Reviews

All the people hating on this ending clearly never read the books. I felt like this was a much more satisfactory conclusion than the one in the novels, as well as being superior to the one in the earlier TV series. Seems to me like this is the only possible outcome that could guarantee Harrison an even close to normal life. I did hate that coach died. That murder alone clearly outed Dexter as a sociopath with only his own interests at heart, and not some justice warrior. Harrison saw that, too.

I'll admit I was kind of hoping Dexter might wiggle his way out of this one, too. But with the boy's future at stake, Dexter finally did something that really was almost noble and righteous.

Die Hard is my one "must watch" movie in the Christmas holiday season. Since 1988 (the year it was released) I have watched it every year. I just finished watching it in 2022 and it's still not dated, still relevant. Father Nathan Monk called it a "reverse Hallmark movie" because the girl went to the big city, became wildly successful in her career, and the boy followed her. Monk wasn't wrong. Others have talked about all the things that make this movie great, and they were all correct. It's truly an iconic story with iconic characters and the female protagonist is just as kick-ass in her own way as the male. When Holly was so assertive with Hans Gruber and, later, when she punched the asshole reporter, you could see why she was the perfect mate for John McLane.

And, as the meme we always see on Facebook proclaims, "It's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomo Plaza!"

So, the best title I can come up with for this week's episode is "The beast beneath the boards!"

I watched it for the second time tonight to make sure I didn't miss anything (I'm finding that it's easy to watch these twice, as they're so intriguing). I had read a bunch of articles that claimed to tell me something new, but the only thing I really found that I didn't already figure out was that the Red Queen that we keep hearing about is actually Rhaeynys's dragon, Meleys. And that Meyleys was originally ridden by King Veserys's mother.

And it seems to me that Heleana is maybe doomed like Cassandra in the old Greek myths. All her prophecies are coming true, but no one believes her, and they all think she's just crazy.

We see once again that Aegon is a nasty piece of work and has no morals (child fighting rings and marrying his own sister are the least of it). And it looks like his brother Aemon is likely much more well-suited if they're going to usurp Rhaenyra's claim to the throne. I've liked him ever since he stole the dragon and lost his eye, so he's someone to keep an eye on.

I loved the feminist vibe in the confrontation between Alicent and Rhaenys, where Rhaenys tries unsuccessfully to appeal to Alicent as a woman under the thumb of the patriarchy. That subsequent scene with the murderous foot fetishist Larys was so vile and disgusting and really pointed up how much Alicent has bought into the testosterone-fueled atmosphere and is willing to be a victim of sexual assault as a way to further her aims instead of standing up as her own woman.

I also very much appreciated the brother against brother situation where Erryk helped Rhaenys get out of the Red Keep instead of helping his brother capture Aegon.

There is so much to unpack in this episode that I could keep writing all night. However, I'll stop with my joy at the beast beneath the boards (Meleys) bursting through (Rhaenys in her dragonrider armor was amazing!) and Rhaenys demonstrating power, domination, and refusal to be cowed by the insurrectionists. Rhaenys rocks and I didn't expect this at all (from what I understand, Eve Best didn't even know this was coming!).

I was completely unaware of these characters, but I want more! This was about as fun as it gets with monsters and hunters and sheer funny fantasy!

Gael Garcia Bernal is a total cutie and makes a fantastic werewolf. And I already loved Laura Donnelly from The Nevers. Man-Thing was the Best Monster Ever. All the other hunters were just brutal, nasty sadists, and Verussa (Harriet Sansom Harris) was nastier than any of the hunters.

The story was fun, the performances were over-the-top perfect, the makeup and costumes were amazing, the effects were wonderful, and the monster heads on the walls were both horrific and sad.

I hope we are going to see more of Jack Russell, Ted, and Elsa!

From the very start of this episode, I could see where the first two were leading us. Every second of this episode had me on the edge of my seat. This is what I've been waiting for. The political and personal intrigues, the motives and ambitions of Viserys (especially where Rhaenyra is concerned), and Rhaenyra herself finally proves to be a real badass! And Daemon shows his heroic side, finally!

And dragons! We finally get to see real dragon action and I'm not hating the dragon design as much as I did in the first couple of episodes (though they still don't measure up to the original GOT dragons, in my opinion).

I so loved this movie. I've had it on my watchlist for a long time, but kept passing it up because I was afraid it would be too artsy or something like that. I was wrong!

I'm saying that this review has spoilers, because some of what I'm saying might be considered such by some folks. I don't give away any plot points, though.

I consider myself a vampire story aficionado. Movies, TV series, books, short stories, folklore, anything about vampires is in my wheelhouse. And there's a lot of awful, schlocky, boring stuff out there, including a lot of stuff that just relies on gore and action, which mostly is a turn off for me. (I say mostly, because there are exceptions even there.)

I loved the romantic angle, with lovers that have loved through the ages. I loved that their relationship didn't have the silly jealousies and ego trips that we see in most romantic stories. The romantic love part was just constant and abiding. And their love wasn't limited to just the two of them. Their love had room for all the kinds of love they had for their many friends.

I also loved that the vampires had evolved from vicious hunters to considerate creatures who, even though they were contemptuous of humans ("zombies"), still cared about them and preferred not to savage them.

Then there were the wonderful historical references in people from music, poetry and literature, and science that just rounded out the characters and gave them depth and humor and joy.

I think it would take pages and pages to write what I loved about this movie. Right now, I'm sorry I was alone when I saw it, as I'd so love to be talking about it in great detail with friends.

Could actually be the perfect vampire love story. Heck, it may be the perfect love story of any kind.

I think bashing Shyamalan has become a nasty sport for viewers and critics alike. He has a unique perspective, a fresh take on stories, and manages to take the viewer on a real joyride into the improbable, the impossible, and the bizarre. There is nothing wrong with this movie and so much that is right. And, just as we've come to hope for in a MNS flick, we get a delightful twist at the end.

I haven't loved all his movies, but I've found something to like in them all and have honestly loved most of them. And this one was truly satisfying. The story itself finally made perfect sense at the end after all the little hints that someone was watching (evil drug company using natural phenomena to profit was a very believable premise and was a great indictment of capitalist greed at the expense of real people). The characters were endearing or frustrating or obnoxious, which runs the gamut of humanity. I love that Shyamalan continues to be a minor but significant character in his films and I love the quirky stories he chooses to make into movies.

Extremely satisfying, creepy, disturbing, and fun!