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Reviews
Unsolved Mysteries: Missing Witness (2020)
Moving - best episode by far
I thought this was the best episode, even though the mystery is really just what specifically happened to the main victim rather than who did it...but still. Incredibly moving, and although sad, I was really inspired by the two sisters, their strength in standing up to the perpetrator, despite their ties. It did make me cry. It's interesting to me that some people said they scored lower because of being angry that the perpetrator got away with everything. That makes no sense...how is that the fault of the show?? If anything, the show is helping bring to light a horribly unjust and unatoned for crime (two, really). Definitely worth the watch, and better than the higher rated episodes, IMHO.
Stranger Things: Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab (2022)
8.5 stars: Really good, but the "twist" was too obvious and foreshadowed for too long to be a twist
I'm loving this season, especially the Goodbye Billy episode. This was another fantastic episode, but I found it to be lacking in both the suspense and emotional depth compared to, say, Dear Billy. I think this could have been remedied by a less obvious lead up to the "twist," which didn't feel like a twist at all to me because it was led into so slowly and too obviously. The plot itself? Excellent. The acting and sets? Excellent. The execution and some of the dialog leading into the situation are where this fell short, enough so that I want to rate it lower than the 9 it maybe deserves because I think others are inflating their ratings right now. But I'm not complaining overall and will change my rating if others calm down and it gets closer to the rating it should have, ~8.5 or 9, not over a 9.5 like it is now. Again - absolutely love this season!!
Stranger Things: Chapter Four: Dear Billy (2022)
Stunning and emotional, the best episode by far
My title says it all. I had to come here after finishing this episode to confirm that others feel the same way about this episode. It's the combination of amazing sets and camera work, good pacing, incredible action scenes, creepy horror scenes, and - most importantly - truly touching and emotional drama, all supported by very believable acting and excellent use of music that makes this just perfect. I have always been a general fan of Stranger Things, but never really a diehard fan. I enjoy it, it's fun, but I'm not obsessive about it or checking regularly for when the next season is released. I felt truly emotionally invested this time in a way that I never quite had before in the entire series. Maybe those of us who struggle with inner demons can relate more? Absolute standing ovation for the whole team (including Sadie who plays Max, whose performance is really what clenched this as the best episode, IMHO, along with the writing and directing, of course - but there were so many amazing elements that made this excellent that it's hard to point to just one).
Stay Close (2021)
Definitely worth the watch
This was actually really good. I didn't expect it to be after the first few episodes. But it ended up having a complexity beyond what I'd anticipated. Really well done!
The Lion King (2019)
Actually 7.5, but the haters motivate me to round up.
If this came out today as a brand new film, people would be swooning over it. Look, this is one of my favorite movies ever. I didn't expect it to be exactly the same, and I honestly observed multiple improvements in terms of more mindful/respectful decisions, which I really appreciated. It made some things better, hands down. I did feel like Be Prepared was not given its due and left a hole in the beautiful original score. This was really the only major complaint, though (plus some other things that made it feel less heartfelt, but not major ones). I was satisfied sufficiently with most of the new actors (not all, but not bothered enough to complain about any individually). Look, it made me feel the feels of this movie again and without even watching the original! I even bawled my eyes out, as expected...alright, happy now?? 😂😂😑
Tiger King (2020)
Exploitive Jerry Springer-style "documentary" that is harmful to both wildlife and women
This "documentary" exploits both wildlife and women in a way that's simply unnecessary and also very much Jerry Springer-style sensationalism. Just watch an actual documentary, people, instead of rotting your brain with this.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Gratuitous objectification of women hindered the story
I'm amazed more people aren't commenting on how there was way more purposeless objectification of women in this movie than necessary. We all felt that the gratuitous nudity (always female, of course) was excessive and borderline hilarious. Before you make assumptions, please know that none of us are feminazis, conservatives, or religious, nor do we have issues with nudity when it serves a purpose. This movie had too many objectifying scenes that contributed nothing to the story other than to titillate, as far as we could tell. The storyline was good and intriguing, but the unnecessary degrading treatment of women (well, replicants, but that doesn't make it okay) and the underlying message of females primarily existing just for sex and eye candy really detracted from the experience. Even the guy with us noted this, albeit only after we pointed it out (sigh). All this, in 2017...really? We know better than that.
If I Stay (2014)
Didn't appreciate it as much until an accidental 2nd viewing
I thought it was pretty good the first time. To be honest, I was half asleep when I first saw it, to the extent that I didn't realize I had seen it just based on the name of it, so I accidentally started streaming it today without realizing I had seen it before several months ago. I know, this doesn't sound supportive of this movie. For the record, I almost never watch movies more than once...I get too bored. After it started this second time, I did realize immediately that I'd seen it before, but I figured I'd stop it the moment I became bored, which I knew was inevitable given that I'd seen it before. Well, somehow I watched it all again, in its entirety. This time, I saw more depth than I'd seen before. Bottom line, this is worth watching. Of course, it's not perfect, and the main character looks like she's 12 rather than 17 or 18, which is a little bit creepy. But it has heart, and it's beautiful. Granted, I don't totally agree with the ending, but up until then it brought up questions that were very meaningful for anyone who has experienced loss. Kudos to this movie for being unexpectedly watchable for a 2nd run, and for actually being better another time around.