hailey_emzz Reviews

His Dark Materials (2019–2022)

Not for the less intelligent among us

[9/10 · 8 January 2023]

13 years ago, I gave birth to my first child at the age of 16. I named her Lyra. At the time, I had never heard the name before- I named her after the lovely midwife who helped deliver her. And so, I had never heard of His Dark Materials until last year. At a friend's recommendation, I bought all 3 books and got a pleasant shock when I saw the name "Lyra" on the back cover. Lyra Silvertongue is the sort of female heroine we should talk more about. Now I might just say, yes I named her after the character in His Dark Materials.

I would recommend reading the books before watching the show, because the plot is so complex and there's a lot of world-building. Hard to believe this is the imagination of ONE man. Philip Pullman deserves to be hailed as a creative and literary genius.

But we're not talking about the books. It's one of those shows you can't turn your attention off for even a second, or you'll end up lost. It's a science vs religion vs morality thought-provoking devastating affair for the ages. Will and Lyra are just gorgeous, even more so together, their chemistry is off the charts, and if you have a heart, their permanent separation in the final episode will rip you apart. Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter is award-worthy. She is one of best villains in literature, and she is brought to life with such precision. Her only redeeming quality is that she loves her daughter and would do anything for her, which both disgusts and exhilarates her.

There's so much to say, but it simply can't be summed up. Thank God this was done by HBO. Forget the Golden Compass, which does it no justice. This is the adaption it deserved all along.

Also, the opening credits/theme is one of my all time favourites. Like with Game of Thrones, I could never skip it.

Malory Towers (2020– )

Cute, wholesome, flawed

[7/10 · 8 January 2023]

I never read the books, or any of Enid Bouton's books, so I was able to watch Malory Towers without comparing it.

Most of the characters annoyed me. Alicia, Jean, Bill, and Sally were my least favourite. My favourite ended up being... Gwen. I know, she's supposed to be the girl everyone hates because she's selfish and spoiled, but she was the only one who wasn't a goody-two-shoes. Well, she was, but in her own way. She reminded me of how I felt about Ethel Hallow in the Worst Witch. Ethel wants to be the best and is constantly one-upped by Mildred. Gwen isn't clever like Ethel, in fact she's lazy and shallow, but what she wants more than anything is for her family to accept her. And unlike Ethel, she seems to learn from her mistakes and is definitely growing into a slightly better person.

I also really liked Miss Johnson, who was simply a horrendous person- or should I say, I liked the actor. I could listen to her voice all day. Plus, I hated the Bill and her precious horse storyline (probably because I was in the horse-obsessed girls group for a year at school and it was the worst year of my life and brought back a lot of repressed trauma), so I was secretly pleased every time Bill got reprimanded by Miss Johnson about seeing her stupid horse.

In terms of other characters, I adored Mary-Lou, Miss Grayling, and Ron. I also liked Gwen's parents. As other reviewers have said, it's very PC. I'm sure there were POC students and possibly teachers in England in the late 40s, but it seemed like they were trying to be too diverse. The editing was also a bit jarring, but oh gosh, those shots of the Cornish countryside and water were simply stunning.

Malory Towers feels nostalgic to me somehow, and as I watch it I feel a sort of toffee-and-caramel-cream cloud that I can't explain enveloping me. It's worth a watch, at least once.

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

One of the best films of 2019

[9/10 · 8 January 2023]

Where do I start?

Humorous, gripping, harsh, beautiful... are just some of the words to describe what might just be my favourite film of all time. A comedy about Nazis! Having seen Boy, I was already familiar with Taika Waititi and had high expectations- he met them and then went above and beyond. Roman Griffin Davis' performance as a brainwashed child Nazi is one for the books. I want to see more from him. The rest of the cast is just as stellar, and it was hard to pick my favourite character. Tossup between Sam Rockwell's fabulously understated flamboyant Captain K, or Waititi's parody of Hitler, who becomes increasingly unhinged as the film goes on.

It felt authentic. Usually with a film set somewhere in Europe, the actors accents are always something British, but in Jojo Rabbit, everyone attempts a passable German accent. There's music by the Beatles and David Bowie that is in German. Filmed in colourful Prague, the set designs and visuals made me think that we are viewing war-torn Germany through the eyes of a child... because we are! Most WWII films have such a dreary palette, and we only see black and white photos from that time, which makes the Holocaust seem so much further in the past from when it really was. The amount of colour used in the film was a sort of shock to the system- but that's how Germany (and indeed many parts of Europe) really did look even at the height of the war.

Jojo Rabbit masterfully balances heartbreak and hopefulness in one fell swoop. I watched this film with my mum, and she was laughing (and later crying) the whole time. And if she- the most critical, closeminded woman on the planet- can love this film, then this is something that needs to be seen by everyone.

Little Lunch (2015–2016)

Funny with a crisp, fresh script

[9/10 · 8 January 2023]

Child actors can be a huge hit or miss. In Little Lunch, all six of the child actors are a HIT. Their acting is so good that it was hard to believe they were actually acting. Every episode is vibrant and humorous enough for adults to enjoy as well as kids. It's the sort of dry Aussie humour that I love.

It was also filmed at St Kilda Primary School, which I attended as a kid, so as an Aussie who lives in the States, I loved getting to show this to my kids so that they could see where Mummy went to school. We've watched this series several times over, and I am looking forward to watching it again.

These Final Hours (2013)

An underrated Aussie gem

[8/10 · 8 January 2023]

This was one of those movies where I wasn't really expecting much and ended up eating my words. Out of every apocalypse movie I've seen, this is by far the most realistic in terms of how people would act towards their impending doom- rash, reckless, and for some, even murderous. When you have nothing left to live for and the end is nigh, why not throw all caution to the wind and raise some hell? And the ending... yes, we are faced with what is causing the end of the world and it is terrifying yet beautiful. And it could very easily happen to us. But hopefully not in our lifetime.

The story itself is fairly original, and the acting is decent. I was most impressed with Angourie Rice's performance, as the child that the main character, James, rescues and attempts to return to her father. And I am not the type of person to cry in movies, but Rose telling James to "watch me until you can't see me" had me in floods.

An Aussie gem that deserves to be recognised.