Change Your Image
micaml
Reviews
Beauty and the Beast (2012)
Season 1 is the best, drops off after that
This show is a typical CW production. Most of the focus is on the relationship and love lives of the characters. CW has one ingredient they have to include in all their shows, a love triangle. It is predictable and over done.
The most interesting character is Vincent Keller. In Season 1 we meet a man who lives a secret life in hiding with his best friend JT. Vincent Keller is officially dead when the show starts. He is an ex soldier and doctor who was turned into a half beast when he was experimented on by a shadow organisation.
He is a complex character and I think Jay Ryan does a pretty good job of playing this character.
Vincent looks scary when he transforms into a beast and does a good job with the action scenes. Of course in reality he is a smart handsome man.
Catherine Chandler played by Kristen Kreuk's is a detective. She is not the most convincing cop. She came across as a bit annoying and pushy.
She becomes completely obsessed with Vincent, especially after she learns that he saved her years ago. She does everything to find out more about Vincent, to keep him in her life and later to save him no matter if it affects her friendships and job.
Catherine is reckless most of the time and i don't know how she did not lose her job for good.
Season 4 was the worst. It is clear the show runner and writers did not know what to do with the show in season 3. Season 4 was a mess. The storylines started getting repetitive and I was bored throughout most of the last season.
JT is one of my favorite characters too. He is a loyal friend who is humorous at times. I just don't understand how he seems to have a lot of money to buy expensive computers and equipment. Even when they get damaged, he quickly gets new ones and is able to get access to top secret information.
Con 1: One thing that is not believable is Catherine and Tess as tough cops who beat up these huge men using martial arts.
Con 2: JT and Tess's relationship does not work, they have no chemistry and it would have made more sense to keep them as friends.
Con 3: By the end of season 2, Vincent who has lived in the shadows with his friend JT, suddenly cannot control himself or protect himself unless Catherine is around.
He becomes completely dependent on her. It is such a cheap way of keeping these two stuck together like they are one person. They cannot function without each other.
I wondered how JT and Vincent had running water and electricity in these abandoned buildings they lived in.
The show is watchable, especially season 1.
Miss Adrenaline: A Tale of Twins (2023)
Infuritating lead character
I watched this show to the end, and I don't know why. I just wanted to see how it ended. I skipped many boring scenes. Gosh does this show drag on.
This is filmed in many of the same locations as the show 'The Queen of flow' and features 2 of the actors from that show.
Queen of flow and this show have a lead character with the same goal, revenge but the main character here Romina is annoying, frustrating and immature.
She had no real long term plan for how to deal with the villains who killed her mother and sister. She puts other people's lives at risk and gets people seriously hurt.
I did not like anything about Romina so it spoiled the show.
Whiz, the best character in this show is stuck in a love triangle (or a love square with Romina, Santiago and Alex). It dragged on for multiple episodes.
I don't know why Whiz hangs on to this false hope that he will be with Romina forever, when Alex is so much better for him.
The ending of the show was so pointless. The brothers who terrorised everyone just gave themselves up at the end. The villain Don was pathetic in the end.
Least favourite characters:
Santiago, he was not in love with Romina. He was obsessed with Laura, and Romina just happened to look exactly like her.
Romina
Marlon
Virgina
Favourite characters: Whiz, Alex, Ruben and Guarin.
The Perfect Find (2023)
Cute rom com? No this isn't it.
Where are the sweet romantic comedies gone? You know, the ones that make you feel warm and nostalgic. Or the ones that make you fantasize about yourself being the lead actress as you walk out of the theater. Then you snap back to reality an hour later.
This movie had no charm. There was no chemistry between Keith Powers and Gabrielle Union. None, whatsoever. Just because the actors are attractive, it doesnt mean they have chemistry.
I did not believe Jenna and Eric fell in love, it was said but not shown on screen.
The movie did not flow. The editing was choppy.
It was so below average, it just made no sense casting Gabrielle Union in it.
Cons:
Gabrielle Union's hair and wardrobe where terrible and made her look older. She needed a longer wig or braids. She worked in the fashion industry, where are the cute outfits?
The meet cute moment at the beginning was awful. What was that? They spoke for 2 minutes and nothing was said that would make these two strangers just start kissing. There was no electricity between them.
(The last thing I watched were the actors had a sweet meet cute moment and chemistry, was the 1st episode of TV show 'Queen Charlotte.')
This movie needed some sweet banter, or maybe have these 2 characters bump into each other a couple times and build the chemistry.
What was going on with Eric's friend and Lala Anthony's character. Was this some subtle lesbian attraction. Why?
