Category: TV Shows

Willow Review – Was This Remake Any Good?

One of the few famous people who lives near me is Warwick Davis. Best known for playing an Ewok who hung out with Princess Leia and a Harry Potter wizard, he also starred in the eighties film, Willow. My Willow TV show review explores his new Disney Plus series which I recently finished watching.

Willow is a sorcerer and dabbles in magic.

I have been lucky enough to meet Warwick on many occasions over the past twenty years. He is a friendly guy who gets involved with local charities and is really approachable. It is lovely seeing him acting in movies as well as presenting a daily quiz show on ITV.

When I heard that Ron Howard (Willow 1988 director) was producing a new TV series of Willow, I knew it would be good. Originally a George Lucas idea, Willow was always going to stand the test of time.

Read on for my thoughts on the 2022 Willow TV remake.

What’s it all about?

Willow is a sorcerer who used his powers years ago to defeat an adversary. He is back to help a Queen get back her son. The prince was taken by The Crone and her soldiers beyond the Shattered Sea.

Willow had put Elora Danan under the protection of the Queen and she is now grown up. She is special as her powers are said to be stronger than The Crone. At the start of the season, a castle maid discovered that she is Elora and her future is also as a sorcerer. She had no idea of her importance but soon took on the mission to rescue Prince Arik and bring back peace.

Things I liked about Willow:

– Great acting! Warwick stars with his real life daughter. The group of younger actors are funny and carry the story brilliantly.

– The narrative was interesting and easy to follow. Although there was specific language that linked to that world, it all made sense, unlike some series with too many difficult references.

– Each episode had a focus, a mission and some wonderful character highlights. I really felt like I got to know each main character. The conversations helped me understand the relationships between each of them as well.

– The script was witty and made me regularly chuckle. With one liners and clever sarcasm, especially from Willow, I found the TV show really entertaining.

Shortfalls:

– Some of the special effects were ethereal and glowing, which made a few scenes feel dreamlike. Having said that, lots of real Welsh settings were used too. I always prefer real backdrops to CGI ones.

Final Thoughts

This particular TV series was really lovely to watch. It began with a throwback to the 1988 film which also starred Val Kilmer. His ex-wife returned for the season as Queen Sorcha and it was great to see a clear link to the original dilemma.

I enjoyed the humour, the swashbuckling adventures and getting to know a new group of heroes. The series was full of nostalgia, emotion and hilarity. One such moment of laughter came from the cameo by Hannah Waddington (of Game of Thrones and Ted Lasso fame).

Willow scored 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and I give it ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.

Thank you so much for reading my Willow review. For more recommendations please check out Two TV Shows Worth Watching. Perhaps also consider following my blog for future similar content.

My ‘Motherland’ Review

Having spent a lot of time laughing at clips of this BBC show on Tiktok lately, I think I ought to review it. Motherland is a funny TV series about some parents who gather together before and after school. Their personal lives are absolute carnage and the characters themselves are known to speak their own minds. Read on for my Motherland review and I bet you will want to check it out for yourselves.

Another venue for them to get together is the local cafe.

What is Motherland?

Motherland is a sitcom on BBC iPlayer that has been incredibly successful and now shows on Netflix. It is about Julia, an early forties mum, and her group of parent friends. They all tend to meet up at the school gate each morning and share their woes.

Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin) has a pretty invisible husband who randomly rings her from time to time as she deals with endless predicaments. Her besties include Liz (Diane Morgan) and Kevin (Paul Ready) who are both struggling single parents and join in with her adventures. Meg (a wealthy business woman and regular drunk) also gets involved in their daily hilarity.

Packing a comedy punch

Alongside these, a snooty Amanda (Lucy Punch) is always trying to outdo everyone. She is head of the PTA and constantly showing off about her incredible life and career. We see the truth behind this and witness her broken marriage, failing business and horrid mum (played brilliantly by Joanna Lumley). Meanwhile, her subservient sidekick – Anne – is chasing her around and providing a lot of entertainment. The two of them together are enough to make anyone chuckle.

