mchristi-156-169140 Reviews

Together Together (2021)

Wonderful

[10/10 · 27 April 2024]

I loved this movie.

The story builds slowly, and the ending is abrupt. But I think these are both intentional and the correct choices for the story this movie wants to tell.

The main themes of this movie are genuine human connection, and also how unnatural this situation is, at a basic human level. A surrogate mom and a big age difference. The movie takes its time to explore all this.

Watching their developing closeness was rewarding. But what about their future?

The ending is appropriate. It stays on the woman's face, and her face shows it all. Her contract is done. She has said she's going to school out of state. And he is too old for her. It's a beginning for him and an ending for her.

This is not necessarily a romantic comedy. And breaking that expectation at the end helps drive home the themes.

Of course, they can still somehow get together, but how likely is that, realistically for these characters? If they were going to go "full romantic" they had plenty of opportunities so far.

Ed Helms is such a great human in this show. I loved seeing a good and loving person in a movie. We have seen way too much already in other stories about solving crimes and games with thrones.

3 Body Problem (2024– )

Real sci fi

[9/10 · 24 April 2024]

It's nice to see a real sci fi show about science and "what if," not just an adventure or horror movie with sci fi veneer. The plot had some real unexpected turns and original story elements. I also learned some history and science along the way.

Some quibbles:

It seemed illogical that in the later episodes the aliens just stopped blocking new tech, and that they didn't go after the people opposing them more.

I felt episode 7 dragged a bit.

I was disappointed the story it wasn't wrapped up in one season, but I don't know the books.

I also have to take one point off for unnecessary R rated stuff - you can tell a story without showing awful things in detail of tons of f-words.

But overall I enjoyed it, even if I had to use Vidangel with some additional fast forwarding over a couple slow parts or horrible parts.

Love in the Maldives (2023 TV Movie)

Good Hallmark romance

[9/10 · 2 December 2023]

I enjoyed this quite a lot. It's probably the best Hallmark show I've seen. It feels fresh. It lacks the cringe factor (bad acting, etc.) in a lot of these shows. The characters are interesting and contemporary. The location is attractive.

A lot of people rate down romance stories like this due to predictability. But for us romantics that's the whole point - the enjoyment of seeing two people grow and find love together. This movie does that well. I didn't mark this as a spoiler because that's what this genre is - the two getting together.

I did wish the cinematography was better. It didn't capture the vibrant colors that I imagine are in this location. But watching this show was still a wonderful, beautiful escape.

007: Road to a Million (2023– )

Looking forward to season 2

[7/10 · 23 November 2023]

Overall, I enjoyed this reality show a lot. It was engaging, suspenseful, and fun. But that includes me doing me a lot of fast forwarding through overly drawn out trials and some of the emotional backstory stuff.

The challenges were interesting (although I have complaints - see below). The contestants were likable, not annoying as in some other reality shows.

Not closely connected to James Bond, overall. This is basically a global scavenger hunt and trivia quiz, along with some physical challenges. But Bond music from recent movies plays in the background throughout, which I enjoyed and thought it added atmosphere. And the exotic locales were interesting.

(Mild spoilers follow this, with critiques:) I thought the challenges toward the end were too hard. Some required skills the people just didn't have. Other things were basically pure luck, because no one would know the answers to those questions. By the last few episodes, I was rooting for all the remaining people and would have liked them to have a more realistic chance than they got.

Also, one of the challenges was apparently just plain dangerous. So I would have liked some explanation for why the show would put people in danger of their lives - without that, I kind of hated the show's producers for it.

The "controller" guy was fairly annoying, which I guess works since he serves as a villain.

Love in Aruba (2021)

Better than average for a Hallmark-type romance

[7/10 · 5 February 2023]

The Aruba location is beautiful and the movie enjoys showing it to you. It's like going on vacation.

This is not bad for a Hallmark-type movie. If you like a low-key romance movie about good-hearted people, without sex or swearing, this is a nice movie.

I want to give it more than 7 stars, but some of the acting by secondary characters was a little weak and it had one or two short cheesy parts. But most of that is at the beginning, and it got watchable pretty quickly, and I did care about the characters. It's predictable but can't really take points off for predictability because the romantic comedy genre is about a predictable outcome - that's what you are there for as a viewer.

Vengeance (II) (2022)

A new favorite movie for me. So profound.

[9/10 · 22 January 2023]

I loved this movie. It's honestly one of the best I've seen.

It's hard to say why I like this movie without risking spoilers. I'll try to avoid spoilers but I really don't know what spoilers are - everything is a spoiler to me, especially for a good movie like this.

