I was skeptical about a second season, and in the end I remain unconvinced that this season was needed. It was entertaining, the acting was great, it was nice to see into their lives again but ultimately this season shouldn’t have existed.
I just feel like season 2 was just some kind of add-on that doesn’t contribute much to the story, instead of exploring the lie they decide to do a season of Mary-Louise trying to steal Celeste’s kids that in the end leads nowhere. A lot of the writing felt a lot less subtle, and plot points seemed to disappear pretty quickly (like Abigail deciding not to go to college, detective Quinlan, Jane’s boyfriend getting questioned.
I liked Ed/Madeline renewing their vows, I just wish she would have told Ed the truth about what happened the night at the party before they did it. The Bonnie situation was a bit drug out, I get the point of its inclusion, but a whole season of it made it kind of repetitive after a while, and I just couldn’t muster the will to care about that plotline.
Realism was a big problem this season. The courtroom scenes were absurd. The ladies heading into the police station to presumably confess their crimes made absolutely no sense given the trajectory of the season. Celeste just added a new hurdle to keeping her kids.
I am disappointed with this movie. I had such high expectations. There were many gaps in portraying the story. I am very familiar with the British history so I was able to fill in the gaps. But I was with my teenage daughter and she got lost in the story. First of all, there was no explanation as to why the religion mattered. Second, many stories were rushed, no detail provided while some other stories/parts dragged. And as I watched the scene when Elizabeth and Mary met for the first time I realized that this whole movie is about women empowerment. The way the story was told, the focus was on the strength and power of the women (mostly Mary). I don't like how Elizabeth was portrayed as a weak and insecure woman. Actually, the truth was quite the opposite - she was strong and smart woman. She knew what she wanted. She never married because she knew that she would lose power the moment she tied the knot. This is what ultimately brought Mary's demise.
If the focus of the movie was telling the story rather than making a point, the result would have been much better movie. Right now the movie lacks a seamless story telling. What a waste of good actors. And btw, I think they overdid it with Elizabeth's make up.
"Call her Nichole."
And just like that, my pathetic bitch ass is back on the June/Serena train. No regrets.
I could write a 1,000-word review of this episode and I still don't think I would cover everything. So, I'll try to list some of the things that absolutely blew my mind:
Aunt Lydia getting wrecked by Emily. Of course it's what she deserved, but it was brutal as fuck. Alexis Bledel's acting was everything. That initial rush of adrenaline followed by absolute terror and panic. So good.
How many more times is Serena going to allow Gilead to crush her before she finally rebels? I think she's near her breaking point. Give me the June/Serena team-up I deserve in season 3, you cowards. The way she gave up the child she'd wanted for so long so Nichole could have a better life was beautiful. Yvonne Strahovski, man.
Emily's getting out! Lawrence, you are officially my favorite man on the show (not that there's a lot of options there). I want to see her find her wife and son. I'm going to cry so much when that happens, I already know it.
So Marthas seem to have some kind of a secret operation going on, huh? That's gonna be interesting to explore.
I knew June would stay in Gilead. She needs to get Hannah out too, she can't just leave her behind. The last 10 minutes of the episode made me very emotional. Some good writing and even better acting in there.
What an excellent season finale. I have to say, I was afraid there would be a decline in quality in season 2 seeing as they were going beyond the events of the book, but that was certainly not the case. I liked this season more than the first one. Now, please give Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski and Alexis Bledel (The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit of acting on this show) Emmys and I'll be happy. I absolutely cannot wait for season 3.
Goddammit, I don't even know what to think anymore. That last scene was pure and good and gentle, but at the same time I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of the horrible taste that the rape scene from 2 episodes ago left in my mouth. I keep going back and forth between wanting to kill Serena my damn self and feeling for her. This twisted dynamic between her and June evokes all kinds of mixed emotions. And I'm getting tired of the two steps forward, one step back thing which has been prevalent in Serena's arc this season. She needs to pick a side already. You're either holding a woman down while your husband rapes her or you're crying your eyes out and letting her nurse her child. You can't have both.
Eden, you poor, poor thing. I'm sorry, but this is all Nick's fault. She was a 15-year-old kid who was indoctrinated into thinking that her sole purpose in life was to bear children and be a good wife. If he had thought to be a little nicer and more empathetic towards her instead of acting like a moody teenager (which is ironic, considering she was the only actual teenager in that mess), maybe she wouldn't have fallen for the first dude who showed the slightest interest in what she was doing. I'm so sad for her, but also really angry. She didn't deserve this.
Shoutout to Elisabeth Moss for yet another masterclass in acting. The way her eyes go dead whenever Waterford is in her general vicinity is awe-inspiring.
