I started watching this series a couple of months ago and I am currently going through it a second time. It's so hilarious that you can't get enough of it. I'll probably keep coming back to it and re-watching it every once in a while. Even though obviously some things are exaggerated for comedy purposes, Jackie's especially annoying, but I know she's meant to be that way. Martin is probably my favourite character, it's unbelievable how good his character is. Jonny and Adam are both hilarious, but I think the overall caricature-type of characteristics of this family is what makes it so funny. The Goodman family and their friends would not be as hilarious if one of the characters weren't part of the story. Jim is another favourite of mine (probably quite typical of most people) as he's creepy but in an adorable way, one that kind of makes him lets it pass. He's just a lonely guy and you can't help but feel sorry for him. Anyway, probably up there with The Inbetweeners. This is why I love British humour, and I get why the British say that is is good. The Americans couldn't do this kind of thing with their remakes.
Reviews
3 Reviews
One of Netflix's best recently
30 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
So many things to love about this movie... I'm not saying it was perfect, but it was far better than some of the stuff Netflix has come up with recently honestly.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before approaches a different kind of storytelling which was what made it enjoyable for me. It wasn't too stereotypical and I found it hard to predict what was going to happen next, which is nice to see in the age of cliches and overuses of devices that seemed to work once for keeping the audience engaged.
The actors were great, although I don't think it needed much skill to play these characters. The cast were all well chosen, it really felt like their characters fit them.
The narrative structure was great, because as I said, it left no space for me to be able to predict what happens next. It had good twists that both kept me interested (which is hard with a long film like this; I struggle to sit through 20 minute episodes of something I like... So that says something.) and really wowed me because I really didn't expect anything to be so complicated.
Although I don't understand what the title really has to do with what actually happens in the film... Because of it, I thought it would be a film about a girl who has her love letters (I knew it from the trailer) sent out to her past crushes and then we would learn what she actually wrote in them, and would have to deal with them somehow. I really imagined a different way for how things would go. I didn't expect it to be about a fake relationship. But even that bit was done well because I couldn't predict what happened next. I had an idea, knowing the typical structure of most narratives, but then in the film, everything turned out different to how I thought it would.
Lara Jean is a really lovable character, I think Lana Condor really contributed to that. It's kind of cliche, how she starts dating the jock, but really, I think this storyline is approached with interesting techniques.
I love the cinematography too. There's this interesting filter applied on it and I think it really suits the whole film. It creates a quite sweet atmosphere, it's as if I was put into the same fantasy world Lara Jean lives in. I noticed that around the edges of the screen (camera), it was kind of blurry and it reminded me of wearing glasses. It feels like we, as the audience, are wearing some kind of glasses that Lara Jean is too. I wouldn't call it rose coloured glasses, because there is reality in it, with LJ's mum's passing away and the fact that there are many complications in her and Peter's real relationship, however, it does show the naivety of teen love. It gives me sort of a warm feeling inside, one that crushes, for example, could give me. I really love how teen love was shown with this.
Overall, it's quite a good film, but it's not something that wowed me and I would recommend to others. It's quite average, there's nothing really ground breaking about it. It's interesting, how things were done, but I still don't think it's really special. It's creative, but not something that will leave a mark in the film industry.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before approaches a different kind of storytelling which was what made it enjoyable for me. It wasn't too stereotypical and I found it hard to predict what was going to happen next, which is nice to see in the age of cliches and overuses of devices that seemed to work once for keeping the audience engaged.
The actors were great, although I don't think it needed much skill to play these characters. The cast were all well chosen, it really felt like their characters fit them.
The narrative structure was great, because as I said, it left no space for me to be able to predict what happens next. It had good twists that both kept me interested (which is hard with a long film like this; I struggle to sit through 20 minute episodes of something I like... So that says something.) and really wowed me because I really didn't expect anything to be so complicated.
Although I don't understand what the title really has to do with what actually happens in the film... Because of it, I thought it would be a film about a girl who has her love letters (I knew it from the trailer) sent out to her past crushes and then we would learn what she actually wrote in them, and would have to deal with them somehow. I really imagined a different way for how things would go. I didn't expect it to be about a fake relationship. But even that bit was done well because I couldn't predict what happened next. I had an idea, knowing the typical structure of most narratives, but then in the film, everything turned out different to how I thought it would.
Lara Jean is a really lovable character, I think Lana Condor really contributed to that. It's kind of cliche, how she starts dating the jock, but really, I think this storyline is approached with interesting techniques.
