Change Your Image
shedmcnee
Reviews
The Matchmakers (2023)
Enjoyable but could have been better
I love these historical romantic dramas. This was really well done and the characters were great. It started off really well but towards the end, some things got a little confusing. It seemed as though it was rushed. And the very end was extremely disappointing. I was expecting a full on lovely kiss between the two main characters and instead they just stared at each other smiling. Not much thought put into that. So it left me wanting more.
I loved Kim Ro-Woon in The King's Affection (One of the best Kdramas I have ever seen) and even though he's a fantastic actor, I feel this drama could have been better. But still worth watching!
Yeonmo (2021)
Beautiful
Highly recommended. Such a beautiful series. I watched the last episode a few times - beautifully done. The actors are all fantastic. This is art brought to life. I think, we in the west, have lost this art of romance. Thank god for series like this. I love the music, the romance, the battle scenes - this is a series not to be missed. Both the lead roles are great. This is a series that you think about long after you finished watching it. Perfect. So once you finish watching this, watch Hwarang and also Love in the Moonlight - another couple of great series. It shows you how things should be done!
Gooreumi Geurin Dalbit (2016)
Absolutely Fantastic
I just love this. I first of all watched Hwarang and fell in love with South Korean historical dramas. Then I watched The King's Affection and now this. I have to say these shows are fantastic. I feel that is shows me what we have lost in the West. The romance between the main characters, the gorgeous music - to me, it's like watching a piece of art come to life. Fantastic. I love how the men are strong, yet so respectful of their women. This has truly shown me how the society in the West has changed for the worst. Everything now is about sex, no romance. The directors should take a look at these shows to realise where they went wrong.
The acting in this is brilliant, can't fault it. And yes, I will be shouting from the rooftops for all my friends and family to watch it.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Absolutely terrible!
This is certainly not Star Trek as we know it. It's a massive pile of garbage. Seriously. I watched four episodes (four episodes too many) and gave up. What a load of codswallop. The lead woman (called Michael for some strange reason), is extremely annoying and arrogant. Her room mate, Sylvia acts like she has one brain cell, blabbering on and on. Yet we're expected to believe she is part of star fleet and has intelligence apparently. The crew are there in the background but as yet, no one has properly been introduced - there are no proper characters evolving. Some weird looking aliens but have no clue to their names or character. Bloody awful. And that stupid woman (don't know her name, don't know any of their names really and don't care either) going all gung-ho and letting that creature out of the confinement area - what were the writers thinking? These are meant to be highly trained individuals yet they act like bickering kids. Apart from 'Michael' of course, who is too cool for words (apparently). I loved the original Star Trek and also TNG. The characters were fantastic. Discovering new worlds, encountering new species - fantastic story lines. This is none of that. At all. I hope it gets cancelled - it isn't Star Trek as we know it and doesn't deserve to use Star Trek's name. It's a disgrace. Don't get me started on the uniforms... ha!
Vinyl (2016)
Absolutely Love this!
I just had a look at the reviews and was surprised to see so many negatives. I think it's a great show and put it up there with GOT and Breaking Bad. I can't wait for the next episode each time and it never fails to disappoint. As for the main character's acting skills - I think they're great. Can't fault him. Someone suggested he was overacting but he's meant to be when he's high on cocaine. He's meant to be hyper and he plays it brilliantly. Each to his own though I guess - just glad that overall the ratings are high as it seriously deserves it. I like the nostalgia as well - you really feel as though you've stepped back into the 70's. The soundtrack throughout is great as well - there's a real diversity. The only thing I would say as a negative comment is the musical intro each time is horrendous. We scramble to the skip button - it's just a din. Bit of an opportunity missed there maybe. They could have had a good hit on their hands if they'd made a good intro track. Just saying! I heard that it might have a second series - hope so.
Remember Me (2014)
Dire
We watched the first episode and it was creepy and held a lot of potential... but then it failed dismally. Episode two was so boring that none of us wanted to see or cared about the third part. But when you've watched two you might as well see all of them. Big mistake. We ended up laughing at most of it. None of it made sense and most of the characters reactions were completely unrealistic. For instance the young boy was on a swing when suddenly it stopped mid air and he jumps off, turns around and sees the ghost sitting on it. Usual reaction would be to run off shrieking or 'look like you've just seen a ghost'. But no, he just walks off slowly to the others and doesn't even mention it. Who wrote this big pile of rubbish? The main young girl in it, the carer - can't remember her name and I can't even be bothered to look up her name, spends about 90% of the episodes crying. It's just so bad... don't bother watching it. There are so many good dramas out there and this doesn't rate amongst them!
