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Reviews
Murder Mystery (2019)
Fun Rom-Com
I will give just about any murder mystery a try, and I'm so glad I did with this one. Comedy murder mysteries can be hit or miss, but this one was a definite hit. Aniston and Sandler are believable as a married couple who have been together long enough that they nitpick and get on each other's nerves but still enjoy being with one another. The plot was silly and fun and the jokes never really let up. We laughed all the way to the end. The mystery itself, well, it was maybe not quite as deep and complex as some others, but good enough. I'm also a huge Agatha Christie fan and I really enjoyed all the little nods to the Christie stories. If you enjoy Agatha Christie and silly jokes and can laugh at ridiculousness, give this movie a try!
The ABC Murders (2018)
Not for Agatha Christie fans
I was hesitant to even watch this because John Malkovich is probably one of the world's worst actors who somehow still has managed to make a career out of it, and sure enough he's just as bad in this as in just about everything else. But I was willing to overlook his bad acting because I knew to expect it.
The production value is good, I like the style, and I really wanted to like the adaptation of the story, but there really was nothing to like. This isn't an Agatha Christie story, and John Malkovich is not Hercule Poirot. If you like slow-paced, sharp-looking shows and don't mind John Malkovich's terrible attempt at acting, you may like this. Otherwise, this is one to skip.
Bird Box (2018)
Good Thriller, Great Character Drama
Bottom Line: This is not a fast-paced action horror, but a methodical and deliberate character drama that is worth the watch if you are willing to follow the process of a character working through her internal conflict.
Although this is definitely a horror/thriller, I think some of the negative reviewers were expecting an action horror/thriller. That's not this movie. We don't get the backstory about the "monsters" because the movie isn't about them.
The theme of the movie is introduced in one of the very first scenes: this movie is about people's ability/inability to connect with one another. Every single character represents some aspect of that theme, some degree of connection. John Malkovich represents the self-centered a-holes who don't even want to connect with other people. On the other end are the ones who seek out connection with others even when their efforts are rebuffed. But they aren't cookie cutter characters either. The conflict created by the "monsters" forces all the characters to examine themselves and decide what kind of people they are.
The central focus is ultimately Sandra Bullock's character (Mallory) struggling with figuring out where she fits on that spectrum. The true conflict of the movie is Mallory's internal conflict. And without spoiling anything, the ending does give you an answer to that conflict.
Sure there are some unrealistic things in this movie. I don't understand why people would expect it to be any more realistic than, say, Jack Ryan, which is laughably unrealistic (but which I still enjoyed). But the actors were all pretty solid (even John Malkovich whose "acting" is usually abominable), lighting and direction were very good especially for this genre, and there were definitely some tense moments, even when I knew what was going to happen.
The real star, though, was the little girl. My goodness her ability to convey complex emotions just through facial expressions was absolutely incredible!
Marching Orders (2017)
Needed less drama
I hard giving this a low rating because there were some really stand out moments. If cut differently to focus on the discipline and work ethic of these young people, this show could have been something truly inspiring.
Instead, there's too much focus on back story and drama, far too much time spent on the dance team, and very little time spent showcasing the young people's talent. Would have loved to have seen more performance of the band and drumline.
Murdoch Mysteries: Murdoch in Ladies Wear (2013)
A strong episode for this season
This was quite an enjoyable episode. The show appears to have been given a slightly larger budget. The music, lighting, costumes, and sets have improved in quality, especially compared to season 1 episodes.
With this episode, we have a variety of possible suspects with various motives. One of the suspects even seems to get the upper hand over Murdoch!
The only downside is the Dr. Ogden subplot, but I've decided not to rate episodes poorly anymore just because the writers insist on continuing with this abominable plot line. I had really hoped they would get rid of Julia. I've disliked her character since the first episode, and the dislike has only grown with every season. And I'm incredibly annoyed that Murdoch continues to be attracted to her for some reason. The person you love should make you a better person, not worse. There is nothing romantic about the relationship between Murdoch and Julia, and it seems in fact to be a rather destructive relationship.
I definitely recommend this episode, but be prepared for further frustration with the Murdoch/Julia story arc.
