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Reviews
Admitted or Dead (2021)
Some good performances but poor plot
Interesting concept, above average performances.
Why is this young woman repeatedly walking alone - especially at night! - knowing that bad people are threatening her, her friends and family?
I really hate when films put their lead characters in such manufactured, nonsensical peril. It's really a lazy cop-out.
Another problem I have with the film is that the bad guys spend an inordinate amount of time stalking and menacing various characters even minor ones to create a sense of drama. It just simply doesn't ring true. Like, why would they be following the guidance counsellor and others who are barely connected to their "business. It's kind of stupid and is a really weak plot.
Happily Never After (2022)
Loved It - Great Plot
I was pleasantly surprised by this film. In the earliest scenes I noticed above average production values, thoughtful dialogue, & very good acting.
I liked Erinn Fredin's performance as the main character Laura. She was very naive and easily swayed, but still likeable. Alexis Allotta did a good job as Faith - over the top but not too much - she kept it reigned in enough to be just realistic.
Franchesca Fojas was delightful as Antonia. I could watch a whole movie with her as the star.
The character of Pete Wynn (played by Rich Holton) wasn't my favourite, but I warmed up to him. I never understand the casting of men for these lead roles. They're always so clean cut & dull, with the most boring hairstyles. Are we supposed to believe the wedding planner really became obsessed with THAT guy? Like, why??
It was refreshing that the film was kept more realistic in that there weren't any gratuitous murders for a change. I also liked the little teasing plot twist at the start & end of the film.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable little thriller.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Something Happened (2017)
Stunningly Brilliant Episode
Wow. This was an amazing episode. Very dark, arty, almost film noir with the pounding rain backdrop.
It was definitely a different episode that tried new things and pushed boundaries. I found Melora Walters mesmerising in this film. I didn't know if she was crazy, hallucinating, or what was her trauma. This episode kept us the viewers guessing. The actual ending was unexpected and heartbreaking.
Mariska Hargitay was extraordinary in this. She delivered a riveting powerhouse performance. I couldn't take my eyes off of her or Melora. And the intensity between them was electric. This was truly a memorable and thought-provoking episode. Incredibly well done, SVU. 👏👏👏
Cradle Did Fall (2021)
A bit dull
Very slow moving, rather predictable film.
Dumb as nails characters, from the isolated new mother inviting strangers into her home while her husband's away. Detectives who were utterly clueless and decidedly uncurious. The best friend was a bright spark, until she was gratuitously & unnecessarily killed off near the end of the film with very little fanfare of mention. Even she was dumb enough to allow a suspicious person into her home and then remain there was she realised it was an imposter. Most folks would've gotten the hell out of there.
The husband was...completely absent. And we're supposed to believe he couldn't get back for 3+ days after his baby was kidnapped? No wonder the main character seemed so dull & depressed. Who wouldn't, being stuck in such a loveless, unsupportive relationship?
The main character had no spark, no personality. It was a very wooden performance and the whole film was a big yawn.
My Mom's Darkest Secrets (2019)
A Good One
I really enjoyed this film -mainly because of the likeable performance of Nia Roam who played Ashley. Laurie Fortier's performance as Sarah Hellman was also excellent.
I enjoyed the plot on this. I thought it was a suspenseful - it was hard to know exactly who was responsible for knocking off the murder victim. I enjoyed the dynamic investigative duo of Ashley and Amy. I was not expecting Amy to come around and be objective given the characters dislike of Sarah, so that was a refreshing storyline.
Something else I really loved about the film was that Ashley had two moms. It was a nice touch and done very well. The LGBTQ representation was just presented as a matter of fact, no big deal, just a normal family. Because they are an ordinary family.
The plot, writing, acting, intrigue and pacing were all on-point. Overall, an excellent and enjoyable film.
