valeriorinaldi-36361 Reviews

Leave the World Behind (2023)

This isn't a disaster movie

[8/10 · 16 December 2023]

A family of four rents a beautiful house in Long Island for a short vacation. First, because of a blackout they receive the sudden visit of their renters. Then the internet goes down (never to come back), so the main characters are cut off from the world and a series of catastrophic events takes place.

But this is not simply a disaster movie, so viewers shouldn't expect catastrophic scenes intended to shock the audience. The dialogues are meant to raise questions about the American foreign policy, our constant use of the internet, the dematerialization of money, our obsessive consumption of TV products and the complexity of human relationships.

What would happen to us psychologically, emotionally and physically if the world as we know it suddenly changed?

The Idol (2023)

Here's hoping it gets really dark

[6/10 · 24 June 2023]

Three episods in I'm glad I haven't been put off by the negative reviews. The show isn't as bad as it has been described by some reviewers but It's true that the main female character is almost naked all the time and there's a boring amount of sex and obscenity (yet again!). I don't know if more than a sex scene every five minutes sells more, but honestly I think here there's more of it than an over-16-year-old spectator can actually enjoy. Yes, Jocelyn has been seduced and the costume designer took the wrong body measurements, but I don't need to witness every detail of her seduction.

The Weeknd isn't great, but he's not bad either. He plays a man who seems to want to take advantage of Jocelyn and isn't afraid to show it. A questionable narrative choice, in my opinion, but I'm not writing scripts in L. A., so maybe you shouldn't listen to me.

Let's see if it gets dark enough to become interesting.

Little Voice (2020)

Great! Why was it canceled?

[9/10 · 7 August 2022]

I don't understand why it was canceled. The plot, the acting and the characters were good and the music was excellent! Yes, the writers threw a lot at the main character, but her story was interesting, fun and emotional to watch.

Meanwhile, "Ted Lasso" is renewed for a third season so we can laugh at the same old predictable jokes. For the record, I've just finished watching "Ted Lasso Best Scenes" on Youtube, and they were nightmarish. It would be more fun to rewatch "Murder She Wrote" reruns with my hearing impaired grandma while our dinner is burning on the stove.

Sorry, I got carried away. Please, watch the show. Its only season was lovely. Ta!

The North Water (2021)

Great Historical Fiction

[8/10 · 27 July 2021]

As soon as I watched the trailer I knew it would be good and it hasn't disappointed me. The settings are breathtaking, the acting is excellent and the plot is engaging.

The harsh environment, the gloomy cabins and violent scenes interspersed with ominous dialogues blend together perfectly in this interesting piece of television.

Definitely a must-watch.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Jurassic Barf

[6/10 · 16 July 2021]

These aliens are mean and I love them. Of course the female alien is the vicious one. The males are pretty evil, but the female, the female! Watch out for the female! (vomiting)

The humans are less likable and the plot is pretty trite, even corny at times. Yeah yeah yeah CGI is perfect and that's what keeps this movie afloat. All in all, this film is enjoyable if you can avoid questioning its faulty logic.

Chris jumps from one action movie to the other without even trying to get into character. As a reviewer has written: "nothing to tax the brain!" You bet pal!

Gossip Girl (2021–2023)

Gossip Girl is dead! Long live Gossip Girl!

[6/10 · 15 July 2021]

I wasn't going to review this TV series but then I read the tantrums of the crybabies who wrote one and couldn't stop myself.

Thank god this series isn't a remake of the original show and at least it depicts a refreshing variety of characters. A reviewer has even written that this series is "trying to be all woke!" YES, thank god! Where have these people been living? Hello? The show is set in NY in 2021! People from all backgrounds can be wealthy. Breaking news: people don't have to be straight, caucasian and glamorous to be depicted as wealthy and whimsical.

Having said that, as another reviewer has written "let's be honest, the original wasn't that great," but I don't see why this one would be worse. Most of its characters are young wealthy people with a lot of time on their hands, apparently no emotional intelligence and a penchant for drama. It was soapy before and it's soapy now. It's just a repetitious plot set in great apartments and shiny cars. The original series was dull and so far so seems to be the reboot.

