Tag: Meryl Streep

Spoiler-Free Review of “Only Murders in the Building” Season 3 on Hulu: They’re Back!

*This is a spoiler-free review for season three so feel free to read on!**

“Who are we without a homicide?”

Only Murders in the Building season three premiered on Hulu on August 8th 2023. The comedy crime series will have ten episodes in total. The first two episodes are available to stream now and the remaining eight will air weekly. The show stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Each episode runs for approximately 30-35 minutes.

Mabel, Charles, and Oliver are back to solve a new murder mystery involving some talented new players behind the scenes of a Broadway show.

Here is the trailer:

Only Murders in the Building is the most addicting television series on right now, featuring the perfect blend of mystery goodness and fun humor. Will the new mystery in season three measure up to the first two seasons? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Hulu

More focus on character development.

While I love the magic between this trio, I appreciate that the new season is looking at who they are as individuals. There are some important changes and decisions for them to make and I think this will only help them grow more together. It also prevents the show from feeling too repetitive. 

Images courtesy of Hulu

The new guest stars are a lot of fun!

Paul Rudd is already a scene stealer and Meryl Streep is as fabulous as ever! We’ve also got Ashley Park (Joy Ride) in the mix and some other new potential suspects who should liven things up. More please!

Images courtesy of Hulu

Simplifies things…

Season two was still enjoyable, but it felt a little bit chaotic and tried to do too much. It seems like season three is already going back to a more simple who-dun-it formula, which is working so far. I already have a few suspects and I can’t wait to see how this new mystery unfolds!

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Hulu

The tone feels slightly off…

This isn’t a major con and I understand that it’s hard to top the first season, but the shift in setting for a lot of the set-up takes some getting used to. I’m willing to give it a shot, but I’m hoping we get to spend more time in the Arconia because that’s where we fell in love with this trio.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Hulu

I’m in 100 percent!

One of my favorite series is back with lots of potential already!

This new quirky mystery has a lot going for it and I’m confident that Mabel, Charles, and Oliver will deliver!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Only Murders in the Building season 3 in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

Spoiler-Free Review of “The River Wild” (2023) on Netflix: Doesn’t Compare to the OG but a Solid Thriller Nonetheless!

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“Not on my river…”

The River Wild (River Wild) released on Netflix on August 1st 2023. Loosely based on the film starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon from 1994, the adventure thriller remake stars Leighton Meester, Adam Brody, Taran Killam, Eve Connolly, and Olivia Swann. It runs for approximately 92 minutes.

Joey accepts her brother’s invitation to go whitewater rafting with a group, but when they end up in a dangerous situation, someone begins to sabotage their attempts at survival as secrets are revealed.

Here is the trailer:

The River Wild will get your heart racing with a solid cast and some shocking moments, but is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Fun cast!

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody are married in real life and both starred on two of my favorite series so I was excited to see them in this one. Leighton is making a comeback in Netflix thrillers!

It was going to be hard to top Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon’s performances, but I thought this cast really held their own and I cared about what happened to these characters, which is important in films like this.

Images courtesy of Netflix

Gets more and more intense as the plot unfolds…

Things started off a little slow, but as the movie continued, I was quickly on the edge of my seat. Everything kept building more and more, making this a consuming watch. I’m not sure I’ll be attempting whitewater rafting any time soon, but this movie really got my adrenaline pumping and I felt like I was there!

It really made me want to re-watch the original film again, which you should watch immediately if you haven’t yet. Trust me…it’s fantastic!

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Netflix

Should have been a standalone thriller to prevent comparisons…

The plots really have nothing to do with one another except for the fact that they are whitewater rafting and someone in their group means to do them harm. Other than that, this is a completely different thriller and I’m wondering why it was called the same name.

As a standalone film, this one checks off all the boxes for me as a fantastic “movie of the week.” It’s actually really solid and my only con is that it doesn’t come close to the original. This film was strong enough to have its own name and identity and I think sharing the name with the original film hindered it slightly.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in!!!

Leighton Meester shines in this intense and entertaining thriller!

If you enjoy quick survival thrillers, there’s plenty to appreciate in this one.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The River Wild (2023) in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!

My performance of the week ending 7/27/19 on TV goes to…

Nicole Kidman as Celeste Wright on HBO’s Big Little Lies season two.  I am always impressed with Nicole Kidman in every role, but her performance in Big Little Lies has been incredible over the past two seasons.  While I have some mixed thoughts on season two overall, Nicole’s performance continued to send chills down my spine.  It’s almost like you could feel everything that she was feeling, as she completely embodied the character of Celeste.  Please note some spoilers are ahead if you are not caught up on both seasons.

Celeste is so broken and fragile, especially after everything she has recently gone through.  In season two, it almost seems like she is sleepwalking through her life until she gets a huge wake up call.  And yet, through all the mistakes, she is still able to ultimately channel her inner strength and stand up in front of the court to fight for her sons.  Some of Celeste’s actions are questionable and it’s clear that she does need some help, but she loves her children unconditionally and she refuses to be a victim here.

It was unsettling and heartbreaking to witness what Celeste had to go through on the stand, but she somehow decides to defend herself, taking matters into her own hands.  Celeste cross examines her mother-in-law, who is played brilliantly by Meryl Streep, but her mother-in-law definitely knows how to cross boundaries and she pushes a lot of buttons along the way.

Celeste maintains her composure and sets the record straight, bringing to light some interesting revelations.  In the season two finale, I was utterly and completely captivated by Nicole’s performance.  Celeste almost reminded me of a bird with a broken wing, now discovering that she can fly again, which was inspiring to watch.

What’s next for Celeste?  We’ll have to wait and see and I am uncertain if we will see any future episodes of the series.  We are left with another cliffhanger, although it certainly did not have the shock factor of the season one finale, but I am hoping that Celeste uses this win to also recognize that she does need help so that she can truly be there for her children.  Either way, Nicole’s performance is note-worthy and even though season two did not compare to season one for me, she continued to hold my undivided attention, proving to be a worthy actress in every single role.

Stay tuned for a recognized performance on TV each week!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

[twitter-follow screen_name=’TV_Fanatic_Girl’]

Have a performance on TV that you think is simply outstanding? Feel free to contact me with your nomination for the week by Friday at midnight! 

**Do you love television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Once Upon a Time, Lost, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural?  Do you enjoy dark fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, paranormal romance, horror, and mystery?  Then you may like my book series, Dreaming of Wonderland…available on Amazon!  Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I appreciate any feedback as well.  I really hope you enjoy!

**Special Summer Book Sale going on from 7/24-19-7/30/19. Each book on sale for 0.99 cents! 

The Dreaming of Wonderland Book Series is available here!

Dreaming of Wonderland Series Blog

Free Instant Preview of The Search for Alice is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!