Crossbones (2014)
Don't Waste Your Time!
I had high expectations considering this series featured John Malkovich. How wrong was I? I detested Black Sails as it was so far removed from reality - this one, amazingly is even worse!!! The beginning fight scene was just terrible. The filming was all over the place and juddery (I guess that was the directors intention?) and the acting was farcical! One of the crew had painted his face like a skeleton... really?! We only managed to watch about ten minutes before realising that it wasn't going to improve. We immediately put Master and Commander on afterwards to remind ourselves how a truly great film can be made about the seafaring era. I can only surmise that Malkovich must need the money - why else would he allow himself to be cast in such dross?
Reign (2013)
Appallingly bad!
Good grief. Words cannot describe how bad this series is but I'll have a go! Firstly the clothes are terrible. The young Mary and her ladies in waiting look dressed to go to a modern day prom, not at all authentic. Not sure what the wardrobe department were thinking! The acting is just terrible and to make matters worse there's awful modern music throughout the whole thing! There are brief respites from the terrible din for a few seconds and then it starts up again! Horrendous. I'm not sure what age group this disastrous drama is aimed at, but I can tell you from a 47 year old and a 19 year old age group that neither of us found it appealing. We only watched about twenty minutes before turning off in disgust. I suppose I was hoping for something along the line of The Tudors but this was nothing like that fantastic series. Such a shame. I wonder who would enjoy it? Anyone?
Big School (2013)
Fantastic British Comedy
I love this show and so does everyone else I know. It's brilliantly written, the characters are superb. I'm not sure why some people find it so awful but then each to his own. There are loads of so-called comedies on the TV that I find downright terrible and yet others love them. So hey-ho. The teachers in this are brilliantly portrayed. I like all of them but my favourite is played by Phil Glenister. The way he holds his mouth and the way he walks inspire laughs straight away. Perhaps the bad reviewers are taking it all too seriously - maybe they think it is meant to be serious or something. But this is what it is. A very funny play on teachers - making them think and act like competitive children. That's the core of the comedy. I do hope they make another series because I know many people that would love to see it! I think episode five was my favourite.
Atlantis (2013)
Just Terrible
I miss Merlin on Saturday nights and this new show was supposed to fill the void. It failed big time. Most of the acting was awful but that was most probably down to the appalling script. Mark Addy was good but the main actor left a lot to be desired. Most of it was childish claptrap yet they put it on in the evening. Might have been better putting it on at teatime - kids may have liked it. For adults it was tame to say the least. What was so unrealistic was Jason's reaction to arriving in an ancient world - he hardly turned a hair. Very weird. Everything was predictable - especially when his new 'best friend' picked out the black stone. Hmmmm didn't know that was coming! Ha! We watched about half of the programme before turning it off. You can only take so much drivel.
Inside Men (2012)
Good at first but declined right at the end.
Loved the first 3 and a half episodes of this. It was building up and up and up to something really good and then fizzled out with a stupid ending. It was just daft. I notice there are a few reviews where the viewers have only seen the first one or two episodes and then left a review. I would've said it was really good as well watching just the first three but the ending was very disappointing. One of those endings that left you thinking "I've just wasted 4 hours of my life" you know? What goes through the writers head I don't know. I won't actually say what happens as I'll leave that for other viewers to see. Just personally I found it disappointing and unbelievable. To go through all that worry and fear, planning and recruiting and then just to end on such a note - well - very poor indeed!
The Shadow Line (2011)
Load of rubbish!
After much anticipation, words almost fail to describe how bad I found this to be. After reading the reviews it seems a mixed bag of opinions. Some liked it, some didn't. I'm with the latter. From the onset it was full of clichés. To be honest I found the first fifteen minutes so boring and the dialogue so inept and unreal, that I felt like slashing my wrists with a blunt instrument! Ultimately coming to the natural conclusion (with much heart felt relief) that life was way too short to stick with it any longer! In fact, I'd go so far as to say that my cat could have written a better dialogue. Who writes this stuff? I turned off when a stereotypical butch man-woman started bad mouthing the cop on duty at a crime scene. The script was so unreal... embarrassingly awful. Do yourself a favour and give this a BIG miss! Watch Injustice with James Purefoy instead - pure class!
Outcasts (2010)
Just awful!
