adrijdin Reviews

Smile (V) (2022)

Depressing

[6/10 · 1 August 2023]

This type of ending has to stop. What is the point of telling a story where you follow the protagonist on their journey only for them to go the mile, face up to their fears and demons (so to speak & literally), make amends in their past relationships, only for none of it to have done any good. That's not actually how life is. That's not indicative of the power of love and forgiveness and the human spirit. There are such things as demons and curses, and they can be overcome. What would be far more interesting would be a movie where that was legit accomplished. I hated the ending. Predictable and totally unsatisfying. Disappointing.

That said, the movie had some interesting moments and given the abysmal state of horror, despite everything I've said it was above average.

The demon looked pretty cool in some scenes.

The Empty Man (2020)

Missed opp, but worth the watch

[8/10 · 25 October 2022]

As many have said before me, the first part of this movie is highly intriguing and unique. All I could think was "what am I watching, and why hadn't I heard of this movie before?" I am bonkers for that kind of stuff, as are many, and I wish there were more movies out there with supernatural scenes that capture intrigue like that.

The rest of the movie starts off several decades later, and goes in another direction. The storyline is really good, and could have made for a wonderful ride, but it's execution admittedly disappointed, and I felt let down coming off the high of that strong beginning.

It would have been fantastic to see more scenes from the pontifex institute and the camp. That would have been incredible. Makes me realize how satisfying and thorough Midsommar was in that regard.

Ultimately, it's above average, but unfortunately not a great movie. I wish it were - its plot had that potential.

Unbelievable (2019)

This was very good

[10/10 · 20 May 2020]

I was reluctant to watch this show for a time. I don't like many aspects of the Me Too movement, I have found it unbearably smug, preachy and often infantile. A lot of TV has this ultra-woke tone as well, and it drives me absolutely crazy. This being said, I'm an intelligent, caring human being and I care about all the issues in conjunction with the unfair treatment of women very very much. After having the show recommended enough times, I finally decided to give it a go - the first episode was a little hard to bear, but I noticed right away the lack of heavy-handedness. The way young Marie was treated was clearly displayed as unfair, but not in the way that makes you want to throw something at the TV screen. It was genuine, believable, authentic. Also, the cops responsible for essentially coercing her into retracting her initial claim - whom I thought were going to be shown as stereotypical "bad guys" were treated fairly. The whole first episode set the tone for the rest of the mini-series, but you don't actually realize how good it's going to get until the introduction of the two characters playing the female detectives: WOW. This was movie-level dialogue and character development. It was so enjoyable getting to know these characters and actually extremely refreshing to see policing being. carried out in a new, more emotionally intelligent way than we are used to seeing with most cop shows. This was very good, and despite the subject matter, it doesn't wreck you with anguish as I feared it might, either. It manages to not be heavy, almost at all, which in my opinion was quite the feat. I highly recommend this show, and also looking into the story that inspired it. Very important stuff.

Seven in Heaven (2018)

Worth watching amidst bleak horror selection

[8/10 · 9 December 2018]

I love horror movies and I've certainly sat through some stupid ones on account of there not being much decent selection out there (not to mention having watched most good titles almost immediately!) - I didn't go into this one with high expectations, but for a late night, "can't sleep so I'm watching a movie on your phone with headphones and a blanket over your head so you don't wake your guy up" it was pretty darn bearable. I like the parallel reality theme - it wasn't particularly well-done here, but it was acceptable enough for what it was. It's relatively new to the genre, but gaining popularity. I am a person who actually believes in parallel realities. There were some compelling moments. It would have been awesome if a few more things had been explained, such as why the principal was wise to what was going on, or what the significance of that particular closet was - basically WHY what happened to the main guy & girl in the closet even happened. I gave it a a few extra stars for originality. We need better horror movies!

Downsizing (2017)

Honestly riveting

[10/10 · 9 December 2018]

When I came across this on Netflix, I had no idea what it could be or why I hadn't heard of it. My guy and I were tired and it was the first title we could semi-agree on while flipping through Netflix (sound familiar?), so we just turned it on while he tapped away at his computer and I worked on some art. We had just wanted something on in the background.

I dropped my artwork in less than five minutes, and ended up utterly fascinated til the end! Implausible as the science may have been (I could care less, to be frank), this was the first time in a long time that I found myself mesmerized by just how unpredictable a movie was, and in the best way possible. I enjoyed being taken along on Jim's journey into going small, and it actually made me think.

