Reviews

I watched this only because of the Dylan McDermott character in Ryan Murphys Hollywoodland . I think this guy was who he was based on. Though that character was way more endearing than this man. Basically the guy was a male escort and a pimp who wrote a book as an old man & told the secrets of people who for whatever reason did not want them revealed if they would have come out themselves . I can see how the gay community celebrates him giving a place for people to be themselves who could not at that time live how they wanted in public . But to me this man is nothing but a narcissist trying to get attention . I've had these old narcissistic men in my own family and have watched how their selfishness has ruined lives. This man seems no different . Grasping at all the attention he can get in his old age. Not only is this man a hoarder. He also glorifies and defends child abuse( including his own) . He is a sad old man & I felt like I needed to take a shower to get the grime off me after watching this. While his stories seem to be largely backed up by other old men . The way he seems to think anything goes and ascribes to no moral code whatsoever as long as it benefits him. Also given his age and the tendency for old narcissists to rewrite history . Why would anyone believe him? Skip this one and watch Ryan Murphys series instead .

I loved the first season of this show. I didn't remember much about the second season . But I just rewatched it all since they are releasing the 3rd season in September. I am stunned at how bad the second season is in comparison to the first. The build of of tension and suspense in the first season was non existent in the second. Alex Levy's "breakdown"s worked ok in the first season but by the time she closed the show with her covid induced tantrum / rant . I was so bored I was falling asleep and definitely hated the character. They pretty much messed up every great character in this show .Bradley didn't just have a moment of questioning how to handle who she is and her personal & professional relationships. They turned her into a whiney baby who didn't just fall in love but became wide eyes and too dependent on her new love. Instead of really leaning into that relationship between her and Laura . The writing felt false and contrived . When Bradley busted into the hospital to find her brother at the end. She seemed like a completely different character . Suddenly the truth teller who cared so much about others didn't seem to care about what was happening with covid . Busted into a hospital( illegally and maskless) to find her brother . Who cares who she exposed and who was dying around her. Totally inconsistent with the character in the first season. The only decent storyline was killing off Mitch suddenly & the aftermath of someone's death who was a complicated person. They really should have ended the season with that cliffhanger . Because the last couple of episodes were almost unwatchable . I feel like they teased us with little bits of possible great characters , like Stella , Laura and Sarah Paulsons partner in real life whose name escapes me but is excellent in everything she does. They barely gave us any of the cute yanko Claire romance . Let us think we might see Charlie actually happy, but then turned him back into someone who is far too obsessed with Alex. The Daniel storyline was a disappointment, they could have let us see more into Mia's life . But nope they gave that screen time to Jennifer Anniston doing next to nothing most of the season. Driving in the car in Italy , having breakdowns in her apartment , being sick and delusional with covid , chopping wood in Main. Limping around Vegas threatening journalists. In fact her character barely had any time when she wasn't angry , sick , sad & whiny . They went way too far trying to make Alex a complicated and real person with a dark side and just made her obnoxious . In fact most of the characters were obnoxious this season. Even sweet Corey wasn't fun to watch. I don't blame the actors . I think the writing was just bad the second season. Further complicated by the covid storyline which a lot of shows struggled with . I'm sure they had to get creative on how to film. But it seemed like it would have been better to cut the season short and film the rest after covid. The concept of this show is great. I love the cast. I just hope they can redeem it in season 3.

I really wanted to like this show. I'm a big Euphoria fan & it looked like it could be similar. Both shows push limits , but that is where the similarities end. While there are characters in Euphoria I actually liked and were rooting for. The characters in this show range from flat and boring to completely obnoxious and unbearable ( I'm looking at you " Weekend") The 1 star I gave was for DaVine , who definitely needs more roles that showcase her talent & the only enjoyable character . The Chloe characters voice and the 3 seconds Dan Levy was on screen so far.

Why they didn't lean more into great actors who played Jocelyns management team , I don't know. I guess they thought all of the crazy sex scenes would push the limits enough to attract attention. Instead it ended up pushing the series straight off of a cliff By the 4th episode ,I found myself rolling my eyes at yet another pointless exploitive sex scene that was unnecessary and didn't add anything to the actual story . Which (I guess )was supposed to be about the deep dark underbelly of the entertainment world. Not really a new concept , but could have worked if it hadn't been for the overuse of sex , torture and humiliation as shock value. Which was so overused and so badly acted it wasn't shocking, it was embarrassing.

Speaking of which . I was never really a "weekend " fan. I didn't listen to him other than occasionally on the radio . I always thought he was a bit overhyped . I felt bad that someone has told him he was is good enough actor at this point in his career attempt to pull off this role. I guess if he was trying to make us hate him. Mission accomplished. If he was supposed to be believable, sexy or talented . Unfortunately, this was a huge fail.

