Reviews

To be honest it probably deserves a higher rating but this film just wasn't my cup of tea. It's about grotty teenage boys growing up somewhere in England and a young weasley kid who captures and trains an eagle. Then his brutal father figure does something tragic. In between there are lots of uncomfortable scenes of boys going through various rites of passage.

I saw this as part of Art Gallery of NSW's monthly film festival. An interesting curation of arthouse movies. The theatre was packed (probably cos it was free). The audience complained it needed subtitles because the Yorkshire accent was so heavy and mostly discernable. It didn't bother me because you could still get the gist of each character's sappy mood. And also reading the trivia afterwards it's hilarious that the misaphonious accent is part of the film's lore.

I get it, people are curious about sex but this so-called 'arthouse' movie is just so wrong on so many levels.

To be as objective as possible I will disclose that I am a writer and the first issue straight off the bat is this premise that a dead woman has had her unborn fetus' brain implanted inside her head.

I know science can be weird and implausible and this storyline borrows heavily from Frankenstein but there is a thing called A REALLY MESSED UP IDEA. We are basically asking the audience to accept the concept of butchering a woman's body who then 'blossoms' into a sex-a-holic. So we can think it's cute and laugh and stare at her. There's no dignity for her soul. Quasimodo had dignity, Edward Scissorhands had dignity, but here she has none.

The director asserts that it was 'important for the character that she did not feel embarrassed or ashamed'. The director is a pervert going by his other films where all the actresses get gratuiously naked. Nudity in itself is not shameful, but exploiting it is.

William Dafoe was in Body of Evidence with Madonna, Mark Ruffalo was in In The Cut, both erotic thrillers. Which is fine, just own it that you have some sort of weird fetish to be in these types of movies.

The ultimate question is: did the lead character of Bella Baxter really need to be implanted with a baby brain? If the storyline is already stretching the limits of believability, couldn't they have just brought the dead woman back to life and carry on as normal? Or is it wrong to show a fully grown mature woman enjoying sex with lots of random men, so they had to make her stupid and innocent to make her more 'appealing' to the audience?

I rest my case.

The talking heads technique in this episode involved 3 women giving motherhood statements in a cold, emotionless way.

The rest of the episode was very rushed with too many scenes of characters going back and forth to different countries to try and have some closure. The final airport scene was particularly very, very rushed and the husband basically didn't put up a fight to leave his insufferable wife behind.

There is already talk of a Season 2 but what ground there is left to cover I'm not quite sure.

A lot of reviewers are criticising the unlikeable characters but I don't think that's the main problem; they just seem rather dull and aimless. There's no poetry or conviction or anything remotely artistic about the way their stories have been told.

The director seems to push this idea of using jarring or awkward or bland shots such as mops propped against walls which, it turns out, doesn't symbolise anything at all or lead to any interesting revelations.

This episode had a lot of interesting threads but ultimately it just circled back to the same ugly conclusions we've known all along...the rich wives are incredibly self-absorbed, selfish and rude and will discard people that are no longer 'useful' to them, the rich kids are super whiny and annoying and Mercy is just one hella messed up, manipulative character. This episode is marketed as being focused mainly on the 'helpers' but it's not solely focused on them and still taints their value to society in terms of their 'usefulness'.

Also, way too much singing which got aggravating fast. They try to match the lyric to the action like 'oh look?! See what we did there?!'

I have watched and reviewed all 3 episodes so far. Episodes 1 was good, 2 & 3 were very average, but wow, episode 4 really knocks it out of the park. It is relentless and unforgiving. It reveals another side to all the characters that you honestly didn't expect. Not much happens action wise, but there is a much bigger payoff.

The sense of claustrophobia is created very well and the camera work and lighting really serves the story. Nicole Kidman and Brian Tee are great in this one. I enjoyed the storytelling between Hilary and her mother.

And of course the wonderful extras bring a sense of reality to the story.

Episode 2 tells a story but it's not a great story. Seeing a woman sitting on a toilet with her business unflushed and later engaging in a prolonged awkward sex scene where she forgoes an orgasm so her deadbeat husband can groan and squirm all over her is just...kinda gross. In episode 1 we saw his bare naked flaccid bum for no good reason at all.

If it were a story about couples doing ordinary poopy things then fine, but it's also expecting us to 'feel something' for the woman that loses her child in a busy marketplace. I'm not feeling that at all; the directorial choices are not leading up that objective; by the time it happens, it's just another event. I mean, when Tilda Swindon is randomly shoved in a scene (as herself, in episode 1) one is left thinking 'why?'.

I feel the director is trying to cover too many bases rather than making decisive choices about what serves the story, and doesn't. Sometimes you have to cull material that may be edgy (in another context / film) but isn't part of the composition you are trying to frame.