This movie keeps getting deeper and better, and keeps violating your expectations. It helps me understand people better. It's a thoughtful reflection on our current age, with its failings. And it's also a reflection on timeless values.

I look forward to future creations from B. J. Novak, now that I'm getting to know him better. He is the opposite of his character in The Office TV show, that is clear.

Spirited (2022)

A new Christmas classic

[9/10 · 4 December 2022]

What a wonderful show. I think this could become a new holiday classic. It stays true to the root of the Dickens story, but with a modern twist for modern people.

It started out weak for me and I almost bailed. But then it kept getting better and became a sweet, meaningful, and profound show. It's ultimately about changing to become a better person, which is what Christmas is about, for us who believe in the original story of Christmas.

I take one point off for swearing and vulgarity. Always unwelcome and degrading to me. But perhaps these days you need irreverence to get people to listen to your message, even if irreverence is ultimately the opposite of your message.

Andor (2022– )

Excellent

[10/10 · 26 November 2022]

This might be the best Star Wars ever.

Some people have complained about slow pacing in Andor. This is because it is in the spy genre, not primarily in the action genre. I didn't feel like any of the Andor episodes lagged - there was always suspense, if you paid attention to what was going on in the story and what the stakes were.

Although, there are also scenes of thrilling action. So it's not all slow-burn spy stuff and character building.

This movie is the clearest view yet into how evil the Empire is, and therefore how important and heroic the rebellion is.

I love pretty much all of Star Wars, despite all the recent disappointing prequels and sequels.

But Andor is truly "Star Wars" for adults. This is a must-watch show for adult Star Wars fans. I can't wait for season 2, and I hope Disney decides to keep going for even more seasons.

Drifting Home (2022)

Struggled to finish

[6/10 · 29 September 2022]

I struggled to finish this. I persisted because I wanted to find out what was going on.

I'm OK with fantasy but it has to make sense. Kids with plants growing on them? Buildings that somehow float on water, and then fly through the air? Underwater slime that tries to grab you? Streams of firefly things that somehow are involved and can transport buildings?

The explanation underlying the fantasy (only a partial one) came at the very end, but by that time I was too annoyed.

I guess the "plant kids" were spirits of their particular buildings, but this is never explained. Maybe these things are more clear if you know Japanese culture, but this is an international production from Netflix so they need to make things more clear for people who aren't Japanese experts.

I'm an adult and this is mostly a kids show, so maybe I'm just not the target audience.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

Great so far

[9/10 · 4 September 2022]

I'm a big Tolkien fan. I had high hopes for this. I have watched the first episode so far and it's even better than I imagined. I already love the Galadriel character. The cinematography and SFX are gorgeous.

It was a great decision to go way back before the LoR books. Does this new story 100% match the Silmarillion, etc.? I don't know and I don't care. I have read the LoR many times and I haven't noticed any jarring contradictions.

I'm already lamenting that I have to wait another year for more than eight episodes. Well, it's nice to have things to look forward to.

(I hope IMDB finds a way to fix the review-bombing problem on this site. People are being ridiculous. Hardly anything ever created deserves 1 out of 10.)

Prey (I) (2022)

Too violent but good

[8/10 · 9 August 2022]

This was a great action/sci fi movie. Way too graphic-violent so I have to reduce two stars for that. I realize the premise is violence, but they don't have to be so graphic. I've only seen the first Predator movie with Arnold - and that wasn't this graphic.

Loot (2022– )

Great so far

[9/10 · 30 July 2022]

I've only watched the first two episodes so far. It's much better than I feared. I like how it's about someone changing for the better, and realizing that life is about growing and helping other people. This show has heart.

9/10 - looses a point in my book for unnecessary swearing, which I don't enjoy.

The Gray Man (2022)

Well done although brainless

[8/10 · 28 July 2022]

Like all these kinds of movies, it's an action cartoon. But it's a slick, well-done cartoon. Ryan Gosling did a great job. I prefer to see Chris Evans as a hero.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022– )

Star Trek is back

[9/10 · 21 July 2022]

It's clear that CBS has finally listened to fans and/or finally put some people in charge who understand what Star Trek is.

Star Trek is about exploration, good heroic people who are trying to learn and grow and help other people, fact-related science, and an optimistic vision of the future.

This the best Star Trek since Deep Space Nine, including much better than the JJ Abrams movies. (Discovery is a train wreck that I'm trying to forget. Picard was dystopian and too R rated. Lower Decks has a true Star Trek heart but is too over the edge for my preference.)

