suego-49293

IMDb member since February 2020
    Lifetime Total
    100+
    IMDb Member
    4 years, 8 months

Reviews

Happy's Place
(2024)

Shows some promise, but...
Having only watched one episode (that's all that is out on Peacock right now) I think this show has great promise! Reba is wonderful as usual. I enjoy the character of the cook (played by Rex Lynn which is Reba's real life boyfriend) but beyond that, I think the supporting cast needs work.

First and I think the most glaring problem is that the part of Gabby (played by Melissa Peterman) is far too much like Barbara Jean. That to me is a huge mis-step. I hope they can find a way to change that before the series gets too far along.

Second is I find the character Isabella to be far too bland and not played well at all by Belissa Escobedo. She's simply boring and so far doesn't add anything to the show. I like the premise of her character, but not the way she is played by Escobedo. I actually think they should have made Melissa Peterman the half-sister. That would have played better and more humorously, I think.

Then there are the two guys in the bar, Steve and Takoda. Again, no depth, not played dynamically, just sort of there to say their lines and we move on.

The writing is okay, but needs work to make this show worth leaving on the air.

This show will fail if they don't fix the glaring issues holding it back. I would hate to see this happen to Happy's Place as I think it does have potential. It is simply missing a few key marks that hopefully can be rectified to turn this show into a decent hit.

Edward Scissorhands
(1990)

Beautiful and poignant
This movie is one that is hard to put into words. It is one of those movies you simply have to experience. Johnny Depp brings such depth and realism to his character that you never once think he's acting. He simply and fully becomes Edward Scissorhands. You can feel every emotion through Depp's expressions and mannerisms. The whole cast is phenomenal with, in my opinion, one exception, and that's Winona Ryder. Her acting was stiff and she simply didn't bring a lot of depth and believability to her character. I think they could've done a lot better casting that role. But that is a very very minor issue because the whole rest of the cast in the movie rises above that. I've watched it at least six times over the years and it's always such a beautiful, heartwarming, emotional experience.

Alone: The Beast
(2020)

In two words: it sucks
This show is horrible. I loved the first 10 seasons of Alone. They gave you background, they gave you context on the game and the participants. This one? Three people, who you don't get any background or info on, are dropped off and the game begins. The first, older guy starts off with a bad attitude and is gone within days due to a cough. The second guy abandons the third participant because he misses his kids. He doesn't stay to help her build a solid shelter, make some tools and weapons... no, he just up and leaves her. I can't imagine how he can ever respect himself again. And if he has a wife, how could she ever look at him with respect after that? You don't abandon another person that way simply because you miss your kids. You help them, then you go. He wasn't hurt, sick or hungry. He was scared, if you ask me, and wanted out.

Honestly, this is the worst production of Alone they could have possibly made. And it had a great premise, they just totally screwed it up and ruined it in every way possible.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
(2024)

Just too bland and simply boring...
I don't care about the ethnicity of the leads. I don't care that they (for some reason that truly makes no sense) named this show after a wildly popular movie when it has no connection to it or bearing on it at all. I do kind of care that there isn't a whole lot of actual action, and if it had more action that would have gone a LONG way towards a better rating. What I care a whole lot about is that this is show is simply poorly written, boring, long and drawn out and seemingly going nowhere.

Will it get better? It would almost have to if it wants to stay on the air. But I won't be around to see it. I came, I saw, I was bored, I left.

Extended Family
(2023)

Uhh.... nope
There were so many red flags right out of the gate that this was not going to be anything more than a mediocre sitcom. Unfortunately it did not even live up to that minimal expectation.

First was the completely unfunny trailer. When they can't even make you smile, let alone laugh, in the trailer, you know worse is yet to come. Second, once you do choose to give this a try (against your better judgement) you are smacked in the face with a loud, obnoxious laugh track. And while annoying as heck, it also always means there is nothing actually funny happening on screen so they need to provide the illusion of humor via canned laughter. Third is the fact that two of the three main actors are trying to be funny but simply can't pull it off with the dismal writing and plot they have to deal with while the third (yes, it's Faison, he is awesome!) is funny but like the others, has been severely hampered by the writers and whoever came up with this plot line.

I cannot endure more than the few shows I sat through to write a fair review, so I'm done. But still I say give it a try because we all have different tastes in sitcoms. I have liked some in the past that others did not, so watch and make your own call.

