FrannyFine Reviews

Monster (III) (2023)

Very good film. Ignore the bad reviews.

[9/10 · 23 May 2024]

Whoever gave this a bad review is obviously one who cannot be entertained when a movie has no dialogue. At first I was a bit sceptical. When I saw that the victims were young children I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it. And I told myself that if it goes too far (you know what I mean) I would turn it off.

There was a part when I fast forwarded a bit (I couldn't bare hearing the kids screaming while gagged), however this didn't last long and within moments I was hooked. The fact there was no dialogue made it more intense. Think A Quiet Place.

Yes there were a few unrealistic scenes, especially how did he leave the girl for such a long time in the car (or so he thought) without ever checking if she was still there and hadn't escaped. It was a nice twist that his accomplice was a woman and at first it would have you asking the question, is she unaware of what her husband is up to or is she part of it too?

Those who commented there was no explanation as to why the children were kidnapped, um yes there was. The bedroom with the cameras, the photos and tapes the girl found? No one can be that naive. Getting rid of the bodies was so they wouldn't get caught.

And if you're upset about too many cliche's and unrealistic scenes, you've got to remember that this is a horror film centred around 10 year old kids. No one wants to see children being treated grotesquely. The film got the point across without showing too much. Why would you need to see more?

The Unforgivable (2021)

Hits you harder the second time you watch it.

[10/10 · 1 March 2024]

You have to watch this movie twice. It has a far stronger effect the second time around because you already know the story. I can't say a lot of movies are like that. I've always loved Sandra Bullock and she was more than exceptional in this film. As for the complaints about the ending I too felt that way the first time round, but watching it again you can put the outcome together yourself based on the history and events. This movie is definitely worth a watch, or two.

As a finishing note I'll say that the only thing (and I stress the only thing) that annoyed me a bit was that the little sister seemed to not do much other than play the piano. I would have liked a bit more character depth for her.

13 Minutes (2021)

Where's the rest of it? ***Spoilers ahead***

[4/10 · 1 September 2023]

Got to the last 12 minutes and I was certain this was the pilot of a mini series. Nope. It ends there, without any real closure. The first hour and 10 minutes was an insight to the characters lives, the next 10 minutes were of the tornado and the final 25 minutes were of lame rescues.

I can't say much more than what has already been said, however these are the two scenes that really bothered me.

When the Hispanic man pulls himself out of his overturned car, he's walking around calling out his fiancé's name, even though he knows she's on the other side of town at work. As he's walking around he can hear the cries of women pleading for help, but he ignores them and continues to call out his fiancé's name.

A son finally finds the courage to tell his conservative parents he is gay. Although a tornado is only minutes away, his parents turn away from him to go and secure the house, without any concern for their son's safety. Fast forward to after the disaster and having just saved his father's life, the mother turns her back on him and disowns him. Now I'm just thinking in reality, you'd have to be a real cold and callous person to turn your back on your child who could have easily died because he is gay. And it's interesting to note than Anne Hesch played this mother. Why did she sign up to it after reading the script?

And Just Like That... (2021– )

And just like no.

[3/10 · 21 July 2023]

I'm determined to watch till the end out of respect for the original Sex and the City. But it's painful. Really painful. There's nothing I can say here that hasn't already been said in previous reviews. I can go on about all the things I hate about this show but I'll only mention the biggest one. Character assassination at its finest. Especially Miranda. Miranda was a strong, assertive, smart and intelligent woman who was willing to make sacrifices for the people she loved but not to the point where she should lose everything she stood for. Enter Che. And Miranda suddenly becomes a dumb mumbling woman with absolutely no voice. All to keep her domineering lover happy. There was one scene that absolutely appalled me. Miranda's son appeared to be suicidal and Miranda was worried sick. She inadvertently interrupted Che's shooting for a tv series, by talking to her son on the phone, and when she explains to an angry Che why she was on the phone Che turns around and bluntly says, "so what, that's what teenagers are like". I seriously expected the original Miranda to go into mumma bear mode and tell Che where to go. Her son will always come before her lover. But no. Instead Miranda keeps apologising to Che for ruining her shoot. I'm dumbfounded. Since when does an arrogant lover get to speak that way about a teenager who could at that moment be taking his own life?

