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estelle58
Reviews
The Lost Children (2024)
Yage
If you are of the mindset that what we can experience with our five senses is all there is, this exquisitely produced documentary may give that notion some pause.
Case in point..
DUENDE: In Spanish, Portuguese, and Filipino folklore, a duende is a goblin or fairy-like creature that lives in forests or the walls of children's bedrooms. Duendes are often mischievous and protective of their homes, and are sometimes thought to protect animals.
You will understand once you watch the documentary.
And then the gift of nature Yage (ayahuasca), made into a miracle elixir that makes you really sick, but once you get the bad parts out of you, you will experience the energy all around us, that is almost always hidden from us.
Enough said.
The Shack (2017)
The point
As I began watching this, I realized I had, at least, started watching this before. Probably soon after it came out.
At that time, I was in a much different place than I am now. Because of my different mindset back then, I must have got bored with this, and went meh, not for me.
This time, however, I made it all the way through.
It is interesting for me, as a believer, to watch how producers imagine our existence after we leave this realm.
For non-believers who have no intention of believing anything exists beyond life on this earth, this film still carries a very important message.
Holding a grudge, refusing to forgive, does much more harm to the person maintaining that emotion, than the person it is against.
From Russia with Lev (2024)
Do yourself a favor, experience Lev's 💜
I have been catching as many interviews as I possibly could with Lev Parnas as the guest.
I remember when I first heard of Lev, which was when he and Igor were arrested. They appeared as some smarmy underworld thugs doing the bidding of the corrupt Rudy Guilliani and of course, donald trump.
Then Lev was released from prison and began to show who he really is. And I saw what many others also discovered, a soft spoken, gentle soul, who got taken in by the lies, and believed totally, that donald trump was out for the good of this country, instead of completely out for himself.
We all make mistakes, but it takes a really, really, strong person to admit one's horrendous mistakes to the world. It takes an even stronger person to admit in person, that whom you have personally hurt, ask for heartfelt, tear inducing forgiveness, again, as the whole world watches.
So do yourself a favor, and allow this gem of a man, warm your heart, like he has mine. Time spent with Lev, is definitely time well spent.
Industry (2020)
Ick.
Usually, if I am not particularly interested in something, I do not comment on it. I figure different strokes for different folks, and just let it be.
But this gratuitously trashy piece of "ick", left me compelled to comment on, in order to save others from wasting any of their precious time.
My rule of thumb is to get through two episodes of a series to decide whether it is my cup of tea or not.
This one, I was ready to give up on shortly into the first episode.
I am no prude, nudity, foul language, and violence, placed in an appropriate context within the storyline works fine for me. But this one just used the fact that they could expound on the freedom to use foul language, nudity, and sexual relations, for no other reasonable purpose than just because they could.
Also, I had a really hard time understanding what they were saying, but I got the feeling it wasn't necessary to add subtitles to something I could not stand to watch.
This one really missed the mark for me.
Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda (2011)
Exceptional
Joe Kenda's deadpan delivery, the actor who portrays Mr. Kenda, the woman reporter, the presentation of the cases, and the miraculous solving of these horrendous murders, makes for one of the best true crime series I have ever seen.
I am morbidly fascinated by what the human psyche is capable of. In my mind, I can imagine, in order to protect my life, or another innocent person from being killed, I might be able to cause enough harm to a would be killer to try and stop them, but to kill for the sake of killing, I cannot fathom that.
This series depicts the depth of so much depravity in just one American, moderately large city. And does a fabulous job of it.
Saved by the Light (1995)
Comme ci, comme ca
I watched an interview of a woman who mentioned Dannion Brinkley, and how importantly his experience in September of 1975 and beyond has shaped her life.
As someone for whom the veil is quite thin, I always like to hear about those who have been given the gift of seeing what is beyond this realm.
So I purchased his book also "Saved by the Light". It is amazing what Mr. Brinkley experienced.
The movie, is somewhat different from the book, especially his meeting of Dr. Moody. I was not thrilled with the movies portrayal of that meeting. I guess for dramatic effect, they changed that meeting in the movie.
The book would have been much better served in screen form if it were a limited mini series. 90 minutes just didn't cut it.
The Beach Boys (2024)
Love is Love
A few weeks ago, I was letting auto play go through music videos on You Tube.
When "I Get Around" came on, I became re-hooked with The Beach Boys. In 1976 I bought their "Endless Summer" album, and listened to it over and over. So when I found out they were coming to the Iowa Jam, I promptly bought my tickets. It was a great concert. And now 50 years later they are on tour to celebrate that album that came out on June 24th, 1974. And luckily. They will be performing near me, so I naturally bought tickets.
