QweenOfTheDarned's Reviews

Apples Never Fall (2024)

You really have to ignore the low scorers...

15 March 2024

There is absolutely nothing groundbreaking about the show, but it is enjoyable, well acted, interesting, and the perfect length at seven episodes. I did not read the source material yet, but I never compare books and movies for the sake of determining which one was "better", so that really doesn't matter to me anyway. I've always loved Annette Benning and Sam Neill, and both have certainly become better with age! The rest of the cast supports them well.

As for the low scores... completely ridiculous. I probably would've rated this a 7, but I gave it an extra point just to counter some of the unfair reviewers. One person in particular rates it a 2, and goes off about Hollywood culture war, blah blah, rich white people are being demonized blah blah. Well, I'm white, and I don't see that at all. Some people just need to get a life.

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Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them (2024)

What did I just watch?!

8 March 2024

Warning: Spoilers

First, let me say that, while I was alive and totally into Selena's music when she was murdered, I was very young and wasn't some crazed fan. I really didn't know a whole lot other than her friend, and fan club president, shot her. I watched the movie, I watched the show, so I was genuinely interested in hearing Yolanda side of things for once.

What... the... ?!?!

Was there more to this story? Sure. There always is. That being true, absolutely none of it changes annything about the events that occurred. The only thing this documentary did was show the world how out of touch with reality Yolanda's family is, and how badly everyone on "team Yolanda" still wants to smear Selena's name. I feel like Yolanda did this in some bizarre attempt to help her upcoming parole hearing, but I actually think it did quite the opposite. She takes absolutely no responsibility for what happened. You wait over two hours to get to the part where she explains how the gun went off, all the while being saturated with completely irrelevant backstory and gossipy, tabloid-like phooey... And when she does finally get to the moment... "it just went off!"

I'm happy I watched it because I always like to give all sides their due respect, but all it made me want to do is lineup outside Yolanda's prison and boycott her parole hearing. Someone who can't take responsibility for what they have done, especially something so heinous, is not ready to be let back into society. I was really hoping for some soul-searching on her part, and a deep dive into her psyche and her emotions as an attempt to take responsibility, apologize, and heal. Yeah... Well that didn't happen.

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Family Massacre (2021– )

Really well done...

21 February 2024

I'm very confused by the reviewer who rated this only three stars, as this show certainly does not deserve any less than six or seven stars. It is very well done, very informative and factual, and tries to steer away from unnecessary dramatics. I actually appreciate this, as I believe when you tell these stories, there is a lot of respect that needs to be paid to the victims and their families. By creating something that is overly sensational, they tend to ignore facts and make it all about theatrics without being substantive or accurate. If you're a true crime junkie, this will absolutely hold your attention, and have you wanting more. If you want something that's just purely production focused, go watch a movie.

As a self-identifying crime junkie, this was impressively executed.

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#killerpost (2016– )

No thanks...

19 February 2024

This series is a travesty in so many ways. Like many crime shows, it makes the tragic mistake of feeling like it needs to remind us every five seconds of what we already learned about the story. Literally 75% of what you watch is a recap or a preview of what's to come. I don't know who decided this was a good way to produce a story, or why they think we're all too stupid to be able to follow a story for less than an hour without forgetting details, but it's so annoying and unnecessary. More importantly, the stories are reduced to the most basic details, without fleshing out any parts of the story that pay respect to the victims and their families. This is irresponsible reporting, and everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves. Save yourself some time and annoyance... don't bother with this show.

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100 Humans: Life's Questions. Answered. (2020)

LOL!! Everybody relax... it's not serious!

2 November 2023

I genuinely cannot understand what is going on in the minds of the people reviewing this show. Anyone rating this less than a 5 needs to stop watching TV altogether!

Of course this is not real science, this is purely satire and fun! The hosts were perfectly chosen, and the dry execution by the redhead in particular was my favorite. Listen... Is it winning any awards? Absolutely not. Did it give me exactly what I expected and wanted, which was a few laughs from some people pretending to do science experiments while making a complete mockery of all humans? Absolutely. If you were expecting something else, try watching a trailer first. Insert eye roll emoji here.

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Criminal: UK (2019–2020)

Ummm... ?

25 February 2023

Terrible. This show gets it all wrong. I don't even know where to begin. The episode that was most egregious was "Danielle". Sure, vigilantism is a bad idea, we get that. The way this episode goes about it, though, is hypocritical, dubious, self righteous, and lacks any thought of nuance, subtext or deliberation. Tacky and cheap - that's what comes to mind. Honestly, I can't believe some of the heavy hitters who decided to attach themselves to this. It had a lot of promise, and was done well from a technical perspective, but what we were given amounted to nothing more than half-baked rubbish. Next...

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Cyrano (2021)

So much potential not achieved.

7 November 2022

Cyrano de Bergerac is one of my favorite stories of all time, so the prospect of a musical version WITH Peter Dinklage was almost more than I could handle. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver in any respect, including Dinklage's performance. His acting was ok, but he sounded like an American from 2020 plucked out of the timeline and put into this mess of a production. It was certainly not the worst thing about the movie, but it had a jarring effect that pulled me right out of the fantasy. He also just felt a lot like Peter Dinklage playing Cyrano, not Peter Dinklage channeling Cyrano. The rendering was gorgeous, the music was OK, and the acting was acceptable for the most part. It's definitely one of those cases of, it's so awful, but I can't figure out EXACTLY what makes it so. I saw it in the theater, and I walked out after 30 minutes. Such a pity.

