athornell-00377 Reviews

The Chi (2018– )

A saga series about community that's diverse, sophisticated and picturesque!

[8/10 · 12 May 2024]

With the new season this year in 2024, its' amazing to see the child actors growing up. This series has been about growth, change, and of course drama.

What I like about this show more than other urban drama series, is its' consistent level of quality writing and acting. Actually the acting comes off natural as if the characters are just living. Of course there are some orchestrated and set up scenes that drive a point. What the creators do well is balance each episode and let it breathe, let the actors act, let them walk from one scene into another without rushing....

The Chi also looks a lot love and relationships in a brave way. This includes it's exploration of LGBTQ relationships. For many non LGBTQ viewers this can be a turn off and problematic. What the creators of the Chi have done is written the dialogue and characters with integrity, grace, patience, and, again, allowed them to develop. The Chi shows relationships can be complicated and messy too. I am impressed that the characters can be three dimensional and evolve. For so long, TV shows and movies have made stereotypes of characters, especially of Black and Brown people. The Chi defies that and shows the audience more.

What I also like is that its a predominantly all Black / African American cast. The creators particularly pay attention to casting new and ongoing talent that show off the diversity of beauty that is us. The hues or skin tones are beautifully filmed. The stories are written and acted in a honorable celebration of Black life, even if tragedy and or conflict occur.

And if you are like me, and have watched most of the seasons, then you know there's a lot of drama. I have to be honest. Reviewing ongoing seasons is difficult, because as most viewers / critics / reviewers would agree- some seasons are better than others. Season 1-3 gets an 8 rating. Season 4 & 5 are not as good as 1-3- jury still out for me- I am leaning toward giving them both a 6 rating...

I thought I wouldn't be able to continue watching the show after the controversy and death of the character Brandon, who was a favorite amongst viewers. However as much as I liked his character, I liked the show just as much. I was and still am invested in Kevin, Papa, Keisha, Emmett, and Tracy to name a few. Douda is still a villain (why is he still alive?); and now Iman Shupert plays a 'bad guy' too; working for Douda. Interesting. I'm telling the creators now- if Kevin or Emmett somehow disappear from the show, then like Darryl of the Walking Dead, we the viewers will riot!

Looking to see what veteran actress Lyn Whitfield brings to season 6. The new season promises to have new and old drama...the journey through the Chi is worth it.

Tomb Raider (2018)

Alicia Vikander is a better Lara Croft

[6/10 · 12 May 2024]

Alicia Vikander is a better Lara Croft. The direction, the acting all better than "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider".

I felt compelled to write this review to state the above. The original gets a 5. This gets a 6. Now mind you the first one was entertaining but something about it was mediocre. And not believable. It was entertaining and sexy but not believable.

The video game that started this all, a woman hero who defies all to be an adventurer w/ a purpose. With Ms. Vikander's perfomance and direction, they stick closer to the original character than the first movie.

In doing so, she is more of a badass, and there's a overt sexiness that's more subtle than the first movie. Lara Croft's character is supposed to be an underdog that is going uphill against a lot obstacles. In the first movie, she's a rich girl with a lot of money to throw at those obstacles. In this movie, she uses her cunning, her athleticism, resources, and motivation, with some finances to get her where she needs to go. It's not easy for her; she's not a super-hero; she gets hurt, dirty, falls and gets back up.

And those are the reasons this movie is better than the first.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

A good combination of new cast & returning original cast

[7/10 · 25 April 2024]

Elements of each of my movie & TV reviews:

Did I enjoy it & watch to the end? Yes

Would I rewatch it completely? Maybe

If not, are there enough good segments to watch certain scenes? Yes

Do I care for most / some of the characters?

I like the combination of the new cast (from "Afterlife") and the original cast

Are the movie flaws glaring or subtle enough to bypass?

Subtle

Would I recommend to someone else?

Yes, its' a fun movie; I was surprised and enjoyed it more than "Afterlife"

The review: Basically, I felt compelled to write this because unlike "the Afterlife" which was decent, Frozen Empire, does a good job of bringing the fun of the original Ghostbusters while combining the elements of the new cast with a somewhat new story.

Sometimes the familiar story premise of an ancient threat challenging the team is all you need for fans to enjoy. There's enough here in the storytelling to engage the audience.

Quite honestly, the combination of personality acting and iconic presence of Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson carries the film. And the Phoebe & Melody storyline presents an intriguing plot dilemma that works.

There's enough fun and nostalgia that helps move along the pacing. The first act starts off slow, but as the original GBs join in the fun and the story, the pacing picks up speed, and what made the originals good shows up here too.

Yes, the writers / director threw in the kitchen sink approach with the inclusion of 'Slimer' and the mini Stay-Puff Marshmallow guys...

I'm not mad at that. It just made it familiar. For new viewers, it can be just as curious as Phoebe. For GB fans it can be like the kid Logan smashing them.

It was fun. It was well done. It was better than "Afterlife" and slightly better than "Answer the Call" (which I liked too)

Parallel (2024)

I wanted to like this & I like Aldis Hodge but...

[4/10 · 25 April 2024]

Elements of each of my movie & TV reviews:

Did I enjoy it & watch to the end?

No I didn't enjoy it. Yes I finished it. Mad I did.

Would I rewatch it completely?

No

If not, are there enough good segments to watch certain scenes?

Yes, the concept was intriguing. The writing got lost and it lost steam.

Do I care for most / some of the characters?

I tried...The wife who lost her son. The husband who is losing his wife.

