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Here, however, I usually review only the latter ones, since the blockbusters get so many reviews, that one more will not make any change.
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Fast X (2023)
When "Avengers" meets "Fast and the furious" everything goes wrong
I am (was) a huge fan of the "fast and the furious" series, and of Vin Diesel. Although I am a physicist I can live with "curbing" the laws of nature to some extent, provided that this is justified (e.g., through SciFi, magic, alternate universes etc.). It is also OK in movies like Mission Impossible and similar to drive things to the extreme. However, when both physics AND logic go awry it's simply too much.
The main villain in the story, (Dante, played by an amazing Jason Mamoa) is simply a joke. He is super intelligent, super rich, super powerful, and a caricature of a sociopath à la Joker. He is able to organize his crimes (which are purely driven by hatred) in such perfect timing across the globe and with access to every possible computer, that his abilities surpass those of Robert Langdon's foes (DaVince code), of Thanos (Avengers) and all James Bonds enemies at once. It borders ridicule. And, the most importantly, makes the film boring.
In the next episode they are going probably to have spaceships racing across the galaxy I guess, and Dante will use nuclear fusion to kill.
Acting is generally from decent to very good (well it's not Shakespeare after all, so not utterly important), and the cinematography (referring to the effects) excellent. Unfortunately a nice packaging does not salvage a really bad content.
Finally, I really abhor cliffhangers, and I seldom (if ever) have seen such an infuriating one. It's one thing to leave things open in a story, and quite a different one to literally stop the action in the middle of the most intense scene, like someone just pulled the plug of the TV. This practically means the producers where so sure the viewer will not watch the next one, that they had to use every means to animate them to do so. Plain awful and tasteless.
In a whole this is by far the worst of an otherwise very good series. If you really want to watch it, at least wait until the next one comes out to save yourself the frustration of the unfinished scene.
Lightyear (2022)
A disappointment
The film tries to become a prequel to the extremely successful toy story line. As such it fails miserably, not due to technical issues, but simply because the story sucks. It is inconsistent, carries nothing but clichés and failed punchlines along, and is full of loose ends, even for five-year-olds.
The main problem is that the hero, the actual Buzz Lightyear (who in this movie is supposed to be a real hero, an experienced space ranger, and above all a real person, rather than a cartoonish toy), has all the traits of the wannabe action hero of the actual Toy Story films, and this simply does not work. I did not count how many times "To infinity and beyond" was said, but definitely way to many, I guess due to lack of better punchlines, obviously. Buzz is stubborn, rather than brave, a do-it-all loner, rather than a team capable personality, childish and opinionated, rather than wise and adventurous. All these traits are fine for the toy, which actually does not quite know what the real world looks like, but fail miserably for a real person (in fact I kept asking myself, how this guy could even become a space ranger in the first place...).
If the movie was at least funny, or creative, one might forgive its shortcomings, but unfortunately this is not the case.
The whole plot is an incomprehensible mixture of a cartoonish outer space (where one would expect the black Martian from Roger Rabbit to land any moment), and a B-movie of the space horror genre from the seventies. Huge malicious brainless plants and bugs, an even more brainless super intelligent super villain, and utterly stupid but insanely strong robots. The secondary characters, are something of the trio Stooges, but unfortunately not as funny, with only a couple of punchlines which keep repeating over and over again....
The three stars go for the animation technology, the voice acting and the (strangely enough) not completely wrong physics..... However, Pixar's amazing team cannot compensate for the totally inadequate script.
Watch it at your own risk, with lots of coffee to to help you overcome the boredom (or even better watch something else).
Super-héros malgré lui (2021)
A fresh persiflage of hero movies
Whoever likes movies like "Spaceballs", "The naked gun" or "Johnny English" will definitely appreciate this one. It is a parody of hero movies with lots of humor, unexpected turns and, of course, intended stupidity. Being acquainted with the Marvel universe will help understand the puns.
