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amberenate
Reviews
Vacation Friends (2021)
Honestly, exceeded expectations!
It's been awhile since my husband and I looked at each other at the end of a movie and both said "I really enjoyed that!" We did with this one. We are both of the opinion that a movie doesn't always have to be groundbreaking cinema to be good. This movie had enough twists and turns to keep up both guessing (wrongly, in most cases!), and there were a bunch of laughs throughout. It was even a little heartwarming. We are both sick and wanted something entertaining and unserious and this fit that bill perfectly. It's movies like this that make me have a hard time with critics ratings, a 43 on Metacritic is FAR more brutal than it deserves. I often shy away from movies with a score under 50 as I do tend to agree that anything lower than that usually isn't great. In this case I think they got it very wrong.
What We Do in the Shadows: Go Flip Yourself (2022)
HILARIOUS
I've never seen an episode of Property Brothers, but I have seen enough HGTV to still make this entertaining. I lost it when Lazlo appeared in the flannel and jeans but still wearing his signature neck scarf. The Sklar bothers did a phenomenal job of channeling home reno show host personality with the "fun" banter that they just love to throw in that is obviously scripted but played off as natural. Had I not seen the thumbnail on this very site, I would have been quite surprised for the annual Nick Kroll appearance, but as soon as I saw the hat I knew something was up, and it was great. And lastly, the "wickedly talented Adele Dazeem" was an epic little Idina shoutout that managed to reference 2 musicals and an old Oscars joke all in one gag. LOVED IT!
The Bear: Forks (2023)
Could not love it any more.
I have been a huge fan of this series from the jump, probably because I've been in this business in some capacity since 1997. I've worked at a tiny frozen custard stand, been a server at several large chain restaurants, and now am a pastry chef. I loved the growth of Marcus and the greater focus on pastry this season, but it was THIS episode that really got me. Let me be clear, I've pretty much hated Richie through the whole series. He's so attached to the old ways that he is even bringing down several other of the staff members with him (like Tina), and I felt like they'd all be better off without him there at all. I honestly thought this stage was going to break him and make him realize the industry wasn't for him, and that he'd end up blowing up at one or several staff members at Ever. When, instead, he began to not only show interest, but to be able to swallow his pride to get through a full couple days of polishing forks without complaint after some tough love from Garrett, I was pleasantly surprised. That moment made me realize he was capable of change. His call to Carmey on the second to last day they showed he still has some resistance, change doesn't happen overnight, but it CAN and does happen quickly sometimes. Staging isn't a long time period. It's a quick stint in another restaurant, and sometimes it's only a day. People wouldn't do it if it wasn't a great tool for personal and professional development. The few complaints I've seen about this episode are how quickly he had his turnaround, but I think they did a great job of making it realistic.