Genie
(2023)

It was fun and didn't need to be more than that
This was a fun movie. It isn't Oscar contending, but who cares? I watch movies to be entertained and sometimes that comes in the form of movies like Genie and not always in movies like Titanic. Melissa McCarthy is so cute and likeable in this. She is always fun to watch. I also liked Paapa Essiedu in this. He was equally as likeable and did his job well here. The wife wasn't worth all the effort he put into getting her back (she came off as petty, selfish and irrational) but it mattered to Bernard and that drove the movie.

Sometimes I just want a quick, easy watch that doesn't require too much from the viewer other than to be entertained and this movie did that very well. I think more people would do well to just enjoy these types of movies for what they are and not always try to be armchair movie critics by pulling out their thesauruses and work hard to try and impress us with their hoity critiques of fun little movies like this one because here's a spoiler alert for them... you don't.

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets
(2023)

Eye Opening For Sure...
Let's be clear. IBLP has NOTHING to do with true Christianity. NOTHING. Do not equate them with true Christians. It is a cult, pure and simple doing what cults do - twisting religion around to suit their sick agenda.

This documentary exposes that cult and the cult mentality of every person who bought into it, like the Duggar parents. But TLC has their share of blame here too. That unfortunately was not covered well here.

I watched this show and never knew about the IBLP teachings or its cult status. (Actually I never even heard about IBLP until this documentary came out.) I saw what the Duggar's and TLC wanted us to see - a large, close-knit family with strong religious beliefs, which they seemed to purposely keep vague and now we know why.

Triangle of Sadness
(2022)

What a waste of time...
Okay, I know some like it (for reasons that I cannot fathom) but I did not. It wasn't all that funny or thought-provoking. It was supposed to speak to our social disparity between the haves (with money) and the have nots (the workers on the yacht) but it just came off to me as bland, boring and quite dumb. The first part with yaya and the ripped dude (never even did learn his name) was like watching grass grow - boring and insipid. She is selfish, vain and manipulative, he is the epitome of today's emasculated male. Yeah, that makes for good entertainment (enter sarcastic emoji here).

Next we are on the yacht where we are introduced to pampered, spoiled rich people who can never be told no, stuffing themselves with food most of us would only eat if starving, guzzling expensive champagne then getting seasick, which treats us to watching them throw up all over the yacht for five minutes. Wow - riveting! (Now where did I put that sarcastic emoji...)

Next? The yacht blows up. Uh huh.

Now we're on the island where only a handful of survivors have made it to shore. Of course it is a mix of rich and working class. Oh here comes the big point of the story - role reversal! As one of the workers, who is apparently the only one capable of making a fire, catching and cooking food is now the most valuable person in their group and now calls all the shots. (yawn)

Then the ending which no one gets and has to google to try and figure it out only for google to tell you it's left to the viewer to make their own conclusion.

Ok then, my conclusion is that I wasted a lot of time watching this drek waiting for something, anything even remotely entertaining to happen, but ultimately I waited in vain.

The End Is Nye
(2022)

Bill Nye is a hack
Not many know that he is not a real scientist. In fact while many people are under the mistaken impression that Bill Nye is a scientist, he does not have any scientific credentials. His six honorary doctorates were given to him for his work on educational TV shows, and for showing up as a guest speaker, not for any actual scientific research that he's done. Now read that one part again six *honorary* doctorates. Not earned in a classroom, but given to him for simply being on tv and being a guest speaker. So what he says means nothing to me. If he can't even be honest about himself and his credentials, then he has nothing to say I want to hear.

Mrs. Davis
(2023)

Love, love, love it!
I love different when it is done well, and boy is this different and done very well! Almost every step of the way you are kept guessing and when you do think you have it figured out, you are usually wrong - I love it! I won't give a single spoiler or even come close, this is too much fun and I won't ruin a thing. But this was a joy ride from start to finish. The acting is spot on, the writing fun and creative and the plot? Well, that is what sets this show apart from all the other drivel out there with all its twists and turns and it's often a question mark from episode to episode as to who is the good guy and who is the bad. I am sorry it's over it was so much fun, but I do plan on watching it through again with a different perspective now that I know all there is to know.