Anyway, this documentary was a pleasant watch. Much of it, I have seen in recent videos on YT. But, the one thing I will keep with me that took about 5 seconds of screen time, was Mike Love's profession of love for Brian. Quite genuine, indeed.
There were some pretty wretched bygones between these two, but that is all they are, bygones.
If you hold resentment towards Mike, this documentary may change that feeling for you.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Cillian!!!
I will watch this again on my Home Screen. Even with ear plugs (I had heard people say it was too loud), the decibels of this soundtrack were uncomfortable for me. I could have paid more attention if I could control the sound.
That said, I went to see this movie because Cillian Murphy was in it.
After seeing his phenomenal performance in "Peaky Blinders", I was banking on his performance as being exceptional. I was not disappointed. His OSCAR nomination is well deserved.
I believe the editors, producers, and Christopher Nolan, could have easily done away with the intimate scenes. They were completely superfluous, gratuitous, and just plain idiotic.
Other than that, it was pretty good, not sure if I would categorize as best picture of the year, although I, as previously mentioned, will watch it again, and thankfully be able to skip over the parts that should not have been in there.
20 Days in Mariupol (2023)
Required viewing
Each and every time the Ukraine support debate is broached, (and it should be continual), I think this needs to be shown to members of the House and Senate.
Shame on those who could even think of holding back support for this tortured nation. All because some self absorbed despot believes the nation belongs to him.
There aren't too many things that I've watched, that tend to stick with me, but this certainly will. I will never watch it again, because the images are seared into my brain.
Some day, there will be world peace, unfortunately, not soon enough.
As these atrocities continue around the world there is not much we can do except pray for that peace to come as soon as possible.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
Never been a Godzilla enthusiast
As someone who only knows that Godzilla movies were made, and the is it, I actually enjoyed the storyline of this film. My son is a Godzilla fanatic so when I mentioned I would like to see this, because of the awesome reviews, he said let's go, my treat!
I usually do not like having to read subtitles, because I miss out on facial expressions, but this was different. It was easy to keep up with the dialogue and facial expressions at the same time.
The movie went very quickly for me. Which means it did not lag anywhere in the film.
I know this is not a great description, but I guess this is for those like me who have had no interest in Godzilla, but are just curious because of the rave reviews. I do not believe you will be disappointed if a Godzilla fan wants you to go see it with them. It is magnificently shot, and there is a tender story of three people coming together after the war, who have each lost their families, and in turn grow on each other.
Spoiler alert: Very obvious that a sequel is on the horizon.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (2023)
There is much better out there.
As others have stated, this film has so many flaws. I stuck it out just to see if there were any redeeming qualities to be had. The answer, well, I thought some of the decorations, and the landscape shots were very nice to look at, and I think Brandy has a great screen presence. She is quite vivacious, and so beautiful, still. Hard to believe she is 44. Glad they utilized her beautiful singing voice a little bit. Other than that, there just wasn't much substance to this film. I certainly would not recommend it. Unfortunately, many of these holiday type films tend to be a bit sappy.
There is one that stands out for me, at least. It is called "Heaven Sent".
The ending is unlike any other holiday film I have ever seen. Well worth the watch.
American Experience: Taken Hostage: Part Two (2022)
Jimmy's heart
Fabulous documentary, like most anything presented by PBS's American Experience.
I watched this documentary when it first came on PBS, and wanted to watch it again, but could not find it online, except to pay for it. Luckily my library had the dvd's so I was able to see it again, free of charge.
So sad to watch the disintegration of a possible democracy in Iran, mainly due to the greed of Great Britain and America, for that precious oil reserve in Iran.
That foiled mission to try and get the hostages out was something I was unaware of. I was still a teenager when this was all happening, so probably did not pay much attention to anything other than the hostage crisis itself. It was hard to ignore the coverage of that.
Anyway, the outcome of that mission was gut wrenching to watch on this documentary.
I am so appreciative to the producers that showed how it was Jimmy, and his wonderful heart and soul, and determination, to get those hostages home, whether he was re-elected or not. And of course, he did just that, and on the day Reagan was being inaugurated, that is certainly some irony for ya, huh.
I recommend this documentary to everyone.
JFK: What the Doctors Saw (2023)
Spoilers?....You betcha!
I am not sure how to talk about this documentary, or anything about the assassination of our beloved John F. Kennedy without spoiling something, if there is anyone left to spoil, that is unless, of course, this documentary divulged the to true assassin, (which of course, it does
not). I sure do not believe Lee Harvey Oswald did it alone.
