haveutoldmom Reviews

Marcella (2016–2021)

Maybe I'm getting old, but.....

[9/10 · 28 February 2017]

I really liked this series. I'm reading some of the other reviews, and I think this should get more love.

If I'm reading this correctly, folks think this is pretty standard, along the lines of "The Fall" ( I'm going to review that too). My problem is I am not comparing this to other shows that are obviously, and clearly comparable. I realize that this is a good, or even maybe best way to judge a show, but I ain't doing it.

I liked the story, the writing and how the actors managed the lines. I liked the lead, I felt I "got her" right away, so any faults she made in character, and her characters behavior got a pass from me. She is a bit much upstairs for law enforcement, but the actor made me want to hope she keeps her job even if she's far from "stable".

I felt most of the characters developed well enough. One reviewer mentioned the stone faced guy, I see that too, but the rest felt like actual people who would say and do the stuff they said and did.

I felt it was well done, smartly done, kept me wanting, and in my view, delivered! In comparison to other stuff out there, I won't say it's the best crime series, but I liked it better than "The Fall", and I'm just digging in my heels and loving the production more than it's categorical rating. I guess I'm saying it ain't the best brand of candy bar, but it's good "sweets".

Slasher (2016–2023)

You Gotta Want It!

[6/10 · 28 February 2017]

That's what it'll take here. I enjoy this type of work, horror and suspense. This is on Netflix now, so that's an advantage, or any other way you could binge this would be good, but outside of that, drink up, or fire up, prepare yourself for this.

The whole thing is a little bad. The writing is awful. Everyone is a caricature of anything ever put to film. I felt like I was watching a community college film course......intro to. These folks should be wearing t-shirts with their "motivation", in erasable marker, listed on the shirt, like "hooker with the heart of gold", or "small time private dick with a dream of being big some day", or "angst-y teen with maturity beyond her years". The heck with character development, just send an actor into the room, say this stuff, and...cut!

Man, people are diverse, never know what drives a person in real life. We all like to think we do, and the idea that art imitates life makes us feel like we've seen this before, but, people can surprise us, and we like to be surprised. This series is just not surprising. I am on episode 5, and I don't like these people, any of them. I find no sympathetic characters, so I'm rooting for no one here. I would agree you don't have to have those characters in the work, and if you could pull off having a town full of unlikeable sorts, and get me roped in later with a good surprise, I would say well done. I doubt it here though. For me, nice drinking game series, every time something amateurish happens, SHOT! Or break out the bong, but I don't know who would care about this town and these people. Rope the place off and let them do each other in. Who would really care?

The dialogue is awful. Lead character has never had a thought go un expressed, who lives like that? There is some crap going on here about behavior going back to the 60's, and the moment the slightest clue is realized by her, it's out of her mouth. To anybody! Any of these poorly developed folks can just say "good morning" to her, and she'll just start spouting off at the mouth every person she may have slept with, not slept with, thought about sleeping with.....I mean, is there anything these people won't just open their mouths, and let go dribbling down their chins at the slightest hint someone may be paying attention to them? Cops are dumb, useless, caricatures. If you aren't sure what any of the cops " motivation" may be, just wait .043 seconds because it will come dribbling out of their gob just that fast. Lead characters husband gets a job at a small time paper. Walks in day one, passes several people who have been employees there for, you may assume, longer than 10 minutes, says nothing to any one of them.....at all, day one, just walks in, begins an adversarial interaction with the boss, day one ( the boss is by the way, a hooker with a heart of gold, but not a hooker, not a gold heart, just put on the t-shirt with "female, small town newspaper with a heart of gold and tough as nails for no reason at all), no introductions to all those other humans you just passed, no reaction from them about this new dudes attitude with the boss, just.......scene....take!

People are dying in horrible ways, so occasionally, someone will try and mention they are scared, then they go right back to being just another small town. No one looks scared, or seems to prepare for what's happening. Someone dies, then you need to honor a dinner party for tonight, or something. Women just wander around getting drunk, or finding clues, to murders, and casually looking into it. Someone is killing people in a small town! What's your reason for going into the woods alone? Again?

Just starting here, but no need to provide more examples, would take too long. Hey, Canada! What the heck do you do with your serial killers? Maybe, let them jail in the suburbs! Seriously? Do your small towns get kickbacks or something for resident monsters? Why the hell would I live there? Would I go back to the home my parents were slaughtered in? Maybe. If the guy who did it was still there......um, NO

Worth a binge (not done yet, could get better?), but no, not at all good. Dean Shawshank dude, acting....come on man. Bad. I don't even mind that the lead is Irish and you can hear it from the first scene. Heck, she could have been raised there, it would not have killed the story, but the material these folks are working with is awful.