Movie: Roofman (2026)

 I was kind of excited for this movie because I listened to an episode of the Criminal podcast and heard about this story. It was funny, and tragic, and interesting. This movie doesn’t live up to that story. 

Roofman is supposed to be a comedy based in a great story . There’s an amazing cast attached. There is great potential, but it was wasted on the final product. 

This movie was bland. It happened. There was little emotion. Even the coloring (it has a tungsten tint) contributed to its dull feel. 

It was quite disappointing seeing the waste of Lakeith Standield and Juno Temple. And were they trying to make Peter Dinklage look average-sized?! Awkward.

I think with better editing the emotion and comedy could have been helped and the relationships wouldn’t have felt so rushed. They also missed out on the potential to expand about Roofman’s military skills. 

This was done by the same director that did Blue Valentine, which explains the sad, dull feeling. 

I watched this on a DVD checked out from my local public library in June 2026

Theatre: Phantom of the Opera 2026

 

Phantom of the Opera 2026 North American Tour

I bought tickets for me and my best friend to see this show as soon as it was announced in spring 2025 and I had a phone in my hand. That was a good decision. 

I love Phantom of the Opera. It is my favorite musical. My faulty memory says this is might be the third or fourth time I’ve seen it live on stage and I’ve only seen it at The Pantages. 

In this fantastic production the entire cast gave amazing performances. The Phantom was played by Isaiah Bailey who has a great voice and brought every ounce of emotion out of his role. Christine Daae was played by Jordan Lee Gilbert who sang the role beautifully. Even Raoul, played by Daniel Lopez, was notable and great. 

After seeing the stage production multiple times and three versions of the story on screen, I really took some time to question the story, notably who took advantage of whom. My bestie thinks Christine is the user, taking advantage of the Phantom’s guidance and tutoring, then when she gets successful, she leaves him in the dust for the handsome vicomte. But as I see it, the Phantom tricked her, taking advantage of Christine’s grief from the loss of her father and loneliness, he comes to her as a musically saavy ghost voice tutor. After her talents are discovered everything converges: She suddenly finds herself a star, the Phantom reveals himself as flesh and blood and the person who’s also been terrorizing everyone in the theater where she works. While riding that emotional roller coaster,  a man from her past shows up and showers her with affection and rich attention: Why not fall for this guy?

All Christine has known is being “guided” by one person or another. It doesn’t seem like she’s had to decide too much for herself so ghosting the non-ghost Phantom and choosing the rich guy Raoul makes perfect sense, especially considering the choices women had in that time period. But she’s a compassionate person, and although he misrepresented himself, in the end, she’s grateful to the Phantom for his guidance. Once you have that, everything else makes sense. 

Theatre: The Piano Lesson

A Noise Within
I remember seeing The Piano Lesson as a Saturday afternoon TV movie during my childhood. I usually didn’t watch Saturday TV after it switched from cartoon to live-action, but this must have snagged my attention or maybe I tuned in at an especially engaging point. I remember there was something paranormal in the movie and that in at least one scene the piano was possessed. I don’t think I ever saw the movie again. 

Fast forward to the present: I’ve been following the August Wilson Cycle that A Noise Within has been producing and this year’s selection was The Piano Lesson!
The first half was great. ANW always has amazingly complex and authentic set deign. The actors, some familiar from the previous August Wilson plays, some not, were excellent and so comfortable in their characters, I felt like I knew them. And though it followed Wilson’s standard trope - a Black man rushing his way to prosperity only to blame something or someone for standing in his way - The rest of the story was quite interesting and intriguing. I couldn’t wait for the Piano possession!
Act 2 was such a disappointment! It was like the actors were rushing through (Which might have been the case. During the intermission, we overheard a stage hand saying they were running behind). Only some of the same intensity and depth of the characters came through. Then, in the end when the house shakes and the piano is supposed to become possessed by the ancestors or Mr. Sutter’s ghost, it was so anti-climactic. They could have done a better job of bringing that to life without much special effects expense. They didn’t even flicker the lights, which is ghost-on-stage 101! If I could do this over, I’d have another actor playing the ghost showing up in deep background at key points throughout the play. For the climax scene, I would have had the lights flicker and shake, the piano playing by itself, and the ghost flash their way through the scene.
Then it ended and all was well. Hmph.
I still love ANW as a venue and Greg Daniels’ productions of August Wilson plays. But I recognize that this particular night wasn’t anybody’s peak performance.

