Change Your Image
rivkasieff
Reviews
El caso Asunta (2024)
Little girl lost
It's a very sad story. A baby girl from China adopted by well off Spanish parents. They were both hiding things. The truth will never be told so you can only go on the physical evidence and speculation. The drugging was real. The reason for it? We don't completely know. An assumption? Well that the father was abusing his child. The attack in the night. The marks around her neck? That was real. Was he drugging her so he could abuse her? The mother knew and allowed it? The father might say he's innocent of murder but did he drug her? Did he make the marks on her neck? Who gave her the fatal overdose and why? Was she going to tell someone? I expect we'll never know. Poor child needed loving parents. This, she never got. It's just very sad.
The Psychopath Life Coach (2023)
LEWIS: THUG. CULT LEADER & PYRAMID SCHEME MONEYMAKER
This wasn't entirely disinteresting. Like most other reviewers on here I'm heartened to realise they see the con. I too was waiting for a twist. Most of us grow up unloved. We don't all want to hurt others. Is he doing what he's doing to genuinely help people? Or because its a good business model?
Thank god for the one voice of sense here. The lady near the end. Apart from her it's all "we love lewis" "he's christ...the redeemer" Tacky matching tattoos which turns yourself into branded cattle and I would have like to have learnt how some people have turned their lives around but instead the documentary focused on how you too could be a life coach. Pay to be a life coach. Who gets the money? You're being mugged off by some geezer. It's a PYRAMID SCHEME. Look that term up before you think of investing.
Wilderness (2023)
Survival in the wilderness of life
Jenna Coleman was the reason I watched this. Loved her from Dr Who. The Cry and The Serpent were excellent dramas so I had high hopes for this. Jenna shines on screen she is very beautiful. I've given it an extra star for her.
Although her emotional journey was a complex one. It makes more sense when you realise what her mother blamed her for as a child. Although liv looks and acts like a moral soul she actually loses her morality with her need for revenge and then survival.
Although trapped in a marriage with a philanderer and a possessive husband there had to be a better way out. She would not have lost herself.
Letting an innocent man go to jail and then killing him instead to save herself are not good things and yet I still felt some sympathy for liv. Maybe that's just my liking for the actress.
I liked the music. Including Britney and Taylor Swifts brilliant 'look what you made me do'.
This is not so much a murder mystery as a study of a dysfunctional marriage and some very dubious behaviour and difficult choices. She gained her freedom but lost so much more.
Witness Number 3 (2022)
Antagonist in need of a mum
So yeah, plenty of plot holes. But I liked the strength of the main character Jodie. Not many would be that brave. Gangs Intimidate and kill on a daily basis. That's just it. They are part of a "gang" and they "bully" everyday normal people who do not have a gang as a support system. Even Po, was impressed calling her a fighter. Her motherly instinct towards this 17 year old lost boy was the heart of the show.
So yes, the acting of the police was wooden. I'm not sure about the whole "safe house" design. Kyle goes to school. Jodie goes to work. Jodies house was not a flat. It had 2 floors. It was like a house stuck at the end of a row of urban council flats. It's always lovely to see Sue Johnston.
Inside Man (2022)
Just Kill the annoying hostage already!!
I don't really know how to explain this mini series. It's almost comical at times. Tennant performs well with what he has. You can see the tension on him increasing as events get out of control. He's a man of God. A vicar. But could he kill to protect his only child?
Across the pond in the US of A there are 2 prisoners on death row. Stanley Tucci plays his part well as does his comical sidekick who , let's not forget, has murdered 15 women. Tucci is like Moffats Sherlock , he solves crimes. Sees things others don't and has amazing connections. People come to see him and his Watson with the photographic memory.
