gothickittty Reviews

Riverdale (2017–2023)

What a train wreck

[2/10 · 12 September 2022]

As others have said, season 1 was really great. In fact, it hooked me on a show that rapidly declined so quickly that i keep watching with hope that it will return.

But, it doesn't.

The show quickly devolves into something way too dark to be aired on mainstream tv with scenes of violence, gratuitous sex, torture, overtly forced and unnecessary lgbtq cringiness, and overall themes that are too far-fetched and mature for the "teens" involved. Perhaps that's why they advanced the timeline in season 5 so far ahead? No one believes that high-school children are running gangs, a nightclub, and solving crimes that somehow bewilder the actual "adults" in town.

The tie for worst is the singing and the cringy "diva" behavior from the red head with the overblown lips and ultra tight clothes. Good grief. She cannot act and the cast CANNOT sing. Please stop trying to make things "musical" with your tone-deaf cast of D-list actors.... it's not "fun" and it's certainly not original.

Go back to your original pace from Season 1 and stick to what worked before this show gets rightfully canceled.

Being the Ricardos (2021)

Don't Believe the Hate - it was GREAT!

[9/10 · 29 December 2021]

When I initially saw previews I agreed that the actors cast for Lucy and Desi weren't great look-alikes. HOWEVER, Kidman and Bardem NAIL the voices, the inflections and tones so perfectly you sort of forget who they are and just LISTEN to the dialogue imagining it's them. I can't explain it but it totally sucked me in... and if looks matter I think everyone would be pleased with the casting for Ethel and Fred!

This story takes an approach to a small snapshot of time between Lucille and Desi with some flashbacks that may be a little confusing to most viewers (especially if you're playing with your phone and half-watching the movie). Lucille Ball absolutely LOVED Desi Arnaz and the heartbreak you feel watching her suspicions turn into reality aren't fun or humorous to watch, but that was their life. If you're watching this biopic for laughs and are disappointed it's because you don't know enough about the couple and their marriage struggles - that's NOT the film makers fault. Like most tragic/struggling/depressed celebrities their real life is a stark contrast to the comedy for which we all know and love them. If you can't handle that you probably should take a pass on this movie.

Don't Look Up (2021)

A Good Movie that probably should have been Great

[6/10 · 26 December 2021]

In typical Netflix fashion they make two errors: With an all-star cast you end up with a lot of strong birds pushing each other out of the nest. 2nd, they take a plot that had so much potential, and run it into the ground as the amateur writers fumble with how to end it! The result is a poorly timed, too-long film with an overblown budget that features a bevy unnecessary of A-listers and a nauseating message that irritates and hits a little too close to home. This COULD have had a strong satire with a message that still got laughs (think Idiocracy).

Unfortunately, it got lost trying too hard to make fun of people who "don't believe the science." I also think if the Streepe had tried a little less to act like she THINKS Trump acted... it would have been easier to watch. Hill was a complete waste of the film's budget, Jennifer Lawrence once again plays herself, and as usual... Leo saves AND steals the movie. The satire of political division and 'Fact vs rumor' could so easily be applied to everything we've experienced in the last 3 years: Covid, climated change propaganda, and people's short attention span when it comes to fluff news stories amidst real-life threatening headline news.

Is this worth watching? Yes, but if you're easily triggered you may want to pop a Xanax.

No Sudden Move (2021)

A jumble that could have been better

[6/10 · 12 July 2021]

This wasn't BAD but it wasn't good and it certainly could have been great. The cast and plot had potential but fell short. Glaring errors in the costuming and set designs (what year is this? '54 or 1965?? Get your colors and costuming right!), a hard to follow storyline and poorly scripted monologue between deadpan characters made this a little sluggish. No music except for slow jazz chords and weird camera angles made it feel more amateurish than it should have been.

Baywatch (1989–2001)

My guilty pleasure

[8/10 · 22 June 2020]

As a hetero female, I didn't watch this show for the obvious reasons that the other reviewers watched it - after all, the beach was filled with gorgeous MEN, as well! Still, I was born in '84 and watched this as a KID, loving every minute of it. There was always some action scene where another bad driver sailed off the pier into the water and had to be rescued. I'd hold my breath along with Hasselhoff as he heroically dove into the water after the victim... odd how he was always first on every scene, am i right?

