merril444

I've never been into J-Lo's music in the past & would struggle to name a song of hers besides Jenny From The Block. But I am a huge fan of her new album This Is Me...Now.

Last week I watched the film/doco/music video mash of her new album & quite liked it, though I didn't have much insight into it. I liked the music & was enthralled at how good a dancer she is.

Then I watched this doco about how & why the above was made & gained a new appreciation for the album film & the woman behind it. To believe in yourself to the point where you back yourself with your own money - it's both brave & risky. She had story to tell & told it with passion, honesty & vulnerability. I also have a new appreciation for J-Lo's make-up artist.

I revisited the album film/doco & enjoyed it so much more armed with a better understanding of what it was all about. And now I love the music. Jennifer Lopez, you have a new fan.

There is a huge difference between narcissism & self-love. The nay sayers should check their dictionary!

To all the sceptics & the low voters, take a breath! Do brutal!

I've never been a particular fan of J-Lo's music in the past but quite liked the movies she been in. Yes, she's not the greatest actress in the world but she can sing & dance with the best of them.

I watched this & liked it, loved the music - especially 'Broken Like Me'. A beautiful song. I thought the film was a bit out there even so.

Then I saw the doco behind this film/music video. Watch 'The Greatest Love Story Never Told' & get some insight as to where she was going with this. It's not an ego trip. She was passionate about the project. Jennifer's filmed often with no make, exhausted from keeping up with 20yo dancers, laying bare her emotions. She wanted to make something different, lost the funding for it & so she used her own money to make it.

After I watched the doco, I revisited This Is Me...Now & watched it again with a new appreciation & understanding. It's a journey about self love & being in love.

And I loved it more the second time around & loved the songs even more. But then, like J-Lo I'm a romantic & believe in happy endings.

I liked this drama about two estranged sisters slowly learning about their mother's life whilst coming to a greater understanding about each other.

I found the storyline believable. Both female leads did a good job in their roles as we learn of their relationship with each other, their families & their mother. I even shed some tears along the way.

Eve Best was great in her role. At first I thought she was Gemma Redgrave - they have similar features. Then I realised my mistake. She was in Nurse Jackie.

I am puzzled about the choice to cast Stockard Channing in this series. I could see many British actresses more suited to the role. Actresses with more expressive facial features (that wouldn't be hard) & untouched by plastic surgery, Botox or fillers - whichever path Stockard went down. Her face does not look natural. Such a shame.

I know this was supposed to be a comedy, but not much of it was funny. A few double entendres does not a comedy make. I didn't find Jennifer Lawrence's character particularly appealing. I can see male fans of Jennifer using the pause button for the nude beach scenes! Even so, I thought the comedy kinda sucked.

The actor that played Percy stole the film. His portrayal of nerdy innocence was totally convincing. And realistic, highlighting how easy it can be to live your life online & not have to interact much in the real world, when that world can be hurtful. He made the character endearing, like a fawn learning to walk on spindly legs.

So the film didn't suck, but it wasn't great either. It's one of those forgettable films you'll probably won't want to watch again, grateful you saw it online rather than paid to see it at a cinema.

As a frequent visitor to Bali, I was so disappointed in how obvious it was that the movie wasn't filmed there. Gede's family home was atypical for a Balinese compound. Throwing in a few Balinese style furniture pieces, temple umbrellas & statues weren't convincing enough.

The rainforest trees & foliage was not typical, nor was the mountain & the landscape in the distance. Bali has a volcano that can be seen from all over the island.

The plot was predictable, there are no surprises here. Comedy-wise, there are no laugh out loud moments either. I think the dolphins were CGI too. I'd describe the movie as pleasant but not memorable.

I really enjoyed this crime mystery set in beautiful forested locations in Canada.

