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joylaufle
Reviews
Home Economics (2021)
Fun family comedy
I just discovered this show, even though it's in Season 3. It has a wonderful ensemble cast. All of the actors except Topher Grace are new to me, but I already love them all. Other reviewers have described the premise, so I won't repeat what they've said. I will say that I find the writing smart and funny and the characters are all likeable in different ways. The best part is the way the family members all relate to one another. They are all wildly different from each other and have lots of amusing conflicts, but there's always an underpinning of love and mutual support. It's fun to see Topher Grace all grown up, and I love his character on this show. The only thing that bugs me just the tiniest bit is Denise's hair. Whoever styles it puts it into so many different elaborate configurations, that (for me, at least) it distracts from the scenes. It's hard to pay attention to the wonderful writing and equally wonderful acting of the lovely Sasheer Zamata with all of that going on and the character really doesn't need it. It's just way too extra.
Home Economics puts a very modern spin and engaging spin on the American family. I hope it stays around for more seasons.
Parenthood (2010)
Love/hate this show
I just went back and re-watched Parenthood, streaming on Hulu. There are some characters I love - Crosby, Adam, Julia, Jabbar, and Jasmine (before and after her thankfully brief control freak, bitchy phase). Some I like - Zeke & Camille, Sarah, Hank, Christina, sometimes Joel. And some that I found super annoying - Haddie, Sydney, Amber, and Drew. I've raised my own kids, helped raise nieces and nephews, and taught elementary and middle school (including kids with emotional disabilities), and never seen kids this bratty. Sydney is a nightmare, Haddie ties with her for tantrum queen (although Haddie did calm down for her college years), Amber cried in what felt like every episode, and Drew was the human version of Eeyore. I got to where I fast-forwarded through every scene with one of those characters in it. Thank goodness for streaming! I come from a big, noisy, dysfunctional (but overall loving) family, and so much of this show just felt like over-the-top melodrama. Everyone talking (or screaming) at once and SO MUCH CRYING. More crying than I've ever seen in any group anywhere. Are there really people who cry this much? Our family has had more than our share of real tragedy, and there's never been anywhere close to this show's amount of crying.
Then there's the Sarah and Hank romance. On the one hand, this is the first dramatic role I've seen Ray Romano in and he KILLS it. So impressive! BUT there's just no romantic chemistry between him and the Sarah character. A wonderful friendship chemistry? Yes. Romantic chemistry? No
Lastly, on a very nit-picky note - whoever trashed Bonnie Bedelia's hair in Season 1 and 2, and then turned his/her/their wrath onto Amber and Haddie in Season 3 (corkscrew curl bangs?), hopefully underwent some retraining. Truly awful.
The Irrational (2023)
Shows a lot of promise
So far, I really like this show. It reminds me a bit of Perception, which we also just watched (loved that show and wish there were more seasons). I love the premise of a college professor helping solve crimes. It makes the show both educational and entertaining. I just wish I could remember all the stuff Alec Mercer talks about with regard to human behavior. I may need to re-watch all the episodes to date and take notes!
The characters are all engaging and the actors who portray them do a great job. I really enjoy the relationship between the main character and his sister - so much love, while being so different from one another. We'll keep watching!
Army Wives (2007)
Awesome show until the last season
The ONLY reason I gave this show 9 stars instead of 10 was because it kind of came off the rails in the last season. I never watched the show back when it was on the air, but just finished the whole series on Hulu. My brother, dad, grandfather, and nephew (by marriage) were/are all military, but this show opened my eyes to a much greater extent about what an enormous sacrifice our soldiers and their families make. I'm not a very sentimental or emotional person, but the scenes where the brigades are being deployed and saying goodbye to their families really hit me hard. More emotional still were the scenes where you see the car coming with the notification that someone's soldier isn't coming home. I gained a whole new appreciation of our military families through this show.
The Army Wives characters and the actors who portray them are all wonderful. I got so attached to them! Unfortunately, 3 of the original 5 main characters were written out by the end of Season 7, Episode 1. If I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I'd quit watching after that episode. It's all downhill from there.
For the last season, the show brought in Brooke Shields as an Air Force commander and while I've always loved Brooke, I just didn't quite buy her in this role. Then the show tried to force an awkward last-minute romance between two characters with no chemistry. The only romance I've seen on TV more cringe-worthy than this one was in the last episode of Longmire (another amazing show that fell apart at the very end).
