KaraleeCupcake Reviews

Pup Academy (2019)

Great for kids and adults

[10/10 · 28 May 2024]

My daughter loves this series! Pup Academy follows a group puppies who attend an academy to learn how to become dogs. The series has great messages throughout including being kind and helping others. Also, you cannot go wrong with talking dogs! The actors themselves are great too, and the series is a lot of fun for kids and adults to watch together.

Also, I read a few reviews that gave Pup Academy a low rating because it rips off Harry Potter, and I definitely do not agree. Sure you do have a magical school for puppies, but there are plenty of other movies and series that involve magic! So I would recommend not listening to those reviews and giving Pup Academy a watch.

Bodkin (2024– )

Interesting premise, but rather slow

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

Bodkin has an interesting premise with an investigative journalist more or less being forced to help an American podcaster investigate a disappearance of 3 individuals years earlier in the small town of Bodkin in Ireland. I have no complaints about the acting as it was spot on. However, the series is quite slow. You do learn more about the disappearances as the series progresses, but I found myself struggling just to finish it to the end due to the pacing. The series might be worth a watch though if you are interested in mysteries or thrillers with moments of dark comedy. However, if you are not keen on slower paced series, I would give it a pass.

Holidate (2020)

A lot of fun

[7/10 · 4 December 2023]

Holidate follows Sloane and Jackson who are fed up with being single on the holidays, and they agree to be each other's platonic date for all the holidays. The movie begins on Christmas, goes through all the holidays, and ends on Christmas, so it is appropriate to watch around Christmastime and any other holiday as well. The plot of Holidate is predictable, but the story is cute and a lot of fun. Emma Roberts was wonderful as Sloane as well as Luke Bracey as Jackson. Holidate is worth watching if you are wanting to see a Christmas movie that is different from all the other Christmas romance movies out there.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Pleasantly Surprised

[8/10 · 4 December 2023]

I have not read The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar by Roald Dahl, so I was unsure what to expect from this short film, but I was pleasantly surprised. The plot follows Henry Sugar when he finds a book about man who could see with his eyes closed, and from there, Henry Sugar attempts to learn how to do the same. The art style and direction of the film is unlike anything I have watched before thanks to Wes Anderson's directing. Benedict Cumberbatch is fantastic as Henry Sugar, and I quite liked the supporting cast as well. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is worth watching, and you will not regret spending the time on this book to film adaptation.

In My Dreams (2014 TV Movie)

Sweet and different

[7/10 · 4 December 2023]

In My Dream is a different take on your typical romance movie. Nick is an archietect who works for a disagreeable boss but dreams to start his own firm. Natalie runs her mother's restaurant, but she is struggling to get any customers. They both make a wish in the town fountain at the same time, and that night they dream about eachother. However, they doubt each other exists aand they only have seven times to dream about each other before the magic fades. Katharine McPhee and Mike Vogel were fantastic as Natalie and Nick. I also though Jessalyn Wanlim as Natalie's coworker and Joe Massingill as Nick's co-worker were great. The movie is worth watching if you are looking for something that is a little bit different.

Catering Christmas (2022 TV Movie)

Sweet, but nothing special

[6/10 · 4 December 2023]

Catering Christmas is a sweet movie, but the plot is nothing special and quite predictable. In the movie, Molly runs a catering business and she lands a gig to cater a Christmas gala that could make or break her career. She then meets Carson, and from there it is just like every other Christmas movie. Things seem to be going well for Molly and Carson, but of course there reaches a point of tension followed by the final resolution. Merritt Patterson and Daniel Lissing were fantastic as the main cast, and Rosemary Dunsmore and Michael Hanrahan were great as well. Catering Christmas is by no means terrible, but it is not unique enough to standout from all the Christmas movies out there.

Best. Christmas. Ever! (2023)

All over the place

[4/10 · 17 November 2023]

I found the plot of the movie to be all over the place. You had many different plot lines with the Sanders family, the Jennings family, along with their kids, which did not blend together that well. For example, you had Charlotte Sanders trying to figure out what Jackie Jennings is hiding because there is no way she has a nice house and travels with her family while at the same time, Jackie's daughter Beatrix and Charlotte's kids are trying to figure out if Santa is real. There was also a weird plotline between Rob Sanders and Jackie. With that said, I do appreciate the diversity in the movie, especially with the main cast, and Brandy has a nice singing voice.

28 Days Haunted (2022– )

Not worth watching

[1/10 · 3 February 2023]

I do enjoy the occassional ghost hunting show, and this one seemed promising because one of the hosts (Tony Spera) is Ed and Lorraine Warren's son-in-law, but the show did not live up to my expectations.

