eduramater

Okay, granted, this is far from the most awe-inspiring thriller ever, but it hooked me just the same. Crystal Fox's performance alone would have carried it. Yes, I thought Jasmine's character was silly at best -- What law-school graduate, or even a non-grad who's watched Perry Mason, would stoop to behaving as she did? I was irritated by her boss dismissing her so easily at the beginning, but almost sympathized when she utterly blew her closing argument. And the wrap-up was just a bit too fairy-tale. Before Silence of the Lambs, this storyline might have gone further, but in 2021, it's solidly been-there, seen-that.

HOWEVER...I finished watching the last episode of "The Sinner" and wasn't quite tired yet, so I thumbed through my Netflix list and thought Oh, what the heck? Crystal Fox looks up from the table she's shackled to, opens her mouth, and Bam! There's no way I would have turned this off before the final credits rolled. It was obvious, it was cliched, but it did exactly what a script of this kind is supposed to. It makes you suspend disbelief -- I wasn't even interested in trying to guess who the true villain was. I let Grace figure it out before me - another reason to cheer for her. Then shortly thereafter I enjoyed, for a few minutes, Cicely Tyson's final role. Ms. Tyson could have played the part of a mop in the corner of the kitchen and it still would have been worth it. I would have liked a bit more time spent on the other victims who are revealed at the end. I wasn't happy to see one villain get clean away; wondering what purpose this serves? Yes, there's plenty wrong with this entire picture, but it did what a movie is supposed to do: it entertained. I didn't mind staying up till nearly 3 a.m. With this one. "Trailer Park Boys" and "Little Evil" would not have been worth it.

Found this one on Netflix a couple of years ago and don't even remember why I added it to my list. None of the cast members were known to me. Might have been looking for some lightweight escapism.

This provided. It seemed like the kind of rom-com that Reese Witherspoon might have made, and there is more than a passing resemblance between Candace Cameron Bure and Reese. Something about this movie drew me in. I especially liked Lou Beatty Jr. as the judge. There weren't many false notes in the movie, all the way up to and including the "message" contained in the courtroom sequence. Agree or disagree with the legal issues, they don't take up a lot of time and won't cause you any trauma. I'm not the least bit religious and strongly support separation of church and state. Despite that, there was much more to like about Finding Normal than to dislike, and I have recommended it to a lot of my friends.