I think Lilly Rose Depp is also overhyped because of her dad. But I do think she did a better acting job than "Abel " or Weekend ", or whoever he is choosing to be. I find it hilarious that there were big headlines about him not being "the weekend "anymore and wanting to be taken seriously as an actor and use his own name now. Yet the series obviously used his stage name to get viewers. He is billed right there under the title ,not just as Abel. But "the weekend ." Nice shamelessness . Right up there beside using the Depp name to draw viewers. Which it did successfully .Though I doubt it can keep them.

I almost feel like this show is just a vanity project for The Weekend . While Sam Levinson actually has the proven talent to back up where his ego had to have been to attempt this circus. He overshot and missed the mark completely .

Unless the 5th and last episode ( please God let it be the last ever) is a completely different show. This thing needs to be buried or burned or whatever you do with dead smelly decaying things .

This documentary is 4 hours of interviews with the same people speculating on crime from years ago. This could have been a one hour 20/20 and it would have been better. I feel for the brother . But this is one of the most boring documentaries I've ever watched . I slept through half of it and missed nothing. I ended up fast forwarding it to the end . Which was just more of the same bad re enactments they show through out the film. There was nothing exciting or redeeming about this project . It made me wish the brother had spent his time and money on therapy and trying to heal his relationships with his parents. Rather than drag us along for the same accusations and interviews , only to find out that the parents weren't suspects after all. I am stunned HBO actually made this. Someone has too much time and money on their hands . Just a thought ,with so many young indigenous women missing , how about HBO spending money time and resources trying to solve those murders! How about this brother setting up a no profit in his sisters name to find other missing teens. Instead of beating to death a million year old case that has lead to nothing . Do yourself a favor and skip this.

This movie is horrible. Such an important topic . Yet the script is horrible . There was zero character development . In spite of the star power, the acting was really bad. I would like to say people wouldn't be so clueless. But I know better. But because the characters were so one dimensional , you could never really root for any of them. Even the poor kid. Unfortunate that such an important film was made so poorly .

The part that made me the maddest was the portrayal of the medical staff who never would have spoken to the parents that way in front of their son. They would have met with the parents before they brought the kid in. This film was just bad. All around . Anthony Hopkins as the narcissist a hole dad was the only believable acting .

I gave this movie 3 stars out of respect for the legacy of Whitney Houston . But I felt it did not do her the justice she deserved. The parts it did show , just made me sad . To me this seems like just one more person who was never truly able to be herself & make a life with the person she truly loved. A strong woman who felt she had no choice but to follow everyone else's expectations . The one place she seemed to have unconditional support was with Clive Owen. The movie did portray that relationship in a sweet light. He seemed to be the true father figure she was looking for ,in spite of her father being around and involved . This movie only hinted at how the relationships in her life affected and defined her. It hinted at her fathers control and betrayal through our. She caught him being inappropriate with his secretary, but then left us to guess if that was what caused her parents to divorce . Or were they divorced the whole time? Her family was a huge part of her life , yet didn't give us a deeper look at it. The movie also didn't give a a solid sense of what kept her coming back to Bobby Brown for so long in spite of the abuse and infidelity. It didn't really capture the love she had for her daughter either. Or showed us clearly when the drugs really became an issue & why she started using even after stating it wasn't Bobby's fault . So what happened ? Pressure to be who she wasn't ? To be what everyone else wanted her to be? Looking for something in him she couldn't find? There could have been some great scenes written around her deeper feelings . Yet there was something lacking in the writing and performances that didn't really allow me to connect and be touched by her story . Which is ultimately both a triumph for the barriers she broke and the legacy she left in the entertainment world . And a tragedy for the ways she was betrayed (as so many are) by a family and society who wanted her to be only what they wanted her to be. I know there is a better way to celebrate the life and talent of Whitney Houston. This just wasn't it. I hope someone takes a shot at telling her story again . She was more than just " the voice "

The 2 stars I gave this film go to each of the Duplass brothers , because I respect their work. I feel bad giving this such a low score , but this movie was bad. I was hoping it would be a comedic take on the tv show " The Slap" . Which I really enjoyed a few years back .

The previews of this made me laugh. I thought I was going to watch a relatable comedy about different parenting styles and what can happen to a close knit group of friends as they begin to age and have children.

Unfortunately, my thought process while watching this went from " ok , these characters are a little bit over the top and exaggerated, but it's kind of funny and I kind of get where they are going ..." to " I hate every one of this weird group and don't care what happens to any of them".

