Movie Review: Voicemails for Isabelle

August 10, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Voicemails for Isabelle written and directed by Leah McKendrick
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, and Ciara Bravo
Publisher: Netflix
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars (8 on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jill leaves voice messages to her deceased sister telling her about her chaotic life in San Francisco. Unwittingly, a mysterious Austin TX real estate agent begins to receive their confessions.

Love has many faces.

Chronic illness isn’t a topic I‘ve seen covered in the romance genre very often, so I was immediately intrigued by Jill’s relationship with her sister who had a life-threatening health condition. While I don’t want to give away too many spoilers in this review, I can say that I loved the early segments that showed how their relationship had developed from childhood on through to adulthood and how the uncertainty and unfairness of life had shaped both of their personalities.

The final act did feel a little rushed to me, especially given how upset Jill had been with Wes earlier on. While this conflict between them was absolutely necessary in order for certain plot twists to play out later on, I would have liked to see a few more scenes showing how they worked things out so that the ending could have a few more layers to it and be even more satisfying for this viewer than it already was.

With that being said, I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. They had a lot in common and I enjoyed the slow burning romance that ignited between them as they got to know each other better while also juggling some serious life issues along the way. There was a nice mixture of themes included like complicated family relationships, grief, and the stress that comes from being in the wrong job that only made the romantic scenes all that much sweeter.

Voicemails for Isabelle was heartwarming and romantic.

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TV Review: This is a Gardening Show

May 18, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Title: This Is a Gardening Show (Season 1)
Director: Brook Linder
Starring: Zach Galifianakis
Producer: Chris Kim
Publisher: Netflix
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars (6 on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

Follows Zach Galifianakis as he approaches gardening with curiosity and self-effacing humor, blending comedy with appreciation for the planet while providing accessible tools and tips.

The future is filled with plants of all sizes, shapes, and colors.

I loved Zack’s sense of humor in this series. Whether he was asking kids about whether tomatoes were a fruit or a vegetable or joking about placing bets about what color certain potatoes would be before they were dug up, he brought so much laughter to topics like climate change and sustainable farming that wouldn’t generally be thought of as funny. Some of the points he made about what our future will look like if we don’t change how we grow our food were quite serious, so it was helpful to have those moments bookmarked by plenty of laughs along the way.

Each episode was about fifteen minutes long which unfortunately didn’t leave much space for exploring their topics in depth. I think twenty-five to thirty minutes would have been a better length, especially when Zach and his guests began talking about the history of agriculture and how certain wild foods have changed over the millennia thanks to selective breeding that are difficult to distill into a few short sentences.

Speaking of the historical segments, they were by far my favorite portions of these episodes. For example, wealthy Victorians thought that tomatoes were poisonous, and their reasoning for that was as logical as it was surprising. I also enjoyed the moments in later episodes that talked about how ancient civilizations like the Egyptians used composting not only to enrich their crops but also to reinforce some of their cultural beliefs as well.

This Is a Gardening Show was educational and amusing.

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Movie Review: BTS – The Return

April 20, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Title: BTS – The Return
Director: Bao Nguyen
Producer: Bao Nguyen
Starring: Kim “RM” Nam-joon, Min “Suga” Yoon-gi, Jung “J-Hope” Ho-seok, Kim “Jin” Seok-jin, Jeon “Jung Kook” Jung-kook, and Kim “V” Tae-hyung
Publisher: Netflix
Genre: Nonfiction, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars (10 on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

Follows BTS as they reunite in Los Angeles after completing military service, confronting how to begin again, honor their past, and move forward together as they return to making music.

Boy bands generally don’t last this long. Can BTS make their big comeback in 2026?

Due to South Korea’s mandatory military service, the members of the K-Pop band BTS have been absent from modern music since 2022. This documentary showed their readjustment to life as civilians and the work they put into their new album, Arirang. I was surprised to learn that these performers were not exempt from military service and was curious to see what their time away from the spotlight had taught them. Without sharing spoilers, this topic was covered thoroughly and satisfactorily!

The scenes that explored how all seven members have matured over the past thirteen years or so were the ones that propelled this to a perfect rating for me. Most people change quite a bit between their teens or early twenties and their thirties, and BTS wanted this evolution to be included in their new music. When combined with what is a fairly long hiatus for a genre that is famous for having young fans that can rapidly outgrow their favourite artists, the question of how their audience would respond to this growth hung in the air both in the studio and in the meetings with music executives about which songs should or should not make the cut. It was especially interesting to me to find out how they chose the name for their album and what that represented to them now that they are all well into adulthood.

