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Favourite directors: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodovar, Isabel Coixet, Akira Kurosawa, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Atom Egoyan, Jane Campion, Paolo Sorrentino, Lynne Ramsay, The Coen Brothers, Dardenne Brothers, Xavier Dolan, Claude Chabrol, Martin McDonagh, Fatih Akin, Michael Haneke, Alejandro González Iñárritu, David Fincher, Tom Tykwer, Lee Chang-dong, Wes Anderson, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Paul Thomas Anderson, Andrea Arnold, Deepa Mehta, Aki Kaurismäki, Ang Lee (in no particular order).
Reviews
Sanditon: Episode #3.6 (2023)
Contrivances Galore
Everything is neatly tied up with a big red bow. Don't know where to start as there were so many contrivances. From Mary becoming ill and on death's doorstep to being able to attend a wedding practically the next day. And the weddings happened so fast with no planning.
What happened to Esther? We're never told. Why take her out of the picture but leave her dasterdly brother Edward? I much preferred Esther.
The ending (after the caption 'one year later') with Charlotte as teacher of the completed school and Colbourne minding their apparent child (when did she even conceive this child?) was all very nice, but I didn't know men were so forward thinking in the early 19th century.
And Edward becoming a clergyman - really? I thought Lady Denham was supposed to be smart. At least she declined marrying the odious Mr. Pryce (who went from being a greedy ogre to a lovestruck fool).
This final season smacked of revisionist writing. I'm all for inclusivity, but I don't think feminism was too popular in the upper classes.
All in all, I'm glad the series has ended. Please, no more.
The White Lotus (2021)
Enough With The Music!
Strangely addictive show despite the awful jarring music every five minutes. If it wouldn't have been for the painful music I would have rated this higher. Every time I was getting into the story the music would come on. A little bit of music would have been fine, but the creators went for overkill.
The standouts in this series were Murray Bartlett (Armond), Alexandra Daddario (Rachel), and Natasha Rothwell (Belinda). They all gave convincing performances and I was rooting for them. Jennifer Coolidge should retire, she seemed drunk most of the time. Her storyline was interesting but her acting ruined it. Steve Zahn (Mark) was very good, especially in the scenes with his son Quinn.
I don't know how to really classify this series. Is it a critique of white privilege; a class war satire, an uncomfortable dark comedy? Probably a blend of all of these, plus a healthy dose of cynicism regarding human behaviour.
Save Me (2018)
Sympathy for the Pedophile
One of the things that rankled me while watching this series is how sympathetic the character of Melon was (Stephen Graham). Perhaps it was due to Graham's superb acting skills. His character admits to being attracted to a 13-year-old when he was 22. Yes he wound up marrying the girl later on but we're led to believe that he only had urges for her.
This is just one of the manipulative storylines in the series. In season two he and his wife Bernie are expecting a child. Once they learn it will be a girl Bernie has second thoughts and decides to leave him, fearing his old urges will resurface when their daughter is older. We see how crushed Melon is. Hasn't he done everything he could to live a 'normal' life with Bernie? Of course by the end of series two all between them will be resolved. More manipulation. One minute he's a pedophile, the next he's just an average guy.
The series could have been resolved with one season. Season two is dragged out with the addition of the young woman who Nelly rescued at the end of season one. The push and pull between Nelly wanting to help her and later wanting to help his own daughter results in a contrived ending (and probably another drawn-out season).
The actress playing Jody, Nelly's daughter, is wooden throughout season two. Sure she endured horrors while being held against her will, but either she's shown blank-eyed or crying. She never seems to acknowledge her stepfather either (a wasted Barry Ward) -- the one who helped raise her the past ten years. She only wants the biological father who wanted nothing to do with her up until she got kidnapped. I didn't feel anything for her despite what she went through. Not sure if this is due to poor writing or poor acting.
I liked the secondary characters and the depiction of the community. The scenes at the local pub were atmospheric (especially loved Susan Lynch as Stace the pub owner). What any of their jobs were I couldn't say though, aside from Stace and Zita (the stripper). What did Nelly do for the past ten years? My rating is mostly for the ensemble acting and setting. The writing needs improvement.
Nelly, the main character, was infuriating with his 'act first, think later' actions, often placing his friends in uncomfortable situations. Why they all loved him so much wasn't apparent. From his annoying ringtone every five seconds, to his using his friends and lovers, to his womanizing -- not a likable character, though well played by Lennie James.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Not So Promising
I had high hopes for this film but was ultimately disappointed. Carey Mulligan was good as a woman bent on avenging her best friend Nina's sexual assault at the hands of some of their fellow med school students. She and Nina subsequently dropped out of school and Cassie (Mulligan) has been working in a coffee shop ever since.