Party Down
(2009)

Not as great as I had hoped based on reviews and ratings here...
I am ten episodes into season one and I just can't find the humor in this show. I may have uttered a small laugh two or three times total in those ten episodes. To me it just isn't funny. I can't find one character that I relate to or root for. They are all just so lazy and dare I say, stupid. I have always enjoyed Jane Lynch's humor and she is fun to watch. And those few laughs I've had are from her alone. I had hopes for the character of Henry, but he has turned out to be almost as unlikeable as the others. I gave it a good shot, but I'm done. My opinion is mine alone. I know others like it and that's great! No one show will appeal to everyone. I just wish they had given at least a couple of these characters some character of their own as well as some maturity and intelligence so I could somehow find a reason to keep tuning in. Oh, some laughs would have been great too.

The Book Thief
(2013)

Simply a great movie
Yes, I read the book first. I am an avid reader and I loved the book. It was well written with well fleshed-out characters and great storyline. But when I watch a movie that is based on a book, unlike others, I do not compare the two. I treat each as its own entity, on its own merits because to try and compare will almost always leave you saying the movie wasn't as good. Books have a luxury movies do not - time. Time to flesh out characters far more thoroughly. Time to go into exposition. Time to build plot and characters slowly, thoroughly. Movies have to do all that in two hours or less. So by comparing, all that does most of the time is to rob you of a good movie watching experience.

The book was fantastic. The movie is excellent. It is now streaming on Hulu (as of this review). Go over and watch it and enjoy. It is a book worth reading and movie worth watching.

The Ark
(2023)

What a wasted premise...
There is really not much about this show to recommend it beyond the interesting premise. Terrible acting, writing, direction and pacing ruins it. They rush through every scene and despite the fact we are told each crew member is the best of the best that were chosen for this mission over many thousands of applicants for each position, they are immature, whiny, self-serving brats most of the time and totally implausible that we are to think or see them any other way or take them or this show seriously.

I know some might like it but it seems for most of us this one is a hard pass. I will be absolutely shocked if this gets a second season.

Spoiler Alert
(2022)

Very good on many levels
I really enjoyed this movie. I am not gay, I am a straight woman so I can't say how well it portrays the gay lifestyle as others here have done but I can say it was done in a way that wasn't over the top or flamboyant the way most shows portraying gay men do.

My biggest surprise was Jim Parson's acting. I knew he was great on TBBT, but honestly didn't know if he had the acting chops to pull this part off. But oh yes he did, and then some. Everyone in this movie was top notch.

So why only 7 stars? I guess it's mostly because it wasn't the passionate romance tear-jerker I was led to believe it would be. Did they really have that great a love? I believe for any relationship to work you have to have the complete triad of love, trust and respect. Here, we had cheating (so you have lost trust and respect right there) and they drifted apart and broke up (so a lack of true devotional love). I felt the only reason they got back together was because Kit was dying. Would they have otherwise? It felt like most likely not.

So it lost much of the emotion punch that would come from truly losing the love of his life. It was a sad and emotional, but for me maybe not for the reasons that they tried to portray in this movie. I felt in the end that Michael lost his best friend more than he did someone he loved passionately at that point. Still very emotional but not overly heart-wrenching in that lost the love of my life way I think they were trying to go for.

But it was a good movie, the acting was top-notch, there was great chemistry between Parsons and Aldridge and I felt the pacing was very good. Well worth the watch!

Pamela, a Love Story
(2023)

Meh...
I'm sure she is, in many ways, a nice person. But she built her life and career off of her looks and her body. She altered her body as well to garner more attention. And let's be perfectly clear, regardless of how nice a person she may or may not be, a leaked sex tape did not derail her career. A lack of talent did. What she learned is that looks and big boobs alone cannot carry you for long in that business without some talent to back it up. It was just easier for her to blame others and that leaked tape.

She claims she had a rough beginning, and if those things did happen to her she has my deepest sympathy. But she chose her own path, made her own decisions once she was an adult. And a whole lot of them were not good or healthy choices. Many of us (and I speak from experience) had very difficult childhoods. But we chose better for ourselves once our choices were our own. You can choose to live your adult life in victim mentality and make that your excuse for the bad decisions you make or you can be victorious and rise above it.

But where she really lost me is when she put out that book that made what I believe to be false accusations against Tim Allen. That was it for me. There are some has-beens who just try and get attention any way they can. I won't be suckered in.

You People
(2023)

meh...
Even Julia Louis-Dreyfuss can't save this one. Did it have a good premise? It sure did, for about forty years ago.

So, they took a tired old storyline, added in some pretty good talent which might have saved it, then stupidly added in the requisite Hollywood dreck that completely ruined it - they had to make it non-stop about black vs. White and they did it about as poorly and tediously as they possibly could. The endless comments and "jokes" are incredibly tiresome and do nothing to bring anyone together, especially not the audience, they only serve to further alienate us from each other.

