simmons-4 Reviews

The Brokenwood Mysteries: Shot of Love (2023) Season 9, Episode 5

How much worse can Brookenwood get?

[3/10 · 14 June 2023]

The increasingly painful to watch series tonight, with "A Shot of Love", finally caused me to quit this episode less than halfway through. What started with a very promising mystery plot was ruined by all the b.s. With Tabatha and Beth and Mike's pathetic responses to Tabatha's "demands". It seems that the writers have moved the focus away from the richer, more intriguing crime solving that made this series so entertaining to an overuse of the subplot about Mike and his romance life.

It used to be a great show, but now it's just tiring. Trudy's brooding and snide interactions with Kristin, Frodo's ever stupid remarks and behaviour, and Gina's ever lusty attraction to Mike and disrespect of the other officers are no longer even mildly entertaining.

The change out of Breen for Chalmers seemed to freshen the show slightly, but the continuing amount of screen time given to the more irritating characters displays, for me, a lack of writing depth that used to make the show one I couldn't wait to see.

By the way, I gave this episode a 3 star rating only because it looked like it had a really intriguing crime to solve. Were it not for that, I'd have given it a 1.

Murder in Provence (2022– )

So well done

[9/10 · 3 April 2022]

We've watched all of the season 1 episodes, and we thought they were terrific. We found the mysteries to be very well written, the complexities and pace were great, and the chemistry between the leads was most enjoyable to watch.

We hope the production company keeps the writers, director and performers together, and that BritBox renews this great series.

Dune (2021)

TERRIBLE sums it up

[2/10 · 29 October 2021]

It's really a shame that after all the hype, we're given such a bad movie. As a viewer, it's either too dark visually or too bright. Excessively dark scenes create a mood, I understand, but frequently being unable to make much out at all is a waste of my time. Then there was the excessive explosive scenes which seemed to go on and on and on covering the screen with nothing but bright flaming images that, had they been filmed further back, put into a wider context, would have created a better effect. And what about all the images of things that appeared to be simply geometric patterns or other unrelated objects having no, zero, relation to the story and wasted viewing time.

But that's not all. The sound was horribly done as well. Either you could barely make out the dialogue or your ears were, often, nearly blasted to deafness by the excessively loud music.

I offered 2 stars only because I thought Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson portrayed their characters well. I wasn't as impressed by Timothee Chalamet, though. If nothing else, he seemed far too slight a physical figure to fill Paul's shoes. The screenplay and direction were abysmal though, in my opinion. And, AND it took 2h 35m and didn't even finish the story. Are you surprised that I won't be going to Part 2?!

The Courier (2020)

Really really well done

[9/10 · 19 September 2021]

The script, the acting performances, the direction and the camera work were all just top notch. Having been a teenager when the real life events were happening, I can remember the tension we in the U. S. felt. While Greville may have not been as aware of or concerned about the horrible prospects that were unfolding, witness Emily's brutal talk with him about "the last 4 minutes", I thought the film could have portrayed the terrible tension of the nuclear confrontation more.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

Very entertaining

[8/10 · 4 March 2018]

Wow, musicals are hard to do well, but this one's a winner. Well written and performed musical numbers with energetic, exciting dancing. The story's well laid out, carries you through and rewards you with a fine ending. Costumes, sets, social scene portrayal, it's all really well done.

Good Girls (2018–2021)

Appalling network tv

[2/10 · 4 March 2018]

While this show, the pilot anyway, was a heavy dose of coarse reality mixed into an unrealistic plot, I found it to be too upsetting to be entertaining. I also was appalled that it would be available for children to watch, since it was on the NBC regular network broadcast. Depictions of sexual violence against women and oral sex were completely inappropriate for conventionally available tv. I gave this a 2-star rather than a 1-star because it did a reasonable job of showing the desperate lengths to which 3 desperate women might go to protect their families. The writing didn't need to descend to the depths of sexual explicitness to make the point; many other dramatizations have built scenarios that stop short of that, letting the fertile minds of the audience create probably far worse imagined endings than would be tolerated on the screen.

A Fond Kiss (2004)

Nicely acted but unsatisfying

[5/10 · 19 August 2006]

Have you seen "Bend It Like Beckham"? That and "Monsoon Wedding" explore culturally different approaches to coupling of men and women as does Fond Kiss. Fond Kiss is nicely acted, I felt, yet the movie left me unsatisfied. The tension and conflict were established and reinforced well - almost too well to the point of being nearly oppressive, but then that was a fundamental element of the film. The conclusion, however, was very inadequate. We've all seen movies in which the story line seems to get drawn to a close too quickly or without really resolving the key problem or explaining how the difficulties of the main characters were going to be handled. Some will probably say that the film did indeed take care of this to which I would reply, perhaps, and if that's so, then again, the story was not entertaining. Good film, but not entertaining. Well acted, but not enjoyable. You get the idea.