I cannot believe the producers thought that would be ok.

Fatale (II) (2020)

Hillary Swank the only attraction

[2/10 · 12 November 2022]

Why such a talented actress like Hilary Swank chose to do this film is beyond me. This film has absolutely no substance. It's a story that has been rehashed a dozen times since 1987's blockbuster Fatal Attraction, however executed so poorly you'd think a 10 year old wrote it. Apart from Swank the acting was bad. The lead male character was about as interesting as watching paint dry, and the other characters seemed to serve no purpose other than background extras.

And spoiler alert here:

If Swank's character was an alcoholic who developed a mental disorder and had a restraining order preventing her from seeing her child, would she still be employed as the head detective in the police force? I highly doubt that.

Buying Beverly Hills (2022– )

This must be completely scripted

[2/10 · 7 November 2022]

I find it hard to believe that a successful man like Mauricio Umansky would have a bunch of clowns working for him. Apart from his daughters and the senior agents, I'm pretty sure the junior agents are paid actors. They're totally useless at selling houses and can't even string a sentence together while showing a house to a potential buyer. It's obvious Alexia only got the job because she's the boss' daughter. Being on this show is not doing her any favours and only makes her look bad. Ok so she's a junior but come on, she's 26 not 18.

Farah looks like she has a perpetual stick up her ass. She always looks unimpressed (or maybe it's just that her face muscles can no longer move) and you can totally feel the sibling rivalry. Farah wants the company to have a good reputation and knows Alexia is compromising that. Farah wants to voice her concerns to Mauricio however she knows she has to be very careful because Alexia is the *biological* daughter. And she carefully refers to Alexia as Mauricio's "baby" instead of "biological daughter". That's when you know she knows she's not the same as Alexia..

I was surprised that each episode runs for 45 minutes, but soon found out that it's because the show doesn't focus only on real estate, but also unnecessarily on the staff's personal and drama filled love lives.

I was really interested in watching a series showcasing what multi million dollar houses look like, instead we get another take on the rich kids of Beverly Hills. I would normally give this a one star rating, however I gave it a second star because at least we get to see some stunning houses.

The Kardashians (2022– )

Not the Kardashians

[1/10 · 24 October 2022]

I don't have a lot to say that hasn't already been said here, and most people by now don't need to read a review to decide whether to watch this show or not.

But one thing I want to point out is that since the beginning of their fame this family go by "The Kardashians" even though only three of them are actually Kardashians. So why title this new show "The Kardashian's"? Kylie, Kendal and Kris have no Kardashian blood. Not even a milliliter. So why not give it a different title? Why do the Jenners and the ex Jenners constantly hang off the coat tails of the Kardashians when they have their own identity and have spent years building their own name? Are the Kardashians so narcissistic that everyone and everything has to revolve around them?

Belfast (2021)

Bel fast-forward

[5/10 · 2 September 2022]

I went into this movie thinking I was going to watch a literal story about the horrific events surrounding Belfast in 1969. And instead all I got was the non eventful life of a 9 year old boy living in a lovely neighbourhood while apparently everything was falling apart in scenes we did not see.

This felt like a musical. The set was very polished and shiny, hard to believe it's a working class neighbourhood. Even the debris looked nice. They way they would break into a Van Morrison song every 10 minutes was annoying and unnecessary, and totally took away from the hardships and suffering people faced.

It's a real shame as this movie could have been so much more. I found myself fast forwarding scenes way too many times. Presenting it in black and white was totally unnecessary as 1969 wasn't that long ago. I can only assume it was so we wouldn't see the unblemished colours of the freshly painted set.

And as a finishing note Judy Dench was totally unrecognisable. That's not a negative thing as good actors do this all the time to fit a role. But at the very end they suddenly decide to show a close up of her in which her face takes up the entire screen.... just in case you were unaware it was her and her credit went unnoticed.

Obsessed (2009)

Fatal Attraction Instagram style

[6/10 · 24 August 2022]

Not a bad storyline, however it's basically a total copy of 1987's Fatal Attraction but with Instagram worthy characters.

I've never particularly been into Beyoncé, however I found her performance to be quite good. She delivers her lines well throughout. There were quite a few annoying cliches though. The badass black woman who takes no crap, the annoying work friend who keeps pestering his friend about getting with the hot temp, even though he knows he is happily married, the ditzy gay office assistant who becomes the crazy woman's gossip gal and seems to know everything about the CEO's private life, and the sexist male ogling over the hot new office chick.