The problem I had is that everything is so vague. We never really know if Nina is dead or alive, she's never shown. It's intimated that she's dead.
We see Cassie on her nightly trips to clubs to pick up unsuspecting men (usually sexist obnoxious ones), but just what she does with them at home we aren't really shown. We just see her crossing out things in her notebook afterwards.
The tone should be ominous yet most of the time it's along the lines of comedy. That's okay, I love dark comedy but this one just felt vague and stagey in a way. The music is over the top at times too.
I liked Mulligan's deadpan delivery and there were a few scenes I especially liked (the interaction with her former med school dean; the scenes with her parents). I didn't find the film empowering though as many have said. A lot of it was repetitious plus there was a requisite, albeit awkward, love story thrown in.
The final part of the film was very dark and unsettling (and could be triggering). Fennell added a supposedly empowering twist at the end, which didn't work for me. I just found it sad.
M'entends-tu ? (2018)
Gritty Series
The strength of this series lies in the excellent work by the three main actresses. It has some humourous moments, but for the most part is a gritty look at generational dysfunctional patterns of behaviour which can take years to overcome. The second season focuses more on domestic abuse and some scenes are difficult to view. There are also scenes of abuse inside a prison.
I was curious as to why there weren't any trigger warnings regarding the abuse, and why there weren't any resource numbers listed at the end of the episodes. It's commendable that the series creators focused on this important subject, but why not provide further help/information.
Doctor Foster: Episode #2.1 (2017)
Get A Grip
Gemma Foster has got to be the most irresponsible doctor I've ever seen. She continually brings her problems to work without a care for her patients. She leaves a patient waiting at the clinic to run off to her ex's house because she's upset.
She's obsessive about a man who's not worth a damn. Last season she was helping a woman get rid of her abusive boyfriend, now she's the one who's self-destructive. Definitely not a feminist show.
This episode was so unbelievable. I'm sure a million dollar home would be left unlocked for anyone to walk inside.
The music was so loud and jarring toward the end, as well. What has happened to this show? If this is an indicator of how season 2 is going to be, I think I'll skip it.
The Virtues (2019)
STRONG ACTING, WEAK SCRIPT
Although I applaud a story that explores childhood abuse, this series comes up short despite some great acting by Stephen Graham (Joseph), Helen Behan (Anna), and Niamh Algar (Dinah). The scenes between brother and sister especially were very powerful.
The series was marred by too many questions that came up, however. First off, we are thrust into Joseph's story without any background info on his relationship with his ex. She's suddenly about to move to Australia. Why would she take their son so far away if he has a loving relationship with his dad? Why would Joseph agree to it; doesn't he have parental rights?
If Joseph is an alcoholic how can he start and stop drinking so easily? He seems to have left for Ireland the day after drinking all night at the pub (he's apparently been sober up until this point). Wouldn't he have been too hung over and sick to travel, especially considering how he had to wait so many hours for the next ferry and then having to walk a considerable distance to get to his sister's. Also, I could have done without the belching and vomiting scenes.
We hear Joseph's story about running away at 9-years-old to his aunt's in Liverpool. How did he manage that? With what money? Why didn't the aunt take him in the first place, and why didn't she try to find Joseph's sister? How did he manage at school, wasn't he traumatized about what had happened to him? How did he manage to get married and have a child if sex had such a traumatic effect on him? We're supposed to believe that he had suppressed his rape for 30 years, but wouldn't his first sexual experiences have triggered him?
Then there's Dinah's story. The care worker tells her that her son had sent letters and drawings years ago. Why did the worker believe Dinah's mother when she said Dinah didn't want to be contacted when the worker knew that Dinah had been forced to give up her son for adoption? Why wouldn't she try to find and talk to Dinah personally?
The scenes with Joseph confronting Nomad at the end were someone's fantasy of redemption. It's convenient Nomad was bedridden and in a weakened state. The fourth episode's ending seemed unfinished. Joseph, Craigy, and Dinah were all seeking a release from their demons but only Joseph walked away. What will happen to Dinah?
Strong acting and intense subject matter but ultimately too many plot holes.
The Affair: Episode #5.11 (2019)
Infuriating!