For starters, I did watch all 6 epsiodes, but instead of a paranormal investigation show, it is just a realtity show with a bunch of drama and a group of people jumping at every thud sound. At some point, all 3 groups of investigators were arguing and getting upset with each other instead of focusing on the actual investigations. The backstories of the haunted locations were interesting, but I could not help but think about how all the loud bangs could have been made by the camera crews as well as the doors being opened or closed...

Falling for Christmas (2022)

Cheesy, but cute

[6/10 · 11 November 2022]

The movie is cheesy, but cute. There are a few issues and you have to suspend your belief that Jake would not remember the lady he ran into earlier that day, hospital staff would let Sierra leave with a stranger, and no one would contact Sierra's father even with her missing for four days. Also, the scenes with Ralph and Tad seemed out of place, but I guess they were trying to go for comedy there. The movie is also predictable, but pretty much every romcom movie set around Christmas is. It is nice seeing Lindsay Lohan in a new movie, and she did a fine job playing Sierra. She also had a good connection with Chord Overstreet who played Jake. The movie is nothing new, but it is a fine movie to watch to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Earwig and the Witch (2020 TV Movie)

What is the point?

[3/10 · 14 September 2022]

At first, I thought the CGI was off-putting, but after a while, I warmed up to it a bit. The CGI is not terrible, but it does not feel like a Studio Ghibli movie.

As far as the movie itself, I do not understand the point of it. Earwig is manipulative and annoying and Bella Yaga is unlikeable and controlling. The only characters that are halfway decent were the Mandrake and Thomas the cat (mainly because he reminded me of Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service which is by far a better movie than this one). The plot is boring and confusing, and the ending is TERRIBLE. Why would it just end like that when things were actually starting to get somewhat interesting? You finish the movie with having more questions than answers.

Unsolved Mysteries (2020– )

Interesting and terrifying

[8/10 · 12 August 2021]

Unsolved Mysteries is a true crime documentary with 12 episodes that are about disappearances, horrific deaths, and paranormal encounters that are unsolved. My favorite episodes are "A Death in Oslo" and "House of Terror", but all the episodes are interesting and terrifying.

Tiger King (2020–2021)

So wild

[9/10 · 12 August 2021]

Tiger King is a true crime documentary that was released at the start of lockdown and I binged watch the whole series. The series follows Joe Exotic, who is the former owner of a private zoo for big cats, Carole Baskin, who runs Big Cat Rescue, and other eccentric big cat owners. The series is wild and perfect if you like entertaining documentaries.

I Am Not Okay with This (2020)

Forgettable and now canceled

[1/10 · 12 August 2021]

I watched all episodes of I Am Not Okay With This, but I do not remember anything about it including who was in it or what happened, which tells me that the series is forgettable. A quick search on here tells me the series is about a teen who navigates the complexities of high school, family, and her sexuality while dealing with new superpowers. Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff are both in the series, and I liked them in It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), but I honestly cannot remember anything that happened in this series. The series was also canceled after the first season, so I do not think it is worth watching.

The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

Not as good as Hill House

[5/10 · 12 August 2021]

I loved The Haunting of Hill House, and I was looking forward to the next season, but I did not really like it. In The Haunting of Bly Manor, a young governess arrives at Bly Manor and begins to see apparitions haunting the estate. In Bly Manor, some of the same cast returned to play different roles, which I liked. However, Bly Manor is slow at the start, but it does pick up in the second half of the series. There are some creepy scenes in Bly Manor, but Hill House is way creepier. I also found the storyline confusing, but answers about what is going are revealed during later episodes.

The Big Flower Fight (2020– )

Fine I guess

[5/10 · 12 August 2021]

In this series, 10 teams of florists, sculptors, and garden designers compete to create extravagant floral installations. I watched a few episodes of this series, but I did not really care for it. I much prefer baking and cooking competitions over people making big floral arrangements. Also, as other reviews mentioned, Kristen is a terribly annoying judge and he should not have been chosen as the main judge.

The Circle (2020– )

Entertaining reality series

[9/10 · 12 August 2021]

The Circle is a reality series where players live in an isolated apartment and their only communication with the other players is through the social media platform The Circle. I loved the first season of The Circle because the series has an interesting concept and it was intriguing seeing if the catfish would be found out. The second season of The Circle did not disappoint, and it was entertaining and filled with drama.

