A movie meant to be fun and silly. It achieves the goal perfectly, an excellent option for when you just want to enjoy something without thinking.
"Will they kill me, do you think?"
Don't go into 'Spencer' expecting an ordinary little biopic about Princess Diana. Nope, this is a straight up psychological art house horror thriller. 'Spencer' brilliantly captures the feeling of dread in an isolated foreign space surround by strangers. The royal family themselves are freaking creepy, always watching, always judging.
I must be honest, I wasn't a big fan of Kristen Stewart's recent work, as it never wowed me, and I wasn't convinced that she's improved since Twilight. But man, she's fantastic in this movie and it's one of her best performances to date. Stewart manages to portray Princess Diana in a new light that we haven't really seen before. In my opinion, her other movies failed to show her versatility as an actor, where I fully believe this movie did her justice. I'm just glad this movie won me over.
On the other hand, Timothy Spall is excellent in this movie, and another stand out performance. If you are aware of Spall as an actor, then this isn't surprising news, but I feel it needs repeating. I found him very eerie and overbearing. He plays a man with an eagle eye; he watches everything and everyone in the royal family at Sandringham House.
The major thing that this movie made me realise is that in Diana's life it's the people that kept her mentally and emotionally grounded. Her two sons, her assistant (Sally Hawkins, who is very good in the small scenes she has), and the chef played by Sean Harris, who is someone you would not think of being important.
Sean Harris is a very underrated actor that I wished people talked about more. Harris is known for playing sinister roles, but here I thought he was really sweet and shows a softer side. He's got an interesting sounding voice as well. Jack Farthing as Prince Charles does a great job playing a slimy over-privileged **** Stella Gonet as the Queen who I found really unsettling, especially her dagger eyes.
There's one scene at the dinner table with the other royal family that is one of the most intense things ever. It was anxiety level stress that made my heart racing. All thanks to Pablo Larraín claustrophobic and unique directing. Complimented by Johnny Greenwood's atmospheric, free flowing and tense score.
While I know that certain elements of the movie are fiction, but then again, the movie begins with a title card "based on a tragic fable" and I feel like the movie is playing into the nightmarish fair tale of an iconic figure in history. Diana's life in royalty was no fairy tale, but a Brothers Grimm tale.
Overall rating: The movie has metaphors to ghost, ghost of the past, ghost of old tradition. People who follow tradition isn't too kind to rarity. Great movie.
Series Review
I'm tired.
Maybe I'm too critical, or perhaps I should give up on the MCU? The MCU fatigue is real this time, and it's getting old. No, this series isn't bad, and neither was WandaVision. But with each new MCU release, the more I'm pushed to the brink. I used to love this franchise, can you believe it? I loved all the movies, and I gave my money to the box office as reluctantly as any other MCU stan. Now, I'm tired. I'm tired of the same old stories, with their important messages, but poor storytelling.
Falcon begins by giving up the shield to the Smithsonian (museum), unknowingly handing the Captain America mantle to Walker. After Walker snaps, he reconsiders his decision. So, he talks to Isaiah Bradley (a black Super Soldier who the government rejected as Captain America), who tells him he won't make it, and becomes Captain America soon after. Was there any revelation here? What did Sam learn? He just went through a training montage, and then he was ready. What a relatable challenge that he went through that I can apply to real life! I just gotta ignore the haters, ya'll!
In some of these movies, the "character arcs" go like this: I want to do this, I face opposition, the opposition turns out to be wrong because..., I'm right, and I win. No one learns anything; all it says is that you're always right, and people who tell you otherwise are wrong. That's an empowering message, but has Marvel's writers stopped to consider that their audience might be the villains instead of the heroes; what if they're the opposition, and they're just wrong, instead of the heroes who are always right?
But this show does a lot I admire; a darker, grittier tone, better action (than some recent stuff), important themes and attempts at character arcs/development. Whew, I'm still tired, though.
As Cosmonaut Marcus writes,
"It was whatever." — Cosmonaut Marcus (https://twitter.com/CosmonautMarcus/status/1385534378239987712)
SCORE: 6/10
Never thought I'd see Lucifer and Ella strutting butt naked into a nudist resort, but first time for everything I guess.