All actors stand to their standards, and the plot is funny, fresh, although a bit exaggerated. It is very entertaining, but obviously with no artistic or philosophical claims, which is just fine.
Watch it with lots if friends, popcorn (or similar), and lots of beers.
Just Say Love (2009)
Emotional abuse meets Disney-happy ending
The film is about two guys meeting up for a quicky, ending up in a sort-of no-strings-attached situation (with all the derived clichés). The one guy is a wannabe-witty-but-omg-whiner who endures an emotionally abusive relationship, while the other one, supposedly straight, enjoys a good ... service once in a while. Two thirds of the movie turn around the gay guy swallowing down indirect insults (for everyone who has even a little self-respect) just to meet again with the "hero" he's hopelessly fallen for, while in the last few minutes everything gets miraculously resolved in a Disney-like happy ending (which couldn't be further from any realistic outcome possible). The whole takes play on a minimalistic theater stage (something that might have worked for Dogville but pathetically fails here, since there is no real plot substance to substitute for the stage props missing). Characters do not really evolve, conflicts are not analyzed and resolved but unexpectedly disappear, while cinematography is on purpose absent (I do not consider changing the filming angle cinematography). Matthew Jaeger and Robert Mammana do a decent job trying to act, but the script is so shallow, that they have nothing to work with.
The film is supposed to be an adaptation of a stage play by David J. Mauriello (although googling for the original play didn't result in any information whatsoever). The story might have been enough for a ten-minute short film at best (in which case the development and the catharsis are left as homework to the viewers), but nothing longer. If the author wantonly recites Plato, he should first know (and apply) Aristotele's definition of Greek tragedy (theater 101).
Last-minute addition: Reading my review again, I realized that I may be overreacting (in fact much more than usually in my critiques), but watching it made me angry. I decided not to soften my tone because I don't want others to also waste their time (or if they do, to at least be aware of the risk they're taking). The most important reason for my anger, however, is the subtle insinuation throughout the movie, that enduring an emotional abuse may magically pay off in the end.
Kira kira hikaru (1992)
A (badly told) Japanese fairytale about societal nonconformity
Probably a story, which is difficult to understand from a westerner's perspective. The gay doctor who has a younger boyfriend succumbs to his parents pressure for an arranged marriage. Obviously, tensions ensue and things get slowly out of hand. Although the story is quite exaggerated it does reflect the necessity of the Japanese to preserver their social face, despite the feelings people might harbor (or not) for each other. In a country where suppression of one's own emotions and needs is the norm rather than the exception, struggling for acceptance is a thorny path, even when the only people involved agree on their mutual actions. The story, although bizarre, might convey the message, to an extent.
The actual realization, however, lets a lot to be desired. The actors fail at communicating to the poor viewers their struggles, hence the movie oscillates between drama and (probably unintended) comedy, alas unsuccessful at both ends. The plot is quite lengthy, and the ending an incomprehensible cliffhanger-ish (or sort-of).
If you are a fan of "alternative" asian cinematography, it is an average movie to watch. If not, you're probably going to hate it, so better pass.
Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022)
Entertaining, nothing more, nothing less
An interesting story about the (unwanted) transformation of a girl and its alter ego (for real).
The plot is quite original and the evolution of the characters not bad. A teenage girl learns about what it means to grow up (with all its side effects) and the value of friends and family, while the mother learns that she must let go of her daughter, even if the latter wants to go other paths. A typical fantasy story with the obligational moral ending, with a strong Chinese flair. Watch it with your kids and prepare a lot of pop corn.
Twentynine Palms (2003)
Annoyingly shocking and shockingly annoying
A tremendously boring movie for about 9/10 of the movie, with no evolution of already pathetic characters, with unnecessary explicit scenes (no I don't mind nudity, but explicit scenes that offer nothing to the plot are just like click-baits on the internet), and a shocking, totally unrelated ending, leaving the audience with an upset stomach (to put it mildly) for no reason whatsoever...