Alfred Molina is an awesome actor & brings his game to the complex & engaging role he plays. This chief inspector is riddled with contradictions. Is he especially intuitive? A bit psychic maybe? He is definitely empathetic, something we do not see that often from detectives. The native indigenous storyline that runs through each episode keeps us engaged whilst a murder is committed & solved every two episodes & recurring townsfolk give us glimpses into their life stories. A supernatural theme also helps the main storyline transition between the past, present & dare I say it....the future.

The lower ratings seem to come from viewers who have read the books & are upset that this series strays so far from the author's tomes - what a shock! I've not read the books so can review this series without making unfavourable comparisons.

It's good, it's different & I hope there is a season 2 as there are plenty of secrets & storyline's to explore further in the future.

Renew it please, Amazon.

The series was slow but I persisted, as the acting was quite good. I kept getting distracted by 'David' who is a bit of a doppelgänger for Tom Ellis of Lucifer fame.

By the 4th episode I was quite into it & wondering 'whodunnit'. Then along came episode 5 & the downhill slide gathered momentum to avalanche status in episode 6. It started to down a path at odds with the first 4 episodes.

I got robbed of a satisfactory conclusion by the ridiculous ending. The high raters called it a 'twist'. I call it a fail. Not only was it unbelievable, it was stalker-creepy. Yuk.

I was so incensed I wrote a negative review!

What a load of rubbish! This movie sucked. The storyline was ridiculous & then suspend your belief that a tiny woman can deck all these huge men, swing one handed on monkey bars & have a gutteral European accent but is supposedly good old American GI Jane. Please!

Not to mention a poorly disguised Chris Hemsworth as a hippy TV salesman. Was that supposed to be tongue in cheek?

Then there's the Russian command giving subordinates the option about who to kill? As if!

Terrible acting, predictable storyline, terrible CGI, predictable outcome. Not worth your time.

I enjoyed the 4 episodes currently available for this new season of Harry Bosch, after binge watching all 7 seasons of Bosch recently. A few criticisms - the opening music is horrid & far removed from what Bosch would listen to. Secondly, I keep getting the occasional flashes of text on the screen, in advance of what is about to happen. It is not in sync & I'm wondering if they are the film editor's bookmarks accidentally left in? They are distracting.

Anyone who has experienced grief can relate to this movie. The characters are disconnected & lost as they try to come to terms with loss & moving forward.

I cried through most of this movie. It was touching, simple & emotive. I don't understand the low ratings unless they came from teenage boys perhaps!

Firstly, to address the few poor reviews, how you can review something you didn't fully watch is beyond me. I do not think there was too much dialogue, nor was the episode boring. I don't think these reviewers have read the books if they don't like wordy dialogue! I loved this episode & think all the actors did a great job, especially Sam. Although I knew Jamie wasn't going to die, it was still touching seeing him battle to stay alive, even when he was his own worst enemy. I really enjoyed the camaraderie & bonding between Roger & Jamie too.

My one criticism is the encounter Bree had with the buffalo. I don't think anyone thrown in the air by a charging 900kg beast could get up without the appearance of even being winded, let alone seriously injured! And to then jump up & run over & pick up her child as if it hadn't happened - not believable!

I had no expectations, as I have not seen the TV series. The plot was improbable, as were many of Miss Fisher's antics. Was she supposed to be a female version of Indiana Jones? It missed the mark for me. For all of her running around, riding, climbing & costume changes, she never had a hair out of place! And because of this I couldn't help staring at her hair throughout the film. And she had a change of wardrobe in every scene. Most of the ensemble cast didn't have enough to do & contributed little to the storyline. There was no suspense & I guessed who the baddies were. I suppose if you are a fan of the series, you might enjoy it if you are happy to suspend belief & are not fussy about overcomplicated storylines. Overall I found this film disappointing. I won't be in any rush to watch the TV series!

Unfortunately for me, this version of Emma was more a miss than a hit. It was too slow & failed to draw me in. Some of the scenes were just too long or superfluous, making me wish for them to hurry up to get to the good bits. Visually speaking it was lovely & depicted the Regency period well. But the soundtrack was often jarring & distracting rather than enhancing a scene. The odd choir singing is a case in point.

