The lesbian references are spot-on and hilarious. Decent show. You had me at "Tracy Chapman."
Reviews
17 Reviews
My Favorite Episode
19 July 2021
Awake
(III) (2021)
Poorly written tripe. Star Trek: TNG did it better, but both plots were bad.
12 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
At first the concept reminded me of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Night Terrors," s4:e17, in which no one except one character (Troi) is able to get any REM sleep, so people lose their ability to concentrate/reason (and gradually go nuts). This movie is longer and so much worse. Add a global EMP event, jump scares, road nudists, and gun-happy populace.
Other problems: although there's no global communication, everyone magically knows what's happening everywhere within a day of the mysterious event; the only cure is to kill you (and restart your breathing and heart with CPR); and continuity errors galore.
Other problems: although there's no global communication, everyone magically knows what's happening everywhere within a day of the mysterious event; the only cure is to kill you (and restart your breathing and heart with CPR); and continuity errors galore.
Outlander
(2014– )
Loved the Books, Love the Show
27 April 2021
Rather than recount their differences, I'd say the the source material was adapted very well. An excellent cast makes it work for them. I've read all the published novels and short stories, and it made me happy to see it brought to life to screen without any major letdowns, no big disappointments.
The 10th Kingdom
(2000)
Terrible.
11 March 2020
I think someone wrote this under the influence of illicit substances, so maybe it only makes sense to people under the influence? The acting is bad, the writing is trite and incoherent, and the plot is worse. I can't believe this drivel is rated as highly as it is. I love fantasy and scifi, but this doesn't rank highly in any genre or category.
A Christmas Carol
(1951)
Best of the Christmas Carols/ Scrooges
4 December 2018
Of all the many, MANY film adaptations of this Dickens tale, including animated versions, this one is my favorite. I don't feel like it has boring parts, awful acting or painfully hackneyed interpretations. As a child I enjoyed reading the book and watching this movie (usually on PBS at odd hours of the evening in Decembers of the 1990s).
Pan's Labyrinth
(2006)
Beautiful But Sad
18 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Pan's Labyrinth is dark and delicious. The story, cinematography, graphics, writing, directing and acting are excellent and compelling. There's drama, whimsy, fantasy, and even history (in the setting, not the story).
The only reason I wouldn't re-watch this movie much is because it's slightly depressing. But they can't all be happy endings, right? I suppose you'll have to decide for yourself if this one qualifies, as it's left open to interpretation.
Is it the fantasy of a dying girl divorced from reality, or is it a fairy tale "happily ever after" ending in another world?
The only reason I wouldn't re-watch this movie much is because it's slightly depressing. But they can't all be happy endings, right? I suppose you'll have to decide for yourself if this one qualifies, as it's left open to interpretation.
Is it the fantasy of a dying girl divorced from reality, or is it a fairy tale "happily ever after" ending in another world?
Clash of the Titans
(2010)
Crap of the Titans
18 November 2018
This remake was simply awful in every way imaginable. I was deeply disappointed and disgusted. The original (while not the best film in the world) was precious nostalgia. Watching this trash felt like witnessing Hollywood decide to "release the crappen!" on my childhood.
As Good as It Gets
(1997)
Gets Pretty Good, I Guess
18 November 2018
As someone who is obsessive-compulsive and identifies as queer, I felt fortunate to find this film at a time in my life that I needed it. As Good As It Gets... helped, some, and it made me laugh. Decades later, it's still watchable, well-written and well-acted.
Hackers
(1995)
Fun Albeit Ridiculous
18 November 2018
This film was fun in the nineties, but my major complaint is it made hacking look like playing a video game with excellent graphics rather than staring at and frantically typing into a black screen of white text for hours. Yeah, yeah, I know that would have been boring to look at, and having real computer programming languages on ancient 90s gigantic monitors PROBABLY wasn't central to the plot, but it would have been more authentic. I wonder if anyone watched it and thought that was what hacking was actually like in 1995!
