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melanie-fell
Reviews
Snack Shack (2024)
Unexpectedly good
I thought this was going to be just another teen buddy "epic summer" movie, but it ended up being so much more. I'm really glad I watched this one.
The acting was top-notch, and never did I once feel like I was watching someone act. This really got me in the feels. I thought the writing was really good, and my only gripe was that some of the slang wasn't right and it stuck out like a sore thumb to me, really taking me out of the flow. Being just out of my teens in 1991, I know I never used or even heard the phrase "that was cringe" until very recently. The movie brought back fond memories of the local pool and snack shack from all those summers way back when.
I thought the characters themselves were very strong, and I found myself thinking that Moose would either end up a billionaire or flat broke, and I would want to know his story either way. The relationship between AJ and Moose felt so real, and I loved the yin and yang of their personalities. I didn't buy into Brooke totally though - she seemed a lot older than these 14-going-on-15 year old boys, yet she was really into them, and that took me out of my absorption in the movie on occasion.
I was expecting a silly picture, and ended up with a little gem. Very good movie all around.
Dinosaur (2024)
What a gem of a show!!
I was so lucky that Hulu recommended this show to me. It was such a terrific combination of sweet, funny, and heartfelt. The show revolves around Nina, a late 20-something post-doc autistic woman who works at the museum in Glasgow as a paleontologist. She has an incredible relationship with her sister, and Nina's structured life is about to come to an end when her sister announces her engagement to a guy she has only been dating for 6 weeks.
The story and the acting was just wonderful. The creator and actress playing Nina is Ashley Storrie, who is autistic. She handles the balance of entertainment and neurodivergence beautifully. She is so personable and likeable that I was sincerely sad when I finished the last episode. I actually binged the entire thing in one sitting, and it definitely left me wishing for a second season. It's doubtful because this wrapped up beautifully, but I will definitely be looking for more of Ashley Storrie's work.
It was produced by "Fleabag" producer Two Brothers, and it shows. Fleabag is a brilliant show.
Watch this series. It's really excellent. (And Fleabag too.)
The Wedding Veil Unveiled (2022)
Not so bene
This did not start off well, and remained lukewarm at best. The only things that kept it afloat were the gorgeous scenery and Paolo. The opening scene was as wooden as it gets, and when Emma and Paolo are first introduced she is so unbelievably unlikeable I want to kick her off the vaporetto platform into the canal. She is apologizing to the people she is obviously holding up in line, but refuses help and continues to stab at buttons on the ticket machine. Then she continues to be a nightmare in scene after scene as Paolo continues to be charming - the contrast is not pleasant to watch. Her character never seems to get off the ground and I never warmed up to her. Her acting was uninspired and I did not believe anything she said or did - she was bubbly but bland. Zero depth. On the other hand, Paolo and Francesca were delightful, and I very much enjoyed their performances.
It was ridiculous that Nonna was celebrating her 85th birthday. The actress is 65 in real life, and looked it.
What was the point of uncovering Arianna's illegitimate child and her will? This was so random and went nowhere. I thought maybe it would have ended up being a source of funds for Luca's tuition, but it just went nowhere. I also thought the forboding way Emma's boss warned her about consequences for allowing Luca to audit just fizzling into nothing was nonsense.
This was a disappointment, but I must be a glutton for punishment because I'm still going to watch the last movie in the trilogy.
The Wedding Veil (2022)
Great story, beautiful scenery
This was a top-notch formulaic Hallmark movie. It was well-acted, which is unfortunately not the norm, so I really enjoyed this one. The scenery was really special. I am lucky enough to have lived in every city that was shown in this movie, and they made everything look amazing. I felt like I was right there with them along their walks in Chinatown and Nob Hill and the Tea Gardens in San Francisco, and I especially loved all of the Boston scenes. I am looking forward to the sequels in Chicago (where I lived the longest) and New York. I like the chemistry between the 3 women - their friendship seemed genuine.
I liked Peter and Avery's chemistry immediately. There were sparks and it was fun to watch that develop. I did feel that it was a little silly how long Peter let it go without asking any questions directly about Avery's supposed wedding, but it wouldn't be a Hallmark movie without a misunderstanding. I have to say that if I were Avery, I wouldn't trust Peter as far as I could throw him. Any time something didn't go his way, he drastically pulled away without ever handling it like a grown up. I can't imagine a future with a man like that.