Why didn't Jenna have a proper date with that older man? Why did it turn into a get together/party with her friends and Eric and his friends? My gosh, be an adult and go out on a proper date.
Why did 40 something year old Jenna go up to her bosses penthouse to meet Eric, knowing Eric is this woman's son. Her boss could come home at any time. It's like the screenwriter thought they were writing about a teenager or 21-year-old character. It was too predictable.
Why could this not have been a sweet romance, seeing the actors wake up after a steamy night together. No we had to see the male lead going down on the female. Even worse, one scene was in his mothers apartment on the couch. Why?
I loved Gina Torres (Darcy) in TV series 'Suits'. This writer and director missed the opportunity to make her character more like Meryl Streep in 'Devil Wears Prada'.
Pros:
Keith Powers acting has improved. Now Hollywood go and cast him in a cute well written rom com with someone his age.
The movie had some nice songs in it.
Culpa mía (2023)
A suprisingly good watchable wattpad movie
This is the best Wattpad adapted book to movie. I watched 'After', 'The kissing booth' and 'Through my window'. Those movies were either a little too boring or featured really toxic relationships.
I have not read the wattpad book this movie was based on but the movie kept me entertained.
This movie has one of the most popular tropes on Wattpad and Amazon, enemies to lovers. Also there is a good girl bad boy theme.
First, the main characters:
The actors playing Noah and Nick have real chemistry and they are attractive people. Noah is beautiful and I don't often say that. Pretty good acting.
The actor playing Nick came across perfectly as a rich spoilt adored young man who loves danger.
Nicks friends Jenny and Lion again, attractive actors. Their acting skills were passable. I liked Jenny's instant friendship with Noah. Jenny and Lion fit into every scene they appeared in, they were not just pointless secondary characters.
Second:
The story moves at a pretty fast pace. Unlike movies 'After' and 'Through the window', there is lots to see in this movie.
You get forbidden attraction, underground fighting, some fast and furious car racing scenes, crime and a crazy sub plot with Noah's deranged violent father.
Add in some ok music and this is a good, not perfect movie.
I'm so glad they did not fill the movie with filler bedroom scenes.
The locations looked nice, a waterfront city/town.
Cons:
There should have been more build up to Noah and Nick being intimate. Maybe a few more days of spending time together, feeling an intense attraction.
There was some corny acting, especially from the criminal gang leader Ronnie. Noah's father was creepy.
I found it odd that Noah's single mum married this rich man without her daughter getting to know him or his son.
Nick and Noah seemed to make out in places people could see them, and it was like they wanted to be caught.
The pool scene is wild. They are kissing in the pool with her cheating ex boyfriend close by, a bunch of friends around the pool and their parents in the house.
Noah's father came straight out of jail to commit another crime. So what was his plan? To kill his ex wife and daughter with tons of witnesses around, including her husband and son, plus the police. Not a very good plan.
Wrap up:
The movie felt packed with action, drama and romance.
I hope there is a second movie soon. It is going to be interesting to see how the parents deal with their children, step brother and step sister being together in an intimate relationship.
Will Anna give Nick and Noah any problems since she was very much into Nick.
A través de mi ventana (2022)
Works as a Wattpad book but boring as a movie
These basic romance books do great on Wattpad and Amazon. They do not work as movies. With all the interesting books out there, this is what Netflix chooses to develop into a movie. Why? Cause it was popular on Wattpad.
There is not enough material here to develop into an interesting movie.
This is not even a spoiler:
A good girl is obsessed with a bad boy. He pretends he doesn't really like her and they eventually fall in love. The movie is filled with intimate scenes. Actually, that is what the second half of the movie is all about. The main characters having lots of intimate scenes. That's it.
A better movie is 'My fault' which is on Amazon Prime. It is also adapted from a Wattpad book. At least there is an interesting side plot and action. I was never bored watching that movie.
A Jazzman's Blues (2022)
This movie looks good but the story is disappointing
Tyler Perry has chosen to take a different direction and finally make a movie which could garner him some serious praise as a writer/director.
Unfortunately, this movie is lacking in its execution.
The movie is confusing and had a typical disappointing ending. Tyler Perry waited too long to tell this story. It is nothing new. It is the same slave/segregation/racism story that many people have seen before.
He could have made a different story. Something with an alternative happy ending.
The best things about this movie:
1. The hair and costumes look nice
2. The main actor Joshua Boone who played Bayou, does a good job in this role. I enjoyed watching him
3. Some of the music is really nice
4. The set design is quite authentic. The cinematography is nice too. Tyler Perry shows he has the skills to be a good director.