I worried at first that the movie would be PC/preachy (have come to not be able to stand that) as there was an environmental theme, but actually it was quite balanced and thought-provoking. I was relieved not to feel like I was being spoon-fed some kind of political message, as I am with so many films these days.

This movie was definitely quirky, and not at all laugh-out-loud funny, but I couldn't recommend it more highly.

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Totally mediocre, and in a modern way.

[1/10 · 3 November 2018]

I'm on episode 7, and I will finish this series and update my review. However, it's been a frustrating day and a half slogging through this melodramatic yawn-fest, and the only way I feel I can properly release my frustrations is to waywardly join into the chorus of adoring praise. Let it be known that I start many series on Netflix and I can't say I'm easily impressed. I don't know what exactly has zapped the current generation of their intellect and skyrocketed their tolerance for extremely cheesy dialogue and story sappiness, but becomes extraordinarily apparent when watching the latest "hit" TV series and some movies (though movies don't tend to be as bad, and thank God for indie gems, that is all I have to say.) HOHH was once a book (by book I mean NOVEL - by the way, does anyone ever read those anymore?) so disturbingly horrifying that many actually experience unwanted supernatural phenomena while attempting to read it. I am one of those people and thus I cannot say I've actually finished the book, though I plan to, when I get up the courage. I am definitely a believer and I don't care if Shirley Jackson ever was, but she managed to tap into something eerie and evil throughout her career as a storyteller and is definitely a legacy in terms of horror. I'd heard that the TV series paid homage to the book but didn't try to follow the same storyline. Fine, I said. I almost welcomed the deviation as I wouldn't imagine any slick, big budget, ad hoc outfit consisting of modern day cast and behind-the-scenes Hollywood people would be able to pull together anything that could even resemble a classic horror novel. Sometimes these things work out better than others. Anyway, I was hopeful and especially enticed by the hype floating around social media that it was "so scary people are vomiting". Now THAT sounds like my kind of horror, and the fact that it was a 10-part series out just in time for Halloween was the icing on the cake. Usually horror flicks are gone in one 90 minute swoop. 10 hours of hellish scares? Great! Ugh. How gullible can a person get to believe that kind of hype?! The "I was seriously scared" reviews MUST be coming from people who would only plunge their baby toe into cinematic horror territory via a Netflix original series - I absolutely guarantee any genuine horror fans couldn't muster up the daintiest of hushed gasps at even the high points of tension. The fact that this show is not at all scary is not actually the worst part, though, unfortunately, because I can deal with a horror that isn't actually scary so long as the story draws me in. I'm not saying it doesn't have potential, or that it's not atmospheric (actually, it quite is, so kudos on that front) BUT -- One of the biggest problems is that all of its characters (for the most part) are flawed past the breaking point of being able to care about them. What an insipid cast of self-absorbed A holes. Dumb as anything, all of them. Weak, too. Why on earth are they all blaming each other and showing so little empathy for each other when they all know the terror the others went through that summer in the house? They're all so angry with each other when it is so obviously the house that is the problem. You would think they all thought they were the only one that suffered. In fact, they do all act like that. It's really weird. Another major issue is that there is very little in the way of mystery or twist as the story unfolds. Sometimes the characters suck but you keep watching (or reading) because you want to find out what happens next or have little mystery by little mystery solved. It's kind of the point of storytelling. But strangely, there is just no intrigue here at all. Everything is so mind-bogglingly obvious, and the fact that none of the characters can pull together and figure anything out made for a very frustrating viewing experience. My final criticism involves the "PC-ification" of modern day television, and it's not particular to this show. Must we be BLUDGEONED OVER THE HEAD with the interracial relationships, super sappy dialogue, token gay character, over-obvious proportional representations of every brand of human being that exists on this planet? It's incredibly annoying, and even though the white-washed casts of TV & movies of yore were rightly criticized for fitting everyone into a neat little box, going so far in the other direction is really actually distracting, and plenty of times it just feels forced & unnatural. So, there's my 2 cents. Update to come.

Captain Fantastic (2016)

This movie is Self Aware

[9/10 · 28 February 2017]

This review was spawned in part as a reaction to the review on Roger Ebert's website - a ridiculous butchering which criticized this movie based on the fact that she didn't like the main character and can't seem to accept such a thing as a non-one-dimensional character. I see that other reviewers have a similar problem grasping the idea that a flawed man can have redeeming qualities and that modern life presents conundrums which cannot neatly be resolved within the time span of an hour and a half.

