Luzia

This was a mix of gymnastic type acts and music. It was good - not the best I've ever seen, but just as impressive as always. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Reunion

The third book in the Mediator series. Out main character must help 4 high school popular kids cross over without killing the nerdy kid who killed them. Also, she has to entertain her friend from NY who is visiting while hoping to still see the ghost she loves. All in all, I say: READ IT

Their Finest

Based on a book - this about screenwriters who fall in love during WWII while writing a movie for the government on Dunkirk. Sam Clafin (Me Before You) does a good job. Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia) does a better job with her Welsh accent. Bill Nighy (Hot Fuzz) is an older actor who needs a comeback, Jack Huston (Outlander), and Richard E Grant (Logan) also star. All in all, I say: RENT IT - although warning - the ending I did NOT see coming and it upset me.

Baby Driver

I decided to rent this after all the media attention the studio paid for it. Ansel Elgort from Divergent series stars. His parents died when he was young and the accident left him with a ringing in his ears. He also developed a love for driving. He gets in with the wrong crowd and is trying to escape. It takes place in Atlanta - a lot seemed to be filmed around GA State. His parts with the music, dancing, and sign language are good. The other, more well known, actors were a little over the top, but it felt like they were supposed to be that way. When the music isn't playing you hear the ringing which was a nice touch. All in all, I say: RENT IT

The Major

A rapper runs for mayor as a stunt and ends up being elected. He then decides to take it serious. It was ok - I didn't laugh once though. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Summer Villa

A writer goes to her editors villa in France in order to connect with her daughter who is having behavior problems and to write her new book. Once there it turns out her editors brother a Romeo chef is also there. He connects with her daughter over cooking - they join a contest together. Also, the two adults fall in love. It Hallmark so HAPPY ENDING. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Jane Austin Book Club

A group of women decide to read every Jane Austin novel for a book club - it's also a good way to become closer friends and work out issues they are having - issues that kind of match up with the books. Maria Bello from Coyote Ugly is constantly trying to hook up other people and has been neglecting her own love life until a younger man comes along (Hugh Dancy from King Arthur). Kathy Baker from Picket Fences is a woman who finds love a lot and hopes her daughter will be able to settle down. Amy Brenneman has been cheated on by her husband, but wants him back (Jimmy Smits from LA Law). Emily Blunt from Sicario worries constantly that her husband will leave her (Marc Blucas from Buffy). It's loosely based on a British version. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Blade Runner 2049

I'm not 100% sure what to include in this because I don't want to give away ANYTHING. There is so much going on. Again, like the last one, it hits on deeper meaning behind what it means to be alive. Harrison Ford from Star Wars reprises his role. Turns out what happened after the end of the last movie is a bit disheartening. There is a mystery, a cover up, and some startling revelations in this film. The music, effects, and scope of this films are just as impressive as the first. Ryan Gosling from La La Land was perfect for this role. I can't say more - I don't want to spill anything. All in all, I say: SEE IT

The Little Hours

Alison Brie (GLOW), Kate Micucci (Big Bang), Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Rec), and Molly Shannon (SNL) are nuns in the middle ages, so not really nuns by choice. John C Reilly (Chicago) is the priest at the convent - he tends to drink. Dave Franco (22 Jump Street) is a sex addict. It makes for a sometimes funny, but mostly strange independent film. All in all, I say: SKIP IT unless you like strange films.

The Gifted

In the X-Men timeline it's after the last movie - not the Logan series of movies. The government is tracking and locking up anyone who is gifted. One lawyer Stephen Moyer from True Blood finds himself switching sides when both his kids turn out to have powers. Amy Acker from Angel stars as the mom - I hope her role gets more complex. I've only seen one show, but it looks like it is worth a shot. It was filmed in ATL. All in all, I say: TRY IT on FOX

The Good Doctor

It is made by the people that did House and that's a shame because it is no House. A new resident has autistic and he wants to be a surgeon, but no one wants him to be a surgeon. It's kind of stale - nothing about it really stands out. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Wisdom of the Crowd