Black Girl Missing (2023)
Above Average, Urgent Message
Really good movie. It was really strong especially the beginning. There was strong character development and building of the relationship between the sisters with a very strong sense of family dynamics. It was disappointing yet realistic when the mother minimised the whole depression and anxiety her daughter was experiencing. This led to the daughter leaving home early to return to college but it was surprising that she's been missing a whole two days before the family realised something was wrong. The film did a good job depicting the kind of isolation that can happen at college and the silent bullying that Lauren experienced from her roommate Anna.
I felt the movie did a good job showing how the authorities and local journalists discounted for the disappearance of a young black girl compared to a young white girl. The higher value placed on a white girl was frustrating to witness. To see Lauren's disappearance repeatedly downplayed by the police and others was truly horrible but also unfortunately a realistic depiction of unconscious bias and institutional racism in real life. I did feel that while watching the movie there were some new parts of the film that were hugely informative such as the sad existence of the network to find missing black girls.
Despite the film's strong message, yes the film could have been more dynamic with a stronger sense of urgency, more thrills, and clarity around the plot, such as why & how was she taken, etc. I thought all of the actors performances were really good and I'd recommend this movie.
The Killer in My Backyard (2021)
I liked the lead actors - Brittany Underwood and Jacob Taylor
Bad movie. But I liked Brittany Underwood and Jacob Taylor (Allyson & Eric). They were a fun, sweet, believable couple. I liked their performances and chemistry. The script was poorly written & far-fetched - utterly unbelievable - but they made it work.
The villain (Josh, played by Kristie Andrews)?& his story was so dull and one dimensional, I sort of skipped through most of those dumb scenes & wooden performances. All the stupid stuff geared to get Allyson to leave Eric was far fetched, especially the photo of Eric's coworker kissing him without consent. Most employees would be fired for a stupid stunt like that in this day & age.
I gave this a higher rating than it deserved based on Brittany & Hayden's performance. The sister was also played very well.
Dying for A Daughter (2020)
A sad, dull little family
Brittany Underwood is delightful in this. I think she played the wonderfully robotic, murderous pastry chef in one of the campiest, fun OTT daytime movies. She doesn't disappoint here. Otherwise this dull film sucked.
What a sad little family.
I didn't like any of the characters in this. They are a depressing little collection.
Sam is a jealous, self-centered and neglectful mother. She doesn't cook for her child. She can't trust her husband's wandering eye. She overworks to avoid her family.
Tom is a cheater who keeps a gun in an unlocked dresser drawer. He is critical of his wife - he tells her that she doesn't bother to cook (why doesn't HE cook?), she doesn't wear sexy satin robes. But he does do dishes.
Nurse: Is your husband home?
Sam: (Looks taken aback).
Erm, why is that such a shocking question?
Nurse: "He's very handsome."
Wife: "A lot of women think so".
Really? He's not that attractive, mediocre at best.
The actress playing the child has adorable freckles but there's something off about her. She seems much older than 10 years Like maybe she's around 16, just short. Lines like "She's angelic" and "you're lucky to have such a perfect little girl" don't ring true.
The detective, when told a deranged nurse has kidnapped a 10 year child just brushes it off and leaves, saying she has more important things to do. WTF?
Danger in the House (2022)
Well-done, Suspenseful Thriller
I really enjoyed this. The acting by all the main players was excellent. Rebecca Liddiard as Nora, Jamie Spilchuk as Connor and Barbara Gordon as June Covington were especially likeable.
I was hoping Nora and Connor might get together at the end, but oh well. Kathryn Kohit as Taylor was convincing. Although she went excessively hard on the tight skirts & excess cleavage, like wow. Okay.
I don't know any woman who would go to a park alone at midnight to meet a sketchy stranger. So that was a very unbelievable little scenario. I liked the various plot twists in the story with the crescendo of colliding villains at the end. It was really well done.
High School Revenge (2023)
Good film
My comments are pretty shallow, although I liked the film overall.
What was Indigo (played by the beautiful ReSheda D. Terry) wearing in her earliest scene? That ugly, ill-fitting blue blazer did not match the ugly patterned dress she was wearing. Her hair was beautiful though.