The worst things about this movie:
1. The script is weak and confusing
2. Bayou and Willie Earl's father, Buster was a confusing character. Why was he so mean to Bayou? Was Bayou another man's son. He says something about him being black but Buster and Bayou are the same complexion. It was left unexplained. Again, why did Willie hate Bayou? It is never explained.
3. The actors playing Bayou and Wille did look a little too old to be playing teenagers
4. Leanne and her mother did not look like pure white women, they looked mixed. I don't know how they fooled this family into thinking they were white women.
5. I did not buy into Bayou and Leanne's love for each other. The movie should have spent a little more time showing Bayou and Leanne falling in love. I saw very little chemistry and so it made little sense for Bayou to risk everything later on for this woman.
6. Why did they cast an older white woman who clearly looked nothing like Leanne at the end? Why did the baby look so white? A mixed race woman with naturally curly hair and a black man would have a child that looks mixed, maybe very light but not white. It was just bad casting.
7. The movie felt rushed and drained of any real emotional payoff. It feels like the audience does not get a chance to react to a shocking moment before another shocking moment is presented.
8. Bayou never comes off as a charismatic singer and performer, so why was he this immediate star at the club where he was singing?
9. Why did Tyler Perry give away what could have been a shocking conclusion at the start of the movie? He told the audience that someone was murdered in the first few minutes. I worked out it was going to be Bayou a few minutes later.
10. What was the point of Bayou witnessing Leanne being abused by her grandfather? It was added to make the story seem more traumatic, but Bayou nor Leanne ever mention it. The audience never sees the effect it has on Leanne. I thought it would affect her relationships later on.
11. Why couldn't Tyler stay away from the typical storyline of racists in the deep south bullying, terrorising and killing black men? Why not write something original?
How about the black man managed to move away and build some kind of decent life for himself. Even if he never got to see Leanne again or spent years apart from her. It would have been nice to see Bayou live. Maybe he could have met his son years later. The son could have still grown up thinking he was a white boy.
It seems like Tyler Perry is moving in the right direction but this was not the deep emotional movie that I hoped it would be. It's too similar to other made for tv movies, tv shows and movies such as the 'Roots' sequel. It was quite predictable.
Love You Anyway (2022)
Interesting story spoiled by amateur filmmaking.
The subject of this movie was interesting. A young girl deals with depression and feeling like a failure in life. It is a familiar subject that affects many young women and men.
The problem with this movie was the way it was filmed. The amateur style shaky cam, filmed on a phone, works for a few minutes but becomes hard to watch after 20 minutes.
Maybe they could have used that footage when the lead actress was sharing her honest thoughts to the audience and then used a normal film camera for everything else.
The main actress Reign Edwards who plays Mackzenie did a good job portraying this troubled teenager. She seemed authentic and showed how a distressed teenager might feel. However, some of her scenes where she talks into the camera lasted a little too long. Also, the camera phone was too close to her face in some scenes.
The movie does a great job of showing this strong bond and friendship between Mackzenie and her best friend, Lucas, played by Charlie Gillespie.
After watching Charlie Gillespie in the Netflix tv show 'Julie and the phantoms', it would have been nice to see his character singing and playing the guitar with Mac. Since Charlie is a good singer and musician. It would have been another thing to show Mac and Lucas's bond.
However, the movie fails to show the transition from Mac and Lucas going from friends to lovers. This is one of my favourite tropes and it felt like it was just tacked on at the end of the movie.
One minute, the actors are hanging out and Mac drops Lucas off at the airport. Then suddenly we see them kissing outside the car, we hear no dialogue. Then the next time they are together, Lucas is taking pictures of Mac. Then it skips to them sitting in a car and they are married. Then, their baby is born.
This all happens in the last final minutes of the movie.
There is no emotional payoff when Mac and Lucas become a couple. There are no scenes of them hugging or kissing (except for the airport scene). It seemed like an afterthought that was added in later by the scriptwriter.
The movie is not worth a perfect 10 star rating, that is reserved for exceptional movies. However, it was not a terrible movie.
I will look out for more movies starring these two actors. I think Charlie is talented and hasn't been given the right role to show off his range and talent yet.
Good Girls (2018)
Seasons 1 and 2 are entertaining, then it all goes downhill
The show is essentially about 3 women and the extreme measures they take to get out of varying financial problems.
They all have young children and husbands or ex-husbands. Beth is a housewife with 4 kids and a cheating husband who destroyed their finances.
Annie, is Beth's younger sister. She is a young mother with 1 child and an ex-husband who now has money because of his new wife. Annie needs money because her ex is fighting for custody of their child.
Ruby has 2 children and a loving husband, her daughter needs a new kidney so she needs money urgently.
These women cannot think of any other way to raise money quickly, so they decide to rob the supermarket where Annie works.