Captain Fantastic is not the most masterful of its kind (it lacks the depth, writing, and laughs of, say, "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Sideways", films in a similar vein, IMO) but is still well worth watching. Viggo Mortenson is superb in this role, the kids are all uniquely awesome, it bumbles along nicely and it's food for thought throughout. The ending made me cry - family performance of "Sweet Child o' Mine" will truly go down in time for me; extraordinarily touching - from the children singing about their mother as being a "sweet child", to the moment the song turns upbeat (showing the absurdity of forced sadness at funerals) to the way in which her ashes were disposed - wonderful.

On to my main point: I would argue that one of the major themes RUNNING THROUGH THE ENTIRE MOVIE is that the dad, Ben, is a VERY flawed man, who does things that are very obviously wrong, to the point where his obtuse nature may or may not have been the deciding factor in his wife's suicide (!!!) yet he is not exactly a bad guy, either. The difficulty of assessing his integrity and whether or not he's "good" or "bad" is essentially why this movie exists.

Can you kind of sort of get that?!

Examples: when Rellian apologizes to his father for rebelling against him and vilifying him, to which Ben says, "I love you" instead of "i'm sorry," Sheila, my parents never apologized for any of the things they did to me, and 95% of the time that I said sorry to them when I was a child, I had not really done anything wrong. Should my parents have said sorry for all the things they've done? YES. Was it within their emotional capacity? No. That is part of life. People can't be more or less than who they are. The film is not trying to say that Rellian was wrong for rebelling, or that Ben was right in that (or any) instance. I don't know how someone who saw it so naively is writing professional movie reviews.

There's no question: Ben is a dictator, and he absolutely imposes his controversial views and values (not to mention lifestyle) on his children - just like countless other dads throughout history - we understand Rellian, but there are still very good reasons for the children to stay loyal to their dad and to each other regardless. Instead of clicking your tongue, why not contemplate the complexities of the parent-child relationship, the age old quandary of how sometimes the worst parents churn out the best kids, so maybe parents might as well just be who they really authentically are and trust that their children will turn out OK.

The other significant scene is when the little Zaja is able to explain to his quite-a-bit-older cousins, being raised in a "normal" household, the finer details concerning the Bill of Rights, which they know nothing about (though Ben's kids are similarly clueless when it comes to matters of pop culture). This occurs during a family dinner where the clash between the lifestyle and values of the two families has become very apparent.

Viewers saw this as smug; yes, I recognize how this would be a knee-jerk reaction. However, I think the scene was well-done, and one was actually more inclined to sympathize with Ben's sister Harper, who is duly embarrassed but in no way made to look like some kind of fool. We all know that that the average American teens aren't able to explain stuff like that, even though they "should" - yes, it's excessive that Zaja is as informed on political matters as she is, but it's as much of a salute to how much more you can teach kids when you take them out of the toxic public school environment and give them the one on one learning each kid deserves as it is a blatant display of Ben's aggressive focus on politics. Does a 6 year old kid need to be able to give such a detailed report about the Bill of Rights? No. Should Dave and Harper's teen sons have known a bit more about the Bill of Rights? Yes. I don't believe the film takes sides in that scene - it was meant to provoke thought.

Finally, regarding Leslie's dad, Grandpa Jack who regards Ben as a toxic hippie who is basically responsible for his daughter's suicide and should have his kids taken away from him: yes, we all understand his stodgy viewpoint, and admittedly that the fact that he tried to disallow Ben and the gang from attending Leslie's funeral had us rooting for the underdogs. But Jack wasn't portrayed as a fool. He was shown the respect he deserved, and acted/thought the way millions of dads naturally would given the circumstances. I wouldn't blame him, and Ben doesn't, really - actually, he shows evidence of partially agreeing with him, of considering his criticisms and taking them to heart (especially during his final goodbye to Leslie). However, Ben is within his rights not to grant Jack all of his wishes, either.

Naive people who can't see beyond "good guys" and "bad guys" need to go back to fairy tales or at the very least, blockbusters, and leave honest critical appreciation of real movies to people who can see beyond black and white.

The Invitation (I) (2015)

Worth watching but a bit of a missed opportunity

[7/10 · 1 October 2016]

This review not only contains spoilers it's essentially only for people who have already watched the film.