I wanted to root for the main couple , but I found myself wishing Mani would have swam to shore & caught the next plane home to surprise his mom for her Birthday . Before he filed for divorce ! I did like the character of Manis mom. Being a mom of a grown son about to have his first child , I found her texts to him hilarious and relatable . But she wasn't in the film enough to make a difference . The couple who were getting married could have been cute , but I couldn't get past the feeling that the one with the gun was having some serious anxiety &mental health issues related to her baby . Seems someone needed to take that gun away and she needed a good therapist more than an island wedding . Them firing a gun in the air at the end was just one more bizarre thing that made no sense . But at that point ,I had given up trying to make sense of any of those characters. They were all self absorbed ( not just and obnoxious. To be fair , the non gun toting , seemingly more mentally stable part of the couple who was getting married s was more likable than the rest of them . I found it odd that the woman who dropped the baby had also slept with just about everyone in that friend group and they all still seemed to have some unresolved feelings involving her, yet it was never really addressed as anymore than a passing thought . The worst part though ,was the sex obsessed kid . Maybe I am just very naive and sheltered , but I don't know any parents that would defend their kids use of porn in public with no headphones , no matter how" sex positive" they are. Then the whole part about him getting off at the table ?Gross , Ridiculous & not funny at all. I know I was supposed to be won over by mani & lexis sudden willingness to move. And sacrifice for each other , at least in that brief moment, after all the awful things the audience had to endure about them before that. But all I could think was " wow , that poor kid" and also "these people are a marriage and family therapists dream ! " I think the end sums up the whole movie for me. Instead of something enjoyable and cute coming out of it, what was delivered instead was a big pile of crap. Better luck next time Duplass bros . I still love you and will watch your stuff !

I almost rented this during the pandemic because I like Elizabeth Mitchell . So glad I waited & didn't pay for it. Couldn't figure out weather this movie was supposed to be a kids movie or not. The kid actors were great . Unfortunately ,the plot and dialogue were lacking . They really should have cleaned up the language, lessened the drug use and made it a kids movie .

I hated that there was no accountability for the dirty cop ,other than him getting transferred to another precinct. Though that is probably more true to life than him getting held accountable. Also hated the black drug dealers were made to look scary with no redemption and death at the end. While the white drug dealers were painted to look like "good " kids with redemptive qualities who were just "doing the wrong thing". Yuck. I feel like this film was a waste of the talent of Elizabeth Mitchells talent as well as the talents of most of the kids in the cast.

Biopics are usually my favorite . I've seen some good ones about Marylin Monroe. This one was awful . After recently watching Netflix's Dahmer . I find it interesting that team of writers & directors managed to make a piece about a serial killer more watchable and more endearing than than a movie about a beloved icon. This poor woman's life was sad enough without literally making up more tragedy with no proof it happened. This film felt exploitive & wrong. Not just to her, but to others resurrected ,it seems ,just to use them for drama like the weird Charlie Chaplin Jr throuple. What was that about ? It made me sad to think these people who are long gone are having their lives acted out to generations who knew nothing of them , as just depraved and tragic . With the exception of the very brief moments on the beach with she and Arthur Miller. There was nothing kind , nothing redemptive or uplifting about this film. I also don't understand the weird graphic prolife moments and what the point was of that except to try for that NC 17 rating maybe? Or to be controversial . Honestly , If they felt the need to tell this story yet again. Which is fine and can work really well, ( See "Elvis") Maybe they should have commissioned Ryan Murphys team to do it. I think it would have at least been done fairly and a more tastefully than this.

I grew up watching the original" It "movie, on Sunday afternoon tv. I loved it and it was the right amount of scary for me as a teen. I was so excited when the remake came out. Thinking it would definitely be an improvement with so much new technology. Unfortunately that is one of the things I think sunk this movie . Too much reliance on really bad visual effects that didn't make much sense to the storyline. The over use of CGI and cheap scares made this movie nearly unwatchable . The movie got lost in all of the silly scare tactics ,when it should have relied more on the emotional connection of the characters , especially with the cast it had . Both the young actors and their grown up counterparts acted their hearts out, but even that couldn't save the poor writing and directing of this movie . Bill Hader is hilarious and a big reason I was drawn to sit through over 2 hours of this nonsense . But a large quantity of poorly timed jokes and one liners was something even Bill Hader couldn't quite overcome. What could have been a kind of touching scene of Richie finally figuring out at the end ,that he loved Eddie all along, elicited nothing more than a blank stare and shrug from this audience ,because the rest of the movie was mind numbing and left us all exhausted. Not to mention thankful we didn't pay to see this in theatre! I am sorry for anyone who did spend their hard earned cash on this. 2 more things before put this review out of its misery . One , what was with the very disturbing display of homophobia and a horrific hate Crimea's the beginning that no one in the town seemed to care about? You know , the one that went absolutely nowhere and was pointless ? Why? What was the point in throwing that very serious real life issue in there ,as if it were nothing ? In a movie filled with disappointments this is amongst the worst offenders . Two, in spite of it all, Bill skarsguard is a genius and even faced with a very lacking script , did a great job at playing the menacing and very naughty pennywise , down to his last breath. I gave one star for Skarsegaurd and the other for the rest of the actors that tried so very hard in this film. Do yourself a favor and watch the made for tv version from the early 90s.