The biggest disappointment was the wedding ceremony. We are told many times that Avery grew up attending over a hundred weddings and believed so strongly in love. So why have I never heard a minister say more boring, nondescript, nothing vows? I don't think I've heard vows as bland and empty in any movie, show, book, or real life. It was such a major disappointment, and seemed especially strange given how often the movie hammered the point that Avery is such a romantic. I mean, literally no vows whatsoever?? That made no sense, and took me out of the movie a bit. It was also ridiculous that they didn't realize that the veil they found at the antique store matched the one in the painting. I know my expectations should be low in Hallmark movies, but come on.
Overall, this definitely was worth watching, even for the gorgeous scenery alone.
Life on Mars (2006)
Such a fascinating show
I'm late to the party with Life on Mars. I started watching it many years ago, but didn't stick with it for some reason. I'm watching it again and I'm finding it absolutely fascinating. It's not just the cool concept, the interesting storylines, and the excellent acting - it's the shocking differences in how things were handled both in and out of the police department in the early 1970's. The utter misogyny is revolting. Truly disgusting at times. The lack of proper police procedure, the use of physical violence, the lack of proper resources - it's absolutely wild. Ambulance drivers have zero EMT training and are helpless to do anything other than act as a fast cab driver. Paper records that are nearly impossible to cross-check or even keep track of. The threats of planting evidence and threatening reluctant WITNESSES with trumped-up charges. Sheesh - I could go on and on. Plus I don't know how 99% of the population didn't just drop dead from lung cancer.
I am a product of that era, and I am incredibly grateful to the women that went before me, enduring that disgusting behavior, demanding respect and (more) equal rights. The improvements in police procedure, protection of the rights of suspects, and advancements in criminology is incredible, and so evident through Sam's frustration. I'm so glad I decided to watch this series.
A Scottish Love Scheme (2024)
Solid storyline, bland female lead
I enjoyed this sweet story, and it was nice that is wasn't the same cookie-cutter Hallmark movie. The scenery was lovely and made me want to visit Scotland. Unfortunately I was not a fan of the main character Lily, who came across as emotionless to me. That may have been because her entire face was immobilized by Botox, and she had literally the same expression when showing surprise, laughter, and sorrow. It was very off-putting and I found it hard to concentrate on what she was saying. I enjoyed the sincerity of the male lead and his son, and there was a lot of chemistry with most of the cast.
The Lovers (2023)
Cute, but the chemistry was missing
If half stars were allowed, I would give this a 7.5. I enjoyed the premise, but there was no chemistry between the two main actors. Without that chemistry, it was hard to buy into all of the urgency and sacrifices that were made. I enjoyed the Seamus character, but Janet was a bit one-note. I don't know if there will be a second season, but I would watch it despite my low-level disappointment.
I also was intrigued by the England/Ireland subplot. As an American I have only a little knowledge of The Troubles, and this show made it easy to see how far-reaching the conflict has been.
Overall, enjoyed it, but was a bit let down by the lack of chemistry, which is the foundation of all that follows.
Magic Mike's Last Dance (2023)
An 11 year old (!) voices over this utter trash
Oh man, what an awful, awful movie. Please do not waste your money and see this in the theater. Definitely worth a rental at home, and just fast forward to two parts: (1) The incredible dancing of the Italian ballet dancer about midway through, and (2) Literally the end of the movie for the two dance routines.
The opening solo dance Channing Tatum does for (and all over) Selma Hayek is extremely hot, but also *very* cringey, and literally turns him into a hooker. The only time any of the old crew appears is in a 2 minute cameo via a constantly freezing Zoom call that apparently had less reception than two tin cans and a piece of string.
This was almost puzzlingly bad. Absolutely zero chemistry between literally anyone in this film other than the final dance; a plot that made absolutely NO sense; moronic dialogue; the 100% unnecessary narrative that Selma Hayek's 11-year-old daughter gives MULTIPLE times over sexual material (?!?!); a slew of little subplots that were meaningless and cluttered up the already ridiculous main plot; the world's weirdest, and again 100% unnecessary, INTERMISSION KITTEN POSTER thrown into the film for a moment (Soderbergh just laughing at this disaster of a movie??); an unhinged leading lady; and sadly, very, very little dancing.
What a terrible mess. Laughably bad, and such a disappointment. The Magic Mike trilogy went out not with a bang (other than the for-hire bangs), but with an unintelligible whisper.