pixfan Reviews

Irish Wish (2024)

Lindsay's a great actress! Why this movie is so bad:

[4/10 · 18 March 2024]

Lindsay Lohan is a very talented actress! I love her & don't understand why she chose this movie. Here are some of the things that didn't work in the movie and what she should consider when choosing her next project: 1. Horrible costume design - really hideous outdated wardrobe for all the women especially. Those bridesmaid dresses were ill-fitting and you could see all the undergarment lines, etc. - just unprofessional costuming.

2. The script was dull with unimaginative dialogue and plot lines that just did not work at all. There was no time & development to build up the relationships to make any of them believable.

3. The hairstyles were frumpy & outdated - from another era - especially Lindsay's never ending hair length that was styled like an elementary school-aged girl.

5. The makeup on her friends looks like it was painted on like a mask and they looked like their faces were pumped up with Botox, lip filler -etc. They looked very unauthentic as real women in their late 20's to early 30's. These Hallmark-type movies have to stop either hiring or encouraging women 30-40 years old to do this to their face. These women look freakish, unreal and look clownish as if playing caricatures of themselves.

6. Weird casting with the groom's mother looking a few decades younger than her husband and having her dressed in pearls, matronly clothes and her Irish accent didn't sound Irish. Please stop giving women actresses over 40 ugly hairstyles from the 1950's - it looks stupid & it's not representative of how women 40-60 REALLY look! When will these movies stop these dumb stereotypes in casting/makeup/casting/script, etc?

The scenes of Ireland were beautiful and music was nice, though way over the top dramatic for certain scenes. With Brad Krevoy & other veterans of these types of movies on board, the movie should have been much better.

Lindsay - you're great! Keep trying and keep looking for better scripts that are worth your talent!

Highway to Heaven: To Touch the Moon (1984) Season 1, Episode 3

This writing in this is what's missing in today's television

[10/10 · 13 March 2024]

I cried all through this episode I recently watched, decades after it first aired. I just started watching "Highway To Heaven" recently as it's being aired on the Hallmark channel. I never got to watch all the episodes when they originally aired. This story was beautifully told and acted. It's so hard to write a story about the impending death of a child in a semi-realistic way. It had a point of view both from the mother and child that you don't see in today's writing. Absent of all the tech we have today, it concentrates on the simple joys of life that we once all had before tech. This episode made me really think about the value of time and the quality of the time we spend with loved ones. It made me more appreciative of the choice to forego a career for 20 years and devote the majority of that time to raising a family. I wish more series today were written this well and Michael Landon was a treasure - wish he had lived longer.

Cat Person (I) (2023)

4 for acting and filmmaking, but a violent sensational mess

[4/10 · 12 February 2024]

The roommate and cop had the most believably written roles and Elizabeth Banks produces another movie here with an unbelievable plot, excessive violence and plot twists meant to fool the viewer and trigger you. So many plot holes and hard to believe plot about a woman smart enough to attend a good college but too stupid to 1. Date some random guy who is obviously at least a decade older than her. 2. Date a guy without thoroughly vetting him on the internet, asking how old he is, where he works or anything about who he is, his family, etc. 3. No one calls the campus police (or the town police) when she goes missing. 4. Who goes inside a room/facility at night with a guy she barely knows when no one else on campus is there and the guy is not even a student? 5. The professor didn't seem even angry that the woman destroyed her research that she was working on many years - no repercussions or disciplinary action by the school for having someone on campus who wasn't a student, etc. - ridiculous 6. The woman could've just simply said to the guy that once he told her he was 13 years older than him, there was no future for any kind of relationship and that she wanted to discontinue dating. Then she should've talked to a therapist on campus and the campus police after getting the crazy texts from him after she told him to leave her alone 7. A dozen other things that would NEVER happen in real life that made the film unbelievable. Made me immediately think of having s talk with my college age student to make sure that thy understand stranger danger, dating basics because I assumed no 20 year old in this day and age of me too could be as stupid as the main character in this movie. Hard to believe this movie was hyped so much at Sundance.

Dream Moms (2023 TV Movie)

The writing/story part didn't make it either

[3/10 · 9 December 2023]

Unfortunately, after watching more of the movie, the plot for sillier and less believable. What kind of people would let their arguments and family issues get recorded on camera for a talent show? No one - especially a woman whose husband was up for a promotion at a prestigious law firm. No lawyer would let people film like that - a stupid plot. Also, no good husband would tell his wife to drop out of a nationally televised talent contest because the date conflicted with his work commitment. Someone who worked on this movie recommended this movie for me to watch, but I was disappointed that this was one of the worst (and cliche) Hallmark movies I have seen. Not sure what happened with this one, but if they're going to charge fees to watch, they need to make something that's credible - there are dozens of other movies out there with this kind of story/plot that are so well done and worth the watch. I hope these comments will help the filmmakers produce a higher quality movie on their next try.

Dream Moms (2023 TV Movie)

Wanted to love this movie except for the dance.

[3/10 · 9 December 2023]

It's surprising because Hallmark's movie about the Rockettes was able to hit the mark in the dance department. This movie did not and it hurt the credibility of the plot. The daughter who was auditioning for a ballet dancer did not have the body type or level of dance skills to suggest she was anywhere near professional level - a real miscasting of someone who was also too old to play a student. Tamera's voice is very nice and believable that she once auditioned for Broadway. The woman who played the mom dancer was not believable at all as the kind of level dancer that ever could've ever been considered for Broadway. The routine they choreographed for her was extremely amateurish and outdated and made it hard to believe they would be considered as finalists in a national competition - have the producers watched AGT or the other network dance talent shows and the level of talent out there? The women are young enough to be dancing at a much higher level. I love Hallmark, but hate when they cheese up the movie with not making the professional artist part of the movie credible. I hope they keep trying to raise the bar.

