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Reviews
Tulsa King (2022)
Curiosity got me watching
Watching gave me a hard "no" on this series. I gave it five stars for the dialogue and Sylvester Stallone, but the stars drop drastically for all the other parts.
I watched because I love mob movies and shows and have always been a fan of Sylvester and Taylor. Unfortunately, what could have been a classic fish out of water starting from scratch story turned out to be a mess. Not a hot mess, just a mess. I get that he doesn't know how much the world has changed, but to get him to roll over on a medical marijuana store? I spent that whole scene wondering if it was a big joke. Yes, even when he came back.
Don't get me started on the ageism. She'll sleep with him when she thought he was a mid-fifties, but practically throwing up in her mouth a little to find out he's 75? Really, Taylor? Was the sex really bad then so we'll blame that on his age?
I usually know right from the first episode if a show is worth continuing and this one screams "run away, run away fast" to me rather than watching a second episode.
Eating You Alive (2018)
Too cultish to be true
I have nothing wrong with living as a vegetarian or vegan. I do have something wrong with a film that tries to blame all the ills of the world on raising and eating animals. I watched the first hour, feeling more and more uncomfortable as it went on. They literally blamed every illness on eating animal meat and it started to feel like they were trying to brainwash. This reached the crescendo at the hour mark when they started showing animals being abused. You're a bad, bad person, causing animals abuse, getting sick yourself, for eating meat. They also harped on calories in/out which is wrong. We now know that formula doesn't work. Harping on how many calories are in fats, telling you to leave them out, leave out nuts, is just plain unlealthy.
Megalodon (2018)
unbelievably bad
I thought about it for a few moments and, no, I can't say one good thing about this movie.
Bad acting? check!
Over acting? check!
Bad CGI? check!
Bad sets? check!
Bad plot? check!
Bad music? check!
Did I miss anything? The only believable solders were the Russian Ivanhof and American Jameson. Michael Madsen and Dominic Pace are ridiculously out of shape and scruffy-looking and as the Admiral and Captain, they should be the best of the best!
After watching The Meg several times now, Megalodon belongs in the bottom drawer. Nothing in it compares. Don't waste your time; you can't get it back!
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Under-whelming and cliched
I admit I had high expectations going in before I watched this. The original is so wonderful that I watch it a minimum of once a month. Yes, every month! I was so sadly disappointed with this movie! About the only thing I can say good about it is Cher and Andy Garcia.
Killing off Donna was a sad mistake. I read why the new screen writer did it and it was a poor decision that affected the whole tone of the movie. It felt like a funeral pyre where everyone was tossing their memories onto her burning body. Lily James did not connect with Donna's spirit at all. Yes, I got that she was showing Donna's free-spirited youth, but I understood that about Donna in the original. The editing lacked skill as well with the scenes from the past and future clashing with each other rather than flowing. The scene with Sam leaving lacked any real drama and was followed by scenes that seeped any more out of the leaving.
Everyone in here felt like a supporting player to the missing Donna and no one broke out to be there for themselves except Cher. Even there, her scenes with Sophie deserved more from the writer. We know that she shunned Donna when she found out she was pregnant and was absent Sophie's whole life. Come on! This deserved much more! Cher's duet with Andy was more emotional than her scenes with Amanda!
Lastly, the songs. They all felt like they were stuck into the story with a crowbar wielded by a very heavy hand. Almost all were lesser-known songs and rarely fit the scene they were in. Most lacked the exuberance of the songs in the original and, as with the story, felt more like a funeral dirge.
Hairspray Live! (2016)
The 2 starts is just for Jennifer Hudson
Where did they get this cast and who did they drag in for production? Okay, the sets were great, but the sound and cameras were all wrong. As far as the performances, the only one who knew what she was doing was Jennifer Hudson. Her singing, as usual, is phenomenal and suited to a musical like this.
From the casting to the actual acting, if I can even call it that, to the singing which was at best sad to the dancing, I would have asked for my money back had I gone to the theater for this.
Derek Hough did fine as Corny, but it's really a bit part in the production.
If you want to watch real productions, try the 1988 and 2007 film versions, both wonderful in their own ways.
Steel Magnolias (2012)
Pitiful
With the exception of Queen Latifa, Alfre Woodward and Felicia Rashad, there was not a single actor in this movie who had any grasp on their character. The old familiar lines are delivered abrasively, almost sarcastically, like not a one of them understand the undertones. I cannot say how many times over the years I have watched the original and I still love it, crying and laughing along with those ladies. I still don't understand why they thought they needed to remake a classic, but to do it so badly is a crime. Most disturbing of all is Shelby is comes off not just abrasive, but ugly inside, not at all what the character of Shelby is and there is zero chemistry between her and her mother. All in all, this remake was a fail, a major disappointment. It lacks the chemistry between the group of women; instead of filling the soul, it just tears into it with desperation.
Weeds: A Beam of Sunshine (2012)
Talk about a red herring
We get to see Nancy recovering and embracing her new happy self on her road to recovering. While she has always been a happy, positive person, she's feeling the love for her life. Well, her new life. Nancy just seems to have a natural resilience, ability to bounce back from anything whether through circumstances or her own manipulations.
Speaking of manipulations, let's talk about Silas and that scene. First of all, this scene came out of the blue. After binge-watching this whole series over the past week, I've got a good sense of these characters and this scene was totally out of character for Silas. What we actually saw was Hunter Parrish flexing his acting skills, not Silas in a D/s scene. That said, Hunter made an excellent Dominant and the girl was a suitably bratty submissive. Other than that, Silas is not a Dominant, he's too reactive and manipulative.
I'm hoping for good things in this season based on this episode.