Tag: Drama

Posted in Reviews

Bonus – Movie Review – Don’t Worry Darling

Posted on by Mama

Title: Don’t Worry Darling

My Rating: 👎🏻

Released: 2022

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Director: Olivia Wilde

Actors: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde

Setting: 1950’s

Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime

Plot: While her husband leaves home everyday to work in a top secret facility, a young 1950s housewife begins to question her life when she notices strange behaviour from the other wives in the neighbourhood.

My Opinion:

The cast was amazing to say the least and it’s the first time I’ve seen Harry Styles act, which I have to say he is a fantastic actor. Chris Pine and Olivia Wilde are always favourites of mine and I’d never seen Florence Pugh before, but have another one of her movies lined up on my watch list. Needless to say, she makes a wonderful leading lady and a gem of an actress. Each actor played their characters perfectly, I really couldn’t see anyone else in those roles. The set and wardrobe were stunning and brought you right back to the the 1950’s, fully immersing you the the entire experience.

However, as much as I loved all those aspects, the story line seemed like it was missing something. It was engaging and intriguing for the first half of the movie, but the character development starts to lag behind, leaving the mystery of the movie to be the star of the show.

The final twist was interesting, but ultimately dissatisfying. It felt rushed and unfinished at the conclusion, and some of the character’s actions make no sense at all in the end.

The movie had so much imagination, intrigue and a cast to die for, but never quite finds it’s way in the end to be that diamond in the rough. That out of the blue surprise that keeps you captivated and spread the word to friends and family of it’s brilliance.

I enjoyed it for what it was, but I wouldn’t ever watch it again and it’s not a movie I would recommend anyone to watch.

So unfortunately it’s a Thumbs down for me.

Posted in Reviews

Bonus – Television Series Review – Griselda

Posted on by Mama

Title: Griselda

My Rating: 👍

Released: 2024

Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama

Number of Seasons: Tv Mini Series – 6 Episodes

Creators: Carlo Bernard, Ingrid Escajeda, Dour Miro

Actors: Sofia Vergara, Alberto Guerra, Martin Rodriguez, Juliana Aiden Martinez

Setting: Miami, Florida during the 70’s and 80’s

Where to watch: Netflix

Plot: Griselda chronicles the real life of savvy and ambitious Colombian business woman, Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspecting savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business leading her to become widely known as the “Black Widow”.

My Opinion:

An interesting story and to be honest, one I had never heard about. Everyone knows about famous Columbian Drug Lord Pablo Escobar, but who knew about this woman? I enjoy a good Crime/Drama as much as the next person, heck the movie Blow with Johnny Depp is one of my favourites. But this one took me by surprise and it was the talk of the “town” aka everywhere this past two months.

Sofia Vergara plays Griselda Blanco, a woman who flees Medellín, Columbia and ends up in beautiful Miami, Florida. Where she begins her difficult climb to the top in a male driven drug trade, only to learn that being naive doesn’t get you to where you want to be. She became ruthless and savvy in her tact, even monstrous at times. She slowly acquires her team of confidants, body guards and henchmen. Her once body guard, Dario played by Alberto Guerra, who later became her husband, was a bright spot in her darkened path. Attempting to be a voice of reason for her, only to be over shadowed by Rivi, played by Martin Rodriquez.

June, played by Juliana Aiden Martinez, is a woman attempting to make her mark in her career as a police officer. Her struggles pay off when her hunch is correct and she joins a tactical force designed to capture drug lords in Miami, Griselda included. Eventually she makes her mark in her career.

The whole series was intriguing and they really tried to humanize Griselda through it all, justifying her actions. However, actions have consequences, which lead to terrible consequences in the end.

Sofia Vergara was incredible all around. The physical transformation she had to go through with the prosthetics on her face must have taking hours, but looked flawless. I couldn’t have chosen a better person for the role to be completely honest. But than again, I may be biased as I adore Sofia Vergara in general. As for the other actors/actresses, I had never seen most of them before and I can say they were fabulous as well. I would definitely like to see them in more television series or even films in the future.

With that all said, I have to admit that the last episode felt rushed, like they were just trying to tidy everything up in a neat little bow to finish off the series. I didn’t enjoy that at all. No spoilers, but I wish they had got into more detail and time lines for certain things. Even extending it to another one or two episodes. It felt almost unfinished. That was definitely a huge negative in my book.

All in all, it’s an enjoyable watch, but with anything take it with a grain of salt. I’m sure her reign as a female drug lord was far darker then they made it out to be in the show. But I’d say go in with an open mind and just appreciate the brilliant acting, the setting and the story for what it is. If you are intrigued enough to look into Griselda’s life further then this, it’s your prerogative. But for me, I don’t care to know more then this.

Thumbs up all the way!

Posted in Reviews

Bonus – Movie Review – Watcher

Posted on by Mama

Title: Watcher

My Rating: 👎🏻

Released: 2022

Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller

Director: Chloe Okuno

Actors: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman

Setting: Current Day – Bucharest, Romania

Where to watch: Netflix

Plot: A young American actress moves with her husband to Bucharest, and begins to suspect that a stranger who watches her from an apartment window may be a serial killer.

My Opinion:

Don’t get this movie confused with the television series “The Watcher” by creators Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy.

While it was nice to see a film based in Romania, the movie was far too obvious and they made it look gloomy and depressing. Plus the fact that when they are speaking in Romanian, there are no English Subtitles, which made absolutely no sense and thank God for my husband who could translate for me.

The main actress, Maika Monroe, plays Julia who is a lonely housewife in a foreign country with a paranoia that she is being stalked by a serial killer. Maika Monroe did a fabulous job in the role, playing the part perfectly and it makes you wonder if she is actually being stalked or not. Though I had never seen her in anything prior, I would definitely watch more of her work. Julia’s husband Francis, played by Karl Glusman, is your typical workaholic who leaves his wife home alone all the time to fend for herself and not believing her “paranoid” ramblings.

The scenario is typical and rather obvious and to be frank, disappointing. Though the actor who played the “Watcher” did a great job at giving you that creepy, shivers down your spine feeling with his demeanor and appearance. However the writers lacked creativity in the plot.

My husband didn’t mind the movie, stating it was a one time watch. I wouldn’t have wasted my time watching it if I knew it would be that lackluster. I give it positives for the actors chosen for their respective roles and that it was directed by a woman, but this is not worth the watch in my opinion. It had so much potential and really just flopped.

I really wanted to love this one too for the shear fact it was a serial killer thriller. Those are some of my favourite movies.

Thumbs down….sorry!