For heaven's sake, spare your time and preserve your sanity by watching something else.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie (2021)
Very poor realization of a nonetheless inspiring true story
It is difficult to review a true story, more so of a controversial nature, since reviewing the film mixes with reviewing the story itself. I will try my best to stick the film alone. Well, it is mediocre at best. First of all it is a musical, but the singing is bad, like really bad. It seems to me that none of the actors is really a singer, but then again why not hire real singers instead? All songs seem boring and uninspired, sung with untrained voices which change register four times in a second in order to be able to reach anything above c1, no volume, no harmonics, no metal in the voices, nothing. Well this is a musical, right? It'd be fine for a high school production but not a full fledged film. The story plot sucks, there is practically no evolution of the characters, and the protagonist puts on a smile through out the film, which is not the tiniest bit realistic, let alone convincing. I understand he has yet a long way to go, but then again, this is not a college project, so it must be judged accordingly. The school teachers are a joke at best (especially the principal), with flat acting (I'm being polite) and even flater background stories.
Don't get me wrong: I watched the movie to the end and was also moved, but just because of the story and because I was constantly mentally projecting out of Harwood's poor performance the real Campbell in a real harsch environment trying to realize his dreams. Had it not been based on a true story, I'd given up after 15 minutes...
Bottom line: a film to watch only if there's nothing else on TV.
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
(Mis)using a famous name does not save the day....
I started watching the film fearing that it would be just a mediocre combination of a legend basketball player's life surrounded by many of my favorite cartoon characters à la "Despicable me". Alas, it wasn't even close. The story sucked, the actors, oh well (they're not actors, right? But then why do they act...). No coherence, no character developing, not even enough cartoon moments, no real laughs, nothing to keep you watching. Yes everything is cartoonish, but besides the names and facial features there is nothing reminding me of my childhood's heroes. Also no basketball (I mean real basketball). To my utter disappointment Warner Bros managed to produce a sequel to Space Jam, which is even worse than the first one (and that's no easy task).
It is simply one of the worst movies I watched lately, and I am certain, that it wouldn't have made it to the theaters without LeBron's name. It's a pity it finally did....
The Man with the Answers (2021)
A road trip to learning how to cope with the past
A Greek young adult, who (apparently) was raised by his grandmother, and has no real prospects in life, pawns his diving medals to make money for a trip to Germany to meet his estranged remarried mother after his grandmother dies. On the way, he meets a German who is traveling to Greece on a yearly basis, and together they drive through Italy and Switzerland to Bavaria.
The plot is not too bad, but it has several logic holes, which make it unbelievable. The main one, is unfortunately a central point of the story: namely he has no driver's license and drives his mother's car, which, even back in the eighties or nineties (when the movie is set), would simply make it impossible to go through the borders. Not to mention that he gets checked by the Italian police and they let him go, despite all this (apparently with no fine either). On the way we learn much about his life story, but nothing about his new companion (who, needless to say, becomes his lover). In the end they reach their destination, meet the mother and her new child, and they (probably) live happily ever after.
The film is not too bad, and belongs to the kind of new wave Greek nostalgic movies, which try to analyze the Greek soul, as it belongs to a different species. Therefore it suffers from the same disease as many indie low-budget movies: being made by talented but not experienced enough people and a very limited team, it borders boredom, and although it manages to somehow develop the main character, all little details around the plot's main thread are simply plausible enough. Surely, one can think of possible answers for each question (for example, what about the guy's social life, what about his other family, what about his father, what about the companion's past, what about the diving medals and so forth and so on). Or one could dismiss them as irrelevant, but then again to understand the psyche of the protagonists, one needs background, and the film simply provides none. The acting is decent (but not great), the scenes acceptable (but not breath-taking), the sound track is borderline.
Watch the film, expecting little and you will spend a pleasant time, watch it trying to understand and you will hate it. If, for some reason, you identify yourself with any of the characters, then your own life's past will fill in the (many) blanks and perhaps make it more coherent.