But if you enjoyed the first one, how can you rate this one 1?

Cry baby cry.

Settlers (2021)

Too Much Left To The Imagination

[5/10 · 13 July 2021]

Give me a good sci-fi setting and I'm in. Give me a consistent plot and I'll like it. Give me enough context and I'll believe it, but I wasn't given enough of it.

A family of settlers lives on a farm on Mars. They manage to get by, but the life is hard. Suddenly they are attacked by a group of intruders and their invasion sets in motion a series of events that pushes a mother and a daughter to their limits.

(Spoilers ahead)

Ilsa (the mother) seems to be unaware of her circumstances and acts as if she has plenty of choice on a barren uninhabited inhospitable planet. Firstly she refuses Jerry's (the intruder-the farm's owner actually) advances, then she pretends to be more accommodating and eventually she ill-advisedly trusts him only to find herself brutally killed. Bye mama!

Remmy (the daughter) is forced to live on the farm with Jerry. Where else would she go? Mars seems to lack social services at this stage of its colonization. As she becomes a woman, Jerry unsurprisingly tries to have sex with her to give sons and daughters to the human species (so he says).

Remmy rejects him which is her right, but who's there to defend her? Wait! The Robot!

Bye Jerry!

Remmy is finally free to live her life. She leaves the farm only to find herself in the middle of a desert. The end.

Now, I understand that she's a young woman who wants to be free, who's looking for a real connection, who has nothing to lose, but WHERE IS SHE GOING? DON'T THESE PEOPLE HAVE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION? WHY DOESN'T SHE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE OUTSIDE WORLD?

Steve the robot inherits the farm and the pigs. REALLY???

The Colony (2021)

Enjoyable Sci-Fi

[8/10 · 13 July 2021]

"Tides" (also known as The "Colony") is an interesting movie about an astronaut sent back to Earth to check if the planet's natural systems have recovered from human-caused disruptions.

On her arrival she is captured by an indigenous tribe and in order to accomplish her mission she is forced to follow one of its members on a quest.

Good acting, excellent settings and consistent plot.

Infinite (2021)

The Matrix meets Dumb and Dumber

[2/10 · 23 June 2021]

Some individuals on Earth are able to remember their previous lives. Among them there's a group of people that is tired of their consciousness jumping from one body to the other, who decides to end all life on the planet.

Mark plays Mark. The blonde plays Trinity and the Mad Scientist plays Dr. Frankenstein Junior (unfortunately deprived of any sense of humour).

They constantly and relentlessly destroy their surroundings using weapons or vehicles and it is uncertain if their main goal is really to preserve life on Earth.

The characters' lines seem to have been copied from Dumb and Dumber.

You've been warned.

Halston (2021)

Nice clothes and bitter retorts

[6/10 · 12 June 2021]

The TV series is entertaining but it is at least two episodes too long. The scenes depicting Halston and his friends partying, sniffing cocaine and having sex are too many and midway through the fourth episode I was rolling my eyes and wondering why. Was it because sex sells? Or maybe because viewers are easily distracted by their smartphones and might have missed the previous six party and sniffing scenes? Or was it because there wasn't much else to say? Or might have been there?

Halston's childhood is shown in a couple of brief blurry flashbacks and his existential crisis is depicted as as slew of retorts, fits and tantrums without any ability for introspection. Yes, the clothes were good, but the story can't really pivot on them, and neither can it on an insecure fashion icon that has to repeat his name every two seconds.

I know, the story is there and someone felt the need to tell it, but in my opinion it doesn't manage to stand out. Even the representation of the gay community is stereotypical and superficial. Hasn't such a story been told yet?

The Strangers (2008)

More Annoying Than Unnerving

[1/10 · 21 May 2021]

Yes, there are masked strangers at the door. Yes, they seem pretty crazy and dangerous. And yes, they go in and out of the house. But why would Kristen keep all the lights on, be barefoot and not lock herself in a room waiting for the mobile phone battery to recharge? Why does she play G. I. Jane in the garden? Why doesn't she smash that turntable into the fireplace? So many "Whys!"

