LongMovieLover Reviews

The Hustle (I) (2019)

When Women Hustle...

[8/10 · 29 October 2023]

Right off the bat, I took off 2 stars because I didn't love the way Rebel's storyline revolved around the stereotypical "rejected fat girl" concept which was totally unnecessary.

If the writer and director had thought a little harder, they could have made Rebel's character (Penny) frustrated due to being outwitted by Anne's character (Josephine) or something related to her con jobs NOT from being rejected by men- because of her weight- which would have made way more sense. Had that part of the story been better refined, I would have rated the movie as a 10.

This is a typical situation in women's crime comedies. Somehow the women have to be in competition because of their looks or sexiness. For a movie made in 2019 post #metoo, this is unacceptable. In Ocean's 12, the Night Fox outwits the gang with his skills not because he's better looking. But again, women can never just "have skills"- the story must somehow rely on their yearning or need of a man. Then the added question of women's sexuality had to be brought it as a "joke" because of course, the only way a woman could con another woman would be if they had a sexual relationship. There couldn't be another way for a woman to just indiscriminately con people - sex has to be involved no matter what gender is involved. Again, lazy storytelling and lax character development.

Some of you will argue and say that all of their cons made the men look stupid but not really. ALL of their cons RELIED on men. They couldn't just break into hotel rooms or banks - they had to first attract a man. Penny (Rebel Wilson) even says at one point that she would only decide to rob a man IF he found her unattractive- HUH?? What sort of professional con-artist "decides" to con a man based on whether or not he finds her attractive? Pretty weak rationale if you ask me and it undermined her brilliantly clumsy style of stumbling into cons a la Captain Jack Sparrow.

Now about the movie. The movie was VERY FUNNY. Anne Hathaway's smooth accent shifting was incredible and her portrayal of a sophisticated, overdressed liar was hilarious to behold. Rebel's "disguises" and rambling-liar style cons didn't fail to make me holler.

I have no idea why her hair was in that weird Peg Bundy bouffant for most of the film. Rebel is a very pretty woman and that hairdo didn't make sense- it made her stand out and don't con artists want to blend in? Her "makeover" scene into a more sophisticated looking thief didn't help much. They forced her into some Marilyn Monroe-esque pin curls and an ugly red gown. Again, I look at it as Hollywood's bitter rejoinder to #metoo and a way to offer a firm backhanded insult against the rights of actresses to reject "sexiness".

This is a fun movie to watch for 18 and up, especially with friends. The story is not difficult to follow and you will laugh a lot. The views of the French Riviera are to die for and made me want to pack up and head over there at once.

I would love a sequel to this, Bridesmaids and my Super Ex Girlfriend. Hollywood is notoriously slow to give all women-casts a second movie (do the math for yourself). Ocean's 8 (Sandra Bullock) wasn't a great movie especially in comparison to the other Oceans movies and I'm sure it was not developed at the same level of George Clooney's other Oceans' movies.

The Hustle is fast-moving and highly entertaining. Great acting, timing, and multiple comical situations balance out the unlikely plots, which are just for laughs. It's the right length and is crowd-pleasing for even the most indecisive Friday night movie enthusiast. Watch it for the humor but stay for the Hustle.

My Yang Gang Diary (2021)

Colorful Campaigns BTS!

[8/10 · 22 May 2023]

I paid to watch this documentary a few months back and wasn't disappointed. Although I knew that Yang never had a chance of becoming President nor Mayor of New York, I was curious about why people supported him. This documentary offers a very thoughtful perspective on the people who made his campaign possible.

It's very well shot and tells a very beautiful and compelling story from the perspective of the filmmaker, Ching Juhl. Her journey and personal growth as both an immigrant and campaigner parallel the campaign movements as she travels the country persevering through racism and other difficulties.

The camaraderie and genuine respect of the other campaigners is authentic and reveals deeply personal layers about their individual personalities and reasons for joining the campaign. They somewhat reminded me of the motley crue from Godspell!

Aside from the colorful volunteers, the technical details are nearly flawless. This is not an amateurish attempt at guerilla filmmaking. The scenes are balanced following a logical sequence, the sound quality is excellent and the visual details maintain an engaging clarity throughout.