Proximity (2020)
How NOT to make a sci-fi movie: mix all clichés with religion
A geek who working for NASA gets abducted by aliens. The geek and his friend use the world's most valuable satellites just to play games with each other, and with one glance at numbers they see what SETI has not found in decades. The technology depicted in the movie is a weird mixture of 80's, 90's, and 2000's, while the international agency chasing him and his friends posses white anthropomorphic robots (which look like starship troopers and chase them in normal trains, and somehow no one seems to bother!!!). They befriend an other IT genius who from his isolated home in the jungle of Costa Rica can hack into any computer in the world (e.g., NASA) and also into the computer of a former lumberjack who, after being abducted him self now is an engineering genius and manages to translate the alien language into audible english using tapes. He arranges a meeting with the aliens, they come (they have a discussion at his home using the tape machine!!!!) and at the question why they abduct people, it turns out they are looking for Jesus!!!!! Like, seriously????? Forgot to mention, the NASA geek has super powers and the bad guy is looking for what happened to his father......
To sum it up: the plot is ridiculous with many unnecessary twists and scenes which would better match different stories. The acting is half-way decent, but the film cut simply destroys every little successful effort. The soundtrack is weird to say the least (made from someone who obviously has never seen a decent movie), and the scenery is OK.
Don't watch it, unless you REALLY like bad sci-fi films and have nothing (I mean really nothing) better to do.
Die Goldfische (2019)
Fresh comedy with very realistic characters
A German comedy about a group of people with disabilities going on a smuggling trip to Switzerland. The movie is funny, honest and fast-paced. Centered around a banking man, who recently lost control of his legs, it portrays his transition from a total prick to a less-so guy as he first exploits and later starts helping the members of his therapy group and the care-takers. It sounds predictable, and it is so up to a point, but the little episodes aren't. Most importantly, the characters are given in their full true colors. One character (a girl with Down syndrome), is played by an actress who actually has the Down syndrome. And no the bad people do not turn completely good, just a bit better. Like real people do (well, sometimes at least). Nonetheless, all the characters develop nicely and in a coherent way.
In total, a surprisingly fresh German comedy, which does not entirely follow the typical Hollywood plot pattern, but which will certainly leave you with a smile in the end, even if you don't crack up laughing throughout.
Blithe Spirit (2020)
Bad remake
I watched it without having watched the first film, shot in 1945 with Rutherford as Madam Arcati, before. The film is unfortunately not funny, which in my opinion lies in the fact that the new adaptation the story changed a lot, adding unnecessary plot elements, overall making it boring. In fact the key part, namely that the maid is the actual psychic is completely removed from the story, and the coming back of Madam Arcati's long dead husband is a new completely unnecessary, yet predictable and not funny twist. The death of Charles, although being the last scene of the 1945 film too, is actually absent in the play (which thankfully one can still watch on youtube with an excellent cast). Nonetheless, in the old film it is just a one-minute add-on which does not destroy the plot (it is an obvious and common thing to do at the time), which is not the case with the new one.
The story is supposed to take place in the 1930s, in a villa which looks anything but that (something between Bauhaus and Minimalism). Since the majority of the scenes were shot there, this insignificant mistake is perceived throughout the film, in an annoying way.
Although everyone's acting is excellent, the plot too blunt to save the day. If you want to watch it then go for the 1945 film, or even better, for the TV play.
The Christmas Setup (2020)
When an attempt of making a gay romantic comedy fails....
Having been a huge fan of Drescher for a long time I was more than happy to finally get to watch this film. Unfortunately the film, although not utterly terrible, by far did not meet the expectations. The story is as flat as it gets, with the (clearly happy) end foreseeable after only a few minutes. The characters do not develop at all - this would not be a problem if the film was funny (like The Nanny was), but since this is not the case, the result is simply dull and boring.