Off Beat Romance Double Feature

I managed to pick two quirky, romantic comedies that are really fun and worth watching multiple times. I highly recommend these for a fun Hulu + chill night.

Dinner in America (2020)
Hulu
An awesome movie about a low-level criminal punk rocker stumbles upon a punk groupie of whom not much has been expected. Shenanigans and punk music ensue. Overall a fun and well-made movie. Nothing extraneous perfect acting, good writing.

Palm Springs (2020)
Hulu
This is a sort-of-sci-fi romantic comedy about a time loop starring Andy Samberg. Kind of like Groundhog Day but in Palm Springs. I really liked it. Light and fun, good comedic banter, fun side characters.

Black History Month 2025 Shorts Series

I celebrated Black History Month this year by being a couch potato. Also, since none of the Oscar nominated shorts were available online, I decided to make my own shorts series. Want to hear about it? Here it goes…

Shaka Inkosi YamaKhosi (2021) 15 mins Netflix

This is an animated short about Shaka Zulu. It was okay. 

Cops & Robbers (2020) 7 mins Netflix 

Partially animated by different animation teams. That’s was the most interesting thing about this film, which is a poem about police brutality. 

Heart Shot (2022) 19 min Netflix 

Excellent short film about a mysterious bad girl. The action was surprisingly good.

The Weathering (2023) 20 min Netflix 
A black woman deals with the pain and prejudice of the maternal health system. Another well done short.

Makayla’s Voice A letter to the world (2024) 24 min Netflix
A really beautiful documentary short about a non-verbal (but learning) autistic girl who learns to communicate using a letter board and has a lot to say.

Sad Day (2020) 8min Hulu
A Crouching tigger inspired ramen shop dream. Music by FKA twigs. Very fun to watch!

Starkeisha (2022) 33 min Hulu
A sci/fi fantasy about code switching and self-acceptance. A bit too long, too much flashiness that gets in the way of the story, but worth seeing. Reminded me of Lovecraft Country episode 7, I Am, about Hippolyta’s adventures through different dimensions.

Part 2 2024 Holiday Movie Marathon: Snow and Inns and Planes, Oh My!

Photo by Clement Lepetit

Back for more of my 2024 Holiday Movie Marathon?! Thanks for reading on. If you're just tuning in, you might want to go to the first post to learn about the theme, tropes and rating system.

Dashing Home for Christmas (2020) 🎄🎄🎄
“Hopefully this is the last little hiccup in our trip. I think we’ve hit the misfortune limit.“
A career-focused woman is determined to spend Christmas with her family although everything that could possibly go wrong actually does. Along the way she runs into a fellow traveler who seems like her opposite, but it turns out they make a good team when they bring their skills together.
This is supposed to be a meet-awkward, road trip, holiday romance. The female lead is supposed to be a work-focused, cold-hearted and particular, but she doesn’t quite come off that bad. The male lead is supposed to be sloppy and a real nice guy. The actor pulls it off.
The production value was B-level and the acting was okay. The story wasn’t that original sticking to standard tropes, but something about the story made it endearing. I had other movies with similar storylines on my watch list that I avoided because I didn’t want a repeat.

• Tropes: Opposites attract • Shared goal: Get to the final destination, a place where we can spend Christmas with people we love • On the road • Stranded
• How’d you watch it? UPtv via Amazon Prime
• Fit the theme? Yep.

Snowed-Inn Christmas (2017) 🎄🎄🎄
Two magazines staff writers are sent on assignment to write the article that will save one of their jobs. One of them is a precise planner that plays it safe, the other, a sloppy, last minute adventurer. On the way, they find themselves stranded and snowed in a small town, Santa Claus, Indiana. They decide to try to save the B&B where they’re staying. Sub-plot: The older couple who run Winter’s Inn very closely resemble Santa and Mrs. Claus: Are they the real ones?
Real snow! No romantic chemistry between the two leads. The story is entertaining, but very trope-y. The male lead is played by frequent cheesy romance player, Andrew W. Walker, who I watched in Dashing Through the Snow (2018 marathon) and most likely in other cheesy romances.

