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melissayoungman-31205
Reviews
A Biltmore Christmas (2023)
I loved everything about it
For starters - I love old movies, really, really love old movies! I find I have enjoyed many of the time travel HCM's, and this one is different as it's true time travel, not "just" a main character going back to an earlier time in their life. And I kind of love the Biltmore Estate, at least I love the photos I've seen! So put that all together, add real chemistry between the main characters, and ahhh! I had the biggest smile as I watched this, especially at the (spoiler!) HEA! The main characters have a slow build up, the way they get to know each other. And the way the time "interference" is dealt with is done really well! (That comes from the sci-fi nerd in me!)
Mystic Christmas (2023)
I really enjoyed it!
Socially awkward people deserve love, too.
I'm not a psychologist, and we probably shouldn't get into "diagnosing" possible disorders, but we get right away the Juniper is at the very least cripplingly shy, maybe more. She's brilliant and has made a great career, and is a wanderer, who has no interest in settling down.
She did at one point fall for someone, her roommate Charlotte's brother. Sawyer. This happened years ago at Charlotte's wedding. As someone socially awkward might do, she wrote him about how deep her feelings were ... but he never wrote back.
Sawyer thinks he wrote back, telling Juniper he felt the same, but he never heard from her so he thinks she ghosted him. Sawyer may be more than a little ADHD, and it's rather a surprise that he has a fairly successful business. He's a nice guy, very helpful, but the only time he ever travelled something really bad happened, and now he always has excuses for staying put.
So things are awkward when Juniper comes to Mystic to temp for Charlotte, made more awkward by the main characters' respective social tendencies. Of course its a set up of the story that they have to spend this time together (that's what HCMs do!), but it all feels very real. I know these people. They are not the slick, social butterflies who shouldn't have a problem finding friends and love. They come together naturally, learning some things about themselves and each other, and I was very happy how it played out. Nice side story about Juniper connecting with Charlotte's probably ASD (although not stated) daughter.
ER: Life After Death (2008)
One of the most powerful episodes
This episode hit me harder than any other in 15 years. We had watched Pratt grow so much, realize his potential, and become such a good person. It was gut wrenching when he knew he was going to die, and there was nothing to be done; when the ER was still busy with the other traumas, and he knew other patients needed the staff. I'm thankful I don't have to be filled with hate and anger for a character, their development, and a story arc that is real - that reflects the reality of many a young person in America and other countries too.
Prodigal Son: Speak of the Devil (2021)
Still great, unless you're a Q-flake
Excellent show, delightfully creepy. I love the dive into Malcom's mind, and his beyond twisty family.
Ignore the season 2 rants. Those are people who go around attacking Every. Single. Thing. they can get their hands on that dates to address real life problems.
The Neighborhood: Welcome to the Movement (2020)
Well done. Thoughtful. Poignant.
I really, really appreciate the approach the writers and actors took with this episode. Through the decades (I can say that!), all the great comedies have not been afraid to tackle the issues of their day. Generally that requires some more seriousness and less comedy for an episode, and that's hardly a hardship.
It saddens me incredibly the number of people who supposedly watch this show who are against this episode. Maybe they're trolls and bots. Otherwise they're just sad, scared and overly sensitive.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
We enjoyed it
We enjoyed Terminator Dark Fate. Is it a 10star movie? No, but it's good smash em up fun. It fits into the terminator franchise. It's cool (and a little scary) to see how the machines still take over the world even in a post-Skynet reality.
Regarding "PC" etc.... basically if you can handle a female Jedi and a black stormtrooper turned resistance fighter, you can handle a female enhance-engineered human and a Mexican future resistance fighter.
Booksmart (2019)
We loved it
DH and I went to see Booksmart last night as it was on his radar. I had not seen any ads nor looked at reviews - thankfully not at the reviews on here. Maybe the ads/previews make this look like a typical, fluff, teen party movie, I don't know. I kind of thought that's what it was going to be. I was so surprised! This movie is wicked, sweet, smart, sarcastic, fun! We laughed - a lot. The soundtrack even was fun. The cameos cracked me up. The girls cracked me up.
Is it perfect? No, but it's really good. There are a couple things to quibble about, but it's meant to be over the top, and scenes like "the trip" are just freaking creative!
I agree with a review much farther down that if you aren't gen y or z, yeah you probably won't get it. However, we're boomers, and we get it. But we think we're pretty dang woke, so there is that. There's a subtext to the negative reviews on here, and they won't come out and say it, and probably would even deny it. That's all I'll say about that.
I am not a studio shill. I don't even work in the entertainment industry at all.