I guess I'm lucky I never saw the original bc all the negative reviews seem to be from people comparing it to the UK version. From the episode I just watched, this show is pretty great imo. I'll knock off a star because they use too much of those reality tv suspense/hesitation moments. Showrunners, if you see this, please make it quicker and smoother like jeopardy. We don't need the fancy lights and music or the contrived trash talking, just let the players play! This has a lot of potential to be great!
Reviews
5 Reviews
All Things Fair
(1995)
a perspective on abuse of power
19 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is the first "scandalous adult/teen relationship" movie I've watched. It's interesting that near the beginning when it was only glances/flirtations between Stig and Viola I wasn't necessarily upset by it, but when they crossed the line and kissed I felt complete dread and disgust. I don't really know what to say or how to keep this on track, so I'll just write out what I liked in list form:
1. great acting. All the characters did excellent work. I really liked the character Frank. And the broken bottle scene had me nearly covering my eyes.
2. hair/makeup/costumes. I always love a well executed period piece. They did a good job of establishing characters by the use of costumes. Also, Viola's hair being slightly loose in her first scene (wherein she shows that she's not shocked by the sexual note the boys had been passing, but still establishes her dominance by making Stig clean up his mess) and how she always wore it down when they were seeing each other, and then after the bottle scene when she is speaking with the headmaster she has her hair back in a tight bun, and is wearing a very modest, conservative dress like she's trying to get things back under control.
3. symbolism. Ugh there were so many good metaphors. Like in the stairway when the railing breaks and Stig tries to put the nail/bolt back in the wall and Viola says "here let me help." And when Frank is talking about natural products like wool, leather, and silk versus the new nylon clothing, saying "why would women want to wrap their legs in sandpaper" which works as a metaphor for the difference between he and Stig (stig being both "something new" and also rough and unpolished in his sexual experience). And I feel like the scene neat the end when the cuckoo clock spits alcohol all over Viola and ruins whatever she was writing could mean something. And at the end when Stig steals the dictionaries that he first used as a pretense to spend extra time with viola it shows that he was taking whatever he could salvage from the ultimately damaging relationship, specifically knowledge.
okay, some things I didn't love: 1. I felt like the female characters could have been more fleshed out. Like the explanation for Viola's behavior is that... She's selfish and crazy? She's sad that she's aging maybe? I don't know, I wish they'd delved more into her backstory. But at the same time, we often don't know why abusers abuse. So they could have been purposely leaving her perspective fairly unexamined. And then same with Lisbet... Idk i guess she was just supposed to be a foil fo Viola (young/naive versus mature/calculating). And then Stig's mother. She was likeable, and the part was well acted, but I wonder why they didn't show more of her grief when Sigge died. 2. They opened with an aerial shot of the children playing in the snow outside the school, but I don't remember a lot of other wide or interesting shots besides that. And most of the film took place indoors. I mean, I think the cramped feeling of the film was semi-deliberate, but maybe they could have played around with it a bit more. This isn't a huge gripe for me, just something I noticed. 3. The plane scene near the end was kind of choppy and weird.
Overall this was a chilling look at abusive/pedophilic relationships and I was mostly disturbed by the intimate scenes. A very well done movie.
okay, some things I didn't love: 1. I felt like the female characters could have been more fleshed out. Like the explanation for Viola's behavior is that... She's selfish and crazy? She's sad that she's aging maybe? I don't know, I wish they'd delved more into her backstory. But at the same time, we often don't know why abusers abuse. So they could have been purposely leaving her perspective fairly unexamined. And then same with Lisbet... Idk i guess she was just supposed to be a foil fo Viola (young/naive versus mature/calculating). And then Stig's mother. She was likeable, and the part was well acted, but I wonder why they didn't show more of her grief when Sigge died. 2. They opened with an aerial shot of the children playing in the snow outside the school, but I don't remember a lot of other wide or interesting shots besides that. And most of the film took place indoors. I mean, I think the cramped feeling of the film was semi-deliberate, but maybe they could have played around with it a bit more. This isn't a huge gripe for me, just something I noticed. 3. The plane scene near the end was kind of choppy and weird.
