toriiiiee Reviews

Ginny & Georgia (2021– )

It's actually perfect

[10/10 · 4 January 2024]

I went into this show thinking it could be a bit too teenybopper-ish. While it does have a bit of that, it also has so much more to make it well-balanced. It's primarily a drama so it's juicy, and touches on generational trauma, dysfunctional family dynamics, suburban soccer mom life, and the tenderness and angst of being a teenager and teenage relationships.

Everyone hates on Ginny's character but loves Georgia. Why??? Let's remember that Georgia repeatedly disrupted her kids lives with various toxic men, constant moving them from state to state, running away from problems, and repeatedly lying to them. She has zero boundaries and is incredibly overbearing to everyone in her life but especially Ginny. She's marrying the Mayor for superficial reasons and cheated on him with her ex. She manipulates everyone and is a classic narcissist.

Her past is dark and she has committed manslaughter, yet people are hating on Ginny for what ....being an angsty teen who dares to be angry with a mother who lays the weight of manslaughter on Ginny's shoulders? Ginny is angsty but Georgia is phony baloney charming everyone around her with her fake smiles and blonde hair? While Ginny knows the truth that she's selfish, destructive and controlling and repeatedly puts Ginny under her thumb....but how dare Ginny be upset right?!

Ginny is a teenager in a dysfunctional family and a lot of trauma - those who can't stand her don't know compassion. And people like Georgia because she's pretty and think she's some kind of bad ass for being a selfish murderer and thief to "protect" aka traumatize her kids.

The show does address issues of abuse and self harm without being incredibly heavy handed- yet you can really feel the characters pain and sadness. You will get sucked into the stories and sagas of every character, and the juicy bits and cliffhangers really make for good binge watching.

I also love how they showcase a hearing impaired character and provide a realistic portrayal of their family dynamic with him.

Overall It is a pretty easy watch with some heavier subject matter to give it some oomph and depth to the stories and characters.

The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Fantastic Jarmusch.

[10/10 · 22 July 2019]

You will be disappointed in this film if: -You are someone who expects this to be the film version of the Walking Dead, or even an homage to the zombie genre. -You are someone who needs their films packed with overstimulating special effects, violence, and shallow humor. -Your only Bill Murray frame of reference is Caddyshack or Ghostbusters (in which case, I urge you to see Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers, and Rushmore.) -You are someone who needs 100 story lines happening per scene to stay entertained -You don't know who Jim Jarmusch is.

Though my review is probably more of a response to other, lower rated reviews, this was still the best movie I have seen i a long time. I dare say it is Jarmusch's best, or up there with Night on Earth which still seems underdeveloped in comparison.

Jarmusch's work has always catered to a specific demographic, and though this movie contains old and new favorites alike, his aesthetic shines through better than ever in The Dead Don't Die. The deadpan, understated, abstract humor, the pacing (some think it is slow but I found it perfect), the writing and very most of all - it's refusal to take itself too seriously (a flaw which Coffee and Cigarettes fell victim to, save for a few shining scenes.) I found myself (and mostly everyone in the theater) laughing genuinely and heartily. This film, like most Jarmusch films, is a playful comedy at heart. All the old Jarmusch gang is wonderful as usual, the standouts being Tilda Swinton (perhaps a bit Tarantino-esque in her character as Zelda), and Tom Waits as Hermit Bob, who at age 70 is better than ever.

I left this film feeling SEEN and warm-hearted, even though "things ended badly", as oft predicted by Officer Ronnie Peterson. Jarmusch's sense of whimsy, humor, and charm is refreshing, and man - does he ever know how to take an ironic jab at hipsters.

The Night Of (2016)

An Understated Story About America's Criminal Justice System

[8/10 · 9 May 2019]

The Night Of starts off as a tale oft-told. Woman is murdered, man claims innocence/ doesn't remember killing her, man goes to jail and withstands a trial while the attorneys and detective immerse themselves in the case mind, body and soul. The reason my review is 8 stars and not 10 is for the portrayal of over-cliched events that happen to Naz (our protagonist, played by Riz Ahmed) in prison, which at times seemed unimaginative. He is shuffled around, eventually landing at Rikers Island. He gets tattoos, sneaks drugs into prison, buddies up with the prison tough guy Freddy Knight (played well by Michael K. Williams), who eventually coerces wholesome-good boy Naz to do drugs himself.

