mauramartindale Reviews

Impulse (2018–2019)

Watch the movie instead

[3/10 · 27 May 2024]

I prefer the movie (and S02E04). I heard someone say that the movie was just a spectacle, and that this has soul. That might be true, but with this type of concept I want the spectacle because it's what makes it fun. The jumping aspect in this isn't the main storyline when it should be. The story they're portraying works on its own without the jumping, in fact I don't think they work very well together in this. So yeah, give me the spectacle. I found the characters extremly unlikable with exception of Townes. Also, are we supposed to ignore the fact that she got a (seemingly) innocent person killed to save herself? This show should have been about young Nikolai, epsisode 4 of season 2 was so good! I loved Nikolai (and Wesley), I was invested in their story. I want a show about them, were Wesley doesn't die. Focused on jumping. That episode tackled historical drama and the jumping perfectly, they worked so well together; which the main story fails at.

Boy Swallows Universe (2024)

Great acting

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

I really enjoyed this... well except for the last episode. The acting from everyone was oustanding. I'm a big fan of Travis Fimmel, and I thought he was great in his role; he brought a vunerabilty to Lyle that made me sympathise with him. Everyone impressed me with their acting, especially the child actors. The story was a lot of fun, but the last episode dragged it down. I also didn't like Caitlyn (but I liked the actress), she was reckless and did not have any care whatsoever that she was putting Eli and his loved ones in danger. She came off as not very clever in general, and I didn't find her likable, only selfish. The last two episodes, but especially the last one, ruined it. The first five episodes were excellent! It would have been close to a 10 star rating, but the last two epsiode -- especially the last one -- did not fit in with the rest whatsoever. It felt like it switched genres, and the plot was not up to par with the rest. It came off as comically bad.

Interview with the Vampire (2022– )

I really like it!

[8/10 · 2 May 2024]

I thought this was a good reimagination of the book. I like it a lot more than the movie. It's atmospheric and entertaining, and I liked the way they went about telling the story. The acting is really good, especially Jacob Andersson. I didn't find the interview plotline boring, it was very well-done and I kept looking forward to watching those parts as well. I also think the changes they made were for the better because it added a lot to the story. They're all also so messy which is entertaining to watch since it causes so much drama and that's what I want from a story about vampires. All in all it's a really good show.

Dead Boy Detectives (2024– )

Good concept but uninspired execution

[3/10 · 26 April 2024]

Neil Gaiman is more often a miss than a hit for me. I love his concepts, but more often than not I feel that he fails at the execution. That said though I was excited for this after having watched the trailer. On paper it is everything I love, but it wasn't executed well. It's so weirdly paced. It felt rushed in some aspects such Crystal joining them and getting to know them, and then dragged in others. The dialouge combined with the pacing of some scenes made conversations between characters really stilted and forced. It also bothered me that they didn't seem to trust the audience to connect the dots. We can see that their bag is a lot bigger on the inside than the outside (most of us have watched Harry Potter or Doctor who) it doesn't need to be explained 5 seconds later with really forced and unnatural dialouge. We can see that they are best friends and care deeply for each other, it doesn't have to be ruined by bad dialouge that explains it in a way people who have been friends for decades would never talk. The scene where one of them tells the medium is enough. This goes on and on which is a shame. Jayden Revri really stands out in his role, he's a very talanted actor. Kassius Nelsson's acting however leaves much to be desired. I thought Yuyu Kitamura was really fun in her role. George Rexstew is good, but I think he struggles at times but he has the hardest role to play. I really liked the dynamic between Charles and Edwin but that's about it. It just feels badly executed with poor writing for the most part. The mysteries the plot evolve around were really boring. I was on episode four when I realised that it wasn't going to get better in regards to that, it felt like a pilot episode. It felt uninspired. This is really a nitpick but I found it funny when the Crystal wants to rent a room and says she's 22 to which a woman replies there's no chance she older than 18 and then they have a closeup on the Crystal who looks much older than 22 and is in real life is 26. Genuine question, why couldn't they have changed it to them being in their 20s?

Derry Girls (2018–2022)

Brilliant!