Highly-strung Ellie (played by the ravishingly beautiful Natasha Wilson) is neurotic about her daughter Brooklyn who initially seems independent and well-adjusted. Later it's clear Brooklyn is quite immature and unfiltered, and blabs about intimate family disclosures indiscriminately.
I love the diverse cast. But everyone in this film seems sort of catty & strange.
Ellie kicked her husband out for something that happened 15 years before, where she thought he'd cheated on her. But turns out he was drugged and raped at a party which resulted in a pregnancy. That it was a sexual assault is largely overlooked.
Trevor is an astonishingly poor police chief. Zero sense of curiosity. I liked the suspense and ending.
Stalked by a Prince (2022)
An Unattractive & Arrogant Prince
Unattractive & Arrogant Prince
Why would Alyssa fall for such an unattractive and charmless guy like Jack? He is arrogant, unpleasant and boring.
The whole "What's going on here? Am I a hostage?" was not compelling. There were children playing and the crown prince & his wife nearby. Why not ask them for help. How would the crown prince be traveling without security?
Taffer was a poor bodyguard. Timothy knew his brother was deranged and armed yet he still approached him. Did Timothy die?
Alyssa couldn't decide if she was a badass or a meek victim. I didn't like the character or the performance of anyone in the film except the BFF Rachel played by Konstantina Mantelos stood out in a good way. Despite her basically throwing her BFF to the stalker.
This film was a hot mess.
The Neighbor in the Window (2020)
Something Similar Happened To Me At Work
The event in this film were creepily similar to something that happened to me, but at work. I had a friend/frenemy who copied everything I did. My job, clothes, my hair, where I shopped. She was looking for a house to rent and tried for a place near me but I refused to help and she rented someplace else. She wanted my house cleaner's name (she asked REPEATEDLY but my housecleaner has a key to my house and I didn't trust this frenemy) and kept trying to wrangle an invitation to my house and wanted to meet my husband. Truly creepy. She eventually stole my job by being a stealthy ass-kissing suck-up. The pay was great but it was an unsafe environment so I was better off out of there, to be fair.
While it was happening, I kept thinking it would be selfish for me to withhold info or not be friendly because she was new to the area. But inside I could tell there was something off about her - I just chose to ignore it. Some people are just parasites.
I think this movie just triggered me. It hit a little too close to home.
The Babysitter (2020)
An Actual Thriller!
This was an actual, edge of your seat thriller. It was suspenseful with a great plot twist and several viable potential villains. The acting was good, especially the talented lead, Natalie Sharp as Cassie. Little Emma Oliver was great as Becca and they had a lovely, believable chemistry together with Cassie as the devoted protector.
The script was crisp, modern and realistic. Cassie and her BFF Lucy were fully developed characters who carried the film with intelligence and realistic rapport, lightness, humor and gravitas when needed.
Natalie Sharp is a talented singer and musician and was a realistic music theory major at home for the summer.
I recommend this film.
AKA BabyMonitor Murders.
Hands Off My Father (2023)
The last 20 minutes sucked - aka "An Affair To Die For"
I was enjoying this film until the last 20 minutes when it totally went off the rails. It was the scene where Marcus' doctor friend/roommate Craig Porter stabs Liz in a mugging while wearing a hoodie. As if. Message: Black men are thugs even if they are doctors. And no doctor would jeopardise their career and open themselves up to blackmail just at the request of some random psycho.
I liked the film because Alyssa's machinations were cleverly done, and the dialogue & acting was spot on and kind of refreshing - until it wasn't. But Noah sleeping with Alyssa was just not realistic, even if he was drunk.
I loved when Alyssa told Noah she was pregnant & he was like: "No you're not! It's only been a few days, you psycho." Hilarious.
I loved Logan Mariner as Christina Davis and Jon Brown as Marcus Jackson. They were my favourite characters and were cute & charming in their scenes. If it wasn't for the last 20 minutes I would've given this film an 8.
