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Anatomy of a Scandal (2022)
Mediocre, stretched out script that, perhaps, without intending to, trivializes the pain of the victims of one of the worst crimes against a person.
This is a very mediocre script, almost juvenile, with over reaching coincidences and excessively convenient plot pieces. And that is not the worst about this script that somehow got made into a movie. It seems all the OTTs like Netflix are so pressured into releasing excessive loads of content that they are starving and desperate enough for scripts that they scrape the bottom of the bottom of barrels to find some, just any, script.
Also, only because of these times where there is a lot of attention to sex / gender related behaviour and attitudes, does such a script deserve / get any attention at all - and the fact that this got made into a movie shows just how much attention there is to such things. This review does not judge or comment on that attention.
This movie completely trivializes the agony and extreme assault that an actual 'rape' victim is subjected to.
Perhaps it is time every country revised their laws - like there is murder one, murder two etc. - to define 'rape 1' through to 'rape 10' where rape 1 is the most atrocious crime against a person.
The excessively moralizing use of the word rape in this less than mediocre content could probably rate, in the low end of that scale.
Such a crime against any person is still a crime that deserves retribution, but does not give the right to trivialize the worst of sexual assaults, by claiming similar victimization.
Technically too, this series is weak, with not just predictable but obvious plot 'twists', terrible imagery / camera work (drunk camera person work - pretending to be artistic portrayal of emotions on the scene), cliched acting by most of the cast, especially Ms. M Dockery. But, there are some redeeming performances - by Ms. Sienna M who does some very measured acting and Ms. Naomi S who does her decent bit in the series.
Eminently avoidable. There are a lot less tedious mediocre movies / content to waste 6 x 45 minutes on.
Dune (2021)
Terrible casting, pompous aggrandized music and not as good as a TV movie based on the same book
Cinematic presentation of some very special books like the Dune is very difficult and it is admirable that some think to try. But in this effort, there is a completely unconvincing protagonist, a supporting cast that collectively seem to think some how their roles are too lofty and needs excessively aggrandized effort to do justice to - even the usually excellent Ms. R. Ferguson - and the usually excellent Mr. H. Zimmer has provided probably one of his worst music scores for a movie.
The visual presentation is too far away from the starkness of the book and here again the TV movie does it much better, even with much less advanced technology and, presumably, budget.
One key reason such books are difficult to present 'cinematically' is that there is a certain attribute to the characters and the visual impact of such characters is more than most if not all known actors (to my limited familiarity of those in that profession) can ever present. However, when the reader imagines it while reading the book there is no limit to the level of impact - but when there is an actor pretending (acting) to be that character if falls far lower from such levels and is a flat out disappointment.
In this case, the lead actor - is just thoroughly inadequate in every possible measure to the character in the book. Not to be too harsh, but Mr. T. C. Is better off sticking to putting in good effort on movies like 'Call me by your name'.
Ms. Z is not too bad a choice for pretending to be the character Chani. Here her screen time was very limited, so, more on that, perhaps, when the next part of this movie is released.
Summary: This movie is not worthy of the book. To lazily hear the story and avoid the book, it is better the watch the TV title with Mr. W. Hurt as Duke Leto. A rating of 4 is kind.
Far North (2007)
Possible talent wasted on untenable exaggeration
HUGE SPOILER IN THIS REVIEW.
But, you would surely be better off for reading it.
Other reviews have covered most of the general aspects, but, to avoid a HUGE spoiler, have seemingly soft pedaled on the ending.
Perhaps the story on which this movie is supposed to be based is to blame, but while much of the movie is reasonably classily made, the ending is TOO stupid and ridiculous for words. Such an ending does NOT deserve such good story telling capability in the movie crew or the acting talents of the actors. How stupid do the film makers expect the viewers to be to accept that the protagonist can kill some one, skin their face and wear it as a mask to pass off as the victim and worse expect further stupidity in believing that the murderer can, with such, skinned mask, get intimate with the victim's lover who will get on full gusto with the intimacy with NO clue for several movie minutes!!!
Full fault on the director for choosing to film this story bereft of sanity or even plausibility.