Honestly, just a huge waste of some good actors and the viewers time.

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
(2023)

What a mess
This documentary was a disaster from the outset. It was blatantly obvious to anyone with even the most rudimentary of intelligence that this kid was troubled and headed down a very bad road. I mean he bludgeons a man with an axe, three times in the head, and then is making jokes and being light-hearted just minutes later in an on-street interview. No mentally healthy person would act this way after a brutal act, no matter how justified it was. That was a huge first clue, with many more to come, that something was off with this young man.

So, why did that not stop the people around him from exploiting him and idolizing him? Because they were only looking out for their own selfish gain. They ignored every warning sign (and there were plenty!) because it didn't suit their own greedy agenda.

This whole show is a disgusting example of how our young generation will gloam into anyone, falsely idolize them and support them while those a bit older chose instead to try and capitalize on him. Not one of them actually tried to help him. Not one (even though a few tried to convince us that was their goal but it is painfully obvious it was not, it was for their own gain).

He is a mentally troubled young man and shame on those who saw this and still turned a blind eye. This includes celebrities, journalists, the public and even those in his own family among others. I honestly wish I had never watched this whole mess of a show. It is sad and disgusting all at once.

Snack vs. Chef
(2022)

The show has potential, the judges not so much...
I like the premise of this show. It has the potential to be a lot of fun. The contestants seem to have a lot of experience and knowledge and they are fun to watch (though I do hate that American cooking shows are so scripted unlike the British baking shows that allow contestants to be more spontaneous and "themselves"), but the judges? No. Just no. They are bland, boring and seem uncomfortable in their roles. And the two hosts? Well Megan Stalter doesn't do much but smile and yell out which contestant will be baking with the occasional forced banter. Hari Kondabolu's main contribution seems to be looking bored and disinterested.

I doubt I will watch anymore of it unless they change out the judges and hosts. They really bring this show down. Oh, and just let the contestants speak spontaneously. Stop with all the scripted nonsense on these baking shows.

Harry & Meghan: The Complete Story
(2022)

Worse than I even imagined...
This show was worse than I thought it would be and I had almost no expectations it would be anything more than self-serving drivel. The lies are plentiful, their woe-is-me crybaby whining is insufferable and the fact that they constantly complain about having no privacy then doing this "documentary" is beyond laughable.

For those giving it a higher rating then calling those who don't "haters", I can only say you are as clueless as these two. We aren't haters, we are aware that they play the public with airing all their dirty laundry then crying about how hard their lives are and blaming the rest of the royal family. And there is zero racism in spite of the fact that she played the race card - and really, is anyone shocked by this? You can't say the sky is blue without being accused of racism today. (And trust me, real racism is ugly, awful and should never, ever be tolerated, but this ain't that.) I wish these two would just go away already and stop whining about having no privacy when they refuse to stay out of the spotlight.

Junior Bake Off
(2011)

Love it but for one glaring exception...
I really enjoy this show. Rav and Liam are great as judges and with the kids. They also have a nice rapport with each other. The kids are so much fun to watch and they can be quite good bakers.

The one glaring exception is Harry Hill. He is SO over the top and obtrusive and you can see he often makes the kids uncomfortable with his "humor". And this because he is simply not funny (much like Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding on the Great British Baking Show).

I actually hold my remote in my hand and fast forward when I see Harry come into the scene. Those poor kids are busy, anxious and trying to focus and he is distracting them with humor they seem to neither get nor appreciate, though they are polite enough to fake laughter. It so annoying to watch, so I don't but it's also annoying to have to watch this show while holding the remote the whole time.

I am sure he is a nice guy and I truly think he is there to help relax the kids with his banter. Unfortunately it just doesn't work and seems to have the opposite effect and just annoys the viewing audience.

Oh how I miss Mel and Sue! No one they have had since on any of these British baking shows compare to their humor and their ability to balance it with entertaining us while not annoying the bakers (or us).

I gave this a 7 for the kids and Liam and Rav. But without Harry, this would easily be 9 stars from me.