Infidelity Can Be Fatal (2023)
One of the dumbest characters ever
Our heroine, Lucy Thompson, is one of the dumbest characters ever portrayed in a film. She is a private investigator and repeatedly says "I don't know what to do" in situations that someone with her supposed expertise would clearly know how to handle. Or even just the average adult would make better choices.
She has extremely poor judgement and is also a big hypocrite. For example, she sees a man her sister introduced her to the week before in a blind double date having drinks with another woman and freaks out. She does this while she herself is sitting in the same bar having drinks with another man. I mean, hello?! Maybe blind-date-guy-who-you've-met-only-once is with a client too? Regardless, they aren't even dating yet, so why is she being so psycho & possessive.
Also, the man SHE is having drinks with happens to be a client. Who is married. So she proceeds to have dinner and an affair with that same client while unsuccessfully trying to prove his wife is the one cheating.
The production is slick and the director does a lot with a stilted, nonsensical dialogue and a dumb, farfetched plot. The music is kinda OTT, but I liked it.
Lanie McAuley did her best as the thick, one-dimensional Lucy. I also liked the performance of Carly Fawcett as BFF Cami. I liked the casting of Dalias Blake as August, her no-nonsense employee/sidekick who was likeable, straightforward, and competent. His character grew on me. He should've been written as her business partner not employee because Lucy was so mediocre and incompetent and did not come across credibly as "the boss".
Lucy is dense, highly strung, violent and not very likeable. When she, the supposed heroine, bumped off her innocent love interest mid-film in such a ridiculous & unjustifiable manner, this film became a particularly unpleasant and meaningless watch. I have 20 minutes left in this film and can't wait until it's over.
The Set Up (2020)
Better Than Most - I Loved This
Gabrielle Graham was excellent as attorney Nicole Brooks. She was cute, smart and fun. I loved the close relationship with her sister Angela (played well by Keshia Knight Pulliam, who I didn't recognise until the credits).
Some of the plot was silly, like having someone working at an agency who was never actually hired 🤣). And why would a smart woman like Nicole give a house key to a semi-stalkerish guy only to break up the next day?? That was stupid writing.
The idea that new law firm partner Nicole would be fired for being a stalking victim was silly. Just print out another copy of the brief and go to court...
I'm glad they didn't kill off anyone for a change, especially Nicole's cute "work husband" Kyle - their friendship and work collaboration was entertaining & believable.
Michael Xavier is charming and good looking as Michael, and did a decent job bringing nuance to predictable, one-dimensional villain role.
Sinister Stepsister (2022)
Half-sister, not stepsister FFS. But I liked it.
First of all it's not a stepsister. It's a half-sister. Doh.
But I liked it. It was predictable but good. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
I could tell early on that the real daughter I was going to be the one to figure out what was really happening. She had an interesting spark and the actress Tu Morrow did a great job. The parents were very likeable but kinda oblivious. I especially liked the actress who played the Mom Lisa Mitchell. She was kind, interesting and thoughtful, although gullible. The little boy (Noah? Played by Dane Jarrah) was absolutely charming and sweet. I liked his character more and more as the film continued and especially his role near the end when he became suspicious of Carrie.
The confrontation was really well done. And I'm glad the teenage boyfriend Ryan (Johan Gran) character did not get killed off this time. He was fun. A horndog, but fun.
Did Carrie die in the cellar? It wasn't clear, but I assume so.
Secret Lives of Housewives (2022)
Nice plot twist & atypical ending
This movie was above average for a Lifetime movie. That is largely down to a nice plot twist and a morally ambiguous, atypical ending.
I spent most of the movie thinking either the best friend/frenemy Samantha or husband Peter did it.
Meanwhile, the son was disturbed and clearly disrespectful to his mom, with violent tendencies. Plus he did all the weird surveillance in the home - hidden cameras everywhere - that was never clearly explained. Still, I wasn't expecting Lifetime to go THERE.
That choice was a refreshing change of pace. Or maybe it reflects the changing mores of who Lifetime considers to be middle America and its target audience. People who can excuse anything with no regard for truth or ethical mooring. Look at former President Trump's deliberate mishandling of classified documents and obstruction - his followers don't care. In this movie, the parents put "protecting" their son from accountability for his actions above everything else, including being good, responsible citizens.