Murdoch Mysteries: Stroll on the Wild Side: Part 1 (2012)
Yawn...
This episode started off interestingly enough, but it started to drag about halfway through. The primary story involving the librarian is a fairly decent one, and if they had kept to that one, this would have been a much stronger episode.
For some reason, however, the writers decide to jump back and forth to an anvil-dropping secondary story involving Dr. Ogden that has nothing whatsoever to do with the primary story. There is also a tertiary story involving a baseball game rivalry between police stations.
All in all, it's too much for a single episode, which is why it's dragged out over two.
If the librarian story had been on its own with the baseball game as a secondary, the episode would have been maybe a 7/10. Anna, Murdoch's brief flame from his trip to England, shows up again and is repeatedly told that she is in danger, yet she continues to place herself in danger and get in the way.
The jumps to the secondary story are very jarring and the story is very uninteresting. Dr. Ogden has been teaching contraception at her private practice, gets arrested for it, and insists on making a big issue out of it, with the help of Dr. Grace and in opposition to Darcy's wishes. That's pretty much it, as far as this episode goes.
Seasons 4 and 5 have been pretty strong thus far, but this pair of episodes break the momentum.
Murdoch Mysteries: Tattered and Torn (2011)
Great beginning to the 4th season
I was so excited when Dr. Ogden left at the end of season 3, but I was afraid they would bring her back. Thankfully, we get a new medical examiner who brings some wonderful conflict to our cozy little constabulary.
This first installment of the fourth season is much less lighthearted than previous seasons and adds some depth to Murdoch's character. The tension among the characters feels natural and is more fun than frustrating (as the tension between Murdoch and Dr. Ogden often was).
The murder of the week seems to serve to develop these tensions, but it was still intriguing on its own and the outcome is more thought-provoking and emotionally resonant than most. I look forward to the rest of this season.
The Machine (2013)
Enjoyable but not awesome
This movie has a big budget look to it, and most of the actors do a pretty fantastic job, especially the male and female leads. However, it was definitely a B movie sci-fi flick, not a ground-breaking intellectual future classic.
There were two very disappointing aspects that will keep me from recommending it to others. 1) The soundtrack. Oh my goodness, it was SO AWFUL. I almost turned the movie off somewhere near the beginning when it started. I think they were going for 80s synth. 2) The ending. The movie felt like it was building up to something, and then it just fizzled. It was like they either didn't know how they wanted to end it, or they ran out of money and had to wrap it up quickly.
Overall it was an enjoyable movie with a rather disappointing ending.
Murdoch Mysteries: Future Imperfect (2010)
Murder: The Inevitable Outcome of Eugenics
This episode was somewhat frustrating and not particularly interesting. Some familiar characters show up again, and we get to meet H.G. Wells, who is in Toronto to give a speech to the Eugenics Society. His address is interrupted when a dog decides that the best place to take a severed arm is into the middle of the crowd. The murder victim turns out to be a member of the eugenics society, so Murdoch must figure out what the connection is between the victim and eugenics.
George was the star of this episode, for sure. Despite Dr. Ogden's "progressive" inclinations and Murdoch's adherence to logic, the both of them reject eugenics adamantly, which seemed a little out of character. Just because eugenics is considered evil in modern times, the progressives of the Victorian times like Ogden and Murdoch would have at least mulled over the idea. It felt like the writers were pushing their own views on characters in history (which they are wont to do), and robbed this episode of some potentially interesting conversations.
Murdoch Mysteries: Victor, Victorian (2010)
Annoying but Decent
This is one of those "making a statement" episodes that kind of get on my nerves. Even though it was interesting and kept me guessing who the killer was, Dr. Ogden really, REALLY annoyed me. She's an annoying character anyway, but for once I would like to see a woman who can stand her own among men without being a b**** about it.
The only thing that really redeemed this episode was at the end (this isn't a spoiler, promise), when Murdoch confronts Dr. Ogden with logic that she cannot refute. She gets annoyed at him for it, of course, because she's just like that, but it was a good resolution for me.
This is not an episode I would watch again.