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Reviews
Baby Reindeer (2024)
Too grotesque to bear
Yes, this is quite unique. Yes, it's gritty. Yes, the acting for the most part is quite good. However, for those of us who have lived a relatively conventional life without drug abuse, repeated sexual attacks and self-torture, it's too awful to be watchable. I peaced out during episode 5 or 6 after enduring enough despicable behavior to last me a lifetime. The lead character is every bit as horrible in his way as the woman who stalks him, leading her on and keeping her around for his own gratification. I could find nothing redeeming about any of it and felt more like a voyeur than a viewer. It's depressing. It's frustrating. I'll leave this one to the cinema connoisseurs who "get" this sort of thing in a way I never will.
Mr. Mercedes (2017)
Liked it, didn't love it.
I'll say up front my three favorite series I've watched in the past year were Broadchurch, The Thing About Pam, and Bad Sisters. This series didn't live up to any of them in my opinion, mostly due to slow pacing, a few badly written characters, and annoying plot turns here and there. Harry Treadaway as the evil Brady was pretty riveting in the first season but the second season reduced him to silliness. Gleeson was tailor-made for his role but his slovenly, unclean appearance was difficult to look at and it was impossible to perceive him as a chick magnet. By season 3 I was burned out on the story and just trying to get through it. They should have quit while they were ahead.
Broadchurch (2013)
Fantastic!
Oh my goodness, I loved this series so much. I watched all of Season 1 in two evenings and am now working on Season 2. The characters are compelling and it constantly keeps you guessing. As soon as I thought I had the murderer figured out, someone else would reveal something that made them equally suspicious. The two lead detectives, Hardy and Ellie, are both excellent and I was so glad the writers didn't try to make them comical or bumbling. The setting is also gorgeous and haunting with the severe cliffs and the constant pound of the ocean waves. You'll get wrapped up in it all, and most likely find the end of Season 1 as moving and poignant as I did. I feel this series has spoiled me for all other mysteries because it's that good.
Mary (2019)
Not a bad movie at all
There aren't any scares but the performances by Gary Oldman and Emily Mortimer make it worth the watch. I suppose many would consider the plot line formulaic but I always enjoy a tale about a witch regardless if there are many scares, and I also like situations where people are trapped in something they can't escape from. Better use could have been made of the two daughters as well as the other supporting characters, especially the young boyfriend/crew member to flesh out the plot a little more and add some intensity, but I stayed interested throughout the movie all the same. Gary Oldman has that star power thing where you can't take your eyes off of him, and I admire him for being unafraid to get really angry on camera. Too many actors dial it down when sometimes it needs to be at a level 8 to 10. Gary will go there.
Hope Frozen (2019)
Not sure what to take away from this
It's a very sad story but left me a bit empty, perhaps because we never really got to know the little girl while she was alive. The journey is mostly a scientific one concerning cryogenics and whether we will ever be able to restore meaningful life after death. Of course, the irony of this particular story is that the father, himself a devoted scientist, is unable to face the most natural and inevitable biological event known to man...death. Yes, losing your child is the ultimate heartbreaking event. Of course it is. We all fear it more than anything else. I do not presume to judge this family but I will say that I felt their son had been inadvertently forced into an inability to move on and have a joyful life. I empathized the most with him.
Chance (2016)
I wanted to love it but...
As soon I saw that Hugh Laurie was the main character I was quite enthused, but instead I found this series to be a big disappointment. Welcome to the most tedious psychiatrist and worst father to ever grace a television screen. Completely unlikable. Weakly written. Totally miscast. Laurie was 20 years too old for the part and unconvincing as a seducer who takes a walk on the wild side. I kept hoping someone would kill him off and show me a little mercy. A close second to Hugh's poor performance was Gretchen Mol's. In fairness to both of them, the script was pretty silly. What saved the show was great supporting characters like Ethan Suplee and Lisa Gay Hamilton, as well as the husband cop and the furniture store owner. I don't know how I lasted through all ten episodes but this is not a series I would recommend unless you can look past unsympathetic characters doing absurd things.
The Borderlands (2013)
Don't believe the hype
Murky is the word for this film. Difficult to see, difficult to hear. Very little happens in it, and the cameras show almost nothing. I found it tedious to watch, and I'm a huge found footage movie fan. A much better comparable film is "As Above, So Below".
Asmodexia (2014)
Scattered and corny
Lots of overacting and a bit of underacting, with very few scares and a predictable ending. Impossible to like any of the characters. There are far better exorcism movies than this mess.
The Witch in the Window (2018)
Quietly scary
This is my type of horror movie-no gore but plenty of creepiness and a generalized feeling of quiet dread. The scares are subtle, but this film stayed with me and the storyline had originality. The father/son relationship is very touching, and the story is both eerie and extremely sad. If you like psychological horror, this one is a winner. I subtracted one point for a negative Trump comment which was very annoying and completely irrelevant to the plot.