I love the cinematography too. There's this interesting filter applied on it and I think it really suits the whole film. It creates a quite sweet atmosphere, it's as if I was put into the same fantasy world Lara Jean lives in. I noticed that around the edges of the screen (camera), it was kind of blurry and it reminded me of wearing glasses. It feels like we, as the audience, are wearing some kind of glasses that Lara Jean is too. I wouldn't call it rose coloured glasses, because there is reality in it, with LJ's mum's passing away and the fact that there are many complications in her and Peter's real relationship, however, it does show the naivety of teen love. It gives me sort of a warm feeling inside, one that crushes, for example, could give me. I really love how teen love was shown with this.
Overall, it's quite a good film, but it's not something that wowed me and I would recommend to others. It's quite average, there's nothing really ground breaking about it. It's interesting, how things were done, but I still don't think it's really special. It's creative, but not something that will leave a mark in the film industry.
Sierra Burgess Is a Loser
(2018)
Mixed feelings...
29 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
It started out as nice. I had great expectations for this film because I've seen the trailer and it looked like it had a good representation of a teenager girl falling in love without the glamourisation (which we all know Hollywood does a lot, glamourising people and events), and seemed like a genuine attempt of telling a story of a girl who isn't necessarily fitting in the beauty ideals most of society has (in contrast to the new Netflix series Insatiable - which, I must say, should've been a film and this film could've been a series, but Netflix would rather show something with a 'more ideal' main character... Anyway). I found that very appealing, as I am not one of those skinny model types either, and I struggle with self-esteem issues too, as well as in elementary, I was kind of an outcast too. However, I was disappointed how things have turned out by the end of the film.
I have never felt so mixed about a movie before. I want to say I liked it, but it wouldn't be true. Yet 'I didn't like it' doesn't describe what I feel either.
The characters are fairly free of stereotypes, although I do think there are traces of typicality within them. But the characters are not the problem. I mean, Veronica is perhaps the most depthful character out of her and Sierra. Yes, she's kind of typical with 'yeah I have problems at home so I decided to be mean to others at school so I feel better about myself'. But she lives in a semi run-down house with her mum who has the exact opposite of appearance to Veronica and two copies of Honey Boo Boo who bully her. Her dad's nowhere. And you can kind of see why she's mean. And Jamey is a 'good looking' loser, free of acne and glasses (which Hollywood considers the loser type). Haven't seen much of this kind of loser in Hollywood. So the characters are mostly okay.
Except Sierra. I am so sad because I was happy Shannon Purser got a main role and was going to be able to show her talents off, or prove herself that I have a reason to be interested in her and her work. And yet that failed to deliver. And I don't blame Shannon. I believe she has a potential. But her character and the story makes me gag. And not in a good way. It makes me sick to my stomach.
Sierra is selfish and a liar. She doesn't know what consent is. She's a catfish. She's childish and petty. She's a bad friend. She's inconsiderate and stubborn. And all of this is glamourised. See, why can't Hollywood ever produce a film that's free of any of that stuff?
She's selfish because she lies about her identity without thinking about or considering the consequences. The consequences being Jamey's feelings getting hurt. The idea of consent is out the window. The fact that she kisses Jamey without his consent, and making him think it's Veronica, is simply disgusting, mostly because of the way it's romanticised. She is catfishing this poor guy the whole time. I mean, that's not only illegal but also morally wrong. Dan was right to warn her. Sad she didn't listen, showing how she is inconsiderate and stubborn and ignores it when people give her constructive criticism. She's childish and petty because without once again thinking about consequences, she posts something on Veronica's instagram that Veronica has told her with the utmost trust, and as she said, she told Sierra things she hasn't told anyone else. Now if that isn't some antagonist, evil villain crap, I don't know what is. She back stabs her after spending a lot of time on earning Veronica's trust. That is just dumb. Why couldn't have she been the bigger person and walk away from it? Or why couldn't she have considered that Veronica didn't want to kiss Jamey, it was Jamey who kissed her? She was evidently interested in Spence. Sierra doesn't consider other points of views, which shows how close-minded she really is. And Sierra is a bad friend because she couldn't tell Veronica to stop trying to get with Spence, he was clearly not good enough for her. Oh why, I wonder? Because, once again, Sierra Burgess is selfish. Was she afraid Veronica was going to steal Jamey? Or did she just not think of Veronica's feelings proving she's a crap friend? I don't know, but neither sounds good. I wouldn't want to be friends with her.
By the second half of the film, things became quite predictable. And I don't even want to say much about it because I honestly think I've wasted too much time on writing this critique already. At first, it's quite good, but then it just becomes predictable. However, I will give that to the creators that it was engaging throughout. I have no idea how, but even with an attention spam of a 5 year old (I can barely sit through a 20 minute episode of Family Guy sometimes), I was kept engaged and interested. It did have an interesting atmosphere and the cinematography was quite nice.
