Mike Max

Alternates between a cringe fest and a yawn fest. Cast is bland. It’s just a copy of so many other dating shows out there. No drama, no real surprises. The main host is ok but the Australian woman from MAFS is absolutely intolerable. It seems she was probably meant to play a bigger role but most of her segments were cut down to the point she is barely in the show. If The Box comes back hopefully it will be with better producers who know how to make gripping television. And without the fake and insincere Lucinda.

One of the most disappointing movies I’ve ever seen. To be fair it’s not a genre I love but all the raves and awards made me curious. Act one is quite good- fresh and energetic. However once the real story kicks in (the annulment) things quickly unravel. Why Mikey Madison won is a mystery- all she does is scream profanities in a shrill way which ANY actress could do. The secondary actors try hard to mix comedy and chaos, and there are some good moments of physicality between players. However the script and storyline are both quite ordinary. I have the sense the director has watched Tarantino movies on endless loops and sadly thinks he’s as good a director. He is not. I gave up after watching almost all of it. As it happens I really don’t care how it ends I only cared that it ended and couldn’t quite wait that long so did the right thing and switched it off. The Academy is getting worse at awards. The best that can be said about Anora is at least it isn’t another Marvel movie. Hollywood is dying. SKIP IT.

A real mess. And miss. Everyone tries hard but the director (Kravitz) has seen too many “art” films and her heavy-handedness ruins what could be a good little thriller. Shots are overly thought out, with young women in flowing white gowns writhing in ecstatic dance, which might be okay in a music video but don’t really belong here. The story is secondary to the scenes. Good luck getting through it. I tried.

I like the franchise, and have watched UK Australia New Zealand and Canada versions. The US one is by far the least interesting. Each season features a stable of reality show “stars” and therein lies the problem. They’re all vying for camera time and are well- eased in how to give the audience moments of drama or suspense- or at least this is what producers hope for. It ends up being a fashion show, with the ringleader being the host Allan Cummings. I used to like him but he comes off rather clownish, with each outfit tackier than the last, and he really tries to chew up the screen with his over the top Scottish brogue and dramatic movements. The show ends up being tiresome and uninteresting. It’s much better when the contestants are ordinary citizens with many different careers, ages and so on. Watch the original UK version instead. Australia is apparently cancelled, and unsure if others are coming back. There have been many versions but not all have been successful. My feeling is viewers will tire of the format unless producers can think of ways to shake up the game each season, and surprise us in different ways. Three seasons in, and it all seems a bit too familiar.

The series is a complete letdown. A clunky script combined with actors who aren’t given much to do add up to an exercise in frustration. Every time we get closer to unravelling the mystery a character or plot device blocks our path. The kid is not a bad actor but many kids could have played the role. Billy Crystal tries but his acting isn’t up to the nuances here and he comes off as wooden. The editing and direction also get in the way. We know we are going to end up at a log cabin but wow it takes a long time to get there. Then there’s a wall of photos and supposedly related cases but this has been basically written out of the script and isn’t referred to until Epidode 7. There’s a great spooky story buried within but it’s all but ruined by the glacial pace, extra characters that have no purpose, and rather amateur storytelling. Apple manages to disappoint yet again.

What a mess! Seems the director didn’t really understand how to structure the story to make it an interesting or suspenseful watch. He also didn’t quite comprehend how to turn a book into a limited series. Many scenes don’t fit or work at all. We really have no good characters to root for. We gave up around episode four and really don’t care who the murderer is. Some of the acting is okay but even the actors seem like they’d rather be somewhere else. Skip it!!

Yuck. Good set design and costumes but too forcibly dark. It’s clunky and full of tropes. My partner and I gave up before the end of episode one. Apple rarely gets it right but this is one of the worst things we’ve watched in ages. Who green lights the series on Apple? Fire them.

I was so excited about the show and finally got a chance to watch it a bit after the release. As a kid I devoured every book about the swans and waited for new issues of Town and Country, Interview, and every other magazine that might show what they were wearing or where they were going. I also read Capote and was really stoked when Answered Prayers came out, finished or not. My excitement continued for the first few episodes and I kept thinking it was going to be my favourite series ever. Somewhere around the third episode the realization hit- this is nothing but endless smoking and not very interesting gossip. The famous black and white ball came off as a party no one in their right mind would want to stay long at. There was so much potential here, and the acting is generally great with the exception of Russell Tovey who gives a cringe- worthy performance, as do the other Murphy staples. However the writing is stale, and Gus van Sant’s decision to tell the story in a non-linear fashion was a poor one. I’m sure I’ll finish watching at some point, but the series has gone from the top of my watch next list to the bottom. People unfamiliar with this era of jetsetters and scandal might be interested, but the series adds very little to those in the know. It ends up being as thin as the characters portrayed.

Would give the series five stars, but the addition of Andi Oliver as host has ruined the show a bit. She seems both haughty and insincere. I agree with other reviewers the judges should be changed, and the producers seem to be slowly doing so. Watching good food go to waste hits the wrong note, but other than these small criticisms, GBM remains THE food show to watch.

Wanted to love this series, but it’s just too similar to so many other romantic comedies. The choppy editing doesn’t help, and some of the performances are corny and forced. Hopefully if the show has another season there will be more emphasis on humour rather than romance. . However, there is no doubt Rose Matafeo is a major talent. So happy for her success.