The show mixes in some comedy with the drama and there is a lot of music played over dramatic scenes.
The show starts of promising. The 3 women are shocked to discover that some of the money they stole belongs to a local gang leader/crime boss named Rio. He is involved in various crimes including money laundering.
What follows is these 3 women getting pulled further and further into crime and working for Rio. Beth is probably the central main character, played by Christina Hendricks.
As each episode goes along, Beth and Rio seem to have a complicated relationship where she is afraid of him, who wouldn't be with guns being held in your face. But she is also quite brave and confronts him a lot. She makes some costly mistakes and Rio gives her some advice, which she never really follows.
When you realise this is a guy who has been operating for a long time without the FBI or local police catching him, you realise that Beth's mistakes would land both of them in jail fast.
I could not keep count of how many times Beth tells Rio or someone else that she is a mother. Maybe that is so the audience empathizes with her.
Christina Hendricks who plays Beth and Manny Montana who plays Rio seem to have this natural chemistry in season 1.
I am guessing (as other fans have done), that Rio was supposed to be a short-lived character. However, he became a fan favourite (with some fans) and so the chemistry builds until Beth and Rio have a fling.
It is dropped later on and it seems as if the writers went back to their original plan to have Beth repair her marriage to boring Dean.
After watching interviews with Christina Hendricks, it seems like she was a bit confused as to why fans seemed to like the Rio and Beth (Brio) relationship.
I don't necessarily think Beth and Rio could have a healthy long-term relationship, living a life of crime with 5 kids between them. However, it's a shame that they wasted all that chemistry by destroying Beth and Rio's connection swiftly.
Why didn't the writers have the guts to have Beth divorce Dean?
It was like the writers were afraid to let Beth be an independent woman, making money and co-parenting with her ex-husband.
Some fans kept saying they wanted more scenes with Rio but the writers kept putting more Dean scenes in.
They literally gave Dean a huge redemption story and vilified Rio even further in seasons 3 and 4.
I skipped most of Annie's scenes when she was not with Beth and Ruby. She hooks up with a new guy every season and it's always the wrong guy. Her last hook up, who was a homeless man, got more screen time than Rio. Again this was baffling.
The best parts of this show:
1. The friendship between Beth, Ruby and Annie.
2. Stan, Ruby's husband is a great guy who goes through so much after he finds out what his wife has done.
3. The concept of the show is so interesting. There is so many directions this show could have gone in. Season 1 was pretty great.
Where the show fails is:
1. Having 3 women who learn nothing from their mistakes or bad choices.
2. The federal agents in this show think they are more clever than they are. They come off looking more dumb than these women. Pheobe is a weird Secret service agent, she is awkward and clumsy.
3. Dean, Beth's boring husband is an annoying boring character.
He is on screen too much and the things he does are forgotten or forgiving too easily. His fake cancer story was dropped immediately. Beth never mentions it again.
I think the casting director should have chosen a more interesting and attractive looking husband if they wanted more people to root for this couple.
4. In other crime dramas or in real life a person like Rio would not be so lenient with someone like Beth. She makes mistakes, she shoots him, hires someone else to kill him and has him arrested 2 or 3 times. But I suppose the audience are made to believe that he has strong feelings for her and wants to turn her into a boss lady. So he lets her get away with everything.
5. The interesting gangleader Rio (played brilliantly by Manny Montana) is giving the least screentime per episode and there is no backstory on him until season 4.
The writers did not know what to do with his character, it's obvious they had no long term plans to keep him in the show. He becomes a repetitive character, who goes backwards in season 3.
6. One of the worst characters on the show is Boomer, who is Annie's manager and a sleazy rapist. He has this sort of sweet grandmother to make him seem like an ok guy. His character arc is confusing.
The show needed fresh writers for season 3, it is so forgettable. Season 4 was watchable.
Purple Hearts (2022)
Enjoyable but slightly predictable weekend movie
This movie was quite enjoyable to watch, but it had some flaws.
Good things:
1. The songs in this movie were good. I'm not familiar with singer and actress Sofia Carson who plays Cassie. After watching the movie again, I think her voice is ok. I enjoyed the songs 'Come back home' and 'I didn't know'.
2. The two lead actors had luke warm chemistry. However, the acting was pretty good. I think Nicholas Galitzine who plays Luke has a little more range but he doesn't seem to get movies that show that range.
3. The movie had a nice flow to it.
4. The main storyline was interesting, but there were some flaws which made the story hard to take serious. I think a stronger script and a little more care and attention to detail, would have made this a better movie.
Bad things:
1. Why couldn't Cassie try a little harder to make this fake marriage look real? Within a few hours of marrying Luke she's arguing with him in front of his friends and colleagues.