As a result, as viewers we don't know necessarily see them as villains, but we end up not liking any of the characters. We're not supposed to approve of such immorality. But we can certainly recognise ourselves in it.
Nightmare Neighborhood Moms (2022)
Unhinged! Wonderful April Hale and Summer Madison Performances
The Neighbour
This movie was great. It was over the top and overacted by the main villain Bonnie Mason, played wonderfully by Gina Simms.
The plot was kinda silly but beautifully played out by the two heroines, Charlotte Porter and her daughter Jordan (April Hale and Summer Madison who sparkled in every scene). Jordan and her new BFF Sabrina Samuels (Sarah Jirgel) were also a delight onscreen together. Too bad Sabrina's mom Angela (Coley Campany) was accidentally & unnecessarily killed off by her own psycho best friend, Bonnie, who was in fact trying to injure Charlotte. Angela was a fun, goofy & sweet character - one of my favourites.
Johnathan Gorman played Bonnie's compromised but kind husband, Christian who understandably had cheated on her and also had some shady, illegal business practices. But he still came across as a friendly guy and a nice neighbour, instead of sleazy & wicked. Thank goodness the love affair between Christian and Charlotte was just a figment of Bonnie's jealous imagination.
I would've liked to have seen how Jordan got into the stem program after all. And what happened to Christian after Bonnie stabbed him. Did he go to jail? But overall, I liked all the character portrayals & enjoyed the story. 👍🏽
An Organized Killer (2021)
Weak start, strong finish
I liked it. Weak start, strong finish. The cast did a good job.
Allison McAtee's performance as Grace was good. The character was kind of scatty, almost narcissistic, but I liked her more as the film went on. Alex (Andrew Spach) seemed a bit wooden, but a nice guy. Evil Lilith was well-played by Samantha Cope, and there was clearly something going on between her & Alex from her first appearance. Grace was truly & horribly gullible. Her judgement was incredibly poor to allow so many new people into her family's life like that, and to have an affair with her employee like that.
Who has a stranger move into their home without checking references? And for someone financially well off and living with a teenager, why would you need a "roommate" for safety? Weird.
I liked the novel way Kristin was murdered, although I would have liked to see more of that character instead of killing her off. I also liked the other BF, Jaclyn (Triana Browne) and I'm glad she at least survived her attack. I saw Triana in a small role in another movie and found her performance interesting & memorable. She should be given lead roles in movies like this. 👍🏽 I'd definitely watch any film was to star in.
I also really liked Aubrey Steven's performance as Charlie. I thought she was going to portray a one-dimensional bratty child - instead she was really excellent & nuanced. She and Triana were my favourite things about this film.
The last 30 mins were good. And I liked the ending with the happy family reunited.
Archetypes (2022)
Brilliant Podcast
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this podcast. I listened to it with my friends and we all had a chat about it over coffee after each episode.
We all found it to be an informative, thoughtful and addictive podcast. If I had to choose three words to describe it, I would say that it was intelligent, engaging, and grounding. I loved that each episode was devoted to a different archetype. It was a unique approach and it helped me to see things in a different way.
I should mention how relaxing it is listening to this. Meghan's soothing delivery style is just perfect and we all loved listening to it. I highly recommend it.
Ignore the negative reviews, all from or who obviously haven't listened to the podcast.
Twisted House Sitter (2021)
So bad it's great
This is definitely a Lifetime movie of the week kind of movie with beautiful actors and scenery and outfits. The plot was very promising and could've gone further. The two lead actors who played Alicia and Morgan did a good job especially Alicia. I was hoping Morgan would turn out to be a bit more spicy and a challenge for Alicia, like "B*tch, please!" So that felt like a missed opportunity. Xander was good looking but his acting was so horrible it was fun watching him. Charlie was my favourite character, really cute and sweet and someone you really cared about. Overall I enjoyed it. It was a fun, guilty pleasure.