• Tropes: Stranded together • Enemies to lovers • Opposites attract • Shared goal: save the inn
• How’d you watch it? Amazon Prime
• Fits the theme? For sure. They’re travel writers who get stranded while traveling.

A Merry Scottish Christmas (2023) 🎄🎄🎄
An American son and daughter visit their mom in Scotland only to learn that she’s inherited a title and estate. She wants them to take over. Will they leave their lives in the US to become the Duke and/or Duchess of the estate?
There are quite a few holes in the plot, but otherwise this was a nice gentle family drama with a cheesy, quick fall-in-romance story. I was a bit disturbed by how hard the male romantic lead was selling the female lead on staying in Scotland.

The son-brother is played by Scott Wolf best known for Party of Five and the daughter-female-romantic-lead is played by Lacey Chabert, a HolRom queen who you might have seen in Hot Frosty (I haven't seen it, yet). 

• Tropes: Shared goal: save the estate • Destination movie • Location gap • Career vs. Love 
• How’d you watch it? Hallmark via Netflix
• Fits the theme… sure. Yeah. Barely. The brother and sister fly to Scotland and the original intention was that they were tourists, but then they inherit.

2024 Holiday Movie Marathon: Snow and Inns and Planes, Oh My!

The theme of the 2024 holiday movie marathon was travel, which includes a person or group of people visiting another place for business or pleasure, movement via planes, trains and automobiles, and/or stays in hotels, inns and B&Bs. I didn’t know at the time I picked the theme, but hindsight tells me I really wanted to get away during the 2024 holiday season. I was miserable. I didn’t want to see people. I didn’t put as much effort into my movie marathon as I had in the past. I even postponed my personal Christmas a few days because I didn’t feel Christmasy on the 25th. Despite my bah-humbug attitude, I watched some pretty good movies. Now, that “the most wonderful time of the year” is over, I’m happy to share them with you.

Tropes that are prevalent in this theme include:

• Opposites attract: Perfectionist and/or difficult person (often a woman) vs carefree and/or sloppy person (often a man)
• Shared goal: Usually, save the inn or business.
• Stranded: stuck in the same place together
• Location gap: Oh no! We like each other, but we both don’t live in the same place. Who’s going to sacrifice?
• Career vs. love  

I thought I didn’t like the cheesy whimsical music that is often part of romance productions. Upon further thought and watching, it’s not that the music is bad, it’s more that when poorly placed, the cheesy whimsical music stands out and takes over the scene instead of blending into the production. When music is good in a movie, you either don’t notice it or it defines the scene in a good way. Bad music supervision is a sign of a lower level production. After watching tons and tons of cheesy romances, as soon as I recognize bad music supervision, I am put off.
It’s also really nice when the productions are filmed in real snow. It makes the movie more beautiful to look at and heartwarming. Most of the movies I watched in this marathon had real snow, which I am assuming it’s a sign of more productions being filmed in Canada. Thank you, Canada.

Along with all these new-to-me movies, I also rewatched Love Hard (Originally watched in 2021). I didn't take notes, but I still consider it well-produced and rewatchable. It also is on theme, since the female lead travels to meet the male lead. Of course I watched Spirit of Christmas and, yes, it is still my favorite holiday romance that also just so happens to fit the theme: Its about an inn! Yes!  

2024 rating system:
🎄Terrible. DNF.
🎄🎄 Not the greatest. Won’t watch again.
🎄🎄🎄Good to great. I enjoyed it.
🎄🎄🎄🎄 New favorite. I can watch over and over.


The Holiday (2006) 🎄🎄🎄🎄
To escape their romance troubles, A Hollywood-entertainment type and a British journalist decides to swap homes for their Christmas vacations. Of course both find love and or a sense of self and purpose. This is not a B-level cheesy holiday romance like I normally watch. It is an A+ level holiday romance with A-list stars, and a well-known romantic comedy writer-director. And it is so good! The holiday makes it into my favorites.

• Tropes: Fling to love • Love to overcome romantic scars
• How’d you watch it? Amazon Prime
• Fits the theme? Yes. Multiple people visiting another place.

Movie: Iron Claw (2023)

I love sports stories although I’m not a huge sports fan and I am enjoying how feature films, documentaries and other media are exploring sports stories in different ways. 