I looked at the votes for this show and couldn't believe how high it was. How odd. Most reviewers have slammed it the same as I'm going to do! It was utter rubbish. We watched about twenty minutes before giving up. It was such utter dross and so unreal. I read the info beforehand and thought it sounded good - how wrong can you be? One woman actor looked at a white cloud heading her way and shouted out in horror that it was approaching. Obviously this cloud wasn't a good thing! So if she knew how bad this cloud was, why then did she stand still and look at it when she was just feet from a shelter. Pathetic. Another few things happened like that where peoples reactions to situations were just wrong! I really wonder at the writers - what were they thinking? They must think we're all a bunch of gibbering lunatics and will sit and watch TV no matter what it is. Wrong! It's a shame it's got so many episodes - something, anything else would be better put in its place!
Accidental Farmer (2010)
OK but could have been so much better!
I found this a bit daft but still quite entertaining. It's maybe a programme that could improve with time... maybe. I think some writers lose the plot in the fact that, even fantasy fun dramas still have to have a touch of reality about them, especially when it comes to peoples reactions to certain situations. For instance, there's a part where Erin finds the old woman, Olive in the only bed there (apparently). They scream at each other in fright and then Erin goes down to spend the night on a grotty old sofa. Finding it hard to sleep she then goes back to the even grottier bed and climbs in with the old woman. That's a definite no-no. That just wouldn't happen. For a start you wouldn't sleep next to someone you didn't know, if you didn't have to and secondly, there's no way you'd touch that bed. No way. Disgusting. So although this drama was quite entertaining, it lacked reality. It was almost like a child had written it, someone who had no experience of the real world and how people actually act. Peculiar. They should get Bruce Robinson from Withnail & I to show them a thing or two - now that's how people would really react!
Miranda (2009)
Excellent show!
Miranda just gets better and better. She's so funny and I love the way she looks into the camera and comments. She's a really funny person. If you want to watch something light hearted and entertaining - this is it. The romance between her and Gary (Tom Ellis - Mr. Gorgeous!) is 'such fun' as Miranda's mother would say. I hope this continues for a long time as it's refreshing to watch. A lot of comedies nowadays are terrible, not remotely funny - this, on the other hand, is full of laughs. The fact that Miranda can laugh at herself is one of the best things about it. I settle down with my family to watch this and it entertains all ages. We were rolling up with laughter at yesterdays episode (series 2 episode 3). I won't say anything to give it away but it was absolutely brilliant!
Pretty Little Liars (2010)
Yawn inspiring...
I tried watching this but gave up. I guess it's aimed at a younger crowd - I'm 44. I turned off just after the scene where one of the girls at the bar is hit on by a bloke (teacher by profession). Their dialogue was awful and the acting even worse. All eyes rolling, lips pouting and innuendos. Do Americans really speak like that? Who watches this rubbish? I thought it might be an interesting show to watch with intrigue etc - how wrong was I? It came across as really low budget with really cheaply paid actors who couldn't act. I thought, looking at the cover, that it might be a younger version of Desperate Housewives - it really wasn't! Desp Housewives is leagues above this awful show. But then, as I said earlier, I'm 44. Perhaps a younger person would enjoy listening to the whiney voiced teenagers who can't act... can't see that myself but you never know!
Ben Hur: Episode #1.1 (2010)
Could have been so much better...
This was an okay adaptation but could have been so much better. The lead actor didn't suit the role at all and everything was a little too clean cut. For instance, the part where Ben Hur has been on a galley ship for 3 years is laughable. He is clean shaven, hardly a hair out of place (still short back and sides!) and not a sign of a blemish on his skin! Really! Hmmm... perhaps he had a shower everyday??! Ray Winstone was very good in his role as was Stephen Campbell Moore, Alex Kingston and Art Malik. So it was watchable but if you compare it to Rome or Spartacus then it falls way short! I certainly wouldn't bother watching it again but if you have nothing else to do, watch it but just don't expect anything gripping!
The Bounty Hunter (2010)
Just not good...
I love Gerard Butler and usually his movies are really good but this, it sucked! It lacked emotion and like someone else pointed out, it seemed to have borrowed bits from other movies. The music was awful as well - it will make the movie date really quickly and was really annoying. The plot was very weak and all I can say is, they must have paid Gerard a hefty sum to star in it - either that or he lost his brain cells for a moment and signed the contract without thinking! Jennifer Aniston was OK, she doesn't strike me as a fantastic actress but she was alright in this. Parts of this should have been romantic but they weren't. As I said earlier, it lacked emotion. Some parts were just plain stupid. I won't give anything away in the plot - as there isn't one! Watch it if you want to enjoy Gerard looking hot but if you want to see a good movie - this isn't it!
