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Reviews
Maid (2021)
If you know, you know.
Just finished the final episode and as I sit here writing this review through teary eyes, I just have one thing to say...if you know, you know. I've never seen anything depict DV like this before. The emotional whiplash, betrayal, and frustration was captured so realistically. It's a heavy show, not an easy watch at all and there were definitely moments where I had to take a step back and breathe. Between Alex's mom, father, Sean, employers, etc. This girl cannot catch a break. Wow but is she resilient. Watch this if you want the problems you're facing right now in life to feel slightly smaller.
Palm Springs (2020)
Watch it. Watch it right now.
So so so good. Palm Springs is one of those movies I'll just always come back to and re-watch. It's so effortlessly funny and well scripted. It's perfect for really any mood, which is what makes it so lovable. It's serious, sad, hilarious, stupid, and romantic all wrapped into one...and in a seriously non-sucky, actually super decent way. Shocking concept, I know, but just take my word for it, okay?
I love the way the concept of being stuck in a "time loop" is executed in this movie. Very relatable...It's this incredibly deep and existential feeling yet so casually "c'est la vie" all at the same time. It checks all the boxes, honestly. Just watch it.
6 Years (2015)
Mixed feelings...
I'm not sure about this one. At first I really liked where it was going and then it kind of flopped.
The thing is, this is pretty unrealistic behavior to just suddenly come out of no where in a relationship of 6 years. At least behavior of THIS severity.
The girl (Mel) displays some serious anger issues and physically abusive behavior while the guy (Dan) has no communication skills whatsoever and also displays a lot of emotional issues and abuse. How were these two good for 6 YEARS with none of these things ever coming up before? Lol.
You can't catch a break with this film, as soon as you feel bad for one character they turn around and do something equally as messed up.
It's a perfect example of a toxic relationship and in that sense, yeah it's a pretty realistic example. I'm just not sure how this seemingly perfect couple got to that point all of a sudden.
It definitely left me feeling upset though, which was likely the goal, so good job there... and yeah, that's about it. Nothing incredibly special but worth the watch, sure. All in all just don't really agree with the story line and it's believability.
The two main actors were wonderful though. Except yes, Taissa does literally touch her hair more than Kristen Stewart does in the first Twilight movie lol.
All the Bright Places (2020)
It's great...but don't try to overanalyze it.
All The Bright Places comes off as another basic coming of age, teen flick.
Is it?
Yes.
Does it have a deeper artistic meaning also though? Also Yes!
I was happily surprised at the depth of the overall content in regards to mental health and grief and how none of it really makes sense when you're feeling it. That's just it. The story is a bit unequal but I think that's fitting because well, Violet and Finch are CONFUSED and HURTING. Of course that plot should be messy and confusing to some degree. However, there were one too many gaps for me and too many other stereotypical-awkward-teen-film moments that took away from that "artistic" perspective I was trying so hard to see.
Basically Finch is confused and never gets the help he needed or wanted. He gave up on a lot of people (including himself) and that's that. It's something people who know mental illness are all too familiar with....It's heartbreaking, unfair, and relatable BUT this movie really made him seem more of a straight up uncaring human than a "hero" (or whatever) who "saved" Violet.
The cockiness from his character and the fact that he only ever wanted Violent was when she didn't want him was really frustrating to me. The second she needs him, he's gone or being verbally aggressive / emotionally distant. Bottom line is, his character came across as rather manipulative which made it hard to follow his emotions and where the plot was going or what he was TRULY feeling.
But ALL of that crap is just the trauma, right?
Well... I don't know. You could break this film apart in ten thousand different ways and make it awful or amazing. It has some beautiful eye opening qualities as well as some rather empty and almost offensive qualities.
You be the judge. Would I recommend watching it? Absolutely. Elle and Justice are fantastic actors here.
Cicada Season (2018)
Cicada Season
Cicada Season is eccentric and creative in all the best ways. You won't want to stop watching this film. The director is a genius and I find myself constantly comparing everyday things/tasks to this movie and feeling... well... feeling.
