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kmary0622
Reviews
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (2023)
So much of my childhood
First, let me say my parents were not in this cult. And it is a cult. I thank God we didn't live in an area where my dad could be influenced by Bill Gothard because even without that influence I see so much of my conservative Christian upbringing in this documentary. It's scary but also makes me stronger because I know the path I've chosen for myself and my kids is so much better. I've been working so hard the past few years to come to terms with the trauma and insecurities from my conservative upbringing and I'm still battling that because I regularly have to deal with family, but this series spoke to me. I really identified with so many of the teachings the Duggar kids were raised with. It was like watching my high school and college years again and scares me because I have so many friends from youth who have strictly homeschooled their kids. But I'm so glad I've found myself.
That '90s Show (2023)
I don't get the hate
I was a teenager when that '70s Show was on and loved it. Now we have that '90s Show which takes place when I was an actual teenager. OMG
Love the cameos. Love Red and Kitty (Kitty is my favorite all time TV mom and her laugh is amazing - Lois from Malcom in the Middle is second) so automatically, that's a plus. Loved that everyone signed on to come back even if it was just a short part - and loved that Danny Masterson was out because while I loved Hyde in the original he's a garbage person in real life who should be in prison. I thought it was funny. Jokes that reminded me of the original, plus throwbacks to the original, plus callbacks to the 90s that made me laugh so much because I'd totally forgotten some things. Brian Austin Green?! Amazing!
I loved Jay and Leia's casting. They were good, I bought them as children of the original cast, and Jay's "Burn!" sounds so much like Ashton it cracked me up. I went in hesitant but overall really liked it and look forward to more.
The Walking Dead: For Blood (2021)
Poor writing
I'm soooo disappointed in the writing. We're 12 years into the apocalypse at this point so there is NO way anyone is hot wiring a truck. Gasoline has an expiration date. And it isn't long. It takes a simple google search to learn that. As a writer, I'm appalled at the poor attention to detail. I'm assuming they assumed the average person wouldn't know so it didn't matter but again, that's poor writing.
Also, Leah sucks. They finally give Daryl someone and she is awful. I seriously hate every time I have to see her face. She's garbage and I'm so disappointed.
And I need more characters so here they are.
Pray Away (2021)
My Upbringing
I was born in 1980, so grew up during this climate of "Pray the Gay Away" while living in a very, very conservative Christian home. As an adult who's experienced more of life and people, I cringe now when I think back on things I said - things that my parents and church had said and I dumbly repeated - that I actually thought were true. As a straight woman, I still struggle to unlearn the things I was always raised to believe, the things I SHOULD believe if I wanted to make my conservative Christian parents happy. So I cannot fathom how much pressure these young men and women felt when faced with the reality of who they are versus who they were supposed to be. I commend those who were able to find themselves despite the adversity they faced and mourn for those who could not.
I don't know if I could have transitioned in my views so quickly had it not been for my best friend, but when a parent of four watches someone else raise a child from birth who from the time "he" can talk says "he's" a girl, that person questions everything they've always thought was true. It also makes you ashamed of the assumptions you made about other people throughout your life when you had no business making them because you had NEVER met anyone who wasn't like you. (Or at least who didn't pretend to be like you.) As an adult who grew up in this time period, I now know sooo many people who identify with the LGTBQ+ community, and as an educated person, I know this is not a new thing. I also think my God is much bigger than the narrow-minded Christians who raised me believe He is, and I think that since He sent a rainbow to let Noah know it was okay to leave the Ark, He doesn't have an issue with rainbows other places either.
In short, this was like watching everything I'd been taught as a teen but getting a very intimate picture of the inner workings.
Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 (2022)
A good example of human nature
I write apocalyptic fiction so I love documentaries that show how how quickly people give in to that animalistic nature. My husband and I often go back-and-forth about things like this because I think people are basically bad and will flip pretty quickly given the right circumstances and he thinks people are basically good. I thought this was a fantastic example of how quickly people can switch to an animalistic/selfish violent nature and it really does validate all of the books I've written about the apocalypse and how people will react.
Secondly, I don't believe there are so few sexual assaults. I think thousands of women were sexually assaulted during this train wreck of a weekend a c just didn't report it. I cannot begin to imagine the trauma that has come out of this event.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022)
Gutted
I'm torn because while this show gutted me, I do not care about the teen characters at all. I was so focused on the moms because that's where I am. I am a mom of teenagers. And I hate thinking about my best friend dying while life just goes on around us. It's real but OMG it killed me to think about it.
