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jannmi
Reviews
Fargo (2014)
Great show
I've loved every season of Fargo, so the only reason I gave it 9 out of 10 stars is because every season has tied in with the first except for the 5th season. I liked the 5th season, and it certainly kept my interest, but I didn't like the supernatural aspect of it, and it didn't tie any of the characters in with the first season. Jon Hamm makes a wonderful villain, and his character is not anything like it was on Mad Men. I had never heard of Juno Temple before, but she is great. I didn't like it that the trooper died as he tried to help Juno. But I have really enjoyed every single season of the show. I wish I could watch them all again now, knowing that the characters tie in with the first season. Unfortunately, the viewer doesn't realize until the end that the characters have been seen before in a different context, so now that I know that, I could be looking for it. All the seasons are very different, but all are interesting.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
I loved this short movie!
Wes Anderson is always interesting, as are the movies he makes. I particularly loved "Moonrise Kingdom" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel." This short film is also long on charm, and it has some great people playing multiple parts: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade. They are all wonderful in their parts. I have not yet read the short story, but this movie makes me want to. I loved the way one scene dissolved into another, and Benedict Cumberbatch was hysterical as a woman. If you don't like Wes Anderson movies, you probably won't like this one; but, if you do, watch it on Netflix. I intend to see it again.
Ragnarok (2020)
I LOVED this series!
First of all, let me say that I have never heard of any of the actors in this series, but I loved it anyway. I have not watched the Chris Hemsworth Thor movies, and I have no intention of doing so. I keep recommending this series--"with no actors you've ever heard of"--to anyone who will listen. I was surprised to find there was a Season Three, and I binge-watched it because I wanted to know what happened. It certainly kept my interest for all three seasons. I was not sorry that I watched the whole thing, and I am going back to watch it from the beginning again. What a neat series! And it certainly kept my interest for all the seasons. I recommend this series highly. First of all, the scenery is great--I have always wanted to go to Norway, anyway. And so are all the actors. I especially liked the actor who played Laurtis: he's great, and it's really hard to decide if he's a good guy or a bad one. I recommend it to all my friends: I was hooked from the beginning. Loved it!
The Lincoln Lawyer (2022)
Season 1 was great; Season 2, not so much
First of all, I have neither read the books nor seen the Matthew McConaughey movie, so I'm not rating against either of those. I really enjoyed Season 1, and I watched Season 2 until the end, but I didn't enjoy it as much. I never liked the character of Lisa--even if I was glad to see her called out in the end--and I found the mother to be very annoying. I also had a hard time with all the sex scenes in Season 2. First he sleeps with Lisa--in uncontrolled passion, which I found hard to believe. Then he shows the same passion for Wife Number 1, who then leaves him. And then he wants Lisa again. In fact, he's fantasizing about Lisa just before he sleeps with his ex-wife. I found all this very hard to believe. They left the viewer hanging at the end of Season 2, so I'm sure there will be a Season 3, and I'll probably watch it. At least Lisa won't be there anymore. I thought the main character was fine, and Wife Number Two, Izzy, and Cisco were also good. If I were just reviewing Season 1, I would have probably given it 9 or 10 stars, but Season 2 wasn't nearly as good.
Three Pines (2022)
Too good to be cancelled
I recently got into the Louise Penny books, and a friend told me that they got better and better. I don't think the television series follows the books exactly, but all the characters are wonderful. I was really disappointed to hear that it has been cancelled, and I only hope that another network will pick it up. I, for one, want to know what happened. I called amazon to complain about the cancellation, and I urge everyone who likes the series to do the same.
Alfred Molina is not who I would have thought would make a terrific Armand Gamache, but he fits the role very well. There's a lot more about the indigenous people of Canada than I remember being in the books, but that's a good thing; the more we know about what was done--and is being done--to the indigenous people, the better. It's nice to know that it isn't just the US that mistreated them.
Dark Winds (2022)
Wonderful Show
The show starts a little slowly, but, as it goes on, it just keeps getting better and better. Stick with it. I especially like Zahn McClarnon in the lead role of Joe Leaphorn, but I have liked him in everything I've seen him in; he's always great, and--finally--he gets to be the lead in a show. Everyone else is also great: Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee, Jessica Matten as Bernadette, and Noah Emmerich was a great addition to the first season.
It's been a long time since I read the Hillerman books, so I don't know how closely the series follows them. But I don't care. I have just seen Series 2 Episode 2, and I can't wait for the rest. I love that the characters often speak Diné and the scenery is great. I sure hope it is renewed for another season.