I am giving it a 6 because of the cast (which had a potential), the relatively good cinematography, some traces of unpredictability at points narrative wise, and the fact that Veronica is quite depthful compared to a lot of other popular girl villains, as well as the film keeping me engaged for most of the running time. However, I am not giving it more because the title wasn't proven wrong; Sierra Burgess, is in fact, a loser. Not because she's physically 'ugly', it's because of her crappy personality. The narrative also has many issues. So I can't give it more, yet I do wish I could. But I can't lie to myself and say I like it. Because I don't, but I don't not like it either. It's very complicated and confusing, something I never felt about a film before. So I guess well done to the creators...? I don't know if this is a good achievement...
I have never felt so mixed about a movie before. I want to say I liked it, but it wouldn't be true. Yet 'I didn't like it' doesn't describe what I feel either.
The characters are fairly free of stereotypes, although I do think there are traces of typicality within them. But the characters are not the problem. I mean, Veronica is perhaps the most depthful character out of her and Sierra. Yes, she's kind of typical with 'yeah I have problems at home so I decided to be mean to others at school so I feel better about myself'. But she lives in a semi run-down house with her mum who has the exact opposite of appearance to Veronica and two copies of Honey Boo Boo who bully her. Her dad's nowhere. And you can kind of see why she's mean. And Jamey is a 'good looking' loser, free of acne and glasses (which Hollywood considers the loser type). Haven't seen much of this kind of loser in Hollywood. So the characters are mostly okay.
Except Sierra. I am so sad because I was happy Shannon Purser got a main role and was going to be able to show her talents off, or prove herself that I have a reason to be interested in her and her work. And yet that failed to deliver. And I don't blame Shannon. I believe she has a potential. But her character and the story makes me gag. And not in a good way. It makes me sick to my stomach.
Sierra is selfish and a liar. She doesn't know what consent is. She's a catfish. She's childish and petty. She's a bad friend. She's inconsiderate and stubborn. And all of this is glamourised. See, why can't Hollywood ever produce a film that's free of any of that stuff?
She's selfish because she lies about her identity without thinking about or considering the consequences. The consequences being Jamey's feelings getting hurt. The idea of consent is out the window. The fact that she kisses Jamey without his consent, and making him think it's Veronica, is simply disgusting, mostly because of the way it's romanticised. She is catfishing this poor guy the whole time. I mean, that's not only illegal but also morally wrong. Dan was right to warn her. Sad she didn't listen, showing how she is inconsiderate and stubborn and ignores it when people give her constructive criticism. She's childish and petty because without once again thinking about consequences, she posts something on Veronica's instagram that Veronica has told her with the utmost trust, and as she said, she told Sierra things she hasn't told anyone else. Now if that isn't some antagonist, evil villain crap, I don't know what is. She back stabs her after spending a lot of time on earning Veronica's trust. That is just dumb. Why couldn't have she been the bigger person and walk away from it? Or why couldn't she have considered that Veronica didn't want to kiss Jamey, it was Jamey who kissed her? She was evidently interested in Spence. Sierra doesn't consider other points of views, which shows how close-minded she really is. And Sierra is a bad friend because she couldn't tell Veronica to stop trying to get with Spence, he was clearly not good enough for her. Oh why, I wonder? Because, once again, Sierra Burgess is selfish. Was she afraid Veronica was going to steal Jamey? Or did she just not think of Veronica's feelings proving she's a crap friend? I don't know, but neither sounds good. I wouldn't want to be friends with her.
By the second half of the film, things became quite predictable. And I don't even want to say much about it because I honestly think I've wasted too much time on writing this critique already. At first, it's quite good, but then it just becomes predictable. However, I will give that to the creators that it was engaging throughout. I have no idea how, but even with an attention spam of a 5 year old (I can barely sit through a 20 minute episode of Family Guy sometimes), I was kept engaged and interested. It did have an interesting atmosphere and the cinematography was quite nice.
I am giving it a 6 because of the cast (which had a potential), the relatively good cinematography, some traces of unpredictability at points narrative wise, and the fact that Veronica is quite depthful compared to a lot of other popular girl villains, as well as the film keeping me engaged for most of the running time. However, I am not giving it more because the title wasn't proven wrong; Sierra Burgess, is in fact, a loser. Not because she's physically 'ugly', it's because of her crappy personality. The narrative also has many issues. So I can't give it more, yet I do wish I could. But I can't lie to myself and say I like it. Because I don't, but I don't not like it either. It's very complicated and confusing, something I never felt about a film before. So I guess well done to the creators...? I don't know if this is a good achievement...
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