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Till (I) (2022)

Finally... A Black story told by Black people.

6 November 2022

I felt compelled to write a review after reading the one star from another white reviewer. I am white myself, and I couldn't disagree with that reviewer more, Who denounced the Director for her choices and seems to think the white perspective is always the more accurate one. They completely missed the point. This wasn't a story about white racism, this was a story about the power of of a Black mother, and her ability to reach beyond her own tragedy to better the lives of Black people everywhere in this country. This was a celebration of her, as it should be. This was a powerfully executed movie in every respect, and that's all that needs to be said. Well done.

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Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022)

I was so excited for this... Now so disappointed.

28 February 2022

It's just unbelievable how much great storytelling can happen for so long in a series, only for them to fail at the ending, not once, twice. I didn't totally hate the first ending... It just felt entirely too rushed. They could've had the same ending, but put more thought into executing it and it would've been perfect. The same cannot be said for this. The plotholes were so bad all season that I just found myself laughing far more than I think was intended. This was literally an entire season devoted to establishing the opposite ending that was created the first time, and the journey to it was completely ridiculous. I am even more angry that I devoted time to this season than I was angry about the way it ended after the first eight years. To hear Clyde Phillips talk about it, this was the second coming of Christ, but for me... this was just time wasted on something I didn't need or want. #Fail

In summary, if you loved the first eight seasons of Dexter, even if you hated the way it ended, don't spoil it by watching this hot mess. Or do watch it, and revel in the absurdity of people who desperately want your approval because they didn't get it the first time.

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Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall (2013– )

Crime Reporting Done Right

5 February 2022

I am a little bit of a crime junkie. There are very few stories I haven't heard... And I have pretty much seen every show put out there. By no means do I think this shower is the absolute best, but what stands out for me is Tamron's ability to channel her own trauma into something that is genuine and captivating. Recently, I have been watching both her and Paula Zahn, and I have to say that there is a stark difference between their ability to report appropriately and interview ethically. Paula could learn a few things from Tamron. There just aren't many people with her tenure and empathy, not to mention her experience, that provide the viewer with a truly empathetic and holistic view of the crimes she covers. Tamaron is incredibly talented.

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On the Case with Paula Zahn (2009– )

I really wanted to like this...

1 February 2022

Oh Paula, what have you done? This show covers some really interesting cases, and some of my favorites, but it is clear that she is not a skilled interviewer. Forget the fact that she's not even in the room, apparently, for these interviews... She asks questions that are very biased, are way too leading, and truly break some of the hallmarks of ethical and proper journalism. For someone as accomplished and awarded as she is, this is a mile-long journey in the wrong direction. It's good enough to put on when I just need something in the background, but nothing I take too seriously. If you really want to know about any of these crimes, there are much better avenues through which to learn about them. Take this with a grain of salt.

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Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump (2020)

On point.

30 October 2020

Everything you already know, but presented by people who have the credentials to say it... and they say it well!

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Unsolved Mysteries (2020– )

Just ignore the 1-5 ratings...

2 July 2020

As is usually the case, anyone rating this five or less just needs something to complain about, and probably a hug. There are 23 years of the old show, and I encourage them to go back and watch them instead of using this as a platform to self-medicate. I don't think it's a 10, but someone has to offset the ridiculousness.

The show is great, the format allows you to get involved in the story, and it still holds on to some of the favorite aspects of the original, like the theme song. It's called unsolved mysteries, not unresolved anger issues. I just can't with these ridiculous people who think they are being so clever with their quips and crafted complaints.

Next season, please!

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Child's Play (2019)

The low scorers can't be trusted...

24 June 2020

Anyone rating this less than six is clearly just in need of a hug. This movie isn't actually a ten, as almost no movie ever is, but I loved this movie so much more than I thought I would. You really don't have to suspend too much belief, as our age of technology could easily give birth to something like this. That aside, it's just great all around... From the actors, to the gore, to the way they made Chucky for a modern era. I loved the jokes, definitely tongue-in-cheek, so as long as you don't go into this movie expecting it to be a documentary, and you don't have too much emotional baggage, I think you'll like it too. For all the naysayers... Why don't you go put on PBS and leave the rest of intelligent society alone.

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Karla (2006)

Leslie Mahaffy, Kristen French & Tammy Homolka

16 June 2020

I'm rarely a fan of one star ratings, as they are usually reserved for the ignorant, uncultured, or extremely bored. This time, I'm afraid, there really is no choice but to rate this as lowly as possible. The truth of who this woman is was not demonstrated in this film, and that served to inappropriately victimize a naturally born psychopath while barely paying respect to the victims: Tammy Homolka, Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy. This murderess is portrayed as a classic Stockholm's sufferer, but the overwhelming evidence proved she was anything but. I know I'm writing this in 2020, and this film was made a little over 10 years prior, but it doesn't erase the fact that we need to stop telling stories like this unless they are true to the facts and serve to respect and pay homage to the victims. When you can walk away from a true crime story without quite remembering the names of the victims, the story has failed. Everyone involved with this production should be ashamed. I refused to finish out of respect for Leslie, Kristen, Tammy, and loved ones still reeling from this unbelievable nightmare created by two narcissistic, psychopathic bags of flesh and bone.

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