I give this Star Trek 9 out of 10 because the plots aren't entirely original and it seems the directing and production would be a little better. The characters are also taking a bit of time to grow on me. I'm only on episode 6 of the first season, so I might revise my rating later.

I'm looking forward to this series continuing for many years to come.

"The essence of the Star Trek missions are to discover, to learn more about our universe, and to apply that knowledge to the benefit of mankind." --Gene Roddenberry.

Ms. Marvel (2022)

Very creative and engaging.

[9/10 · 12 June 2022]

I thought I wouldn't like it because it's about teenagers. But the main actor is engaging and the whole thing is unique and feels like colorful magical realism. The latest Marvel shows have all been like this for me - didn't sound interesting but ended up being great and not at all what I expected (Moon Knight, WandaVision, Loki, Hawkeye). I've seen only the first episode so far. I'm looking forward to more. I think Marvel fans will like this.

The Pentaverate (2022)

Enjoyable with Vidangel

[8/10 · 7 May 2022]

I used Vidangel to filter out all the vulgarity and actually enjoyed the first episode quite a lot, so far. I thought it was funnier than the latest seasons of Simpsons, for example.

The White Lotus (2021–2025)

Why

[5/10 · 22 January 2022]

20 minutes into the first episode I'm presented with a full shot of a guy's privates. Why? I don't know but I didn't enjoy it. I'm done with HBO Max now. I'll never trust them.

The Last of the Mohicans (1936)

Pretty good

[7/10 · 4 November 2021]

I thought this was decent storytelling. I haven't read the book and I don't know how accurate the portrayal of Native Americans is. The main character is fictional but the general history and people are fairly accurate, from what I read.

Wikipedia said the producers dumbed down the original script to make it more like a generic Western, which is tragic.

I love the newer Daniel Day Lewis version. This 1936 version is merely "good" compared to that. This will appeal mostly to classic movie fans, or people who like a simple straightforward story.

Invasion (2021–2024)

So slow

[5/10 · 3 November 2021]

I started fast forwarding in in the first episode - never a good sign. If you are going to make me wait before giving me any hints about what's going on, you better give me interesting stories to watch in the mean time.

Alienated (II) (2021)

Fun sci fi

[8/10 · 2 October 2021]

I enjoyed this, although I did fast forward though some of the "dad" stuff - I was there for the sci fi.

It was actually pretty intelligent and talked about real science, unlike many movies that only try to be sci fi. The Freud joke about the rocket was funny too and shows the writers are educated and witty people.

I think most anyone could enjoy this movie, whether they are sci fi fans or not.

I'm not sure why so many 1 rating reviews. But those are always suspect. How many movies are actually so bad they only deserve 1? Certainly not this one.

Foundation (2021– )

Satisfying

[7/10 · 26 September 2021]

I've only seen the first two episodes that were released this week. But it's a satisfying sci fi show, even though it's just getting started.

Schmigadoon! (2021–2023)

Thought-provoking and ultimately rewarding

[9/10 · 4 September 2021]

I wasn't quite sure what to make of this show for most of the episodes. You have to accept that it really is a musical, not just a parody of musicals. But the last episode brought it all together and was ultimately very rewarding. I found it clever and very thought-provoking about old vs new social values. I have to subtract one star in my rating due to some vulgarity, which isn't entertaining to me.

Secondhand Hearts (2017)

Life is hard and people's choices make it harder

[8/10 · 25 June 2021]

This film helps you understand human nature and how your choices affect your life and the lives of people around you. I think people are rating this movie down because they don't like the story or the ending. I understand. But I think of this film like literature - it helps you understand human experience and psychology.

This movie was painful to watch. Obviously, the guy should have let it all go into the past. But people don't always do what they should, and people sometimes let emotion control them.

I wish is that they had shown more about the story in Japan. I love Japan, and they obviously had the actors and camera crew there already. I would have liked this, but actually it would have made the movie too long. You need to get to the ending when you want a movie like this.

You can learn things from this film. It kept me in suspense and made me cringe for the right reasons. And I don't think it was poorly made. So I'm giving it a good rating.

How to Fall in Love (2012 TV Movie)

A sweet romance movie for truly mature adults

[9/10 · 24 June 2021]

It's nice to see a movie about real, mature adults and how they act decently and honestly with each other.

For All Mankind: The Grey (2021) Season 2, Episode 10

Wow

[7/10 · 24 April 2021]

After watching this show for two season's, it's finally paid off. I hope it continues like this in season 3.