Brief and not-so-brief opinions: Bonus

The Peripheral (Prime Video), The Morning Show (Apple TV+), Collateral (Netflix), Crooked House, When the Bough Breaks, The First Wives Club, Marry Me, and See How They Run.

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The 'brief and not-so-brief opinions' articles are my outlet to rant about or appreciate movies, shows and their elements. I will express my thoughts while watching and after or only after watching, it depends. I will not be rating. These are not spoiler-free for the most part and no research will be made for or about them(unless curious or accidental which would be mentioned). They are in no particular order of recent watching as well. However, the opinions are in order of viewing the movie or show (for the most part). This wouldn't be as structured or detailed as well and there would be no set number of picks per article, it would be just as things go. It is intended to be casual. So think, conversations about movie plots, characters, topics-so something like that. 

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See How They Run (2022)

This was well done. I was happy to see "Don't Jealous Me" even though it was for a brief moment. This is the best thing I've seen Sam Rockwell in. I enjoyed this role compared to his other roles like in Argylle and Seven Psychopaths. I felt bad for Dennis and I wanted him to win. He went through a lot and needed the peace from ending the play but Agatha rejected it. They used his life to create a play with many people ridiculing the characters and, therefore, his brother's death. I thought the portrayal of Agatha Christie was interesting, especially after denying Dennis' wish for privacy. I understand it was a well-known play and an upcoming film but it felt heartless that she immediately rejected his plea just like he was rejected help years ago. She could have at least been gentle about it and said it in a roundabout way for his sake or something but nope. I thought this was an interesting depiction after she had been praised and focused on…unless that's how the real Agatha Christie behaved as well. I enjoy a whodunit or whodunnit. Leo believes they're all the same and that if you've seen one, you've seen them all. He's not wrong. They have central elements and I covered these in my "Mysteries and some movies" article. Leo had great suggested adjustments though, and I liked his storyboard.

Marry Me (2022)

This was way better than I expected. It's quite delightful and heartfelt. I feel like there are parallels between this Kat character and J-Lo in real life(from what we can see), but who knows? She's not been having a good year though, so thoughts and prayers to her.

When the Bough Breaks (2016)

I watched this for the main couple pairing. I felt bad for them but I loved that John continuously supported Laura (mainly before the madness began). Both of them cared about the surrogate but John became much more comfortable around her. Well, he was more around to be honest and they wanted her to become family after the DV incident with her boyfriend and to protect their baby. Laura's absence made him more aware and caring towards the baby and Anna, which Anna took advantage of. The movie builds awareness about the cons of surrogacy though because they couldn't do much to legally save their child when things went awry. I thought they planned to DV incident to get closer to John and Laura but it wasn't part of their plan. Mike was dead scary though. I wasn't surprised Anna was worse than him but I was surprised she killed him.

Crooked House (2017)

This was good. Josephine was a menace. Lady Edith did the best thing for her family. I enjoyed this.

Collateral (2018)

Karen was a lot. Her relationship with David was toxic, and I'm happy he got out of it. Karen seemed to have been going through her own things though, but that aside. I was surprised they didn't include Kip's husband much apart from his voice and a shadowy figure with her but he was supportive still. I liked Kip's effort, respectful behaviour and more. I had never seen a female priest and knew it wasn't a thing, so I was shocked to see one included in this and one who's a lesbian. Everyone has their opinion about the church and about different churches but I thought the representation of LGBTQ+ relationships and the church in this was interesting, a choice, and for all who know may exist in some places. This series is bittersweet, heavy on the bitter though. It's the kind of series I would advise you to watch at once, not only because it's only four episodes but also because it's a lot. The video Fatima had of her family travelling into London was heartbreaking. There's harassment, murder, desperation, trauma, different opinions about immigrants…and a whole lot more but the sweetness comes from the promise fulfillment to the Asif ladies.

The First Wives Club (1996)

I liked this. Good for them. I loved their determination, evolution, and dedication to their friend.

The Morning Show (2023)

I have so many opinions about this show but I am including some. This show is truly the best thing I've seen Jennifer Aniston in. It is such a great depiction of her skills and range. She's phenomenal in this. I love Reese in this as well. She is outstanding, as are many of the other actors, which speaks of the show's quality. I liked the progression of Alex and Bradley's friendship over the three seasons. Charlie really could have stayed in the snowy mountains with his girlfriend, but he left immediately after Alex showed up. The exposure of his love for her explained this and much more behind his devotion. I was happy for Mia's promotion despite the origin of it. Yanko's character changed. Cory was horrible after he got more power in season 2. He was light, happy, and funny in season 1. 

