The following review is for the TV show, Gilmore Girls, and is not for the show Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. I will be writing a separate review for that.

As with many other popular favorites, Gilmore Girls continues to have a dedicated fan base. From being able to relate to Lorelai’s love of coffee and relationship issues with her parents to Rory’s passion and sometimes fear for her future, for many viewers of the comedy-drama, tuning into the show was love at first sight.

I think Gilmore Girls is a wonderful show. I especially love the bond between Lorelai and Rory. While many shows claim to mainly be about the connection between relatives, it truly is the case here. Also, Gilmore Girls is packed with emotion and is the only show that has ever had the ability to move me to tears.

In addition to great characters, Gilmore Girls has charm. I love the witty banter, the comedy sprinkled throughout the episodes, and the overall feel of the show. I’ve seen the show at least three times all the way through now and would happily watch it again. No doubt about it.

With all the love I have for the show, there are some things that thoroughly irritate me. For one thing, I hate the changes they make to Rory’s character. I understand people grow up and with age, they change. However, Rory seems to go backwards, losing maturity instead of gaining it; doing things she never would have before. Yes, the show is fiction, but still. It’s annoying.

Another issue I have with the show is a characteristic they gave to Lorelai. She has a way of not just dating men, but making it as though falling in love is the simplest thing in the world. Somehow she can go from loving someone to ‘truly loving someone else’ in what seems to be a minute’s time. I never thought I’d say this, but I would almost prefer it if she just had flings and admitted to it than claim to be madly in love with almost everyone she is with through the length of the show.

While I do have the two above complaints, I will say this. At least the characters are given flaws. The writers of Gilmore Girls do not pretend that their creations are perfect – far from it. Don’t believe me? Just look at some of the men that Lorelai and Rory sleep with and/or date! For the record, out of everyone Lorelai is with, I definitely pick Luke. I’m not in love with any of Rory’s boyfriends, but I like Dean the best. After all, he’s always there for Rory and for the most part, quite respectful.

All in all, I give Gilmore Girls an A. It’s a wonderful show with great characters.

When I saw that Jeffrey Dean Morgan from Supernatural was in a new movie, I was curious. When I saw that the movie was based off of a book co-written by James Patterson (albeit a book I’d never read), I was excited. When I read the plot of the movie, I was even more intrigued.

Right from the beginning, I found The Postcard Killings interesting. Prior to Supernatural, I had never seen Morgan in any other TV show or movie. However, as I watched The Postcard Killings, I soon discovered just how talented the actor is.

In addition to the great acting brought to us by Morgan and the rest of the fine cast, the plot of the movie was marvelous. There were twists and turns, shocking discoveries, and extremely emotional moments. I give this movie a B+.

From the very beginning, I was interested in seeing Hunters. I liked the concept of the plot and was familiar with many of the actors and actresses.

I am happy to report that I was in no way disappointed with the show. The plot of Hunters was phenomenal and the actors and actresses were superb. Al Pacino was at the top of his game, Saul Rubinek (Frasier, Warehouse 13) was nothing short of masterful, and Carol Kane’s (Taxi) Mindy was touching and wonderful. The truth of the matter is that none of the actors or actresses shied away from greatness. Even the characters that I couldn’t stand due to their cruelty were portrayed fabulously.

The best thing about the show was just how heartfelt it was. I know that there has been some controversy over the fact that not everything in the show really happened (something that I feel is ridiculous to criticize since many shows take creative liberties), but the show truly touched my heart. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am part Jewish, but I really felt Hunters did a great job of touching on important topics.

Another thing I appreciated about the show was that, while mostly serious, the show did contain some levity. I not only liked this because it gave the show’s viewers a much needed break from the drama of the plot, but because it illustrated that even in a world full of chaos, there is still fun and every day events taking place. It also shows how unaware many of us can be to the plights around us.

The only part of the show I don’t feel absolutely great about is the ending. While there was an interesting twist that I found entertaining and clever, I’m still not sure I would say that I liked it. Also, while I know some of the show was fictional to begin with, I wasn’t overly fond of the last scene of the last episode. As my dad said, it had a science fiction feel to it, something that felt out of place for the rest of the show. 