Jeremy Piven from Entourage lost his daughter - murder - and he thinks the killer behind bars is innocent. He's a Bill Gates kind of tech guy who sells his company and puts everything he's got behind a new app which uses social media users to solve crime. So far, there isn't much that makes it different from other shows. The acting is ok, the plot is ok, and you get the idea. It's going to become boring. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Harvest Love

A Fall Hallmark movie - any reason for a new Hallmark movie is fine with me. A doctor returns to her family pear farm to get closer with her son. She meets a guy she liked when she was young and they fall in love again. The problem with this was the actress - I don't really like her. What I did like was the happy ending! All in all, I say: SEE IT

Mediator Series: Ninth Key (book 2)

A young adult series about a teenage girl who can not only see dead people, but who has the job of helping them to move on. She sees ghosts who for whatever reason haven't moved on. Her dad who has died is a character and the man she's in love with is also dead. I started on this book not realizing it was a series, so I never read book one. This book centers around a series of missing environmentalist, a possible boyfriend, and his dad who thinks he's a vampire. She attends a Catholic school in CA with her three step-brothers and the head of the school is also a mediator. It was a quick read or rather a quick listen since I got it in audio for the car. All in all, I say: READ IT - I am currently listening to the 3rd in the series.

Wind River

It was one heavy - emotionally heavy movie. I was on the verge of tears most of the time - my palms were sweating more than half the time - and it made me so angry. WARNING: there is a rape scene - I hate those. It is based on real events. Jeremy Renner's (Civil War) character is bad ass - he does a good job at subtle. He was perfect for this role. Elizabeth Olsen (Civil War) also perfect for her role as the young FBI agent that wants to find the killer - you get the feeling maybe something happened to her when she was younger. Now the others - Julia Jones (she is part Choctaw and Chickasaw / American / Twilight series) plays Renner's ex-wife who is Native American but doesn't live on the reservation where her parents are. Graham Greene (who is Oneida / Canadian) was the local police on the Rez. He's the bad guy on Longmire. Tantoo Cardinal (Canadian / part Algonquian / Dances with Wolves), Gil Birmingham (American  / Comanche / Twilight series), Hugh Dillon (Canadian / Flashpoint), Ian Bohan (American / Teen Wolf), Jon Bernthal (American / TWD), and Matthew Del Negro (American / Teen Wolf) all star. A hunter comes across a murdered girl who reminds him of his daughter who passed away a few years earlier. The backdrop is Wyoming - a harsh area to live especially in the winter. He helps the FBI agent who is given no additional resources and the tribval cop who also has no additional resources aid in tracking down the killer. There is a shoot out toward the end which will have you holding your breath. It was well done - acting, directing, editing, and plot. I'm sure the book was better, but this was darn good. All in all, I say: SEE IT

The Big Sick

A good movie to rent. Based on the true story of the comedy Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) met his wife. He stars as himself. Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks) plays his wife, Holly Hunter (Saving Grace) plays her mother, Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) plays her father, and Adeel Akhtar (Pan) plays his brother. It is simple and sweet and felt real. A Pakistani going against his family in his career and his love life. My favorite was the actor that played his dad, Anupam Kher from Bend it Like Beckham - he's an Indian playing a Pakistani - did anyone out there catch that?! All in all, I say: RENT IT - I did on Directv.

Young Sheldon

For fans of Big Bang Theory - the life of Sheldon in Texas. It is narrated like the show Everybody Hates Chris. They will have to be careful not to have Sheldon learn too much from his mistakes because that's what he's been doing on Big Bang. The actors are great - my favorite is the girl who plays his twin, Raegan Revord from Grace and Frankie - she's good - her accent is awesome. All in all, I say: SEE IT

SEAL Team

The new David Boreanaz (Bones) show that is similar to Brave on another network. It is predictable and frankly it was boring. The lines weren't great - the plot was same old same old. I will give it one more go, but there is just something off about it. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Home Again

The newest in the film series. Found on Hallmark - the postmen find some lost mail and among the letter is a vase from Europe dating before WWII. It could help a family keep a farm - but looks can be deceiving. Same cast - you really have to watch them in order. All in all, I say: SEE IT - it's wholesome quality tv and it doesn't have all that noise from the shows trying to shock you - it's a nice break from things.

