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Reviews
The Great Lillian Hall (2024)
Wow. Wow. WOW.
This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long while.
The acting is superb. Jessica Lange - 'incredible' doesn't seem to capture her magnificent performance. Kathy Bates - the way she seamlessly inhabits a character. All around, the entire cast is consistently strong, no weak links.
And the story itself, I mean, what an incredible journey.
Some pretty heavy material, to say the least. You certainly need to be in the right headspace for it, and need about an entire box of tissues. But this isn't reaching or contrived at all --- it's a very real and relatable situation throughout. Terrific writing.
Such an awesome movie that I'm grateful I happened upon randomly.
Highly recommend!
Drag Me to Dinner (2023)
'Drag Me to Dinner' was, well, a drag (unfortunately!)
I agree with many of the other reviews here - this show had so many fabulous ingredients, but it just didn't work (unfortunately!).
I'm such a fan of Neil Patrick Harris, as well as many of the beautiful Queens that were featured on the show. (I mean..oh my god.... BIANCA! And I'm also a NY'er so it was a treat to see Murray Hill hosting! Yay!)
I was expecting campy vibes & humor, lots of sass and sparkle...what a treat. Instead, it was very hard to watch!
I mean, I can understand how NPH and his husband David would want to work together on the project. (Maybe they don't get to see each other much, and this project meant time together?)
But David was so incredibly awkward and hard to watch! He should just have been behind the scenes. He does get better as the episodes progress, but still it seems like his presence is forced (like, why is he there?).
And then NPH came off as rude and 'not in the vibe' in the dinner scenes - and not in a funny way. Especially in that first episode - wow, total CRINGE. He seemed uncomfortable and out of place to me. Which is hard for me to admit because, again, I love him! And I 100% thought this would all work together. Maybe he's just not good without a script and/or prepared monologue/jokes?
He's much better in the Bianca's dressing room skits/scenes - which are obviously totally scripted. He at least seems a bit more comfortable.
And then, most unfortunately - they just didn't showcase the girls well.
It came off as though the 'ask' of pulling all of the elements of the dinner together was too much, there was too much focus put on that. They were stressed & rushed, instead of just allowing them to relax into something more natural and just be the Queens that they are. It all seemed forced and overacted, and I don't think I even laughed once.
Somehow the entire charm of Drag was lost here. There was so much potential - and unfortunately it was mostly lost and their talent wasted.
This show/the producers stifled the natural chemistry and campy humor. It all fell flat and completely unfunny by trying to force it. Drag taps into our human desire for fun, play, and creativity, and this all seemed too formulaic to me.
I admit that sadly I only made it through the first 4 episodes. Maybe it got better, and found its rhythm. But it was too painful to hang in there and see!
Found (2023)
Besides Shanola & her character, there's not much to this show....
I was excited to watch this. The premise of the show looked interesting and I'm also a fan of the lead, Shanola Hampton.
But, unfortunately, after watching the pilot episode - it was a 'no' for me. The writing seemed contrived, and the acting was pretty bad. Many of the actors seemed better suited for soap opera type roles, from the way they posed and delivered their lines.
The only saving grace, in my opinion, was Shanola Hampton. She gives life to the role, and I just love her style and the way she makes any role she plays fun and interesting to watch. If they had made her character an actual police officer, that would not have been believable. But she plays this private investigator slash vigilante very well. I'm also intrigued by her character's backstory. (This is the only aspect of the plot I found interesting....the rest seems very predictable and could easily become blandly formulaic from one episode to the next.)
I hope they decide to make some major changes after this Pilot epi.
I'm rooting for Shanola's continued success in the industry...it just does not seem like the writing on this show is deserving of her talent.