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Reviews
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Great movie; genuinely confused by the backlash...
I'm genuinely so utterly confused by the terrible ratings of this film. I can understand it not being your fav SW film, or being disappointed with the approach to the way that some of the questions we had were answered...but ratings of 1 and 2?! Are you kidding?
To me, this just boils down to having insanely high expectations, because a 1 or a 2 is a rating for like, a B-list film.
Just because you don't agree with the approach does NOT mean that this is not a quality film. The graphics/visuals were spot on. The acting was also quality. The film consistently keeps you on the edge of your seat, and it is in no way predictable...which, I would imagine, is a plus. And, for the record, I'm not a newb to SW by any means.
Basically every SW film after the initial trilogy had huuuuuge shoes to fill, and it seems that anything that doesn't live up to ESB is a failure in a lot of fan's eyes. I just don't understand that, I guess.
A lot of people are apparently furious that Disney is in control now... but hey, Lucas made that decision, too. And he obviously trusted Disney with his creation or he would not have done it.
All that being said... go into this movie with an open mind, untainted by personal opinions about Disney, the director, etc...and you will surely enjoy it. There is nothing bland or boring about this film, and if you are a very visual person, as I am, it is sure to grab you by the heart.
From Straight A's to XXX (2017)
A Film That Helps Viewers to See the Person and Not Their Personal Choices
SPOILERS...
Before reviewing this, I read through many of the other reviews, and for those that saw this movie as painting Weeks as a victim or that the movie overlooked the possible conflicts or problems with the industry, really missed some key points while viewing. I gave this movie 10 stars not because the acting was amazing or anything of that sort, but that it did do a great job of portraying the themes and conflicts realistically.
Some people apparently looked past the scenes that revealed the potential incongruities that her work may have had with the idea that it was empowering; for example, the scene in which she was supposed to film with an older man -- she asserted that she explicitly stated that she did not want to film with anyone over 35. However, her agent/manager basically told her that if she didn't do it, it would in a sense ruin her career as she would be considered "difficult". She begrudgingly walks back to the older man and sits in his lap. I felt that this scene very appropriately expressed the conflict between degrading vs. empowering.
On the other hand, the film also very well expressed the double standards of how women are treated and sexualized in society. That so many people regularly watch porn, while in the same breath, criticize the women that are part of the industry is absolutely nothing short of a double standard... as is, when girlfriends/wives/daughters are expected to "cover up" while boyfriends/husbands/fathers attend strip clubs. This is a very real double standard in society that the real Weeks and that the movie touches on and exposes.
Is the film attempting to convey that doing porn is a reasonable alternative to pay your student loans... that's not what I got out of it. I did get the point the film tried to make about the extraordinary cost of tuition, but I did NOT see that it was justifying porn as a reasonable means to paying for school. Weeks was able to stand firm as she was attacked by others for her decision, but throughout the film, she faced a great deal of anxiety about hiding it from her friends and her parents.
In real life, did Weeks have mental issues? I'm not sure that is anyone's place to say or make any judgment calls about her decisions based on that notion... It's incredibly easy for any of us to judge another individual as we are outside of the situation, bypassing our own current and past hypocrisies, conflicts, and flaws as we do so. But, the movie highlights Weeks' scars as NOT to hide the possibility of other conflicts from the audience. I do not think that the movie was untruthful in that regard at all.
It seems that some reviewers are, in some regard, offended that the movie should portray Weeks as such an ordinary woman, just trying to live life...but that is literally the case for anyone in ANY situation, no matter what decisions they are making and how society views such decisions. I very much liked, actually, that the film helped many people to relate to an individual that would be/was aggressively judged for her decisions. It reminds the viewer that just because we may not understand something or agree with something that someone/people choose to do, doesn't make said person(s) unequal to any one of us.
That was my experience of the film, and for that I gave it 10 stars and well worth my viewing time. :)
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
What I have been waiting for.
Personally, I do not understand the bad reviews and what people expected. I don't know how you could have made this movie better. I have read reviews criticizing the character development, however, as with every other Star Wars movie...the characters develop more over the series. For me, that has always been one of the things I have loved about Star Wars films, is that in each new movie, you uncover new layers of the characters and learn more about them.
Yes, the movie left me wondering... Who is Rey? What will become of Finn? Etc...but I definitely do not see that as a negative. It makes me want more, and it makes me excited to see the next.
I wholeheartedly agree with the reviews I have seen that describe the setting as "authentic". Although, I personally still liked the prequel films -- as to me, they were significant and necessary to the whole story -- the one thing that I did NOT like in the prequels was the inauthentic feel of the settings/worlds. I thought the CGI was overdone and poorly done at that in the prequels...BUT in this movie, it was spot on. Everything looked "real" -- or as real as fictional space creatures and such can look anyway! I get it that ESB was epic, and that for a lot of people nothing will ever compare... but, I don't think it's fair to compare every Star Wars film to it. Each movie is unique and significant in its own way -- and for me, this film was just as amazing and as powerful as Empire Strikes Back was.