It’s about the short reign of the Von Erich family and they’re so-called curse. The patriarch, Fritz, put a lot of pressure on his sons to be successful pro-wrestlers, so much so that they either gave up on or delayed their own pursuits of happiness. Surprisingly, within that storyline, Fritz wasn’t depicted negatively as an antagonist. The movie doesn’t cover everything exactly as it happened to this real-life family. For example, some characters were left out or multiple characters were rolled into one. But the film does a great job of artistically interpreting the broad strokes of their story. 

I really liked how emotions of the characters were explored and how their struggles were depicted. I enjoyed the use of super close-up cameras in action scenes so you got to focus on the characters emotionally while the very physical wrestling was happening. I was moved by the acting of Zac Efron. And ever since I started watching Shameless, I’ve enjoyed seeing Jeremy Allen White on the screen. I could definitely watch Iron Claw again.

I followed Iron Claw with Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring, season 1 episode 4, The Last of the Von Erichs, for a dose of the truth. It was helpful and filled in some of the questions that came up for me in the film. I feel like that’s a good double-feature if you’re going to watch Iron Claw.

Character-driven • Emotionally Intense 

I streamed Iron Claw on Max and Dark Side of the Ring on Hulu. 

Theatre: A Noise Within 2023-24 Season

This season I bought flexpass tickets that I could use to attend any show and I used all but one ticket. I like A Noise Within because they go above and beyond with their theatrical design and I really appreciate that most of the house seats offer great views and the productions often use the space of the theatre to expand the stage.

The Bluest Eye

Based on the Toni Morrison book, The Bluest Eye is a sad story made beautiful and worth experiencing through a quality production and acting that was emotionally intense and angst-filled. 

I saw this with the Parental Units and we ran into my boss. 

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
I was really excited to finally see this musical play live and on stage and I was not disappointed. Away from Tim Burton's workshop, Sweeney Todd includes much darker and sinister themes. 

In this production the actor who played Mr. Todd played a far more miserable version than Johnny Depp. Easy enough. The actors who played Mrs. Lovett and the sailor had amazing voices. I really loved the set design. The cast had to do some improv, when for some reason the wheeled piano almost fell while they were moving the stage around. Most of the audience didn't catch it, but some, including myself, caught it and it was great to see the actors improv around the situation. I saw this with my best friend. 

Theatre: Jelly’s Last Jam

Funny, I was recently saying to myself how oversaturated pop culture is with passing and colorism, but here we go again! Jelly’s Last Jam is the imagined experience of famed jazz innovator, Jelly Roll Morton, while in a kind of purgatory he examines his life. The play deals with his Creole family that turned its back on him, his musical success and his own issues with color, class, and insecurity. 

Music, dancing, costuming and styling were amazing. The New Orleans marketplace scene was so magical. Much more entertaining and a better production value than a similar scene I saw earlier this year in the stage revival of The Wiz. I enjoyed how they depicted the JRM's experiences in different cities. The actor’s voices were so good! Left me wanting to learn more about Jell Roll Morton and the history of jazz.

I saw this musical play at the Pasadena Playhouse in the 2023-24 season with the Valley Librarian. My parents told me that they took me to see Jelly's Last Jam at the Mark Taper Forum when I was little. I looked it up and apparently, I saw the premiere run in 1991, before it went to Broadway and won four Tonys! Cool!

TV: Monsieur Spade (2024)

A noir mystery set in a post WWII village in the south of France where a seemingly retired American PI, finds himself caught into a web of mystery as he tries to make good on a deathbed promise.

Intensifying pace • Intricately plotted • Moody storyline • Developed ensemble characters that supports a main character  

I like that Spade isn’t the normal reckless, sad and brooding detective I’m used to (Doctor Blake, Inspector Morse, etc.). And I like Clive Owen playing him even though his west coast American accent is crap.

I streamed this 6-episode limited series from Amazon Prime that offered this show as a sample of AMC+.

Theatre: A Strange Loop

Overall I thought this musical play was awful.

Theatre experience: I couldn’t decipher the lyrics of most of the songs, which was a combination of my deteriorating hearing and the sound system. One of the friends who accompanied me confirmed they struggled with the actors’ lines and song lyrics. One of the actors’ voices was so shrill, she was difficult to listen to and understand.
The audience didn’t know when to laugh which made for many awkward moments. More often if they did laugh, it was at something that felt inappropriate.
We sat in the back on the uppermost level and I was surprised that the view wasn’t that bad.