Granted, there are 3 narratives going on here but the main one feels overshadowed by the sex life of the minor characters. This is definitely not interesting nor engaging.

I really loved the trailer for this - amazing composition of music and montages. I think they gave away a bit too much of the story though. You already know what is going to happen before you start watching. There is a church scene immediately followed by a raunchy sex scene. The character of Mercy isn't really fleshed out (yet) and the dancing scene in the food joint feels contrived. Whenever Kidman does grief / laughter (in the same scene) she resorts to the same mannerisms. There is one line that she plays almost identical to Rabbit Hole. Still, she looks lovely and looking forward to episode 2.

Yes the premise is far-fetched and the plot sounds contrived and gender-agenda driven, but as a woman I found it wildly entertaining and totally engrossing. The love story between the terroist target's fiancé and the undercover Marine was complicated, thrilling, erotic and heartbreaking. I definitely wouldn't have been as interested in this series if it was yet another all-male-story set in a war zone. I think the writer did a good job of examining the heartbreaking decisions and consequences through a female lens. It was also good to see Nicole Kidman be actively assertive instead of her usual whispery self.

I was skeptical at first because I didn't know anything about Judy Garland nor that someone like Renee had the acting chops to pull it off, but boy, did she slay in this film. Although during the first half she had a lot of squinty mannerisms, her portrayal really grew on me, and I found myself immersed in the deep well of her emotions which were very relatable. I cried at the end - most unexpected!

I would say Renee totally deserved her Oscar for this - a much more worthy performance than Kidman in 'Being the Ricardos'. I feel like the writer / director of this film really wanted to do Judy justice.

A lot of people are criticising the second half of the film, saying it is slow paced and drawn out compared to part 1, but I really liked that contrast. It shows that no much how much privilege you have, the heart can still be restless and needs to find where it belongs. I think Dev is a very likeable actor even though he was miscast in this role; he looked unsure of himself in a lot of scenes and didn't resemble Saroo at all, physically or emotionally. It was like they shoe-horned a famous Indian actor and hoped the audience wouldn't notice. But the film is what it is so good on him for trying. I hope he finds the confidence to back himself on other projects because Hollywood has a tendency to move on to younger, more confident and bankable stars.

This is Nicole's best role when she was fresh and unaffected by fawning Hollywood directors that would later mould her into the deliberate actor she is today. When she acts now there is a painful awareness of what she's doing instead of reacting spontaneously in the moment. In this film though she's very believable with a range of expressions ranging from malice to manipulation and it really is a delight to watch. I do feel sorry for the victim of the real life case as murder is a horrible crime, but on a theatrical level this film about a narcissistic woman is very well made and is highly watchable.

This is an oddly-directed film that can feel a bit slow and boring at times but boy the payoff is good. I appreciated that this film wasn't pretentious with bombastic music (unlike Spencer) nor did we get a poor imitation of real life characters (as in Being the Ricardos). Some folks though might find the Italian accents a bit OTT and hard to follow. What shines here is Lady Gaga's portrayal of an ambitious, feisty woman whose heart is in the right place but will stop at nothing to make a name for herself as part of the Gucci brand and make that brand a success. I liked her here much more than A Star is Born which I absolutely hated.

Watched this twice, when it first came out in the theatres in 2016 and again in 2022. It really lingers on your mind whether the price of fame is worth it but what can I say, she really was a shining star.

We get it, Diana's life was full of twisted madness but you don't have to drag the audience through a screeching soundtrack that completely detracts from the story. Everything was contrived and as much as I want to admire Stewart for bravely taking on the role, she absolutely did not come across as warm or believable as Diana, just an older scowling, pissed off version of herself.

Also, for heaven's sake please check the continuity while making the film; the number plate on Diana's car as already pointed out in the goofs is a glaring error.

I find a lot of the themes relatable...growing up in a conservative, ethnic family that don't want to let the daughters do anything radical other than complete their studies, get married and have kids. I watched it this week (and listening to the soundtrack now in 2021) and still find myself laughing and crying all the way through. So much fun, and such a gift to young women everywhere who feel oppressed by their culture and their families.

The film opens with not very interesting people waffling on about some detail or some such about the life of Lucy. One character keeps saying over and over again: "You gotta understand...." which gets annoying fast.

I found Nicole's "funny" Lucy to not be funny at all; she pulls faces but nothing like the way Lucille Ball did it. It has nothing to do with cosmetic enhancements but actually the limited range of Nicole to really understand what makes comedy tick. She manages to make Lucille's on-stage Lucy seem very Barbie-doll like instead of the intelligent, impish, scheming wife with an expressive face like rubber (kind of like Jim Carey).

