Great fun! Everything I want from an action comedy. Funny and well paced. Perfect casting, acting, plot, characters, cinematography and soundtrack. Enjoyed every minute.
Reviews
9 Reviews
Stop looking at me, Helen
8 August 2021
I didn't think I could watch a documentary about the holocaust without crying.
We are presented with gripping survivor accounts and harrowing archive footage, but they're constantly interrupted by Helen Mirren (who has no connection to the story, yet is given as much screen-time as one of the survivors) overdramatically reading from Anne's diary. Mirren's narration is no better. Harrowing details and facts are recounted all matter-of-factly and stripped of their impact, and details that should be shared by the survivors themselves are for some reason retold by Mirren or some historian no one cares about. Then there's of course the zombie-like teenager with her insincere hashtags. I'm prevented from feeling anything other than frustration. Let us hear the survivors tell their stories. That's what it should be about. That's what we care about. Instead the main focus seems to be on showcasing Helen Mirren and doing some sort of modern teenage-friendly twist on Anne's story that no one asked for, with survivor accounts haphazardly thrown into the mix. The people behind this do not understand how to tell this story in a way that has impact and that does it justice.
...I wish someone would take the footage from the interviews with the survivors and edit it into a new documentary. No Helen, no teenage girl. Just the stories these women have to tell.
TLDR; If you want to watch a holocaust documentary that makes you feel detached from the events, this is it.
We are presented with gripping survivor accounts and harrowing archive footage, but they're constantly interrupted by Helen Mirren (who has no connection to the story, yet is given as much screen-time as one of the survivors) overdramatically reading from Anne's diary. Mirren's narration is no better. Harrowing details and facts are recounted all matter-of-factly and stripped of their impact, and details that should be shared by the survivors themselves are for some reason retold by Mirren or some historian no one cares about. Then there's of course the zombie-like teenager with her insincere hashtags. I'm prevented from feeling anything other than frustration. Let us hear the survivors tell their stories. That's what it should be about. That's what we care about. Instead the main focus seems to be on showcasing Helen Mirren and doing some sort of modern teenage-friendly twist on Anne's story that no one asked for, with survivor accounts haphazardly thrown into the mix. The people behind this do not understand how to tell this story in a way that has impact and that does it justice.
...I wish someone would take the footage from the interviews with the survivors and edit it into a new documentary. No Helen, no teenage girl. Just the stories these women have to tell.
TLDR; If you want to watch a holocaust documentary that makes you feel detached from the events, this is it.
Feel Good
(2020–2021)
A gem
11 July 2021
One of the best series I've ever seen. I was drawn in the second I started watching it. The acting and dialog is fantastic and it's funny in a way I don't think I've seen before. You just care so much about Mae and you want her to do better. Just finished the last episode and I'm sad to see it end, but the ending is perfect. So I'm sad in a good way. I've noticed that people either give 10 stars to increase the score or 1 star to drag it down, but I'm giving it 9 because I genuinely feel that it is almost perfect. It made me feel good (cheesy, I know).
The Intern
(I) (2015)
A lot of good
29 May 2021
You can tell that this is the same director that did The Holiday - it's got the same magic. Which is why I'm giving it 7 stars. Made me laugh and cry. Good script, though I do feel that the film tries to do more than it has time for. With so much to get through, there are important relationships and characters that the film doesn't have time to make us become invested in.
Perfect casting of the leads. Hathaway and especially De Niro were perfect. Anders Holm, however, was a let down - such an important role to get right, but what we got was a husband with no personality and dead eyes. The ending didn't have the same impact because of this.
I also have to point out the awkward cinematography. I don't know if the DoP or director is to blame, it's weird because they both have great films under their belts. I had to pause the film several times and just stare in amazement at how bad some of the shots were. There were adequate shots, but none that stood out as great.
Finally, I wish the same effort had been put into the score as was put into The Holiday's score.
Perfect casting of the leads. Hathaway and especially De Niro were perfect. Anders Holm, however, was a let down - such an important role to get right, but what we got was a husband with no personality and dead eyes. The ending didn't have the same impact because of this.
I also have to point out the awkward cinematography. I don't know if the DoP or director is to blame, it's weird because they both have great films under their belts. I had to pause the film several times and just stare in amazement at how bad some of the shots were. There were adequate shots, but none that stood out as great.
Finally, I wish the same effort had been put into the score as was put into The Holiday's score.
Annabelle Comes Home
(2019)
Why?
4 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Why would she leave her inhaler in the car? How did they know Daniela was in the room? Why is Daniela doing that? Where did the dad go? These are some of the questions I asked myself in between yawns. Boring script, plotholes, badly written characters and no genuinely scary scenes. Don't bother.
