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funkybassgirl
Reviews
Black Mirror: Demon 79 (2023)
It's an allegory about modern tech, actually
A lot of people are saying this isn't black mirror because it's a fantasy and not a haunting sci-fi that critiques modern culture.
It's both!
I see it as an allegory for algorithmic rabbit holes. Gorp represents the AI that can spoon feed you misinformation until you end up with unsettling, extremist views. The talisman represents our phones or other tech, and the demon speaks through it and tells you lies and shows you your worst fears to corrupt you.
In the end your world comes apart and all that is left for you is to spend oblivion alone with your personal AI
Also even though it appears that the demon was telling the truth in the end, he *could* show her whatever he wanted. The final scene could have been him creating another vision for her, and her eyes aren't cloudy because she's still in it. And it's a vision of a world where her only choice was to die or spend oblivion with him.
It Happened One Night (1934)
A feel good romcom
I'm just starting to appreciate the world of classic cinema and this film surprised me with how well written, directed, and acted it was. It won oscars for all four, after all!
Interesting how it almost didn't happen, aside from the script writer and director no one wanted to work on it. Gable was contractually obligated.
Any of the crews' disinterest doesn't show, however, as it is a joy to watch! I wonder why there was so much resistance, and if it evaporated once the cameras rolled.
Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015)
Basically a travel journal with a clumsy romance
A lot of reviews praise on how "real" this feels. Yes, it feels real in some ways, that it unfolds like a real date would unfold, but also the bad writing and clumsy acting continuously break that illusion.
The first twenty minutes of this is just them walking around Hong Kong asking each other about their backstories. Literally just backstory info-dump throughout this whole thing. Yes, the conversation is what you would really have on a real date, but you end up feeling third wheel. So fun.
The point of a story is to have something happen, and nothing really happens. The only decent thing that happens in this first segment is she is Chinese (though the actress is Korean?), and he is an American ex-pat, and he knows his way around the city better than her. They build on it a little bit when she keeps needing directions, and then when he finds a non-touristy bar to chill out in, but really this whole first 20 minutes is just about lazy info-dump.
Eventually, spoiler alert, it's revealed that he already has a girlfriend. Sorry, but this is probably the most cliché trope in cinema. "You're great... but I already have a girlfriend... but only if I had met you first!" Then they bump into each other on a ferry a year later, and then they both have S.O.s but go on an amazing errand adventure together to pick up some clothes from the trailer.
The writing is weak, and the acting is bad. The only redeeming quality is the cinematography makes great use of Hong Kong, and you learn a little about Hong Kong culture. Basically, it's a travel journal with a clumsy romance.