Are the movie flaws glaring or subtle enough to bypass? Glaring

Would I recommend to someone else?

No

The review: The concept was intriguing. I love sci-fi. I am also a sucker for multi-universe subject matter. However the writing got lost and the concept fell flat. The story lost its' momentum and ended poorly. By the third act we don't care.

It's too bad because I like both actors. I really like Aldis Hodge and want more good roles for him. This movie by the second act tanked.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Episode I has identity issues & flaws

[6/10 · 23 April 2024]

Elements of each of my movie & TV reviews:

Did I enjoy it & watch to the end? Yes

Would I rewatch it completely? No

If not, are there enough good segments to watch certain scenes? Yes

Do I care for most / some of the characters? Some- all of the Jedi, Darth Maul, and Padme

Are the movie flaws glaring or subtle enough to bypass? No

Would I recommend to someone else? Only if the the person likes sci-fi & Star Wars

The strong points of the movie:

The costuming especially w/ the princess is beautiful.

The sets are well done.

The new spacecraft are cool for the most part. The land vehicles are ok.

Jedi and Darth Maul fight scenes are awesome and up to Star Wars standards.

The weak points of the movie:

I think the writers / creators were trying to cater & pander too much to family audiences & kids...It didn't work.

The theme and mood was all over the place. The original first three Star Wars had way more focus and articulation of creativity and authenticity. This movie felt like it was trying to hard.

Some of the acting- Most movies critics would agree that the young actor who played Anakin was forced...Granted he's a little guy...But.

The pod race was cool but too long.

I'm not sure why the creators / writers thought it would be a good idea to add human ethnic stereotypes as part of alien personalities, but this movie has way too many. And all of them are obvious to the observer; maybe not to kids.

Jar Jar Binks- is a prime example of buffoonery and a waste of writing, filming, and screen time. The whole story set up around him and his world was a disaster. Taking that out of the Star Wars universe would have improved the movie so much.

The battle droids are extremely annoying and are mean't to be funny anecdotes but are cringe every minute they are on scene...

Silent Hill (2006)

One of the creepiest most engaging horror / thrillers ever!

[7/10 · 2 April 2024]

Elements of each of my movie & TV reviews:

Did I enjoy it & watch to the end?

Yes

Would I rewatch it completely?

Yes, it was so good, and scary, I don't need to rewatch; I'd watch it with someone who hasn't seen it

If not, are there enough good segments to watch certain scenes?

Yes

Do I care for most / some of the characters?

Yes Are the movie flaws glaring or subtle enough to bypass?

No Would I recommend to someone else?

Yes

The review:

I am not a big horror fan. However, I do love a movie that, while I am watching it, transports me into another world or into the world that story lives in. So with that said. If I can fully engage into this movie, then horror fans will too!

Thrillers that are horrors are the best; that combination, in my opinion make fun and intriguing films. This has both.

Plus you care for the main character and you want her to get her daughter back. However the normal everyday person or parent might not do all the things she has to do / deal with, to get her daughter back. And that's part of the scary fun in this movie. Because she goes all out, the way most real-life humans, in a similar unsafe & dangerous situation wouldn't. I'm a proud parent, and I can honestly say that, I probably wouldn't go to the lengths in which she did. Which is why the viewer roots for her. I did.

I didn't play the video game that this movie is based off of, and I will never play it. I can imagine that that video game is addictive and a time sucker. You do feel like you are sucked into this world while watching the movie; you root for the main character to successfully get out alive.

Job well done film director and team.

She's Gotta Have It (2017–2019)

SGHI has some episodes worth watching and some not...

[7/10 · 1 April 2024]

Elements of each of my movie & TV reviews:

Did I enjoy it & watch to the end? Yes

Would I rewatch it completely? No

If not, are there enough good segments / episodes to watch certain scenes? Yes

Do I care for most / some of the characters?

Some of the characters grew on me; for the most part I did not like and was not invested in the characters until later; it took awhile to like or care about them

Are the movie flaws glaring or subtle enough to bypass?

Yes, glaring; however as I state below the story and acting/ dialogue got subtly better

Would I recommend to someone else?

Only if the the person likes Spike Lee movies and or stories of the African Diaspora / urban life

My Review:

I read some of the other ratings which are quite low. I disagree in most; the reviews are quite harsh.

Let's get one thing out of the way. Reboots typically are not as good as the originals. Usually it works better in action & sci-fi movies where the technology & efx are better / more expensive in the new versions. The original, "She Gotta Have It" is a classic and was pioneering in every way...

Acting, dialogue & storytelling- There are high and lows; there are some seasoned acting and some mediocre acting throughout the series. Sometimes the plot and story deliver more than the acting. Sometimes the dialogue is fast forward material.

The plot & environment- Spike Lee delivers when it comes to setting the tone, the environment, and exploring the politics of the present. It may be heavy handed but it lands.

The characters-

It's hard to like most of the characters. However because Mr. Lee takes the characters on journeys of self discovery and multiple locations of the African Diaspora- from Brooklyn, to Puerto Rico, to Martha's Vineyard.

I found myself interested in where they were going and or growing. And I also found myself growing to like the characters as they went on their journey of self discovery.

And that was worth the effort. Were there corny moments? Yes.

There was also some beautiful (people, places) and visually interesting moments as well. It was uneven, and not Spike's best work.

I'd love to see him executive produce a new young talent and give them the opportunity to shine with his guidance and 40 Acres & A Mule production support.