Dan seriously needs to fuck off. All he's done so far this season is mop around and be an asshole to everyone. He needs to stop blaming Lucifer for Charlotte's death. And he's seriously mad that an unarmed police consultant (whose supernatural powers Dan isn't aware of) let an armed murderer and human trafficker go? Nah, son. Get out of here with this shit.
Maze just made me cry in this episode. Remember what she was like in the pilot? She's changed so much since then and I love it.
So Lucifer is back to embracing his devil side. Eve is a bad influence on him and I'm sure it's not gonna end well.
When I heard Doctor Who was doing an episode about Rosa Parks, my first reaction was 'huh?". One, because I didn't expect a British show to tackle such a crucial piece of the American history. And two, because I was afraid that they wouldn't do it justice. It's such a delicate subject matter and they really needed to find the perfect balance for it not to be a complete failure.
And find the perfect balance they did.
I mean, I'm a white girl living in Poland, so far be it from me to claim to be an expert when it comes to the Civil Rights Movement. I'm absolutely not. But I thought this episode was amazing. The actress who played Rosa did a phenomenal job. And I'm pretty sure I held my breath for like 5 minutes at the end there. The moment the Doctor realized that they had to stay on the bus and watch, unable to help because they needed to keep history intact... It was devastating. But Rosa's choice felt absolutely triumphant. I love that we got to see her receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And what a lovely ending with the asteroid.
Jodie really nailed it once again, especially the more intense moments. I loved both her conversations with the other time traveler (whose name I didn't catch because my ears suck and there are no subtitles yet). I can't be the only one who saw a bit of Twelve shining through. The editing, with the quick cuts between the two characters and the (sometimes extreme) close-ups, made those scenes feel very dynamic and intimate. I also adore her facial expressions. Her face does all kinds of crazy things and it's so completely Doctor-ish. When Graham put his arm around her shoulders at the motel and she scrunched up her nose in disgust... I am head over heels in love with this woman.
"- You ain't Banksy!
- Or am I?"
I can't believe I stan this absolute nerd.
All three companions played a big role, which I'm very happy about. We saw a bit more development from Yaz - a lot of people complained that she didn't bring as much to the table as Graham or Ryan in the previous two episodes. I think she really shone here. I also love that Ryan just vaporized the antagonist without hesitation. Good stuff. And I'm glad they haven't magically forgotten about Grace and she still gets mentioned a bunch. It is a very fresh tragedy, after all.
This was hands down the best episode of the season so far and it's probably gonna be remembered as one of the most iconic stories of the entire show. I hope we can keep this up. It looks like next week the Doctor is finally gonna get her gang home and they're gonna be fighting some good old-fashioned space spiders. Which means a ton of dumb fun. Hey, I'm not complaining. We need episodes like that too. But "Rosa" was excellent on all fronts and I'm definitely gonna have to watch it again.
This episode is so important. For this show alone it proves that this show is doing important things for not only the LGBT community, but the world. I’m a sobbing mess.
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK
A lot of shade, a lot of drama, some very beautiful looks, and finding out Valentina is a sociopath - not an insult, just a fact.
Kid traveling from the future to meet her parents before she's born is such a classic fanfic trope. I'm into it. The scenes with Chloe, Lucifer and Rory were a lot of fun. Rory is definitely her father's daughter. But my favorite part of the episode was Rory running into Maze, Eve and Amenadiel. That was pure comedic gold. I loved the trio's increasingly panicked speculation about the future and the reveal that Rory was messing with them all along. Time travel being Rory's angel power is a plausible enough explanation for her presence.
Chloe and Lucifer smashing the shit out of each other (and not in the way you think) was definitely... interesting. Did not see that coming, even though I noticed Chloe's growing obsession with her super strength. Chloe's breakdown afterwards was beautifully acted by Lauren.
Chloe and Dan's conversation brought a tear or two to my eyes. Absolutely lovely.
Ella knows! Or at least suspects. Fucking hell, this took forever. It's so cool that she's figuring it out all on her own like the smart cookie that she is. Should've happened a couple seasons ago though.
