mr-anthony-938-194965 Reviews

WTFAQ (2023)

Best show on telly

[10/10 · 22 March 2024]

Hilarious and cutting, lets you know the answers to many questions most Aussies are wondering in a way that genuinely has me laughing out loud. The edits, the jokes, the interplay of wit and information makes this my favourite show on telly.

P.s. Ignore the people who have rating-bombed this show. It's fantastic and informative. When actual stats and sources are presented on screen but some people still disagree with what's being said, so they drop a terrible rating based on stubborn opinion rather than quality of the show. The show doesn't present an ideology or opinion, it presents the evidence and lets us make up our own mind. If just presenting evidence has you getting defensive, wake up yourself.

All My Friends Are Racist (2021)

A great modern comedy

[10/10 · 26 September 2021]

What better way to deal with everyday racism than with humour. This show is funny, in-your-face, satirical and relatable. I laughed-out-loud many times, both from the dialogue and the quirky and deliberately hilarious cinematography. I appreciated the satirising of white saviours, the representation of Belle's modern struggle with her identity and the exploration of the dangers of commodifying activism. This show reminds me of some my friends who fabulously navigate a society not built for them, and I loved it.

Simply Black (2020)

Funny, bumbling and moving

[9/10 · 25 August 2021]

Portraying himself as a bumbling activist who keeps rubbing people the wrong way, Jean-Pascal has created a goofy yet poignant mockumentary exploring the complexities and difficulties of being black and French. Lovers of french cinema will also be rewarded with many surprise appearances of celebrities who, like this film, poke fun at themselves but over a compelling subtext. One negative is that this film doesn't pass the Bechdel test. While there is a very humorous scene in which Jean-Pascal the character is confronted with this for his activism, I would've liked if Jean-Pascal the director could have rectified it for his film. Overall though this is a must-watch which will make you laugh a lot and pause to reflect a bit too.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Interesting, intense and even witty ... but let down by the ending

[6/10 · 19 February 2021]

I would have rated this film much higher if it had ended 5 minutes before it did. A satisfying conclusion was reached and then they added on another one.

Cuties (2020)

If people had put as much effort into condemning the objectification of women and girls as they did into condemning this film, it would never have needed to have been made.

[8/10 · 13 February 2021]

It is incredibly unsettling seeing a child dancing in a sexual manner, and that's the point. The film repeatedly reminds you that the protagonist Amy is a child, learning how to navigate the world, yet the world is teaching her that, and here I quote the writer/director Maimouna Doucouré, "the sexier and the more objectified a woman is, the more value she has in the eyes of social media". This film draws attention to the effect that that is having on young girls, and does so brilliantly.

High Ground (2020)

Incredible

[10/10 · 9 February 2021]

Powerful storytelling with cinematography that will take your breath away. You will be there with the characters every step of the way and feel fully immersed in the magical landscape of Kakadu. The only reason this movie isn't more highly rated is because the majority of Australia doesn't like to talk about colonisation and thinks any movie set in that era that doesn't laud the settlers is pushing a narrative that we need to get over. Unlike Germany, whose education system is very thorough and somewhat self-flagellating, us Aussies don't want to teach the next generation anything about our true past. And that's not to say this is a movie about colonisation. It's about the characters, their internal and external struggles which will grip you from start to finish.

He Even Has Your Eyes (2020– )

Beautiful

[9/10 · 1 January 2021]

A moving story, beautifully acted. The best series I've watched in a long time.

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

Tired tropes and an unlikeable character

[2/10 · 18 November 2020]

The main character is selfish, illogical in all things but chess and surrounded by tired tropes such as the overly stereotyped black best friend, who has no reason to befriend her over anyone else but does so because it's useful to the story, and the grumpy janitor who is grumpy for no reason but quickly warms to her (super easy, barely an inconvenience). Just like the grumpy janitor, most complications in this show are solved way too easily so you don't really care what happens. What could be called a positive is how beautiful everything looks. The cinematography is very artistic and the main character's hair and makeup is always perfect. I say "could", however, because to me it looks unreal and contrived, like an advertisement for a romanticised version of 1960s America.

The Gabby Douglas Story (2014 TV Movie)

Edited story and poorly told.

[5/10 · 19 June 2020]

I admire Gabby Douglas so much so thought I would love the film but didn't. You have to wait two thirds of the way through before a proper complication actually arises ... and then it gets solved rapidly. Contrived and drawn-out scenes which are too obviously trying to be emotional are strewn everywhere in this film, while the effort she would have had to put in isn't represented well at all. Gymnasts fail moves time and time again. They fall a million times but keep getting back up and have to persevere until they finally land it. This movie made it look like a walk in the park. As if Gabby could just do everything first try because she's so amazing. Don't get me wrong, she is obviously exceptional, but to me it degrades her hard work when we never see her fall. So there's no tension when she's performing, just like there's no tension in any scene really. I thought I might get an insight into who she is as a person and what it was like being the first black woman to achieve what she did, but that's brushed over and basically ignored. You can tell the director was a white guy who didn't find that important. This movie does not do Gabby Douglas justice.

The Hookup Plan (2018–2022)

Don't watch the second season.

[2/10 · 10 December 2019]

Just pretend the second season doesn't exist. It's terrible.