shane1181 Reviews

The Girl Before (2021)

Strong adaptation of the book

[7/10 · 13 February 2022]

I remember really liking the suspenseful book when I read it years ago, but I didn't remember how it turned out so watching this was still like watching a new story unfold.

What I liked:

• The house is just like I imagined. High-quality production values!

• Acting is great.

What could have used some more attention:

• They rushed the material in the first episode, so the story was confusing. I think this would have been a better story stretched out over a few more episodes. Perhaps 6. They also rushed the flow of the relationships with the landlord so before you know it, it's been months, but it feels like they just met and hardly know one another because we've only seen them together twice.

• They could have done a better job highlighting which timeline we are watching. In the book, they start a new chapter with the woman's name (Jane or Emma), but the women look so much alike, that at first it is difficult to tell when what you're seeing is happening.

The Gilded Age (2022– )

Hilarious period dramedy

[9/10 · 9 February 2022]

Downton Abbey was about upstairs/downstairs affairs in the UK, while this dramedy is about old money/new money in America.

I found the writing hilarious. It's a dry, witty drama with many laugh out loud moments, although one needs to listen closely to notice them. This is not in your face, but subtle.

The costumes are gorgeous and the acting superb, as you'd expect from HBO and the big names involved.

Some of the previous reviewers commented that they didn't like how woke the show was, but I didn't notice that. As far as I could tell, gender and race issues are treated with historical accuracy.

I love this new show and can't wait for more episodes.

The Woman in the House (2022)

Hilarious from start to finish

[9/10 · 30 January 2022]

I'm a huge fan of the psychological thriller genre so this parody was hilarious. Kristin Bell carried it, and without her, it wouldn't have worked. It's a quick watch, basically a long movie. Don't overthink it and enjoy. It's for fun!

Anxious People (2021)

Swedish drama worth a watch

[7/10 · 3 January 2022]

Fairly predictable "mystery" drama that explores timeless themes in modern times, such as family, motherhood, guilt, justice and forgiveness. There's some comedy in the beginning, but I found that dropped off as they explained the story that unfolded behind the scenes in the hostage apartment of the first episode.

I watched the English-dubbed version of this Swedish 6-part miniseries, and I thought it was very good.

Tyrant (2014–2016)

The Godfather in Arabia

[8/10 · 30 December 2021]

I found myself yelling at the TV quite a bit, but it is a good depiction of an idealistic man who runs away so he won't become like his corrupt father, but when he's drawn back into that world thinking he can change things, how he evolves into exactly the same tyrannical man as a result of circumstances beyond his control, and unchecked power.

Loved it. The sets, the costumes, the drama- great. Easy to binge watch over several days.

I couldn't stand Molly, but maybe we aren't supposed to like her? She's the rude and self-centered American who thinks she always knows best. I just wanted to punch her every time she was on screen. Especially in the 3rd season.

The Unforgivable (2021)

So much bad

[3/10 · 19 December 2021]

I couldn't get over the fact a 57-year old overly botoxed actress was trying to pass as both 40 and 20 years old in the flashbacks. The storyline was pretty bad, too. Acting was subpar. Definitely not a great watch. I can't recommend this.

Tribes of Europa (2021)

Killer post-apocalyptic gem. Netflix, Please Renew!!!

[10/10 · 8 September 2021]

I loved this post-apocalyptic gem set in Europe 45 years after the lights go out. In response to some of the criticisms: if you don't like dubbing, just change the language and subtitles, it's easy! It's a button on the bottom of the screen when you pause the story. I watched with the English subtitles on, but I always try both the original and dubbed to see what will be a more accurate portrayal of the creator's intent. For this particular story, the English dubbed version is excellent. The dubbed actors were very good and the subtitles matched the verbal dialogue pretty well. I don't think much is lost if you want to hear this in English instead of German ... that said, I don't speak German so I can't evaluate that critically. I'm just saying the English version is great, too!

As for the story, I loved it. It's Mad Max, but in Europe. Like most other reviewers I wanted more. Six episodes is not enough! I can't wait until season 2.

The Crows. They are nuanced and fully sketched. They are the villains who in the first episode murder two entire villages, women and children, too. But as the story unfolds you learn that there is a lot to like about them. They are loyal, never tell a lie, and are courageous to the end. Willing to die for their cause, however flawed it may be (they are like Nazis in that they want to take over Europe indiscriminately killing and taking slaves the entire way). This is impressive, and you have the admit they are sexy as hell doing it. I loved all scenes Lord Vevara was in. She's captivating. I also love that a woman in her 40s is shown to be strong, sexy and ruthless. What a great character!

The Femens. Women on horseback who seem to be compassionate and welcoming. Looking forward to learning more about them. Will our young, main female character join them?

The Crimsons defending the old ideals of The European Union, but with defectors warring against those exact ideals. This should prove to be interesting ...

I can't wait to learn about the Atlantians. What a mystery they are living under an alpine lake ... and the Dark Swarms from the East that kill on first sight? What could that be?