Heartstopper (2022)
The only reason it's not 10 of 10 is because of the music
I really enjoyed this series and can't wait for the third season. The only reason I gave it nine out of ten stars instead of ten out of ten is that I found the music in all the scenes very objectionable. I don't understand why you can't just have a scene with no accompaniment. I really liked that most of the characters are playing what they really are: Joe Locke (Charlie) is gay; Kit Connor (Nick) is bi; Yasmin Finney (Elle) is trans; Fisayo Akinadi (Science teacher) is gay; Izzy Edgell (Darcy) is gay; Tobie Donovan (Isaac) is gay; Sebastian Croft (Ben) is gay, just for example. I'm not sure about the others and was unable to find information on them. I think it's great that actors like these are finding roles that they can believe in. I would suggest starting with Season 1 and working through all of the episodes; the musical accompaniment seemed to lesson as we went along, but the first episodes are necessary for establishing the characters.
The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem (2021)
I liked it
While I'm not sure about the criticisms of some of the other people, I have to say that I enjoyed this series. I thought the handmade mock-ups of Jerusalem were very effective, and I certainly was interested in the characters. I understand that there are even more episodes than what we have seen on Netflix, and I am looking forward to seeing those. In a way, this was an appropriate ending for many of the characters, and I'm not sure what they're going to do next, but I am looking forward to seeing the next episodes. Certainly it had me on the edge of my seat, and I really wanted to see what happened next. The flipping back and forth between time periods didn't bother me. I'm sorry there are no more episodes to see right now; certainly all the characters were unpleasant at times, but I really wanted to know what happened with them.
In the Heights (2021)
Good movie
I really liked "In the Heights," and the only reason I didn't give it 10 stars is because I thought it went on longer than necessary. The songs were fun, and the characters were believable. I don't even know exactly what I would have cut, but it just seemed like a REALLY long movie. The character of Abuela was especially good, and her story of her life in "Paciencia y Fe" was really well done and moving. I had not heard of most of the cast before, but they were all really good in their parts. Certainly you could see the influence on the later play by Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton," in the rap and the songs. It really helped to have subtitles on when watching it, because they speak/sing so fast that it's hard to follow. I recently saw the play, which is much more limited in where things happened, so I wanted to see the movie again to see what I thought. I recommend this film very highly.
Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020)
I love this show
I have really enjoyed this show so far, and I hope it keeps going. I really like the Grandmother, the Father, Edmund, and, of course, Awkwafina. This is one of those shows I want to watch practically when it's on. I don't think I've seen the first season, but I sure would like to. It's quite fanciful and totally unrealistic, but the characters ring true, and Nora seems to really value her family. It's very different from anything else on television, so be prepared for that. You need to be prepared to go with the fantasy and the unreality of what happens, but it's worth viewing. Very, very different.
The IT Crowd (2006)
Really Grows on You
I have to admit that I wasn't sure about the first couple of episodes, but then the characters really grew on me, and I was laughing out loud as I watched the rest. This is really funny stuff, and the characters--Katherine Parkinson, Chris O'Dowd, and Richard Ayoade--play their parts perfectly. It had been recommended to me, but I only started watching it when I heard it was leaving Netflix on April 25, so, if you want to see it, get right to it. I'm glad I watched it past the first few episodes, because, like I said, it really grew on me. It is truly one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. Highly recommended.
Workin' Moms (2017)
Except for Season 5, I loved this show
This show is so funny and relatable that I've recommended it to others. Season 5 lost the momentum some, but Season 6 brought it right back. The ending was a shocker, though, and I do hope there will be more seasons to come. I really enjoyed seeing all of these women and the problems they faced, with the possible exception of Jenny. I didn't mind that she was there, but she sure wasn't my favorite. Frankly, I still can't believe how it ended, and I think I'm going to have to watch the final episode again. All in all, it really captured my interest, and I ended up watching more episodes than I intended each time I viewed it because I just HAD to know what happened. None of the women was completely likeable, but they were all likeable at times, so it kept my interest. Frankly, I can't understand the bad reviews.
The Last of Us (2023)
So far it's great (first 3 episodes)
So far I am really liking "The Last of Us." Each episode has focused on a new person, yet the same characters appear each time. I quit watching "The Walking Dead" several seasons ago because it was so boring--one hour seemed like three. I didn't even want to watch this show at first, but because of rave reviews I thought I'd give it a chance. I haven't played the video game, nor do I intend to. I don't know if they'll be able to hold up the quality for all of the episodes, but, so far, it has impressed me and kept my interest. I'm glad I decided to give it a chance because so far, it's excellent.