What an episode. The music, the cinematography, the acting (especially the performance from the actor of young Philip). Just brilliant!
Yes, another episode that focuses on Vanessa Kirby. I’m always happy when she gets more screentime.
How could I forget this exchange:
CAS: "No. Through there it's Earth, but...but different."
SAM: "so, it's a bizarro world? Or, like that place we got zapped to wherever were, uh, actors on a TV show."
DEAN: "Oh, yeah. the Supernatural wasn't real."
SAM: "Yeah."
DEAN: "And you were Polish."
SAM: "Right."
I seriously loved that exchange, especially the "and you were Polish" remark.
I don't know what to say other than: KATHRYN HAHN BEST GIRL :purple_heart:
[8.8/10] There’s a funny thing about these updated, transmogrified Shakespeare adaptations like 10 Things I Hate About You. If you didn’t know better, you could call the plots convoluted. There is a complicated web of relationships and deceptions, to the point that you practically need a diagram to explain it properly.
In short, Michael helps his friend Cameron woo Bianca by convincing Joey to pay Patrick to date Kat, because Bianca, per her father Mr. Stratford, cannot date until Kat does. With me? Well then, it turns out that Kat dated Joey, and after Bianca picks Cameron over Joey, Joey picks Bianca’s friend Chastity, while Michael pursues Kat’s friend Mandella, as Kat and Patrick’s tempestuous relationship takes root.
It’s a little dizzying, and yet the complex string of friends and enemies and relationships that tow the line between put-ons and genuine affection track nigh-perfectly into the high school setting. Despite the dense qualities of that big ball of string’s worth of plot threads, the complicated social structures and intersecting circles of high school make for the perfect way to realizes The Bard’s comedies in the modern day.
But 10 things is more than just a transmogrified version of The Taming of the Shrew. It also a charming tale that captures the heart and hazards of adolescence at the same time it exaggerates them for comic effect. What’s most impressive about the film is how it has its cake and eats it too on that front. There are goofy beats and subplots that only happen in teen movies, like unexpected party scenes and famous bands showing up to play contemporary (hopefully) chart-topping hits for the soundtrack.
But amid that broader material, there is a real examination of what it is to play up or down to expectation, a theme present in the work that inspired 10 Things, but which is given new life in the guise of the teenagers who are at that point in the fraught process of growing up where they’re deciding who and what they want to be, in love and in life. The gross wager that turns into real love is a hoary trope (see also: fellow 1990s borrower She’s All That) but by rooting the romance at the core of the film in two people who embrace a thorny image and find the hidden depths behind the prickers in one another, the film does justice to its source material and resonates with a target audience trying to figure out which parts of who they are malleable, which parts are non-negotiable, and which parts are fit to be broadcast to the rest of the world (or at least, the relevant social circles)>
It is also just damn charming. The film is full of quotable lines and crackerjack exchanges between characters. The cutting aside is wielded well and often, and side characters like teachers (including the great Allison Janney) and parents (Larry Miller, who nails both comedy and emotion as Mr. Stratford) provide a backdrop of colorful characters for the main story to flourish in. The writing stands out in 10 Things not just for the amusing lines which liven some otherwise familiar teen material, but for the way it allows the film to, in true Shakespeare form, shift tones into more serious material when it needs to.
The same goes for the characters. Kat shoots off the best zingers in the movie, and with her rebellious attitude and literary bent, it would be easy to turn her into a one-dimensional avatar rather than a character. Instead, the film roots her perspective and demeanor in an experience with Joey that gives form to her concerns of Bianca following in her footsteps, and gives just enough context to her mom leaving to make the crisis of conscience and turning point understandable.
By the same token, Bianca could easily be a generic popular girl, and in fairness, at certain points of the film, she is. But she too has a simple but meaningful arc of playing to expectations only to realize that she doesn’t necessarily like what that gets her, and it allows the two sisters to grow in their understanding of one another in strong scenes that deepen their relationship.