She looks uncomfortable with him as she says goodbye to him before he leaves on the bus. Then when they are talking on the video call as his colleagues are sitting beside him, could no one see how awkward they appear to be. There is very little chemisty between them. Didn't they get married quickly because they fell in love quickly? Then they should have been showing that for everyone to see. .
2. Why would the military officers believe some random scumbag drug dealer who looks like he's high on drugs, telling them that Luke and Cassie are in a fake marriage? Where was his evidence? All Luke had to say was he was lying and had no proof.
3. Cassie could have been a little nicer to Luke. The guy helped her and was putting his career, freedom and reputation on the line. She felt resentful that he had to stay in her apartment and made him sleep on the couch with a serious injury.
4. Why kill off their friend Frankie? He was a sweet guy and I would have liked to see him later in the movie getting engaged to his girlfriend.
Was this to create a more emotional movie, to make the audience cry? They could have done that with Luke's story, being a wounded soldier, being a guy who had a fractured relationship with his dad and a serious problem with a guy who he owed money to.
How about showing this guy struggling with his past mistakes and demons. Basically, Frankie should have lived.
5. It was a pretty predictable movie, especially the ending where the two leads finally admit they have feelings for each other. I would have liked to see more passion and emotion earlier in the movie, not one scene in the last 2 minutes of the movie where they declare their love for each other.
6. Cassie is quite an unlikeable character right up until the end of the movie. So it made the sudden change of heart at the end of the movie feel unemotional.
7. Some of the things Luke and his friends said in the movie where just wrong. Shocking at times.
No one, not even Frankie, said anything to Armando at the restaurant to correct him. Luke gets mad at Cassie for being upset by Armando's general and racist comment and he says 'You know what he meant'.
8. It's sad that Cassie found herself in this situation because she could not afford the medicine she needed to survive.
9. This is a small gripe but why does Cassie keep tucking her hair in the collar of her jackets or tops? It is weird. Why not tie your hair back or cut it shorter?
Overall, the movie was watchable, and some of the songs are nice.
Les liaisons dangereuses (2022)
Made for TV movie
This movie was clearly a made for TV version of the movie 'Cruel Intentions'. It was almost like the writers and director had another project waiting in the wings and needed to rush this movie. From the bet to the characters falling for each other, everything is rushed and unemotional. Of course they have to throw in a gay character just because it's 2022. They serve no real purpose in this movie. The supposed mean girl, Vanessa is surface level nasty and her two best friends are miscast. I cannot imagine this group of girls hanging out together. There is tons of profanity just to make the movie seem edgy. The character Charlotte, is confusing and unbearable to watch. Some of the acting is terrible, especially Tao and Vanessa's two friends. I imagine this is their first role. I'd say skip this and watch 'Cruel Intentions', Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Geller are really good in their roles.
Double Cross (2020)
The cast need acting lessons, the crew need to go to film school
I think this was a project a bunch of friends decided to make after failing to get into film school. There is no way these so called actors went through any type of audition process. The worst actor in this movie has to be nurse Brian. Scenes that should have been serious are comical. The actors playing Eric and Erica are ok, their acting is just above cringy. I think I would have quit the show had they been any worse. Eric shouts some of his lines and repeats the sames lines quite often. However, he is very goodlooking and that helped. The subject of this show is serious but it is let down by wooden acting and characters who were not convincing in their roles.
Along for the Ride (2022)
Forgettable YA movie
After watching and enjoying 'To all the boys I've loved', I thought modern teen romantic dramas were heading in the right direction. Then I watched this movie. It is so bland and I found myself doing other things while it played in the background. The actors playing Auden and Eli had no chemistry. The movie had an unnatural flow. There was nothing interesting or moving, nothing to make me want to watch it again.
Wildfire (2005)
Enjoyable show that I just discovered on Amazon
This show was enjoyable to watch. It has many flaws but I was engaged through most of season 1, 2 and 4. Season 3 was the weakest season for me.
I loved the scenes with the horses. I live in a big city and I know very little about horses. I do think they are such graceful beautiful animals.
I was not sure how believable the main storyline was with Kris and the horse Wildfire developing a close bond. However, it was sweet and there were many touching moments.
Unfortunately, the footage of real horse races where not well edited into the show. It all looked quite fake. Obviously they could not make a male jockey look like a female but there was probably no other way of producing this show and creating a real live race.
I thought Genevieve did a good job playing Kris, she was quiet believable as a troubled teen.
Some of the acting on this show are average or below average. The actors playing Dani, Matt and Pablo are quite average. Dani is the weakest actor on the show, she struggles to do emotional scenes. There were scenes where she was crying and was supposed to be emotionally wrecked but there were no tears. The actor playing Junior is quite decent as an actor on this show.