All in all, I highly recommend this show. Just skip the last season.
Death in Paradise (2011)
Good show until Season 10
We enjoyed the first 9 seasons of Death in Paradise. The actors, characters, storylines, and setting - all great. However, the wheels kind of came off in Season 10. First, we were so excited to see Camille back in Season 10 and we assumed with JP being written out, she was back for good. Unfortunately, she only stuck around for 2 episodes, then disappeared without explanation. There was a brief mention of her going on holiday with her mom, but then Catherine came back alone and Camille wasn't mentioned again. Secondly, we were disappointed to see JP go. Lastly and most importantly, the storylines have disintegrated into nonsense. DI Parker wraps up each episode with a roundup of the suspects and an explanation of who committed the murder and how. This isn't new, but what is new is that the wrap-up includes little to no evidence, just a great theory. On the occasion where at least minimal evidence is presented, it's always something that could be easily explained away by a defense attorney. Yet, magically, the guilty party confesses. These scenarios are completely lacking in any credibility. We made it through Season 10 with the hopes that Season 11 would show an improvement, but after watching the first 2 episodes of Season 11, this doesn't appear to be the case. We cancelled our Amazon Britbox subscription and will pass on watching the rest of this series.
Shotgun Wedding (2022)
Pleasantly surprised
My sister talked me into watching this, which wasn't easy because of the two previous J-Lo movies I've seen (Maid in Manhattan and Wedding Planner), I didn't find her to have ANY chemistry with her male leads. Neither of the romances in those two movies was believable AT ALL, at least in my opinion. But, to keep the family peace, I agreed to give Shotgun Wedding a try and I'm glad I did.
This movie seems to have a lot of haters, but I liked it! Is it Oscar-worthy? No. But it's action-packed fun and Jennifer Lopez actually has great chemistry with Josh Duhamel. They are funny and sweet together and have some realistic relationship struggles along the way. The setting is beautiful, and there's some fun casting (Cheech Marin, Lenny Kravitz), and a few surprise plot twists. And did I mention action-packed? The writers really kept things moving. I enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would and will probably watch it again with my hubby.
Justified (2010)
Great until the last season
This was a really great show with very engaging characters. One of my favorites was Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder. It's not easy to play a sympathetic bad guy. Despite Boyd's criminal enterprises, I found myself rooting for him. Goggins was totally mesmerizing in this role. The writers really screwed this character up in the last season. Prior to that, he was an outlaw, but with a code of honor. With the exception of the first episode or two, while the character was still developing, Boyd never harmed innocent bystanders or those loyal to him - only other characters who "had it coming" or in cases of self-defense. In the last season, the writers turned him into kind of a scumbag. The writers lost my support for the main character of Raylan Givens towards the end also, as they portrayed him as a really crappy father (except the last 15 minutes or so of the final episode). Who doesn't bother to go meet their brand new baby for months on end?
I also loved Joelle Carter as Ava Crowder and Jacob Pitts gave such an understated and likeable.performance as Tim Gutterson. By the end of the show, Tim was one of my favorite characters. And, of course, I always love Timothy Oliphant (except for the train wreck of "Daisy Jones and the Six," but that whole series was a disaster - not Oliphant's fault). He was the perfect choice to play Raylan.
It seemed like the writers got lazy or desperate towards the end, but I would still watch the show if I had it to do over.
One final note - Nick Searcy's profile photo on IMDB is possibly the worst photo ever taken of anyone. Seriously, he needs to swap that out!
Not Dead Yet (2023)
Heartwarming and funny
This is a really sweet show. It's so nice to see a show where the writers can still pull off great story lines and dialogue, while keeping it family friendly. The cast is great too and each actor is perfectly suited for the quirky, endearing character that he or she plays. Plus, the wide variety of "guest ghosts" add a new twist to each episode. I feel like the premise leaves endless possibilities for new storylines. Yes, like the show "Ghosts" (which I also love), the main character in Not Dead Yet can see and talk to ghosts. But even with that in common, Not Dead Yet takes the concept in a completely different direction and doesn't feel like a rip off of Ghosts at all.
