Film
The Gray Man (2022)
Netflix
If you care to waste two hours and a few minutes watch this movie. It could have been good, but there are way too many holes in the plot. Through these holes fly a lot of unfortunate casting (Ana de Armas as the female lead) and way too many explosions, fights that last way too long, and people bleeding out only to get up and start fighting again. We thought that maybe Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Billy Bob Thornton (who was actually the bright spot of this film) would save it, but I doubt if these guys will put his film on their resumes.
Two thumbs down.
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The Menu (2022)
In Theaters
Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy, along with the rest of the cast, are brilliant in this oddly entertaining, disturbing, unique, original, weird, and sometimes shocking film. Yes, it is a horror film. At first it felt like a classic Agatha Christie type story. You know the kind, where a group of people are all on an island and one by one they start to die. We thought it was fun. Warning: by fun I don’t mean kittens and puppies and off colored jokes. It was fun because it was unexpected and sooooo uncomfortable. Wait for the cheeseburger. Wait for it.
Two Thumbs Up.
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Television
Cobra Kai
Netflix
This show is so campy and so stupid, but it is so much fun. All of the kids from the Karate Kid franchise grow up and THEN act as adults in this crazy show. It is so silly and unreal, but the people who wrote it know that.
Two Thumbs Up
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East New York
CBS
We tried to watch this new show with Jimmy Smits. We like Jimmy. Everybody does. Why did he agree to be in this horrible show? We were halfway though the pilot and it was so bad we stopped watching it. There were too many characters. We didn’t care about any of them. They were all stressed out. We were all stressed out watching it. We didn’t like any of them. It was boring. IT WAS BORING, and there was no compelling reason to continue to watch it.
Two Thumbs Down
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Ghosts
CBS
I love this show soooooooooo much. Absolutely love it.
Two Thumps Up, plus a happy dance.
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Abbot Elementary
ABC
I love this show. You need to watch it, especially if you have kids or have ever gone to public school.
Two Thumbs Up, plus a happy dance.
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Quantium Leap (2022)
NBC
This is a remake of the old Quantium leap. It could have been really good, but they added in too many subplots and stupid stuff. It is really hit and miss. One episode will be good, and the next will be full of historic holes. The writers don’t do research when it comes to history. That said, it is fun and we like the romantic element between the two main characters.
Check it and a decide for yourself. I’m giving it a short leash.
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La Brea
This one really goes for the low bar. I don’t know if this will end like LOST or if it will just fall into one of it’s own sink holes.
This is the story. A giant sinkhole opens near the Le Brea tarpits in Los Angeles. A bunch of people fall into it (along with their cars and a few buildings) and find themselves in 10,000 BC. Come to find out there have been sink holes and silly time traveling shit going on for years. A group of the people from LA try to stop more sinkholes from happening. By the way, they also find others who have fallen into sinkholes over the years. Everyone speaks American English.
My husband has become strangely attached to this silly show. It is so bad.
We give it one Thumb Up, and one Thumb Down
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Big Sky
ABC
OMG this show is so silly. Don’t move to Montana unless you want to get murdered. But the show has carried out some mighty fine stories. Yes, there are zillions of plot holes, but none of them are as big or as stupid as the plot holes in La Brea or Gray Man. It is fun. Decide for yourself. This is loosely based on the books by C J Box. I’m starting to become fond of the bad guy Donno. The two main female characters had college age kids who have completely vanished and never visit.
I’ll give it one Thumbs Up and maybe two.
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1899
Netflix
An interesting show with an International cast. In 1899 a ship full of people moving to America stops in the middle of the ocean to check out a mysterious ghost ship. Shit happens. Characters are introduced. Everyone has a mystery. An odd child is found. What will happen next? I don’t know. Let’s find out together. I’m giving this one a short leash.
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Other Shows We Like
The White Lotus HBO The second season is a lot of fun. Maybe not as fun as the first season but fun. Aubrey Plaza is brilliant and this is unlike any role you’ve seen her in before.
SAS Rogue Heros (maybe on EPIX or BBC) This show is absolutely brilliant. You MUST check it out. YOU MUST. I love it.
That’s all for now. Happy viewing. Have fun. Stay safe.
~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman
Vampire Maman 
My addition to your list is Mr. Sunshine. I watch foreign movies and this one is two thumbs up.
Set in Joseon (Korea) in the early 1900s. It’s listed as an historical romantic melodrama. For a long time, in Korea, it was ranked as the third highest series. It is a wonderful, beautiful, historical, sad (not all great films are happy) well written series.
The costumes are luscious. The characters are endearing. The locales are breathtaking. Great cinematography and fantastic plot.
Caution- in Korean, English and Japanese with subtitles. And it helps to know the Japanese were constantly invading Joseon and American was being neutral.
My favorite secondary character is Eugene’s sage old boss the American Major Moore. My favorite sub-plot is the tragic love story between the two fiercest of souls, the Japanese Samurai and the widow who owns the Glory Hotel.
Mr. Sunshine is beautifully done. Thank you for adding this one to the list.
For anyone else reading this you can fine Mr. Sunshine on Netflix.