The objects of their affection receive a bit of shading as well. The reveal that Patrick, who puts on a gruff exterior and bears the reputation derived from many humorous urban legends about him, is not as wild as he seems is, perhaps, a predictable one. But he gains strength from the way that he and Kat see bits of themselves in one another, Cameron is a bit flatter, learning a trite if endearingly-put lesson about not accepting the notion that he doesn’t deserve what he wants, but there’s enough there to give ballast to the enjoyable-if-disposable teen romp elements.
Even Mr. Stratford, who is arguably the most outsized major character in the film, gets a bit of shading. While he spits out awkward-sounding nineties slang and is comically overprotective and paranoid of his daughters getting pregnant, the film balances that with a subtext to his insecurities about Kat leaving for Sarah Lawrence. There is a Daria-like quality to the film’s ability to poke fun at the parent-child relationship, but also find the sweetness and sincerity in it.
That’s what makes 10 Things more than the sum of its byzantine bets and love triangles. Some twists are convenient, some gestures a little too big to work anywhere but on the silver screen, and some bits of forgiveness come a little too easy. Still, the film keeps its plot, humor, and drama working in sync, where one scene can make you chuckle, the next will let you get to know a character a little better, and the one after will tug at your heartstrings, just a little bit.
The oh-so-nineties soundtrack immediately places in the film at a specific moment in time, but it speaks to the relatable qualities of that quest to figure out both who you are, and who’ll accept you for who you are, that feel like life and death for all seventeen-year-olds. 10 Things is a touchstone for those who grew up with it, both for the quips and clever asides that let the film crackle, and for the notion of young men and women, cutting through pretension and presentation, and finding something true beneath it, in themselves and in the people they love.
For a Steven Spielberg film starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks... Boring.
It should be noted that the show had to cut 2 episodes worth of content from the original 10 episodes order due to dissatisfaction with the materal produced, so if this episode feels not satisfying enough for a season finale... well, now you know why.
I enjoyed this episode a lot and made me realize Israel and Palestine was not the first time that British Empire made a massive mess, the fact that this is what led to the present is heartbreaking.
I also love how this episode villain turns out not to be the alien but instead bigotry and xenophobia. It's tragic and definitely by far best episode I've seen of this season. The speech that the boyfriend makes could very well be spoken in modern America.
Wonderfully animated, funny take on the Batman universe with characters you expect to see and many you don't, hello Jaws! A lot of the jokes will fly over kids heads but the constant bombardment of wisecracks means this doesn't matter. It seems the Lego movies will run and run (on tiny blocky legs) if they match the quality of this film, where everything is indeed awesome.*
You know that feeling when you see a new movie and you feel you have seen everything before?!?
Well...The Secret Life of Pets gives me that feeling in spades. It's not that it looks or sounds bad, it's not that characters aren't funny, but everything feels so damn uninspired...
The voices are the worst offender. Everything sounds the same, and you get the feeling the voice actors were very bored when doing this movie.
The animation gets a pass as it's not bad, but there's a whole lot of movies out there at the moment that does things better.
The story isn't all that good, but at least it wasn't all that boring. I actually laughed out loud at a couple of gags. The thing is...I've seen most of the gags in other movies.
I can't really recommend this one, but if you have someone around you that wants to see it, you won't die from watching it...
Not as funny as it could have been perhaps, and the script needed a little work in parts. Still, Ferrell brings his all to the part, and so does McAdams as his sist...singing partner. I had a smile on my face most of the way through, so I happily recommend it to fans of Ferrell and the actual Eurovision contest alike.
Probably should have just made it a Disney Plus series. Movies try to fit too many books into one film.
Though, you’re better off just listening to the Richard Roeper review. This movie really isn’t deserving of only 14% good reviews.
It is nice to get a Summer movie at home. Artemis Fowl isn’t as magical as a Harry Potter movie. It is a nice present to enjoy at home. When you can’t go to theaters though.
I can’t say Artemis Fowl is bad or as bad as a movie that has gotten 14% good reviews. There’s more story than a Bayforners film.
If you think about it, what classic Fantasy from the 80’s did critics actually like ? So why listen to people who hated the Labyrinth, Return to Oz, Willow, The Neverending Story....
