Shriya_ Reviews

Emily in Paris (2020– )

Frivolous and frilly fun - the tv show equivalent of empty calories (yummy but not much substance)

[7/10 · 8 January 2022]

It's actually more of a 6.5 rather than a 7 but I do love the aesthetic campy escapism it offers!

I like this! It's not deep and tbh, the central character, Emily's actions can be quite annoying at times...but it delivers at being a fun way to pass the time, albeit not much more than that!

I dislike the fashion (it's too 0TT but maybe it's meant to be?) but love how the colour palette looks on the screen and love the cinematography - it's like a sweet sugar pop daydream and fun fantasy. I'll admit that I disliked Emily at times as sometimes she comes of quite self centered and ignorant (and not even really willing to learn) and I hope that she grows...the end of season 2 seems to hint that she will so that's good.

I love Emily and Mindy's friendship and I love how they seem to be focusing more on self-discovery in season 3 (or at least that's what I gather from the end of season 2)! Ultimately, this show is light and fluffy like whipped cream - delish! Lots of empty calories though... hopefully season 3 also adds a bit more depth because then it will go from good to great!

Chaos Walking (2021)

Disappointing film

[5/10 · 8 January 2022]

The premise is exciting but they could've done so much more with it! The film explores important themes such as misogyny and colonization as other reviewers have also mentioned - which is to be commended ...but only on a very surface level way and also tbh, not in a very interesting way. It's also strange...because the idea of the film feels fresh and unique (like, the concept of the noise) but whilst watching the film, I kept feeling like everything had somehow already been done before by other films and this was just a regurgitation of many other sci-fi films I've seen with social commentary elements. Additionally, aspects of the world and the social and physical backdrop in which this story takes place could have been more fleshed out and that would have given this film more depth. Like, in spite of the interesting themes, the world feels hollow and more like an idea, or a rough draft of a film than something fully realized, if that makes sense. Perhaps I'm trying to say that there could have been better world building. For example, the Spackles were an interesting part of the film and they could have been utilized in a more interesting fashion. Like, during the last half of the film, I kept thinking that *SPOILER ALERT AHEAD* they would aid Tom in fighting against Prentiss as they both had reasons to hate him and maybe they could have become allies to defeat him? But they ended up just being a background character that we know nothing about, except that they seem to live in the swamp (or river) and that Prentiss spread propaganda against them. They were little more than props. And that's just one example of how the their story could have been built upon and they could have been utilized more completely in order to add more dimension and depth to the film. Other things obviously could have been done too in order to add more colour to this film and make it feel more real and make for a more immersive viewing experience - once again, that's just one example. The film had interesting elements, and had all the makings of a great film - if only it were fleshed out more and given time to marinate.

Ultimately, this story felt like a half baked idea. The film held a lot of promise but unfortunately, I didn't feel as though it delivered and that makes me sad because I was so intrigued with the first half and was really waiting for things to be unraveled and to go deeper into the story.

The Society (2019)

Phenomenal Tv show but not worth watching due to cancellation

[9/10 · 8 September 2021]

This show is honestly so amazing - it's one of my top tv shows for sure. An actual 10/10 mystery/thriller. If you like suspenseful tv shows that keep you guessing & make you think about all sort of different theories as you attempt to unravel the mystery along with the protagonists of the tv show - then this is it. I guess a testament to how great this is, is how, even two years later, I still think about it and eagerly await a second season. But, it's not coming due to being cancelled by Netflix :( So, honestly, for that, I can't give it 10 stars, it's left me at a cliffhanger and I am sad that I won't ever understand what happened now that a second season is out of the books.

For that reason, although this tv show is amazing, I don't recommend it... unless, by some miracle, a second season gets officially confirmed by Netflix.

I liken my experience of watching this tv show to reading a gripping mystery novel that's phenomenal but then the last chapter which reveals everything has been torn out. You would throw the book against a wall - it would drive you mad!

Ahh. I'm clearly so upset it got cancelled because it was amazing and how can Netflix leave us like this?? Wth. It's infuriating.

Cinderella (I) (2015)

Beautiful Live-action re-make of the original

[8/10 · 8 September 2021]

Aesthetically speaking, this is my favourite Cinderella re-make. It's so pleasing to the eye, I adore the dress, the scenery, everything is just so perfect. It's an absolute visual delight. My favourite Cinderella re-make, in general, though, is Ever after with Drew Barrymore. I can never get tired of re-watching that one. Whereas this one, I would watch for the aesthetics, which I simply adore. In my opinion, the storytelling could have been stronger in this one, they could have added more comedic, mystery elements etc ...something to make it a little different (just as Ever-after did). Unfortunately, it doesn't stray that much from the original animated Cinderella and having some sort of twist or a different interpretation/ other elements added to it would have made this film more interesting and elevated it to a whole other level. I still recommend it, however, if simply for the aesthetics alone, it's a live animation that's absolutely beautiful to watch. It would have been lovely to have seen this in the cinema - on the big screen - it's gorgeous.

Gone Girl (2014)

I feel like this is Drama as the mystery is solved pretty early

[6/10 · 8 September 2021]

I don't know, I really wanted to like this movie but it just fell flat for me?

Maybe, it was my expectations, I walked in expecting this to be a thriller but it was far more drama than anything - which is great but not what I had expected and maybe that's why I didn't enjoy this as much. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I walked into it believing it to be a Drama?

Maybe, it's just not my cup of tea.

I'll probably revisit it later and because this time I won't have a pre-conception that it's a thriller...I'll probably like it a lot more.

I still recommend this however as the story is masterfully told.

Forgotten (2017)

This is *THE* psychological mystery-thriller

[10/10 · 8 September 2021]

This is *THE* perfect psychological mystery-thriller. I'm so grateful that I got to experience this. The official rating for this is far too low (7.5?) it should AT LEAST be an 8. The story was masterfully told and I love how everything unravels.

My only gripe with this is that it does tend to be on the long side a little and personally, I felt like it sometimes dragged. But apart from that, this film is a wonderful suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

It's a must-watch for sure.

Anjaam (1994)

This is not a story about unrequited love...

[10/10 · 8 September 2021]

This movie is not a ten but I have rated it as such because I feel the official rating is way too low. Personally, I would've given the movie a 7.5 - rounded off to 8 and I think the official rating should reflect that.

Firstly, though, I'm horrified to see this movie classified on Netflix as 'unrequited love'. This is not a love story - it's a story about obsession and it's an absolute tragedy.

Pros: Strong female character (I really loved Madhuri's performance - it was absolutely powerful) Engaging story

Cons: Too many songs where they honestly weren't that relevant at all - cutting off some of the songs would have shortened the movie and made for a tighter and more engaging film - because as it is, the story seemed to drag a bit. There were a lot of scenes I had to forward. I know it's a Bollywood film & songs are a typical feature of Bollywood movies, but there were many songs that weren't that necessary and caused the film to unnecessarily drag.

There's a lot of talk about SRK's performance and I agree it was great but I think Madhuri's performance should be noted as well - she portrayed the complexity of her character and her characters transition towards the later part of the movie (won't reveal more so not to give away the story) perfectly.

In my personal opinion, some of the deaths in this film were particularly harrowing & I wish they didn't occur but I understand why the director felt it was necessary to include them so as to show Madhuri's transformation...I still wish they didn't occur though.

I do recommend this movie but I wouldn't really classify it as a thriller as much as a drama.