However, all of this did not make me feel like turning off the show, which is rare for me.
I know it makes for great drama in TV series but I wish these shows did not have best friends in competition for the same girl or guy. I kept wondering where there other girls in the town that Matt and Junior could date, instead of fighting over Kris.
Ryan Sypek (who plays Junior) is very handsome. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to have much for him to do in season 1 and then his storyline in season 3 was kind of silly.
Matt deserved a better ending. Why couldn't the writers give him a solid relationship with a nice girl. I don't think him and Dani belonged together, since he was always pining for Kris. It seemed like they just got back together because there was no one else in their lives.
Kris is a character people are going to really like and understand or dislike and find confusing. She played with Matt and Junior for 4 seasons. She broke up their romantic relationships and was quite selfish at times.
I might be slightly in the minority here, but I am glad Kris ended up with Junior. She seemed able to confide in him, sometimes rely on him and they couldn't seem to stay away from each other.
I thought they had more chemistry than her and Matt. Her short relationship with Matt was not as serious and she got over him quickly. While Matt clearly had strong feelings for her. I feel like she toyed with him and she should have never got involved with him at all.
Plus Kris became like a family member to the Ritters and I thought they should have kept Matt and Kris as bestfriends/part of the family. I kept thinking if they broke up, it would affect the whole family and Raintree.
For a show about teenagers, I was surprised that Matt and Junior did not seem to have any other friends. Dani had one friend for a few episodes in season 1 and she disappeared. Then she had a male friend who felt like a plot devise for a few episodes.
There was one episode where they had a party and dozens of teenagers showed up. It is also made clear that Junior is popular, girls love him so why did he have no other friends or girls visit him or hang out with him.
The worst character for me was Kerry, who becomes Kris's agent. I found him to be controlling, predatory and creepy from the start. He was not attractive and there was no need for a romantic relationship between him and Kris. She already had a back and forth love triangle with Matt and Junior.
Where were Kerry's other clients, why was he always hanging around. What professional agent starts dating their younger client. I was surprised that Jean did not notice it early and say something to Kris. I literally fast forwarded a few of Kerry's scenes. He made me feel uncomfortable.
It annoyed me how naive Kris was and I thought she really needed some guidance and advice at that time.
Then when Kerry stole all their money, I wanted him to rot in jail.
I found Matt to be a bit immature at times. When Kris gets back with Junior after seeing Matt and then disappearing for months. It effects Matt in the worse way. He is heartbroken and he makes it very clear that he is angry. He was so moody and then starts a physical fight with Junior.
It was honestly not Juniors fault that Kris wanted to get back with him when she returned, she was in love with him.
Junior and Dani's father, Ken comes across like a light J. R. Ewing (from TV show Dallas) type villian. He was not as devious as J. R. and not as entertaining but he did play the role of the rich, lonely, controlling, and manipulative father well.
It was clear season 4 was a little rushed and they tried to stuff in as many things as they could to wrap up storylines.
I think Junior and Laura's relationship should have ended early in season 4, so they could spend more time developing Kris and Juniors whirlwind rekindled romance.
Laura and Junior should have never reached the altar. To dump someone like that is cruel.
The show went full speed to the finale. The last 3 episodes would be like half a season on another show.
Unlike some shows the ending did wrap up most things, so it did not end on a cliffhanger, which is good. It's so disappointing when a show finishes a season on a cliffhanger thinking they are going to get another season, only to find out they have been cancelled.
This was an enjoyable show. I would not call it a completely family friendly show, there is fighting, mild foul language and mild to medium intimate scenes. So I would say it is suitable for older teenagers and adults.
She Fought Alone (1995)
An average movie based on a sad true story
I gave this movie 7 stars because real-life stories like this need to be told.
This movie is about Caitlin who is a beautiful and sweet teenage girl who wants to be accepted into the most popular crew in the small town she lives in. I am not sure how long she has been living in this town when the movie begins.
Catlin goes through hell when she is inducted into this crew and this movie was thought provoking and sad. It gives you a real glimpse into the extreme way young athletes can be treated like Gods in their school or town.
One example is how the principal at the high school pretty much lets the main two characters, Jace and Ethan do whatever they want. Ethan is the quarterback on the football team and he is the leader of this crew.
Ethan has plans to leave the town and go on to bigger and better things. Ethan seems like a pretty decent guy who hides behind his ever so cool and laid back bad boy persona. One good thing about him is he takes care of his ill mother.
Some of this movie was simply uncomfortable to watch, especially as you know the movie is based on a true story.