Every episode has a minor plot that usually tackles an "issue" something that came out of the 80s and 90s television shows I miss watching as a little kid. Whether it's friendship, mental illness, or "doing the right thing" the show always captured something that most people struggle with - and tidied it up in one episode with a deus ex machina ending! Campy? Yes. Unrealistic? Of course.. but there were always 10 to 20 minute montages that were lame enough to make you forget about your troubles for a while.

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

Guns save the day!

[8/10 · 10 March 2020]

Just as fun as the first - and I'm sorta surprised at the reviews. Movies like this are just fun, and they're never going to be award-winning or "film of the year," but that's not why they're made. They're here for a little fun, a little raunch, and lots of action and predictable cliches that make ME laugh and make film snobs cringe. They kept with the formulas that worked in the first one: Similar jokes and "rule" statements, and the same cast (which people would have complained about HAD it been missing any of the original 4.) The additions of strong acting from Rosario Dawson and Zoey Deutch were just enough. In the end the only thing to save everyone from a zombie hoard at a defenseless, unarmed hippie commune is of course, a firearm. Stay after the credits for some silly Bill Murray antics.

Murder Mystery (2019)

Enjoy it for what it is, and not what it's trying to be.

[8/10 · 18 June 2019]

Light-hearted, easy to watch and non-politically driven comedy that's perfect for those work nights when you want to relax with a beer and Netflix.

This movie is the equivalent of a dinner at Chili's or Applebee's. It gets the job done and it's enjoyable but don't expect prime rib and an extensive wine list. Enjoy it for what it is, and not what it's trying to be. It's not trying to be serious, it's not trying to be a blockbuster hit... it's trying to be an over-the-top and absurd comedy of a couple who go on an impromptu vacation and end up in a murder mystery that's as cliche as the books Anniston's character reads in the movie. Yes, the plot is cliche and I think that's the whole point. I loved it enough to recommend it to friends.

Designated Survivor (2016–2019)

Netflix takes another show down the liberal pathway

[5/10 · 10 June 2019]

The first two seasons of this show were SO riveting and unbiased.. Kirkman was the dream president we all wished existed. The show was actually smart with a lack of gratuitous sex scenes and profanity. Netflix takes over and the liberal indoctrination commences. Awkward and pointless sexual scenes between two homosexual African American males, demonizing the already villainous Republican candidate, medical treatments for "Undocumented immigrants" (a ridiculous oxymoron, btw), and a dash of white supremacist bioterrorism! Let's not forget to drag out the plight of the Latino and black American who struggle in the shadow of the "white privileged elite" and the cherry on top is the forced-down-your-throat acceptance of the president's transgender "sister" in law. Is there a liberal topic they missed? Oh yeah, the French damning us for having non-socialized healthcare and education! I certainly won't be watching any more of this forced liberal agenda. Netflix, you've lost another viewer.

They Shall Not Grow Old (II) (2018)

For the history lovers

[10/10 · 23 January 2019]

You really have to love WWI history to enjoy a film like this. A unique take on old footage, the fully revitalized, restored, and colorized shots shown on the big screen almost made you feel you were THERE. The documentary centers around the experience of a British soldier, with voice overs from actual veteran interviews that narrate their experiences. Some scenes had audio added to them by having experts read the lips of the men in the film, then having voice actors from those particular regions and with those particular accents, say what the men in the film would have been saying. It's chilling. There's a scene where an officer is giving a pep talk and through much research they were able to find the piece of paper he was holding in the film (from archives) and match his lip movement with what the document said. The entire film was incredibly executed and I highly recommend it for anyone who's into WWI history.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (2012– )

As down to earth as it gets

[10/10 · 11 January 2019]

