Change Your Image
staybeautiful-72706
Reviews
The Blind (2023)
Great film
Is this film the same quality as a big-budget blockbuster? No. The message is what makes the film incredible. And I do think it was beautifully shot. Getting to watch a more in-depth version of the story viewers/listeners/followers of the family have heard briefly for years was really eye-opening. I really enjoyed the film and cannot wait to purchase it when it comes out on dvd or on-demand.
I really enjoyed the performances of the actors who played Miss Kay and Si. I think they both did a great job of capturing the essence of the real-life people they were portraying. Specifically, I think Amelia Eve did a superb job.
I didn't love the accent or voice of the actor that played Phil though. I think they leaned too far into the Louisiana accent that Phil doesn't seem to have (at least now?).
A Cozy Christmas Inn (2022)
Everything I loved about the first film was gone.
I love Hallmark movies, but...some movies do not need to be made. This was one of them. It was just bad.
The inn/bed & breakfast/small town hotel thing has been way overdone on this network, so I am not sure why they decided to make a "sequel" to a really loved film to repeat that kind of storyline and do away with everything about the first film that made it so popular. I think the decision to "replace" Candace Cameron Bure with Jodie Sweetin was an intentional dig at the original star for leaving the network. Unfortunately for them, the acting all-around fell flat. It was bland acting paired with an overdone storyline that doesn't really make sense. I'm still trying to figure out when Andy ever showed any interest in owning/running an inn in the first film? It all seems so out of left field. It's confusing that they'd bill this as a sequel when basically just the town name and returning character names are the same.
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New (2023)
It was just meh...
I watched this movie with my almost 7 year old daughter who is absolutely obsessed with Aurora Teagarden (that was her Halloween costume last year). She's a Candace Cameron Bure super-fan, so we were hesitant about this new movie.
I understand the prequel series plan, having lost CCB to a new network. It was the smartest way to keep the series going, without fans throwing a complete fit for recasting the main character. But this new movie fell flat for me. The story was okay, but it didn't connect well to the established story/characters we've come to know and love. If it were a stand-alone mystery, I'd say it was decent. It just lacked a lot of the magic that kept me coming back to the original series.
A lot of the characters that were back as younger versions seemed so drastically different from the versions we have come to know and love. The young Sally is the biggest example. We've never heard anything from older Sally about almost getting married (which they wrap up at the very end by having Aurora say Sally made her promise to never say his name ever again?) and her fiancé being a suspect/criminal. The actress had a whole new take on the character that just didn't fit, in my opinion, after watching 18 films of a Sally I loved. I understand that people change as they grow up, but I don't think the younger Sally fit with the established character. Young Sally hasn't finished her degree and has a blog? Older Sally seems to love her job as a newspaper reporter. I get that blogs were becoming popular in the mid-2000s, but it just doesn't seem like Sally. This version of Sally seemed much more like a modern-day influencer type as opposed to the down-to-earth, simple Sally we know.
Skyler Samuels did okay with the younger Aurora role, but she had huge shoes to fill. Some scenes, I believed she was a younger Roe, but then the next I'd think the opposite.
Young Arthur was also fine. The version we've come to know of Arthur is that of a former flame that has moved on and now loves Aurora as a friend. It's almost like her protects her the way a brother would protect a sister. The version we saw in this film is a young man who has become interested in this girl he knew in high school but hasn't yet dated. So a very different vibe.
As for Aida, the timeline confuses me a little. In "Til Death Do Us Part", Aida said that she wasn't home for the poker game in question because she was just starting her real estate business and worked long nights. How long was Aida's real estate business struggling to pick up? Because that game was "24 years ago" at the time of the wedding, and this prequel movie was in 2008?
Candace Cameron Bure announced her departure from the network over a year ago. They've had that long to craft a story that made sense and would be a good addition to the series. This looks more like a money/ratings grab. Rather than writing a whole new series, they're planning to ride the coattails of the series' popularity for as long as they can. They should've just let it rest.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022)
My kids loved it
My kids loved the movie and are still singing the songs over a week later. Is it the best movie ever? No. Was the story super strong? Nope lol. But again, my kids loved it, and there wasn't anything I feel like they needed to be shielded from in the film. I do kind of wish Lyle had learned to talk by the end of the film though. Having him only singing and it basically just being Shawn Mendes's voice was weird. I didn't necessarily think the voice fit the crocodile well. But again, I'll deal with all those little things to have a normal film my kids can enjoy without me worrying about what they're watching.
Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 3 (2022)
Great songs, weak plot
The storyline is weak and cheesy, although we expect cheesy in DCOMs. Zed is the only monster who is exceptional enough to get into college and pave the way for all other monsters? What about Eliza? She's off working for some tech company and obviously very smart. (But I get that was probably to hide the fact that the actress was pregnant in real life lol) Addison's mom has let her walk around for her whole life feeling like an outcast and ashamed of her hair, and she knew she was part alien the entire time. Let's also not forget that her mom, knowing she's part alien herself, wasn't super accepting of zombies in the beginning. But whatever. We expected the alien "twist" because it's been foreshadowed for a while. It just could've been a stronger story in supporting that plot point.
The songs were the best part, by far. The Alien Invasion song, Exceptional Zed, and Ain't No Doubt About It were my standout favorites. Also liked the wolves' song, Come On Out. I liked the choreography for most of those numbers too, especially given to Milo Manheim since his time on DWTS.
The "woke" stuff is pretty under the radar, and that's coming from a pretty conservative person. I don't think my kids would key into any of it, but they're all pretty young still. If you're worried about it, watch the movie before you show your kids and decide for yourself. And then just show them the song clips online, if they really want to see any part of it.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Meh
I'm not a comic book fan, so my knowledge pretty much just extends to semi-obsessed movie watcher...but I found myself rooting for Wanda. I have zero knowledge of America Chavez and honestly didn't much care what happened to her. She's sort of just thrown at the viewer from the top and you're just expected to like her. Well, sorry, but I need more backstory than that, especially when I've spent so much time getting to know Wanda. I feel like I was supposed to be rooting for Strange to save this girl and keep her powers safe from Wanda, but I know nothing about her. I have no loyalty to her at all. Why do I care what happens to her?! Lol Had it been another character that I actually knew, I'd have been more conflicted. But I basically spent the entire movie just yelling at my tv for them to let Wanda be with her kids.
It's also quite odd that Doctor Strange's movie is basically just about Wanda. She is the star of the film. Benedict's acting is perfectly fine; they just didn't really give him much to work with. Everyone else besides Elizabeth was just there. For a character like Strange, I feel like they could've done way more with this movie. I watched it because it was added to Disney+. I'll probably never watch it again. The 3 stars are for Elizabeth.