The musical play: This is a semi-autobiographical play about an overweight, Black gay man and aspiring playwright named Usher struggling to find success and love in NYC. An ensemble of actors called the Thoughts, bring to life Usher’s inner voices and his ghastly and offensively stereotypical family. There was an unnecessarily graphic sex scene that bordered on rape. A jarring set change evoking a Tyler Perry gospel play. And then it just ended.
It was so depressing with nothing hopeful and barely any humor. The funniest lines were in reference to Tyler Perry always using quotes from The Color Purple.

 
You can scroll through my other posts and learn that I don’t need everything I watch or listen to to be hopeful and/or positive, but I do need something to hook me. There wasn't anything like that in this play. I found this possible explanation for its existence in the program: "... the act of bringing people together from all walks of life to witness a story is still radical and art can still touch each and everyone of us if we let it.... And it is through this act of you sitting here in this theatre that we can all begin to peer through a window into someone else's life, someone else's story, and realize the world is big enough for all of us"(From Come Together: Creating Community by Zach Stafford). Okay. I get it. 

I saw A Strange Loop at the Ahmanson Theater with the East LA Power Couple. This is the only show I saw in the Center Theatre Group 2023-24 season.

Movie: Deep Water (2022) and The Ritual Killer (2023)

What it’s about: A strange man who collects snails and who seems to be only half-upset as his wife flirts and flaunts her extra-marital activities in front of him and their group of friends. The other men seem to keep dying mysteriously. Everyone thinks its snail man killing them off, leaving the audience to wonder whodunnit.
The moral the story: Sometimes divorce is the answer.

This movie was so slow. It took one hour before something actually happened after an over-extended set-up. Everyone and everything were weird and not in an interesting and quirky way (e.g. Dogtooth, Lemon, Art of Self Defense, etc.). I don’t know why I kept watching. I should have stopped it.
Too much of the story was spent on things that didn’t matter in the end including a lot of stray storylines and character vectors that go unaddressed or unresolved. What was the point of the group of friends if they didn’t play a role in the ending? It seems like they just wanted to show off the cast they were able to assemble to distract you from the terrible writing and excessive color filtering. What was the point of the snails?! What a waste of a potentially intriguing plot!

I streamed this from Hulu. It was a Hulu original production. 

The same night I also attempted to watch The Ritual Killer, another Hulu original. The story set-up was going all wrong and the acting was pretty bad. Even though it looked like they had a good production budget, nothing came together and nothing pulled me into the story past 18 minutes, not even Cole Hauser.

TV: P-Valley Season 1 (2020)

What it’s about: How a strip club in a small, impoverished Mississippi town and each of the people who work there find themselves having to overcome hardships both man-made and results of natural disaster. A casino-resort is threatening the club. One dancer is trying to get off the pole, but keeps being pulled back on. Another is dealing with an abusive partner. Another is falling in secret love. And so much more!
Fast-paced • Atmospheric • Bawdy • Emotionally-intense • Strong sense of place

I’m enthralled with this show! The writing is excellent. The characters are full and emotionally complex. The plot is intriguing. Here’s my $30… I’m in, Diamond! Chips left at home!
Favorite Uncle Clifford outfit: Green asymmetrical blouse, pirate-style head scarf and thigh-high red boots.
Truest quote of 2024: “[N-words] don’t vote. [Salty crispy snacks] vote for the wrong [salty crispy snacks].”
Favorite scenes:

• Introducing Uncle Clifford – Chat with the Sheriff
• Mercedes first dance- Dancing on the ceiling
• Mercedes morning jog through the neighborhood
• Lil’ Murda and DJ Neva Scared under the bridge
• Lil’ Murda and Keyshawn performing Fallin'

Dumbest decisions on the show and in real life:

• Unlocking your laptop for a stranger.
• Letting someone “hold” $20,000 of your money. Nope.
• Judging someone for doing the thing you said they should do.

Last time I had a subscription to Starz, I got somewhat obsessed with Outlander. Starz has the draws!  Ha! Get it?!

I streamed P-Valley Season 1 because it was available as a sample on Amazon Prime. Gotta decide if I'm going to subscribe to Starz to watch season 2, or wait for another Prime sample!