I'm only mildly surprised that people downrating this show find it unfunny and find Jerry to be aloof and arrogant. I think it's quite the opposite. Jerry is so down to earth and real with his guests, that regardless of who they are, they end up being their real selves with him! Why? Because he talks to them in all in the same fashion. He pulls no punches, doesn't sugar coat things or kiss their ass - instead he talks to them like you'd talk to your brother or a life-long friend. The result is a slew of guests whose true personalities shine through. That also means there's going to be guests that YOU thought would be funny who aren't funny at all - Even Jerry seems surprised. But other times you have guests that surprise. Jimmy Fallon lets loose and relaxes, he even admits he has had anger issues. Ellen becomes the controlling and judgemental b*tch that confirm rumors about her. Dave Chappell is entirely different than anyone could have predicted - introverted, germaphobic, and shy until he smokes up. All of them purely themselves in an unadulterated, unfiltered show. Spending almost an entire day with someone, driving with them at close proximity, eating, and shopping in public will expose anyone's true nature, eventually. I think it works brilliantly in favor of Jerry and if you disagree perhaps you should watch more filtered and calculated shows that lack spontaneity and realness.

Arrow (2012–2020)

Originally gave it an 8, now going downhill...

[6/10 · 2 October 2018]

After the first three seasons I rated this a solid 8/10. Embarking on season 6... it's sinking quickly. The show started off with enough flash-backs to unfold the tale, and a solid list of characters that made sense - Lyla and Dig seem like a real-life couple, Tommy and Laurel are old friends of Oliver's, and his sister even fits perfectly as the spoiled "my life is so f-ed up" druggie-recovering sis that can't get her act together.

Did the writers get tired? When the show first began, it was refreshing how consistent and logical the characters and their choices were and how dark and much less juvenile the show was, especially in comparison to the Flash and Supergirl. Around season 4 the characters started to change and the show became more whiny, less dark, and much more like it's 8th grade step brother, the Flash.

Cliches ensue - things like, "bad guy is in the wind", "Can we have the room?" "It's my fault" and "we don't kill people." Even more disappointing, Oliver's relationship with Felicity also becomes more like the turbulent teenage drama between Iris and Barry. Gouge my eyes out...

Arrow went from having a strong, close-knit team of Dig and Felicity, two of the strongest and most consistent characters on the show, to having half the town know his secret identity with a revolving door of "team" members that come and go like the turn over rate of 16-year old employees at a McDonald's. Oliver spends 5 years training and learning how to be a killer in order to become a superhero... everyone else just get a few weeks punching and kicking and after a few montages, they're just as ready to kick ass out on the mean streets. Totally realistic.

Worst of all, the added new set of characters do nothing to enhance the plot and actually end up hindering it. The agenda becomes more liberal and politics begins surfacing in an annoying PSA kind of way. Is this an action show or an after school special? Gun control literally takes up an ENTIRE episode with Mayor Handsome "trying to do the right thing". Curtis (Mr. Terrific)'s character seems more like an attempt to promote how liberal and "Open-minded" the show is by consistently bringing up his relationship with his husband - which has very little to do with the plot except to focus on same-sex marriage and how it's JUST like everyone else (spoiler.. it ends in divorce!) Rene's character, who I actually really like due to his honesty, consistent rebellion and bad guy -with-a-soft-heart cliche, is weakened by stereotyping him as an uneducated Puerto Rican who leaps without looking and uses thug catch phrases like "pop a cap in yo ass".

The Flash (2014–2023)

From great to juvenile trainwreck

[6/10 · 2 September 2018]

This show starts out good and ends up being some teenage emo rollercoaster that's more caught up in their feelings and promises than with saving the city with a team of superheros. I enjoyed the first few seasons of this show, but then it's like the writers completely forgot that Flash is the main character. Instead, they give just about everyone super powers (even Iris is the Flash for an episode), introduce WAY too many characters, and let literally everyone in the city know that The Flash is Barry Allen. Whatever happened to the age of comics where a hero's identity is kept secret?? Apparently not in today's my-life-is-an-open-facebook-world! Furthermore, Iris is one of the most inconsistent, whiny, weak, and most terribly written characters in any Arrowverse show, to date! Her presence in any scene drags down literally every charater within a 10 foot radius with her inconsistent temperament and adolescent behavior. Forceably discussing kissing your fiancé with your father, really? Asking your fiancé to "give you space" and then having a meltdown when he moves out... really? Start counting how many scenes Iris storms off in, you can make a drinking game out of it! Also count how many times the characters say "I Promise" and you'll be drunk by the end of the episode. Sheesh.