michellemccarran Reviews

American Nightmare (2024)

Criminal Law Enforcement

[10/10 · 21 January 2024]

This documentary did a great job of indicting the Vallejo PD, the FBI and the FBI oversight--The Inspector General's Office--for absolutely failing on every level to do their jobs.

Which leads me to wonder if some of them weren't involved.

I don't believe in coincidences. FBI Agent Sesma just happened to be dating the intended target of the kidnapping, Andrea?

The chief of Vallejo PD is allegedly caught saying, "Burn that b***h" before he sends his detective out to rake Denise and Aaron over the coals in a press conference before they've even spoke with her?

It appears to me that the fix was in from the get go. These detectives and agents failed to do even basic police work and went out of their way to paint Denis and Aaron as liars.

Thank God a female detective from another jurisdiction had the common sense, empathy, and determination to see a dangerous psychopath stopped.

The documentary is clear, concise and heartbreaking. I'm glad Denise and Aaron have gone on with their lives.

I am thoroughly disgusted that none of the "officers" involved in Vallejo and the FBI were ever fired/criminally prosecuted for their conduct in this case. Hopefully that day will come.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Shockingly Good!

[8/10 · 16 July 2023]

I went into this with zero expectations, lured primarily by the cast. I've never played Dungeons & Dragons and was one of those who said, "What genius thought we asked for this movie?"

Well, I guess I did, because this was so much fun! I can't believe how much I enjoyed this. The script was delightful. The cast were fantastic--I still can't believe who they got to be in this. Special effects, plot, pacing--everything was on point. I haven't been this impressed by a movie in a very long time. I'm actually disappointed I didn't get to see it in a theatre on the big screen with an audience--it's a superb popcorn movie. I liked it even more than Top Gun: Maverick.

The humor and action sequences were uniformly well done. When that large dragon showed up (no spoilers) I nearly lost it. I would be interested in a sequel, but given the box office take I know that's not happening. Still, at least we have this one, which I will definitely be watching again.

Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl (2023)

Not What I Was Expecting...

[2/10 · 17 May 2023]

And that's my fault. I should've read the description provided here on IMDB instead of trusting the trailer I saw on Hulu.

I thought I was getting a documentary about the rise of the late 90s/early 00s "It" girls of NYC. We did get several minutes of that primarily focused on Tinsley Mortimer, who I really didn't know that much about back in the day. I was glad they didn't devote that much time to Paris Hilton, because I've seen enough of her story already, so it was good to learn about one of her peers. I kept waiting for the documentary to start dissecting the forces at work to make these girls happen in detail, but it never happened. Then it suddenly shifts to the story about the kid behind a blog about these It girls and their milieu.

This person's story (and I won't give away spoilers about their identity) just wasn't very interesting. They themselves came across as sad, depressed, insecure and still in search of their own identity. As one of their own friends observed, this person had their own reality, which didn't necessarily coincide with everyone else's. I don't mind an unreliable narrator in fiction, but prefer to avoid them in real life.

Overall, I felt the documentary could've been so much more. New York Magazine just did a big article with multiple covers about the "It Girls" of times past. I was hoping for something more about the history and the impact of It girls on the culture.

Interview with the Vampire (2022– )

This is Not Anne Rice's Novel---But It's Still Very Good

[8/10 · 7 October 2022]

The biggest complaint most people seem to have, which is valid, is that this adaptation has nothing in common with the book except for the names of the main characters. But taking this on it's own merits, it's very well done.

The costumes, setting, cast, and script are all on point. The change in time frame from 1700s New Orleans to the early 20th century is handled well. The details in fashion and customs are all there. The world feels lived in. This Louis is still a "plantation owner", but in the modern sense where his workers are wage slaves.

Louis's family and their relationships were all interesting. It was nice to see Rae Dawn Chong again, playing his mom.

There's solid chemistry between the actors playing Louis and Lestat. I got Lestat's attraction to Louis, and Louis's for him.

I've never seen the guy playing Lestat before, but he definitely fits the physical description from the book. And I'll just say that he's yummy.

My only minor quibble is with the cinematography and some aspects of set design. I wanted a little more of a gritty feel to the atmosphere and visuals, but that's my preference and no real complaint against what is presented.

For me this adaptation is in total keeping with the tone and spirit of Anne Rice's book.

But anyone who is completely wedded to seeing the book as written will be disappointed and should just skip it altogether.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (2022– )

Wow. This is no bueno.

[1/10 · 28 July 2022]

I'm 33 minutes into the first episode and...it's not going well.

I watched the original when it first aired, and the only thing the two shows have in common is the title.

The writing/dialogue is cringe. The acting is subpar. There's no tension. The production values are so-so. The choice of setting feels weird. It's nice to see a diverse cast, but that's the only welcome change to the PLL formula.

The coup de grace is that the main female antagonist is named Karen. And, yes, she's a full-on Karen. It's not amusing. It's boring.

If you haven't seen the original or even if you have, go watch that instead of this. Life's too short.

The Spanish Princess (2019–2020)

I Thought The Tudors Was Bad...

[1/10 · 16 September 2021]

The ONLY positive from this show is that the costumes were far more period correct than what they did in The Tudors.

I'm at a complete loss as to why the writers felt the need to change so much of the historical story when it was far more dramatic than what they threw up on the screen. The dialogue is bad, the spanish accents even worse. I just can't with this.

ANOTHER wasted opportunity to do the story justice. Smh.

Downton Abbey (2019)

There's No Story

[3/10 · 6 April 2021]

The first two seasons of Downton Abbey were fantastic--because there was a meaningful story going on. I won't get into what it was to avoid spoilers, but whenever I recommend the series its always due to those first two seasons.

The later seasons are varying degrees of bad. Yes, the cinematography, setting, costumes and music are consistently well-done throughout the series, but the stories and their pacing are a complete fail.

The same problem exists with the movie. There are too many storylines. And none of them are particularly interesting because they're shallow--there's no build up, no emotional engagement with any of it. The writer's should have picked one thing and stuck with it. As a result the movie feels like I'm watching a very long trailer--and a very boring one at that.

Bright (I) (2017)

Bad Script

[3/10 · 22 December 2017]

This could have been amazing. Instead we get a mashup of movies we've seen before (Alien Nation, Training Day, etc.) that results in a disordered, shallow mess. The world is never fully explained, the characters are not fleshed out, the dialogue is cliched. Will Smith looks like he's phoning it in, and I don't blame him. There were some nice action sequences and the special effects, particularly involving the wand, were effective. That was the movie's only saving grace.

I hear they've already greenlit a sequel. If so, please, Netflix, for the love of God, find a better screenwriter.