What on earth were these people thinking ending the series like this? I loved this series and thought it was brilliant . I realize there were issues with Jeffrey Tambor and he needed to be written out. But why on earth turn it into a musical . This series could have wrapped up any loose ends and said goodbye without the ridiculous campy musical . It was way too out there and really cheapened the series . The only good parts in the whole finale was Alexandra Billings singing at the funeral. Josh seeing his grandchild and professing his love to Rabbi Raquel ( and even then they turned it into a corny unnecessary song that took away from the emotion of the moment) . I also enjoyed the (under the radar )" Six Feet under "tribute when Raine Wilson ( or at least it looked like I Him ) was the undertaker . I think Jill soloway wrote for that show , so I am guessing that was purposeful and brilliant .

I just finished this series , and the main feeling I am left with is confusion ! I started the first episode when it premiered . I found it slow ,and ended up turning it off half way through. It was also annoying that they only released one of these a week . Which leads to my first question . Why would they do that on a paid subscription channel that is known for releasing whole seasons of shows?! Unfortunately ,my questions about this series did not end with that one. My main question was, what on earth did this have to do with the Romanoffs? It looked to me ,from the odd opening credits, that they were implying one of the daughters made it out of that room and escaped through the woods in a blue cloak . Only to turn up in a modern day city . Which ,to me ,implied that the descendants of this woman were , or are ,still alive . Yet ,even though there was a mention of these people being descendants (or pretending to be ), of this notorious family . There was really nothing that explained how they were tied to the family , or to each other . In fact , the stories really had nothing to do with each other . This was basically a series of 8 films . All unique and different . Some , almost unwatchable, others enjoyable and intriguing . One of them was so poorly acted I couldn't even finish watching it. I was confused through most of the episodes , left at the end saying " what the hell did I just watch ?" Yet I was intrigued enough to keep watching ! I kept waiting for them to be tied together somehow . I'm still waiting for that ... My favorite episode , by far, was the last one . In fact , I think it could have stood alone as a prime orginal movie and been very well recieved . From the reviews I've read , that has not been the case for the series as a whole. As far a recommending it to others ? I don't think I would. However , if you are looking for a cute , kind of "love story" , and can get past the slow pace and subtitles at the beginning , the first episode might be worth watching I would definitely recommend the last episode! I wish All of the episodes had left me as entertained and intrigued as the last one did. The episode titled " expectations " was also pretty enjoyable ,and shorter than the others. The rest of them left me shaking my head and wondering "Is this really the same guy that brought us Mad Men? " . The talents of Christina Hendricks , John Slattery, Diane Lane , Andrew Ranelles , and Noah Wylie were completely wasted. If you are like me and have read all of the bad reviews on one stars. Instead of skipping the whole series ( as I probably would have done if I had read the reviews before I watched ) Tune into the last episode first ! You won't be missing anything if you only watch that one.

I thought this might be a fun movie for a fall afternoon. The kind that is deliciously haunting . One that will give you a bit of mystery and a little scream here and there . But not so disturbing that it would you up at night . Sad to say this movie was neither. If anything , it was a waste of time and talent for Dylan Minette and Sharif Atkins ! Both have been amazing in other roles. This movie started out promising, but slow. The problem is , the pace really never quickened. There were some mysteries or questions that I thought might be tied together at the end. Unfortunately there really was no end. It looked as if the filmmakers said. " ok , let's leave this where we are ,and come back and shoot the rest tomorrow ."Then forgot to come back! No resolution , no mystery , no twist and no explanation ! This is truly one of the dumbest, movies I have ever seen . Completely pointless . Not the least bit enjoyable . I kept watching hoping it could be redeemed. No such luck. What kind of a movie kills off both leads with no explanation. ? Who was the killer ? What was his story ? Was it the Alzheimer's woman? Was it her husband that she said died, then said he was alive ? There were so many directions this movie could have taken to make it at least an ok . Maybe a 3 or 4 . Unfortunately it didn't take any of them.