I could not like Emma herself. Anya Taylor-Joy was miscast, in my opinion. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was her unusual eyes? I know I disliked her hairstyles intensely. Horrid! I couldn't connect with her character.

I thought some of the characters were wishy washy. You would not know that Emma's sister Isabella is married to Mr Knightly's brother John. Or perhaps I blinked & missed it? Jane Fairfax was fairly insipid & there was not much to indicate that Frank Churchill was a bit of a cad weaving elaborate lies. Bill Nighy's Mr Woodhouse was too childish & effeminate for my liking. Mr Knightly, whilst likeable, was a bit childish for his age & station & not a match for this particular Emma & I could picture her walking all over him.

The actors I did enjoy were the characters of Mrs Weston, Harriet Smith & Miss Bates, played by Gemma Whelan, Mia Goth & Miranda Hart. Gemma Whelan of Game of Thrones fame, handled Mrs Weston with dignity & grace. Harriet was delightful & suitably innocent & gullible. My favourite character in this adaption was Miranda Hart's portrayal of the unfortunate Miss Bates. Miranda is an expert at playing socially awkward characters & did not disappoint with Miss Bates. Her embarrassment & vulnerability at Emma's spiteful words at the picnic brought me to tears. As did her graciousness in accepting Emma's attempt at an apology. Bravo Miranda!

So there were some redeeming scenes throughout the movie. But overall, it fell short of my expectations & the 1996 version of Emma remains my favourite to date.

I saw this movie today. I haven't read the comics so can't make a comparison. I'm just your average movie goer, not a troll. I like Margot Robbie and I know she was heavily involved in this movie. It's a shame, because it's not very good. Most of the humour didn't hit the mark. We are asked to believe that a supposedly highly intelligent person becomes a kookie super hero/villain because she broke up with her boyfriend. So of course when one goes out on their own they buy a hyena for company! One minute she's ditsy, the next she is making a profound psychiatric diagnosis. Ding-a-ling-a-ling! The baddie Roman was a cutout villain with no depth & no back story about how he ended up a villain. He was like a child who lost his favourite toy & having a tantrum. There's a song & dance routine thrown into the mix when Harley nearly got knocked out that was superfluous, making no sense. Some of the fight scenes were fun when the humour hits the mark, but for the most part this movie is just silly. Not fantastic, not terrible, just silly.

It was lovely to revisit a favourite classic novel that was so beautifully brought to life. Some may ask do we really need another version of this book? Probably not. But thankfully the stars were aligned when the powers-that-be put their faith in another remake. This is the best adaptation I've seen. The acting was superb, the characters came to life in the re-telling of a well known & well loved story. I tried not to sob in my seat but failed. I loved every minute of it!

What a bizarre movie! If I'd seen this at the cinema I'd be really annoyed I'd wasted money. It sucked. I wonder if Matt Damon only received half the script when he signed on? It went down a weird road half way through that barely related to the concept of being downsized. Oddly disjointed storyline & unsatisfying.

Don't believe the poor reviews - this is a really good movie. It was tense, thrilling & kept me engaged from beginning to end. Thoroughly entertaining & worth 2 hours of your time.

Not as good as I hoped. I only watched this because Ryan Reynolds was in it, but even he couldn't save this movie. A bit too over the top for me. It was confusing at times and incredibly violent. I don't need to see body parts fly in all directions as proof of death - you hit 'em, shot 'em, ran over 'em. I get it, already. There's no need to rub my nose in it! Why are the bad guys always dumb arses? The worst drivers, the worst marksmen & the worst communicators in the world? The convenience makes the ghost team Teflon. Some of the stunts were amazing but I would have appreciated more time spent on a storyline without so many unbelievable plot holes instead of wham, bam, thank you ma'am over and over and over. I can only suspend my belief for so long.

