juliekcreel Reviews

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered: The Inside Man (2018) Season 4, Episode 15

Drama created at the expense of accuracy

[1/10 · 21 October 2022]

"The toughest federal prison in Missouri" is actually the only federal prison in Missouri. The United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners is not known as a "rough prison." By anyone.

The main characters in this episode are purportedly housed on a unit in the psychiatric buildings. Since the USMCFP probably would not allow Dateline to film inside, they used stock footage which looks nothing like that unit, or any unit there.

Jimmy Keene describes some events that could not possibly be true, no doubt to make himself look tougher, smarter, or more sympathetic. Especially his story about finding Larry Hall in the prison's wood shop, among tools, without a staff member present. No way, no how.

Dateline, if you can't rely on facts, don't do the story.

The Kissing Booth (2018)

Starts out cute...but...

[3/10 · 21 December 2020]

This movie starts out cute. A bubbly high school girl and her best friend share quirky fun times and hijinks ensue. It's formulaic, but sweet. Even the "mean girls" at school aren't so bad. Then it gets mildly stupid. Our bubbly high school girl does things completely out of character for her, and we're still supposed to see them as quirky fun times and hijinks. Then it gets really stupid. And a bit creepy. In other teen movies, this is the part where our girl makes a bad decision or gets her heart broken or faces a dilemma. In this movie, our girl gets all three - and the resolution is beyond cliched. Waaaaay beyond. I won't be watching The Kissing Booth 2. But you know what? It's still a better love story than Twilight.

The Big Flower Fight (2020– )

Mixed Bag of Talent and Talentless

[4/10 · 9 August 2020]

Kristen VanWhatsHisName is just plain annoying, and the show spends waaay too much time featuring him and his innane chatter. He's the worst judge in the history of this genre. The hosts are good enough, and I thought Natasia was quite entertaining. The guest judges are superfluous. They're introduced with much fanfare, then forgotten until the end, when they're asked to play at critiquing the creations. That is, if they're allowed to get a word in edgewise, with Kristen yammering away. The contestants seem to have been chosen solely on their diversity, though they all have some degree of talent. Most are likeable, and I found myself rooting for a different team in each episode. There is a huge problem with pacing and editing in this show. Two teams aren't even introduced in the first episode! Great chunks of time are spent showing close-ups of contestants building contraptions and structures, but little time is devoted to their creative processes. I dislike the erosion of civility as the series progresses. It's as if the show's producers create drama and encourage pettiness. If this show is renewed for a second season, I hope there are significant changes made in the judge, editing, and tone. It could be a good show!

Virgin River (2019– )

No Cliche Left Unturned

[3/10 · 16 December 2019]

I had high hopes for this series, and the first couple of episodes were promising. By the 5th episode, however, it was apparent that the writers were happy with churning drama out of the same old cliches we've seen a hundred times. Gun toting pot growers take the main character hostage to treat their injured leader? Really? While at the camp, a young woman just happens to be in active labor - breach birth, no less - so the heroine can save her as well? Really? I watched another episode, just to see if it improved. No such luck.

The Hot Zone (2019–2021)

A Real Event Made Boring

[5/10 · 29 May 2019]

The cast is excellent, but they can't save the bad writing and worse pacing. I read the Richard Preston book back in 1994, and again last month when I heard about this miniseries. The book is an accurate accounting of the real events of 1989, and it's an edge-of-your-seat exciting read. This miniseries takes the same event and manages to drag it out with unnecessary backstories, wooden dialogue, and a dozen cliches. Then there are the blatantly incorrect representations of protocol in a lab environment. (I was in the medical field in 1989, and we did have strict ppe protocols.) My advice is to treat this as pure fiction, loosely based on the facts of the actual events. Get the true story from the book.

Many Sides of Jane (2019)

I Believe Jane

[6/10 · 30 January 2019]

I do believe that Jane is the victim of abuse which resulted in her having D.I.D. The show, however, is disjointed and poorly done. A&E is doing Jane, and their viewers, a disservice by treating this like a melodrama rather than fact.

Hinterland (2013–2016)

Unrelentingly Bleak and Humorless

[6/10 · 19 January 2019]

Top notch acting and beautiful atmosphere partially save the series. The plots are somewhat formulaic, though, and there are just too many clichés. Watch enough episodes and you'll see them repeated.

Bodyguard (2018)

Great Acting, Terrible Show

[4/10 · 17 January 2019]

This show is a right-wing wet dream. I stopped watching after three episodes because they had already ticked off the entire list of cop show clichés.