The perfect mom helps her gay son to find a perfect match. Everything turns out perfect with practically no twists. The son has a perfect female best friend who falls for his also perfect older brother. After about forty minutes there is a shadow of doubt in the perfect gay couple, which disappears almost instantly, along with the danger that the (you guess it?) perfect Christmas tradition of the town falls apart. The twist is based on a scene which takes place at the very beginning of the film with a side story, which never really explained or further developed.
Fran Drescher is just an older, but cleverer and more accomplished) version of the adorable Nanny Fine. Since however, there is practically no comic element in the film, her (admittedly perfect) smile after every single line seems out-of-place (technically this is the time where the audience laughter would be heard in the series).
Furthermore the film is too obviously politically correct. For example, the gay couple is pictured twice kissing (the second kiss is also the end of the whole film), while the straight couple does not give us any really romantic encounter.
The film is not even close to anything like The Nanny, Will and Grace, or any good old-fashioned romantic comedy with Hugh Grant and/or Jennifer Lopez. If you have nothing better to do, watch it while baking cookies or on your computer while zapping through the day's news and stock market. This film will hardly capture your attention for more than that.
Soul (2020)
Beautiful aesthetics and a philosophical story for grown-ups
I watched this movie after waiting with great anticipation, and boy was I right! Pixar has a double primer, namely the first black protagonist and the first films targeting grown-ups.
The story is a mixture of contemplation about the meaning of being alive and funny moments, combined with beautiful aesthetics. There are two levels, the world of the living and the world of the souls, both clearly distinguishable through different but perfectly harmonizing styles. Furthermore, there are living creatures (and their souls) and eternal creatures, which are also drawn with different styles (funny bubbly bodies vs. cubistic outlines, both of them matching their roles and their environments). I'm sure on a cinema screen it would look amazing, but alas, it is not possible to verify yet....
The story is easy to follow with some twists, which lead to an expected happy end (it is a Pixar cartoon after all), but not without a few unexpected yet comic turns.
The music is really good (although I am not really a fun of jazz and impro, but that's just my personal taste).
The only flaw of the movie, is that it is not funny enough (in a slapstick kinda way) for younger viewers, hence it may disappoint them. A classical body-swap situation is the only generator of laughs for the primary school and the teenagers among us.
As a general recommendation: watch it, but perhaps without your kids if they are not at least teenagers.
Été 85 (2020)
A teen love story with too much drama but not enough development
I decided to watch the movie with mixed feelings. The plot seemed not intriguing enough, but Ozon's name is (or at least was) a certain guarantee. Alas, the disappointment prevailed. In 8 femmes, Ozon managed to keep an unforgiving and at the same time uncommenting eye into the human behavior. The behavior itself developed the characters, and brought them together into a whole. Eté 85 is a mixture of Ozon and a try to mimic Almadóvar's way of looking into tragedy, which unfortunately fails completely. The scenes are great, the actors true to their characters, but what comes out is a story swaying between a kitsch gay teenagers' love affair and a family drama. The ending is weird (I am referring to the court sentence), taking into account the fact that the subject of homosexuality was at the time socially unacceptable was extremely poorly part of the story to that point, with the exception of a vague reference to an uncle). None of the three main characters (Alexis, David and the mother, Mme Gorman) develop and their reactions throughout the film are irrational, somewhere between funny and stupid, in a combination which simply does not work. Kate's acting is miserable, same as Alexis' parents. The only convincing character, if any, is probably the social worker.
Concluding, this is a mediocre film to watch if you are into gay dramas and have nothing better to do. Matches up the standards of east asian gay drama series, but not the ones of main stream cinematography, and is definitely not Ozon's most brilliant accomplishment.