I enjoy interesting philosophical themes in films. The questions of what happens after physical death, how to handle grief, how to be happy and whether there are any viable alternatives in terms of lifestyle to the status quo, were all explored to a degree here. The scenes at the party where the 4 "outsiders" opened up about the new way they've chosen to live and disturbing tidbits from their past and how the others reacted to that were highly intriguing. Some of the dialogue was quite realistic. the characters (the normal people as well as the woo woos) were relatable and I have come into contact with 'free-love' types on the fringes of society. Although I too am a seeker and I believe the possibility that there are different and/or better ways to experience life than that which is utterly normal, I recognized a way of being or an attitude (in the supposed "cult members") that I find fake and annoying, and that was illustrated very well. At the same time, all of us who do live normally and experience pain, suffering, and boredom, do wonder despite being annoyed by these types if they're onto something.

So that was the good. This film, while watchable and enjoyable, In my opinion, left too many unanswered questions. There are scenes in this movie that left me scratching my head in terms of what was being shown and why. The gist of it all is that these 4 cult members are planning to die that night and would like to take the closest friends of one of the members along with them. It was never explained why. The only thing that I could come up with was that she wanted to be surrounded by the people she loved the most when she died (and felt ready to go there, to be with her son who had previously passed away) and figured the only way to do that was to kill them, too. The morals of the group were never delved into. For instance, we learn that they most certainly believe in survival of the personality after death, and that death is a journey to a wonderful mode of being, but how or why that translates into speeding up the passage there via suicide-murder is not remotely clear. Their opinion is basically that there is no need to grieve the loss of loved ones or fear death, because we are going to see them all again when we die, so lets just go ahead and die now! This (minus the very last part) is basically what many religions and spiritual teachings are all about, and probably what most non-spiritual people might think constitutes the whole of mystical thinking. But that is not so. It is an overly-simplistic, naive, way of viewing reality. Maybe that is what the film was trying to show. But for all I know, the makers of this film also do not realize that there could be any more to metaphysical interpretations of non-physical reality than that which is espoused by this cult.

There is a scene in the movie where the main woman (the one who lost her son), called Eden, is explaining that she has found a way to be happy, that negative feelings and emotions are merely chemical reactions in the brain that can be avoided entirely. It's actually an exciting monologue, as many religions and mystical wise people have also spoken words to this effect, and I believe that to some degree this is true. However, immediately after, her action and tone reveal that she is hardly without pain and even rage. I don't know whether this was merely foreshadowing or a window into her psyche or it served to show that it is indeed impossible to dispel negative emotions.

In fact, i almost feel that that was the entire message of the movie: that life is horrible and there is nothing we can do to get through it besides endure. But it doesn't seem to take into consideration that one can endure and get through it to the other side without either joining a cult or just being a depressed person with unhappy relationships for the rest of their life. I really don't think it has to be that way. Of course, it is a terrible thing to lose a child, and the grief that would follow that would be enormous in any normal person. The film shows the difference in the way that both parents of the little boy who died (now separated) are handling that grief, as though those are the only 2 options. As though the only alternative to endless suffering is complete delusion. I strongly disagree with this apparent conclusion, and if the movie had gone beyond that in terms of varying beliefs among the different characters, if there had been a ray of hope in all this, I think it could have been a much more sophisticated and memorable film.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy watching it, and it got me thinking.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

Soft, dreamy vision of Australia

[9/10 · 31 December 2015]

This is a soft, dreamy showcase of life in rural Australia at the turn of the last century, centred around a group of girls and teachers at a prim boarding school, while it is also an excellent mystery and also a meditation. FYI: It is available on youtube, as are many classic Australian films :)

I've always loved movies and books that take place at all-girls schools. I'm kind of a junkie for that kind of thing, so as soon as I learned the premise, I was in. However, this movie goes far beyond just being that.

If you are interested in Aboriginal spirituality and have certain ideas and theories about the sacred land of Australia, this movie definitely gives you something to think about. There is a lot of talk on these boards and around the internet about the "secret" behind the mystery, but for me it isn't unresolved at all. It was very obvious to me, being interested in what different spiritual traditions have to say about the nature of time, what happened in this movie. I think it will affect people on different levels depending on how you choose to experience movies in general as well as your capacity for abstract thought. For the record, I don't like movies that deliberately offer no resolve to the mysteries they weave, I really am one for solutions, but it was natural and enjoyable for me to reach my own personal conclusions about what exactly was going on in this movie. It was wonderfully subtle but rich in meaning.