If you enjoy a lively behind the scenes look at political campaigns, this is it!

A Handful of Dust (1988)

Definitely NOT Downton-Incredibly Dull and Unrealistic

[2/10 · 5 June 2022]

I know that aristocrats are supposed to be unemotional but this wooden, joyless film is more brittle than old paper. I thought it was a play adapted to film because of the unnaturally stiff interactions between the actors and the obvious plodding story. After reading that this is based on a book I feel sorry for the readers. The movie is far-fetched, undeveloped and shallow.

Even for 1988, it's bizarrely unwieldy, like a large stone and just as emotionless. Again, I'm not sure if the source material is to blame but this period drama plays more like a "period dragger."

The premise is familiar enough at first, a bored rich housewife has an affair with a casual houseguest. After abandoning her husband, their son is accidentally killed in a tragic horse accident. The husband (who hardly reacts to the tragedy) decides to go on a trip to the jungle with a random explorer he meets. He gets a fever and the explorer drowns when he goes for help. A half white/half native man saves his life only to end up enslaved by the man as his book reader for life.

I have no idea why the writer would believe that the husband would deserve such a fate since his wife is the one who cheated on him. Anyway, if you want to watch a boring movie with beautiful scenery this is the one for you.

Mortal Engines (2018)

(Sigh) Could have been a 10 if only...

[5/10 · 23 April 2022]

Peter Jackson + VFX = ???. In this case, the answer is not good. Like most of the other reviews suggest, this movie could have been great but instead in came across like a low-budget, made for TV, bad guys flick. The kind where B movie actors wear cheap costumes and act on clearly contrived sets.

So what went wrong? First let me start with the one thing that went right- Visuals! The SFX were gorgeous, unique, and memorable. That's all.

The story was not properly developed. In the opening, the main character, Esther Shaw, attempts a revenge assassination in memory of her mother but the way it happened didn't make sense. Example. The city of London is now mobile and chases Esther's small city across the wilderness to "eat it" in order to take its metal and other resources. Esther uses the opportunity to try to kill the top scientist in London. STOP! But how did she know he'd be there? If she did know why run away? The scientist only happened to be in the "holding area" when Esther made her attempt. Then she makes a miraculous escape through a maze of skillfully designed moving machinery - which she's never seen before.

I'll leave it there.

When a movie has too many "huh?" moments, it creates a sense of incompletion no matter how spectacular the visuals are. Maybe Jackson was still exhausted from LOTR. Anyway someone didn't pay very close attention to the "how?". As far as the Characters, they are interesting but again their relationships aren't well-linked. The scientist's daughter has an unexplained deep friendship with an orphaned nerd (who becomes the hero). The nerd has a friend who doesn't trust the scientist's daughter but later (for some reason ) involves her in a plan to overthrow her father.

Ok, so long story short, if you like cool Sci-Fi and are easily dazzled by VFX extravaganzas, then you will love this. But if you are expecting layered characters and a cohesive, air-tight story, then you'll need to watch LOTR.

Happy Viewing!

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

The Thin Side of History

[5/10 · 7 April 2022]

I think a movie format was too short to properly examine the very interesting relationship between these two famous Queens. I saw a mini-series (Reinas or Queens) that was able to explore both Mary's and Elizabeth's characters much more in depth as well as the fraught political atmospheres of both England and Scotland.

In this movie, Elizabeth is portrayed as very weak, uncertain and insecure. I understand that the focus was supposed to be on Mary but I never understood Mary's reasoning nor motivations behind her many unwise decisions. The mini-series gave much more context for Mary's erratic leadership and added much needed emotional layers to her tense relationship with Elizabeth. (There is also a great fictionalized mini series about the life of King James, Mary's son and his queen, called Gunpowder Treason and Plot).

Long story short (which this is), this movie skips a lot of important details and doesn't make up for it in any particular way- the acting and costumes are good but the castle scenes are too dark. I also appreciated the ethnic diversity of the actors. However none of those aspects properly conveyed the intrigue and political maneuvering prevalent during that time. As a drama, I didn't feel the characters were deep enough.

Anyway, if you want to skim the lives of two very important women who changed the course of history, this is for you.

