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ricaelamae
Reviews
May December (2023)
Never really goes anywhere
The performances, from Portman especially, are good, but the movie never really goes anywhere. The idea is intriguing, but it felt like the movie was building to some big emotional climax that never happened.
The storyline with the son from the first marriage never went anywhere. The affair with the current husband was kind of pointless and had no real effect on the plot. Nothing really happens with any of the kids. We don't see the finished movie Portman is making have any kind of effect on the characters or her in universe career.
My biggest complaint is that the film makers give us this heinous crime and then refuse to have anything to say about it. They don't take a stand to say what Moore's character did was disgusting and they don't really manage to humanize her, if they were even trying to. They just brush over the fact that this woman seduced and sexually assaulted a 13 year old. Something that big, and that central to the story should have been addressed in some way, not hand waved away.
None of the characters are very likable either.
In the end, it feels like a waste of time because there never was a payoff for anything.
Barbie (2023)
Fun but too heavy handed
The movie is entertaining, most often when it just embraces the absurdity of the doll world. However, the feminist messaging is so heavy handed it feels like parody most of the time. Ken discovering the patriarchy was amusing but the joke goes too far, and again the only way I can describe it is that the message feels like a parody of itself, but you can tell that it's meant to be taken seriously.
I still think the movie is fun and genuinely amusing in places. But the most I enjoyed it was when we were with the Kens which I feel is a misfire in Barbie's movie.
I almost wish they had just made a comedic film, set mostly in Barbieland, and left the human characters out.
I admire what they tried to do, but the tones of the silly Barbie movie and the critique of society segments didn't mesh well.
Bones and All (2022)
Wasted potential
Like the director's other films the cinematography is lovely. Really captured the Southern Gothic feel. However I think they got a little lost in the aestetics and neglected the story.
The cannibalism felt almost glossed over in a way. Like it was more of a side note than a driver of the story. The movie did make an attempt to say that the eating was a biological need and not just something that these people do sometime, which was more than the book did, but you still never feel a real struggle with it. Maren has a moment or two where she tries to verbalize some of the moral implications of their lifestyle but it is brushed away and again you never really feel it.
The ending felt unsatisfying and anticlimactic. Overall, I think they were afraid to commit to the themes available with the storyline. Either show me the characters overcoming this need to rise above the hand they've been dealt or show me the characters embracing the monster. As they did neither it just fell flat. At the end it felt like the movie just petered out rather than completed.
They never even ate anyone "bones and all" which was set up to be a big deal.
Timothee Chalamet does manage to portray some actual depth and emotion in some of his scenes and they're all doing the best they can with a rather lifeless script, but again I think it was more visually pleasing than it was a well told story.
Blonde (2022)
Disrespectful and Exploitative
It feels disrespectful and exploitative. Like the film is highlighting the abuse Marilyn Monroe suffered at the hands of the film industry while simultaneously perpetuating it.
Outside of the tasteless portrayal, I think the film tries too hard to be artistic. The cinematography is inconsistent, it's too long and the editing is all over the place. I usually like Anna de Armas but her role here feels over acted and forced. I think that is a directorial problem more than anything though, a lot of the performances feel that way.
Again, I just could not get over how disrespectful this film felt. I turned it off with an hour to go because it felt wrong to be watching it.
Persuasion (2022)
The comedy doesn't hit
Even without this being a less than stellar adaptation, it's not a particularly entertaining movie on its own. I didn't find any of the lines that were meant to be funny particularly amusing, and personally I think there was too much effort to make the film "funny". Also if they wanted to remake it with this modern of a tone they should have just set it in modern day, it wouldn't be as jarring.
Actors are decent but the writing is lacking.
The Bear (2022)
Realistic doesn't always equate to enjoyable
I gave this a try for Jeremy Allen White and he does a good job with the character. The story has potential but the majority of the first two episodes is montages and screaming so very little of that potential is actually explored.
I wanted to like it, but there are much more enjoyable things I could be watching. Probably won't finish.
Don't Look Up (2021)
Surprising
I didn't care for this film based on the first 20 minutes, but when I went back and watched the rest I was pleasantly surprised by the last 20 minutes or so.
It's a little manic at times and hits a little too close to home with the realities of our time in places.