The opening scene shows a meek looking young woman on a London tube and an ass***e waving his crotch in her face. She doesn't say anything. No one steps in. ( not unusual) then one middle aged woman, Janice decides to step up and fakes that he's on Facebook live. Other people then come forward to do the same. Turns out this girl is a journalist. She wants to interview Janice. Suddenly this very ordinary reporter is interviewing Tucci on death row. She had applied to see him who knows when. A woman who is ready to go to death row and stare a murderer in the face but can't handle an idiot boy. Therein begins the inconsistencies. And there are many.
Janice is tutor to Tennants son. A mix up with a drive pen causes Janice to assume said son, Ben, is a paedophile. The drive belongs to some perv from Tennants Church. Instead of guarding it carefully he throws it in the key bowl. Janice ends up accidentally falling down the stairs into a cellar. She won't believe it's not Ben no matter what the vicar says. She has to be the most annoying hostage of all time. Is she meant to be? As things progress, things get more ridiculous. Drama needs stupid moves but this takes the cake. I was hoping to see an axe in Janice's head. Even when you think it's done. It's not. She survives.
Meanwhile Tucci has worked out where Janice is. The vicar goes to prison. I wanted to know why he'd killed his wife but no, we watched for 4 hours and didn't get the answer. The 2 different country thing felt disjointed. The American stuff was better in my opinion. Now Janice wants Tucci to help her murder her husband. If there's a series 2 with Janice in it I'm going to give it a miss.
Although the overall message is anyone can become a killer, that is, possibly true.
Obsession (2023)
Despicable people
Just watched this. Mostly for Armitage, and boy did I get to see more of him than I expected. Unfortunately he plays a despicable very un family man. Charlie who is a beautiful woman didn't look quite right in this, as another reviewer said, not sexy enough to tempt Armitage away from his lovely, classy wife and his own son. Anna is all mysterious and offers the sexy Dr sex only while she actually looks happy with his son who she wants to marry. She is a despicable creature so they suit each other. Just where is the father's love for his son in all this? Even after they both effectively kill the poor son the Dr is stil up for a relationship with this personality free woman. It's ridiculous. Watchable none the less. It deserves 2 stars with an extra star for Richards nudity.
Red Rose (2022)
Our information is out there
This just appeared on Netflix so I gave it a go and ended up binging all 8 episodes. Now,I'm not being paid for giving it a 10. I genuinely loved it, it went very fast and was great viewing. I've read some bad reviews and that's fair enough, if you don't like it ,you don't like it. I respect that so please respect that some people like different things. I don't give many 10s out.
The acting was good, especially from the young girls playing Rochelle and Wren. It was a shame Roch died so soon. I warmed to the whole group. I felt that they genuinely cared for eachother, they did seem to be a group of charactertures to be fair, poor one, gay one, fat one, nerd, hunk, father been in jail and the funny one, but they were all quite fleshed out and all decent, good kids. Ofcourse there's the stupid element. Why give out all your info to a stranger. Why click on a mysterious app? But then there would be no story.
At first it has supernatural elements but then you realise it's all about human cruelty and control. The frightening thought is most of us give out so much personal info every day. Facebook is a minefield of personal information. We click accept apps all the time and our views and opinions are out there. The Internet is a powerful, powerful tool.
The Humans (2021)
Realism. Life is hard.
This was a strange film. Not what I expected. It wasn't all Hollywood and colourful with humour and banter around the Thanksgiving table. Instead it went for realism. Life is hard, dark and sad. Everyone acted very realistically. It felt like they were real family. I knew I recognised the dad. I looked him up and ofcourse! He was in Dharma. Playing another very troubled father. He is a very talented actor. You can feel the stress and the sadness on his face. There was another character, that was the apartment. I hated it. I guess it had potential if it was done up but it such a depressing atmosphere. I guess it fitted much of the pain the family were going through.
None the less, I didn't find it that entertaining. I found it depressing. Because this wasn't escapism, this was real life. These were real people. At times it was uncomfortable because of insensitive comments made and you can see the reactions. Hurtful things overheard, but that is family. They sure went to the toilet alot though. Would have liked a bit more humour just to put a little light into the darkness. Best bit was when Grandma started singing the hymn. A lovely family moment.