Wrong Place
(2022)

So bad it was almost worth the watch...
This movie actually made me sad for Bruce Willis. He is ruining his acting legacy with movies like this. But in the end I did give it a generous 3 stars mainly because it is so bad it makes for a fun watch but only because my husband and I could not stop laughing at the absurdity of the dialogue, the plot (holes) and the fact that despite various stabbings, multiple gunshot wounds, being burnt, buried and nearly decapitated, these characters refuse to die. They all just keep getting up from their various injuries and staggering forward like zombies.

The plot holes are so huge you just have to (again) laugh at the absurdity of them. The acting is so sub-par and the writing so amateurish this movie is sure to get a Razzie award.

So go ahead and give it a watch if you are amused by movies that are so bad they are fun to watch just to pick them apart. But know that at the same time your heart will hurt a little bit for Bruce and his choice to be a part of this.

Wednesday
(2022)

Disappointing...
I think the only way you could enjoy this series is if you had never seen the Addams Family movie or older series. Because if you had you could not help but be massively disappointed in this new show. It has lost all of the charm, warmth and wit of the previous show and movie and completely dismantled the original family dynamic. In this new series, they have completely trashed what made the original so wonderful - their love and support of each other and how they embraced and cherished their "weirdness".

This show does none of that. Now I read through many 8, 9, and 10 star reviews and if they are legitimate reviews then I am happy so many enjoy this show. But I find those that rated it around 4, 5, and 6 stars seem more in touch with the reality that this show misses the mark in many areas.

So if you like it, that is great! I might too if I wasn't so aware of how much they changed thing around in this version, and not for the better in my opinion.

6 Underground
(2019)

Convoluted but fun nonetheless
I spent a lot of the first hour thoroughly confused. The movie jumps around quite a bit and the basic premise doesn't seem immediately apparent if you have not read a write-up on this movie ahead of time (I did not).

But... it has Ryan Reynolds and he is always fun to watch. It has bad-ass, beautiful women toting guns and not afraid to use them. It has lots (and I do mean LOTS) of car chases so that's fun. And just a ton of action going on in general on yachts, with expensive cars and beautiful locales.

So all in all, not a bad way to spend an evening watching this movie. Not Oscar-worthy, but for me it doesn't have to be. It did what I came for it to do, entertain me.

Lou
(2022)

Surprisingly not much to like here
First, I really wanted to like this movie. I am a huge Allison Janney fan, but even she could not pull off this mess of a movie.

It is shot almost entirely in the dark and in the rain and often you can't see a thing going on. When it's not almost pitch black, the light is so low you still can't see well. So watching a movie shot mostly in almost no to very little light is not an enjoyable experience.

Then there is Smollett. She is abysmal in this. Her acting is flat and dull. She says her lines like she is reading them off a page. Truly bad acting and very poor casting.

Speaking of poor casting, I hate to say it but I feel the usually great Janney was a poor choice for this role. And quite frankly, her acting didn't seem up to par either.

Then there is the plot. It never comes off as believable. Too contrived and too poorly written an acted. There is little to no build-up of character development so for much of this movie we have no idea what is driving some of the characters. I guess they were going for suspense, but it backfired in a big way. Instead we feel blind-sided to learn that the abductor is Janney's son and that he wants to kill his mother, ex-wife and his little daughter. Worse, we learn everything at once. So instead of getting bits and pieces of the story dolled out to us as it develops, we feel confused in the beginning with no clue what is driving the characters to suddenly having it all dumped in our lap at once.

And I have to say, watching a mother and son beat the crap out of each other and try to kill each other is not exactly movie entertainment. It is uncomfortable and unpleasant to watch.

Bottom line? The whole movie is really just a train wreck. I wouldn't recommend it and I for sure won't watch it twice.

The English
(2022)

Excellent
This was a great show to watch. Visually it was stunning, the acting was superb and the storyline was real and gritty and beautifully written. My only reasons for not giving it 10 stars is two-fold.

First, there were too many night scenes done in almost total darkness to the point where you cannot see what is going on. I am seeing this more and more in shows where they shoot night scenes and it is very frustrating and unnecessary. They have you sitting in front of basically a black screen for minutes on end while you wonder what is going on.

Second, in every episode there were many times when I simply could not make out what the actors were saying. This was not an issue with the main 2 characters, just some of the supporting players. And it wasn't just me. My husband said the same as did my daughter and a friend of mine when we discussed the show. It was very frustrating and made it difficult to follow the storyline leaving the viewer at a loss and interfering with the enjoyment of show. It causes you to have to wait and see how things play out and then put the pieces together that way.

But even with those glaring negatives I still give this 8 solid stars for all its good point, and there are many.

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