Reviews

Ok so I thought long & hard about my viewing of The Color Purple last night. I feel it's a bit sacrilegious to say it wasn't my favorite movie. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I will tell you why, spoiler free!

First the good- the acting, cinematography & production were stellar! Costume & set design were top notch & the vocal performances were great. I LOVE Danielle Brooks and honestly wished she was on screen more (more into that later). Fantasia's acting performance was great, as was the rest of the cast. Colman Domingo, who played Mister, was good too.

Now the bad... ok, so this is a musical, which isn't an issue but I feel that part of the story was lost/glossed over, especially Celie's & Sophia's strife, for the sake of song & dance. I never read the book, nor saw the Broadway production so I can't only compare it to the Spielberg 80's production, which (I may add) is one of my favorite movies. I feel a hard time connecting with the characters and their story seemed to have gotten diminished. I think another 30 minutes could have easily been added to the movie to help with character development instead of displaying year stamps to show the passing of time. It felt too play-like in some parts too.

Celie had a messed up life (putting it mildly to avoid spoilers) which you kinda felt it but not really. Her story felt very rushed with a quick conclusion that felt a bit weak to me. Same with Sophia. Danielle Brooks is very comfortable in the Sophia role & played her so well, that her lack of screen time was felt. She dominated the scenes she was in but felt her character was thrown in a dark hole to just pop up every now & then to remind you she existed. Taraji P. Henson was good as Shug Avery but even she felt toned down, especially her relationship with the pastor, played by David Alan Grier.

I don't know... I love these characters. This movie felt like the abbreviated version of the story. I'm sure anyone who has never seen the original (or hasn't seen it in a long time) would really enjoy this. This movie will most likely be nominated for a bunch of awards. The Spielberg 80's production was nominated for 11 Academy Awards & woefully won none. The movie was robbed that year and should have won at least one. Whoopi Goldberg's (she should have won), Oprah's, & Danny Glover's performances are a hard act to follow but those that filled their shoes did a wonderful job.

The best way for me to describe the story was to compare it to episodic tv where a problem arose & was quickly solved within the 30 minute episode. Granted, the movie is much longer but there were a lot of problems. It seriously felt rushed. It lacks heart. I ball my eyes out at the end of Spielberg's version, but not this one.

Danielle Brooks is someone to keep your eye on (loved her in Orange is the New Black as Tastee). I will be rooting for her!

So, that's how I felt. If anything, the movie made me want to read Alice Walker's book even more. It's good & I will recommend it to people who I think the original may be a bit too much for them to handle, but I really will push the original film to get a better dramatic tellling of The Color Purple.

... even though this is an HBO show. This feels almost like it belongs on UPN or one of those other channels geared towards the young adult crowd. I mean, seriously- remove/edit the sex scenes & I think this could be on those networks. I was so excited for this show. The 1st episode was ok. It went downhill from there. Episode 3 was almost there. Like, if you were disappointed by the Hunger Games because you were a fan of Battle Royale because you knew Hunger Games's potential if it WASN'T for young adults. Lovecraft Country seems like it's almost there but something is holding the darkness back. If the color schemes, shadows, and horror elements were darker (in color & tone), this would help this should significantly. As the racial themes in this movie are about breaking boundaries, whatever is holding this show back from reaching its full potential needs to end. I give this show another to puck up because I really want this to work (I don't think it will though). Disappointing.

To begin with- this is not for everyone. Don't expect crazy effects or cgi. I can see this being well done as a stage play. Many complained that it's anticlimactic. As the heading says, if you like the pacing and time period of the old Twilight Zone episodes, you may enjoy this.

This story focuses on 2 teenagers. The first 15 minutes of this film highlighted the quick talking, vernacular, and snapshot of a day in the life of a small, rural New Mexican town in the 50s. Bunch of filler dialogue for first 15 minutes or so for character and story set up but then the story pulls you in. Very 50s sci-fi film about a noise heard over the radio and telephone switch board. Confusion and excitement follows to figure out what made the noise. It's a quick paced movie. I really enjoyed it and the ending. This isn't a horror movie but an old fashioned sci-fi movie. It's well directed & acted.

I am a HUGE fan of the original trilogy (I'm 43). The Mandalorian actually is very reminiscent of the original trilogy. This is very nostalgic with familiar characters, landscapes, technology, etc. I absolutely LOVE this series so far though I'm just 2 episodes in. Jon Favreau wrote this well and you can tell he's a total fanboy of the original movies. I encourage those who loved the originals to check this out.

Also, 2 words- baby Yoda.

So when I describe this show to people, I can't help but throw it into the category of quality tv with the likes of Breaking Bad, Fargo, The Sopranos.... This miniseries is well written and developed with caliber acting. I will be quite surprised if this show isn't up for a ton of nominations during award season.

This is the fictional account of what happened to the crew of the Franklin Expedition- 2 ships of the Royal Navy that set sail to Northwest Passage in 1848 only to get ice locked for 8 months. This part of the story is true. Both crews disappeared and this is the fictional account of what happened to those men. The miniseries is based on a book of the same name written by Dan Simmons. Ridley Scott producers.

The first 2 episodes are a bit slow with the action but is meant to set up the story and tone. Though slow, I thought it was well done and pulled me in for more. There is something supernatural afoot and you get the impression that it goes downhill quickly once it gets going Episode 3 confirmed the previous notion and you know this is definitely not going to end well. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of The Thing. The stark location and unforgiven climate makes the inhabitants of the ships situation feel even more grim. The isolation is forever present as well as whatever it is that's hunting the men. This show is worth a watch.

I stumbled across this British gem in day while flipping through Netflix looking for something to watch. I was hooked during the first scene & took the ride through all 6 episodes. That's right, you read correctly- ONLY 6 episodes! Each episode is under an hour but each is pure entertainment with a kick-ass soundtrack to boot. I've only watched a few episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer- I'm 42 and wasn't my thing however I guess I can say this show can be described as being Buffy the Vampire Slayer-esque the difference being that these 2 girls are demon hunters. It's really a fun show to pass time. It does leave you wanting more when the run is over.