Men (2022)
Paint splashes create movie
I don't mind weird , mind bending movies filled with metaphors. I was one of the few people to like "Mother" but I don't know what the heck this was.
I watched it because I like Jessie Buckley, an excellent actress and I liked her pink dress. The countryside and house were beautiful. At first the gimmick of all the men being played by Kinnear was quite amusing. But, then I'm thinking what is this about? Clearly she was in an abusive relationship with an obsessive husband. We assumed he'd carried out his selfish threat to punish her by suicide. He was a child. She goes on what should have been a relaxing break but it turns into a nightmare with all the males acting weird and hating on her. The priest inpeticular was vile. Misogynistic to the core. I understand the link to the misogyny of the church. I saw her eat the apple. I saw the point of women being to blame if they don't give men what they want, but as bad as many men can be, there was not even one that showed her kindness, even the polite geoffrey turned on her in the end. Hadn't this woman been through enough trauma? I thought maybe there was more to the story , maybe she'd been the bad guy, or maybe she was the one who killed herself. Her reactions to what was going on were not natural. Most of us would have been ready for the loony bin. Was all this torment meant to help her through her guilt in some way? Because it really wouldn't. I thought her dead husband might try and release her from her guilt but nope. This film was let's throw some ideas together, like splashing different colours of paint on the wall, like a piece of unconstructed art and let each viewer see what they want to see. I'm sure many people liked it but I thought it was a pile of Poop.
The Lodge (2019)
STUPIDITY sure can cause much destruction
This was not a terrible film. It was slow but watchable. It convinces you it's an unfolding story of supernatural horror. What is Grace hiding? Why was she the only survivor of a suicidal cult? However, this major question never gets answered. What does become apparent is that the trauma has never left her and her fiancée ( a very well ageing Richard Armitage) is one very STUPID guy. It's been 6 or 7 months since his wife (Alicia Silverstone) blew her brains out upon his desire to hurry the divorce so he can marry his younger girlfriend Grace. (Riley Keough). His 2 young children are still very much suffering from grief and a worry that because she killed herself she may not get into heaven. The children were religiously raised and for Grace, religion destroyed her life. So, they find her past suspicious and creepy, they resent her for their parents break up and mostly for their mother's suicide. But it's still a great idea for daddy to think a break in their family lodge out in the middle of nowhere in the freezing snowy, stormy winter over Christmas with him not there for days will be a good chance for his fragile young girlfriend and his grieving young children to bond. I don't think many will disagree with the stupidity of this, though of course in movies, horrors in particular, people have to make stupid decisions.
Now, the twist is the only good thing about the film. I didn't see it coming. Strange things were happening. Their stuff was disappearing, the generator didn't work, the dog went missing, the clock was stuck on 9th January. There was an obituary photo and notice about their deaths, voices were calling for confessions, and most harmfully her medications were gone. Grace's mental health was disintegrating and then we discover the children were behind everything. Even when they admit it she's too far gone to believe them. Now the boy is about 14, his sister maybe 10. So how culpable are these angry grieving children? Did they have any idea the extent of the damage they would cause. This for me was the real thinking point of the film. The boy in my opinion was more culpable. His intentions were awful and he was old enough to know better. Was grief and anger an excuse? Well, perhaps a mitigating factor. He probably did not understand the extent of Grace's mental state and ongoing trauma. The sister was probably easily influenced by her elder brother the only one who shared her grief. But the biggest culprit was the father. Apparently he's a psychologist too. I can't believe for a second he would have ever thought this vacation with him away for days was in any way a good idea. So basically, it's a movie about right and wrong and culpability and those are the interesting aspects. But as a movie, it fell quite flat for me and I have to give it a 4.
Smile (2022)
Obvious answer?