The reason I gave the series a high rating is because though some compare it to Law and Order-type of series, I found the story to be more poignant and not as fruitless as it first appears. This is not a show with a "whodunit" at the core at all times. And though the series does follow the standard "find a new suspect each episode" formula, it doesn't feel gratuitous or like an added, forced cliffhanger. The focus on new suspects is necessary because despite Naz being the one on trial and with the overwhelming "evidence" pointing to him...he just doesn't quite fit and everyone knows it. Including the prosecution who voluntarily drops the case after the jury comes back deadlocked, something that is virtually unheard of in the real world Justice System; but is the bigger story the series is telling and the event that drives the story home.

After the series ended, I asked myself how else Naz's time in prison could have been better portrayed to get the point across, that point being - Jail/Prison Corrupts People even if they are good and innocent at their core, which Naz is. After the prosecution drops the case and Naz is freed....he is also now addicted to drugs and has developed the tenacious ability to intimidate, as the cafe scene depicts when his lawyer John Stone (portrayed endearingly by John Turturro) says to him "See, you learned something in there."

Overall, I respect and understand the story, and the performances of the actors were very well done. But it also left me disheartened with the message that even with this virtually unreal, magical scenario where everyone eventually believes in Naz and he is freed by the prosecution, - justice is rarely ever truly served. (Naz is forever changed, the true killer still hasn't been caught.)

For me, the meat of the story lies within the exchange between Freddy and Naz shortly before Naz is freed, while they are doing drugs together:

Freddy Knight : "Worst comes to worst, it's not so bad in here, is it? I mean... you got people that care about you in here... I care about you."

Nasir 'Naz' Khan : "Why?"

Freddy Knight : "How many times I gotta tell you?"

Nasir 'Naz' Khan : "I don't believe it."

Freddy Knight : "Man, these dudes in here, upstate, places I've been... I mean, whether they in here for selling drugs or murder, they all got one thing in common... You ask them, every last one say they innocent. But they all got that stink about them, every moron to millionaire, that lying stink... But you?... You smell like innocence... You the real deal, Naz... That makes you one of a kind... And the fact that you under my wing? It's like... like I got something nobody else got. It's like... like I got a unicorn... So why would I not take care of you?... What kind of a cold individual do you think I am?"

In the end, it seems Freddy and the prosecution held the same regard for Naz....but sadly Naz will likely never really be "free" again.

Love (2016–2018)

A review to address other reviews

[10/10 · 9 January 2018]

The main gripe that bad reviews seem to have with this show is the fact that Gus is such a nerd but still manages to score with all these chicks in Season 1. My rebuttal to that is if that is what annoys you about this show, you are totally missing the point. The 2 girls were sisters (ew) and the super hot actress chick...did you SEE that sex scene?

I believe this what makes this show so great. It is without a touch of irony or satire when we see the characters display complex, layered emotions, and witness all of their successes and failures. I appreciate a show that doesn't hand me a stereotypical, one dimensional character who is pigeon-holed in to category A, B, or C.

Yes, one could claim that Gus is just an awkward nerd and Mickey is just a manipulative, narcissistic bad girl. But we also see Gus living a pretty happy life, with a large group of friends attending a weekly music-themed gathering, and overall being a mostly considerate person. He is a pushover and if that pisses you off, you need to get a life. Gus deserves to be as empowered as Mickey is, just as Mickey deserves to be as humble and considerate as Gus is.

That being said - they both make mistakes. Mickey needs to learn how to face her demons more efficiently, and Gus needs to be more honest and direct. I appreciate seeing a show where no one is perfect but no one is 100% shitty either. Wonderful acting and excellent pacing make this relatable and overall a total pleasure to watch.