I've had an on-again, off-again love affair with this series over the years. When it was good it was very very good, but when it was bad (season 3 anyone) it was cringe-worthy. Like this finale.
Seems like the only reason parts of this season were set in the future (featuring a not very convincing Anna Paquin as Joanie) was to feature an elderly Noah giving zen-like wisdom to a confused Joanie. I guess those MeToo accusations never gave justice to all his discarded and used women.
The writers must have been under pressure to include something about the MeToo era, and what better character to focus on than lothario Noah (quite well played by Dominic West). However, this story went nowhere. For all their feminist qualities both Helen and Whitney eventually cave in and feel sorry for Noah.
Helen had actually told him she didn't love him anymore when he previously asked for another chance. Then miraculously she's in love with him again by the series finale and willing to start over again! Whitney was right when she said that Helen was co-dependant.
The writers let down all those women (and Maura Tierney, who did some great work on this show) who've been cheated on and treated terribly in their marriages. Why -- just so there could be a feel-good ending?
They could have ended with Helen and Noah making peace with each other and remaining friends. The scenes with them trying to escape the wildfires and opening up to each other were very good. They both finally had some insight into who they were as people.
We also don't know how their re-coupling worked out. Did Helen return to work; did she and Noah ever become grandparents; what happened to Martin and Trevor; why did Noah outlive Helen; why wasn't Joshua Jackson in the final season...
Many unanswered questions. Also, why were the episodes broken up into different points of view? What was the point if at the end we only have 80+ year old sage-like Noah dancing on top of a cliff.
Dérive (2018)
FAMILY PAIN
I thought this film was quite good in dealing with a family's pain surrounding the loss of a loved one and the subsequent hardships. It was subtle in revealing the father's cause of death, focusing instead on each of his daughters' difficulties, as well as the mother's. The 11-year-old can't fully accept his death, while the older teenager is full of anger. Their mother is having trouble paying the bills. The two young actresses are simply superb.
There are a couple of things that bothered me though. The older girl gets sexually assaulted by an older man she's interested in (she naively went to his house), yet goes back to him. The relationship was inappropriate to begin with, but he's forgiven simply because he apologized to her. She also regularly steals but gives some of the money to her mother to help with the bills. Her mother doesn't ask questions.
The younger girl repeatedly gets bullied by a group of girls at school. It's pretty severe yet she doesn't tell her mother. The girls go unpunished even though they might have killed her. Her older sister punches the ringleader, but she doesn't tell the mother either. This doesn't reflect well on their mother, which perhaps is the point. She loves them but is struggling herself.
These scenes were difficult to watch. I credit the young actresses for making me care about their characters.
Gentleman Jack (2019)
Stop the bloody music!
Suranne Jones is wonderful and I've enjoyed watching her performance. Anne Lister seems like such an amazing woman. I would, however, have liked to have seen more about her writing rather than her coal business dealings, which began to resemble a Poldark episode.
I couldn't stand the musical interruptions either, which took me right out of the story. Several times I wanted to stop watching because of this annoyance. And what was with the animal killing scenes? Was it really necessary to show Thomas Sowden's murderous streak in detail? Will he murder his new wife too?
Another annoyance was Ann Walker's (Sophie Rundle) erratic behaviour. How many times did she rebuke Anne then change her mind. Of course in the end love had to prevail, rather cliché.
What will they do in the second season, have Ann change her mind yet again? I can only hope that Ann and Anne will have an interesting life together without melodramatic occurrences such as Ann hearing voices in the clocks. Let's just see them living and loving each other.
The Affair (2014)
Noah and his continuous search for meaning
I enjoyed the first two seasons but season 3 was pretty much a mess. It quickly became repetitive with flashbacks of Noah's time in prison.
The scenes with Noah and the brutal prison guard became increasingly menacing. They seemed to be leading up to some important memory from Noah's past regarding his mother's death.
But when we finally get to Noah's memory of that fateful day his mother died there's more confusion. Did Noah's mother really want to die or was it his wish so that he could accept his college scholarship. Is the prison guard his guilty conscience or was he really brutalized by him?
The constant confusion in this show has become tedious. We never know what the real truth is.
Noah is addicted to strong painkillers and increasingly strung out one moment, the next he's having sex or enjoying a day out with Alison. One moment he's suffering from a stab wound, the next he's coming on to the new professor.