Does anyone? Certainly, after seeing this well done documentary, you might wonder, what part was Oswald actually playing. If you ask me I would say he was the patsy, the sucker, the fall guy, for the Kennedy assassination.
It does not take a brainiac to realize that a bullet entry wound is going to be much smaller than the exit wound. Remember the magic bullet?
Oh pshaw.
White Fang (1991)
The disclaimers
I do appreciate the carefully worded disclaimers at the beginning and ending of this film however, some of it was so difficult to watch I had to skip over it. Because, although I know great care was afforded the animals on the making of this mostly lovely film, it is a reality in life.
The cruelty of men, born out of morbid pleasure and greed, makes me sick to my stomach, even in simulation.
That said, the Alaskan landscape is so worth at least a once through viewing. As for the screenplay, I understand it is sometimes very difficult to capture the luster of a book. Even though I haven't read the book, I can bet there was a lot more time spent between Jack (Ethan Hawke) and White Fang (Jed). I would've liked more of that in this movie.
The Devil on Trial (2023)
Kept my interest.
I fell asleep watching this, not because it was boring. I fall asleep watching tv every night. Shortly after I got up, the next morning though, I figured out where I must of dozed off and watched what I missed. I very seldom do this. But this one is quite intriguing.
To me, Arne Johnson and David Glatzel are believable. I have had things happen to me in my life, that lets me know, there is way more going on around us, than we can discern with are very limited 5 senses. Ed and Lorraine Warren, however, are circumspect. It really does seem like they were out mostly for the fame and fortune of it all.
So in short, I trust Arne and David, I do not trust Ed and Lorraine.
Summerland (2020)
Ah....those "sisters"
The cinematography of this lovely film is stunning! My review title is in reference to that cinematography.
I was immediately taken aback by this beautiful young woman's anger at the world. You'll wonder, what on earth could have been so awful in her life that she could be so cruel to anyone that crosses her path. At least I wondered that.
Soon, however, there comes a young man into her life, a schoolboy, with such a gentle way about him, that you know he is there for a very good reason. Of course, I cannot divulge that reason here.
In some ways, this film is a bit predictable (in the most delightful ways).
But I must say, there was no way to know until almost the end why this young man just happened to show up at her doorstep.
Recommended for anyone who enjoys quaint, unpretentious, and exquisitely filmed cinema.
Cold Case: Daniela (2004)
True love has no boundaries.
This episode is so poignant for what we are going through now, which are the societal wars (culture wars) that are so dividing this country.
You know, one group saying the way you live your life is not the way I live mine, so your way is wrong, and I aim to stop your way, through laws and degradation.
And the other group saying someone has a different lifestyle than mine, and that is fine by me, because diversity is what makes this world an interesting place.
This episode is beautifully crafted, and at this point, my favorite episode so far of this wonderful series.
It could have just as appropriately been called "See Me". Which is exactly what happened here. True love has nothing to do with what our eyes see, but rather how our soul connects to another soul.
Jesus Revolution (2023)
A synopsis
As someone who does not enjoy going to the theatre, I was quite looking forward to this movie coming to a streaming venue.
Then it finally showed up on my NF feed.
As a big fan of "Frazier", I was excited to see how Kelsey Grammer handled his part in this. I wasn't disappointed in him, but I was a bit dismayed about the film as a whole.
It just felt like an overview of an interesting chapter of American Christian history, which would have been better served as a mini-series, or a several part documentary.
Perhaps someone with producing chops will recognize this as well and put out a presentation we can sink our teeth into. Of course, not until the writer and actor strike ends. Which I hope is soon.
Band of Brothers (2001)
Inaccuracies
I am basing this review on just the inaccuracies (or should I say, the lack there of).
My friend is the type of person who can pick out minute inaccuracies in everything we watch. Usually, there are several, that most people would certainly overlook, but not him, he is like a savant of the inaccurate.
So when I read so many reviews about how true to life this series is , I was very interested in seeing what he would find wrong.
Of course, he did find something, it took until the sixth episode.
Whatever type of weapon it was, he said that the weapon did not leave that type of trail back then. I mean can we talk anal...lol.
Anyway, his description of this series is "not bad", which in other people's description means MASTERPIECE!
True that.
The Temptations (1998)
It was the 3rd of September
This popped up in my YT suggestions. Once I started, I could not stop, this is excellent!
Of course, I have heard of the Temptations, and recognized most of the songs in this biopic, but never thought too much about this group, and did not even know the band members names. In fact, the only name I recognized (did not know he was in the group) is Eddie Kendricks, because of his song "Keep On Truckin".