Ghosts (2021– )

Incredibly funny & NYC hip!

[9/10 · 19 December 2021]

Please ignore the reviews comparing this to the Brit version. I'm a huge fan of Brit comedies but this "remake" is funny in its own right. I watched a clip of the Brit version but I think the American version is better because of the mix of accents (Viking, 19th c, 80s nerd, silver-spoon brat) add to the variety and unexpected mayhem.

The premise is perfect for a silly comedy- a young entrepreneurial couple inherit a house from the wife's aunt who had no idea that her aunt even died and yet left her a huge estate.

The couple is charming and have great comic and couple chemistry. Since only the wife can see the ghosts, the husband's confused creeped out reactions adds to the humor (especially when he gets possessed, lol).

I also like that the episodes don't flow into one another so you don't have to watch them in order.

Unlike other multi-generational ensemble remakes that rely too heavily on cliched pop culture references (i.e. IPhone references), THIS comedy hits the sweet spot as ghosts from the 80s, 90s and much earlier try to adapt to 21st century gadgets. It's a riot. Definitely worth watching especially as a family, couple, or "thrupple" (lol, hippie ghost).

I can't wait for Season 2.

Guinevere (1994 TV Movie)

Guin Gets Gritty!

[8/10 · 26 September 2021]

This was the first time I've seen Guinevere portrayed as a woman with thoughts, convictions and prowess rather than just King Arthur's adulterous wife. I am a fan of King Arthur and have seen many versions of the legend but this one truly stands out in every good way. The story, which I will shortly detail, is rich and original. History buffs and folk-tale lovers will appreciate the tension between pagan religious authorities and Christian clery. Magic and mystery become entwined with duty and destiny. The 1990s cinematography looks grainy but lends itself to the ancient time just before knights and Crusades and incredible wealth, appropriated from foreign lands, transformed England into the bastion of landed aristocrats.

Arthur is portrayed more as a man than a magician. He is young, green, and makes many mistakes which he is grateful to his wife, Guineviere for helping him through without judging him but without slavishly bowing to his charms and every whim. Guin is proud of her heritage and devoted to her people. She conducts herself as a wise queen, delivering a very passionate speech comparing herself to the other warrior-queens of Britain. Despite Morgan Le Fay's mystical powers and anger towards her, Guin carries herself gracefully against her enemy, using cunning rather than fighting to achieve her aims.

The story begins with the death of Guin's mother while her father, the Christian king of Camelot is fighting off multiple local warlords. He sends young Guin off to a "sanctuary" run by high priestess Morgan Le Fey, a faithful devotee of the moon goddess, who is also the revered leader of multiple powerful pagan tribes.

Guin grows up alongside Lancelot and eventually they fall in love. One day Merlin arrives with news that Arthur is going to unite all of Britain causing a stir and setting off the conflict that will govern the rest of the movie. Morgan despises Arthur and wants Guin and Lancelot to oppose him. Guin, now a young woman, is torn between returning to her father to assist in the peace process of staying with Lancelot and his adoptive mother, Morgan. Now Morgan shows her true colors. She forces the young couple to take a blood oath to marry according to the pagan way. However Guin runs off pursued by Lancelot and Morgan. She abandons them and returns to her kingdom of Camelot believing strongly that peace and a unified Britain are what is right.

Behind the scenes, Morgan manipulates the pagan kings against Arthur and Guin, even seducing Arthur through black magic, to further weaken him. Merlin, portrayed as an old but wise man, acts as a mentor guiding the young couple back to their true ideals rather than just telling them what to do or by casting spells.

Although there are some very fanciful scenes, they serve to enhance Guin's strength, wisdom and perseverance. She sets a very good example for young women who want to strike a balance between independence and loyalty to others including husbands, families, or others.

No, this is not a sexy Hollywood version of Guin, with long flowing blonde hair, sonnets, and an amazing period-drama wardrobe. This is a gritty young woman with choppy hair, outstanding swordsmanship and unbreakable virtue. I thought the story was exciting and developed the characters motives and fears extremely well while arcing them toward authentic satisfying conclusions.

