Opinate

Full disclosure: I did not finish this film because I don't have the time to sit through all the overlong dialogue and dolly shots to get to the next good bit. But if you don't mind a bit of lull I urge you to check out this otherwise super fun indy movie. It has lots of laughs and some good character (the autistic sister is really good) and some originality. I just wish someone would do an edit on it so it would become the well-paced, fun-packed film it deserves to be. I would not feel like my money was wasted on a shorter more concise film.

But overall good effort and above all, fun content!

Josh Johnson Up here Killing Myself was a super pleasant surprise for me. I thought I knew most of the good comics out there, but this guy is one to watch.

This is the first time I have ever seen or heard of Josh Johnson but I am sure it won't be the last. This guy has great timing, delivery, he's relatable and his stories and humor are hilarious. I think even Millennials will like him. He doesn't go low.

I looked him up - he has written for some of the big late night shows so he's been around, but he should definitely be in front of the audience.

Love his style and I can't wait to see more from him.

When I saw season one of this new version of All Creatures I was pleasantly surprised. The casting is good and the production is high value.

As the episodes slid by I began to miss the hijinks that made the first version of this show so memorable, enjoyable, and characterful. Gone from the new version are the drink-fests, the many humiliations James and Tris suffer at the hands of the staunch farmers, vets and pet owners. Gone is most of Sigfried's volitile yet lovable personality that Robert Hardy portrayed so expertly, gone is James' difficulty as an outsider fitting in with his surroundings.

The fun and spark that make Al White's books so endearing, that take us back to another time and place have been whitewashed from this new series leaving a bland, if somewhat still charming, one-dimensional version of the material.

I had to go back and watch all the original series to make sure I was not being unduly harsh on this new version and the entertainment level of the old shows is beyond comparison. They are so much better.

I think the new humans that are now making the decisions in our entertainment industry grew up being told humour at the expense of others is the root of all evil, having a drink at the pub is sub-human, and that people must all be portrayed as nice and considerate at all times and everyone must have complicated backstories so we can understand their pain (Mrs Hall was much more interesting on the first version - I couldn't care less about her son or his issues) are forgetting the first rule of storytelling: you must put your characters through hell to show their personalities. Leaning on backstory tells us in a boring way but seeing characters go through the ringer and seeing how they react to their problems is how we will get to know and love them.

All of the actors do a great job with the limited material they have, the location and sets are beautiful, but the over-all experience is very Hallmark. I think Al White (Herriot) would be disappointed.