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Reviews
Us (2020)
A delightful, heartwarming drama with relatable and comedic elements
A brilliant and realistic depiction of the struggles in maintaining a marriage that has run its course. The book and adaption offer a unique spin on the ending of a marriage, rather than ending as the result of an infidelity or huge secret as many other series do, this tells the story in a much more real manner where two people are no longer compatible for one another.
The flashbacks to their younger selves offered insight into the Petersens history and showed how their completely opposite personalities once attracted and even complimented one another. Now, after over twenty years of marriage the spark has gone and their differences have led to a strain. There is still love between the couple, however, which you could definitely feel and see through the actors efforts, and it really added to the sense of realism as often bitterness clouds leftover feelings of love in a majority of tv shows where a marriage has ended.
It also offers a harsh insight into Douglas' relationship with his son, Albie, with flashbacks from not so long ago showing the strains caused by Douglas' personality and emotional unintelligence as it was referred to. Although Douglas means well, like many parents, his expression of his feelings often comes across as disappointment or discontent and this very miscommunication pushes his only living child away. The climatic reunion and argument was very insightful and refreshing for the characters, it allowed them to slowly open up to one another and bond. Though the changes weren't automatic and required time, by the final scenes you knew that their relationship was in a much better place and would continue to grow.
I appreciate the fact that the story maintained the key elements of its book, and enjoyed seeing the changes made which overall made the characters more relatable and likeable. The ending of the book, whilst headed in the same direction, was slightly different to the series ending and a much more preferable one in my opinion. The show was a thoroughly delightful watch, one which could definitely be eye opening and too close to home for some audiences, which is what makes it such a great watch. The balance of humour and drama is just right.
Young James Herriot (2011)
A wonderful adaptation!
There's something about BBC miniseries' that I just love, some are comforting and are good for watching in a cosy environment, others are thrilling and leave you on the edge of your seat - both in worry and anticipation. For me, this series falls into the former but it isn't without its leave-you-wanting-more moments.
The cast did a wonderful job, I specifically liked Iain de Caestecker's take on James Herriot. He seemed to have a sense of wonder and in a way, innocence, to him that I found very enduring. The side characters were also enjoyable, I have seen some comment that they were two dimensional and whilst I may not agree, I understand that for a three part series it might be rather difficult to add more depth to background characters.
The setting was lovely and picturesque, there were some rather beautiful edits and shots of both the scenery and the characters. Overall, it had a lovely aesthetic to it and seemed accurate for its time.
A Star Is Born (2018)
Flashy cast and waste of cash who don't deliver on the promised exceptional performances
Due to the raving reviews and the hype of this movie, I had expected much more. I had partly liked the previous versions of this movie, however struggled to be captivated by this one.
Whilst Lady Gaga is a good actress, she isn't a great one. I watched this movie hoping to fall in love with the cast and story telling, having seen the previous adaptions, I really thought this would bring it into the 21st century and be an instant classic yet when I watched it I wondered where all the Oscar worthy content was.
This movie was a massive let down, perhaps my expectations were too high for this or perhaps I found the tropes underwhelming and the performances much more mediocre than anticipated or deemed by reviewers.
I honestly wish I had saved myself the money of going and waited until it was available on tv, that way I could have turned it over once I realised how utterly tripe it is. There were times when my friends and I felt like leaving yet stayed waiting for the superb performances that we were promised. We also stayed for our friend who is a major Lady Gaga fan, who was too blinded by her obsession to see the many faults with this movie, though she did admit once over that there were moments when she felt her eyes begin to wander.
I don't understand how the reviews are so good.
Overlord (2018)
Captivating movie with talented cast
Great cast, very enjoyable storylines and amazing graphics. Constantly on the edge of my seat. This isn't the type of movie that would typically catch my attention but as it starred one of my favourite actors (Iain de Caestecker - whose transformation scene was spectacular) I decided to give this movie a chance, despite my initial reluctance and squeamishness I was thoroughly enraptured by this movie.
The entire cast did wonderful, you could feel the pain of Wyatt Russel's character as he hung on that hook - I won't go into detail as it's quite sickening - as well as Iain de Caestecker's head snapping transformation, which will certainly send chills down your spine.
All the characters were likeable and it was very refreshing to see an empowering woman featured who wasn't treated by the good guys as 'eye candy', not one of the main cast referred to her in a demeaning manner ('pretty lady') and the camera never lingered on her body in a way to create male gaze. However, the films villain did have a twisted connection to Chloe which only served to show how chilling he truly was. I also appreciate the fact that this movie didn't include crappy sexual jokes which cheapen movies in a poor attempt of satire or display of masculinity.
Overall, the movie did not disappoint and surpassed my initial beliefs. However, I wasn't quite expecting a 'happy ending' of sorts for the remaining cast. It was a pleasant surprise, though I was anticipating the town to be bombed in those final moments.