Recommended audiences are for high school History teachers to view with their students as it will elicit a lot of discussion and questions about this interesting period in British history. Also viewers who like epics with a fresh story.

Cinderella (I) (2015)

Brits Again Prove To Be Superior Fictional Storytellers

[10/10 · 17 October 2015]

Simply ignore all the bad reviews. Those individuals were looking for some adult angst revamp of Cinderella and veteran director Kenneth Branagh would have none of it. Branagh has a knack for infusing fictional work with charm and pizazz (see "Much Ado About Nothing").

Unlike "Into the Woods" and "Maleficent" which were unfortunate interpretations of adult American disillusion, "Cinderella" perfectly captures a sense of hope and that childhood love of "happily ever after" that all of us who read the story as children remember. The other movies style "happily ever after" as some sort of lie that is fed to us that can never be achieved, whereas this version of Cinderella shows that happily ever after can be exciting again. Branagh caters to the fun-loving, fantasy, and hopeful side of life rather than succumbing to the dark shadows which ruined the other films I mentioned above.

Casting was picture perfect. Brits have a better appetite for ethnic diversity than Americans and the movie, particularly the crowd scenes in the marketplace and at the palace would satisfy any person's desire to see a more ethnically balanced depiction of a fictional kingdom. The star-studded main billing couldn't have been better. Each person seemed born to play that role and did so with elegance. Cate Blanchette blew me away. At first, I wasn't even sure it was her! Her makeup, costumes, and carriage made her seem like the elegant, but embittered stepmother she became. Bravo Cate!

Cinderella (Rose from Downton Abbey) conveyed the perfect balance of innocence, even as her life becomes more miserable. One IMDb critic said that she was a pushover. However, he missed the point that she was trying to be good to her step-family according to her father's wish, but all of her attempts were like throwing pearls before swine. The point was that both Cinderella and her stepmother had both lost loved ones and suffered hardships. But Cinderella's character did not become embittered, selfish, or grasping.

The other actors, Prince Charming and his entourage, are all Brits so I don't know all their names (which might be a good thing). But from what I understand they are all well known actors in the UK and they worked together seamlessly. Stellan Skarsgard (Bootstrap Bill from Pirates of the Caribbean) is not even recognizable as a devious nobleman. Helena Bonham Carter delivers a truly glamorous and stand out performance as the slightly unbalanced Fairy Godmother!

The Cinematography truly arrested me. The blues are just so, so blue! Great care was obviously taken to make the eyes of the characters shine and the intricate detailing of their gorgeous wardrobes sparkles and jumps off the screen (without 3D). The lush greens of the natural world simply absorb you. Those glass slippers (sigh) are available on the Swarovski website. Their radiance was truly the way glass slippers were meant to be seen.

Some have criticized the story for not having any "new" elements. Again the writer and director stayed true to the original tales by Charles Perrault, a Frenchman (Google his works). There are many versions of Cinderella. I still have one called "Ashputtel" where the young lady is blessed to have gems come from her mouth when she speaks, while her stepsisters get cursed and have frogs and snakes come out every time they talk! The point is that the story shows the horror of an unloving, abusive step-family whose pointless jealously does them in. That's not a "new" story unfortunately- many people continue to live through that.

The key CGI scenes are the transformation of Cinderella and the subsequent race against the clock before the magic ends. Both are so spectacular and magical that you just get completely caught up. For you jaded adults out there, we KNOW that magic isn't real in that sense, but the power of this story to make you WISH it were is what the true magic is.

But the key emotional scenes are when Cinderalla's stepmother mocks her for trying to eat at the table (instead of in the ashes) and when Cinderella confronts her for her cruelty. If you don't have an instance in your life when you've been deliberately made to feel unwelcome, then you are lucky. I got very choked up.

SEE THIS MOVIE. I'm sorry I missed it in theaters but I got the DVD. Also watch the Behind the Scenes. There is a new "Frozen" short included as well.

Cinderella doesn't make any attempt to modernize the story so that jaded Western audiences can "relate to it." Do we see movies to see what's real or what we want to be real? It's about being pulled in to an absolutely stunning fairy tale world where your ideas of what's possible or "real" will absolutely collide with the power of imagination. In other words leave your reality behind and embrace your dream instead!