Relatable storylines

Although these characters have a lot of crazy things to deal with, they are very relatable. You would be unlikely to face all of their dilemmas at once. However, we have all been there. From balancing work and relationships badly to cooking a slap-up meal with leftovers. The storylines are set in reality and the fallout laced with misfortune.

One of my favourite characters is Liz because she is very honest and straight talking. Diane Morgan plays her expertly and her snappy throw away comments have me rolling around laughing. Julia is really funny too. In recent episodes she developed a love for her plumber. Hilariously she tried so many ways to impress him, while not once gaining his attention.

In a nutshell

This half an hour programme is packed with fun. I have watched all three seasons and the recent Christmas special. They were all entertaining and overflowing with jokes. I absolutely love this TV show and firmly believe that you will fall in love with it too.

Thank you for reading my Motherland review. I hope you find time to check it out on Netflix or BBC soon. For more suggestions of what to watch on TV, check out Two TV shows worth watching. Perhaps also follow my blog for similar future articles.

Shotgun Wedding: Is It Worth The Hype?

It is hard for me to decide which film to watch next. My tastes are varied and one minute I am watching a thriller, the next a laugh-out-loud comedy. Not very often do I sit down to a Rom-Com but these are little indulgences from time to time.

Lately, I have seen a couple and both were really sweet, funny and kept me interested. Shotgun Wedding has been promoted on billboards in my city and pushed really hard as a Prime Video treat. These are my thoughts on this exciting new movie.

This is not J-Lo but it represents the cheesiness of Rom-Coms; a cheesiness I quite like.

In A Nutshell

This is a movie of two Jens: Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Coolidge. There is a guy in it too that I recognised but wasn’t sure why. He (Josh Duhamel) was due to marry J-Lo on an exotic Philippine island. Now, I do have a soft spot for Jennifer Lopez Rom-Coms and that is one of the reasons I popped it on. The question is – Was it any good?

Darcy (J-Lo) had a celebrity ex who showed up at her wedding randomly, in the guise of Sean, played by Lenny Kravitz. Her father was annoyed that he didn’t pay for the wedding and they had taken cheaper options, organised by husband-to-be Tom (Duhamel). It is fair to say there was some resentment between Tom, her father and Sean.

A mix of comedy, romance and action; This movie was really fun and quick paced. Moments of hilarity were often lit up by Coolidge but let’s not take away the jokes that J-Lo properly earned.

A dramatic twist of fate caused the wedding to be upturned by pirates. I’d better not give too much away. Suffice to say, adventure ensued and more comedy arose from it.

Favourite Elements

I was sure this film would entertain me but I hadn’t expected it to be such a witty production. It had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions.

Some of the positive points included:

– The script was fast and often really humorous

– Jennifer Lopez had moments of sweetness, of being a feisty action heroine and of playing the comedienne

– Jennifer Coolidge was hilarious as the mother of the groom

– The plot was exciting, if unrealistic

– The setting was lovely (with beautiful countryside and beaches)

– There were genuine hold-your-breath moments of action.

Negatives

– Some elements were predictable – although isn’t that always the case with Rom-Coms?

– They could have chosen a better actor for the father – he was a bit wooden

Final Thoughts

This Shotgun Wedding film popped up for free on Prime Video (assuming you are a member) and I checked it out. It was very funny and fast paced with great contributions from Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Coolidge. It was a good length (1 hour 40 minutes) which I consider the perfect movie duration.

So YES Shotgun Wedding is definitely worth the hype.

Rom-Com score ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half

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Thank you for taking the time to read my movie review. I hope that you will check out Shotgun Wedding. Drop a comment of what you think of it.

For the review of a film I recently enjoyed, check my Empire of Light Film Review. I appreciate any support and if you follow my blog you will make my day.