Fast forward to the end, Beyoncé's final kick ass scene is great, if you can ignore the fact she beats the other girl's ass while wearing stiletto heels and manages to keep her long curls looking pretty and neat throughout.

Not a bad film however the Instagram looking characters do make it rather cheesy. And it's hard to believe Beyoncé's character is a new mother as she always looks pretty and well groomed. Throwing in a scene with a messy kitchen just doesn't quite cut it.

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Incredible!

[10/10 · 7 August 2022]

Even though you know the outcome, it still has you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what will happen. A pretty straight up movie that is based solely on facts, with no added fiction necessary for effects. The diving scenes gave me such anxiety, I can't imagine anything more terrifying. Well done to Ron Howard and the entire cast.

Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg (1994 TV Movie)

Could have been better

[7/10 · 30 March 2022]

It wasn't a bad movie. But it would have been 10 times better if it wasn't produced as a Lifetime movie. I mean, the storyline was great. A naive teenage girl falling for a much older divorced man who ends up a victim of serious domestic violence, and after years of submissive abuse being finally pushed to the edge of having him killed.

Like I said, the storyline was great, but the lazy presentation and annoying acting ruined it. There's a scene where they have Laurie's parents over for dinner, and the husband is giving Laurie a lengthy, deathly stare because he doesn't like that she's wearing makeup. How long was he looking at her like this for? Was he angry from the minute he got home or did he suddenly decide to be angry when dinner was almost over? Noticing the tension, the parents say they should get going, and suddenly the scene cuts to Laurie being forcefully dragged through the house by the husband being shown how messy the house is. I feel like I had missed something entirely.

Jennie Garth was cute and good in her role, but her squeaky girly mannerisms were a bit annoying. It was hard to distinguish her from her 90210 Kelly Taylor character. She looked and sounded exactly like Kelly. There was no effort made to give her a makeover so she could look like a different character. Even her hair was styled the same. But I guess that's Lifetime for you.

I rate this a 7 purely for the storyline. It highlights the importance of recognising domestic violence and the reason why a lot of women stay in abusive relationships. The red flags were everywhere, but Laurie having lived a difficult childhood didn't believe she deserved any better so convinced herself she loved this guy. And in Laurie's case she knew that the only way out was by killing her abuser.

I Am Georgina (2022–2023)

Tacky

[1/10 · 8 March 2022]

Firstly I'll start off by saying how misleading the title is. "I Am Georgina" implies that she's actually someone. Well she's not. I was surprised to learn that she's only Ronaldo's partner and not his wife. She's the mother of only one of his four children, and she's only been with him since 2017. So why does she act like all this luxury belongs to her? She's basically living in his house and spending his money.

Ok well their martial status aside, the entire show revolves around her luxury lifestyle. The house, her clothes, her bags, the private jets, the phoney fill-in friends that hang around for the free trips, and a little tiny bit about what she likes to do while she's hanging out at home... like dusting her handbags because they're full of fingerprints.

I'm not against the glitz and glamour of this show. In fact that's one of the reasons why I watch reality shows. However Georgina comes off as completely phoney. She presents all these things in an unnatural way. Even when she's with the children it seems forced. Her idea of spending time with them entails having them there to show them her new gold jewellery or eating at a restaurant.

She's got all this expensive stuff and she wants everyone to know it. A lucky rags to riches girl who happened to be at the right place at the right time. What does she do aside from travelling all over Europe to buy a new dress or hanging out on a boat when Cris sends her and the kids away for the weekend? The answer... Nothing.

Anne with an E (2017–2019)

A new twist on a classic tale

[9/10 · 17 February 2022]

I must admit, when I watched the first episode I wasn't exactly impressed with it. Being a big fan of the 1985 series and having read the book since I was 12, I was annoyed that this version of Anne was nothing like the polite yet somewhat hot tempered girl of the original. I kept thinking, Anne would never behave like that. Then I realised that she wasn't supposed to be the same. She was supposed to be a more realistic version of a young girl who was traumatised by the brutality of orphaned life of the 1800's. An unwanted child passed from house to house, treated like nothing more than a slave. Hence the reason this series is not titled Anne of Green Gables as were the many adaptions before it.

