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michelle-rosenthal
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Reviews
The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium (2023)
There was so much more energy live
Absolutely no disrespect to the artist or the crew, but I saw this show twice at SoFi and it was so much better live. The show was filmed too tight and you couldn't tell how extraordinary the show actually was. It was not a boring show, but it felt boring on tv. The audience was too muted. You get no energy or crowd excitement and even the few times an audience member is shown, it is too tight and too cropped. If this concert movie was my first exposure to The Weeknd live, i would not pay to see him live because I would assume the show is boring. The videos I have on my phone are much more lively.
Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark (2023)
Marc is my spirit animal
I really enjoyed the dark humor. It's refreshing being able to knowingly laugh at the things so few of us ever discuss. Marc put our shared humanity on full display.
I too have a baseball bat in my bedroom and now I need to YouTube how to defend myself with a baseball bat because I'm no longer certain where to aim.
Toxic family, I think most of us can relate and there is no expiration date on feeling angry at your parent(s).
This special feels like it could be a support group where you're just listening to a fellow human and it isn't your time to share, yet.
Also, I'm sorry for Marc's loss.
Love, Lizzo (2022)
This doc does Lizzo a disservice
I like Lizzo. I enjoy her music and I am here for her infectious optimism and dedication to inclusion and body positivity.
I enjoyed her Big Grrrls documentary on Amazon. We got to see Lizzo the professional. In her Amazon documentary she said Lizzo was a nickname game of taking the last 5 letters of your last name and adding an O.
In her HBO documentary she said it was an insult of being "fat" and "black". I tend to believe the first story and it was disappointing to hear the second one because it seems produced and disingenuous.
This documentary seemed to focus on sadness and defeat.
The people who love Lizzo already love her. She does not need to lean into her history of being bullied at every turn. We already know this about her, show us how she is a tenacious survivor.
Blonde (2022)
You either get this film, or you don't
I absolutely love the storytelling. The different camera angles, and the way that you feel what a person is feeling based on what the camera is doing is brilliant. Sometimes you feel off-balance, and sometimes you are in their face. It is brilliant storytelling, if you get it.
From a psychological perspective, it is brilliant. This film is not based on reality, it is based on what a person who goes through these experiences would feel under their skin.
The only critique I have, and I mean, the only critique, is, I wish that there were a pattern or a rhyme for when they go between color and black and white. It did not bother me at first, but as the film went on my brain tried to put together a rhyme or reason for why sometimes it was in color, and sometimes it was in black-and-white.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Best paired with an edible
This film hits every ridiculous tired trope from all genres and when paired with an edible, it is the most brilliant thing you will see.
Recreating the logo in the film? Check.
Fire? Yes. Ice? Absolutely. Cowboy wrangling? Ha ha ha ha, yes. And it doesn't even seem out of place that we would domesticate dinosaurs any differently than we would domesticate horses.
This will be a perfect Halloween movie.
I love that it opened feeling like a National Geographic scene from 65 million years ago.
Double points if you watch with film crew who enjoy pointing out every implausible source of tension building.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Don't review a show until the season ends.
As usual, this season gets better with each episode. Leia's character growth was phenomenal. Was she bratty in the first episode? Of course, she is a princess. Although I do agree that chase scene was ridiculous.
The cinematographer was absolutely amazing. I loved the story telling through color. Bravo, bravo, bravo.
Moses Inghram had a wonderful arc and great character growth.
I wish people would stop rating series based on one or two episodes that didn't meet their idea of what they thought the show should be. Give the story tellers time to do their jobs. This was a great series.
Cherry (2021)
My state isn't open yet
My state isn't open, yet. There isn't much to do. I still got up and walked off. Boring is an understatement.
Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
A portrayal of two weak, fearful monarchs
It was a bit sad to see both Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth the l portrayed as weak and desperate women. The production value was clearly high and the actors turned in fine performances, but they were just not written as strong characters. Too bad.
Assassination Nation (2018)
Very cathartic after a week of Kavanaugh
Finally a truly 2018 grindhouse film. Based on the description I thought I would pass on this film and apparently so did a lot of other people because there were only two other people in the theater.
It has it all: violence, rage, social media, hacking, gender hypocrisy, and general mayhem.
I thought it was a really well done feminist teen film.. Bravo.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
Successfully makes Ms. Lacks look like caricatures
This movie is no such about Ms Lacks and her incredible contribution to science as it as about a crazy, bickering, over the top dysfunctional family. I understand this family was probably angry and mistrustful, but damn. This movie makes them look like crazy, ignorant caricatures we accuse each other of being on social media.
13 Reasons Why: Tape 7, Side A (2017)
That school counselor was on point
This has been a controversial show for my field, and I watched the season with no preconceived ideas of what it would be.
It was incredibly well written and the characters rang true for me. Life is messy, we all have our own stories, baggage, and perceptions.
As a mental health professional, I'm sad to say that my own personal experiences with school counselors was EXACTLY as portrayed in this series. What a damn good series. I am looking forward to season two already.
Strangerland (2015)
This is what happens when you marry a sex addict
Although unspoken it seems clear that Nicole Kidman's character is a sex and love addict. Her husband, Joseph Fiennes, is so repressed and full of rage (as sometimes happens to the partners of addicts).
The teen daughter clearly follows in mom's footsteps adding to the father's sense of helplessness and rage. When the children disappear you see Kidman's character struggle with grief, denial, depression, and a complete mental break.
From a mental health and addiction standpoint, this movie is great. But from a general movie escapism perspective it is slow moving and tedious. Yes, the movie is slow and painstaking. Just like the lives of addicts.
The Roost (2005)
All the horror clichés rolled into one film...
Creature Feature? Check Vampire bats? Check Zombies? Check Full moon? Check Halloween night? Check
This movie has reached campy awesomeness. It is sort of like "The Birds" meets "Night of the Living Dead" while narrated in a black and white "Creature Feature" style. This film does an amazing job of paying homage to classic horror themes.
While I find it odd that that vampire bats turn people into zombies rather than vampires...I strangely loved this film. The acting is better than most acting I find in student films. The director created amazing tension. This film does not have a complex plot that will make you want to watch it time and again, it was very entertaining and fulfilling for those of who love the classic horror genre.
I also enjoyed the campy fun and chuckled several times throughout the film as I recognized those tell-tale themes that this film tipped its hat to. I felt as if I was watching a version of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but with bats instead of birds.