Kickin' It Old Skool (2007)

Very Funny!

[8/10 · 5 November 2023]

There are some real laugh-out-loud moments in this movie. First of all, the breakdancing scenes and dancing are fantastic and rival any "crew" dance movie out there. The movie is a great parody of the 80's and has very distinctly drawn and outrageous characters. Jamie is perfect as the boy in a man's body that never grew up and the situations of him trying to "figure it out" have a fresh twist that's different than all the other movies out there that tackle the same subject. Viveca Fox has a very short but funny cameo in this film. Michael Rosenbaum is perfect as the smug jerk who got the girl and the great career, but never really grew up and grew a heart. I love his "Inside of You" podcast and his episode with Jamie - that's how I discovered they made a movie together. It's nice to see a fun "old skool" comedy for a change.

Old Dads (2023)

Nice try, but...

[2/10 · 27 October 2023]

I can see how the writers tried to show the absurdity of both the millennial culture as well as the parent culture in private schools, but the plot was just not worked out: when a movie attempts to roast people, the writing must be intelligent enough to parody the stupidity of culture and people - the writing was just not good enough to stand as a top-rated Netflix film. The behavior of the parents has to be somewhat believable - no parent defends her kid punching a pregnant woman in the stomach or having a tantrum and not apologizing to another kid for injuring him. The characters were not believable - especially the director of the preschool or the parents there. The whole scenario with the company, the video surveillance in the rental car & the employee's apartment, the guys losing their company because the lawyer wrote a bad contract - these plot lines were all very stupid as NONE of these things in the movie would ever happen in real life. It's also ridiculous that a preschool leader would manipulate or hold hostage a recommendation for a toddler student just because she doesn't get along with the child's dad (who has no filter talking to others and anger issues). The writers should have really researched these issues more and the movie would have been better. Why is Netflix recommending weak movies like this as one of their top 10 choices? American film making has really gone down in quality. This film could've been a lot stronger if they really worked on the whole company & preschool storylines.

Back in the Day (2014)

Better the second time around

[9/10 · 28 September 2023]

I recently rewatched this film again after hearing an interview with Nick Swardson on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast. I really loved this film and enjoyed it more the 2nd time after hearing about how it was made. It's a really sweet story based on Mr. Rosenbaum and friends he grew up with. The performances are excellent - funny in an understated way and very natural - part of what makes them so funny. He has assembled a great group of actors. He never takes the story out of the realm of being believable. He's captured that slice of life recollection of what happens when you move away from your small town to pursue your career and dreams in a big city - how some people get left behind while you figure out what you're doing with your life and how there are some regret & it's not so easy and glamorous when things don't go according to plan. So many of us have the story of how we went through this. Thank you to Mr. Rosenbaum for making this film and telling his story in a funny, good-natured and insightful way. So many films today have gotten so cynical and violent. It's good to watch something uplifting written from the hear and made with a lot of heart.

Barbie (I) (2023)

Not a great movie

[2/10 · 18 September 2023]

The real world depicted in the movie is strangely devoid of normal people - everything looks fake and staged when Barbie goes to the real world. There are not enough extras in the real world scenes to make it look normal. I understand the filmmakers were attempting to make a statement about women's rights, etc., but it is done is such a heavy handed manner that it comes off as very forced. The costume & production design plus the glitzy choreographed numbers are not enough to make up for the missing substance of Barbie's need to figure out why her life feels wrong. The scene with the ghost felt like something stolen from the Matrix where Neo visits the oracle in the kitchen. This movie was overhyped & got us all to take the bait to see it & it made a billion $. I feel taken and bewildered that anyone enjoyed this - the movie felt very disturbing to me in a way I can't articulate.

Hustle (2022)

A Slam Dunk!

[10/10 · 26 January 2023]

This movie hits all the right notes - great acting and great story about the slow burn of obstacles to be overcome to become an elite athlete. Beautiful cinematography both in the narrative and heart-stopping basketball sequences. A never-before-seen look at the intricacies of modern training methods for pro basketball players is both fascinating and awe inspiring. Adam Sandler amazes us again, underlying more layers to his talent as he goes deep this time into his character. Juancho Hergangimez is a revelation as the phenom player whose talent exceeds his maturity and impulse control. It's a story that emphasizes love and support are imperative to help people maximize their potential.

Notes from Dad (2013 TV Movie)

Loved this movie

[10/10 · 6 October 2022]

I saw this movie on Pixl with the title, "Playing Father". What a nice surprise to find an older (2012/13) Hallmark movie that is so much higher quality than most of the made-for-tv films on today. I really enjoyed the movie and the music and level of playing was excellent. If Eddie Cibrian was not actually playing the trumpet, he did an excellent job faking it - he was so good, I couldn't tell either way. I used to play trumpet so I was impressed with him and the actor playing TJ, the young trumpet player. The woman cast as his mother was perfect - she looked like she could actually be his mom. The story was not cliche at all - schools are losing their budgets for music programs, so that plot line was relevant. Nice movie - I would watch it again.

The Patient (2022)

Should be a stage play

[3/10 · 1 October 2022]

This tv show really should be a stage play, not a long drawn-out episodic show. Although it's a feast of acting opportunity for these wonderful actors, it's nothing more than a streamer's greedy attempt at producing emotionally manipulative content - addictive junk food disguised as high art. Viewers are drawn into watching by creating a sensationalist story with mind tricks to keep you watching. As soon as the guy's mom talks to Carell, the story loses all credibility. Do the details really matter of these people's lives when the draw of watching is the addicting "will he or won't he" game? With all the violence, war and mental illness in the real world, do we really need to see another show about sick people doing terrible things that neither uplifts, educates or distinguishes itself from similar movies/tv throughout history?