The Pursuit of Love (2021)

Beautiful cinematography , great acting, interesting story.

[9/10 · 5 September 2021]

I really enjoyed this love story about female friendship set nearly 100 years ago.

I can't believe anyone would rate this less than a 6. There's plenty to enjoy, and even if you don't like the story, (I could see how men might not relate to it since it's really a story of women coming of age and how their friendship endures through a multitude of tribulations and distance), the quality of the production is excellent. Worth a watch for sure, plus it's only 3 hours.

Life Itself (2018)

If I'd known this was made by the same people who made This Is Us, I would have avoided it

[4 September 2021]

I cried the entire movie and now I feel like crap. It's sappy and overly emotional. I can't recommend it even though it's very well done.

I Do... Until I Don't (2017)

Cute

[8/10 · 3 September 2021]

I thought it would be one thing, but it turned out to another affirming and celebrating marriage with four different couples of varying ages/life stages. Loved it! I laughed. I cried. I thought it was really cute. I've been married eight years and could relate to much of it.

Just forget the documentary filmmaker. She's lame!

Baltic Crimes (2014– )

Fans of Murder She Wrote will love this Euro mystery series!

[10/10 · 20 August 2021]

I've seen four episodes so far on Amazon Prime and I love it! Reminds me of Murder She Wrote but with a more melancholic score. The setting is beautiful and I enjoyed the longer nearly movie-length pacing for each self-contained mystery. On Amazon Prime they call it The Nordic Murders, but Baltic Crimes makes more sense since it takes place on an island in the Baltic Sea in Germany near the Polish border. And because each episode doesn't necessarily contain a killing ... it is a small town after all, and it wouldn't seem realistic otherwise. I love how realistic this is; not overly dramatic like American productions like to be.

Modern Love: The Night Girl Finds a Day Boy (2021) Season 2, Episode 2

Relatable modern love story

[10/10 · 19 August 2021]

I can relate to being the girl 100% ... having an invisible medical condition that makes it imposible to live the way other 30-somethings do, but having near everyone else judge her negatively because she looks perfectly healthy.

Modern Love: On a Serpentine Road, With the Top Down (2021) Season 2, Episode 1

Needed four full tissues for this one!

[10/10 · 19 August 2021]

I thought it was about one thing, which is cute and worth enjoying. Then it turned into something else much better and that's when I couldn't help from crying. And it gets better from there. No spoilers, just watch it!

The Twilight Zone (2019–2020)

Just bad.

[1/10 · 4 August 2021]

Tried the first three episodes and couldn't continue past 20 minutes for any of them. The writing just isn't good. Even the acting was off, which was weird because the actors were seasoned and should have been better. Perhaps it was the direction? The original series is 10x better than this, so I give it a 1/10.

One Dollar (2018)

Excellent and unique character-driven crime procedural!

[9/10 · 3 August 2021]

This is fantastic! If I had only watched the first half of the pilot episode I wouldn't have kept going, but the murders got me interested and I'm so glad I didn't stop. I ended up binging the whole series in a day because I wanted to know what happened next. Following "the dollar" was fun, too!

The story moves at a slow, but consistent pace like floating down a meandering lazy river that allows you the time to take in all the sites, sounds and smells as you move on by. I really felt like I got to know the town and it's inhabitants very well. I was only left with a few unanswered questions at the end and they were minor. Should it have picked up a second season, maybe those would have been addressed? The main story does resolve nicely and makes sense in a way that I didn't see coming.

This is an underrated gem! I definitely recommend this if you like character dramas with excellent cinematography. In a time when murder mystery/crime procedural shows have been done to death, this one feels fresh and unique. I just loved it!

Why Women Kill (2019–2021)

First season 9/10, Second Season 10/10

[10/10 · 2 August 2021]

Didn't expect much from the premise of this show, but ended up loving it. Delicious is the best word I can come up with to describe how it feels to watch the second season. A really fun, engrossing story! Perfect in every way.

Melancholia (2011)

It's more than just a deep dive character study in depression

[8/10 · 5 July 2021]

An article in The Atlantic during the Pandemic is what helped me enjoy and better understand this film. In summary, it compares how two sisters experience the end of the world; the depressed one handles impending catastrophe quite well seeing as it meshes with her regular world view while the "normal" one becomes frantically anxious assuming her sister's usual role of not being able to function. The article used this to relate to how people were behaving amid the chaos and uncertainty of the Pandemic we are still in as I type this ...

Ascension (2014)

Can not recommend

[2/10 · 8 June 2021]

Premise good, execution terrible.

Listen to the critical, bad reviews.

Panic (2021)

Surprisingly fun and worth my time!

[8/10 · 5 June 2021]

That scene with the tiger - you know which one - had me on the edge of my seat!

Drives me crazy when people write IMDB reviews having reviewed only the pilot or the first couple episodes. Seems like a lot of the low reviews mentioned that, and I happened to think this show had a rocky start, but really improved and hit its stride by episode 3.