Koe no katachi (2016)
Sad & Sweet (yet) Horribly Incomplete
Beautiful animation with a heart-felt, tear-jerker of a storyline, yet I feel incomplete by the end of it.
After the first 40min the film becomes extremely repetitive, with the main characters fighting, apologizing, fighting, and then apologizing again.
Half way through the movie, Shoya Ishida is still unbelievably suicidal and guilty because of the bully he was in the past. (Past being literally the 6th grade when most children are just plain impulsive and dumb anways.) Even though he has since made things right with the girl he bullied.
Oh, and not just "made things right" by apologizing, I mean by literally learning sign language for her, spending every single day with her practically, etc... Yet he is still tortured over and over again with hateful words / actions from people years ago.
It definitely makes you feel. Oh how the tables turn, right? Well, at least Shoya and Shouko are friends now right? They're at least happy together, right?
Eh, wrong.
They never get a chance to communicate their feelings for eachother even though it's pretty obvious that there's something there. They're basically the *only* people they have. Two troubled people. It seems romantic, until it's not.
Shouko tries to communicate to Shoya that she likes him once - but she's too difficult for Shoya to understand what she's saying, she runs home crying and that's that.
Soooo, from that point forward it's just a montage of Shouko and Shoya's fake friends from elementary school either hanging out and having fun on a rare occasion or continuing to bully Shoya for when he bullied Shouko .. OR bullying Shouko for being deaf?
Speaking of Shouko's bullies.... how was Naoka ever forgiven by the end of the movie?! She's the real bully here if you ask me...I mean - all these years later and she's still treating Shouko like she did in elementary school, meanwhile Shoya (who actually GREW UP compared to Naoka) is wanting to DIE every single day because he's so riddled with guilt still!
The movie 100% should have ended in the most climactic scene where Shoya and Shouku dream about eachother and run to the bridge in the middle of the night. They should have kissed and BOOM, what we've all been waiting for. Yet it drags on with the same crap friends showing up and there's never any romance between Shoya and Shouku. -_-
This movie is sad, like, really sad. That good kind of beautiful, tear your heart to a million pieces sad.
Did I cry though? No. I wanted to, but I just couldn't. Too many holes.
A beautiful concept with two beautiful main characters, yet not so beautifully executed.
The Martian (2015)
Captivating!
I ended up enjoying this movie, A LOT.
The set design & visuals were absolutely amazing, and truly stood out the most to me personally. The attention to detail and overall complexity of the whole "stuck-on-a-planet-completely-alone" concept is super captivating and there isn't a single lull in the entire 2+ hours of the film.
Biggest flaw and only reason i'm not giving 10/10 is the lack of character development. I find that there are very lack luster reactions (or no reactions at all) from certain characters in moments that have been greatly built up. Err, to name a few...
1) Mark Wattney's family? Nope.
2) The crew finding out Wattney was ALIVE. No kiddin' right?
3) Wattney & CDR Lewis speaking again before launch. Um, the fact that this is the first time Wattney has heard another humans voice in literally FOREVER.
4) The crew reuniting with Wattney - overall could have been way bigger and was cut too short.
Either way, the film was still outstanding. To be fair I could see how some of those missing aspects would have potentially made the movie too lengthy.
Also was really cool to see Donald Glover in this! Would absolutely recommend.
Living with Yourself (2019)
Pretty damn brilliant if you ask me...
"Living with yourself" is based on a rather unoriginal concept, yet comes across as super original. Make sense?
So basically this guy (Paul Rudd) hates the way his life is going. He is unmotivated, uninspired, and depressed. Right when he's lost all hope, "Miles" is recommended by his friend to go to this weird, techy, magic, voodoo spa thing (where all hell will soon ensue).
Low and behold a clone of miles is made, the exact same version of himself except well, he's better in absolutely everything, so actually, he's not the same at all.
It's the most perfect execution of self vs self i've ever seen on television. Miles is in this incredible war with, well, literally himself. He's fighting for his job, his wife, his sanity, the list goes on.