[10/10 · 26 April 2024]

This show is hilarious and brilliant in it's execution. As someone who is not from the U. K or Ireland I was not very familiar with the conflict the show portrays. It does it in shuch a funny and thoughtful way, and learned a lot. I like how it is centered around teens growing up during that time and how they're just normal teenagers. It's also just brilliant comedy. I don't think I've ever laughed so much to a show. I love all the characters, they play off each other so well and I like how nuanced they are. Most of the time I only find a couple of characters funny in comedy shows but in this one I found every single one of them funny. Great acting, great writing and great directing!

Baby Reindeer (2024)

Emotional, creative and just impressive

[9/10 · 24 April 2024]

I am in awe of how creative Richard Gadd is. He truly impressed me, and after having read/watched about his other projects I have immense respect for his art. I'm also impressed by how brave and vunerable he is to share so much of his life. Jessica Gunning was incredible in this! She made me feel so many emotions, outstanding acting. I like how creative this show is, it feels like a play at times, which is no surprise considering Gadd's background, but that's what elevates it to art. It is truly hard to watch at times especially when Donny makes the worst decisions possible, but it truly shows how hard trauma and self-loathing is to overcome. It's brilliantly written, and Gadd's performance is incredible as well.

The Tearsmith (2024)

Hilariously dumb

[1/10 · 7 April 2024]

This had potential to be an entertaining romcance movie, but they completley butchered it within the first five minutes. When she was cradling the rat I lost it and burst out laughing. It's so dumb. It's beyond cliché, Rigel and Nica are beyond cliché. The scene in the kitchen where he tells her not to touch him and she asks what happens if she does and he whispers "I won't be able to hold back". Peak writing! This story could have been good if there had been more focus on the orphange, their childhood there, having them interacted more there and Rigel actually had some sort of relationship with her, at least a budding firendship. It needs more depth, actual characters that aren't clichés... basically it should be redone with someone that is capable of writing a good script that has nuance. As of now it's just hilarious because it ticks every box for a badly written wattpad romance.

The Black Phone (2021)

My type of horror

[8/10 · 1 April 2024]

Pretty much anthing with ghosts that aren't there just for jumpscares gets my approval. I like stories/movies where the ghosts feel like actual characters and that they once were real people, and where they aren't evil "just because". I liked the way they incoporated the myth of names having power -- the ghost in this don't remember their names because of the Grabbber, and are slowly forgetting who they are more and more (I think Robin remembers his name). Finn doesn't give his name to the Grabber willingly, and then they're freed in the end to have their graves marked with their names. I like little details like that, which most horror movies today lack. I also prefer character driven stories, which is why I normally do not like movies that focuses on the police trying to solve a crime. In this movie Finn is the focus and that's what makes it good.

The actors were really good in this, especially Mason Thames as Finn. Ethan Hawke was beyond creepy, and I thought the other child actors did a very good job. I'm a bit unsure about Jermey Davies as the dad and Madeleine McGraw as Gwen. I think they suffered a bit from the script lacking in some places. Especially Gwen in the beginning when she was spweing exposition about the Grabber. But as the movie gets going her character begins engaging with the plot and isn't there simply for exposition. There are parts where I thought she did really good, but I also think she lacked a bit in her acting, especially in some of the more heavy stuff. I get where they were going with the dad, I just wished it had been better executed. Also I wouldn't have let my children roam around alone on the streets if there was a kidnapper going around. The part with the Grabber's brother was a bit too comical for me so I personally would've preffered if it had been handled differently or if he hadn't been included. But besides those things I enjoyed this movie a lot. It's the type of horror I love and wish we ahd more of.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

I still love it

[9/10 · 24 March 2024]

I love this as much as I loved the first one while rewatching this as an adult. It's actually a brilliant movie, and a lot more political than I remembered which I really liked. I wish it had been longer just because I want it to explore the Pevensies more. They're such interesting characters having grown up in Narnia as kings and queens only to be forced back into childhood. The movie does, however, do a great job at portraying this in the short amount of time it has, but maybe not as much as I'd like with Lucy. I really liked the way they hinted at their experience of war, of ruling and of dealing with politics. It was really well-done, especially with Edmund. I'm greedy so I want more, in a perfect world I'd love a tv series created by the same crew and director with the same cast about the Golden Age. Like the first movie it is beautiful from the sets to the costumes, and it made me wish more movies were made this way today. The only complaint I have (and this always bothered me) is how big the mice are, and that Aslan looked less real in this than the first one, but those are nitpicks. The acting was top notch, especially Peter Dinklage! But I think everyone did an incredible job. It honestly frustates me that Disney decided to let go of this franchise after they were the ones that messed up with pushing back its release and with the marketing, and then they dropped it instead of learning from their mistakes. Rewatching this movie (and the first one) made me remember why I fell in love with storytelling.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Beautiful

