laura_e_dillon Reviews

The Signal (2024)

Should have been a movie but is drawn out just for an uneventful ending

[3/10 · 19 March 2024]

I felt like this show really wasted a lot of time building up to a pretty poor ending. Would have been better if they had just made it into a 2 hour movie. I'm getting tired of miniseries that build up as if theres going to be a satisfying ending and then its a let down. The show was interesting and it left you wondering but its kind of depressing thinking of all the characters and what they went through and the sacrifices they made all for what? I wont spoil it but I dont know what the writers on this were thinking. Is this the best ending they could come up with? They could have done so much more.

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (2023)

Biased, but not wrong. also TRIGGER WARNINGS!

[10/10 · 6 June 2023]

First trigger warnings. There are lots of warnings for the sexual abuse aspects but no trigger warnings for showing an extreme graphic shot of a real C section. Its short but was EXTREMELY GRAPHIC and is seared into my memory, something I wish I had not seen and had been warned. I still remember it and want to vomit. Anyway, probably won't affect most people, but still. The sexual abuse talked about was not really discussed at all in detail, it was stated but not descriptive.

Now some people are saying that the creators have some bias against Christians. I saw this in a few moments but as far as 99% they werent wrong and honestly I dont blame them because Christians give Christianity such a bad name. They dont have to look far to find Christians doing awful things. The thing is Christians are probably more biased (I say this as a Christian) against the world and proclaiming all of it as evil. They will point when something is wrong in the world but are blind to a lot that is really evil and wrong within Christian culture. So really its hypocritical.

I enjoyed the documentary. It was eye opening, and very similar to some experiences I had within Christian churches. People think its just Gothard's organization, but its rampant in Christianity. Many teachings are similar if not the same in fundamentalist evangelical culture.

Don't Worry Darling (I) (2022)

Dont bother with the low reviews, give it a chance

[10/10 · 27 May 2023]

I almost didnt watch this because of the reviews. Im so glad I did. Its a great psychological thriller thats eerie, strange and creepy in a good way. Its got a great twist at the end, though I wish we could have had a little more to see what happens next. Great performances. The story kept me very engaged and interested to see how it would all pan out. Definitely wasn't what I expected. Sure, there are some things we dont get explanations for but either would the main character. This movie does a great job of illustrating what gaslighting looks like and what many women have had to put up with. Its sad and crazy when you think about the ending, but is it really that far fetched if such a thing were really possible? Two thumbs up!

The Wheel of Time (2021– )

Looks cheap and was unexpectedly gorey

[2/10 · 17 April 2023]

Based off the first episode. First off amazon needs to start actually showing when their shows have gore. It just says "violence" which doesnt indicate the gore. Not everyone wants to watch that. I thought the premise was interesting but the animation looks really fake. It was really hard to take seriously when the effects and the CGI looks so bad. I was really hoping to like this but it just seems cheap and has gore thats just unnecessary and for me takes away rather than adds any value. If you enjoy entertainment with cheap effects, unnecessary gore, bland acting and characters that arent very interesting this is for you.

The Invitation (II) (2022)

Solid 6.5 but giving it a 10 due to all the ridiculously low reviews

[10/10 · 4 January 2023]

I thought this was a solid movie, much better than expected. Many of the negative reviews are just from people who are like "its not gory or bloody enough" but seriously not everyone enjoys that kind of thing plus like what do you expect, its PG13? Doesnt quite seem like its being rated fairly. Honestly, to me it was more violent than expected for the rating. The dinner scene in particular was quite disturbing. Performances were good and the movie was enjoyable. I did not see the trailer so I didnt know what to expect going in, nor did I know it was "horror", it just looked like it was probably somewhat spooky. Was not dissapointed.

Dune (2021)

Most boring film of the year

[1/10 · 5 February 2022]

I had heard such raves from my friends I had to go see this in the theater. It was tough trying to make it through this movie. I wanted to go to sleep. Most boring movie I have ever seen.

The War of the Worlds (2019)

If you arent comparing to the book....

