Whatsit56

IMDb member since August 2013
    Lifetime Total
    10+
    IMDb Member
    10 years

Reviews

Outrageous Pumpkins
(2019)

My favorite show during Halloween season
The latest season of Outrageous Pumpkins has an excellent collection of carvers! I love the fall pumpkin patch set along with spooky lighting for the evening shots. The format consists of a small challenge in the beginning that gives one of the contestants an advantage in the main challenge. Carvers must use a variety of pumpkins, squash and other vegetables on hand for their pieces. The carvers can also add special effects in the form of motorized moving parts and lighting.

I knocked a star off because the show has had a variety of hosts. I enjoyed Allison Hannigan and Sunny Anderson as hosts. Not as thrilled with Damaris Phillips.

Barbie
(2023)

Creative and emotionally heavy film
I appreciated the creative nature of the film and applaud breaking out of the formulaic box. Having said that, there are still narratives present in the film that are prominent in todays culture. Gender Identity is still a common theme which plays out on a multitude of levels in the film. I am not an academic and probably can't articulate the intellectual philosophies the movie contained.

As a woman who played with Barbies as a child, I hold this beloved icon to high esteem. The concept of Barbie seems like a convenient path to drive many of these political narratives in general. Personally, I think it would be even harder to make a regular movie for young girls with Barbie as the main character.

Ryan Gosling in an amazing actor. I feel like he stole the show as Ken. I enjoyed the singing and dancing numbers the most. Most of the movie was very heavy handed emotionally. I would have preferred different casting in Kate McKinnon and Will Ferrel's roles. Different actors would have brought a fresher take in general. Margo Robbie was amazing as Barbie. The sets were ok.

Overall I would not go out of my way to see the movie again. If RyannGosling does another musical comedy I will definitely see it!

Haunted Mansion
(2023)

Good story and paying homage to ride
Lately I have not been a fan of Disneys shows or movies. Many of which are overly preachy. I found the Haunted Mansion to be very entertaining and heartfelt without it feeling forced.

LAKeith Stanfield is a great actor! The rest of the cast where enjoyable and fun to watch. I was surprised at some of the cameos. It was a fun addition.

The story and casting work well together. I appreciated how the film incorporated a cohesive story rather than a series of scenes that felt like you were on a ride.

There are moments I laughed and some scenes might make you tear up. The animation and special effects were all engaging and interesting to watch. Some people complained about the product placement. I thought it was fine.

Overall this did remind me of Disney Halloween movies from 1990's. Some scenes might be a tad scary for younger kids.

Renfield
(2023)

Unique reimagining of Renfield and Dracula
This movie seemed like a passion project which I appreciated. The nods to previous Dracula film adaptations was entertaining. Nicholas Cage was fantastic as Dracula. I did not find Cages performance to be campy. He was convincingly terrifying. Nicholas Holt and Awkwafina had great chemistry.

The movie did not hold back in the gore department. That is what helped make it more impactful. Dracula is merciless. The fight scenes were campy and brutal at the same time.

I love the art direction and set design of the film. The critics bashed this film but I think it is destined to become a Halloween cult favorite.

Chef Dynasty: House of Fang
(2022)

More Bravo network than Food Network
This show looked interesting. I am a big fan of Asian cooking. The focus on showing what Kathy is making is to limited. There is plenty of typical reality-type faux drama for most of the show. I can see that Kathy works hard and is passionate about growing the restaurant business. The show hits us viewers in the face with this sentiment every thirty seconds. On the latest episode, we get to see her final dishes for a sophisticated event in Napa Valley. I wanted to know more about the dishes. The process of cooking them, etc. The show focuses on the wait staff a lot which I find dull. It would be interesting if the show interviewed the new chef they hired. What inspires her cooking? For a food network show there is 70 percent focus on drama and 30 on the food portion.

Stutz
(2022)

I enjoyed learning more about Phil Stutz the person
I want to start by saying I bought the book The Tools before seeing the movie. The book is incredibly written and goes into detail about many subjects lightly touched upon in the film. I would recommend getting the book if you are ready to make changes in your life.

I enjoyed seeing the interaction between Dr Stutz and Jonah Hill. It kind of feels like there might not have been a clear plan for the format or direction of the movie. The movie starts out on a more serious note and then halfway through it gets more playful with Jonah revealing they are on a soundstage and he is wearing a wig, etc. It kind of pulled me out of the immersion of things. The second half of the movie was almost a completely different movie.

I agree with another reviewer on here saying it was odd the movie would take two years to make. I think that caused some issues with the final product in terms of continuity. Having Jonah's mother in the movie also seemed disjointed and did not add much.

My favorite parts were learning more about Phil Stutz the person in addition to The Tools. When Jonah talked about his weight problem, I felt it was a bit of a safe topic. Dr Stutz talks about his own brothers death but Jonah is still avoiding going too deep on camera about his brothers death. I think as painful as it might be, that would have been a deep connection with the audience.

Again, I highly recommend getting the book to learn more about the Tools!

Minions: The Rise of Gru
(2022)

Entertaining. Great animation
I really liked how they captured the time period in San Francisco. I'm not a huge fan of the minions series but this movie was my favorite out of all of them. Interesting characters. The minions provided most of the comedic relief. The story was simple but still engaging. I appreciated the good old fashioned bad guys. There was no identity politics or political agenda. Lots beautiful scenery and few laugh out loud moments.

Lightyear
(2022)

Well animated. Sappy and boring at times.
The movie was well animated. All of Disney movies are so woke and preachy now. They can't make a simple movie with good guys vs bad guys. Everything has to be about feelings. Or girl power. Very boring and formulaic.