Brave New World
(2020)
One of the best shows I've seen
5 September 2020
The dialogue, the acting, the camera work, the visual effects, the soundtrack, the sets and costumes, the seamless editing. As a film student, I'm blown away. One of the most engaging series I've ever seen. I was absolutely shocked when I saw the negative reviews. Did we watch the same show? Then I realized: unlike me, these people have read the book. They expected the series to follow the book, and got upset when they realized it didn't. I, on the other hand, had no expectations, I just knew it was gonna be a sci-fi story. And I enjoyed every minute of it. It makes me really sad to see people ruin its rating with 1-star reviews because they can't accept adaptations doing their own thing.
Nappily Ever After
(2018)
Black Hair Matters
21 September 2018
Someone else questioned how they could make a movie about a woman's hair. Well, they didn't. This movie isn't about one woman's hair. This movie is about black women's hair, and what it's like for black women to live in a world where they're stigmatized because of their hair. Where they're considered unprofessional and uncivilized if they don't straighten it.
I guess you have to actually be a black woman to relate to this film. But you shouldn't have to be a black woman to be able to empathize with black women. When the world is the way it is, we need movies like this. Black women need movies like this. Black women deserve movies like this.
Also, you know, it's a sweet and heartwarming movie, it goes places and doesn't end the way you think. I liked it.
I guess you have to actually be a black woman to relate to this film. But you shouldn't have to be a black woman to be able to empathize with black women. When the world is the way it is, we need movies like this. Black women need movies like this. Black women deserve movies like this.
Also, you know, it's a sweet and heartwarming movie, it goes places and doesn't end the way you think. I liked it.
Diary of the Dead
(2007)
Tries so hard
4 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
A good found footage horror has two things: believable acting and a believable reason for why the characters are filming. While one can believe that someone experiencing a zombie apocalypse might want to film it (in fact, I found the premise pretty interesting), there's nothing believable about the way the characters behave in front of or behind the camera in this film.
Every line feels rehearsed. The characters, especially the professor, are trying so hard to sound deep, but instead they all sound like pretentious and overly-dramatic people with no real emotions. You don't end up feeling anything for any of them, which is sad. If you don't like a horror film character, you should at least dislike them and have fun hoping for them to die. These characters just leave you indifferent.
At least the zombies look okay.
Every line feels rehearsed. The characters, especially the professor, are trying so hard to sound deep, but instead they all sound like pretentious and overly-dramatic people with no real emotions. You don't end up feeling anything for any of them, which is sad. If you don't like a horror film character, you should at least dislike them and have fun hoping for them to die. These characters just leave you indifferent.
At least the zombies look okay.
Inside Out
(I) (2015)
Didn't live up to my expectations
23 November 2015
I had high expectations for this movie, and I was quite disappointed when I finished it. I really hope Pixar does better next time, because this is not good enough.
The people who gave it an 8, 9 or 10 out of 10 need to calm down though, and so do the people who gave it a 1, 2 or 3. It's definitely not amazing, but it's definitely not "the worst" either. Those who say it's one of the two are exaggerating.
Personally, I think it's mediocre. It has some fun, interesting elements to it, and the concept is original. It starts out quite interesting, the beginning is the best part, but the rest is not as good. It relies heavily on clichés, and none of the characters feel original. None of them develop much either, not even the main character, they're predictable and quite boring. Actually, you don't really get to know them, not even Riley, which is pretty ridiculous considering the movie is set inside her head. The parts that are supposed to make you laugh only make you smile awkwardly, because they're so cliché. There is no "wow factor", and the ending was predictable. Definitely not what I would expect from Pixar.
I wouldn't recommend or discourage people from watching it though, as some may enjoy it, but people probably shouldn't get their hopes up.
The people who gave it an 8, 9 or 10 out of 10 need to calm down though, and so do the people who gave it a 1, 2 or 3. It's definitely not amazing, but it's definitely not "the worst" either. Those who say it's one of the two are exaggerating.
Personally, I think it's mediocre. It has some fun, interesting elements to it, and the concept is original. It starts out quite interesting, the beginning is the best part, but the rest is not as good. It relies heavily on clichés, and none of the characters feel original. None of them develop much either, not even the main character, they're predictable and quite boring. Actually, you don't really get to know them, not even Riley, which is pretty ridiculous considering the movie is set inside her head. The parts that are supposed to make you laugh only make you smile awkwardly, because they're so cliché. There is no "wow factor", and the ending was predictable. Definitely not what I would expect from Pixar.
I wouldn't recommend or discourage people from watching it though, as some may enjoy it, but people probably shouldn't get their hopes up.
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