Perhaps my expectations were too high as I am big fans of the actors in this film. But I found it incredibly bland. We can all say it was well acted I guess - it's Helen Mirren & Ian McKellen after all! They did the best they could with what they were given. Because we know they are both liars, (no spoiler as its in the promo) there was no suspense or tension throughout the story. By no stretch of the imagination could this be called a thriller. I lost interest. The ending was over explained & thus overcooked. By that time I didn't care because I couldn't engage with the characters. In fact I had a couple of micro naps during the last third of the movie. So disappointing.

I wanted to like this movie more than I did. I really like Emilia Clarke & hoped this would be her breakout movie post Game of Thrones. Alas, I think not. For me, the first 2/3 of the movie was too slow & Emilia's character was more annoying than likeable. One odd storyline was Michelle Leoh's love interest. I was expecting an interesting background story about how the couple met in the past but it was not forthcoming. A missed opportunity for some character depth. I enjoyed most of the last 1/3 of the movie & it even brought a tear to my eye towards the end. However it was not enough to sustain the rest of the movie. Last Christmas is no Love Actually & not one that I would sit through again.

I am used to having to suspend all belief after how ridiculous the storyline's were last season, but this one takes the prize. The 'horror' aspect of this episode is almost comedic it's so bad. The haunting of Cheryl Blossom? Really? Diminishing her by this gaslighting storyline is pathetic, lazily predictable & an affront to her character.

The Riverdale writers obviously have some talent judging from the brilliant tribute episode to Luke Perry. Where did it go? I'm losing faith from this recent offering of drivel.

I enjoyed this film more than I expected to. I certainly didn't have high expectations. It was light hearted fluff with some great kick ass action scenes.

It didn't follow the same iconic formula as the previous movie & TV show which has put some noses out of joint, reading some of the negative reviews. Someone commented that Elizabeth Bank's character was too much like an angel & not Bosely. They must have missed the reference to her history as an angel before becoming a handler. I didn't have an issue with it.

What surprised me most was Kristen Stewart. She stepped out of the broody miserable persona she usually projects. Instead she was fun & actually looked like she was enjoying herself!

There was enough story & action scenes to keep me engaged from start to finish. If you want a bit of escapism that doesn't take itself too seriously, go see it.

I've been a fan of Sandra Oh for years & found this TV movie on Netflix. I doubt she is proud of this one. Sandra's character kept losing her British accent. The lead was surly & I could not connect with his character. What was going on with the autopsy guy & Thorne? It was never explained. There were too many implausible circumstances in the storyline. Why did Sarah Chen send her fellow cop out to buy coffee so she could snort some coke in the bathroom? She could have done it with him in the house. It's not like a male officer is going into the bathroom with her. I doubt child protective services would allow a 5 year old boy to go home with a police detective who works all hours of the day. And I guessed who the second killer was early on - he has a multiple personality disorder (certainly not bipolar as suggested by another reviewer). Why couldn't the child identify the killer? He saw him. I have to say that the British do cop shops really well on the most part. Unfortunately this one missed the mark. Disappointing.

Anyone who loves dogs will love this movie. It's sweet, funny & poigniant. All a dog wants is to be loved & the many lives of Bailey portray the same message. Love your dog & it will love you back without reservation. Prepare for a few tears, or if you are like me, howl like a dog. A wonderful movie.

I really enjoyed this movie. The critics didn't love it, but they loved La La Land, which I found to be a huge snore fest. There you go - proof you should listen to movie goers & not movie critics!

The music was fabulous. If you were expecting songs to reflect the era, think again. They were modern, catchy & uplifting. I left the cinema wanting to get my hands on the soundtrack.

I also loved the choreography. The same choreographer did La La Land but any similarity ends there (praise be!). Costumes were colourful, adding to the ambiance of the film.

Yes, the storyline may have been a bit thin & predictable, but hey - it's a musical. My only real criticism was the CGI elephants - they were not well done.