Something's Gotta Give (2003)

Exceptional

[10/10 · 1 January 2004]

I really don't like Jack Nicholson, and I've enjoyed Diane Keaton but not been whelmed by her. I'm also no fan of spring-fall performers in intimate relationships, because they often seem to only be giving audiences eye candy - gorgeous young actresses and older actors who've historically drawn well at the box-office. Well, this movie blew me away, and the different generational thing was handled in a very satisfying way. The writing was exceptional, and the acting by everybody was marvelous, especially Nicholson and Keaton. Wow. This is definitely in my top 5 movies. It did not play out as I kept expecting it to, which in itself was satisfying, yet it evolved naturally and believably toward the ending. Even those in our party who weren't as impressed as I was said they liked it.

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 22 November 2003]

You know, some things just get OLD, and this movie was very disappointing to me in that it way over used techniques that were fresh when first seen. The writers even reused ideas from Star Trek, Alien and Dune, and it felt like plagarism and to no particularly good end. Some of the drama was truly laughable, though I admit I was touched by some of the more tender moments. Had to see this, but I'm sure glad I went to a matinee.

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

What a disappointment

[3/10 · 1 November 2003]

Despite having Zeta-Jones, this was hardly watchable. It was NOT funny save for one rare moment. It was bad writing, mediocre acting, poor plot, etc. Although endings in film are often not known for being believable, this takes that problem to a height. In summary, it was just not entertaining.

Chicago (2002)

Much ado about not so much

[5/10 · 24 August 2003]

I didn't care for this movie. The dancing did not impress me until the last scene. Richard Gere seemed to be ill-cast in his part, although his trial dance scene was well done. Catherine and Renee did good jobs, again most notably at the end. This just didn't match "Fame" nor "Footloose" for my money.

The Italian Job (2003)

Clever, entertaining

[8/10 · 24 May 2003]

We found it clever from the start, fun to watch, got us tense at the right points, and had a very satisfying ending. Scenery was good, camera shots good, technology interesting though nothing ground-breaking. What's not to like. It's a remake? So what?

I Am Sam (2001)

VERY worthwhile entertainment

[9/10 · 4 August 2002]

This was both tough to watch and hugely entertaining. Don't want to watch this if you are depressed, but if you stick with it, it is very uplifting. The performances by the 3 leads were just wonderful, and the supporting cast and filming amplified the scenes very well. This is one of the very best movies I've ever watched. Even the deleted scenes were great (on the dvd, of course).

Amélie (2001)

not worth the effort

[2/10 · 3 August 2002]

How to discribe this movie: disjointed silly unfulfilling story waste of time

Spy Game (2001)

Great sequences

[8/10 · 1 December 2001]

I was pleasantly surprised by Redford's acting, but I was most impressed by the way the story was unveiled to the audience. The way events were sequenced was very interesting, kept my attention and helped the movie to move smoothly between the present and the descriptions of past events. It was entertaining.

Anywhere But Here (1999)

What a waste of my time and money

[2/10 · 1 January 2001]

I enjoy a chick flick if it's going somewhere, but this movie started nowhere and ended up as it started. The Sarandon character was such a frustrating example of humanity, I had hardly any sympathy for her. The acting by Natalie Portman was the only thing that held any of my interest, and that was just overwhelmed by the oppressive mood of the work.

Highlander: Endgame (2000)

Poignant, very bloody, disappointing end to a clever idea

[5/10 · 2 September 2000]

I've watched LOTS of tv installments of Highlander, and I enjoyed the way elements, characters and some of the style of that show were used. The sword fighting is impressive, but the antagonist was trying too hard to be unsympathetic, especially when compared to Kalas from the tv episodes - now HE did bad really well. The movie felt way too gory, and just wasn't as rich and entertaining as I'd hoped for, especially given that Jim Byrnes and Peter Wingfield offered a chance to broaden the content. Assuming this is the last of this series, I was disappointed that the ending didn't let me savior a little longer all the elements I'd liked.

Speechless (1994)

GREAT chemistry between the leads

[8/10 · 25 June 2000]

I'm stunned at the low IMDB voter ratings for this movie. My wife and I find it to be a very winning piece by two of our favorite performers. With the glaring exception of one outrageous, ill-conceived scene, this movie makes us smile each time we see it. The fact that it had some reality basis makes it just a little bit more intriguing. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Jurassic Park (1993)

It is STILL an amazing feast for the eyes.

[8/10 · 21 May 2000]

Writing now, in May of 2000, I think it worth noting that this movie's visual effects are still amazing. Combining the visual impressions with the sound AND music really creates a powerful piece of entertainment that I feel has kept its strength. One surprise scene in particular continues to surprise and entertain me because it was so well done. The sprinkling of humor helps to make it a richer story, too, even though it's basically an action/scifi work. I think this surpasses the second Jurassic Park movie and makes the fourth Star Wars look lame and fake.