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Ordinary Joe (2021)
I dunno Joe...I can't get past your bad hair and dumbed-downness of it all....
I guess being Ordinary is not too complicated. Starting with Joe College, with bad Oasis hair who is the prime mover in the multicolor world. Then You got Joe Cop, with a nice conservative part in his hair and exaggerated New Yawk accent, conveniently running through his blue timeline. There's Joe Doc, with dorky Beatle hair and glasses, living in green, and Joe Rock who we know is a rocker with uncombed bedhead and shadow beard, because rock stars only shave every week or two. His red scenes are the least believable. I don't fault the cast, and the shifts between the timelines was not too tricky, I just cannot get past the paper-thin genericity of the character.
Mistletoe in Montana (2021)
If Bridgerton and Yellowstone extras made a bad Xmas movie in an empty MT field, did it really happen?
Okay, I am always down for MJH, and honestly she looked GREAT in this one. I mean, she is looking fine in those cowgirl duds, even though there's no way she could saddle a horse or pitch hay in that some of those, erm, form fitting outfits she's wearing. That said, most of the previous commenters hit all the worst goofs: No snow, bad night filters, weird cowboy costumes, lack of chemistry, low production values (the beautiful scenery notwithstanding). I forgot Kellie Martin directed, I thought MJ was pulling double duty but her stuff is more self assured. Keep workin KM you'll get there.
The "square dance" was the low point for me, it felt more like a drunken house party if the drank was Hawaiian Punch laced with Nyquil. But really there was no energy in this one at all. Zero heat between Merry and Mark (and I realize this is a family film but zzzzzz indeed). I guess the frigidity is to substitute for winter weather? And the attempts at comedy were just sad. Oh no he threw the ax! Everybody duck! Oh look he cant ride a horse yuk yuk....
Biggest disappointment: The city slicker heartthrob is a Brit. For some reason, it made the dynamic between him and Merry weird. The one clip from the preview ("Just a buncha yahoos and giddyups") gave no clue he was English, and it ruined the movie for me. I love a British accent as much as anybody, but it just made things awkward. I was intrigued by an interracial romance, but between the clashing accents, wooden dialogue, and the fact that Duane is literally twice MJ's height undermined whatever romantic connection they were trying to emulate. Only the french toast scene came close to anything resembling a spark. Alas, there's only so much froth one can whip up with a whisk....
Much like the fake starfields previously mentioned, I kept waiting for the stars to morph into something like a winged horse or a polar bear or something, but they just twinkled a 110w glow as the would be lovers stared blankly at the green screen.
I Still Believe (2020)
Not your typical Come to Jesus Altar Call
I've been a fan of JC for almost 2 decades now, so I was well aware of Melissa's story and how she inspired the title song. I was a little skeptical when KJ Apa was cast. He looks and sounds nothing like Jeremy, he plays a comic book character in a supernaturally hyperdramatic teen angst soap opera, and as a onetime ginger, I was wondering how he would pull off playing a dark haired 6 foot tall ex running back.
The fact is, he does it with a great deal of sympathy and humanity. The musical side of the story is strong but doesn't overwhelm the human side (unlike I Can Only Imagine, where I couldn't care less about MercyMe's slog to worshipop glory).
Apa and Britt Robertson have a real chemistry and really let the story drive the drama. I had no idea that she was in a like triangle with the Kry guy. My wife got upset because J starting looking shady early on. But I thought that grounded the film in emotional reality. The studio scene where Jeremy and Melissa kiss in front of Jean Luc was probably my favorite in the movie. So much for teen angst...
In short, this film exceeded my hopes and is right up there with Ragamuffin for Christian artist biopics.
The Hundred Code (2015)
Didn't Make it Through the Pilot
The only reason I watched this was because of Monaghan, who can be equally humane and hilarious given the right role. Slow-moving, bad dialogue (Splitting between Swedish and English was annoying), and just not interesting. But the real killer was Dominic's attempts at different American accents. I could have bought him as a cop, but the queasy New Yawker act was just brutal. It was kind of like if Kaley Cuoco tried to play an English woman: It was cute for the first ten minutes but then just became painfully awkward. Stick to sci-fi and comedy, Dom.