Murder Among the Mormons (2021)

Great documentary

[8/10 · 12 August 2021]

Murder Among the Mormons is a documentary series about Mark Hofmann who created forgeries of early Mormon documents as well as the three bombings that killed two members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). One thing I like about this documentary is that it not bashing Mormons and LDS church, but instead you learn about how the bombings happened and how Hofmann was able to pass off his forgeries as real historical Mormon documents. The documentary also interviews rare document dealers and collectors who were connected to Hofmann, his wife, and members of law enforcement.

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)

Well-done documentary

[9/10 · 12 August 2021]

Night Stalker is a documentary series about how the American serial killer Richard Ramirez was hunted down and brought to justice. Even though the series is about a serial killer, the main focus is on the detectives Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno who were in charge of the case as well as survivors and family members of the victims. Ramirez was not glamorized, which many documentaries about serial killers seem to do. In fact not much about Ramirez's past or the trial is covered in the series, and I liked that because the victims were given a voice instead.

Behind Her Eyes (2021)

Slow-burn, but still good

[8/10 · 12 August 2021]

Behind Her Eyes follows Louise who is a single mother and has a part-time job at a psychiatrist's office. She begins an affair with her new boss David and has an unlikely friendship with his wife Adele. However, Louise soon finds herself caught in a dangerous web of secrets. Behind Her Eyes is a slow-burn series, which is probably not for everyone , but I enjoyed it. You learn more about the character's past throughout the series, and there are also unexpected plot twists, which made the series even more interesting.

Who Killed Sara? (2021–2022)

Interesting series

[7/10 · 12 August 2021]

Who Killed Sara? Follows Alex Guzmán who spent 18 years in prison after he was framed for his sister's murder. Once he is released, he is intent on finding out who killed Sara and getting revenge on the Lazcano family. First off, this series is in Spanish, but there is the option to watch it with subtitles or have it dubbed (I watched it with subtitles). The series was interesting to watch because it seemed like everyone had a motive to kill Sara, and you learn more and more about Sara and the Lazcano family as the series goes on. There is also a twist at the end of the first season that I did not see coming. I have not watched the second season yet, but it is on my watch list.

The Irregulars (2021)

Interesting series, and sad it is canceled

[8/10 · 12 August 2021]

The Irregulars is set in Victorian London, and it follows a group of teens who are living on the streets. John Watson then requests their help to solve supernatural crimes while they search for his business partner Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed this series, but it seems like many people did not because they expected a series focused on Sherlock Holmes like with Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock. Sherlock does not appear as a character until later on in The Irregulars as the main focus is on the teens and them solving the crimes. Also, others complained that the series is not historically accurate, but how historically accurate is the Sherlock Holmes universe? Since I did not expect a historically accurate series focused on Sherlock Holmes, I was able to enjoy it. Sadly Netflix announced the series was canceled this month, but I would still recommend watching it as it was interesting to see a different take on the Sherlock Holmes universe.

Nailed It! (2018– )

LOVE

[10/10 · 12 August 2021]

I LOVE Nailed It! And every time a new season is added, I instantly binge watch it. If you have not watched Nailed It! (where have you been?!) it is part baking competition part comedy where amateur bakers who are not so good at baking compete to win $10,000. It is a fun, light-hearted series that I definitely recommend watching!

Sexy Beasts (2021)

Best part is the makeup

[2/10 · 12 August 2021]

I like the concept of the show, but the best part of it was the special effects makeup. Everyone is a model (if they are not a model, they are still attractive) so the whole "is love blind?" concept does not work. The contestants themselves are shallow and lack personality. I did not become attached to any of them, and I did not care who ended up together. I had the series playing in the background while cleaning and doing laundry, so I do not recommend sitting down to watch this series because it is a waste of time.

Cooking with Paris (2021)

Terrible

[1/10 · 12 August 2021]

I only watched the first episode, and it was terrible. Even though the show is Cooking with Paris, Kim did 95% of the cooking and also cleaning. The only thing Paris did was chop 10 tomatoes and turn on a blender. I do not recommend watching because it is just Paris playing dumb for 20 minutes, and it is not funny nor entertaining.

A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

Not as good as the first

[4/10 · 23 March 2021]

I loved Bad Moms, but I did not really care for this sequel. In the second movie, Amy, Kiki, and Carla rebel against the burden of arranging Christmas for their families while dealing with a visit from their own mothers. I liked that the movie took place during Christmas because the holidays tend to be stressful, but the movie focused more on the main character's mothers instead of them. Also, I feel like this movie is nowhere near as good as the first.