Chickibidi Reviews

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013)

Inaccurate and Ridiculous

[2/10 · 1 August 2008]

This is an embarrassingly bad show that supposedly depicts the "secret life" of teenagers. It's attempting to capitalize on the subject from "Juno" only in a clumsy and completely un-entertaining way.

First of all, as a 26 year old woman, I can't relate my teens to any of these characters. Amy as the main character is the most unreasonable and unbelievable. Yes, teenagers have sex. And yes, some get pregnant. I'll even give in that a 15-16 year old might make many mistakes such as "pretending it's not happening" or continuing to date a guy even though she's starting to show.

However this Amy is not likable, has no personality, and is poorly developed as a character by the writers.

The episode that ended it for me was the 4th, where parents laughed over the young Christian girl defending herself against two men trying to abduct her, and she was the one punished for being out, rather than her parents being grateful that she was strong enough to defend against two predatory men. Only furthering the complete fallacy of what would REALLY happen in EVERY scenario this show presents. Not to mention, said girls parents making remarks against Amy and her pregnancy completely breaking doctor/patient confidentiality.

The show is gross. I can handle a show about teenagers having sex (because, lets be honest, many are) - but this is not only vanilla coated to try it's best to be "family friendly", making it all that much more inaccurate in every sense - dialogue, storyline, character development, etc.

Definitely one to skip.

The Secret Garden (1987 TV Movie)

Very well done for a TV movie

[8/10 · 4 June 2007]

This version of The Secret Garden is a much darker version, beginning with the horrifying deaths of Mary's parents from the plague, you see Mary have her life ripped away from her. She is angry, spoiled and dealing with the grief.

The score is haunting, the music one of Chopin's darker Nocturnes. The contrast between the darkness of her life, the house, the plague to the garden before her is well presented, and the acting for it's time is very well done. I believe this is better than the updated version, as it evokes more feeling from the viewer.

The only reason the score is lower than 10 is due to the age of the film. It's clearly outdated, and unlike the classics will not stand the test of time.

Closer (I) (2004)

An Honest look at love and relationships

[10/10 · 29 December 2004]

I saw Closer yesterday. I can't stop thinking about it. The more time that passes, the more obsessed I am with it's honesty and sincerity.

It's not a matter of "liking" or "hating" the movie as much as it is a matter of understanding. Either you get it, or you don't. The people who have given this movie poor reviews probably just don't get it and understand the beauty in it's complexity, and yet still simplicity.

The movie fed you no BS. It wasn't the typical story of "if you're good and moral than good things happen to you, and if you are bad and immoral than nothing will work out for you".

The entire movie was originally a play, with four characters. The amazing thing to me is that the movie stayed true to the play. With only four characters. No one else was in this movie. Everyone else was extra's with no lines, take away two people who had one line, but that was it.

It took place over four years of lies and honesty in all the wrong places. Going from being head over heels in love to lying blatantly to that persons face, and the very real, very human reaction of selfishness. That as much as you love a person and as honest as you may have always been, when you do something wrong, the human reaction is to skip over it, lie, and with a fake smile hope everything works out in the end.

For some, it works out in the end. And for others it doesn't.

This movie was also honest about sex. What sex means, what sex is, and that we are animals, essentially following a scent to get what we ultimately need to thrive on. Reproduction, or the ultimate form of entertainment - call it what you like. Sex is what makes relationships. It's emotions that are secondary. And often we trick ourselves into thinking that Love is Enough.

I left not questioning my relationship, but rather examining it. You leave this movie with a sense of dysfunction and unsettlement. Nothing but disease (and that's dis-ease, not the illness). You can either look at your thoughts as questioning - which is negative, or examining - which is a little more positive. And all I can think is how we just never know who we are sleeping with. And what they are capable of. Do they lie over little things, and if so than do they lie over the big things that we just never find out about? Go see this movie. It's incredibly well done. If you're new to "love", my immediate reaction is to say that you won't like it because you just won't understand it. But I think you should see it all the more so you know what you are getting into, and what to avoid at all costs. If you have been in a series of relationships, and had at least one that was dysfunctional (as I firmly believe every relationship has it's dysfunctions - I don't know one relationship that doesn't) than this movie will have you on the edge of your seat. And probably up all night in your own personal study of your own love life, behavior in relationships, and attitude toward your partner. Which I think you will find in the end that while you leave the theatre with the sense of disease, your attitude in the end will change to a higher level of respect.