The movie is extremely atmospheric and I almost felt myself go into a bit of a trance while watching! I especially love the scene that occurs right before the girls go off for their exploration, while they are sitting in the grass. At this point in the movie, do listen to the wondrous sounds of nature! Crickets and birdsong, the wind in the trees, sounds like that. We need to get out in the natural areas of our own corners of this earth and feel that. It is necessary for our health and wellbeing. This is also a film for nature enthusiasts! In addition, I adored the recitation of poetry and a glimpse of the life of a schoolgirl before the technology age, and outside the hustle bustle of the city. It really makes you realize that it is seriously a shame how addicted young people are to their gadgets, and how wonderfully simple life was at that time. It truly facilitated a love of poetry in the young student that I believe has been lost to modern society. Scary.

Finally, I must say that I (like countless others) fell under the spell of the lead girl, Miranda, who is likened just before her disappearance to a Bodicelli Angel. She really is a lovely and special girl.

Dark Skies (2013)

Worth a watch, pretty good acting, mediocre though

[7/10 · 8 September 2015]

(Minor spoilers ahead) I'm giving this movie a 7 because I am keen on any half-decent movie about aliens and UFOs. (I will watch any horror movie with an overall IMDb rating of over 5.)

This movie was certainly watchable and a few of the elements of the plot were actually quite well thought-out. This movie wasn't completely stupid, and with the state of most scary movies that come out, well, that's as much as anyone can hope for, really.

Now let's talk about the actors: Keri Russell isn't my favourite gal of all time but I don't mind her, and she worked well here as the intelligent, concerned and caring mom and wife. She got a bit of good and bad dialogue - I loved the bits where she was piecing together what on earth was really going on and trying to explain it all to her hubby. That was quite satisfying. I also liked the interactions with her children. Not sure what the significance was of her being a fakey-wakey realtor, I guess that was just random, and it did leave me sort of wondering why her given career didn't seem to be significantly connected to the overall story, whereas in the case of her husband's job situation, there was a sense of connection there. Josh Hamilton, I adore, and he was great as the knee-jerk skeptic, overall good guy young family man. (Can't believe he was born in 69 btw - he looks pretty fantastic to me. Super cute.) The kids and supporting characters were fine.

The movie had a pretty good evenly paced plot, and some good scares. I'm not the type of movie viewer that believes it's best to not ever show the monster, because of the old 'what you can't see is scarier than what you can' - some of my favourite horror movie moments were when the creatures were finally revealed, as the walk by glimpse in Signs (loved that scene, scared the crap outta me!), the creatures in The Descent (some of my favourite movie monsters of all time, though people say the sight of them almost ruined the movie) and the horrendously scary sights to behold that gave me nightmares for years in Fire in the Sky. (These are just a few personal examples.) This being said, I am a reader and I do have a vivid imagination - I also find it a letdown when the monsters aren't hideous enough. But overall, if we NEVER see the monster I am the most disappointed of all. I'm just not into that.

Anyway, I'll just say that the glimpses we got in this movie were pretty good, but overall it wasn't quite scary enough. The concept was scary and disturbing - it would have been good to have delved into that in a bit more detail. I like how it didn't try to be super original and the aliens were portrayed as the typical kind you hear about that people report of in abduction cases and conspiracy theories. That was kind of great - it tied it into reality and made you wonder "what if?" I don't think enough has been done with that concept in the movies, actually. There's plenty of room on my shelf for more alien abduction movies!

Movies like this usually have logistical issues that I figure a competent team should be able to smooth the kinks out of but they never do, so I almost feel I can't complain about that aspect too much. The storyline had its weaknesses, though, for sure -- we just get served up the 'random' explanation for why exactly the aliens do the specific things they do in their study of humans, which isn't really as satisfying as it could be. The comparison to lab rats was OK, but I feel that a more complex and horrifying explanation could have been dished up just based on the theories floating around on the internet. The ultimate explanation amounted to no more really than "they do it because they can."