Why had James set the table if he knew they would be back at four in the morning? Why wouldn't he call the police as soon as Kristen tells him there are weirdos scaring her at the door? Why wouldn't James run the man over?

Why are the strangers always one step ahead? Oh, wait! I know why: because James and Kristen are just freaking out like headless chickens.

I'm not convinced by the "nihilistic" interpretation of some reviews either. Yes, I know that death doesn't have to make sense, but what is interesting about two people dying with a whimper instead of a bang?

Boooring!

I Care a Lot (2020)

A black comedy

[7/10 · 25 March 2021]

"I Care a Lot" is a black comedy about Marla Grayson, un unscrupulous professional guardian who takes advantage of her helpless elderly wards. Things change when she succeeds in becoming Jennifer Peterson's legal guardian. Rosamund Pike is great and had me seething with suspense and impatience throughout the entire movie. It's just a dark comedy, so don't expect to be changed by it. Enjoy.

Bridgerton (2020– )

To Be Avoided At All Costs

[1/10 · 28 December 2020]

Bridgerton is a reimagining of Regency London and it deals with a young aristocratic woman looking for love and a financially adequate husband in her aristocratic circle. I was fooled by the trailer and yesterday I gave it a shot.

Unfortunately I couldn't go through the first episode. Even as a "reimagining" of 19th century London, it is frivolous, caricatural and foolish. The plot is shallow and the acting unbearably overplayed. Since it doesn't have much to say, sex scenes are scattered here and there together with ridiculous dresses, vests, hairstyles and wigs. Dialogues seem to have been written under the influence of alcohol.

The queen looks and behaves like a fishwife and as such receives her guests lying back in her throne in an overcrowded narrow room, which makes me wonder if anybody in the production has ever visited a Royal Palace.

Even the opening credits are horrendous and badly made.

Do yourself a favor and skip it.

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

A Great Show With A Poisonous Last Bite

[6/10 · 28 December 2020]

Watching "Game of Thrones" has been an immersive, charming and engaging experience. The first seven seasons have been well structured: episode by episode the characters have grown and have shown such a complexity and depth that even the unbelievable becomes credible.

Their storylines align, intertwine and part along the seasons and even if the plot becomes more and more complex it's easy to follow the whole story and grow fond of heroes and villains alike. The viewer may love them even more knowing that, living in a dangerous and treacherous world, any of them can be unexpectedly killed.

Alas, the creators made a huge mistake when they tried to be even more original and unpredictable by suddenly altering the main characters psychology and personality, disappointing millions of spectators, who felt betrayed by the inexplicable distortion of their heroes' words and actions.

The series is truly entertaining and the actors and actresses' performances are sublime. It definitely deserves a chance.

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Too Little for Too Long

[3/10 · 24 December 2020]

"The Midnight Sky," a catastrophic science-fiction tale directed by George Clooney and based on Lily Brooks-Dalton's novel "Good morning, Midnight," is about an emotional and physical journey. After a mysterious cataclysm has wiped out most of life on Earth, Augustine (George Clooney), a seriously ill astronomer who has spent his life looking for a hospitable exoplanet, refuses to escape with a group of survivors and is left alone in an Arctic scientific-research station. He knows a group of astronauts is traveling back to Earth and since he needs a powerful antenna to communicate with them, he sets off on a perilous journey to reach a far-off base.

George Clooney's performance is brilliant, and some scenes are extremely engaging and nerve-wracking. Unfortunately the movie focuses mostly on Augustine's emotional awakening and neglects important aspects of the story. Too many scenes are devoted to his journey and inner struggle and this choice affects the narrative economy of the film. Its pace is slow and its development dispiriting.

I would recommend "The Midnight Sky" to viewers fond of sentimental stories and not to those eager for action, adventure and the excitement of scientific exploration.