And in the last episode he's suddenly romantically involved with the french professor and visiting her in Paris despite his having come undone by being heavily addicted to painkillers just months before. He got clean that easily? Are we to believe that Juliette was his caretaker even though she's seemingly come to America to escape being a caretaker to her sick husband?
The lackluster ending to this season was another disappointment. It suggests that Noah will continue to search for some meaning in his life.
Tadoussac (2017)
The Search for Truth
Excellent work by Camille Mongeau as a young woman who leaves her hometown to search for her birth mother whom she believes is living up north. She checks into a youth hostel near where she believes the woman is living. They soon meet as it's a small town.
The film takes its time, following the lead character Chloe as she grapples with revealing herself to the woman she believes is her mother. The setting is beautiful, complete with a winter vista. We get a good feel of the place and its locals.
The last part of the film is the strongest, with the two women finally having a serious and heartfelt conversation. Isabelle Blais is excellent as the older woman, outwardly strong but inwardly vulnerable. The ending was rather abrupt and unsentimental, leaving one wanting more.
Madtown (2016)
Amateur Night
The film began with promise. A nervous edgy guy is about to perform his stand-up routine at a comedy club for the first time. We get the impression he has nothing to lose. What has brought him to this point?
The rest of the film is flashbacks recalling his traumatic past, leading up to an improved present day situation until his incarcerated sister is paroled after 20 years and comes to live with him. Seems like she hasn't changed at all while he has.
The problem I had was not in the storyline but in the contrived writing. The sister was a one-dimensional character. She was rough and angry as a teenager and hasn't changed, becoming a bully toward her brother despite their so-called intense bond. He claims to love her, inviting her to stay with him upon her release from prison but later on tells her he doesn't love her anymore. Which is it?
The restaurant employers and employees are like a happy loving family. Every day is like a love fest. Difficult to relate to such an artificial situation. Employers don't generally treat their employees like family and vice versa.
Milo Ventimiglio's acting left much to be desired. He couldn't quite pull off the heavily emotional scenes. He was, however, great doing the stand-up routine a la Lenny Bruce.
The last part leading up to him deciding to go through with his performance strained credulity. He's just witnessed something extremely traumatic and then he runs off to perform. Very strange. Also very strange and very contrived were those two cops being the same guys from high school who used to torment Denny and his sister. Wow. Small world.
The Commuter (2018)
Let Me Off This Train
I've never seen this director's movies before, but after enduring this one I'll be sure to avoid any others of his.
I like Liam Neeson but he looked very weary in this, possibly because he knew how bad it was.
The fight scenes were unbelievable and cringe-worthy, while the action sequences demanded total suspension of belief, with obvious CGI.
The plot didn't make much sense either. We never really learn who is behind the overall conspiracy. Just who is controlling everything?
I remember Liam Neeson playing decent roles once upon a time, but it's been about 15 years since I've liked him in anything. I guess I was nostalgic when I decided to watch this, hoping he would do a decent job. Unfortunately, the writing is so bad that his character was pretty ridiculous. Going from a cop to selling insurance, huh?
I won't comment on any of the other characters because they were too thinly drawn.
The ending was laughable as well. I would say to avoid this mess.
Mal de pierres (2016)
Just Who Is Gabrielle?
I think I would prefer to see a film based on what happens after the ending. There needs to be more exploration of Gabrielle's psyche. That would be far more interesting than what we have to work with here.
Marion Cotillard is a wonderful actress and can express so much with her eyes, but the screenwriters can't seem to make up their minds about who Gabrielle is. Is she headstrong and rebellious or delusionally ill?
Also not helping the screenplay is the director's vague timeline. We don't know exactly when this is set, presumably after WWII, but a 14 or 15-year period flies by without hardly a mention. Just how did Gabrielle and José manage to stay together during those long years?
The Affair (2014)
Noah and his continuous search for meaning
I enjoyed the first two seasons but season 3 was pretty much a mess. It quickly became repetitive with flashbacks of Noah's time in prison.
The scenes with Noah and the brutal prison guard became increasingly menacing. They seemed to be leading up to some important memory from Noah's past regarding his mother's death.
But when we finally get to Noah's memory of that fateful day his mother died there's more confusion. Did Noah's mother really want to die or was it his wish so that he could accept his college scholarship. Is the prison guard his guilty conscience or was he really brutalized by him?
The constant confusion in this show has become tedious. We never know what the real truth is.
Noah is addicted to strong painkillers and increasingly strung out one moment, the next he's having sex or enjoying a day out with Alison. One moment he's suffering from a stab wound, the next he's coming on to the new professor.