The ending was a bit of a surprise - I thought it would have been a bit cheesier after the alien expert alluded to the thing that would really "get" to the aliens was sticking together as a family, and then they kind of didn't do that. Not clear why that was the case. The ending definitely had problems -- it felt rushed, incomplete and left important questions unanswered. Lamest of all though was the 'twist' - if you can call it that. I won't come out and say exactly what the twist at the end was, but let's put it this way: it was the type of end of the movie twist that you don't see coming not because the film is so clever, but because it doesn't pack a punch. In the first version of this review I'd said the ending wasn't that bad, but now I've actually changed my mind: in my opinion, it really stunk.

Now, despite all my criticisms, at the end of the day if you like alien movies, this is absolutely worth watching! criticisms, relatively speaking.

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Super Shallow

[5/10 · 7 June 2015]

I am giving this movie 5 stars (instead of say, 1) because it was watchable enough to hold my interest, some of the singing scenes were fun, and the characters were all right. I understand that this movie is aimed at the tween set and the need to go "a bit deeper" wasn't really seen. That being said, this movie was extremely surface level - it doesn't have the makings of the classic I thought it might be based on its level of popularity, and what's sad about that is that it did have the ingredients.

The main problem with this movie was that it wasn't SATISFYING. Part of the thrill of movies like this is that the mean characters finally get what they deserve or learn their lesson, and the hard work or effort of the more likable characters finally pays off in a triumphant series of scenes, but that just doesn't happen to any of the "bad guys" (I use that term loosely) in this film, and when the various climaxes hit, it was very hard for me to truly give a crap. The little bit of depth required to take this movie into the realm of "memorable" just wasn't put in. The result of this is that we don't care as much as we could, and a feeling of vague annoyance permeated my overall enjoyment while I was watching. I do understand that this is supposed to be a light, fun movie, but I'm sorry, there are dozens of classic light, fun movies (including those aimed at a younger audience) that have that WEE bit of substance that make them truly affecting and inherently non-shallow. The film tries to teach lessons, but ends up sending very mixed messages. Thus, the movie is shallow, and that is different from being light. Not only that, but the storyline was fairly weak (though the premise was pretty good, although there are plenty of affecting movies with fairly weak story lines, so that is not the main problem for me) and the dialogue at points was truly the opposite of terrific (again, that is not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it didn't help matters).

SPOILERS:

Examples of bad guys not getting what they deserved: a) Aubrey. She is the perfectionist leader of the group who refuses change, and there are many, many scenes with her bossing around (and being a total B*TCH to) Chloe, Beca and the girls. We spend the whole movie waiting for her to "get hers" but guess what, it never really happens. Whenever Beca tries to stand to Aubrey, it is so weak it is practically out of character, and no one ever really backs her up. So finally there is a very weak scene in which it all the girls finally decide to *kind of* stand up against Aubrey, (which is begun when Chloe FINALLY takes a stand against the abuse, and we are totally robbed of the satisfaction because Fat Amy directs her "stop fighting, guys!" at CHLOE and not Aubrey?!?) it ends in a ridiculous group fight complete with Lilly making angel wings in Aubrey's vomit. What the heck? Yes, the troop changes and tries something new and wins as a result, but I found it extraordinarily unsatisfying, and the climax utterly fails to penetrate the heart.

b) Bumper. This is the leader of the Bellas' rival a Capella troop the Treblemakers, who is a gigantic buffoon. This guy insults and dismisses people constantly, but instead of getting any payback he turns out to be the most successful guy in the whole movie, exiting upon getting some kind of audition in LA. Um, excuse me? So being a ruthless jerk that doesn't care about people and throws burritos at people from a moving vehicle is your ticket to success. Is that it?

c) Beca's Dad. Yes, we get it, she is super rude to him and wants nothing to do with him because he and her mom got a divorce. Even though they eventually reconcile, I was still expecting there to be some back story that explains why he doesn't seem to care that she is obviously extremely hurt over their divorce. On the flip side, he also doesn't get the apology he deserves from her, either. Final scene with them: completely unsatisfying. Light. Fluffy. Whatever.

d) Beca herself. She treats the guy that loves her (and that deep down inside she also loves) like crap for scene after scene, and gets on his case for doing wonderful things to help her. He *finally* stands up for himself, and it is slightly satisfying, but um, still, not really. But out of all the examples, this one was the most well-done, thankfully. I actually did enjoy the dynamic between Jesse & Beca and thought it was one of the best aspects of the movie, cliché as it was.