There was the perfect balance between action and story/dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters -- especially Finn, General Hux, and BB-8. I thought they couldn't have picked a better person to play Hux, honestly.
Anyway... I loved it...every second of it. So much so that I plan on seeing it multiple times over. And I really hope that anyone who hasn't already seen it, ends up feeling the same.
The Gift (2015)
Something to hold my attention for once.
SPOILER ALERT -- SPOILER ALERT I pretty much agree with all the positive reviews for this movie. Although I don't consider myself a movie critic by any means, I will say that it's pretty difficult for a movie to captivate my attention; it happens once in a blue moon. That being said, I'm probably more difficult to please than the average viewer.
What I loved about this movie: -The characters. I think one of the first things that drew me into the movie and kept hold of my attention was the fact that I was so impressed with how "real" the characters seemed to me. I personally felt most connected with Rebecca Hall's character/performance... I really felt like I could relate to her in a lot of ways (minus the pill usage). Her social awkwardness, especially, resonated with me and it was very authentic.
I know everyone is praising Edgerton for his performance as Gordo, and while he obviously did an excellent job, in my opinion it was Hall that stole the show.
I also really appreciated Bateman's performance, as he usually plays the sweet, shy, passive guy, and in this movie, he was truly the opposite. I loved hating him in this film.
-The twist at the end. I saw that someone on here mentioned they had figured it out, and honestly I can't fathom HOW, unless they were previously given clues or the heads up that there was going to be a twist at the end of the movie by others who had already seen it.
Normally, it's not too difficult for me to predict a twist. It's possible that I have just gotten myself too emotionally involved in this movie to think logically enough to "solve" the mystery. However, I think the bigger part of my inability to see what was coming at the end, had more to do with the fact that there were other subtle implications that had me more distracted. For example, all the talk in the beginning about the baby that they lost and Hall's "issues", led me to think that her fall had something more to do with her issues.
Like I said, I was also really emotionally involved in this movie, and again, it had a lot to do with Hall's performance. Empathizing with her to such a strong degree in itself, I think, says heaps about the quality of this movie.
-The ending in general. Usually I can't stand movies that leave you guessing at the end. I think that a lot of movies that end without answering all of your questions are either just poorly done/incomplete, or they're trying too hard to be artsy and cryptic... granted, I am all for artsy fartsy stuff, but it's painfully obvious when it's being forced. With all that said -- it worked perfectly in this movie, and I didn't feel the slightest bit irritated by it. I wish I could more eloquently put into words how the pieces fit together - again, I am not a self-proclaimed movie buff - but, it just seemed right for this particular film. If, at the end, he would have said for sure whether or not he actually did it... It would have been loads less satisfying. It seemed appropriate for Bateman's character to be left with that permanent "unknown" -- and hopefully feeling responsible for being such a sh*t person.
Now... one big reason I wanted to write this review, was because someone else had mentioned something that got me to think more in depth about the plot and the ending. This particular review asked how exactly did Gordo win -- he left all of this evidence behind, which essentially, in the real world would just immediately land him in prison. And then it went on to say that Bateman could have moved on, found another wife, etc. and lived happily ever after...
Regardless of how much I loved the movie, I think that person made an excellent point. One thing, however, that I think the movie wanted us to assume, is that Bateman's character never in a million years would have come forward with the "truth". He lied to his wife the entire movie, and if he came forward to his wife about what Gordo had done -- she certainly would hold Bateman responsible -- for what he did to Gordo, for hiding everything from her, for not doing something about the situation to keep them safe, etc. I mean, if it were me in her position, I definitely would have held him accountable.
Another thing to consider is that even if Gordo was thrown in prison, that doesn't undo any of the pain that it caused Bateman. I think it's safe to say that even a bully in that situation, would have some sort of permanent despair over something like that.
I don't know that Gordo's intention was to "win" as much as it was to simply hurt Bateman right back. And, considering that Gordo was obviously a psycho who already had a criminal record, I don't think that being put in prison would have made him feel any less satisfied with what he had done to get Bateman back. I don't really think that psychos have the same way of looking at things as most people do. I don't think that being put in jail has the same affect on them, as it would the "average" person.
Gordo being caught wouldn't undo the f***ed-upness of the whole situation... it wouldn't magically make everything better, and then bam! Bateman's the winner.
Despite all that, I appreciated that point of view to consider, because it was a good point to make.