Nicole is a much more convincing as a serious actress and this is why her "serious" Lucy is getting rave reviews. She's good at hissing and demeaning the people around her without skipping a beat.

Javier Bardem apparently campaigned for the role of Desi and it painfully shows that he wants to be the "star" in all his scenes, throwing his weight around and slurring his accent until it became all too frustratingly unintelligible - I had to turn captions on to understand what he was saying.

The reason I'm giving it a solid 6 is because the final scene is kind of touching of what lengths a husband will go to to save his wife from the brink of disaster.

Other than that the film was sorely lacklustre.

The 1hr+ documentary on YouTube gives a far more fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of ILL and the tumultuous relationship between Lucille and Desi.

AHDN is just basically fan fiction about a day in the life of the fab four. Some bits are pretty goofy and well scripted (such as the scene of George being told he is not trendy enough by a marketing executive) but overall this movie is kind of a letdown. The grandfather kind of kills the spirit of the movie and far too much time is spent developing a plot around him. He's a drag, a well known drag, we turned the sound down to say rude things.

Maybe I'm being generous with my review but I'll to offer some insight into it: The movie is like a cheesy fan fic version of itself, pretty much everyone from the original comes back in some way plus a whole lot more. Definitely cruder than the first one (if that's even possible) with a lot of schmalzty romance and not-so-subtle political statements. Some of the jokes sound like they come from Eddie Murphy's stand up comedy gigs. Overall it lacks the surprise and charm of the first one and feels like a black version of an Adam Sandler movie.

I feel like casting Hugh Grant in this series is a cheeky throwback to his arrest in the 90s for sordid misconduct. While he plays the part well, the reason I am rating it on the lower end of the scale is because of the outdated plotline which has been done to death in the 80s ie loving, devoted, perfect husband is accused of infidelity and worse. It's packaged as a 'psychological thriller' but I don't think it quite overcomes the cliched storytelling. Too many scenes, including the ending, have been leaked online which basically ruins the surprise for everyone. I don't dispute the cast and crew wanted to do something 'groundbreaking', but having a female director does not elevate women to feeling empowered or inspired by this type of drama i.e. women are either hussies who get murdered or devoted wives who get cheated on.

Overall this film was very enjoyable and compelling to watch. There are some very powerful and uncomfortable scenes in this film which alone warrants the film at least 7/10. The reason it doesn't rate higher for me is because there are far too many characters introduced throughout the film which makes the narrative disjointed. It has that modern approach where characters talk really fast at each other expecting the viewer to just pick things up, when in actual fact it takes time for my brain to process the context of what they are talking about, by which stage they have breezed on to another character / situation. The questions at the end were quite pertinent and I certainly don't see anyone being 'let off the hook' in terms of their real life actions. As someone who has a HR background and who has had to put an entire organisation through mandatory harassment training (legally request by a court!) I'm shocked that such overtly inappropriate behaviour can even be conceivably sanctioned, let alone condoned by an entire cohort of intelligent women.

I rewatched Speed yesterday and still really enjoyed it even though quite a few things sounded dated or cheesy. At the time it came out it was a huge hit because the main leads had really good chemistry, so it didn't matter if the acting or dialogue was cheesy. Adding the civilians to it and getting them involved in the drama made it feel more suspenseful and the tension never wavers in this film, so it goes by surprisingly quick. Don't watch it if you're expecting Oscar worthy performances, just a good action flick to keep you entertained for rainy Sat.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this French film subtitled in English. The start was a bit slow going and I wasn't sure what the subject was about until I read up on it. About a third of the way through it starts to get really interesting and engaging. Based on a true story, this is about a fierce crusade led by a woman to hold a mega Pharma firm accountable for covering up the tragic effects of their drugs. Very engaging, though the scenes with the teenage kids did get pretty annoying. A solid 6.5/10.

This movie definitely pulls all the punches to be Oscar worthy - a prestigious cast, setting and Director to help give it an air of sophistication. If we are meant to feel compassion towards Russell Crowe's character because 'oh look he is a genius with a mental illness' then unfortunately I did not feel any empathy at all. The script is totally embellished which takes away its credibility. Also, most of what comes out of his mouth hardly warrants a title of 'A Beautiful Mind'. More like A Dirty Mind, a guy who just wants to get laid like everyone else. I didn't see the character doing anything special or significant that seemed 'beautiful' other than scrawling on his windowsill.

I love a solid thriller, this one did not disappoint. Robin Williams is chillingly convincing as the photo booth attendant who fantasizes about being part of the family whose photos he regularly develops. A few cliched twists and turns and contrived plot points is what stops this movie from being rated higher. But overall, enjoyable and not too gory.