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
Could have been so much better!
This film started off well. I love period dramas and this fit the bill. Lovely costumes, great scenery and it had an air of mystery and intrigue. Very well done... until the end. It's got to be one of the most stupidest endings ever, seriously. I don't mind nude scenes etc, doesn't bother me at all. What does bother me is taking the viewer for an absolute moron. Reality went completely out of the window when the whole crowd has an orgy. How ridiculous! If perhaps the perfume had allowed the murderer to have control over the people immediately near him, maybe that would have been more believable but to control a whole crowd of, say, nearly a thousand people. No. Not in a million years. Utter pap. It ruined what could have been such a great film. I loved the rest of it. The dirt and grime of the streets and the tannery. Really good. Why ruin it? It certainly puts me off EVER reading Patrick Suskind's novels. Please God, they don't ever make another of his novels into a film. Yes, he does have other books. What a disappointment for customers who buy them!
Emma (2009)
Excellent Adaptation
So far this is proving to be a great series - up there with BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Jonny Lee Miller plays a very good Mr Knightley. He comes across as a slightly softer character than when Mark Strong played Mr. Knightley - but it's done well. The interaction between him and Emma is very enjoyable to watch - I love all the dialogue. I must say, although I like Jonny as an actor, I wasn't sure how he'd come across in this role but he's doing it very well. I will buy this on DVD when it comes out as it's one to keep. It has a very romantic feel to it and the filming is excellent. I love it when they do a great adaption and put the right actors in the right roles. If you haven't seen this - I would highly recommend it.
The Tudors (2007)
Good Show - Shame it's not factual
I love The Tudors. It's up there with 'Rome' for me. It's a brilliant show but I do agree with others on the fact that JRM should have been given red hair. I know he's not the right height and certainly not the right girth but he's a very good actor and plays the part superbly. A mixture of cunning and stealth mixed with dashing good looks. So, although nothing at all resembling Henry VIIIth, he still plays a mean part! I do think it's a shame that the producers couldn't stick to being historically correct. Why not? The truth makes a brilliant story to tell, why change it. If they didn't want to stick to the truth then they should've made a show about a fictional king. Still riveting to watch but it wouldn't leave us wondering which parts were factual and which were not. From the first show I had to look up some of the facts out of interest and that's when I found out a lot wasn't true and that they'd mixed a couple of characters up etc. Ah well, as long as you stick to watching it purely as a drama and not reality, then you'll be fine. I love it and can't get enough!
Angels & Demons (2009)
Hideous
This is one of the most boring films I have watched in ages. It was dragged out to the point where I almost fell asleep! Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor acted well but the plot was terrible. As someone else commented, it kept hopping from one thing to the other and never really explained properly why certain things were happening. The last half an hour was most probably the worst. So stupid and pointless. I like the way that the police kept leaving Tom Hanks and his co-partner alone! Like that would happen? Several scenes are left with them and the baddie alone - that just wouldn't happen. Well, maybe once but several - naaah! I kept shaking my head thinking, this is ridiculous. I like fantasy in a movie, as do most people, but when the film is trying to be serious, then no. What a waste of a couple of hours - wish I'd read a book! lol.
Duplicity (2009)
Very dull and boring
Yawn. This was so boring. We watched about half an hour before looking at each other and saying 'is this boring or what?' It didn't help that I'd just watched The Lake House which was absolutely fantastic. This was nothing like that at all. I didn't feel any sexual chemistry between Clive and Julia. They're both good actors but the plot... talk about dreary. It certainly didn't hold our attention. Clive Owen looked good in it, so great for eye candy, but the film itself just had no get up and go. The opening scenes held our attention and gave it promise but it was downhill after that. Okay, so it may have got better after the half hour I watched, but if the first part is boring then I'm afraid I can't watch any more. Life's too short!
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Best Film EVER
This is one of the best films I have ever seen and after buying the DVD, I watch it often. I cannot fault it. It's perfect. Russell Crowe is absolutely excellent as Jack Aubrey and the rest of the cast act brilliantly. I hope they make some follow on movies from this one as Patrick O'Brian wrote loads of books on Jack Aubrey's exploits. It would be a shame to just do a one off. The music is fantastic throughout and the battles between ships very realistic. Paul Betthany is great as Maturin, the doctor. Although in the book I think he's meant to be short and fat but hey... we don't worry about things like that! lol. Russell Crowe is an excellent actor and perfect for this role. His accent is really good. I would recommend this film to anyone.