Star Trek Discovery

Ok this is going to be heated within the Trekkie community I think. I have seen all Star Trek - prefer Next Generation to all the series and prefer JJ Abrams films to all films. I am also a Star Wars fan - prefer Return of the Jedi among the original 3 and like the newest movies the best. I'm putting that out there so you get where I'm coming from.

Likes: Females - yes a female who is not a captain as a lead character, Sonequa Martin-Green (TWD). Introducing the series with martial artist Michelle Yeoh from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Timeline can't be confused with other series and films - time when Klingon were enemies. Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter) as a captain. The visual effects - state of the art. The Klingon language used throughout - awesome. The uniforms, the emotions, and most of the writing.

Dislikes: How the Klingons look - I felt like it was all too much. The relationship between Yeoh's character and Martin-Green's character felt way too close like intimate. The main characters name is Michael - so is Green's character male, female, or trans-gendered, or is it a statement that gender doesn't matter. She's sentenced to prison - WTF - she was right!!!!!! I've only seen the first 2 episodes, but the cast didn't feel like it was meshing well if that makes sense. Maybe cast chemistry will get better.

All in all, I say: SEE IT - I'm watching on CBS All Access App

Everything, Everything

A boy and girl fall in love - family gets in the way - but they have to find a way. The beginning and middle of the book are good - the ending was a disaster. It was edited to pieces and flew by too quickly for the pace of the book. It was a bit of a mess when it should have taken its time. I'm sure the book was better. The acting was superb though. I rented it on Directv. It was good to see Nick Robinson from Melissa & Joey coming into his own. All in all, I say: RENT IT or rather just read the book.

American Assassin

The writing team of Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz (The Last Samurai) adapted this with a couple others from a novel. I'm betting the book makes a bit more sense than the edited film that was presented. I do think another director would have been better - all the scenes seemed chaotic and some of the camera work felt sloppy to me. My first big question with this movie was, however, who did Taylor Kitsch (Battleship) piss off to not be the lead in this - being the ghost was ok, but it felt backwards & wrong. Dylan O'Brien didn't do the last season of Teen Wolf I guess for this film. He got started in Maze Runner series, but I think he would have been better as the ghost. Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice) does a decent job. The star of the show for me was Scott Adkins the martial artist from England who was also in Doctor Strange. Some of his classic moves show up in the movie - not sure if coincidence or if he helped with some of the fight choreography. All in all, I say: WATCH IT on tv when it comes out.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

The sequel - just as gruesome in the blood violence - just as outlandish in its special effects, but just as action packed and light-hearted fun as the first. You have to go into these two films expecting things to be comic book crazy because after all they are based on a graphic novel. The action scenes even the CQI'd ones are fun to watch. All in all, I say: RENT IT after you watch the first.

Disjointed

It's a Netflix creation with Kathy Bates from Misery. It's about the owner and workers at a marijuana dispensary in CA. The owner was an activist in the day. It has some trippy scenes that are animated - I think most people that watch must get high because I think that's the only way it would stay interesting or even be funny. I watched all episodes and there were some good parts, but All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Skyward

A pilot of Amazon about aliens. Three kids discover alien life. It's kind of comedy- drama - science fiction. It's hard to get the feel for it since it's just a pilot. Richard Speight from Supernatural is the only one that can act in it. He plays father and sheriff. It might be interesting - will have to wait and see if Amazon makes it. All in all, I say: SKIP IT for now.

Morganville

Another Amazon "series" that is just a dozen 5 minute scenes put together. It's based on a series of book which are probably 1000% better than this low budget, bad acting, and confusing plot of a show is. It's supernatural in nature - vampires and such. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Real Drakoolvas

Done in short 5 minute scenes this low budget "film" is about a family of vampires. The acting is pretty bad, the room in which they act is rough, and the plot is not really interesting. It was just strange. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - saw it on Amazon

Trapped

It's like an Icelandic "The Bridge." A body is found and it might have come from the ferry that travels between Netherlands and Iceland. Along with the back and forth trying to get the ferry to stay a blizzard rolls in and the police at the capital who should investigate the crime instead of the local sheriff can't get to the scene. The local police end up in not one, not two,  but closer to three murders and a tangled web of local secrets come to the surface. All in all, I say: SEE IT - warning - SUBTITLED