But the ending, with the family around the table as the world ends around them was absolutely beautiful. That scene made the movie for me.
The Royal Treatment (2022)
Enjoyable if Predictable
Tropey, predictable, and a little contrived, but it's one of the more entertaining Netflix rom coms. An enjoyable little movie if you know what to expect.
The main heroine is kind of annoying and a busy body. Her friend's plotline feels like filler.
But Mena Moussad is a gem in this film and manages to be the only character that feels like a real person and not a caricature.
Good for a weekend movie night.
A Castle for Christmas (2021)
4/10
Brooke Sheild character is entitled and insufferable. I can't really root for a character that gets upset and acts like she's being wronged when she gets told off for snooping in a strangers house where she was told not to go. She's a basic Karen.
The other characters are more likeable though. Worth it for Carey Elwes if you go in expected a typical hallmark Christmas movie.
A Rainy Day in New York (2019)
All of Fitzgerald's style with none of his voice
The film is trying very hard to be an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, it even goes so far as to name the main(?) character Gatsby just in case you couldn't get there on your own. But while it has all the trapping of a Beautiful and Damned/This Side of Paradise mash up, it doesn't have the unique voice or the deep yet simple relatability that makes Fitzgerald's work enjoyable.
I think Timothee Chalamet is one of the most talented actors of his generation but watching this you can't tell. Between the stilted dialouge and the direction, his performance feels amateurish and the other actors don't fare much better.
Also, I found the ending to be too saccharine. I would have preferred to see Gatsby alone at the clock tower in the rain, indicative of him stricking out on his own to find himself, rather than hooking up with the girl he had no chemistry with and who he was antagonistic toward for most of their screen time together.
Voyagers (2021)
6 to 6.5 out of 10
Lord of the Flies meets Enders Game. That's what I was expecting from the trailer and that is what the movie delivered. Decent performances and pretty good pacing. An enjoyable way to spend a few hours on the weekend.
Synchronic (2019)
Worth the slow burn
The film certainly isn't fantastic but it does end up having an interesting concept even if it wasn't used to its full potential.
Doesn't really become entertaining until about halfway through but I think the second half is worth the wait.
Effie Gray (2014)
Incredibly boring
This film is soooooo slow, dragging on and on with very little actually happening. The whole hour and a half could have been summed up in the first twenty minutes of a better film. Very difficult to remain engaged as the characters are flat and the stakes are almost non existent. I love period dramas, but I cannot believe I wasted my time on this.
Enola Holmes (2020)
Passable
Overall an all right film but not one I think I could describe as good. The brief appearances of canonical Sherlock Holmes characters are fairly interesting in these interpretations but very different from source material and there were a few points that were genuinely amusing.
However the dialogue is often cringy and preachy in places. Brown comes across as pretentious and I honestly found her character rather annoying. I know she's naive but she really makes some terrible decision that often endanger herself and Tewksbury.
The film just glosses over the fact that the Holms mother planned to commit domestic terrorism if a political vote didn't go the way she wanted. A lot of things seem to happen for plot convenience.
The 4th wall breaking narration is jarring and out of place in a movie that at least pretends to be set in reality. I say pretends. SPOILERS: Juice Jutsu can allow a smaller opponent to take on a larger one but only briefly, the idea is long enough to get away, it is not effective for a knock down drag out in a back alley. The villain is all about murdering children until he actually has the capability to murder the children when he will pick the slowest possible method for plot convenience. Old plate armor is not sufficient defence against a fairly point blank blast from a shot gun. Even if the pellets don't penetrate, which they probably should, the impact at such close range would still most likely cause significant injury.
So the movie requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief. A passable period piece for young women. Not really enough of the spirit of Sherlock Holmes if that's what you are coming for.
Rebecca (2020)
Decent enough
Good adaptation if the source material, but I think because I already knew the story from the book that I was less engaged than I might have been.
The film is a typical period piece for most of it but throws in scene more appropriate for a suspense/thriller, which are well done but because the tone doesn't carry throughout the movie they feel out of place.
Overall the movie is fine, but not something I would consider a must see.
Cursed (2020)
Really enjoyable as is goes on
I admit, I found the first episode to be a little meh, but by the third episode I was fully invested and enjoying myself.
I love medieval fantasy and Aurthurian myths and "Cursed" is an interesting retelling that shakes things up enough to feel familiarly Aurthurian without being predictable.