Photo by Miguel Mallari from Pexels

Movie: The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

What I knew about The Postman Always Rings Twice before viewing is that it is based on a play (actually it is based on a 1930s book written by pulp author, James M. Cain). It was adapted for the screen by David Mamet, who wrote some well-known stuff in the 80s and 90s. 

This movie is a noir set in 1930s LA County. A drifter falls for the wife of the owner of a road-side service station. Together they plot the owner's death and after they are successful, there is a mind-blowing insurance investigation. Then the story continues in such a way that is difficult to sum up here, so I won't. Let me just say that this is an interesting, odd, quirky, strange and erotic roller coaster of a story. 

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to get from this movie, but I must say that I did enjoy it and I was engage throughout. I would recommend this for film buffs or anyone wanting to experience a perplexing story.  The title is never explained. 

I watched this 8/29/2020, on a DVD checked out from my local library. 

Movie: Nothing But a Man (1964) ****

I’m not sure how I came across this movie, but at some point, I placed a hold on it from my local library and then it was available. Nothing But a Man depicts Black misery, and centers on two people who are fighting to find moments of joy. It is brought to life with great acting, chock-full of internalized emotions and filmed in such a way that you get to look into the faces and see what’s contained. 

After the movie, I watched the recorded interview with the director, Michael Roemer, that's included on the Criterion edition DVD. I gleaned that he was implying that he regrets creating a "manipulative" movie with a happy-hopeful ending, “what Americans want to believe.”  I disagree. I don't see it as a perfect ending or a hopeful ending. I see it as an imperfect-open-ended ending.

“I don't like emphasis so everything I do is non-emphatic. Except that these things that happen that are very extreme. You may feel the tension all the way through, but the tension is subdued, and you are waiting for it to explode.” – Michael Roemer, Director

I loved this movie. I could definitely watch this movie over again and again. It is a film you can see differently at different stages of your life, and a movie I’d like to re-watch and find things in the fore and background that fascinate me. It may not be overtly happy, but the open-ended ending leaves room for you to root for Duff and Josie to thrive. ****

Watched this on a DVD checked out from my local library.  

TV: The Split, Seasons 1-3

This is a British series about marriage, divorce, and relationships. Almost all the main characters are legal professionals who specialize in family law and so you get to see storylines of marriages coming together and falling apart for one reason or another. The main storyline is about the slow dissolving of the main character’s marriage, hence the title. Hannah and Nathan go through some crazy ups and downs throughout this series. 

The writing is so good and the acting is so good and its starring my new favorite actress, Nicola Walker, from Unforgotten. This is a three-season series. I watched all three seasons on Hulu.

Photo by stevepb

Fall 2023 Cheesy Romance Triple Play

Big Sky River (2022)

Honestly, I don’t know where the title comes from. A recent divorcée travels from New York to spend the summer in Parable, Montana. While there, she falls in like with the widowed sheriff, make some friends, and is enamored by the beauty of Montana. There’s a slight complication because her stepdaughter who comes to visit, feels emotionally attached to her and abandoned by her father. I’m sure you can guess what happens in the end. This movie is based on a book written by one of my favorite romance authors, Linda Lael Miller. The cast features Kavan Smith, frequent Hallmark romantic lead, Lochlyn Munro, who you’ve seen if you watch any TV, and Lucia Walters, who was on the last season of Virgin River! 

Production: Authentic production and styling and a really good but terribly under-used supporting cast. Maybe that means there will be a sequel.
Tropes: Career vs. Love
Diversity: Some representation of BIPOC, but I’m not sure if that’s what Montana looks like!
Production: Front Street Pictures and released by Hallmark Channel.

How’d you watch it: DVD checked out from my local library.

To Her with Love (2022)
I’ve never done this before, but I want to analyze the DVD cover before I watch the movie: This is a Hallmark Mahogany production, Hallmark’s Black or African American line of films. There are two attractive Black people on the cover, and in the background is the brick façade of some kind of institution. There’s some kind of mural (I hope not graffiti) that fades up into the photo of the couple. So I am thinking that they’re playing on the Sidney Poitier classic To Sir, With Love, and the institution-like building is a school. The closer I look at the mural on the cover, I notice that it might have students or kids or people sitting at desks or maybe in an auditorium. I see some hands up in the background so maybe a classroom? But I hope its not an inner city classroom. Please no basic stereotypes!
The movie: Yes! This is an excellent Hallmark cheesy romance movie! No they did not fall for the basic stereotypes! A teacher fills in as the art teacher at her old high school, while she hopes for a job at a better-funded school and/or her dream of teaching abroad comes true. Of course, she meets another very dedicated teacher who also happens to be a handsome single man. I thought the story was unique and I love the throwback to To Sir, With Love. I like that in the end she didn’t have to give anything up and that it wasn’t just romance, but also friendship that she gained. Brittany L. Smith from Sweet Magnolia fame plays the friend in this movie!