Artemis isn’t as memorable as any movie I just mentioned. However it has some charm and better than a weaker Disney Fantasy, A Wrinkle in Time.
Performances wise. Josh Gad and
Lara McDonnell are the only ones who stand out. Well, not just because Gad borrowed Hagrid’s look. Lara McDonnell makes a charming fairy.
Ferdia Shaw is the least interesting and he is Artemis. Since I wasn’t sure if he was actually trying or not. He also doesn’t really get much to do.
This show is so fucking weird and I'm so here for it.
Wow, Antony Armstrong-Jones is a busy man. The idea of handling all these affairs simultaneously stresses me out.
God, I love this show! What an episode: entertaining, funny as hell, bonding and sweet. And finally we got to see Luci doing something supernatural like getting shot and surviving. I've really missed this in last episodes.
"I thought since I'll never likely penetrate you, I'd commemorate the one time you penetrated me", lmao. That was absolutely brilliant.
I loved the flashbacks with Candy and how they just befriended so quickly. I loved the "Candy Morningstar" episode but knowing what happened in Las Vegas before just made me realized how meaningful that episode was.
The ending scene with everyone passed out in the penthouse was great. Btw, Dan's random and casual appearance with a drill was so good. He's a sweetheart. The bonding between Chloe and Luci is lovely. I loved the scene about lying when Chloe was in bed. It was great to see Lucifer being so honest. That hug at the end.
Chloe imitating Lucifer's accent was so good, lmao. "I'm Lucifer Morningstar. I can play the piano and I'm a fancy British man", lol.
We got Lucifer singing again! Nothing will ever top his version of Sinnerman but I loved it. Tom Ellis' voice is just glory.
Hamlet! And love, Will? Lol. I really really loved it. And that Hitler comment, that was great.
Ella's t-shirt! I want it! I loved to see her working with Lucifer on a case. Although her backstory in Vegas was kind of obvious to me, I did enjoy it. And what's up with the voices she hears? Does she have schizophrenia or something? It's definitely a red herring but what if those voices are addressing to a previous life? Or what if she's an angel and she doesn't realize? Let's see.
Anyways, enjoyable episode even though it wasn't connected to this season's plot.
Holy Mother of... That cliffhanger! Oh my God! His wings!!! I can't believe it. that ending confused the fuck out of me. So many things happened in the episode. The wings, that desert, and mom's in an alternate universe. Let's Supernatural this, boys!
as much as I want Chloe to know who Lucifer really is, I swear I had the goosebumps when he was talking to her on the phone. he wanted to spill the beans! But then Lucifer gets hit from behind and is driven to a whatever the fuck was that place, gets hit by who knows and his wings appear. mother of all cliffhangers. I need answers so desperately. Oh my God, when he comes back,every single time he takes his shirt of (not that it matters to me wink) his wings are gonna come off. How do you hide it? And who has the power to get his wings back? God, probably. Plus, that someone knocked him out when Chloe wasn't even there so it has to be God, right? Or Michael? Although I always thought Amenadiel was the version of Michael. Maybe he got his wings back because he was a good son and taking care of mom? Not entirely sure why he was just drying in the dessert, though. Lots of unanswered questions.
And that tear in reality looked exactly like the one we saw in Supernatural, just saying. Loved also the possibility of Mom ruling Hell, like wtf.
Even when Lucifer is covered in blister and beaten the hell up, those wings make him even sexier.
Now that I think of it, what if that scene was a flashback of when he first fell from Heaven? Although he landed on a beach and not the dessert.
I loved that Charlotte is still alive. I loved the actress, though I hated mom. But I loved her performance. Dan is a sweetheart and no one will convince me otherwise. And my poor Linda. Ufff, thank God she's ok. I couldn't handle her getting killed off. Maze is absolutely awesome and seeing Amenadiel happy makes me happy. So I guess both the wings and Amenadiel's powers coming back were a gift of God for doing the righteous thing.
I was surprised how much I liked this movie! I thought "Alice in Wonderland" was a weird, nearly incoherent movie. But "Through the Looking Glass" actually has a plot that you can follow the ENTIRE way through, and it's a fairly entertaining story involving regret, time-travel and family relationships. A lot of chuckle-worthy moments spread throughout, and it's great to hear Alan Rickman's voice one last time in a film.
