MaraLesemann Reviews

Challengers (2024)

It wouldn't be so awful if they ditched the soundtrack...

[4/10 · 22 May 2024]

I like tennis. I enjoy a lot of movies about sports, including the recent The Boys in the Boat. Match Point is one of my favorite movies ever. But this? Nope.

With a 2 hour and 11 minute run time, it's yet another example of a movie that would be pretty good if it ran 90 minutes. But at 131 minutes, it fails miserably because there just isn't enough there there.

But worst of all, who thought it would be a good idea to fill a tennis movie with screamingly loud electronic dance music????? Awful. Absolutely horrendous. I left the theater with a screaming headache, and certainly would have turned it off if I was streaming it at home.

Also, director Luca Guadagnino seems to think that close ups of dripping sweat and shots from the tennis ball's perspective will make up for an insufficient amount of plot. Wrong.

If you watch it at home, at least you'll be able to mute it when the music comes on.

Expats (2023–2024)

Ep 5 - cut the thunder AND the length by 50%

[5/10 · 18 February 2024]

Overall I like this series better than many of the reviewers and I was anticipating Episode 5, which is touted as "Lulu Wang's vision" and "the only one you need to watch" in multiple articles.

What I found in this 1 hour and 40 minute episode is the kind of directorial self-indulgence that routinely annoys me. I get that it's the middle of a storm & HK is in the midst of a political crisis but we DON'T need constant thunder - cut that by 50% please. And scenes go on endlessly, making me crave access to the editor.

There's some interesting stuff in there about the domestic workers and their families but cut it to an hour, maybe an hour and ten minutes, and it would be sharply better.

The Accursed (2021)

Strong indie horror movie

[8/10 · 14 November 2021]

I liked this a lot. It's a well done indie horror with a wonderfully creepy atmosphere and features some fine performances, especially by Maiara Walsh & Izabela Vidovic.

A Cat's Tale (2008 Video)

Delightful movie

[8/10 · 12 October 2021]

I found this by accident on The Roku Channel, where it plays under the name "The Amazing Adventures of Marchello the Cat." It's absolutely delightful.

My Life Is Murder (2019– )

Always enjoyable

[8/10 · 11 October 2021]

I have never NOT enjoyed an episode of My Life is Murder, and I'm half way through season 2. Of course Lucy Lawless is enjoyable. But Madison (played by the fine Ebony Vagulans) is also a fine sidekick and Rawiri Jobe as Lieutenant Harry Henare is truly the best looking cop I've seen in a long time. And that is truly a good think :)

Finding Alice (2021)

A series that can't commit

[6/10 · 19 September 2021]

I soldiered on for all 6 episodes of Finding Alice because, every time I was ready to permanently leave it, it would give a hint of what it could be. But I was ultimately frustrated because it commits to neither black comedy or drama.

Alice is neither absurd enough to succeed as black comedy nor realistic enough for drama. The great examples of the former take their stories to laugh out loud funny insanity that this series never achieves, perhaps because it's too anchored in reality. Great series like Santa Clarita Diaries and Good Girls make perfect sense within their contained universe but are absurd outside of it. Alice is ALMOST normal, but just odd enough to be annoying without really being funny.

It's not the fault of the anchors, who do a uniformly fine job. But the writers needed to let go of the real world just a bit more to make this really work.

The Journey Back to Normal A Look at Complementary Therapies to Combat PTSD (2021)

Fascinating

[10/10 · 12 June 2021]

PTSD has been around as long as warfare, but only in recent years has it begun to get the attention it deserves. The Journey Back to Normal provides fascinating insight into organizations that work with veterans in ways that complement more traditional therapies.

It's both educational and inspiring to see progress over time and the amazing difference that can be made. I loved watching the men with the dogs and horses, and would love to see more follow up in a few years.

Hats off to director & producer Nicole Amelio-Casper on a terrific movie.

Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)

Tries to hard to be quirky

[4/10 · 1 May 2021]

I've seen and enjoyed many plays & movies by John Patrick Shanley, who both wrote & directed Wild Mountain Thyme. But this one felt like he was simply trying too hard to be quirky and charming. Instead, I simply said "Huh?"

North of Boston (2020)

Excellent take on a difficult subject

[8/10 · 15 September 2020]

North of Boston is a well-written look at the difficult subject of physician-assisted suicide, while actors Tara Westwood and Amy Russ both turn in low key yet impactful performances. Recommended.

The Honeymoon Phase (2019)

Good dark sci-fi thriller

[9/10 · 22 August 2020]

The Honeymoon Phase is a good indie sci-fi thriller, although definitely dark. The actors are all terrific, especially Tara Westwood as The Handler and Jim Schubin as Tom.

What Lies Beneath (2000)

Too long

[6/10 · 15 July 2020]

I like both Michelle Pfeiffer & Harrison Ford, but this movie would be MUCH better if it were about 30 minutes shorter.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Is that all there is?

[5/10 · 19 November 2018]

As this wrapped up, I leaned back and said, "And is that all there is?"

The cinematography is great. But the stories left me wondering what the point was. I had read great reviews of this, and was excited to see it. But it simply felt like a waste of 2+ hours.

The Last Doll Lady (2017)

Fascinating Story

[9/10 · 30 December 2017]

Director Taryn Hough has crafted a fascinating look at a 60 year old program in the short "The Last Doll Lady." 91 year old Selma Bukstein is the last surviving member of B'nai B'rith's Dolls for Democracy program. This all-volunteer program used dolls modeled on famous Americans such as George Washington Carver and Helen Keller to educate students. Mrs. Bukstein has undertaken a last-ditch effort to revive the program.

Ms. Hough's 22 minute short illustrates many related issues, including the contemporary tendency of many to "accept" invitations to events that we have no plans to attend, and - at least obliquely - the focus on electronics over a live person giving a simple presentation. While the outcome of Mrs. Bukstein's efforts are never really in doubt, the students at the end of this excellent short offer a positive comment on how we often underestimate them.

I look forward to seeing more of Ms. Hough's work in the future.

Night Terrors (2007)

Fun horror short!

[8/10 · 24 October 2007]

I saw Night Terrors at the Terror Film Festival in Philadelphia this past weekend and I really enjoyed it! It's well written, it has terrific characters, and it just gets creepier and creepier as it goes along. Besides, how could I not like a horror movie that throws in socio/political commentary about Iran/Iraq/immigration along the way? The annoying neighbor is one of the best characters that I've seen in a short in quite a while...topped only by his dog? This is my favorite type of horror/thriller: it is primarily psychological rather than blatantly gory.

See it if you get a chance!