I enjoyed this and through the mystery was fun to work out without being too mentally demanding or complex.

Things Heard & Seen (2021)

First 2/3 was decent, then it took a nose dive

[3/10 · 3 June 2021]

I agree with most of the other reviewers who question the ending. It doesn't resolve anything, nor does it provide a satisfying conclusion. I think they were going for something arthouse with the narcissistic, murderer husband killing himself, just like the painting he keeps seeing earlier in the film sort of predicts. Not sure if the spirits in the house drove him crazy, or if he was always that way, and that pastoral landscape and haunted house brought it out in him like it did in other men that lived there before him? They didn't provide enough backstory on that to decide.

One for the Money (2012)

Fun, romantic comedy action flick

[8/10 · 17 March 2021]

I don't think I've seen many romantic-comedies that are also action movies. This was cute. I like Heigl as a Jersey working-class tough girl. She was totally believable and nothing like her other roles.

The dynamic between her and Morelli was fun with excellent chemistry. I kept wondering when they'd just start getting it on ...

I would think anyone could like this ... it's light and has something for everyone. Don't get me wrong; it's not high art or ground-breaking. But it's enjoyable and the resolution is satisfying.

I recommend this to stream when you just want to relax and take your mind off things. Totally worth 90 minutes of your life!

Seberg (2019)

Exposes the true, illegal FBI COINTELPRO operation, so worth a watch.

[6/10 · 17 March 2021]

Adequate telling of the Jane Seberg story. Point of criticism: She didn't really know for certain that she was the target of FBI's COINTELPRO operation in LA and abroad (with the help of the CIA). That was a fabrication by the scriptwriter. In reality, it wasn't until 6 days after her death in 1979 that the FBI confirmed she had been one of the targets. And as the movie credits claimed at the end of the film, the program itself wasn't revealed to the public until 1971 by activists who broke into an FBI office and stole files exposing COINTELPRO to journalists around the country. Many of the files were completely destroyed in the early 70s (73?) when the program was ended as a result of public awareness and Congressional probes into the illegal operation (The Church Hearings), so there is a lot we'll never know about it. But it is true that thousands of American citizens were illegally surveilled and in some circumstances targeted for malicious libel in the press or other worse operations to counter the civil rights movement "by any means necessary." Hoover's FBI wanted make sure average American citizens wouldn't sympathize with the leftist movement allowing for governmental representation by members of the Black Panthers, women, and others. And we thought "fake news" was just a thing of the Trump Presidency?! Clearly powerful organizations-governmental or otherwise-have been manipulating the press to their own ends for a long time. My guess, as the printing press has existed ...

The movie alluded to two black panther party organizers shot at Campbell Hall, UCLA by members of another black power group Operation US. That is true, and it happened because of lies spread by the FBI to sew dissent so that these black power groups wouldn't come together to work together towards their goals. If we know this is all true, it really makes you wonder about what we don't know that has been completely suppressed by the FBI and CIA ... we do know that the latter were illegally operating on US soil in conjunction with the FBI for COINTELPRO and other operations at the time, which started as a means to identify Russian operatives hiding within the US spurring a leftist agenda in the early 50s. The government truly believed much of the civil rights movement was being promoted and funded by Russians, and not organically by Americans frustrated by an unjust system. Wow! I guess we'll never know to what degree that's true, though they never revealed that they found evidence of Russian interference on American soil. Makes me wonder how much else they did to counter these movements? Assassinations of prominent black rights activists for example? JFK?

I gave the movie 6 stars because it could have had a better script. They didn't need to fudge the truth since Jane Seberg's true story is actually just as interesting as this one. She met her black power lover though a friend, not on a plane. The timing around how her daughter died was a little different and closer to the LA TIMES and NEWSWEEK articles. Also, creating a sympathetic G-man for this story is too Hollywood ... I think FBI agents at the time were more likely to be patriots who thought they were doing their job for the good of the country.

Overall this is worth a watch. I won't rewatch it though. And FWIW, I got a pretty good idea of the whole movie just by watching the trailer. There really wasn't that much more to the story. I hate that when the trailer summarizes the movie with all the good lines!

The Great (2020–2023)

So much fun!!!

[10/10 · 7 March 2021]

I adored this drama. Remember this is not historically accurate; they just used Catherine the Great's writings for inspiration ... it's a modern-day fictional comedy set in the 18th Century. If you go into it with that in mind, you'll like it better. I thought it was perfect and can't wait to watch the second season!!!

7500 (2019)

B-O-R-I-N-G

[2/10 · 3 March 2021]

If you've seen the trailer, then you've basically seen all that happens in the whole movie. Most boring movie I've ever seen.

Lodge 49 (2018–2019)

Makes me want to join a lodge!

[10/10 · 3 March 2021]

This is a fun show. I enjoyed it far more than I expected I would even though it's also quite sad and deals with difficult subject matter such as loneliness, death, and despair.