One of the best things about the show is the character work, by the end all the main and supporting characters feel like three dimensional people, not just cut out tropes.
The characters are enjoyable, the acting for the most part is good, and the narrative flows well.
Overall, I really liked it and hope they get a second season. Would recommend.
The New Mutants (2020)
Better than the last 2 X- Men films
6.5/10 This was a refreshing shift in tone from the previous x men films, becoming much darker, and it shook up the traditional xmen formula sufficiently that it felt somewhat new. The performances are good and the characters are interesting enough that I would like to see them again in a sequel if they get one.
Over all I like it. As X-Men films go, its definately not as good as Days of Future Past or First Class but is certainly better than Apocalypse, Dark Pheonix or X 3.
Worth a watch in theaters.
Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Pacing problems
The story and the acting are good, but the plot meanders ar such a slow pace I found it hard to stay interested. I was invested enough to want to know how it ended, but was frustrated by how long it took the movie to get where it was going.
Marrowbone (2017)
The last 30 minutes makes it worth it
I wasn't enjoying the movie much until the last half hour, but the climax makes watching the rest worthwhile. Was going to rate a 4, but changed it to a 6 based on the end.
The Politician (2019)
Melodramatic but moderately watchable
The show is really over the top, but reasonably entertaining in the early episodes if you just accept that the plot is operating on soap opera templates. Still watchable for a one to two day binge but I don't know if I would have continued if I had to watch the episodes spread out.
All of the character are unlikable and terrible people. (Except River, but he's not around long enough to count.) I also found most of the characters unrealistic, but I couldn't figure out if that was because they were spoiled rich kids who don't operate in the same plane of reality or just poorly written. The actors all look at least college age, nothing like highschoolers.
The show goes on for way too long. It should have ended within 15 minutes after the election. Up to that point the conflict was over the top but still engaging, but the plot peters out and devolves even farther into nonsense once we've reached the climax of everything everyone has been working toward since the begining. I also found the voter episode to be unnecessary, it would have worked as a few minute bit but really dragged on as a twenty five minute episode. The occasional musical numbers also feel out of place and gratuitous.
Overall fairly watchable for the first five episodes once you get used the the tone of the show but goes on for too long and tends to strain the suspension of disbelief. Maybe stop at the end of episode five, this show jumps the shark so bad in episode seven I almost shut it off several times. And then episode eight mainly focuses on half a dozen brand new characters that I honestly fastwarded most of the way through.
Love Wedding Repeat (2020)
Interesting concept, not well executed
The premise of different versions of the same day is interesting but isn't delivered on. They only really restart the day once. The film is just watching a bunch of insufferable people interact. It starts to feel like being trapped at a wedding reception where you can't stand any of the people you're sitting with. There are talented actors in this movie but they are wasted on it.
Locke & Key (2020)
Slow but gets better
They have an interesting concept but it is very slow at the begining. If I didn't have a friend pestering me to watch it I probably wouldn't have got past the first few episodes.
However the storyline starts to pick up around episode 5 or 6 and is more enjoyable after that. I'll probably watch the 2nd season if that becomes a thing.
Several of the main characters, particularly the female characters, are unlikable and annoying, but again once the pacing picks up that improves slightly as well.
Overall enjoyable if you have some time to kill and can stick it out to halfway through the show.
Can You Keep a Secret? (2019)
Even at 90 minutes it feels too long
I never found myself engaged in the story. The main female character is vapid and annoying and I have no idea what Tyler Hoechlins character saw in her accept that she is beautiful. Even at the climax I couldn't care because none of her secrets were really that big of a deal.
The Hustle (2019)
The funniest parts are in the trailer
The only really entertaining bits are in the trailer, I don't think I laughed once. The plot is thin at best even for this kind of movie and none of the characters are likeable. Boring and unfunny.
Us (2019)
Really good potential
This potentially could have been a really good film, but while it is an entertaining movie, the plot kind of falls apart if you think about. The more the film tries to explain it the less sense it makes. The twist at the end feels tacked on as there was no real setup and it arguably also doesn't make a lot of sense if you go back and consider previous scenes. Some minor tweaking with the plot could have made it better, but as it is, it is still and entertaining film that's worth the rental.