I recommend this movie much more highly than the first Alice (perhaps due to the fact that Tim Burton is only a producer & not the director this time). It's family-friendly and visually impressive. And in my opinion, it's worth the extra $$ to see it in 3D for the time traveling sequences alone.
This was such an "aca-disappointment"!
If you came back for the laughs, the sassy characters, the anti-stereotypes and the music, be prepared to be completely disappointed.
The plot is a mess: you'd think it will actually have anything to do with Pitch Perfect 1 and 2, but it doesn't. Sure, it could be because the Bellas are now graduated working women going near their 30s, but this isn't the reason. The reason is that this movie has very little to do with singing in general, songs (which are now full covers and not cleverly mixed songs) being just a sad garnishment for a plot that doesn't know where the focus should be. Oh, you think the main thing about the movie is a-capella vs instruments? Nope, it isn't. Oh, wait, could it be that this movie is about the Bellas moving on from their a-capella group? Well, it could have been, if only the entire plot wasn't taken over by Fat Amy's evil dad!
Pitch Perfect 3 is full of moments that show the movie is clearly set in an alternate reality where everyone hates a-capella groups (or at least the Bellas), as they are considered worse than a full-instruments band by default. Also what is the point of introducing like three bands that should compete against each other for DJ Khaled's attention (he is considered a good musician in this alt. universe, I know right?!) if you are not gonna show them actually COMPETING?
I'm not trying to say that the whole Fat Amy revealing herself to be the tough daughter of an evil mastermind wasn't funny! It was, and so was that sort of Taken parody fight between Fat Amy and his dad's goons on the yacht, but it felt too much like I was being sidetracked by the main focus (or at least what have should have been) of the movie: the competition!
Oh, and soooo many wtf moments and weird dialogues...
A franchise ruined forever and totally not worth watching!
Feel like the material is really too much for a movie, even it's a 2h40 movie. It would be much better suited for a 6 or 8 episodes limited series. Like American Crime Story: Assassination of Versace. But I guess you can't call it American Crime story since it's happened in Italy.
Even it's a long movie, you can feel many places are kinda rushed.
In general, I enjoyed it, the story itself is fascinating, and the cast is amazing. Gaga is on fire, with her many golden lines. My favorite one was when she consoled Paola and asked her staff to get her out of her place right away. :joy: Savage!!! But i'm also quite disappointed the movie didn't include Patrizia's most famous quote "It's better to cry in Rolls Royce than to be happy on a bicycle."
Just got back from seeing the new Tomb Raider. Not bad. Solid action albeit nothing too original going on here. Alicia Vikander was a pretty good Lara Croft, and I actually liked the way she developed in this one from the newbie that constantly gets 'owned' to the badass dual-gun tottin' lady at the end. As for the movie itself, there is fun action, some ancient "riddles", and a little bit of the "supernatural" thrown in. It was basically an update on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (like almost verbatim with the formula minus Nazis), plus some National Treasure bits thrown in. A tried and true plot line, but not groundbreaking.
While I wasn't the biggest fan of the "bad guy" played by Goggins in terms of his intimidation factor, I thought that they did a real good job on making his motivations quite real and believable. He's not out to destroy the world or conquer everything. He just wants to get this thing over with, find/give the weapon to his evil organization, and go back home to his family. Not bad. You could really feel his desperation in everyone of his scenes. As for the other characters, I didn't really like the incorporation of the twist, but it is what it is. Can't really go into it much more without spoiling things.
I'm not too confident with the way that they setup the sequel/s to come. I didn't really get the whole "the evil Trinity organization is everywhere" vibe that they really wanted to emphasize in the end. Plus, the movies to come will have quite a different feel since we now have a relatively "proven" Lara rather than the girl making all these rookie mistakes and learning from them. Kind of like how Casino Royale was for the Bond reboot, with Quantum of Solace being a big let down. Anyway, solid action and adventuring. Nothing too original here, but some decent character development along the way for this reboot. I give it a good 6/10.