[9/10 · 23 March 2024]

I used to love this as a child. It still holds up today, in fact I think it's better than a lot of movies made today and that I think is down to set and costume design, along with good actors and script. Some of the CGI is bad, I wish they would have put more effort into the animals, but besides that it is beautiful. There is so much attention to detail and it looks real. The costumes really grounds you in the 40s and then the fact that they put so much effort into practical effects and that it's shot on location for the most part. I wish more movies was made this way today. I like how they portrayed WWII and the sibling dynamics. It felt very realistic and the child actors were great in this. Lastly the music is absolutley beautiful.

The Adam Project (2022)

I thought it was fun

[7/10 · 6 March 2024]

If you don't take it too seiously and don't think about how the time travel works and just go with it it's actually quite fun. I loved Walker Scobell in this, he really elevates the movie and he and Ryan Reynolds worked really well together. It frustrated me though to watch Scobell being absolutley perfect for Percy Jackson in this, and then for him to not be allowed to shine in the actual role by a bad script and bad directing. He really has talent. Some of the cgi is a bit meh, but I wasn't bothered except for the deaging of one character that really just gave me uncanny valley feelings, I wish they'd just cast one actor for the younger version and one for the older version. Zoë Saldaña was criminally underused in this, but I didn't think she and Reynolds had any chemistry so maybe that was for the best.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)

One of the best

[10/10 · 26 February 2024]

I grew up with this show, and as a child it captivated me. As an adult it still captivates me with its nuance, its message, how it tackles political topics and spirituality. The characters in this are incredibly, and they all go on a journey of growth that is beautiful. The effort that went into the world-building and how the bending is based on different styles of martial arts really grounds the story. I love how it tackles topics such as equailty, genocide, imperalism, redemption, friendship, found family, forgivness and love. It's a show I'm glad to have grown up with. Excellent storytelling.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024– )

Soulless adaption

[2/10 · 26 February 2024]

This is a soulless adaption that completely misses the point of the original. The characters and their arcs combined with the politics of the world is what makes the original story incredible, nuanced and touching. Netflix completley disregards this and gives us a show without any soul. It also doesn't look very good. Some shots are beautiful, but for the majority of the time there is too much green screen with some more than questionable effetcts. It breaks the immersion. They also missed out on the opportunity to create some beautiful costumes, now they look like cosplay. It's such a shame. I feel bad for the actors that clearly are passionate about the project. I just want to be clear that I don't mind changes, but Netflix has completely missed the mark in regard to the story the original show is portraying.

The Eternal Daughter (2022)

What was the point?

[1/10 · 13 February 2024]

This was boring with a "twist" that was obivous from the very beginning. It lacks suspens, it lacks reason. What is the point of the story? Of it's existence. It adds nothing to the gothic horror genre, it contains nearly all the tropes one can think of, but it does nothing new with them. I thought it maybe would try to subvert them, or explore them from a new angle, but it does none of that. It's just drawn out shots where nothing happens. I had hoped there would be some point to the girl working at the hotel and the person picking her up, but in the end there was no point to that part either. Simply put there is no point to this movie. The only good thing about it was the dog.

Beautiful Beings (2022)

Incredible cast

[7/10 · 13 February 2024]

The young cast was incredible in this. There were a lot of nuance to their acting, and they brought a lot of depth to their characters. This isn't an easy topic to tackle, and to be able to potray something so raw and real at such a young age really shows how talanted the actors are in this. The story is both beautiful and heartbreaking. I understand the ending, but damn, if I didn't wish for it not to end like that. I guess that's where my disappointment comes in. I understand and respect the ending, but it was also predictable and I just wanted more for the characters, but life doesn't always unfold the way we want. I absolutley loved the first half, the second half became a bit to repetitive, and too brutal for my liking which combined with ending made me wishing for more. I don't know, it felt like there was more to the story than where, and how, it ended.