[10/10 · 4 April 2021]

Its not nearly as bad as the reviews. I really enjoyed this rendition and I like that its completely different. Enjoyed much more than the Spielberg version. I'd give it at least a 6 out of 10. Rating as a 10 due to all the 1 bombing reviewers.

Emma. (2020)

After Seeing Anya in the Queens Gambit this was disappointing

[6/10 · 7 November 2020]

Im not exactly sure what it is about this film, maybe the writing or the direction I dont know. But this version of Emma fell a bit flat for me. The choice for Knightly did not seem like the right choice. They could have found someone so much better such as Theo James. He would have fit the part very well. Anya didnt seem to have the opportunity to shine in this like she did in The Queens Gambit. And the jarring out of place music was just odd. Other versions of Emma felt much more life like and fun. Other versions of Emma make her much more bubbly, vivacious and this one she is more snotty and not as interesting as a character. In fact all of the characters did not seem to exhibit as much depth. It was a pleasant film overall and beautiful to watch but I think they could have done a lot better.

Frozen II (2019)

Best animated film I have ever seen.

[10/10 · 7 November 2020]

This is a huge deal coming from a 35 year old who grew up loving Disney movies, I often wonder if the films were better when I was a child because I was a child. Well Ive learned with this movie that that is not the case! No other animated film has had me in tears multiple times like this one. Very well done Disney. I enjoyed this even more than the first Frozen and that one was good as well. This movie has a lot of heart. I love that this isn't a typical love story either, its a story about the love between 2 sisters.

Archive (2020)

Thought provoking and unique

[10/10 · 1 November 2020]

Reading some of the low reviews its not hard to see Many people didnt understand this movie. I knew a twist was coming at the end from reading reviews before watching and was trying to figure out what it could be as I watched the film but what happened at the end was very unexpected and made sense of all the things that weren't making sense during the course of the film. Definitely worth a second viewing. I wouldn't really compare this to other movies out there as this really has a unique story and stands on its own. I very much enjoyed the cinematography and the music. This is not an action film, its more laid back and a great movie to relax with.

Space Force (2020–2022)

The idea was great but the actual execution very disappointing

[5/10 · 20 June 2020]

This could have been an amazing and hilarious show. There are some funny moments in this but it was overshadowed by such ridiculous unimaginative crude jokes that the show simply ceased to be funny and was just downright disturbing. Very poor writing in this respect. If you want a show filled with cheap below the belt attempts at humor then this is the show for you.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Best Star Wars movie of the decade

[10/10 · 27 December 2019]

Don't listen to all the haters. This movie was a wild ride from start to finish. The pacing was fantastic with this final episode of the saga unlike the episode before it. Best movie of the trilogy hands down. Unpredictable, you wont know how its going to end. Everything comes together in this finale and although not all our questions are answered, the big ones are. Does everything make perfect sense? No. But it was one of the most enjoyable movies Ive seen in the theater in a long time. And it is one I will want to watch again and again. I wasnt sure what to expect after episode 8 which was a bit boring imo. I cant believe that this movie is only rated a 7/10 on imdb! It should be a LEAST an 8.

The Star of Bethlehem (2007 Video)

Unforgettable!!

[10/10 · 14 June 2019]

Don't listen to the negative reviews. If you are interested in star of Bethlehem and what the Magi really saw during the time around the birth of Jesus and how they were able to come to the conclusion from looking at the sky that the Messiah was going to be born this is the movie to watch. There is no other movie like this. I highly recommend!

Les Misérables (2018–2019)

Most moving adaptation yet.

[10/10 · 23 April 2019]

I've seen most of the movie/tv adaptations of the novel but this is by far the most moving. There aren't very many movies or TV series that really grip you. The story displays the power of love, kindness, and forgiveness. The power of God to change a man. And the heartbreaking reality of the coldness, darkness and cruelty in the world. Superb acting, emotionally gripping, and gets to the heart of the story. This should be rated so much higher above the musical adaptation.

