Danielle Murray TV Reviews, TV Shows

Good Girls Season 4 Episode 1: ‘One Night in Bangkok’ Review

[Header Image: Christina Hendricks as Beth Boland and Manny Montana as Rio | NBC]

It’s that time of year again where I get to talk about one of my favourite shows! Good Girls is back with the premiere of its fourth season and it went surprisingly well despite being cut short at the end of the previous season. For those who were unaware, season three was supposed to have 16 episodes instead of 11 and based on interviews we should be getting those missing episodes at the start of this current season. With that in mind, I still think they did a great job kicking things off.

Episode one — One Night in Bangkok — doesn’t quite hit the ground running in the same way as the previous season openers but all things considered, it still works. There’s still a very similar energy to season three due to the original ending being moved but it’s hardly the first time this has happened. Season two started pretty much where the first season finished off before shifting gears to create a slightly different energy/vibe. In this case, there are five episodes of content missing from the end of season three so I can imagine it’s probably going to take slightly longer for those gears to shift but it’s bound to happen.

And let’s face it, it doesn’t stop the show from being as entertaining as always. The pacing of this episode might be a little on the slower side — especially when compared to other first episodes in the show — but it still has a lot going for it and still does a fairly great job at establishing the overall direction things might be going in this season.

Continue reading “Good Girls Season 4 Episode 1: ‘One Night in Bangkok’ Review” →
Danielle Murray Movie Reviews, Movies

Widows (2018) | Movie Review [Spoiler Free]

[Header Image: Viola Davis as Veronica | 20th Century Fox]

“Now the best thing we have going for us, is being who we are […] because no one thinks we have the balls to pull this off.”

Widows primarily follows three women who, after their husbands are killed in an armed robbery gone wrong, have to pull off their own heist in order to pay back a debt and take control of their futures. Now, it would have been so easy for this movie to go so wrong and become just a generic crime/thriller heist movie and really, under the surface that is exactly what this movie is. However, there are a few key things that really help Widows to go beyond and be an incredibly entertaining and surprisingly fresh experience. That’s not to say it’s perfect — it’s not — but those little imperfections are so easy to overlook in the wider context of the full movie.

Continue reading “Widows (2018) | Movie Review [Spoiler Free]” →
Danielle Murray Movie Reviews, Movies

Mom and Dad (2017) | Movie Review

[Header Image: Nicolas Cage as Brent Ryan | Momentum Pictures]

“It’s a Sawzall. That means it saws ALL!”

Oh, boy, was this a wild ride. I really should have guessed knowing that Brian Taylor was behind the directing and writing. Let’s just say this, Mom and Dad is pretty bizarre and incredibly fun. It takes a very simple concept — parents across a suburban community find themselves with the uncontrollable desire to kill their children — and just goes to town with it. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to go into this with zero expectations and ready to have an entertaining time. It’s not the type of movie that should be deeply analysed or overthought. Sitting at just under an hour and a half, it hits the ground running and wastes no time in dragging you on this journey that is both hilarious and oddly intriguing. If you’ve seen any of Taylor’s previous work (like Crank or Happy!) you’ll have some rough idea of what you’re possibly going to get yourself into.

Continue reading “Mom and Dad (2017) | Movie Review” →
Danielle Murray Movie Reviews, Movies

The Raid 2 (2014) | Movie Review [Spoiler Free]

[Header: Iko Uwais as Rama | Sony Pictures Classics]

“No… I’m done.”

This post contains potential spoilers for the first movie!

There was a moment after I finished The Raid where I wasn’t sure if I was immediately going to go straight into the sequel — mostly because it’s almost an hour longer (giving both movies a combined run time of 4 hours and 10 minutes) — but in the end, I was just too intrigued to see where the story went and I’m really glad I didn’t put it off.

Taking place several hours after the first movie, The Raid 2 continues to follow Rama (Iko Uwais) as he goes undercover, joining a powerful crime syndicate in order to expose corrupt members of his force.

Similarly to its predecessor, The Raid 2 is an intense watch with even more going on this time around. While this one would certainly not exist without the first movie, I have to admit that The Raid 2 is my favourite. While there were some standout moments and things from The Raid that I loved, it definitely felt like I got more out of the sequel. If you’re reading this review, you’ve most likely seen the first movie, so you’ve probably got at least some idea of what you’re getting yourself into. However, that being said, there are some significant changes this time around.

Continue reading “The Raid 2 (2014) | Movie Review [Spoiler Free]” →
Danielle Murray Movie Reviews, Movies

Knives out (2019) | Movie Reivew

[Header Image: Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc and Ana de Armas as Marta Cabrera | Lionsgate]

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Seriously, I think Knives Out is way better if you go into it not knowing anything at all. Like most mysteries, it’s a lot more entertaining not to have the answers prior so if you haven’t seen it, don’t read this review. That being said, you can find a spoiler-free review over on my letterboxd account.

“It’s a weird case from the start. A case with a hole in the centre. A doughnut.”

At the time of writing this, I have just finished watching Knives Out. I don’t always like to write these reviews immediately after, preferring to wait a few hours at least, but this one just felt appropriate. I’ll start by saying this, I enjoyed this movie very much and I’ll most likely re-watch it again sometime in the future.

Continue reading “Knives out (2019) | Movie Reivew” →