Imelda Cotton

Netflix doesn’t seem to have as much great content as it once did so it was a nice surprise to find The Beast In Me. Binged it over the Christmas / NY break and imho that’s the only way to watch it, as the suspense builds to the final episode which (although predictable) is well mapped out, Clare Danes is a phenomenal actress and carried this season well however her facial expressions were exaggerated at times and annoying af. Her normal blonde hair has been replaced by brunette which drags her face down and makes her look older and grief-stricken. It’s great that she hasn’t succumbed to the same cosmetic fillers and surgery of her Hollywood cohort tho… I mean at least her face is capable of change! Brittany Snow was excellent as Niles’ second (and unsuspecting) wife and I found myself wanting to explore how they got together after first wife Madison went missing. And let’s roll the red carpet out for the legendary Matthew Rhys, who plays serial killer Niles Jarvis with the slimy ease of a real murderer. Fun fact: Matthew is actually from the UK and I learned that today after becoming so absorbed in his character that I fully believed he was American. (Had to hit up his insta for a reality check) All up, loved this mini series.

Binged this in two sittings. Kaitlyn Dever is excellent and her next-level Aussie accent made me Google her nationality (yep, she's American so full marks there). The series has three valid storylines where the characters overlap but the stories never really knit imho. The producers have made Belle out to be a very busy girl - in all likelihood, she probably was when you consider all the lies she was keeping alive and all the work she had to do to make herself look legit. The series is slick and integrates the (perceived) importance of social media in very creative ways. The casting is believable and the timeline of events is chaotic at times - possibly to reflect the chaotic life of the real Belle Gibson - but all comes together in the end. Well worth a watch.

** SPOILER AHEAD ** Slow, boring and depressing with a ridiculous twist towards the end which left me screaming at the fact that I'd invested and effectively wasted 2hrs in this flick. Like other reviewers here, I was drawn to this movie bc of the stellar line-up of actors, Tucci being one of my fave chameleons who usually nails every character he takes on. Not so in Conclave - imho, he was the least convincing cardinal to have ever occupied the Vatican. Same goes for John Lithgow whose celebrity profile outshone his acting ability here - I couldn't get Dick Solomon wearing a zucchetto out of my head. Isabella Rossellini's acting seemed perfunctory and I felt a rather obvious move to bring some female presence to the movie. By contrast, Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence was brilliant. I felt drawn to the scenes he was in and rather uninspired by the rest. By far the most outrageous part of this disastrous piece was towards the end, when pope-elect Cardinal Benitez disclosed his (rather predictable) gender problem and admission to a Swiss clinic some years earlier for a "laparoscopic hysterectomy" which didn't end up happening. Omg I nearly jumped up and left the cinema at that point, shaking my fist at the screen for wasting my money. On outpouring his struggles to Cardinal Lawrence and delivering a predictable monologue on equality and certainty and doubt (themes which run through the movie), Cardinal Benitez is appointed to the hot seat and they all live happily ever after. Never mind the religious dilemma of sexuality and gender confusion - the film introduces it but then glosses over it in a way that implies none of it matters anyway (if only the real world could take note!) Conclave had all the makings of a blockbuster movie (and lord knows, Hollywood is in need of one) but failed big time to make its mark on me.

Loved it all. The casting, the storyline, the acting, the pace… if, like me, you’d typecast Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow, you owe it to yourself to watch this series and see how they transform from Ray Barone and Phoebe Buffay to grief-stricken and exhausted parents searching for their son’s killer. There’s also something quirky and attractive about Linda Cardellini — she was excellent in Dead to Me and is equally as captivating in No Good Deed. Like every good series, I didn’t see the end coming. Netflix has done it again!

Binged it. Loved the acting. Hated the cheap wigs especially the one they put on Amber. Storyline was sometimes hard to file with multiple sub-plots. Thought “Pain Killer” told the story of Purdue in a better way.

Average feel good family movie. Lindsay Lohan was surprisingly good (haven’t seen her in anything since Mean Girls) but had zero chemistry with her male co-star. Storyline was predictable as you would expect for a PG flick. The eternal question — how could Logan’s character afford to buy the sprawling family home from her dad? Guess there’s no logic needed for simple entertainment 😂

Promising storyline but grossly mismatched cast makes for an icky movie. If you can believe a 60yo writer and a 30-something actor with all the girls at his feet would ever fall for each other, then this movie is for you.

Binged this in one sitting. Some episodes were more enjoyable than others particularly the first couple which set the scene. Towards the middle, multiple new characters are introduced who seem irrelevant to the plot and invariably are. These were the eps that just dragged and threatened to lose me before they even had me. The plot is basic but rolled out in a maniacal way that gives you a nice tour of suburban London. Lots of stereotypes including the French teacher who can’t keep her mitts off students; the surgeon besties on a quest to find a missing child but who always miraculously make it back to their surgeries on time; a police officer with a crush on one of the surgeons; another cop new to town to track down her long lost father (the other surgeon) and tell him that she’s pregnant; and a game boy who also happens to be a 3G whiz and travels with his laptop even when he’s at a gaming convention and therefore easily able to help out the frantic surgeons on their quest. And let’s not forget the must-have seedy nightclub owner who ends up bringing the crazy. There’s so much going on that it’s gripping and also hilariously stupid at the same time. After all the time I invested in this binge, I felt ripped off with the reason behind the whole missing daughter thing. Or maybe it was the way the producers rolled out the reason, in a B grade Hollywood way complete with kidnaps and (one) gun. All up I was disappointed. In my defence, I was convalescing and probably was an easy target for this tripe. Some good acting but the storyline was too odd in parts and the last episode tied it all up way too fast given that it took 7 eps to explain it all in the first place.

Didn’t love this movie. Two of my fave actresses and an unknown lead actor made for a strange but interesting tale presumably based on real life events but hard to believe that in real life, this couple would’ve landed on their feet so solidly. Julianne Moore as Gracie is mostly vacant and sad in this flick and Natalie Portman as Elizabeth, the visiting actress doing a character study, is good but not great. The family structure is not depicted with enough clarity to establish familial relationships… I think they have multiple kids and I think there’s multiple step children with the ex husband but I can’t be sure. Also couldn’t place the importance of Georgie to the whole storyline. Natalie Portman’s 30sec sex scene with Joe was odd and jammed into the end part of the movie without rhyme or reason. I wanted to love this film as an independent production and bc it was featured at Sundance so it must be good right? Sadly it left me annoyed that a potentially meaty subject was left half explored.

Good concept but unfortunately I saw this movie the week of all the Blake Lively drama and I couldn’t see past that to truly enjoy the character and experiences of Lily Bloom. That Blake has treated Justin Baldoni and the DV theme so flippantly on the promo tour made her portrayal of a DV victim that less compelling. Justin (as Ryle) is excellent, as is Jenny Slate who plays his sister Allysa. The story is all about Lily though, and Blake should’ve taken centre stage. But the depth of her acting didn’t go much past fake laughter and unconvincing chemistry. She was indeed a strange choice given all the other actresses who could’ve smashed the lead but I guess when you’re the producer, you get to pick the plum roles. For me, Blake’s acting and the real life drama surrounding her was blitzed into oblivion by the strong supporting cast and the movie therefore fell flat. Which is such an almighty shame given the subject area.