The Proposal (I) (2018)

Much worse than can be imagined

[1/10 · 6 July 2018]

I think you would learn more about a person in a 5 minute conversation. STUPID questions, completely awkward and the total opposite of romantic. Save your time and skip this one. It is so painful to watch.

Tomb Raider (2018)

Solid 7- Coming from a huge Tomb Raider fan (been a fan for 20 years)

[10/10 · 1 June 2018]

First off I am a fan of Tomb Raider and have played almost every game since TR1. Honestly IMDB should be removing a lot of these ridiculous low reviews. Anything below a 5 is just completely unfair for this movie. The movie is nowhere near bad, I think a lot of people are just too invested in what they think the movie should be like and because its not perfect they give it an unfair low ranking. All the whining about it being unrealistic with her bow and everything is very similar to the game! Lara often used a bow in the reboot which is very unrealistic yet that wasn't such an issue for the game. All video games are super unrealistic. You can take thousands of bullets in the video game and not die lol. This movie is far more realistic than the game so I don't understand all the whining about realism. Most of the story elements for the tomb raider games haven't really been that great and I think the story in this surpasses the games. A lot of money went into this movie and it shows. The story and cast are solid and believable. Sure Lara doesn't really look like the Lara we all love from the games, and I agree that she is way too skinny and the film lacked some of the charm of the past Lara Croft films. Angelina Jolie fit perfectly as the iconic Lara. However as an origin story Alicia does well and has room to grow into the classic Lara. Alicia is enjoyable to watch and the story flows super smoothly. I think people have a hard time just enjoying a good movie. Some people prefer to only complain and nitpick. I love how this is set up for a sequel and I hope they continue to make movies of the same quality and caliber as this one. I think the next tomb raider movie has potential to far surpass this first film if they continue in the direction they are hinting. I just hope they allow her character to be a bit more charming as well as feminine and sexy because thats Lara. It would be nice if they allow her to put on a bit more weight so she can have some curves because in this movie she is just so skinny plus the saggy pants makes her look like she has no bum at all. Lara should never be wearing saggy diaper pants. Lara is classy and I hope they can build on that as she matures in her character.

Timeless (2016–2018)

Super fun show! Don't listen to the negative reviews!

[10/10 · 19 May 2018]

It's not very often where season 2 is even better than season 1 so I am happy that they changed their mind about cancelling the show. Can't wait for season 3!

I don't understand all the negative reviews. The show is science fiction. It's not supposed to be perfect in its historic accuracy. It has flaws, and theres areas that still need to be fleshed out. If you are expecting everything about time travel to make sense this is not the show for you. You kinda just have to accept it and not overthink it. The story and characters are great. It's such a unique concept and makes for great sci-fi TV. Season 1 was great, but I think season 2 is better. With every episode in season 2 it was building up to the finale which is a real tease for season 3!

The Coming Convergence (2017)

Great documentary

[9/10 · 27 March 2018]

Nice to see a quality documentary about such an important topic. Well made and easy to follow. Enjoyable and not at all cheesy. I do not agree with the other reviews. This documentary is very up to date and timely.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Thoroughly enjoyable and not too serious

[10/10 · 23 March 2018]

I don't know why the ratings for Jolies Tomb Raider movies are so low. The story may be a bit cheesy but so were the games. Angelina's performance as Lara is perfect. Love rewatching this from time to time. Fun movie. I think after the new adaption 2018 tomb raider movie maybe gamers and fans of Lara will appreciate Jolies Tomb Raider a lot more.

Equals (2015)

Great premise but could have been so much better

[4/10 · 6 January 2017]

For a rating of 6 out of 10 I expected this to be better.

Things I liked: Good concept, The characters, Kept me interested to see how things would turn out

Things I didn't like: Very slow, Terrible ending

I don't understand other reviewers who thought the ending was "chilling". I found the ending to be unsatisfying. To me it would have been better just to not have watched the movie since it ends so abruptly without finishing the story. The ending had a "to be continued" feel to it. Very disappointing.

I would not recommend watching.