The first season is based somewhat closely on the book, but it then takes a turn of its own. As other reviewers have mentioned it takes on a very politically correct turn, suddenly introducing a diverse range of characters. But I wonder, is it really being politically correct, or is it simply portraying normal aspects of society which up until recent years was never a focus on television? After all surely there were closet gays in the 1800's, surely women were in touch with their sexuality and were tired of being oppressed by men. And by all means there were black people who weren't rejected by a white society. So why do we call it politically correct when we show these characters all in one series? Is it not wrong that up until recently they were mostly suppressed?

Anne with an E is Anne of Green Gables with a twist. Give it a chance and watch it with an open mind. It's disappointing that the series was cancelled after only 27 episodes as there was so much more of the story that could have been told.

Pam & Tommy (2022)

Wow!

[10/10 · 10 February 2022]

I started watching this series only because Pamela and Tommy were an iconic couple of the nineties and during that time I was intrigued by their unconventional relationship. I wasn't really expecting much thinking it would be tacky, and like really what did Pam and Tommy ever do for the world to have a bio pic made of their relationship (apart from their sex tape of course).

Boy was I wrong! I'm only up to episode 4, but I'm hooked and only wish all episodes were streamed together so I could binge watch. The story seems to be true to what actually happened. Sure there's probably some added fiction for entertainment purposes but they seem to have kept it as true to facts as possible. The acting is fantastic and every character is played out brilliantly. Lily James and Sebastian Stan, although having undergone complete makeovers, show a striking resemblance to Pam and Tommy. There's a scene in episode 1 where you can't tell if that's Lily or Pam .

There's quite a bit of nineties nostalgia; the beginning of the "world wide web", dial up internet connections, Internet cafes, slow loading web pages, cheque books and video tapes! There was even a bit of a tear jerker moment which surprised me.

The only part I'm not sure about is Tommy's portrayal of a loving and doting husband. But maybe that's what he was actually like when not high on drugs.

Up All Night (2011–2012)

Very disappointing

[3/10 · 12 October 2021]

I really don't have much to say about this show other than I struggled to get through the second episode. It tries hard to be funny but just doesn't get there. It's a shame because I love Christina Applegate and was excited to start watching it when I saw it on the streaming service.

Reagan and her husband have been married for 6 years when she unexpectedly falls pregnant. Raegan has the baby and returns to her fast paced career while her husband becomes a stay at home dad. That's all a very promising scenario but it feels like the writers have only created a really unrealistic portrayal of young family life. The baby hardly ever cries which leads me to wonder how it got it's title of "Up All Night". There hasn't even been a scene showing the couple getting up during the night. They don't even look remotely tired. Reagan is picture perfect with her lovely bouncy curls which she supposedly does herself. The husband is totally patient and understanding of the amount of time she has to spend at work, even when she calls him at the last minute to cancel their 7th anniversary dinner. He is also portrayed to be a rather useless when it comes to grocery shopping; he walked around the supermarket several times and couldn't find the cheese anywhere. It didn't occur to him to ask someone so instead he bought what looked like a 10 pound specialty cheese. I think that was supposed to make us laugh. Reagan's boss/friend Ava is extremely annoying. She keeps making these weird facial expressions and randomly breaks out singing or speaking dramatic Italian for no reason. Again probably supposed to be one of those funny things to make the viewer roar with laughter but instead makes you reach for the control to turn down the volume. I rate this show a 3/10. If it wasn't for the lovely Christina Applegate it would get a 1.

Bad Mothers (2019)

Disappointing

[1/10 · 9 April 2019]

Firstly to include Melissa George in the promo for this show is totally misleading as she only appears in the first episode, which is a complete shame as apart from Mandy she is the only good actress in the cast.

Bad mothers? No. Gossips yes, busybodies yes but bad? No. It is insulting to call a mother a bad mother unless she really is, and these women are not bad mothers.

The acting is terrible, the storyline is painfully boring and the way the murder is solved within the final 30 minutes, when up until then there were absolutely no leads, is totally ridiculous. From Charlotte's death until the solved murder case is just a slow and painful ride. Australian drama completely missed it with this one.