That aside, it wasn't funny, although I believe it was intended to be. I myself have found plenty of movies really funny when the critics say they weren't, etc. so this could be a personal thing, but I didn't laugh once. (I am the type to laugh at barf and farting and diarrhoea in movies, so I'm not THAT hard to please in this department.) But anyway, the example that stands out the most is the banter between competition commentators Gail and John-- it was bizarrely non-witty and unfunny, whereas this could have been the best part of the movie. For instance, another one of this movie's ultra-weakly executed lessons was to show that "girls can do it, too" and that ties into John's (and Gail's) anti-girl attitudes and comments. However, there's no payoff at the end. The girls finally do something original. Gail tells John he's a misogynist. John doesn't appear to care, or to have leaned his lesson, based on admitting they did a good job. 

Dats all folks.

On the Way to School (2013)

Inspiring, relaxing, adorable.

[10/10 · 7 June 2015]

This movie has recently come out on US Netflix. Although we see how far these children have to travel to get to school and the obstacles they face (sometimes dangerous), the movie is not depressing at all. These kids are full of joy, and there isn't a hint of complaint in them. I came out of this movie appreciating how blessed these children really are that their parents approve of their long commute to school, as it becomes obvious that similar children in neighbouring villages probably aren't all granted that opportunity. It also makes you think of the children whose villages are just that many more km away from schools, for whom it would literally be impossible to attend. So the movie leaves you feeling very happy that, although it's not easy, and if you stuck your average western child (or wealthy child in the developing world) into this situation, they'd be like "What the?!?" and possibly kick up a fuss. Also, many parents of well-off children (and perhaps poor children as well, I don't know, it depends on the parents), are so over-protective of their children that they hardly let them go out into the street or park unsupervised for 5 or 10 minutes, let alone commute by themselves to school. So in that way, it also made me feel sorry for our children, that they don't get exposed to wide open nature that you see in this movie (which is varied and absolutely gorgeous - you could watch this film just to see the amazingly beautiful landscapes and enjoy it for that reason alone), nor do they develop the survival and problem-solving skills and independence that the children in this movie have, obviously. And do you know what? That's quite sad. This movie shows how capable and strong children are. Thinking of childhood as this time to just play or be catered to and protected constantly, and have ample time to be very bored, is really quite an illusion we've created over the decades. Throughout our history, children have learned more skills, been given more responsibility, than what we deem appropriate or necessary in the well-off west. I definitely see this as a problem. In any case, enough about my philosophical (or sociological? whatever you call it) ramblings. This is a lovely and simple documentary type of movie that merely shows footage of four groups of children (in Kenya, Morocco, India, and Argentina) making their way to school alone, without adult supervision, across vast expanses of land. We are allowed little snippets into their culture and way of life as we also see a bit of footage of their cities and towns, their family homes, and other countryfolk they encounter on their journeys. It's extremely touching. I recommend showing it to your own children.

Leap Year (2010)

Amazing

[10/10 · 19 January 2015]

I like to watch Spanish language movies in order to brush up on my Spanish, especially for an upcoming vacation in Mexico :P This title seemed a little too depressing but something made me decide to go ahead and put it on anyway - I'm so glad that I did. Rather than down in the dumps upon watching this movie, I felt I'd come to terms with some of the grim realities of life as a single adult, and it actually gave me some hope.

If you are not comfortable with graphic sex scenes, I would not suggest this film, although it would seem that's obvious even from the tagline description. The sex is essential to the storyline, and the relationship between the characters, and it might open up peoples' eyes to realize that it's very realistic. Don't be scared of weird sex. It's out there, and people want it, people do it. It's a fact of life in this human body.

Although the storyline is simple and sad, upon reflection, I actually think it's brilliant. It's a story of overcoming grief, even coming of age, that really needed to be told. And the acting from lead Monica del Carmen, how she dealt with the vulnerability and complexity of the character, was a step above what you'll usually see. I would recommend the film in appreciating of her acting alone.

There are some reviews on here that says this movie is misogynistic, or no better than a porn. What a load of rubbish! The sex in this movie is an illustration of a consensual sexual dynamic and pattern that exists between men and women that is very natural. It may or may not reflect an ideal state of emotional health, but it's not abuse, and becoming more comfortable with and conscious of human sexuality is the key to opening up peoples' minds so that we can actually overcome misogynistic tendencies in society. It's also worth noting that it's still rare to see a powerful lead female on screen, in control of her sexuality, and capable of some fairly complex manipulation.

If you're a fan of character studies, art-house type stuff, and movies that are actually GOOD, do watch this one!