Also, his confession to Bradley was horrifying. The confession, the timing of it, the lack of response, the avoidance, all of it was just a lot but good for him for getting it off his chest I guess. To be honest, I wonder if his mum was correct about him being manipulative or if she was just upset because I felt there was some truth in there before Bradley talked to him about if he had been spoken to like that since he was a child. Laura was better for Bradley even though she didn't have the devotion Cory had to cover up Bradley's situation for her but oh well. It ties into Bradley's belief of not being with someone who knows so much about her. She felt freer with Cory but also avoided him for that reason. I thought Bradley and Cory would have been great at some point but their relationship changed significantly. Her struggle being with Laura was not portrayed much until their quarantine time when she expressed that Laura did not like her family but Laura tried with Hal before drawing the line due to Bradley's situation which Cory helped her with. we'll see how things generally turn out for her in season 4. Hal was a lot but I was happy he was happy and made several changes. As much as I wanted to support Daniel, he didn't really have the IT factor, but I hope he's good wherever he left to. To be honest, I felt like he was stunted in the series. He was present but not really at the same time, similar to the Alison character. 

There was no opportunity for him to showcase much in terms of the story despite being a fill-in anchor several times. All I remember about him is that he's Black, gay, and wanted the chair on the morning news. Compared to Chris who only came in season three and made a significant impact, Daniel seems irrelevant. We knew her values, her family, her accomplishments and more. Chris was a great addition. The show tremendously depicted COVID-19 and other circumstances through the lens of broadcasting, journalism, and daily life. I like how the show is written and it covers great topics. I also noticed its pacing is excellent. Sometimes, I may wonder about something, but once I'm fed up with curiosity, it's answered in the show. I'm excited for Season 4. Apple TV has a lot of good stuff and I'm still checking out more.

The Peripheral (2022)

There's something dry about a lot of British content and that's present in this, so it feels drawn on despite the interesting premise of the series. It might also be because of the explanations due to the complexity of everything but oh well. The technological aspects and developments were wonderfully done though. Burton is great and his friends are great too. Although, they still don't associate with their old friend, Tommy. Tommy, oh Tommy. I got tired of seeing Tommy investigating each time but I also felt bad as he was lied to each time he asked his friends about what was happening. Even though they grew up together, he's still the deputy sheriff and that hat would come on quickly no matter the moment. I was happy for his villain arc though, even though it was short-lived. I felt bad for him because his dreams were crushed among other things. However, he should have made sure he used the doodad to kill properly if he was even going to try as he did with the gun, especially on unhinged Corbell Pickett who would definitely retaliate once recovered. I felt bad for Jasper, Corbell's nephew but I felt even worse for his wife, Billy Ann who always encouraged and discouraged him when necessary. She's a great friend to Flynne though. I don't like Wilf or Wolf Gang and I will not get over it. Aelita was such a good person and sister to him but he kept doing things which he felt bad for I guess. Aelita didn't want him to change his name and said she wouldn't go without him but he bucked up and became Wilf to the racist adopters.

I understand he felt guilty and all but her disappointment was loud. Trusting Lev was crazy, and he continuously lied to Flynne, but she knew and kept him around since she was who he knew in the peripheral despite their forced romance angle the series began exploring. I thought there could be a deeper, somewhat gene-based connection between Flynne and Aelita, but as the series was cancelled, I guess I'll never know, even though the odds seem slim. Bob was so horrible. I felt bad for that poor family's bowling time being ruined. I felt bad for the Fisher mum because after she gained her sight, she didn't have as much scenes apart from the reminder about how much her children were depending on the people in the peripheral before losing her sight again. It felt pointless because the heart of her scenes were when she was blind. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be empowering but they were all excited about the sight and hoped for it but…nothing. They could have gone sightseeing in the town or something to show her how it changed, but oh well. Conner's pain, strength, frustration, daily life, hospital visit after the accident, and more were depicted well. I was surprised Grace didn't prepare a lie or escape plan knowing what she did was wrong because she failed the confrontation.

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