Yes, it was a very young adult show. News flash: it's listed as young adult, so just don't get mad when you put on a young adult show. Some of these reviews are stupid.
I knew what I was putting on but I am a writer and write some young adult fiction so I turn on a young adult show every now and then especially when it's based on a book. This just was not what I expected because I thought it was more coming of age and instead it made me cry so hard. No embarrassment on my part. I don't care. I do think people who complain about it being juvenile when it's literally YOUNG ADULT are just dumb.
Dirty Rotten Cleaners (2021)
I like it
People are stupid. All these reviews complaining about the owners of ACS are idiots. Obviously if you have a well-established company, as the owner, you eventually get to stop working as much. That's just life! Josh and Lianny do not seem at all irritated by their job. They knew what they signed up for, and they are doing their job. Would I want to do it? No! But Josh has said over and over again it doesn't bother him and he loves his job. He also knows he's going to inherit the company one day! Duh. Make it work.
I find the process of cleaning up a property interesting. And I've learned multiple things. People are just ridiculous and judgmental. Just because it seems rehearsed and fake, and by the way it's a reality show so it is, doesn't mean Josh is unhappy.
Station Eleven (2021)
Loved it.
I had mixed feelings about the book. Yes, it was well written and had good moments, but it was very anti-climactic as well. This was very different from the book but in a fantastic way. Loved all of it. Loved the things they kept and the things they changed. Loved the expansion of the character back stories. Watching it for the second time. 100% recommend.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Great concept- for a series
Great concept and characters and potential unfulfilled.
Had this been a 5 episode series, it could have been phenomenal. I can imagine it. But there wasn't enough time to answer questions, fill in plot holes, and develop characters.
This is why I prefer a series in this era of streaming.
Pivoting: If She Could See Us Now (2022)
Sad
I feel like they make shows like this in hopes of relating to the average mom/married woman. You know how it goes: "life is hard, marriage is tough, being a mom sucks, etc."
This show is just sad and pathetic.
Seriously, it's sad when a woman has TWO kids has literally no idea what to do with her own children or when a woman is hoping to cheat rather than standing up for herself. NOT funny.
I'm a mother of four, stay at home mom for 10 years while my husband flew for the Air Force, now I have my own career. This show is pathetic. I want something that laughs at the difficulties of being a mom but doesn't make women look stupid. This makes women look stupid and sad and egotistical and selfish. It's not funny at all. I did not laugh once.
I cannot believe any self-respecting woman would agree to be in this show.
The Wilds (2020)
Different
EDITED: I'm so disappointed to find out this was canceled!
I started this expecting a female twist on Lord of the Flies, and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there was a major Lord of the Flies vibe to the show, but it was so much more.
As a writer of dystopian/apocalyptic fiction and lover of the genre, I'm always looking for something different, and this fit the bill. It had that "unknown" quality that made you want to keep watching and know more, in addition to some extremely well developed and diverse characters, which is really lacking in so many shows. There was a lot of controversy and fighting, but a lot of bonding as well. It was the perfect balance for a drama, and the character building and drama was spot on. Add to that the WTF factor, and I was hooked. Highly recommend.
Emily in Paris (2020)
Just started
I've only watch the first episode, but I'm appalled. I'm American. 100%. I've never lived in another country. However, I've been to Paris twice. I have several friends who are French and know people who live in France. This stereotype that French people are rude is horrible. I am frustrated by how the French are portrayed in this show. It is such a stereotype and it is ridiculous. Like I said, I've been to Paris twice - and I cannot wait to go back. Yes, I encountered some rude people. I also interact with rude people every single day in my own town. I also encountered so many friendly and helpful people who made my visits to France enjoyable and memorable that it makes my furious that anyone would continue this ridiculous stereotype. I'm do upset by this show because it's so close minded.
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
A moving memoir
The negative reviews from critics are interesting, however not surprising. There is a part of America that is the lower class "hillbilly" and/or "white trash" that is overlooked. In no way do I want to undermine minorities by saying that. As a white upper middle-class person I think most white middle-class people think of poor people as non-white people. However, since I did not grow up with money, I know that's not true. I've also been to Appalachia on a work project when I was a teenager with my church because I grew up in Ohio (actually close to where the author lived) and I've been to the area of Kentucky that he references, which is extremely poor white. I have seen the poverty these people live in.
