instead of 1 because as someone else noted, the art director is skilled if not completely deranged.
Watch Brazil instead of this flick for a genuinely outstanding viewing experience.
P. S. I read the other reviews after I posted mine, and I returned to make this comment. The 9-10 star reviewers explain away low ratings as the product of poor dears who just aren't bright enough to *understand* the movie. If you can't counter a substantive argument with anything other than an ad hominem ploy, reconsider the accuracy of your opinion.
The Ghost Bride
(2020)
Hidden Gem
23 March 2021
During another COVID weekend of solo Netflix and chilling, I watched the Korean horror series "Sweet Home," then the quirky "School Nurse Files." I thoroughly enjoyed these vastly different productions, and when "Ghost Bride" was recommended after each of them, I thought, "Why not?" I was unfamiliar with the source and mistakenly thought this was another Korean production.
I cannot comment as to the historical or linguistic accuracy of this show, but I'm glad I decided to watch it. Briefly, the heroine is the only daughter of a spice merchant. Her mother died when she was young, and her father raised her with the assistance of a nanny and cook. However, his business is suffering and his health begins to fail. When the wealthiest family in town presents her with the opportunity to marry the deceased heir, she must decide whether to accept the offer and save her family from destitution.
I binge-watched the entire series. From my point of view, it was an effective period piece set in the 1890s with exquisite costumes and settings. The cast is solid all around. The storyline has elements of romance, humor, drama, and, of course, the supernatural. While I would not describe it as particularly complex, not once did I think that teens were the target demographic. The insight into the religious and cultural beliefs in play was fascinating. I happily recommend.
I cannot comment as to the historical or linguistic accuracy of this show, but I'm glad I decided to watch it. Briefly, the heroine is the only daughter of a spice merchant. Her mother died when she was young, and her father raised her with the assistance of a nanny and cook. However, his business is suffering and his health begins to fail. When the wealthiest family in town presents her with the opportunity to marry the deceased heir, she must decide whether to accept the offer and save her family from destitution.
I binge-watched the entire series. From my point of view, it was an effective period piece set in the 1890s with exquisite costumes and settings. The cast is solid all around. The storyline has elements of romance, humor, drama, and, of course, the supernatural. While I would not describe it as particularly complex, not once did I think that teens were the target demographic. The insight into the religious and cultural beliefs in play was fascinating. I happily recommend.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond
(2020–2021)
Such a disappointment for this longtime TWD fan
22 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This series belongs on WB with the title "Walking Dead: Teen Beat." Nickelodeon would be a good second option with slightly less gore.
First, the storyline is wholly implausible. Almost nothing that happens is believable. An established, armed community of 10,000 would not and could not be suddenly eradicated by a few dozen allied visiting forces. Teenagers in a community that has survived 10 years post-apocalypse would know how to kill zombies, notwithstanding the fact that the zombies confronted by the runaways are incredibly polite. They only present themselves one or two at a time; when there are more, the teenagers appear to be invisible to the undead. No wonder Hope wasn't worried about running through large packs of walkers at the tire dump.
Second, most of the characters are unbelievably one-note, made worse by a cast that loves to chew scenery. Huck spits and drawls with a toothpick hanging out of her mouth. Felix has angst over being rejected by his family. Hope is a rebel without a cause. That's it. I don't care about them, and there's certainly nothing to pique my interest further. By the way (writers), attributing each person with an SJW issue doesn't make them more engaging or deserving of empathy. It's just annoying.
Third, the characters that could be more complex are poorly cast. The actress who plays Iris does not have the charisma or eloquence to be a leader in the community. The actor who plays Silas has no nuance or facial expressions. He just stares at his fingers.
I finished Episode 3 and am still watching only because I'm hoping for hints of the society that now presumably houses Rick and Ann. But the connection between that society and the one that just slaughtered the Campus is too attenuated. These people would have killed Rick without a second thought: a useless Beta who could become a threat?
If the apparent alternative reality continues in the next episode, I'll probably stop watching. And that's from someone who has been a zombie freak for 40 years and watched every episode of TWD and FTWD.
First, the storyline is wholly implausible. Almost nothing that happens is believable. An established, armed community of 10,000 would not and could not be suddenly eradicated by a few dozen allied visiting forces. Teenagers in a community that has survived 10 years post-apocalypse would know how to kill zombies, notwithstanding the fact that the zombies confronted by the runaways are incredibly polite. They only present themselves one or two at a time; when there are more, the teenagers appear to be invisible to the undead. No wonder Hope wasn't worried about running through large packs of walkers at the tire dump.
Second, most of the characters are unbelievably one-note, made worse by a cast that loves to chew scenery. Huck spits and drawls with a toothpick hanging out of her mouth. Felix has angst over being rejected by his family. Hope is a rebel without a cause. That's it. I don't care about them, and there's certainly nothing to pique my interest further. By the way (writers), attributing each person with an SJW issue doesn't make them more engaging or deserving of empathy. It's just annoying.
Third, the characters that could be more complex are poorly cast. The actress who plays Iris does not have the charisma or eloquence to be a leader in the community. The actor who plays Silas has no nuance or facial expressions. He just stares at his fingers.
I finished Episode 3 and am still watching only because I'm hoping for hints of the society that now presumably houses Rick and Ann. But the connection between that society and the one that just slaughtered the Campus is too attenuated. These people would have killed Rick without a second thought: a useless Beta who could become a threat?
If the apparent alternative reality continues in the next episode, I'll probably stop watching. And that's from someone who has been a zombie freak for 40 years and watched every episode of TWD and FTWD.
Utopia
(2020)
Poor on its own merits
26 September 2020
I didn't watch the original, so it has no impact on my rating. I also watched the season in its entirety.
The show has superb production values and amazing child actors. Those are the only positive comments that I can make. There are a number of plot holes and significant inconsistencies in the storyline. The adult characters are generally unlikable, with no one deserving of empathy; they make terrible, vile decisions that are out of line with their purported beliefs, and their actions do not result in the logical or societal consequences that they would in real life. Learning the mystery of Utopia is initially intriguing, but after each episode, I lost a little piece of my soul in the dark events that I am supposed to see as life-affirming.
The season finale is anything but, as the writers didn't attempt to wrap up ANY of the subplots. I won't be tuning in for Season 2.
The show has superb production values and amazing child actors. Those are the only positive comments that I can make. There are a number of plot holes and significant inconsistencies in the storyline. The adult characters are generally unlikable, with no one deserving of empathy; they make terrible, vile decisions that are out of line with their purported beliefs, and their actions do not result in the logical or societal consequences that they would in real life. Learning the mystery of Utopia is initially intriguing, but after each episode, I lost a little piece of my soul in the dark events that I am supposed to see as life-affirming.
The season finale is anything but, as the writers didn't attempt to wrap up ANY of the subplots. I won't be tuning in for Season 2.
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