Howdy All! I’m Lisa. My girlfriends and I, and sometimes my kids, will be offering our take on movies and tv shows we have recently viewed. This may or may not be interesting, as we will be imbibing and may be quite merry while commenting. Still, it’s fun being cocktail critics and we often come up with legitimate reviews. So it’s off to the sofa, the wine and the remote. My fictional boyfriends (and girlfriends) are waiting. Slainte!
MOTHER MARY – Bizarre, weird, strange. I didn’t understand it and I didn’t like it. Basically a two character movie starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel. Their work is good. That’s about it on the good side. Long scenes get bogged down in unresolved conflict between the two characters where the dialogue keeps going in circles and nothing substantial is revealed. Dull, slow and boring. Also, a red drape which figures prominently throughout symbolizes something, but I have no idea what. Is it a ghost, an imagined item, just a drape? I don’t know and I don’t care, but this film is 1.5 hours I can’t get back. You guys know what that means. Skip it! Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
THE VAMPIRE LESTAT – Sam Reid channels his inner Mick Jagger and delivers a gritty performance as Lestat in this continuation of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. He’s marvelous and I love to watch him. It doesn’t hurt that he exudes animal magnetism and sex appeal in addition to vicious behavior, vulnerability and pain. The entire cast is quite good and has been since the Chronicles began with Interview With the Vampire. The story line in the early episodes is frantic, chaotic, drug filled and impossible to follow completely. The music is insane and the whole ambience gave me a headache. But it was worth enduring for the tender moments and back story of Lestat’s creation…and watching Sam in the role! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends -0.
A TOXIC LOVE STORY – the title says it all! Hideous true story of hideous people. Unless you’re into this stuff, skip it! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
SECRETS OF THE BEES – Extraordinary National Geographic documentary on these fascinating garden friends. The footage is amazing as we go up close and personal, almost becoming part of the hive. I always wonder how photographers are able to capture video like this. I learned a lot. Did you know there are 20,000 different species of bees? This and so much more information will astound you during this two episode Hulu documentary. Don’t miss it! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – Thousands.
PROJECT HAIL MARY – We all liked it. I didn’t expect to because I’m generally not a fan of science fiction, but I liked The Martian film and both movies were based on books written by the same author. It could have become a heavy drama, but the story was lightened by lots of humor throughout. Ryan Gosling does an excellent job carrying this film. His character is endearing and we root for him the whole two hours and forty-one minutes of this movie. There was a lot of technical stuff I didn’t understand as well as fast-paced action on the ship that I couldn’t follow. Plus it seemed impossible the alien would learn to communicate so quickly using numbers, sign language and voice activators. Mike said that didn’t bother him because he had read the book where much of this is explained in depth. John said “that’s Hollywood.” We all enjoyed the ride! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends -0.
LIFE, LARRY AND THE PURSUIT OF UNHAPPINESS (An Almost History of America) – Mike and I are in complete agreement: Larry David’s latest comedy show on HBOMax is typical and annoying….just like Larry. But it’s not funny. He does get good guest stars though…especially Rob Reiner in his final role. Skip it! Cheers! Boyfriends – 1 in episode 3; Girlfriends – 0.
SHIPWRECKED NIGHTMARE AT SEA – Harrowing account from actual survivors of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that sank after striking a huge boulder and running aground off the coast of Giglio Island in Italy. It’s an intense documentary with actual footage and worth viewing. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
THE BLACK PHONE 2 – Repeat of The Black Phone 1, but better. Acting is decent. A few scares! (John was terrified, but he scares easy). I liked the final phone call…very emotional. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
FACKHAM HALL – Silly, campy British murder mystery comedy along the lines of Naked Gun and Airplane. It was delightful to watch Damian Lewis in a departure from his usual intense dramatic roles. The film is great fun. I laughed a lot! Cheers!! Boyfriends – 1; Girlfriends – 0.
BABY REINDEER – Exceedingly disturbing true story of abuse and stalking suffered by one man, Richard Gadd, who wrote and stars in this piece as himself! And even more gut wrenching than the behavior of the abuser and stalker (two separate people), is Gadd’s reaction to it (which sometimes is no reaction at all). His attempts to be a professional comedian are also excruciating when he fails miserably on stage. I had no desire to see this series until I heard Gadd on an NPR interview last week. As I listened to him candidly recount the events, I was fascinated by his brutal honesty about what transpired and his own culpability in the situations. I decided to watch right then and there. It was tough to stick with it, but turns out he’s a good actor as is everyone in the cast. Not for the faint of heart, but mesmerizing. Cheers! Boyfriends/Girlfriends – 0.