Anomalisa (2015)
Boring and metaphysical-ish
I must have probably watched another film than most of the reviewers here. The story is about this extremely successful english guy, who while being on conferences cheats on his wife and then he somehow meets a young lady to whom he feels attracted and with whom he wants to spent a night (after he unsuccessfully called another ex). So what's new here and why on earth should anyone identify themselves with him or want to find out what's going on on his mind (beware one never does actually). What was the film all about? There is a mysterious metaphysical level, which turns out to be even more stupid and mundane, in that everyone who is boring to him speaks with his voice. Of course in the end he returns to his wife and everything is fine. Except from the viewer who probably cannot stop thinking what was this all about.....
Lilting (2014)
An interesting film, with not too many twists
Whishaw excels as the boyfriend of a deceased Chinese man, whose mother lives in an house for the elderly. Cheng Pei-pei (the mother) is at least equally brilliant. The story is about the two of them slowly coming closer and manage (or perhaps learn) to accept each other's existence in the deceased life.
Although the plot is a bit thin leaving several question marks as to why for instance thinks came to the present state (especially for the mother), the main actors' performance makes up for it. There are some repeating scenes (rather annoying in my opinion, since they do not offer any additional resolution), and there is a slice of overdramatization, but the film manages to not cross the line over to being kitsch. The cinematography is a mixture of western and asian styles, for the westerners with a tendency to sentimental exaggeration, for asians with a portion of bluntness. What I also missed was at least some reference to how they both dealt with the death. The film is namely all about the interaction between the two of them.
In any case, I found the film worth watching, but be warned, you might wanna have a handkerchief nearby.
We Are Who We Are (2020)
Not even close...
Having spent a part of my life in and out of an overseas military base with my partner I was thrilled to watch the story of a lesbian couple and their son on post. Alas nothing could be further from the truth. Such a high ranking officer would have not allowed this spoiled brat to behave so abusively. In fact MPs would have interfered the very instant he drank alcohol, and (unlike what is shown) soldiers and their kids alike are expected to behave even off post - if they don't there are consequences.
Besides this inconsistency, the plot simply sucks (or should I say does not even exist?), the acting of most people is rather poor, the music bad, the scenery uninteresting, and watching it simply a waste of time....
Game Night (2018)
A quite funny one and a half hours
I watched this film without much expectations due to its low rating. I was nonetheless pleasantly surprised. The story is funny with several twists (admittedly some are sheer impossibility) but on the overall I ended up laughing out loud.
The acting is decent, the pace good, the settings convincing (with the one or the other exception of course), and a (rather expected) all-ends-good outcome.
The movie is not an undiscovered gem nor does it philosophize the deepest mysteries of the world. However, one gets to pleasantly spend one and a half hours.
Wish for Tomorrow (2014)
Does not save the film
In cases of touching real stories, it is extremely difficult to rate the artistic part of the movie.
In my understanding this is based on real events, a story of a gay couple and the problems the surviving one has do deal with. I completely sympathize and I am deeply touched by this, and of course watching this makes everyone emotionally involved (perhaps except some hardcore so-called christians).
Alas these facts do not ameliorate the quality of the film, which is simply bad. Bad acting, kitsch story full of clichés, bad cut, underdeveloped characters, boring... It is the gay analogue of a low-budget, low-level soap opera, which can make you cry rivers, but with no further value.
Spare your time on this.
Clapham Junction (2007)
The perfect tool in the hands of any homophobic viewer
I watched this film with mixed feelings, since the reviews were not exactly excellent. As it turned out, very much right so. The vastly incoherent plot interconnects the paths of several gay (in or out of the closet, but mostly in) men. So far so good. The problem lies in the fact that practically all of them are really bad guys. Jerks, junkies, serial killers, adulterers, child molesters, and this is presented as the everyday life of the average gay in an average area in London. Note, it is not about a specific community, but as the overall idea hanging in the air. I see no art in this. It has nothing to do e.g., with Almodovar's films who depicts problematic personas, their lives, their origins, and how the cope. This one simply tells independent stories, of gay men, with absolutely no character evolution, with the common backbone story that they are ..... bad guys (the term substitutes for more accurate but rather improper adjectives). Intrinsically bad, like protect your children from them, and make sure your family never comes into contact with them. Not, for any reason whatsoever. I forgot to mention the occasional gratuitous genitals flashing, to make the whole thing even grosser (no, I don't mind nudes, when there is a reason).