For a horror film this was actually very good. Lots of jump scares. Good use of sound effects. I noticed that Rose had a mug with a smiley face on it. There were some in jokes I think. Caitlin Stacey who played Laura who committed suicide infront of Rose was very convincing with her acting. I've followed her since her soap opera days (Neighbours, she is australian) She has come a long way. I thought Sosie Bacon gave a great performance also. Her journey through her own mental torture was interesting. The thing is, my friend and I figured the obvious answer was why didn't kill herself when she was alone? But anyway, like many others not happy with the ending which loses it a star but still I would recommend.
Deep Water (2022)
Stupid Movie about horrible people
Exactly what is the plot line here? A rich guy who is played either very lazily and one note by Affleck or played that way deliberately as his wife often accuses him of having no passion. The younger nymphomaniac wife has plenty of it with her endless stream of lovers that she openly sees infront of dull hubby. She's beautiful on the outside but she is twisted on the inside yet she's worth killing for? Surely all she has going for her is her youth and looks. Toxic relationship not good for cute little daughter. What lessons about life is she being exposed to? One star for the child actress. She is so cute. One star for Ana's mesmerising beauty which I say as a straight female. No stars for anything else.
The Wrong Stepmother (2019)
Uugh
I usually find lifetime movies quite entertaining. This one had bad acting from nearly everyone. A very lame script. A basic idea of evil woman getting obsessed but done many many times before and much better. The characterisation was poor. Sorry, this is my first 1 review.
Cobra Kai: Counterbalance (2018)
Excellent episode
This is a solid episode. The one I've been waiting for. The fight in the canteen was excellent. It all came together. Daniel and Johnny have achieved a complete role reversal from the movies. Now a wonderfully recrafted Johnny Lawrence is the one we're all rooting for. While Daniel is acting without thinking. The visit to Mr Miyagi's grave was poignant. He is missed. I also loved the pictures from the old movies. The humour is still on point and finally we see Daniel trying to slip into his old self. The gi and the famous bandana comes out. Maybe it's time to see if Daniel has still got it.
The Sinner: Part VIII (2020)
Empty meaningless drivel
I loved the first 2seasons. The first was something special I'd give a 9. The 2and was still intriguing id give an 8. So when season 3 came out I heard it was rubbish and not worth bothering with but it also had some good reviews. So I had to watch it for myself. Episode 1was good. A nice set up. Episode 2 was alright. Somewhere around episode 3 and4 you wonder where it's going . It starts to get a bit ridiculous. Jamie is not a person you can empathise with. What is wrong with him? What happened to him you think. Why the hell did he kill the clairvoyant? A moment of madness he said. Oohnehat happened? Why? It was the most pointless killing and not once did he ever show remorse. No, it was all about him. He wanted his wife to just accept head a murderer, he wanted to hold his baby. He thought he was a good person right to the end after he killed again and kidnapped a 10 year old and attempted to kill an innocent woman who had done him no harm.
Oh but poor jamie cant feel anything , ok I understand that. It sounds like a form of deep depression. But he's obsessed with man's fear of dying so he let's his psycho friend die , ( an understandable decision) but when he's close to dying later he gets all little boy panicky and scared. Desperate for help to come because he doesn't want to die. He wants to live. Well so did the people he killed. At least his psycho friend accepted his 'fate" and died with grace.
Are we supposed to feel sorry for jamie, because he's handsome. He's angry that a DETECTIVE tried to put him in prison. Oh how dare he , I thought we had a connection , blah blah. We all want meaning and connection in our lives. We dont go on a killing spree and then expect to just get on with our lives. No consequence.
I had to watch to the end. I still had hope that there would be answers. Maybe some remorse. Maybe the realisation that life is precious. He only cared about his own life and everyone else's seemed expendable. There were no answers to be found and I was glad when it was over. I hope season 4returns to form.