I'm a slut for any and all Emily content, so I absolutely loved seeing her in more than one scene in this episode. This whole storyline is so interesting and it's a shame that we're getting it so late in the season. I was holding my breath throughout her whole conversation with Lawrence. What does he want from her? Is what his wife said true? So many questions, so little time to answer them!
wow. thist was unexpected. this movie is greaT!!!. if you love oceans and have nothing against women. then youre gonna have a blast.
it manages not to be a re-hash of the original. it REMINDS you of the original. and adds its feminist touch.
the performances are mostly great. and rihanna of alll people.... believable performances!!!
the presentation cinematography. all top notch.
there is an ocean tag on the movie. so yes. there will be some automatic comparisons with the movie. and it just barely does not live up to the original. but its right there.
what it lacks is a bit chemistry. and some of the lovely ladies are underused. mindy kaling especially. she is underused!! . could have been better. but wont dissapoint for sure. im going to see o11,12,13 all over again now.
there was also a tiny issue where it just seemed weird that danny ocean(george clooney) is dead and now her sister is mourning her. the thing is she is added later in writing and its difficult to believe it and u simply miss george clooney
there are some genuine twists of the "oceans" standard. it will be like . HAHA GOTCHA. its cute. and you can just have fun in that.
will repeat, all performances are superb and movie is watchable alone for that. the writing is smart. music is perfect.
hate to bring up that movie. but this is not a Ghostbusters 2016 nonsense which ive read somewhere. this is a great movie. and ghostbusters 2016 was a disaster.
please go watch in theatres!! we need to support such films with ensemble cast and fun themes. ocean's 9!!!
Sorry Angelina, you're in the past now.
Alicia Vikander is phenomenal in this movie, and I appreciate the italian version of the movie for not dubbing her "screams" and "moans" because they are fantastic and add to an already adrenaline pumping movie.
The movie is the same as the first reboot game on the "next" gen, personally I did not play it, but I did play the second one and if they are going to make the next movie the same as the game, it's gonna be even greater!
This cinematic reboot is a rollercoaster. Lara's ability to come out of situation is always a bittersweet taste of disbelief that makes you love it even more. But, in this movie they took a nice step back to her and so we get to see a more inexperienced Lara. Because of this, every failed step doesn't look... "fake" as it did (in my opinion) with the original Jolie movies where she was a badass from starters, feared and known by everyone and still went on about and made stupid mistakes which didn't make sense really.
I gotta say that if you let yourself be immersed, the suspense in some of the scenes is thick and palpable. The line between mythos and reality is thin, but it develops perfectly near the end without resulting boring or monotonous.
Regarding every other aspect of cinematography: I have to say, some of the CGI felt a bit cheap, but usually is surmounted by the amount of action the movie delivers, sound editing and engineering was on point, note that there aren't really big, romatic or thought-provoking photografical shots, but it's to be expected in an action movie.
Alicia Vikander is perfect for the role. I absolutely loved her for the entire runtime and she honestly kept my interest up entirely on her own.
I don't know if Square Enix is to be thanked for the level of quality and "textuality" of who Lara Croft is and what Tomb Raider is about, but I think it's a safe bet and I hope it stays this way.
Please if you have the choice, watch the movie in english, it might sound creepy or weird, but Alicia's screams are fuckin fire in this movie, it gives depth and dignity to the struggle of a character that is supposed to be strong.
Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan was just a fabulous experience. I definitely enjoyed the movie quite a bit from start to finish, and usually war movies aren't really my cup of tea (at least not anymore). However, cinematically, the entire movie is just a masterpiece. As a big movie buff, I could appreciate how meticulously crafted the whole movie was. It's so hard to create a movie like this within this genre while trying to remain "minimal", but Christopher Nolan accomplishes it in every sense of the word.
He seamlessly interweaves 3-4 different plot narratives/timelines, while using minimal amounts of exposition. He gives the viewer such a sense of a looming and foreboding threat, while never even having a Nazi soldier on screen at any time. He tells us "so much with so little" and allows the viewer to take in the conflict of each situation (and there are a lot of them) rather than point it all out to us. In that sense, you really feel like you're getting into the mind of each one of the soldiers/main characters when they are contemplating some very crucial decisions that literally determine life and death, for not just them, but many other men as well.
Nolan gives us continued development, closure and solid endings in each one of the tiny subplots that he sets off from the beginning. It's definitely a joy seeing how all the different plotlines intermingle with each other at the end especially with the civilian aspect added in. And, most importantly, he accomplishes all this in less than 2 hours (and by a damn good margin as well).
If you appreciate amazing direction, cinematography, and vision within a movie, this will be an absolute joy. It could definitely get Christopher Nolan that elusive Best Director Oscar come Academy Award season. I watched Dunkirk in 70mm, but, honestly, I couldn't really tell the difference, especially without being able to do a side-by-side comparison to a regular version. Overall, it didn't seem too different from the usual XD or IMAX type presentation at my local big theater. Still, the movie is a visual treat lending heavily to more practical effects that gives a nice sense of realism to it all.
Anyways, this gets a solid 9/10 from me, coming from a war movie curmudgeon. Watch it, and you won't regret it.
It's so refreshing to see things from a different perspective. I believe it's even more interesting now that we see the version of a real couple with their real struggles instead of the versions of lovebirds. I paid attention to everything I could knowing how things can change from one's perspective. Helen's a really dark one. Noah's still playing hero on his head, as when he was so worried about his son's stomachache (in Helen's version it wasn't even commented) and when he shows up to the mediation meeting with a nosebleed (in Helen's version he was just fine). A few other things are interesting and differ a bit more than they usually do (as when Helen goes to the police station bringing Noah a good lawyer and when on Helen's version both Noah and the mediator sit in front of her - and the camera shots intend to show how confronted and alone she is in this).
It was definitely one of the show's best episodes so far. MUCH MORE MATURE than season one. Much darker as well. I'm really hoping next week we get to see Allison's Vs. Cole's version! For those thinking you can't really tell a long story about an affair, that was a good slap in the face.