It's a complex idea portrayed in an incredibly simplistic manner. At times may comes across as dull or boring, but for all the right reasons. This show has a very deep underlying meaning that won't appeal to everyone. I think it's pretty damn brilliant for that reason exactly.
I wouldn't say it's a show one would get emotionally invested to, character development is meh, but it is really entertaining and easy to follow.
Paul Rudd is absolutely magical in this role and Aisling Bea is the perfect co-star.
I'm excited to see where the show goes after this first season..!
50/50 (2011)
50/50 is REAL life.
I enjoyed this movie so much. It definitely made me "feel" and kept me from looking away. The toxic relationship, the stoner/drunk, yet loving best friend, the over protective mother, the overall anger of being diagnosed with cancer... it hit all the right angles of the plot.
I saw in some other reviews where people called this film too "slow" or "boring," but those people are literally missing the ENTIRE point of the story if you ask me.
I mean, the whole deal here is that this dude is pretty sure he's going to die. His miserable, cheating girlfriend can't even walk into the hospital with him for his chemo for fear of "bringing negative energy into their positive energy." He has to ride the bus everywhere once finally leaving that toxic relationship and only realizes as time goes on just how little he feels human anymore. His poor father who is suffering from Dementia/Alzheimer's can't even recognize his own son when he's saying what may be their last "i love you's" before surgery.
Yes, it's supposed to give you that dark and dull feeling. It's incredibly powerful and all too real though. It puts life into perspective and I would 100% recommend watching.
Oh, and Seth Rogen of course killed this role. The added humor to the movie is part of what made it so wonderfully captivating.
The Glass Castle (2017)
I sympathized with this one.
This is a lovely movie based on a less-than-lovely story about surviving childhood in a house full of oddly neglectful parents and unwillingly being put in abusive/toxic situations along the way.
The emotions were all there. I couldn't help but sympathize with the confusion/pain/frustration shown by main character Jeanette and siblings while watching this movie. Particularly in the scene (childhood flashback) where the parents were fighting to the point of dad (Rex) holding mom (Rose Mary) out of the second-story window of their home. The kids (below in the yard) are innocently jump-roping when this event unfolds. They run up in pure terror to save their mother, dangling out the window. Only for her to finally be pulled back in by Rex, and the two parents burst out in a fit of chaotic laughter.
If THAT doesn't scream "crazy," I don't know what does! Anywho, the feelings evoked in me during these moments is what truly made me love this film. It was VERY real.
I'm only giving it an 8/10 though because I've been told by someone close to me just how far off this portrayal is from the actual book. I personally haven't read the book, but I have to give that some kind of credit.
It seems that the film has possibly made Rex (the father) some type of "anti-hero" when in reality, (or according to the book) he didn't deserve all the praise. I'll just have to read the book myself to make that decision, but as far as the movie alone is concerned, I really enjoyed it, and yeah, in the end, I did feel sorry for Rex.
(Also, Woody Harrelson KILLED this role.)
The Last Summer (2019)
Just, meh.
Honestly I'm not sure what I just watched. No real plot... no real climax... To summarize: it's basically just a cliché montage of "teenagers" (who are obviously not teens) making the best out of their last summer before college.
The individual storylines could have been cute if executed properly, but with so many different characters (who are all connected how again?) and barely any character development, it just didn't do it for me.
I enjoyed K.J. Apa's part, but that's about it. I found myself zoning out a lot and uh, yeah. I really wanted to like this movie, it's just so unentertaining overall. Just, meh.
Swiped (2018)
1hr and 33min of my life that I'll never get back...
I watched this movie because of Noah Centineo and have enjoyed some of his other work, but - WOW was this movie trash. The story line was drawn out, annoying, and immature. The acting itself throughout the majority of this cast was SO horrendous. The production was a total joke and the "raunchy" plot was just plain dumb and disgusting.
This is coming from someone who usually enjoys a good rom-com, even something that may be a bit cliché! However, "Swiped" is overall so unbelievably mind-numbing and out of touch, that I think I lost a few brain cells while watching this.
I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a movie this bad. Don't waste your time.