Tiger King (2020)
Madness of the big cat world
Wow! What can I say. This documentary has everything, rivalry, polygamy, cult like behaviour, deception, wild ambition, theft, back stabbing and lots and lots of beautiful big cats.
At the centre of this myriad is larger than life character Joe Exotic. He has to be seen to be believed. There is a rivalry with big cat activist carole which escalates into ridiculous proportions. There are the zoo workers who we get to know and Joe's several husbands plus other owners and workers of several wild life zoos. There's alot of distrust and greed amongst them. Few likeable characters stand out. Creepy Carole does present as more than she seems and she linked to a possible murder.
I've seen alot of Netflix documentaries but this one is definitely worth a watch. Step into their crazy world. Bingable and highly recommended.
Cats (2019)
Wonderful Soundtrack Saves Cats
I've been in love with the music of cats since I was 12. In my 30s I saw the stage show. It wasnt great but not terrible. Yes it does lack plot, its basically a song and dance extravaganza with people in very tight leotards and cat ears and whiskers. Memory is the highlight. One of my favourite songs ever.
So,I wanted to see the movie, but I knew what to expect, I wasnt shocked by the cat costumes or searching for a plot, infact the movie tried to improve the plot somewhat. So I wasnt fond of This version of Macavity. He is not meant to be a pantomime villain but a sleek, cool, mysterious cat.
I did like the characterisation of Victoria, Mr Mistoffoles and Grizabella. Jennifer Hudsons Memory was good enough, Taylor swifts Macavity was let down by her weaker voice. Overall I did like it and so did my friend, it was a packed Saturday night screening and no mass walk outs.
I understand people not liking it but I dont understand this mauling its getting. Did they know nothing of the stage play before they bought their ticket and what exactly were they expecting?
Undone: Moving The Keys (2019)
Out Of This World
This is the best episode yet. I love its concept that you can move in and out of time and physical and dream realities. It opens your mind. The script is intelligent and thought provoking. Love the animation.
Dead to Me (2019)
Great friendship is highlight of this comedic drama
Linda Cardellini is amazing In this. I can't fault her performance. She comes across as a genuinely lovely person, although at first her intentions are unclear. I love Christina Applegate, but not so much in this, her character can be a little grating and cold. I guess she's meant to be the opposite of Judy. The premise is great, its interesting to learn the background of all the characters and everything that led to Ted's demise. He did seem to come from nowhere and ofcourse Judy should have turned back. But its showing that behind any hit and run driver is a human being. Not that all of them go to the extents of Judy to make amends. It's the growing friendship between Jen and Judy that is the glue of this show. It's a drama with comedic elements. It wasn't amazing but it was watchable and it will be interesting to see how season 2 deals with the fact they are now both killers.
The Haunting of Hill House: Screaming Meemies (2018)
You feel every moment
Well I've never seen a show like this one in my entire life, and im in my mid 40s. It's not just another ghost story or paranormal show. Its just so unique. It draws you in like nothing else. You're not just a viewer you're actively watching and feeling every moment of this horror story unfold. Your
heart breaks for the entire family.
So, it can now go one of two ways, the surviving family members conquer their demons and survive or they join their lost loved ones either by choice or not.
This show is something very special, well dobe to all involved!
American Horror Story: Be Our Guest (2016)
Severe Dip in the Franchise
I totally loved AHS from the season one opener. It was unpredictable, dark, twisted and contained many heartfelt performances. There were characters you could care about even if they weren't all purely good, because you could see there was some good inside them somewhere.Seasons 1-4 were a joy to watch. Each season created their own little world and that's where as a viewer I would reside for that little while, (I watched 1-4 all within a month or so).
Hotel suffers from too many characters with uninteresting back stories and a mixture of no one to root for. Much gore and repetitive unerotic sex scenes instead of interesting narrative and heartfelt performances. Yes it did lack a strong Jessica Lange Character and I felt sorry for the actors despite them being well paid. Dark can be done well, this was just a gore fest mess.
