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Natcat87
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Barbie (2023)
Too heavy handed
As a woman that grew up with Barbie, I was very excited for this movie. I was curious to see how they would evolve the "stereotypical Barbie" into something more. But the messaging in this movie was so heavy handed that it completely lost the plot. I consider myself a proponent of gender equality, and this ain't the way to get it.
Barbieland flips the script on the patriarchy of the real world, giving women the power and leaving the Kens as attractive accessories. Once Ken gets a glimpse of the real world he brings the patriarchy to Barbieland and the Barbies are "brainwashed" (this happens suddenly and without much explanation). The Kens are bumbling fools with zero understanding of governance, and Barbieland falls into disarray.
The movie's solution to this is for the Barbies to give a lot of Ted talks on the patriarchy, fool the Kens into war with each other, and rule once again. But isn't the point if gender equality... equality?
The feminist messaging could have been so much more effective if it was laid on so THICK. More humor and nuance please. The story gets lost, the real world characters don't add much, and not much changes in the end.
What was enjoyable was the acting, the sets and of course the nostalgia.
Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021)
A fitting show for Stabler
As a long time and devoted SVU fan, I had high hopes for Stabler's return, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is definitely a different show from SVU: storylines that continue all season, way more action and far less law (a downside imo), and more of a one man show.
I always loved SVU episodes where the cast goes undercover, and we get from Stabler every episode. However, you do have to give the show certain latitudes and suspend your belief from time to time. Stabler puts himself in incredibly dangerous situations and is often saved by pure luck or very convenient coincidences. Still, it's a fun watch.
The show stays consistent with SVU's family storylines, bringing back Stabler's children and his mother, played by Ellen Burstyn. At 90 years old, she's still fantastic in her role. And of course there's Olivia's cameos, continuing the "will they won't they" story we love.
Archive 81 (2022)
Starts strong, then goes off the rails
Pay attention to the reviews that are from those that finished the season.
This show hooked me immediately. I love a good mystery, the technology aspect, and some 90s nostalgia. I don't think the acting was as bad as some of the other reviewers here, but there probably won't be any Emmys for it.
The issue I had was the story kept expanding and getting more and more convoluted towards the end when it didn't need to. They set up a good mystery, but shoved way too many supernatural elements into one story. In one scene, they had the lead's friend explain everything to the audience because at that point, there was too much going on.
I give it a six for how much I enjoyed the first 5-6 episodes, but it really fell apart for me and got almost silly.
Dead Body (2017)
Good horror movie....for preteens maybe?
C'mon. This is not a 7-10 star movie. It's a 4 at best. It's not unwatchable, but it's not a successful whodunnit when it's obvious who the killer is from the beginning. The acting is B horror, which is what I expected.
We don't really learn that much about the characters, just their cliche personalities. So you don't really care about any of them. They could have done more with the plot. Maybe have more scenes with the characters trying to figure out the mystery. But it does what all horror movies do - have the characters stupidly split up when they should all just leave together or stay in the same room together.
It might be a fun movie for middle schoolers having a sleepover, but this isn't a good horror movie for anyone looking for a decent plot.
Look Away (2018)
The "no ending" trend is tired.
This movie had potential. I won't get into the plot, but it started to fall apart about halfway through. Her sinister actions started to drag, which left no room for a solid ending. The parents are never really confronted about the other twin's death. We have no idea what happened after her string of murders. There's no closure. This seems to be a trend in horror/thriller movies lately, and it's so unsatisfying. Cliff hangers are great if done right, but this just.... ended without giving you anything with substance.