Overall, I absolutely loved Hunters. The actors and actresses were all wonderful, the plot was moving and heartfelt, and the characters were top-notch. I give the show an A+ and am hoping it returns for another season.

Prodigal Son is one of the few shows that I tune in weekly to watch on, yes, regular TV. The show features stars Tom Payne, Michael Sheen, and Bellamy Young, in addition to Lou Diamond Phillips, Aurora Perrineau, Frank Harts, and Keiko Agena.

These actors, along with the clever plot of a psychologist who sometimes consults his murderer father to figure out the criminal mindset, makes this show a must-see. I must say that I look forward to watching this show every week.

The best part of this program are actors Tom Payne and Michael Sheen. Payne plays Malcolm Bright, who is like his last name suggests, clever. He is in no way perfect, is scarred, and makes plenty of mistakes and yet, he is undoubtably brilliant. Then there is Michael Sheen, who plays Dr. Martin Whitly, a known sociopath and killer. While Sheen’s character is terrifying, he is also, at times, undeniably hilarious.

I give this TV show an A+.

Hey everybody! As you may have noticed, I haven’t written many movie reviews lately. While I still plan on posting movie reviews, I have decided to post my opinions of some TV shows as well.

I hope you will enjoy these posts.

-B.

Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing 2019’s JoJo Rabbit. While at first I was a bit tentative about seeing the movie out of concern that its silliness would be more on the ridiculous side, I’m quite happy that I took the risk. The movie was quite enjoyable.

Let me begin by saying that I loved Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of Rosie. Johansson (to my surprise) played a loving and fun mother, one that will easily melt any audience member’s heart. There was not a single moment in which I didn’t absolutely love her character. Her performance was golden.

Along with Johansson, we have Roman Griffin Davis who plays the loving, yet naive ten year old JoJo. We soon see that while dedicated to being a ‘loyal German’, JoJo is against cruelty; something that gives the movie’s audience much hope, as prior to this realization, while done in a funny way, we see just how frightening it is that such young individuals were raised to be so immoral.

Roman Griffin Davis does a superb job of showing how, if taught certain things, children will grow up misinformed and, unfortunately, go through life believing things that are far from the truth. At the same time, Davis is phenomenal at playing a character who does want to discover the truth and whose curious nature never expires.

The last actor I’d like to mention is Thomasin McKenzie, whom I actually consider the funniest character of the movie (though Taika Waititi certainly has his moments as Adolf). McKenzie plays Elsa, the Jewish girl discovered hidden in young JoJo’s home. McKenzie’s use of wit, sarcasm, and overall humor made my night and the movie. Being part Jewish myself, the way she jokingly messed with JoJo’s head cracked me up.

There is more to this movie’s greatness than just the actors and their respective roles. JoJo Rabbit is a movie that explores many topics: the cruelty of the Nazi regime, the way that cultures can easily be misinformed about other cultures, the fact that even in difficult times, there are loving individuals who choose to fight for what is right, and the importance of humor.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. Yes, it was goofy at times and yes, maybe some would see the humor placed throughout the movie as inappropriate, but I saw it as something else. I saw the humor as a way to relieve the tension of what was clearly at the core of this film – young people and people in general being manipulated into believing something that is untrue about another religion, culture, or creed.

All in all, I give this movie a B. The only reason I don’t give it a B+ is because parts of the movie came off to me as a little too silly, bordering on just plain obnoxious. Still, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see something that is funny, sincere, and has an important underlying message.

Hi everybody and welcome to my new movie review blog! First, I would like to thank you all for joining me as I begin this new endeavor.

As many of you may already know, I have two other blogs at Getting Through Anxiety and Rest in Piece. Getting Through Anxiety is a blog dedicated to my journey with getting through anxiety and Rest in Piece is a blog about my novel and short story writing.

In addition to the two above blogs, I recently decided to create this blog where I will be posting movie reviews. I love watching movies and TV shows and want to share my opinions. Please feel free to add your own insights on the movies. Please avoid posting spoilers though as we want people to try to enjoy these movies, not already know how they’re going to end.

If you are interested in visiting my other blogs, please feel free to do so! Also, feel free to check out my Instagram account at b.w.ginsburg48. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this blog!