Tag: reviews

Jane the Virgin

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This is the second time that I watched a show after a friend’s recommendation and absolutely fell in love with it. As with Supernatural, I wasn’t sure Jane the Virgin would be my cup of tea. I’m happy to say that I was wrong. The show has brought me to both laughter and tears and never disappointed.

Written and created in telenovela format, the show is full of twists and turns. It toys with your emotions in a good way and makes you crave more. The characters are phenomenal and the plot is both touching and hilarious. While you might expect the unrealistic parts of the show to be annoying, it actually makes the series even more enjoyable.

Not only is Jane the Virgin hilarious and heart breaking all at once, but it’s utterly creative. The creativity added to the enjoyment and never stopped delivering.

I think my favorite thing about the show was the narration. Anthony Mendez had me cracking up more times than I could count. He definitely made the show the funniest series I’ve seen in a while.

Another aspect of Jane the Virgin that I enjoyed so much was how truly touching it was. As some of you may know, I’m not one to get overly emotional when it comes to watching – or reading – fiction. In fact, other than Gilmore Girls, there aren’t many shows that have brought me to tears. While I wouldn’t say I ever cried while watching Jane the Virgin, there were definitely scenes and plot lines that tugged at my heartstrings.

One last thing I’d like to talk about is the connection between family in this show. While other shows (such as Supernatural) claim to focus on the family dynamic, I really feel that Jane the Virgin does. Sure, there is humor and at times, outrageous stories being told, but underneath it all, the show is clearly about the love of family.

Jane the Virgin is a series that truly has it all. It contains serious issues, comical plot lines, love stories, and a plethora of enjoyable tosses and turns. It’s about life, death, and the crazy journey in between!

I give Jane the Virgin an A.

The Haunting Of Bly Manner

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So, The Haunting of Bly Manner. Where to start? Let’s start with the beginning. I liked it and I loved how a few actors returned from The Haunting of Hill House. I especially loved Victoria Pedretti who displayed a much more memorable appearance than in The Haunting of Hill House.

While overall, the show was okay, things got wacky around episode 5. I actually had to go back and read the description of the episode to fully comprehend what was going on. As a good friend of mine mentioned, I think the show goes a bit long. I also feel that some episodes are a bit too discombobulated. So much so, that it takes away from some of the enjoyment of the show.

When it comes to the characters in the show, I really liked them. The same goes for the plot. The underlying problem is how complicated things get and how, While creative at times, sometimes I think things are taken a bit too far and too much is going on. Too much is packed into one season.

I am honestly struggling with grading The Haunting of Bly Manner. It’s a good show, but can be a bit headache inducing. Therefore, in the end, I’m going to give the show a C+. 

The Haunting Of Hill House

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The following is a review for the first season of The Haunting of Hill House. This is not a review for The Haunting of Bly Manner.

As I kept hearing about The Haunting of Hill House and was searching for something new to watch on Netflix, I decided to give the horror show a chance. At first I thought that I might not like it, as I thought it might be meant for a more young adult audience. Soon, however, I was hooked.

It literally only took me a few days to watch the entire first season of The Haunting of Hill House. While I’m usually not crazy about the way some shows go back and forth (from past to present and from one character’s view to the next), I actually learned to kind of appreciate the style. At least, it seemed to work in this case.

Something I loved about Hill House was the way the show dove into each character’s personality and story. The way we learned about the characters as both kids and adults was truly phenomenal. 

The actors in the show were also great. They each brought life to the characters in countless ways. Among my favorites were Carla Gugino (Spin City, Gerald’s Game) as the matriarch, Olivia Crain, and Kate Siegel (Gerald’s Game) as one of the sisters, Theodora Crain. While all of the actors were great, I have to say that Gugino and Siegel were phenomenal.

Let’s take some time now to talk about the horror of The Haunting of Hill House. The show was definitely creepy. It wasn’t all about the ghosts and monsters though, but also about the creativity of it all. The ideas and planning that went into this show were truly amazing. Just by watching, one can tell how much thought went into connecting the pieces of this horrific puzzle of a show.

I give this show an A-. It contained excellent acting, a great plot, and was creepy. A perfect treat for the Halloween season!

Glitch

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Upon searching for something to watch on Netflix, I came across the Australian TV show, Glitch. The premise interested me and so I began to watch. Right away I was intrigued and quickly found that the show was great at not only developing characters, but keeping its viewers constantly riveted as well.

Glitch managed to do something quite rare in TV today. It established a deep understanding and backstory for its characters and, in my opinion, left the viewer satisfied at the end. While I did read various reviews stating that season 3 was a let down, I couldn’t disagree more.

Another aspect of Glitch that I loved were the tosses and turns. While some of the turns were ones I wasn’t always immediately happy with right away, I did find myself slowly getting over the initial shock and hesitation to enjoy them.

My only real complaint about the show is that, sometimes, it was a bit hard to follow. Also, a few of the scientific concepts were lost on me. The back and forth of the show could admittedly be a bit much at times.

Overall, however, I found Glitch to be quite phenomenal. The last episode in particular blew me away. If you’re interested in a show that will make you think and at the same time, put you on the edge of your seat, then Glitch is a must-see. 

I give Glitch a grade of a B+.

Christmas Mail

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The colder months have arrived and with them, so have the Christmas and holiday-themed movies. The first of these movies that I’ve chose to review is Christmas Mail.

Christmas Mail begins with Kristi North (Ashley Scott) walking her dog and talking to her father on the phone. The movie then shows us Matt Sanders (A.J. Buckley) working as a mailman. Soon enough the two characters meet in typical fashion – walking down the street.

After this, another huge coincidence occurs. I’m against spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that. In addition to this huge coincidence, something else absurd happens – we see a paranoid boss come up with a ridiculous idea and force Matt to spy on Kristi, something that makes very little sense.

Another problem I have with this movie is that as far as I can tell, there are only four decent actors – A.J. Buckley, Ashley Scott, Vanessa Evian, and Piper McKenzie. A.J. Buckley is by far the best. Unfortunately, even Ashley Scott isn’t always the best.

I didn’t finish this movie. I had about an hour left and gave up on it. Don’t get me wrong, I was slightly curious about the ending and enjoyed watching Buckley’s Matt Sanders, but the obnoxiousness of some of the other characters and cheese factor got tiring.

I give this movie a C. There were some sweet and funny moments (the best when a fix up between Matt and an elderly neighbor go awry), but in the end, it was quite disappointing.