sarah_412 Reviews

Outer Banks (2020– )

Good but frustrating

[7/10 · 7 August 2021]

I didn't expect to enjoy this but I am hooked. It is hard to stop watching and I enjoy the story and characters.

The only problem is that it can be super frustrating. The characters keep doing the stupidest things when there were way better choices! I just want to reach through the TV and shake some sense into them! The cops are also SO frustrating because they are terrible police officers! They don't follow through or listen to the kids. The kids also never go to the police when they should earlier in the show. It begins to feel so unrealistic because there is no way someone could cover up so many lies and murders without being caught.

But I still like it ... in a frustrating way.

Lucifer (2016–2021)

Why didn't I watch this earlier?!

[10/10 · 15 June 2021]

I kept putting off watching this because I had assumed it was something totally different. Wow, was I wrong! This show is great, and I absolutely love how it takes religious figures and completely humanizes them.

I really enjoyed watching Lucifer grow from the first episode all the way to the end of season 5. Character growth is essential to a great show and all of the characters in this one grow throughout. Tom Ellis is amazing as Lucifer Morningstar. He really is the whole package and I love his facial expressions. He comes off as very genuine. I especially love all the singing he does. He has a great singing voice! All the actors and actresses were really great though. I feel like this show delivered quite a bit more than I expected when I decided to finally watch the first episode. I couldn't stop watching - I binged it in less than a week.

Travelers (2016–2018)

Why did it take so long to watch this?!

[10/10 · 23 May 2021]

I started watching this for the first time last week. I binged the entire series! Wow ... such a great concept and pulled off so well. It feels like it could be real. They even inserted a character into an actual historical event.

I loved the characters - I felt connected to each one in a different way. They had very real struggles throughout the series that helped you connect to them. I loved David and Marcy - their characters had so much growth. I also loved Trevor because he was so wise and stuck in a young body.

The end was great. I had heard it had been cancelled and was worried the end would be a cliff hanger like so many other shows ... but it actually wrapped it all up so well and left just enough to leave the possibility of it to keep going. The final scene was great - it really came together and then left you with something so sweet and satisfying.

Synchronic (2019)

Liked it but ...

[6/10 · 21 April 2021]

Rescue the dog!!!

I am really upset about the dog getting lost in time. Why would he experiment with his dog? Why wouldn't he be holding his dog the entire time very closely just to be safe? This part made me so mad.

Besides that, the concept was good. There were a lot of holes. I think it would have been done better though. Sometimes the acting was kinda off and not realistic. Dialogue was kind of choppy at the beginning. The main character was great though and I liked the end .., minis the fact no one saved the dog from the crazy white supremacists.

If you like movies that explore concepts and have some science fiction mixed into reality, I would recommend it. I overall enjoyed it and don't regret watching it.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

I wanted to bang my head against a wall after this.

[3/10 · 5 September 2020]

Initial reaction: Like all of his movies (most of which I couldn't even finish), this one left me bewildered and wanting to pull my hair out.

After reading an explanation: ok I get it a bit, but it is still flipping weird.

Will never watch again.

Emma. (2020)

Such a disappointment

[2/10 · 5 May 2020]

I have always loved Emma! I loved the book. I loved the Masterpiece Theater version. I loved the 1996 version with Paltrow as Emma.

I hated this.

I hated Emma's character in this. Instead of loving her and cheering her on, I rather wanted a horse to run her over. Emma should be genuine and caring of others. This Emma was selfish and a complete snob. She only cared for herself. She was overtly judgmental. While Emma did display judgment in the other versions and in the book, it wasn't her constant character but rather a low point in her character development.

I hated this Emma.

I only gave it two stars for the costumes, which were very lovely.

Catherine the Great (2019)

Disappointing and casting was horrible

[4/10 · 23 October 2019]

I have only seen the first episode but so far this is what I think ...

Firstly, Helen Mirren was the absolutely wrong choice. She is 72 years old playing a character who is supposed to be in her mid 30's. Catherine the Great didn't even live to 72 .. she died in her 60's. Helen Mirren is an incredibly talented actress but why not give someone younger the opportunity to play such a great character?

Secondly, Mirren's portrayal isn't how I pictured Catherine the Great to be. Catherine the Great was a Tom boy as a child and was not feminine. She was strong and willful. Her husband had been a weakling who played with dolls in the bedroom. She cane to power out of necessity for Russia more than personal desire. She loved Russia from the beginning and was doing what was best for the country ... not herself. This portrayal of Catherine the Great shows her as a greedy, selfish woman who is acting out of her own personal desires and not those of the country. This couldn't be more wrong!

Further, I am so tired of hearing british accents in every movie that takes place in other countries. It is historically inaccurate. But heaven forbid someone play a Brit and not have a proper accent! It is such a double standard! Make those actors learn and use a Russian accent.

Lastly ... this show was so far just plain boring. Such a missed opportunity. Really sad ...

Fractured (I) (2019)

Didn't like it but couldn't stop watching it.

[5/10 · 12 October 2019]

This is one of those movies that you just cannot stop watching no matter how much it makes your brain hurt.

My brain hurts a lot.

It was very predictable. I hated the end. I hated how it was filmed to be so dark, probably with a blue filter to make everything seem more creepy.

Really isn't much more to say because really not that much of significant happened in this movie. I felt like the trailer covered the first entire half. I probably could've fast forwarded through the first half and know exactly what was going on. Anyway... I wouldn't watch it again and I kind of wish I had the time I spent watching it back to do something else more productive.

In the Dark (2019–2022)

Enjoyable though not totally believable

[8/10 · 11 July 2019]

I really enjoy this show - though I have to look past some things. The story is good, the characters are likable and interesting, the mystery keeps you guessing, and it has a little bit of everything - suspense, mystery, comedy, and drama.

The only thing that isn't so great is the portrayal of the blind character ... and its not all the actor's fault because obviously some of the stuff was written into the script. I mean ... what blind person is going to create a visual flow chart to explain connections? Seriously ... lol ... that was so ridiculous. She also appears to make eye contact many times throughout and almost doesn't appear to be blind. One could argue that she is looking in the direction of their voice ... but its too spot on to be believable.

Les Misérables (2012)

Big actors, not big voices

[6/10 · 7 April 2016]

I have been a big fan of Les Miserables since I was very young. I remember watching the 10th Anniversary concert on PBS as a kid and just being blown away by the singing, the music, and the story. I became so transfixed by it that I had my mom buy me the unabridged version of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and read the whole thing .... twice.

With all that being said, I was really excited to see this movie. The previews made it look great. I had seen the last version of Les Miserables with Liam Neeson and had been thoroughly disappointed afterwards, especially with the ending. I was really hoping that this one would take the ending further, like the concert does. On that aspect - I was not disappointed at all. The production, the visuals, the costumes, it was all very good. I loved the ending, and I loved the cameo by Colm Wilkenson at the beginning (who played Valjean in the musical). What I did not like was the singing. Yes, they inserted some great big actors to get interest ... but they can't sing worth anything. They can sing better than I can, but when you watch the concert and then you watch this, the songs feel somewhat ... emptier. I was highly disappointed that the casting decision had been aimed more at big names than actual musical talent. Songs that are supposed to be overwhelmingly powerful have been reduced so much that almost none of the emotion you want to feel can possibly be expressed, due to the lack of both the vocal range and the vocal power of the actors.

It was a good try .... I suppose for those that never watched the concert it would be very enjoyable. For us life-long fans ... not so much. I am going to stick with the 10th anniversary concert.