rosgemchar Reviews

Fool Me Once (2024)

Nah

[1/10 · 15 January 2024]

This is really unfair to the makers of this show. I watched only one episode. It lacks plausibility from the get-go. I could not get I to it.

She sees her dead husband on a surveillance tape of her child's room. She calls the cops. But that is pretty much it, as far as the effect her husband's appearing in the hidden camera has on her. No sense of real shock. What does it mean? Life goes on pretty much the same as ever.

No sense if shock at the world turning upside down.

She is speaking with her hostile mother-in-law. They are arguing, a n d she reveals that the dead son is in fact alive and has been visiting their daughter. The MIL does not believe it. The two women argue vehemently. You re expecting the heroine to sat, Come to my house. Look at the tape. But nothing. The scene ends.

This scene really made no sense to me.

Too much that makes no sense.

Saltburn (2023)

Nah

[5/10 · 23 December 2023]

A big disappointment. The last third or so.

The film makes no sense to me.

I have no idea how Felix dies. Was he murdered? Suicide?

Apparently, neither the family nor the authorities much care.

What? Oliver always dreamed of being the lord of a manor?

Yet , he keeps insisting that he loved Felix.

At no point do we see Felix do or say anything negative about Oliver, except when he finds out that Oliver has been lying about his parents and upbringing.

Iffrom the beginning it had been established that Oliver resented his new friend's wealth and popularity with girls , the story might make some sense.

Despite the setting- OMG are we back at Bridesdhead?- and an extendeded look at how the 1% live, it left me puzzled and disappointed.

I am glad that I did not pay. I thought I was to see Poor Things. I felt like one instead.

Irma Vep (1996)

Intriguing

[14 July 2022]

I am a thriller fan. If someone isn't murdered within the first half hour I usually lose interest. But I found myself looking forward to the next episode, although I kept wondering why this series had been made. What is this about? I don't care. I am fascinated by Alicia Vikander's Mira. Vikander is a very special actress. Any scene she is in, my attention is fully on her. I read her face. A very expressive face, and body. I love her.

The story is not very interesting, but Vikander and the fellow who plays Rene, the director are tops.

Clair Obscur (2016)

Cut off

[5/10 · 16 December 2021]

Excessive lovemaking. The point being...?

Seldom, in my experience, do srx scenes really add to our understanding of a story. In this case, there is just too much sex. She seems fully engaged, fully satisfied, but then, at the end, she rejects him. Huh?

And, we do not learn what happens to the girl. I could not believe that the film was over. Questions remained. Such as, does the girl go to prison.? Is she really a minor? How did she get those bruises? There had been no indication that she was being brutalized. Yes, she hates the sex, and she has to look after her mother in law, but to murder both of them, well, it seems really surprising, because her situation does not seem harrowing.

An odd film. Puzzling. Did I miss something?

Mad Dogs (I) (2015–2016)

Stick with it

[7/10 · 13 October 2021]

I tried more than once, and finally stuck with it for more than a few minutes and got hooked. One of the things I liked about it is that generally the elements of the story are plausible. Believable. I am not a fan of stuff like Squid Game. Funny. Suspenseful. Terrific cast. Loved it.

Shutter Island (2010)

By Scorsese? Really?

[2/10 · 3 September 2021]

Cannot believe this film's rating. It is so absurd a tale, done so sloppily that I could not believe it was the work of Scorsese, many of whose movies are admirable, beginning with Mean Streets.

You are asked, at the end, to believe that everything you have seen and heard so far was delusional fantasies, dreams!

That scene with the doctor up in the tower is so ridiculous I wanted to laugh but was too gobsmacked at how silly it was.

They do brain surgeries up there somewhere? Where? How do they get the patient up there? And back down the winding staircase?

I tried several times to get into this film but kept moving on to something with more verisimilitude, something I could believe in.

I think Scorsese handed this over to one of the janitors.

Behind Her Eyes (2021)

Blah

[2/10 · 26 February 2021]

Boring. Couldn't finish. Stopped. Read reviews. Resumed. Boring. There really is nothing there.

The White Tiger (2021)

Best picture

[7/10 · 1 February 2021]

A marvelous film. The moral of the story ( how to get ahead in India) however, is shocking. Whoa. The lead actor, Adarsh, is terrific. Best acting I've seen in a long time.

The Flight Attendant (2020–2022)

Too much

[6/10 · 19 December 2020]

Cuoco is great, but there is just too much about her childhood, and the imagined relationship with Alex gets pretty tiresome. Plus, implausibilities galore.

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

3 hours!!??

[3/10 · 16 September 2019]

Three hours? Only? It seemed like 24. She was in that other film, Last Year at Marienbad, where nothing happened, or, maybe, something did happen. You know, it did answer a question I have long pondered on: What do prostitutes do on their off-time? Now I know and can go to my grave an enlightened man.

Patrick Melrose (2018)

Enough!

[7/10 · 13 September 2019]

Patrick's histrionics get so repetitive and he has utterly no self awareness that I wanted to scream, Enough! The acting is brilliant. I cannot fault the production. It is the eponymous hero who is lacking.

Succession (2018–2023)

Wow

[10/10 · 11 September 2019]

I feel so lucky that I gave this show a try. Wow! I like shows that have really despicable characters to hate. And, of course an interesting story. Timely story. Love the music.

Clapham Junction (2007 TV Movie)

Sorry

[5/10 · 30 August 2019]

I was disappointed. The final image did it for me. That is, it clinched my feeling about the film and it's ambitions. That final image is so pat, so cliched. Almost all of the gay characters are rather pitiful. Is that the point of the film?