And in the last episode he's suddenly romantically involved with the french professor and visiting her in Paris despite his having come undone by being heavily addicted to painkillers just months before. He got clean that easily? Are we to believe that Juliette was his caretaker even though she's seemingly come to America to escape being a caretaker to her sick husband?
The lackluster ending to this season was another disappointment. It suggests that Noah will continue to search for some meaning in his life.
Sherlock: The Final Problem (2017)
How Much Manipulation Can We Take?
I found the writers to be just as manipulative as Eurus in this episode. There were so many re-directs, beginning with the little girl on the plane, which eventually convoluted the episode.
Eurus was an interesting character (quite creepy as a child), but the way the writers manipulated her into some kind of evil superhero, complete with mesmerizing ability, was ridiculous. She was supposed to have been institutionalized at a young age, so how could she know anything about the outside world? Further still, how could she have navigated the outside world to reach John and Sherlock? This even requires us believing that she was capable of leaving the secure institution located on a remote island surrounded by water! Did she just magically land in London?
Also, Moriarty was reduced to Eurus' plaything. Yes, it was amusing to see him again (I especially liked his descent from the helicopter), but believing that Mycroft would agree to Eurus' plea to see Moriarty was stretching it some. What did Moriarty give Mycroft in return? How could Mycroft be okay with Moriarty knowing about the secret institution and further yet, Eurus?
There were just too many unbelievable moments in this final episode which tarnished the series as a whole. Can't say that I want to see any more episodes.
American Honey (2016)
Watch Fish Tank Instead
Anyone comparing this film to Larry Clark's KIDS is way off. The only thing they both have in common is that both involve a ragtag group of teenagers. KIDS felt very real -- and scary. This film is laughable in its representation of kids going door-to-door selling magazine subscriptions in affluent neighborhoods. As some other poster noted, who does that anymore? Also, Star (Sasha Lane) puts herself into a few dangerous situations but comes out none the worse for wear. The kids all smoke and drink to excess (do they ever eat?) but still get up early and are able to work every day.
Granted, there are some scenes that work such as the opening scene with Star and her siblings, as well as a later scene with her helping some impoverished kids. There's also a sex scene with her and Shia LaBeouf that's well-done. The film is indulgently long though and has a tedious soundtrack. If you like rap music ad nauseam then you won't mind.
Andrea Arnold has made good films, notably FISH TANK, also starring an unknown young actress, Katie Jarvis. Both Lane and Jarvis give beautiful performances. FISH TANK, however, had a well-developed storyline and was engrossing. It also focused on a young woman who wanted to escape her family life. I would recommend watching FISH TANK rather than this one.
Homeland (2009)
Undeveloped
I gave this film a 3 because I liked the scenery, soundtrack, and sense of dislocation.
Aside from that, the story doesn't add up to much. It's very very slow with little reward. The scenes jump between characters with little development. In fact, the whole story seems undeveloped.
I thought Whip Hubley was good as the father, but the rest of the cast seemed amateurish. The flight attendant looked frail and sad most of the time but had few lines.
The former soldier/eco-activist was poorly developed as well, as he suddenly becomes a killer later in the film.
The film had interesting characters; they just didn't mesh in a coherent way.
There's a brief scene in the beginning when the lead character is in Iraq and being held prisoner that also seems undeveloped. He apparently survived a bomb blast, but when he returns home he's physically unmarred.
If you want to see good films dealing with recent wars, try Stop-Loss, The Messenger, The Hurt Locker--all superior films.
Fortier (2001)
Superior crime drama
This is one of the best crime drama programs I've ever seen. It's on a level with the British "Prime Suspect." Both lead actresses of these programs are complex and highly watchable.
The character of Anne Fortier, played by Sophie Lorrain, is an amazing woman, displaying strength and vulnerability along with compassion and intelligence. Her portrayal of the psychologist as shrewd and intelligent, as well as emotionally fragile, doesn't contain a false note.
I've been watching the program on English CBC but don't think that they ran the whole series. In any case, I was very grateful to discover this french gem. Along with the starring actress, there were many more fascinating and wonderful actors, playing interesting and complex roles.
The two male cops, the older and younger partners, were quite funny and endearing. Fortier's boss was also an intriguing character. Every character was densely drawn and made the viewer want to know more.
I can only hope that the CBC brings back the concluding chapters as I would like to know what happens to Anne, and just what happened to her when she worked in a penitentiary.