Viewers who are already part of the Army, which stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth and is how some fans of BTS refer to themselves, will have a few fun surprises along the way, but this was still a good watch for those of us who maybe weren’t so familiar with their work. I appreciated the fact that this was filmed in a way that could appeal to a wide variety of people and didn’t make any assumptions about what we did or didn’t already know about them. It’s not always easy to accomplish something like that, but it sure makes for a good viewing experience.

BTS – The Return was heartwarming and made me wonder what is in store for them next!

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MOVIE REVIEW: Twelve Dates ‘Til Christmas by Directed by Emer Conroy, Megan K. Fox

January 5, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Twelve Dates ‘Til Christmas by Directed by Emer Conroy, Megan K. Fox
Writers: Jenni Bayliss, Erin Rodman, Davah Avena, Zac Hug, Lynn Sternberger
Starring: Mae Whitman, Julian Morris, Toby Sandeman
Distributed by: Hallmark Studios
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars (8 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Dicentra

Kate, a textile pattern designer, cares for her separated father Mac in Blexford, England. Laura introduces her to The 12 Dates of Christmas, a matchmaking program that rekindles her life and leads her to new adventures.

Twelve Dates ‘Til Christmas, the new Hallmark mini series starring Mae Whitman, Julian Morris, and Toby Sandeman, was a chaotic yet fun movie for rom-com fans approaching the Christmas holidays. An entirely different format than Hallmark’s more stereotypical films, I enjoyed the novelty of the format as well as the relationships that are carried through multiple episodes.

Kate’s (Mae Whitman) a textile designer who hasn’t gone on a date in a while and spends her time taking care of her father. Wanting her friend to be less lonely and find some magic in the season, Laura (Lucy Eaton) signs Kate up for the “Twelve Dates of Christmas”. Lots of shenanigans ensue, from Christmas rage rooms, escape rooms, and even coordinating crazy hats. The organizer of the event, Drew (Eimear Morissey), was quite fun and did an excellent job in her role as “Christmas cupid”.

While some of the date partners were not particularly memorable (as one might expect from a show that is set to feature 12 dates), I appreciated how they helped move Kate towards her happily ever after. Said happily ever after is definitely predictable, but it makes it no less heartwarming. Don’t want to say too much about Richard (Tobey Sandeman) and Callum’s (Julian Morris) characters, as that very much spoils how things end up. While Kate’s relationships are the focus, it was also nice to see so many other characters in the mini series get their happily ever after too. The storyline between Kate’s dad Mac (Nathaniel Parker) and Evelyn (Jane Seymour) was quite funny, and to see Delilah (Mary McDonnell) running around and meddling towards the end of things was both entertaining and cringe-inducing (I felt for Mac during the book club scene). Make sure you catch the Independence Day actor reunion though!

Overall, this was a great mini-series and I’m so glad I took the time to watch it. Highly recommend this series to those who enjoy rom-coms with guaranteed happily ever afters and large ensemble casts of actors. As a note for book lovers, this is based on the novel of the same name by Jenny Bayliss.

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Thursday Thoughts: July 31, 2025… Nostalgia and Television Shows

July 31, 2025 By 8 Comments

For some reason, I got on quite a nostalgia kick these last couple of weeks.  It might have started when I stumbled across a channel in the Samsung TV Plus – a series of TV channels that are free with a wi-fi connection on their smart TVs – that showed nothing but Alf reruns.

Remember Alf? Anyway, that led to me discovering a docuseries on HBO called History of the Sitcom.  I do tend to go down documentary rabbit holes at times, so it was nice to have something light and fluffy to watch, as opposed to last year when I was watching some much darker content.  As you might expect, one of the shows that was mentioned in several episodes was Happy Days.

Growing up, I loved this show.  It was wholesome, it was funny, and overall, it was just a really good time.  Plus, it started my lifelong love of Henry Winkler, so extra bonus right there.  I do have to admit that when my daughter and I watched Barry, it warmed my heart to see how much she loved Henry Winkler’s character on the show as well.  There’s something very gratifying when your kids latch onto someone or something you’ve loved for years.

One of the things that made Happy Days such a great show was the characters.  They were people we knew in our real lives, people we could relate to.  Maybe you had an annoying older brother like Richie, or you had that older, cool family friend that everyone loved.

I stumbled onto this People article asking Which Happy Days Character You Are, Based On Your Zodiac Sign.  Must have been all the googling TV shows that did it, but whatever brought it onto my radar, I’m grateful.    These lists – even when they’re inaccurate – are always fun for me.  This one did not disappoint at all.

My sign – Cancer – is Marion Cunningham.  As your typical Cancer, this didn’t shock me one bit.  We are known as the mothers of the zodiac for a reason.  I also related to her a lot as a kid, because she is the kind of mother I had as well as the kind I wanted to be in the future.