Production: The acting was on par for a cheesy romance. The locations and styling looked authentic and the people comfortable in them. The only really bad thing was the lighting, which was off in many scenes. You would think they wouldn’t have such a hard time lighting Black folk since this is a Mahogany.
Tropes: Shared Goal • Return to Hometown • Career vs. Love
Diversity: Yep.
Production Co.: Evergreen Film Productions and released by Hallmark Mahogany
How’d you watch it: DVD checked out from my local library.

Pumpkin Pie Wars (2016)
The children of feuding bakers take up the mantle to win the annual baking competition for their respective parents’ bakeries. In the process, they learn that each of them has a skill that could help the other, so they trade to try to win the contest, and to succeed in their endeavors beyond the contest. Acting is on par with a good Hallmark movie. I found the story charming and somewhat unique with different-than-expected ending. Pumpkin Pie Wars is a good Hallmark movie that I watched on a DVD checked out from my local library.

Production: The production and styling gives a sense of authenticity: The actors look comfortable and familiar with the sets and costuming.
Tropes: Friends to lovers • Secret Contract/Agreement • Family Feud
Diversity: Nope.
Production Co.: Crown Media Productions and released by Hallmark Channel 

How’d you watch it: DVD checked out from my local library.

TV: Ode to Deadwood

 I found this old review I wrote January 5, 2016. Things have changed since! 

I am re-watching Deadwood Season One... It's funny to me how deep I fell into this show immediately even now as I'm watching it for the second time. This is notable because The Wire, which is possibly my favorite TV show, has a slow start each season and it takes about three episodes before you get fully invested and wanting to know what is next.

Deadwood hits you... BAM! Who's this guy who walks funny? Why is that whore so dedicated to that mean dude?  What the heck happened to that family and why is that plotline taking so much time in these episodes?

I think this show is shot beautifully. The cinematography manages to take in the landscape of this mining-camp-growing-up and also focus on the characters. The dialogues are framed really well, and just leave the audience wanting to know who is the real bad guy in this situation. Some scenes are just downright artsy fartsy, but nothing seems out of place.

I particularly like David Milch's character dialogues and monologues in this show. I like the way the word "fuck" is used so artfully and sometimes completely appropriate and intelligently. He does good dialogue, but not always good story as was evidenced in John From Cincinatti, which was the flop-of-a-TV-show he carelessly tossed Deadwood aside for. Butthead.

So, now I'm re-watching and loving Deadwood, a show that will never offer me a finale. A show who's characters are forever stuck in screen-written purgatory. May you one day rest in peace.

TV: Grimm

Lately, I've been spending Friday nights re-watching Grimm with a friend. It’s such a fun and slightly cheesy supernatural show that I watched when it originally aired with commercials and a week or more in between episodes (that's live TV for those of you who only know how to binge!). It’s set in Portland, but there is a diversity of people shown that may or may not be true to life. I love that when you see people of color they’re not all in subjugating rolls. POC are playing positions of power, they're not always the first to die, and other cultures' myths and folktales are included, so Wesen (half human half creature supernatural beings) are POC, too. I find that part uplifting and something I only now am noticing as I re-watch.

I love the story. I like how they mix folktales of the world in with the modern life of today. Now that I am able to pause at the beginning, I can read the quote they show and try to place the story. I am highly annoyed at how long it takes for Nick, the main character who is a Grimm descendant and a Portland cop,  to reveal to Juliet (his girlfriend) and Hank (his partner) about the world of Wesen and his abilities to see them. Holding back helpful information is just an annoying trope that is often used in movies and TV shows that bothers me. My favorite character is Rosalie because she is logical and doesn’t just jump on things when they happen. AND because she’s an apothecary, which is cool, and she seems to enjoy helping people. I also love Wu because he gets the funny lines and he gets really interesting side story arcs. 

I stream this on Amazon Prime.