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michellejcharter
Reviews
Don't Look Up (2021)
Was anything left on the cutting room floor?
Overall, I enjoyed the film. The casting was brilliant - I cannot fault DiCaprio or Lawrence. However, I feel the big problem with films which skip the box office and debut on streaming services is that they aren't ruthless enough in the cutting of unnecessary dialogue or scenes. This was almost 2 and a half hours long, and honestly could have been reduced by a good 45 minutes without the plot being effected. It has a strange blend of realism and farse, which creates a far more believable plot than most disaster movies. Overall 6/10: good but not sure I could sit through it again.
Hubie Halloween (2020)
A mixed bag
This would make for an enjoyable family Halloween film... If it weren't for the adult humour wedged in. The inappropriate t-shirts and repeat boner jokes, asides from not being funny, made it unsuitable for our 10 year old. A real shame, as otherwise it has lots of positives (not Adam Sandler's idiot persona which is very tired and pops up in far too many of his films).
The Oath (2018)
Genuine surprise
I wasn't expecting a great deal from this, but was pleasantly surprised. I liked the cast, and in truth this lured me in more than the storyline. I was genuinely entertained, and for a political comedy it did well. We reflected on the similarity to Brexit, and let's be honest, we need a film that adds humour to the political divide. I felt it could have been more couple-led rather than the main male lead, as actually Christina Milan could have been so much more than a supporting role - more akin to date night / game night / lovebirds in terms of equal leading roles. Overall, enjoyable and not at all predictable.
Noelle (2019)
A Christmas film to rival Elf
I loved this. It was a refreshing storyline and Anna Kendrick was superb. Very funny and invoked a year or two as well.
Blockers (2018)
Loved it
It's the classic tale of teen prom night sex pact, but rather than the story being focused on a bunch of lads desperate to lose their virginity, we follow a group of girls who have a refreshing, realistic female attitude towards sex. The misogyny of previous Teen Prom movies like American Pie is thankfully a distant memory. Roles are reinvented rather than stereotypical and for once, a lesbian storyline which isn't the result of some male fantasy. Seeing the story from the parents perspective as well as the kids made it a film adults could enjoy too, not just teens.
Hidden Figures (2016)
Exceptional
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The racial undertone was established from the start, and of course played a large part of the story. But these ladies were not only fighting being discriminated because of their race, but equally their gender. And these women were exceptional. Unfortunately, as this movie shows, a woman must be *exceptional* in order to attain the same respect and recognition as her male counterparts. They had to outperform the men, in order to be seen as equal. And I cheered at every single victory. Sadly, it takes a white male of power and standing to instigate change - we see Katherine in particular proving her worth and Al realising he was able to remove some of the obstacles in her way, and you're really given the impression that many under him are not of the same opinion. In our current climate where issues of racism and sexism are threatening to resurface and progress to be reversed, this film highlights exactly how hard it was to achieve the progress in the first place.
Overall, a fantastic story which highlights the contribution of black women to NASA and the space race, who are utterly overlooked in every film about this era of NASA that I'm aware of. Women are not just secondary characters in history, not should they be in films.