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amandabedson
Reviews
First Sunday (2008)
Waiting for the newest season of your fav show? Put this on!
Skip the drudgery of the evening-long scroll through the New Releases section on Netflix. Need a 90 minutes long flick to calm down & help you forget the stress of the day? Type this movie in to the search bar.
Turned my night round 180 degrees. Every 'side character' is fleshed out & memorable thanks to the witty writing & incredible talent from every actor & actress. Not all movies have to be overproduced & have a crazy budget to be thoroughly enjoyed.
Does it have a predictable plot? Yes. Does that make it boring? Hell no! That's because the character's zany dialogue comes flying out of nowhere like a rogue baseball & keeps your attention.
By the end, the movie manages to tie up every conflict with a resolution of some kind like an elaborate birthday bow. After watching this movie, the world will feel a little lighter & easier to carry on your shoulders.
Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes (2022)
This should've been aired BEFORE the dramatised version.
Netflix has done the same thing it did the Ted Bundy duo. They released 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile' (2019 with Lily Colin's & Zac Efron), and a week later released 'Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes'. The latter being far superior to the former. If I knew 'Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes' was being released, I wouldn't have watched 'Dahmer - Monster'.
These confessional documentary type mini series are full of witness accounts, conversations with his defence attorney, the people who knew the victims & were the last people to see them before Dahmer took their life. This is the stuff that makes a series interesting, news report clips, policemen on the record saying they stand by the actions of those on duty at the time.
Everything is laid out in a very logical fashion. It made things clear which had been muddied by the 'Dahmer - Monster' dramatisation. No recreation. You HEAR the phone call made by the neighbour asking about the 14 year old boy who was found stumbling out the apartment building, no clothes on, incoherent. You HEAR the officer inform her it had "been dealt with" & the boy had been returned to his boyfriend's (Dahmer's) apartment.
The final episode closes off with individual testimony that is deeply respectful to the victims. Their friends, their neighbours talk about the kind souls who were taken by Dahmer. Victim names are repeated, displayed at the end.
The series ended with my thoughts reverent for everyone who had been forever changed by the hurt caused by Dahmer that had spread like a disease in that community. I wish I could erase that Netflix dramatisation from my mind, by comparison it is camp, jumbled and very distanced from the facts.
Made for Love: Let's Meet (2021)
Devastatingly faithful portrayal of abuse
This episode and especially the ending was very raw. The meeting at the diner was fascinatingly real. Hazel goading Byron about the true extent he has become a "changed man" as he says. Prodding at his control issues, seeing the bubbling anxiety underneath his façade of cool calm & collected. Hazel could see him for what he is & could express her views in a setting he could not control. It was nice to see her confidence come out when she held in her palm the possibility of authentic freedom. For an abuse victim this felt like running the last stretch of the marathon before crossing the finish line banner.
Of course the ending brought some tears. It is completely believable that she agreed to return to the Hub to save her father. She was given an impossible choice. Abuse victims are often reeled back in one way or another. That's why it's such a gruelling climb to escape the claws of a sociopath or narcissist. You're dragged back by the heels many times before you can break free. Of course some never do. Or they die trying.
There's Someone Inside Your House (2021)
If you're hoping for a film even remotely as good as Fear Street, this IS NOT it.
The characters have zero depth written into them. Themes are not explored at all. A day later & I can't recall any of the character's names. The ending doesn't tie together plot elements in a nice bow. It's more like a stressed out yell of "Oh hell the deadline for the script is in 15min, who should the killer be?!? Whatever, just send it off guys, it's past midnight."
Dead to Me (2019)
I'll say only this.
The second season is BETTER than the first.
I watched the full 10 episodes in one night until 4am. I. Just. Couldn't. Stop.
*Mild reference to the stop road sign petition from one of the episodes* ;)