The Great British Bake Off
(2010)

Enjoyable and interesting show
I am a new viewer to the show. I appreciate the diverse range of contestants and skill levels. The hosts are enjoyable. Unlike the cooking competitions on Food network, where they are focused on creating faux narratives, the British baking show is about skill.

The Lost City
(2022)

3 stars for Daniel and Brad only
This movie was awful. Terrible writing. No chemistry between Sandra and Tatum. Sandra Bullock is so one note in any movie she makes. Daniel Radcliffe was great in his role. He fully embodied the character. Brad Pitt was hilarious. The rest was garbage.

Spring Baking Championship
(2015)

Used to be a great show
I have been watching the show for years. Duff, Nancy and Lorraine where always a trustworthy institution. But this last season with Molly Yeh was awful. Not to mention it really did feel like the judges had picked a winner ahead of time. One of the contestants walked off the finale. He had every right to. Not to mention a waste of time to the contestants. Whichever producer they are using is doing this on most of the competitive shows. Favoring someone in particular. Faux narratives galore. We just want to see good old fashioned creativity and skill. And see that talent get rewarded in the end. Enough of the manufactured drama and twists to keep the favored person in the competition.

House of Gucci
(2021)

Great acting. Amazing costumes and sets.
I thought Lady Gaga, Adam Driver and Jeremy Irons where amazing. Jared Leto's performance was not good. I viewed YouTube videos of Paulo and he was not nearly as goofy as Jared made him out to be. The same with Al Pacino's character. Lady Gaga embodies her character. You forget you are watching an actor. The sets and the costumes are so vivid and detailed. You are pulled back in time watching this film. I wish it was not so long. It took a good 30 min to finally get drawn in.

Encanto
(2021)

Same old same old
Yes the animation was nice. The musical score was good. Many of Disneys movies in the last 5-8 years have been very uninspired. I am tired of the female heroine having to discover that she needs to be her true self or believe in herself. There is nothing wrong with strong female characters. Arcane is a good example of strong female characters. Disney has a very genetic view of things. How about brining back some good old fashioned villains or romantic stories (as another reviewer mentioned). Every Disney movie has become very preachy. The preachiness is also very hollow.

Don't Look Up
(2021)

This movie stuck with me
The movie was overly long and could have been edited. I laughed out loud quite a few times. Jennifer Lawrence and Jonah Hill where playing themselves and I was fine with that. Leonardo is an amazing actor. He truly embodies his characters. I did not find the movie to be woke. It was right on the money about everything. Even though it was a comedy, the movie makes you think. It made me take pause in the end.

Ojing-eo geim
(2021)

One of the best written shows of all time
I found the show hard to sit through. It was uncomfortable and brutal. Sometimes the show moved slowly. Overall there are many deep lessons and over arching themes about classism in the writing. The acting is phenomenal. I appreciate the philosophical aspects of the show. It is another level of sophistication compared to your typical American drama.

Under Wraps
(2021)

Fun and Hokey Halloween movie
I thought it was cute. It was generally entertaining and had some funny moments. The overall tone was very Halloween celebratory. My kids really enjoyed it and still watch it whenever it comes on.

Sing Me a Lullaby
(2020)

Very poignant and well done
I ended up watching this movie and was very moved by the story. The director allows the viewer into her mother's life in intimate ways. You understand and feel her pain and joy along the journey.

Sexy Beasts
(2021)

Very entertaining. I laughed a lot.
For people complaining that show is all models, that's not true. The contestants on the show are in their twenties. All the contestants are in relatively good shape. If you are in your twenties and in good shape, you could probably be on the show. Just sayin.

The personalities on the show are somewhat diverse. I thought they did a good job matching the groups of people. The makeup is really cool. I was often surprised seeing the reveal. There are some funny and often cringe moments when the couples go out on dates. The commentator is hilarious.

I did not feel like the dates where staged. The contestants true colors came out. Some people are considerate and some are clueless.

As others have mentioned, it would be cool to see different types of people assembled for future seasons.

Fear Street: 1994
(2021)

Fell short overall
Some of the aspects of the show where authentic to the 90's. Like running around at night with your friends, making mix tapes and using rotary phones. The wardrobe was not authentic. I wish the producers would cast actors closer to the age of the characters. The main actress is 28 and she is playing a high schooler? The relationship between the two women seemed very forced and not realistic at all.

I remember the movie Scream which kept you on the edge of your seat. This show definitely did not command your full attention. The plot was kind of interesting but also frustrating. I plan to watch the second part to see if it improves.

Dota: Dragon's Blood
(2021)

Very well written show
I am not familiar with the game. I really enjoyed the story and found the characters interesting. The animation was strong in some areas of the show (For instance the dragons speaking amongst themselves was gorgeous). In other scenes the animation felt a little flat. So in that respect it was inconsistent. Many viewers may not even notice these type of things. I am looking forward to season 2!

Bridgerton
(2020)

Lazy concept, relies on gimmicks
I have no problem with actors being from different ethnicities that do not match the traditional set up. If the show had good writing it would pull you in more. The regency England setting in the show is kind of a joke. So much so that it is a distraction. The lead actress has zero appeal. I thought some of the supporting cast where great actors overall. As some people have mentioned, this rewriting of history is very fashionable at the moment. It would have been cool if they came up with a entirely made up world that the same characters inhabited. It would have added more intrigue. I am confused how this show is getting so much praise. It is really is a stinker.

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