Ghosts (2019–2023)

A lot of fun

[6/10 · 20 January 2024]

I really loved this show. Some of the episodes are hilarious, and it's such a comfort show for me. But after awhile I felt that it was getting repetitive with "Do we stay or do we sell?" They introduced that concept in the first season and really doubled down on it in the last two, and it became tiresome. Honestly, the ending frustrated me, it was not even near as fun as some of the earlier episodes, instead they focused again on whether they should leave or not. And then they decided to leave which I felt went against what they had built the show towards. I don't understand why they couldn't stay there and run the hotel. I'm really disappointed by it, which is why my rating is low.

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Raw and beautiful

[10/10 · 19 January 2024]

I rewatched this for the first time in a couple of years, and I love it so much. The juxtaposition of Mike's life that's based heavily on a real person against Scott who is based on Prince Hal from Henry IV is just brilliant.

The acting, the story combined with how it was filmed and the editing is so good! It's heartbreaking, and beautiful. River Phoenix's acting in this was amazing. It's so nuanced and subtle, and very real. The movie is surprisingly funny, and then at the same time dark and depressing.

It's definitely a movie I recommened you rewatch because there is so much to the story that you might miss during the first watch.

Reservation Dogs (2021–2023)

Brilliant!

[9/10 · 14 January 2024]

I'm on season 2 episode 4 at the moment, but I absolutley love this show! It's funny, poignant, beautiful and clever. The writing and directing is great. I'm also extremly impressed by the younger cast, they're really talanted and capable of holding their own against an equally talanted older cast. Though Dalton Cramer isn't feautred on the show a lot his acting stands out, and it really makes you understand why the rest of the characters miss Daniel so much.

I love the way they've incorporated the spiritual aspects into the show, it's both funny and heartfelt. I am also impressed by how this show deals with grief. Overall it is an excellent show.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023– )

Disappointed

[2/10 · 23 December 2023]

"The dialogue needs to sparkle. I'd like to see it be fresh and original and funny. Right now there are some good areas, but mostly it is flat, tired, and uninspired. It's certainly not funny. I'm not expecting lines to be lifted from the book verbatim, but it would be nice if they resembled the source material at least in tone and spirit. One of the things that defines Percy is his sense of humor. He doesn't have one in the script. When XXXX first acquired the book, I was told one of the main selling points was the humor. Why then do we want to settle for a script that is completely devoid of the story's trademark humor?" - Rick Riordan in his letter to the movie producers.

Well, well, well look at the pot calling the kettle black. But in all honesty this perfectly captures my feelings about the show. I've watched the first season and I'm beyond disappointed. It has such potential, but it is wasted by horrible editing, a horrendous amount of exposition, lacklustre writing and bad directing. Where's the fun? Where's the action? Where's the friendship?

The show really lacks suspense. There is no build up in the (very few and extremely short) action scenes, and it doesn't utilize music to create atmosphere. The car chase scene is a perfect example of that. They don't try to be creative with camera angles and make it fun, and the dialogue is very stilted. I think I might have been too harsh on the actors in my original review. I really liked Leah Jeffries as Annabeth and Charlie Bushnell as Luke from the get go. But I was unsure about Walker Scobell and Aryan Simhadri as Percy and Grover. My main gripe was that Scobell didn't emote in serious scenes, but I mostly blamed the director for that. I still do, they are children and in need of directing. There are however some scenes where Scobell really shines when he is allowed more freedom and isn't held back by the script. The issue is the writing. Percy is nothing like Percy because they've stripped him of all his sass, he doesn't use insults to counter bullying, we're not laughing with him but at him for most of the time. The same goes for all the other characters they suffer from a script that doesn't take time to develop them as people, their relationships etc. Grover is one that is hit hardest by this. I've seen interviews with the main three and they have such a great and fund dynamic which is why it's such a shame that the showrunners didn't utilize it. I really hopes it improves in season 2, and that the actors gets a chance to do the characters justice because I really believe they can if the writers and producers etc. Doesn't let them down again.

Another thing that is a shame is that they rushed through everything so that Luke and Annabeth's relationship isn't developed in a good way. We need to be shown not told about it. Same thing for Percy's friendship with Luke. Also, some changes they made were just baffling because of how it will impact the story later on. The biggest one being Hades personality, changing that changes Nico which is horrible in my opinion. Overall it was just a lacklustre show to me, but I hope they take the criticism to heart and season 2 is good because it has potential.