So, obviously, I disliked the film's plot. The acting is mostly mediocre (although i did not expect more from a TV production), and cannot save the script. The two stars go only to Paul Nicholls' and Luke Treadaway's performances.
Mars et Avril (2012)
post-futuristic aesthetics combined with Flash-Gordon retro style, but incoherent story...
Perhaps my biggest problem with this movie were my high expectations due to a few reviews I read which highly appraised it. In my opinion the story, the core of which exhibits some potential, is its main flaw. Shallow, non-developing characters, missing plausibility, incoherent dialogs and confusing plots are disguised behind artsy (admittedly quite nice) sceneries, wonderful music and post-futuristic-combined-with-retro aesthetics. Which per se is not a problem, but it cannot substitute for the missing parts of the whole product. I understand that a low-budget sci-fi movie is a great challenge, but then again not every challenge must be taken. I have seen a fair amount of other low-budget sci-fi productions (e.g., from eastern Asia) with amazing performances, non-existing props, but excellent stories (notably with a philosophical extension). At least there the movie makers did not constantly flood the scenes with blue color, lit-up close-ups à la "It is time for my close up mr DeMill" and floor smoke like discos back in the 80's...
All in all, it is a waste of time unless you happen to be a huge fan of the Flash-Gordon or "a trip to the moon"-by-Georges-Melies type of movies and if you don't care about script coherence. The generous four stars are just for the atmosphere and the music.
Alex Strangelove (2018)
Very mediocre, shallow and quite politically correct (yet appropriate) unrealistic story.
I watched the movie without many expectations, this turned out to be a good thing. Not that it is totally bad, but it is very mediocre. The characters do not really evolve, and the story does not even properly focus on the central subject of it (namely Alex's finally realizing he is gay). The biggest part of the film is about him having (or not) sex with his girlfriend Claire, instead of depicting why he is attracted to Elliot and how he decides to deal with it. Elliot's presence (who actually triggers the whole conundrum) is treated as a mere side effect in the film, totally missing the point. After a long absence, he magically reappears at the end, saving the day (sort of) and of course dealt with in an extremely unbalanced way. While Alex's try to have sex with Claire is depicted and described in every little unnecessary detail, his envisaged (?) relationship with Elliot is sealed with a kiss (well, two kisses alltogether to be exact), amidst an almost applauding crowd of approving and totally understanding teenagers at a prom.... Highly unlikely, to say the least.....
All the kids act well, but the story sucks..... The one who I liked the most is actually Daniel Zolghardi as Dell, Alex's best friend with the guts to express all he feels without social fears.
The Ambiguous Focus (2017)
Swirl of emotions, while detaching oneself from a loved one.
I watched this series with low expectations, I just thought it would be another cliché BL story. It surprisingly turned out to be more than this. Lee-Fong Huang and John Wu deliver an amazing acting, as a couple who discover that in spite of the very deep feelings they have for each other, many other important components are missing from their relationship. External forces gradually drive them to separation, at first as excuses to overcome, and later as means of realizing the deeper lying problems. What the story is about is their struggle to cope with reality and to patch things up with each other but primarily with themselves. No easy task...
The plot is mesmerizing and most viewers will identify themselves with one of the two guys. Mind though, that at a second glance many questions remain unanswered (whether deliberately or accidentally, I cannot tell). The heroes' actions are not always intuitive (not to say erratic), especially from a western society's point of view. There is also a constant underlying depressive ambience throughout all six episodes, which, although aesthetically superb, becomes tiring. In any case one must bear in mind that this is a different culture with different values and priorities.
Watch it at your own risk, certainly not if you are feeling down. It will give you food for thought, but it will either draw you to a swirl of emotions leaving little place for your mind to work, or you will simply get bored from the onset.