"Papa Was A Rolling Stone" first words are poignant for me as well as they are for Dennis Edwards. My "daddy" also passed on September 3rd.
Anyway, it is hard to put into words how good this is. Even if you were never a fan of this fabulous group, you may become one after watching this, I know I have.
Evil Lives Here (2016)
The First Episode
I will admit, I am a little behind the times, I just found out about this series yesterday. Like someone else mentioned, I have an affinity for the macabre side of the human psyche.
Anyway, the very first episode deals with what we are experiencing more and more in this country....mass killings.
I won't go into the specifics of the episode, we pretty much all know the drill, but I will say, this was 16 years ago. The perpetrator was a ticking time bomb, like a beacon in the pitch black night.
From a very, very, young age he had anger issues that needed to be dealt with. As he got older, and got worse, there was some help for a short time, but obviously, nothing was going to help, other than keeping him out of society.
This person should have become a poster child for what to look for in determining psychological damage at a young age.
Secrets of Playboy (2022)
Eye opening
I mainly saw Playboy as a magazine that men with class and respect for women, could utilize to enjoy the artistry and beauty that is the female form. I used to laugh when men would coyly say, I get Playboy for the articles. Which, of course, would be somewhat truthful, as there were some truly awesome interviews over the years.
Anyway, compared to some of the truly despicable and degrading depictions of women in other periodicals, Playboy in my view was the Cream of the crop (the crème de la crème). I truly believed that "Hef" and his brand respected women. That was until I saw this series.
Of course, the men interviewed for this series mostly were like, "Hef" was great, I never knew him to act in any way other than to show respect for the bunnies and the playmates. The women, though, who knew him best and were up real close and real personal to him tell a different version of the "magnanimous" playboy.
One thing in particular is sticking with me, and I so wish it wouldn't, because the depravity of it is nauseating. No way am I going to spoil it here. But I can bet it will make most of you sickened as well.
Anyway, this series is quite well done, and very eye opening.
There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011)
The root of this tragic story....perhaps
This documentary, was interesting. But left me with some questions.
My biggest question is why did the family pool their resources in order to have a private investigator delve into the circumstances surrounding this case? In my mind, the better way to use those resources would be to fight for Diane's body to be exhumed and another autopsy to be conducted. I understand they were denied the exhumation, but they should have made that their goal to keep trying, rather than getting the private detective.
Now, back to the title of my review. Excuse the horrible pun, but her abscessed tooth could actually be the ultimate cause of this horrible accident.
Sounds like she had been dealing with the pain for a while, and perhaps discovered that alcohol helped to ease the pain. As the pain got worse, maybe she needed more and more to get the pain to subside. Her son, who survived the accident remembers his Mom saying she had a headache and could not see. Sounds like the infection around the root of her tooth may have traveled into her brain and caused the headache and vision problems. This is where I think the exhumation and subsequent 2nd autopsy would have been warranted. I haven't yet searched for the autopsy results, but I wonder, was her brain autopsied to look for possible effects of the abscessed tooth.
I feel so sorry for the family that not only were left to deal with this horrible event, but have to listen to all those that write Diane off as a despicable drunk who only cared about herself.
Better Call Saul (2015)
Trivia question
It's a tough one...What do The Sopranos and Better Call Saul have in common? Since it is so tough, I will give you a hint.
Each of these series went off the beaten track with a certain episode. The episodes are stand alone masterpieces. You really could have missed the rest of the series and still gotten a kick out of these particular episodes. Also, if you pay very close attention to Better Call Saul, you will hear the name of the place mentioned, that is the title of
the episode from The Sopranos.
Since I am on my second viewing of Better Call Saul, I caught this little
tidbit, on this second viewing.
Anyway, there are not too many series that are so good, I decide to watch them second time. Better Call Saul just happens to be one of them.
The Last of Us (2023)
Relax....and enjoy the ride
I will never understand those that can see something beautiful and twist it into being some kind of tool to spread propagandist agendas.
I am talking about episode three.
This episode was a work of art, and if you stay on after the credits roll you will get a deeper dive as to what this gem is all about. There was also a slight change (actually a big one) from the game, which the producer speaks of in this break down of the episode.
I personally, had never even heard of the game, but am interested in checking it out, if my son, (the gamer), is so inclined to purchase.
This series really has a different take on the Zombie genre, in a good way. So go at it with an open-mind rather than trying to figure out the producers hidden meaning. Just enjoy it, will ya.