Bonjour Anne (2016)
Decent until the last few minutes
There is a spoiler alert in this review. I've always liked Diane Lane, but even she couldn't carry this movie. It's your typical road trip through some spectacular part of Europe movie, but nowhere near as good as say French Kiss or Only You .
That being said, I would've given this movie another star or two except for the ending. After keeping the adventure platonic for the entire movie, the married Diane Lane kisses her road trip buddy and seemingly plans to meet up with him at a later date back in the States. This is immediately after her husband leaves her a voicemail telling her he loves her. Maybe it's just me, but I've never found anything remotely amusing or romantic about adultery. The last five minutes ruined the whole movie for me.
So Help Me Todd (2022)
Kinda perfect!
This is such a fun show. The characters are great and are perfectly cast. Interesting mysteries are solved every episode, while keeping the tone light. I hate those shows that try to out-gruesome themselves and their competitors every episode. To me, that's just lazy writing, like comedians who can't be funny without profanity. Good writers can keep it interesting (think Monk, Psych, White Collar, etc.), without going so dark. Of course, keeping good writers depends on paying and treating them fairly, so wishing them the best of luck with the current strike. Hoping there's a Season 2 of So Help Me Todd!
Will Trent (2023)
Interesting new show!
I love the actors, the characters, and the setting. It's nice to see a different locale besides the usuals. The characters' backstories and personality quirks elevate this show above your average law enforcement show. And, with the exception of 2 episodes in Season 1, the writers managed avoid falling into the trap of "let's make it really dark and disturbing in order to boost the ratings." The best cop shows keep it interesting without going super-dark (Monk comes to mind, and Will Trent reminds me a lot of that character). I did have to fast-forward through much of Episodes 4 and 13. If the writers can keep this show more like Monk and not get too gruesome, the show has a lot of promise. (End of Season 1 Review)
I'm now current in Season 2 and still love this show. It's great seeing Erika Christensen in such a different role from Parenthood, and she pulls off this new character beautifully.
I hope this show maintains it's quality, keeps it's lighter side, and stays on the air for lots more seasons.
Alaska Daily (2022)
Best show I've seen in a while
I've been looking for something new to watch and until Alaska Daily, I've been SO bored with everything I've tried. This show has great writing, great acting, and an important topic that is in desperate need of the spotlight being shone on it in this series. So well done! The spectacular scenery doesn't hurt, and it's really interesting to get a view into "real" Alaskan life. It's also nice to see journalists who care about the truth, rather than pushing a particular political agenda. I hope there really are journalists like that left out there! I also really hope that Alaska Daily is renewed for a 2nd season. Come on ABC, support this truly excellent show!
Daisy Jones & The Six (2023)
Terrible adaptation of a really good book
Taylor Jenkins Reid is such an amazing writer and her books hook you from page one, keeping you engaged. The series doesn't accomplish that. I was going to wait until I'd watched the whole series to write a review, but honestly, I'm so bored after 4 episodes, I can't finish. In the book, Daisy and Billy have this charisma and stage presence that is electrifying (like all real-life rock stars). The actors playing the lead roles in the series just don't pull that off. The actors in the other roles do a credible job. I especially liked the actress who played Camilla. As a child of the 70s, I was so disappointed in the music. It's terrible. It doesn't feel authentic to the era, and it's not very good by the standards of any era. The wardrobe department knocked it out of the park - amazing clothes! As for hair and makeup, most of the characters were well done, but the Billy Dunne character was awful. In the scenes where he's supposed to be older, he looks like a very attractive 40 year old man with great hair. In the scenes where he's supposed to be in his 20s, he looks like a homely 40 year old man with really bad hair. I just saw an announcement that another Taylor Jenkins Reid book, Carrie Soto, is being adapted to the screen. I hope whoever bought those screen rights will do a better job than the production company that made Daisy Jones. Such a letdown!
Nantucket Noel (2021)
Definitely not Nantucket
We live and work in Nantucket every summer. I actually give walking tours of the downtown, so we know the island very well. The location in this movie is NOT Nantucket. After looking it up on IMDB, this movie was filmed in British Columbia and neither the town nor the surroundings looks anything like Nantucket. Since the setting was the whole reason we watched the movie, we ended up turning it off after about 20 minutes.
Nantucket is so picturesque, unique, and interesting - it's a shame they didn't choose to film the movie there. Hallmark, please don't set movies in one place and film them in another. It's very disappointing.