rjf-01042's Reviews

A Harvest Homecoming (2023 TV Movie)

10/10

1 October 2023

As with all of Trevor's movies, this one did not disappoint. He has the experience and presence needed to carry a film like this, and I always enjoy everyone with whom he works. You can see there's a clear dynamic when it all finally comes together.

And the chemistry with Trevor and Lowndes, I thought, was I spot on. Just the way they looked at each other made me have to realize that this acting, not real life. In other words, as much as this is fantasy it came off as real many times. As for the storyline. It's romance, and I expected it to be romance.

I thought there was an extra added bonus when Trevor did a song. And I am certain that if he put together a mainstream country act he could take it on the road. And then headline in Nashville. (You really need to do this Trevor.)

I think the only two things that bothered me were, one, the low-end sets. They looked as if someone's grandmother did them in that cheap folksy way. But I won't blame the cast or the story for that. And honestly, I did get beyond the cheap sets eventually once you get into the story and the way it is executed.

I guess the other thing that bothered me was the way the movie was promoted at times. There was this odd little group of fans on one social media platform trying to promote. Just odd. With films like this and a headliner like Trevor, all you really need IS Trevor. You don't need any other interference unless it is subtle and tasteful.

I would recommend it to anyone who loves to escape into the world of romance. You won't be disappointed.

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Who Are You People (2023)

1/10

No Surprises

28 February 2023

It's an interesting time in the movie industry with all these low budget films being knocked out one after the other. And mostly with aging film actors who had their day years ago in big box office features or hit TV shows. The problem is that they aren't very good, and they leave the viewer expecting much more than they promise. In this case with "Who Are You People" it's simply just another cliche with a predictable storyline you can guess in the first half hour. Ironically, the younger actors seem to bring more nuance and interest to the film than the older actors who come off as wooden and vapid. There's is obviously a reason why Alyssa Milano never did much more than a TV sitcom. And that doesn't help the predictable storyline in this case. I'm sure there will be some who enjoy this type of cliche, and sometimes even I enjoy them. But it's hard to do that in this case with they was it was all presented. On the other hand, it's a lot better than most of the other one star films out there...kind of like the 10 star film of the one stars.

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The Recruit (2022– )

10/10

The Double Standard with Men on the TV Series "The Recruit"

2 January 2023

First, I gave this show 10 stars just for Noah Centineo.

With that said, I started watching a Netflix series titled, The Recruit, starring Noah Centineo. It's not the best series I've ever seen, but Centineo works hard to make it interesting and I'll keep watching until the last episode. This is a classic example of an actor carrying the entire series. Without Centineo, no one else on the show is worth mentioning or watching. And bravo to Centineo because that's not easy to do. He really is that good.

However, there is one thing about this series that bothers me. And it's clearly not the first time I've seen this. Hollywood has this ridiculous mentality that men should be treated differently than women, especially with regard to sex. And it irritates me every time I see it.

In this case, Centineo's character, Owen, is an attorney with the CIA. He's young, inexperienced, and filled with crippling anxiety. And even though he comes across as bright and creative, the women in the show are constantly demeaning him. No wonder he has anxiety. They objectify him sexually, they make lewd and silly sexual comments, and they even go so far as to cross the lines and physically assault him by grabbing him in certain places without his consent.

And Noah is a good sport about it, just like all the other attractive men I see who experience this on TV. And it's not only on TV. I follow one actor on social media and the way these women in real life objectify him is absolutely revolting. They even put their hands all over him, without consent.

It's a double standard that is never called out for what it is. If any man were to treat any woman this disrespectful way, they would be screaming everything from misogyny to rape culture. The men would be considered sexual predators. But somehow they find it okay for women to do this to attractive young men.

It's nauseating.

In any event, you can support Noah Centineo by watching the series. It's definitely worth watching, in spite of the predatory women.

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Firefly Lane (2021–2023)

1/10

The Awful and Horrible Way Women Writers Treat Gay Characters in Netflix's Firefly Lane

17 December 2022

Warning: Spoilers

There is a series on Netflix that Tony and I started watching a few years ago. At the time it was season one of Firefly Lane. Well, like most TV these days the series didn't return for a few years and by that time you stop caring about the storyline and the characters, and it takes time to get back into the show.

Season 2 of Firefly Lane dropped recently and Tony and I have been giving it a try. It's schmaltz and it's not the kind of genre we normally watch, but up until recently we didn't dislike it.

I really don't like to review TV shows or movies, but sometimes it has to happen. And after watching last night's episode of Firefly Lane I just want to warn gay men about it. There is an ongoing storyline where one of the main characters has a gay brother. He's in the closet for all of season one, and he finally came out last night during season 2. All his life he's been hiding who he really is. He was even married to a woman and has a kid. And that is plausible. It happens.

First, the coming out part could have been handled differently. I've never known a gay man to come out exactly the way he did. But I can forgive that and move forward. The one thing I can't forgive is the way they treated this gay character after he came out. His sister comes up to him to offer all of her heartfelt straight woman support, with all of her straight privilege, and she suggests they go out to a gay bar and celebrate.

And that's when I gagged. Not only did they go to a gay bar, they brought along another girlfriend, so it turned out to be girlfriend night at the gay bar. And the gay men in the bar were waving their hands and lisping so fast I had cringe. All the gay stereotypes came out. Now I know this is part of gay culture, too, but in all my life as a gay man I have never seen it so exaggerated. And that's when I turned to Tony and said, "this has to be written by a straight woman."

Sure enough, it's not only written by women it was created by women and it's based on a book that was written by a woman. I have nothing against women. I have wonderful women friends. But couldn't they have called in a gay man with whom to consult? Just so they would get the gay aspects right and they wouldn't have give their own take on what it's like to be a gay man who just came out. Oh, they were way out of their lane and this time they should know it. And this is why non-gay people should not be writing gay content.

As for the rest of season 2, I won't be watching. I'm done.

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