Lady GaGa was actually not that bad, she seemed to embody her character of the countess and I put down her lack of emotional range to perhaps her cold and calculating personality. She did fine. But where were the characters you could actually care about? They were mainly vile, selfish and egotistical. Even Liz Taylor's character ( brilliantly played by Denis O' Hare ) and showing that rare heart and humanity let himself down with the facilitation of Queenie's murder. The cop was a psycho. Alex was selfish. Sally was a beyond selfish attention seeker who sought out others misery. March was an unexplained abomination. It was never really explained why Donovan hated his mother so much. Was there really much point in Angela Basset's character?
Here's hoping that season 6 will be more of a return to form.
Divergent (2014)
Enjoyable teen flick
I've seen on here that this movie has a lot of bad reviews and low ratings and felt I had to watch to see if it was that bad. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but I , myself did like it. Is it amazing? No. Is it a classic? no. But it's entertaining enough. Plot holes? Doesn't make sense? Well, it's a fantasy movie. If you watch the premise for what it is, it's a fun ride. Of course I can understand if readers of the book were disappointed, I have not read the book, but often when I do, I am disappointed at how much is left out or does not come across on screen, but that is inevitable across the two different media platforms. Set in the future, after a world war. The state of Chicago (all that's left of the world apparently) is now split into five different factions, depending on your natural or strongest characteristic. If you fit into more than one category or none at all you're considered a divergent. Our sweet, pretty heroine (Tris) is such a person, it's a dangerous situation, as divergents are caught and killed. She manages to find an ally however, in the handsome love interest Four, who takes an immediate interest in her because he senses a connection, which is revealed later. Together they learn of a plot to kill all the people in Tris' s original faction putting her parents and other innocents in danger. Their aim is to try and stop it. The acting is good coming from the main two protagonists and Tris's mother (Ashley Judd). Some of the scenes are well filmed and lift you up into this dystopian future. There were a few edge of your seat moments for me. The only let down for me was Tris's rather stilted reaction to her father dying, after already mourning her mother, that would floor anybody, but she seems to get on with things rather quickly. The ending nicely sets up the sequel, and the story itself left me interested in possibly picking up the Divergent book series one day for a fuller experience.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Star Wars On Acid
After the hype I didn't know what to expect. I certainly didn't expect the movie to be so much fun. Lovable characters, believable friendships, emphatic emotions, excellent humour throughout. The story arc was generic. Good v Evil. Losers come good. Save the planet. There are reminisces of Star Wars. The Music is used to great effect and surprisingly fits in easily with the futuristic space age scenes. The focus on the old eighties Walkman is a sweet nod to my favourite decade ever. It's basically lots of laugh out loud fun with characters you can care about. My only gripe is Zoe Saldanas painfully looking thin waist. Her shape is not womanly. It was the only thing that bothered me about the whole movie. Towards the end there are clues to what may be explored in the sequel....bring it on.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Dreamy Musical Gothic Romance
Having never seen the stage version i cannot compare the two. As a film i found it quite mesmerising, from the music to the lavish set pieces and costumes. I prefer it to Chicago and Evita, although those films were much better received by critics and the box office. Gerard Butler plays the phantoms emotions to a tee,through his acting and singing we get to feel his longings, pain and torture, this helps us to see him as a human (and it doesn't hurt that he looks pretty good!). Emmy Russom is enchanting as the young, innocent and sensual Christine,( although i couldn't help inwardly shouting at the screen 'pick the phantom!') Well i guess his odd murdering habit put her off!!. As an average movie goer and being no musical expert i have to say i was more than happy with all the vocal performances, especially Gerard and Emmy's which i thought were quite good, and i think some of the criticism towards their vocal abilities have been a little harsh. Anyway, I think Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius and I haven't stopped listening to the extended movie soundtrack since.