Hackers was silly and enjoyable, and its soundtrack was pretty decent. A few real hackers admitted to me they enjoyed the glamorization it gave them and didn't care that it all looked like silly gaming.
More to the point, teenage-closeted-bisexual-schoolgirl-me immediately developed a crush on Angelina Jolie in her cute brunette pixie cut and tight black leather. That alone makes this film re-watchable in 2018!
Hackers was silly and enjoyable, and its soundtrack was pretty decent. A few real hackers admitted to me they enjoyed the glamorization it gave them and didn't care that it all looked like silly gaming.
More to the point, teenage-closeted-bisexual-schoolgirl-me immediately developed a crush on Angelina Jolie in her cute brunette pixie cut and tight black leather. That alone makes this film re-watchable in 2018!
Girl, Interrupted
(1999)
Better than the Book
18 November 2018
Honestly, the fictionalized/ dramatized version of Susanna Kaysen's life was more entertaining and relatable than the real one. Someone warned me that would be the case, but I didn't believe her until I read Kaysen's book for myself.
As happy as I am that Kaysen succeeded and published her novel in real life, I think the movie script's characters had more depth and background than hers did. Maybe she had wanted to respect the privacy of real people's traumas & issues, even though she had changed the names, and Hollywood went wild with it in inventing their own? In any case, the cast is excellent, and the actors add their own depths and subtle mannerisms to the characters.
As an avid bibliophile who prefers most novels over their cinematic interpretations, I rarely EVER say that the film was better than the book it was loosely based upon. Unfortunately, that is the case here. (It still stings a little.)
As happy as I am that Kaysen succeeded and published her novel in real life, I think the movie script's characters had more depth and background than hers did. Maybe she had wanted to respect the privacy of real people's traumas & issues, even though she had changed the names, and Hollywood went wild with it in inventing their own? In any case, the cast is excellent, and the actors add their own depths and subtle mannerisms to the characters.
As an avid bibliophile who prefers most novels over their cinematic interpretations, I rarely EVER say that the film was better than the book it was loosely based upon. Unfortunately, that is the case here. (It still stings a little.)
Cruel Intentions
(1999)
Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault
30 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Besides the bad acting and bad script, there's one particularly "bad" scene which bothers me. Sebastian (Ryan Phillipe) makes Cecile (Selma Blair) a mixed alcoholic drink which she believes is plain iced tea, and she drinks it, although she comments that it tastes funny. He makes a sarcastic comment about Long Island (which goes right over her head), and he gets her drunk. Then he coerces her into oral sex by threatening to call her mom, saying she'll get in trouble (grounded, supposed to be home in bed), and reminding her that she "promised" to let him kiss her. (This is after the scene in which he asks her to take off her clothes for photos and she tells him no and zips up her shirt.)
She is clearly too drunk to consent to sex of any kind. Sebastian is sober and takes advantage. The next day, Cecile tells her "friend" that she feels uncomfortable about what happened. I'm not going to repeat what advice the "friend" (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) gave her.
Now, granted, this is a movie about two horrible people who play games with people. Still, the way this part is presented makes it sound like everything is fine and Sebastian's predatory actions were acceptable, because despite her reservations Cecile decides to pursue a sexual relationship with Sebastian in the days after that incident. "That time you put something in my drink and raped me" is never mentioned again.
She is clearly too drunk to consent to sex of any kind. Sebastian is sober and takes advantage. The next day, Cecile tells her "friend" that she feels uncomfortable about what happened. I'm not going to repeat what advice the "friend" (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) gave her.
Now, granted, this is a movie about two horrible people who play games with people. Still, the way this part is presented makes it sound like everything is fine and Sebastian's predatory actions were acceptable, because despite her reservations Cecile decides to pursue a sexual relationship with Sebastian in the days after that incident. "That time you put something in my drink and raped me" is never mentioned again.
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