Gemini cracked me up.  I remember Ralph Malph as being both charming, funny, and annoying as all get out.  Why is this funny?  Because I have two really good friends who are Geminis and man does this fit them.  They’re loyal, they’re fun, but when they’re on one, they’re going to let you know about it.

Lastly, Sagittarius made me smile because my brother is a Sag.  He and Potsie have a lot in common.  They’re affable, engaging, and always interesting to be around.  My brother can be all these things and more, but we’ll keep the family drama out of this, right?  (Kidding, I’m kidding…)

On the off chance you weren’t a Happy Days fan or maybe you just like taking quizzes, I also found this: If You Were a Random But Iconic TV Character, Who Would You Be?   I’ve never watched Parks and Rec (although it did come up during the docuseries), but I can relate to this, so I’ll take it.

Does your Happy Days character resonate with you?  How about the random iconic TV character?

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TV Series Review: CAT. 8

April 7, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Title: CAT. 8
Writers: Jason Bourque, Donald Martin
Director: Kevin Fair
Starring: Matthew Modine, Maxim Roy, Ted Whittall, Trevor Hayes, Kate Drummond
Publisher: Bridge Entertainment
Genre: Contemporary, Action, Adventure
Rating: 4 Stars (8 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by: Xeranthemum

Synopsis #1 of 2 – Part 1: An untested global defense system triggers a swarm of devastating solar flares, resulting in catastrophic earthquakes and ferocious magnetic storms; an unprecedented CAT. 8 Armageddon. Can we stop the annihilation of the human race?

Synopsis #2 of 2 – Part 2: Much to the world’s surprise, the sun releases a gigantic coronal mass ejection, as the elite task force of the dangerous secretary of defense is hot on Ranger and Whitlow’s trail. They are mankind’s last hope. Can they save us once more?

I’m on a disaster movie kick on YouTube and a lot of movies are great if I use the fast-forward button to get to the ‘good parts’. I didn’t have to do that much with Cat 8. There were a lot of interesting topics, issues and drama to take in. The basic gist is – don’t mess with the sun or you’re going to get burnt.

The movie’s pace kept the plot moving along so it kept my interest. It’s shown in two parts on YouTube and the first one ends in a cliff-hanger. I originally thought that I’d watch the second part the next day, but nope. I stayed up until after midnight, basically binge-watching the entire thing. It originally aired as a television mini-series in 2013, but I’d never heard of it. It was made in the Netherlands, but the language is English so it’s all good.

I was really impressed with the special effects, especially when the earth started creating canyons and reshaping the land in certain states. The solar flares were cool, the aurora borealis was fascinating, and the effects of the plasma hits were well done. If I had to rate Cat 8 on the level of disaster, I’d give it a five.

As with all catastrophic movies, there is always a human element – the drama. That aspect is a little tricky because of the typical cliches that are endemic to the disaster movie genre – money, power, ego, romance, betrayals, abuse of power, megalomania, altruism, self-sacrifice, and even blended families. Every single one of these was explored in Cat: 8. Most worked but some, as you can imagine due to the length of the overall film, were a bit drawn out, hence the value of the FF button. As I mentioned above, I didn’t have to use it quite that much, which was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the interaction with the lead character, Dr. Michael Ranger, and his family and friends; the most important friend being Dr. Jane Whitlow.

With all good movies, there should be a villain everyone can get behind to root for their demise. The villain is extreme because even in the midst of the world’s potential end, the villain refuses to repent and instead doubles down on their chosen path and does dastardly things to ensure it. It takes the intuition of one person of importance that gives a viewer hints of hope that all is not lost. It created some moments of solid suspense and nail-biting.

The main romance is between Dr. Ranger’s daughter and her boyfriend. Dr. Ranger does not like the man his daughter is dating at all, and I had no problem picking up on those cues. There were scenes where I thought his dislike made him out to be a real jerk and I didn’t like him for that. As I watched Tim, the boyfriend, be all heroic and like, I was sure that the good doctor would warm up to him. Be prepared to hold your breath for quite some time. It kind of took the “you’re not good enough” cliché a bit too far. But it IS a disaster movie after all.

On the whole, Category 8 (CAT. 8) is an epic disaster movie worthy of its genre. Make sure you have plenty of time to view the whole thing in one sitting. I am glad I stayed up late to view the entire movie in one shot as it kept the continuity of the energy, drama and intensity dialed up for my thorough enjoyment.

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for May 15, 2019

May 15, 2019 By 4 Comments

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews will be hosting a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Today’s topic is: Favorite TV Shows and Why

Please visit the participants below:

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