Enlightened (2011–2013)

Laura Love

[8/10 · 13 July 2019]

I love Laura Dern. The character she plays here is so maddeningly obtuse and clueless that it surprises me someone has not killed her. Often, I find myself saying to her, Leave it. Don't say anything. Walk away. But. No. She just absolutely has to make it worse. You so often see that look of disbelief when she is confronted with how others see her. Amy reminds me of Mrs. Bucket ("Bouquet").You just have to love her. Otherwise, you would have to kill her. But, then, there would be no Enlightened. Only 2 seasons?

Donnie Brasco (1997)

I already forgot about it

[5/10 · 27 June 2019]

Surprisingly boring. Part of the drama is the family dynamics, the effect Donnie's frequent and lengthy absences have on his marriage, which really is not very interesting. Is there a movie wife who understands her husband's undercover work? I honestly couldn't finish the whole thing.

Big Little Lies (2017–2019)

Better

[9/10 · 30 April 2019]

What I found so annoying about the director's style in Sharp Objects, the back and forth between the present and the past, is here Is here used more effectively. I was hooked from the get-go. The photography, the music, the marvelous cast. I fo not keep up with who wins Emmys, but surely Nicole Kidman should have won some kind of reward. Season 2 is coming up soon, and I can hardly wait.

Sharp Objects (2018)

Boring as hell

[3/10 · 27 April 2019]

Yes. It there is a murder mystery somewhere on there. I like mysteries procedurals, investigations, and Amy Adams. But, this could have been a lot shorter, by half. Cut out all those flashbacks, for one. And, we know she drinks a lot, but do we have to see every swig? A great deal is just downright boring. I guess they were committed to a certain number of episodes and had to use a lot of fillers. Stretch it out. Bore the hell out of you.

The Highwaymen (2019)

Second chance

[5/10 · 3 April 2019]

I was halfway into this film, admiring Bates, Harrelson, and Costner, the vintage cars and costumes, but actually getting rather bored. A lot of the interactions among and between Texas lawmen are repetitious, and just why was beefy Costner chasing after that red-haired kid? So, I looked into IMDB's user reviews and was astonished at the laudatory reviews. Maybe I should take another look? But there really is not much to hold my interest. I'll maybe take a look at Cuaron's Roma.

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

Surprising

[8/10 · 14 March 2019]

It took me a while to figure out where this story was going, but once I got it, I was entranced. At first I thought it was sort of like a Tarantino film, not much there except bloody, noisy shoot-em-ups. It really is about the relationship of the two brothers. A very thoughtful film. Everything about it is excellent.

The Favourite (2018)

Three strikes

[2/10 · 9 March 2019]

This is the 3rd movie directed by Lanthimos that I have seen. The other 2, The Lobster, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, were both big disappointments, because neither made any sense to me. I kept wondering, Why doesn't he, Why don't they. The stories seemed implausible. I have a hard time with stories that do not make me suspend disbelief. It does not take away from the director's competence, but I doubt, after seeing The Favourite that I will ever see another of Lanthimos' projects. The ending of this film could have tied up this story emotionally: this is the reward of unscrupulous ambition. But, I kept wondering, Is this it? Maybe it was the music. Music can give substance to our emotions.

Patriot (2015–2018)

WTF

[1/10 · 30 January 2019]

I am well into the second episode and I have absolutely no idea what this series is about. Something about a bag full of money that must be retrieved. Something about a man named John Lakeman. Something about a little girl whom John abducts from her mother. A father and son? A wife? A very glum central character. It has very high viewer ratings. And from critics. But it doesn't make any sense. S snippet of a storyline here, a snippet of another storyline there. I will go finish this episode and decide if I can put up with it.

Nothing to Do (2017)

Surprise!

[10/10 · 27 January 2019]

I tuned in to this on Amazon not sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very good film, one that I had heard nothings out, with actors and director totally new to me. I really enjoyed this film. The ending is so surprising and so right.It added that last touch to make this film memorable. Heart warming.

Inside Look: The Assassination of Gianni Versace - American Crime Story (2017–2018)

Fact or fiction?

[7/10 · 25 January 2019]

I liked this as long as it stuck to Cunanan. I fast-forwarded pretty much anything to do with Versace and his sister. Cruz was a poor choice for Donatella. She looks nothing like her. Cruz is too beautiful. Have you ever seen Donatella? Ramirez as Versace did not sound Italian. Definitely Hispanic. Couldn't afford an accent coach? Darren Criss is outstanding. I have no idea what Cunanan was like, but Criss' Cunanan is fascinating, riveting, terrifying, and pitiable. My principal problem with this series is that it must be 90% made up, fictional. The two main characters, Cunanan and Versace are dead. As are Cunanan's victims. So, pretty much everything they said or did is unknowable. No one can know what happened in that Minneapolis apartment, what went on between those three individuals. Nor what went on between Cunanan and David, on their getaway trip, ending in David's death. This could have been much shorter. Too much padding.

On the Beach at Night Alone (2017)

Surprising

[7/10 · 21 December 2018]

I liked this film, surprisingly. The actress. The character played by the actress. Because nothing much happens I was surprised at how it held my attention. Basically, it is about a young actress getting over her affair with her director. The music helps in underlining the poetic quality of this work.

Mother! (2017)

Disaster

[2/10 · 26 September 2018]

Up to the point when Pfeiffer and Harris depart with their obnoxious relatives and friends, I was very pleased with this film. But the second half devolves into a horrendous mishmash of horror and ridiculous staging. It would have been a better movie and made more sense to me if the roles had been reversed. The emotional roles. The woman as the one who is open and welcoming. From the beginning it makes no sense that a world famous poet allows people to invade his house. He has chosen to live in an isolated place, far from any neighbors. His behavior does not make sense to me. And, it seems, the director, once launched on the horror genre, keeps adding horror upon horror, until it becomes disgusting and even ridiculous. Very disappointing.