The reviews are clearly made by people who have never experienced real life. While I have not read the book, I still acknowledge that this is someone's real life experience. Whether or not some critic wants to interpret it as someone's desire to create a new and perfect life for themselves, this was his real life experience. It's awesome that this critic was able to experience the perfect family environment and never have any kind of real trauma in his or her life, but the person who lived this was not so lucky. To critique a memoir, which is someone's interpretation of their real life experience (which is also them coming to terms with the things they've experienced and is also a form of therapy) and rate it poorly because they couldn't connect with it is, to put it frankly, low. (That was the strongest term I was allowed to use.) Good for you. Your life was awesome. If you can't connect with somebody who had a real struggle you shouldn't be a movie critic.
I found this movie to be very raw and moving and emotional. Was it probably 100% accurate? No. It's a memoir. It's based on somebody's interpretation of their life. I do not see my parents or grandparents exactly how they actually are/were, because I'm only seeing them through my eyes. That's life. This is through the author's eyes, and that's what should be absorbed. I'm sure my parents will interpret their actions extremely differently than I do. This, like all memoirs, is subjective. It's about our interpretation. It's also about healing and coming to terms with your life. If someone else does not get that, that's on them. We should all have a chance to heal.
Little Voice (2020)
Watch it for the music
Beautiful.
I throughly enjoyed the music but the character building was severely lacking. I needed more backstory for these characters/relationships to really, truly FEEL for them. Which was sad because I was thrilled by the diversity of the characters and backgrounds. I got a glimpse of who these people were, but that was all. I wanted more.
Black Summer (2019)
Really enjoyed it!
I really liked it. No, it wasn't TWD, but it was action packed and probably a more realistic depiction of how an outbreak would go, especially with fast zombies and especially in the beginning when the useless people were being weeded out. Yes, I screamed at the TV because it drove me nuts that most of these people didn't even TRY to arm themselves, but maybe that's how it would be. We have to consider the fact that this is a world where no one has every heard the word zombie, and even though these things are dangerous, the survivors are still seeing them as people. It would take some time to wrap your brain around the idea that it was okay to kill them even if they are attacking you. Regardless of what we think when watching a show like this, the average person wouldn't be able to pull the trigger and kill a person so easily.
Having said that, it seriously irritated me how stupid some of the people were and how they walked by dozens of things that could have been used as a weapon in the absence of guns. I'd personally rather carry around a lamp and try to use it to beat the things off me than walk around empty handed. Even if the lamp didn't save me, at least I tried! But really, no one had a baseball bat? Golf club? A knife from their kitchen??? What in the world?!
The Silence (2019)
Needed an hour more to build characters but that might have been torture...
First, let's talk about the people who are saying this is a rip off of A Quiet Place. THIS IS BASED ON A BOOK THAT WAS WRITTEN WAY BEFORE THAT MOVIE. It's not a rip off. It is totally possible for movies and/or books to have similar plots. People, writers especially, have similar ideas. That doesn't mean anyone stole anything from anyone else. Get over it.
Now let's talk about this movie. I agree that the acting was awful. Stanley Tucci and John Corbett are both good actors, but in this movie... It didn't work. It felt like they were acting, not living this apocalypse. It just didn't feel believable.
I also didn't care about the characters. It all started too fast with no real development of this group of people. I'd say the movie needed to be longer to develop them properly, but it was soooo boring I don't think I could handle watching another 10 minutes let alone the time it would need to build this plot and make me actually care.
The creatures were fine. It could have been believable if there had some more buildup of the story, but more importantly, I think a good portion of the plot from the book was lost in translation when they wrote the script. I could see how things were supposed to come together in the end, but with the movie it felt forced and unreal.
I really wanted to like this movie. I love apocalyptic fiction and I'm so sick of seeing the same movies regurgitated, so it's nice that this genre is getting some action suddenly. But this was not good. I was bored out of my mind.
It's really unfortunate.
Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018)
Cute movie
The reviews for this film are cracking me up.
Is the plot thin? Yes, of course! BUT it's like none of these people have EVER heard of Cyrano De Bergerac or Roxanne (1987, starring Steve Martin). It took me three seconds of watching the trailer to know this was inspired by the classic play. Is it far-fetched? Of course! People, although vain and ridiculous, are not this dumb. But this movie was cute and the cast was great and it was so enjoyable, and I have no doubt that when Edmond Rostand wrote it, he knew it was far-fetched.
I loved it.
A very enjoyable film!