Jace is wired wrong and thinks the girls in their crew must do whatever they say. There are rules that must be followed. Catlin's friend Abby, seems to let these guys sleep with her whenever they want.
It is obvious from the start of the movie that Caitlin likes Ethan and there is a connection. He can see she is different from other girls.
Jace tries to persuade Caitlin to spend time alone with him after she is inducted into their crew. Caitlin says no and chooses to sleep with Ethan. This makes Jace become jealous and aggressive.
Jace continues to push and tries to persuade Caitlin to hook up with him. Then he takes things way too far. He rapes her in her own home, with her younger sister in the house.
It is disgusting and disturbing for a teenage boy to do this and then act like she wanted him.
Jace tells other people in the crew and at school that Caitlin was all over him and they hooked up.
Caitlin confronts Jace and reveals the truth at a diner with dozens of people around.
Since Jace continues to lie, Ethan agrees that Caitlin will pay for lying to the crew.
After this the entire crew and other kids in the school bully Caitlin, writing disgusting things on the school walls, on the front of the building and alienating her. Later the entire crew get Catlin in an abandoned house, hold her down and cut her hair. Even her friend Abby joins in.
When the school won't take any action against these bullies, a lawyer is bought in. It is at this moment that Jace tells Ethan that he did rape Caitlin, and that he wants to do it again.
Ethan goes to talk to Caitlin and reveals his true feelings for her. He cannot stop thinking about her. This is probably not a normal thing in this crew because they seem to just use these girls.
What follows, does not really make sense. As someone else said in their review, if Ethan was the leader and most popular guy in school or even the town as the quarterback on the football team. Why did his crew turn on him so quickly?
The movie felt rushed once Caitlin and Ethan started to mend their relationship.
They are chased and attacked by some of the crew and Jace tries to stab Ethan.
The movie had a disappointing ending. I was hoping to see the lawyer take legal action against the principal, to the point that she never got another job working with children again.
I wanted Jace to get jail time. He was sick and twisted, he needed therapy.
I wish we had seen his parents reaction too.
The movie ended with Caitlin leaving for college. Ethan ruined his chances of getting into a good college and has little chance to leave his small town.
Some of the acting in this movie is below average. However, despite the outcome of the movie, Tiffanie (Caitlin) and Brian (Ethan) have great chemistry at the beginning of the movie, it is obvious they were dating in real life.
All American (2018)
1st season was good, went downhill fast
The first season was good. Daniel Ezra who plays Spencer is a good actor, he does a great job playing a complex American student, especially when you hear Daniel's real British accent.
The problems with the show started to weigh me down early and I skipped some scenes, then whole episodes and eventually gave up.
I am now watching the spin off show 'All American, homecoming'. It's average and I don't know if it will last as long as All American has.
The main problems IMO:
Spencer's savior complex gets annoying after a while. The writers don't allow him to be a teenager and enjoy one week of his young life. He takes on everyone's problems. It gets a bit depressing to watch.
Spencers best friend, Coop is a boring character who gets pushed into multiple scenes she does not need to be in. Her rapping and music is awful and I had to skip every scene with her in it.
The football. The show is supposed to be about a football player heading to the NFL. It is loosely based on a true story and they have the guy who this show is based on working on the show, Spencer Paysinger. So why are there hardly any football scenes and why are they so bad?
I'm sure NFL players or even successful college football players must cringe at how terrible the football scenes are. No one looks convincing, especially Jordan.
The show spends too much time on over dramatic side stories and trying to make every little problem bigger than it is.
Some of the actors, especially the high school football players look far too old to be playing high school students. Come on, they make JJ act goofy and dumb to make him seem younger. No, he just looks like a 30 something year old actor playing a teenager.
Please can writers of teen dramas stop giving these shows the CW effect and having everyone dating each other. I have never experienced or heard of a group of girlfriends who all date the same guy. There are hundreds of people in their city, how many students go to their school?
Why are two best friends dating the same guy back to back. It's nasty.
F9 (2021)
It's like producers and director are laughing at the audience now
This franchise started out with some criminal street racers and a cop who is not that good at his job. The dialogue was cheesy and the action scenes were very similar to a video game.
The first couple of movies were kind of fun to watch. Dumb fun.
The fifth movie was one of the best in the franchise. Then the producers, directors and writers thought, 'how far can we go before people think this is ridiculous?'.
OK lets add in submarines, tanks and people coming back from the dead, so they can reunite the gang.
I can imagine the writers were sitting around a studio lot table laughing and eating snacks as they came up with this overstuffed silly script.
As soon as these street racers become IT experts and programmers? I could see these movies were going to get more unrealistic.
