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Reviews
Lady, La Vendedora de Rosas (2015)
Very compelling - based on true story
After finishing La Nina, I got hooked on this too. I started watching on Netflix, and just like La Nina, the character development is excellent, and the sub-plots keep you interested. Excellent series. If you start it, there's a great chance you'll finish it. It keeps you wanting more.
I did some research on Lady Tabares and got a clue that she had it pretty rough. But she comes off as a survivor. And this series portrays that quite well. Michelle Orozco and Natalia Reyes did an excellent and convincing job in their roles.
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
After about 2/3 to 3/4 of the series, an excrement storm starts, and it keeps being flung. Everything becomes a mess! And you're thinking, how are they going to clean up this mess. But they actually do. The last few episodes do a good job in bringing some resolution to what was a complete mess.
Standout actor: Juan Pablo Barragán as Mono. I hated that character. The actor played him so well, with expressions and movements that made you just hate his character. He played the bad guy quite well.
La niña (2016)
Fascinating drama turned soap opera. Derfinately bingable - UPDATED
The premise of this Spanish language with English subtitles series intrigued me, so I gave it a watch. The story of a little girl stolen away from her family to join the FARC (I believe) guerrillas in Columbia, then re-integrating back into society was interesting. This series has plenty of drama and suspense.
Then it turned into a nighttime soap opera similar in writing style to Quantico, IMHO. I would have NEVER started watching a soap opera, but I can't stop watching this one. I'm watching it on Netflix and am binging it. I'm at episode 15 of about around 86 episodes. I know I will finish it because I'm hooked. It's that good. I keep exclaiming to myself "I can't believe that just happened!"
********SPOILER ALERT********
It's interesting to see how Belky is put into tough situations and her guerrilla training/conditioning comes out, sometimes with repercussions. The actor playing Colonel Barragon does a good job. He makes you hate his character, but in a less-than-obvious movie bad guy way. He disrespects every female but his daughter. He overprotects her, probably because he knows there's guys out there just like himself. The man is a sleaze and is very comfortable successfully manipulating women to get his way. He has no scruples, none! It's also interesting how Belky has flashbacks that ends up helping her in medical school. The scene where she was attending a seminar and identified how a young woman died was powerful. The professors attributed that to Belky being smart, which she is, but didn't know her intimate experience with that situation which brought her to tears during the seminar.
********UPDATE********
Well, I finished the series. This is my response: (stands up and applauds enthusiastically)
Yea, though it's long (86 episodes) it's really great. There's a few episodes without much drama, but they were setting up a portion of the story that needed to happen. Belky goes though a lot, a whole lot! But after you watch all 86 episodes, the last 15 minutes of episode 86 were priceless. Watching it brought me to tears. It was a powerful moment. If you are tempted to skip to episode 86, I highly advise you not to do that. You have to see all that she goes through in order to appreciate those last 15 minutes. One subtle moment was when Belky acknowledged her friends in medical school. She even mentioned Santiago, who treated her in a disgraceful manner. She forgave him.
Here's a couple of standout supporting characters that I really enjoyed:
Victor: He's just a really nice guy, the kind you want for a friend. He's fun, has a moral compass, would do anything for his friends, but also has vulnerabilities which is displayed when his town had a mudslide. He became a really unlikable person. Fortunately, he came to his senses after his friends didn't abandon him.
Beatriz aka "Betty": I didn't see this coming. The actress's body language and facial expressions were acted really well. And her naivety and lack of control of her mouth at all the wrong times were endearing. I just liked her character. But wait, there's more....she can sing really well too! I enjoyed watching Betty.
Jarhead 2: Field of Fire (2014)
Sorry, I stopped watching after 10 minutes.
The attack on the Forward Operating Base was pathetic. Who builds a FOB in a valley surrounded by hills? And who prioritizes offloading water and other supplies DURING an attack? I stopped there. Sorry.
I've watched many military movies and read a lot of memoirs and historical accounts, I've gotten a sense of what should be and what should not be.
This movie started off as being quite inaccurate. Sorry. I just wasn't in the mood to finish after my bad experience of watching the first Jarhead, which I consider NOT worth watching. The first Jarhead had a mood that make you think being a Marine had no redeeming values, which I don't believe for a second.
Moms' Night Out (2014)
Don't be scared. Christians don't have cooties.
After seeing the movie and seeing several of the highly critical reviews, one has to suspect an agenda is behind the highly critical reviews.
The movie is not bad, not at all. In fact, it's one of the funniest zany comedies I've seen in a very long time. But, it has Christians in it....woooo, scary!
If you want a family-friendly, enjoyable comedy, this is it. It has some really great comedy moments. I was twice brought to tears from laughing so hard.
...and if you're a parent with children, you will relate. If you're an overworked mom with young ones, or a career dad who's spends a bit too much time working, you will relate.
(spoiler alert below)
The scene when the guys are watching the kids and things get out of hand is sooooo relatable if you're a dad who likes shooter games, yet your wife doesn't. 'nuff said!