These guys are not human anymore. They are superheros who can do crazy stunts.
When is Hollywood going to move on from this stale franchise and make something original and creative.
El Cid (2020)
I gave up during the first episode
The lead actor playing El Cid does not look a warrior, what a weird casting choice. He has a huge head and small body. There is nothing charismatic about him.
They literally have a scene of a woman going toilet. If you know how toilets were built in those times, you would know this was not a private activity. Why was this scene added?
Some of the set looked too modern.
I could not work out who anyone was in this show and gave up watching.
La reina del flow (2018)
This show is quite addictive but it has it's flaws
This review contains spoilers for seasons 1 and 2.
Season 1:
I watched the first season in about 3 to 4 days. I have never watched a show with so many episodes. It was entertaining and it really introduced me to reggaeton music.
The best thing about this first season is the complex story and how every episode is filled with drama and music. The connection between Yeimy and Juan is so touching. Juan's loyalty and devotion to her makes him a loving character.
The worst thing is a couple of the characters were annoying, there was some bad acting and some songs were played repeatedly, which got annoying. I started getting a bit tired of hearing a few of Erik and Charly Flow's songs. Cris Vega's songs are awful.
The worst acting came from the actress playing Cata (Juancho's girlfriend who becomes his wife). She is an immature possessive person who acts like a teenage girl when things are not going her way.
She had no sympathy for Yeimy and what she had gone through over the years. Her acting and attitude are just as bad in season 2.
The older actors playing Yeimy and Charly were terrific. The way Yeimy works towards getting revenge on Charly was so good. It was like a light crime thriller and a daytime drama all in one.
Problems with the show:
You have to ignore the reality that Erik looks like Charly and no one pushed to find out how Manin managed to rescue and adopt this boy. Erik looks at an old picture of young Charly (both are played by the same actor) and does not wonder why he looks exactly like him.
Why did no friends, neighbors or Juan question if Charly could have been this boys father. I think it was mentioned once by Ligia who dismissed it immediately.
I spent most of season 1 feeling frustrated and mad with Ligia (Charly's mum), as she let her son Charly and then her adopted son be pushed around and manipulated by Manin. Also her lack of sympathy for Yeimy annoyed me too.
Manin is one of the best worst characters I have ever watched on Television. He is a heartless selfish monster and after a few episodes I just wanted him to die painfully. The actor does a great job playing this vile character but he is hard to watch.
How can you send a teenage girl to jail, kill her whole family and steal her baby. When she survives and comes back seeking revenge, you say she ruined your life. Manin had no life, hiding out with low life criminals and drinking all day. He lives in some sick warped universe.
I never understood Manin's goal. He wants a family but abuses and bullies them. He expects loyalty and respect from them and his gang but he is not loyal or respectful to anyone. He threatens and kills anyone who does not do what he wants.
I think the ending of season 1 was good and I did not feel like this show needed a second season.
Season 2:
Good things about season 2 are:
1. The songs are better than season 1. Yeimy's songs are terrific. I loved 'Mi Destino', what an incredible song. '7 Vidas' is another great song.
2. The chemistry between Charly and Yeimy is undeniable but I did not expect them to end up together.
The redemption of Charly is incredible. Somehow, the actors managed to show how an obsessive and toxic relationship can end up being a true love story, with twists and turns.
3. Juan's son Emilio was sweet and his acting was good. His bond with Yeimy was beautiful.
4. I love Erik's bond with his Yeimy. Erik is such a sweet guy who was born into such a sad situation.
5. Mike (Grey shark owner) was a terrific low life money hungry character who made me laugh. The way he sipped that drink all day and found ways to scheme everyone was entertaining. I was looking forward to his downfall.
The worst things about season 2:
1. Cata, I wished they had written this character out of the show. They force her into scenes because she has no storyline. Why would she date an immature boy like Cris Vega? Cris Vega too. He sings the same tired songs, his acting is bad and he does not develop in 2 seasons
2. Manin, he lived too long. I would have liked to see him die by episode 20. I got fed up of him spewing hatred for Yeimy every episode. He deserved to rot in a cold prison cell in the middle of nowhere. That would have been the perfect ending for me.
3. Where is the security in this show? No bodyguards, no security gate around Yeimy's house, no security guard on the door of Surround vibes. Erik is a well known singer in season 2, who has toured the world. So where is the security to make sure no one can just walk into Surround Vibes office? They leave themselves exposed to criminals like Manin and really they could have been seriously hurt or killed at any point.
4. I laughed for ages at Manin's gang. They are comical and weird. Caronte's voice and demeanor where just as weird and funny as Lucio's. He should have been Lucio's brother, not Titano.
Overall the show is enjoyable to watch.