Overall this was a chilling look at abusive/pedophilic relationships and I was mostly disturbed by the intimate scenes. A very well done movie.
The Virgin Suicides
(1999)
A bit experimental, but beautiful cinematography
21 June 2018
Cinematography/Direction: 9/10
I'm always impressed with Coppola's directing. During the lighter parts of the movie there's a sense of mischievousness that shines through the camerawork. Somber colors and lighting are also employed to full effect when the tragedies strike.
Acting: 7/10 nothing really stood out to me as either amazing or horrible.
Script: 7/10 It was fine. I didn't love that the story was told from the neighbor boys' perspectives, (Stand By Me style). I didn't like that their voyeurism was normalized.
Music: 7/10 I think I heard some original score in there but the soundtrack was mostly just well chosen 70's hits. I really enjoyed that Heart songs were used to introduce/develop Trip's character.
Summary: Overall this was a well made film. The surreal tenor that ruled many scenes felt fresh and fun.
Acting: 7/10 nothing really stood out to me as either amazing or horrible.
Script: 7/10 It was fine. I didn't love that the story was told from the neighbor boys' perspectives, (Stand By Me style). I didn't like that their voyeurism was normalized.
Music: 7/10 I think I heard some original score in there but the soundtrack was mostly just well chosen 70's hits. I really enjoyed that Heart songs were used to introduce/develop Trip's character.
Summary: Overall this was a well made film. The surreal tenor that ruled many scenes felt fresh and fun.
Marie Antoinette
(2006)
What were you hoping to see?
21 November 2016
I wonder if the low rating on this movie has to do with peoples' expectations. If you were hoping for an accurate, crystal clear historical drama, then you ought to look somewhere else. If you were looking for a well done piece of cinema, then come on in. I'll break my review down into a few different categories.
Cinematography: 10/10 this film was beautifully shot. Ms. Coppola was very skillful in her use of colors, angles, clarity, and whatever other magic she invoked to make this movie so visually pleasing.
Script: 6/10 The film came off as fairly taciturn. There's nothing wrong with that, but when characters did venture to speak, they didn't say anything particularly profound.
Realism: 6/10 I gave it more than a five because I think that the point of this film's seeming disconnect from reality was deliberate and employed for the purpose of expressing the queen's own selfishness and obliviousness. I was bothered by the fact that the film showed little of the struggle that the lower class citizens of France faced -- until I realized that was partially the purpose of the film.
Acting: 7/10 I think all the supporting characters did very well. Kirsten Dunst was a good Marie Antoinette, although some of her speaking scenes were less convincing :| I think I'll come out and say it, I don't think she's very good at speaking parts. She is lovely and uses facial expressions to tell her story, but as far as verbal execution, there is much to be desired. Sorry! Jason Schwartzman did an excellent job. I loved his and Dunst's scenes together. This film had many familiar faces and I really enjoyed their performances.
Music: 8/10 I haven't checked other reviews, but i imagine that there were some boo-hooers that disliked the director's choice to include rock music. I liked it because for the modern day viewer, rock signifies rebellion, fun, youth and carelessness. WHICH PERSONIFIES MARIE ANTOINETTE. Also, there's a violin piece that's comically used several times which I appreciated.
Summary: I think this film is excellent for anyone like myself who enjoys beauty. I would have liked a little more introspection by Marie Antoinette, but I think that the director/writers were trying to keep the film somewhat unbiased by not imposing too much of their own interpretations on the viewer. While not a perfect film, it is a lovely one.
Cinematography: 10/10 this film was beautifully shot. Ms. Coppola was very skillful in her use of colors, angles, clarity, and whatever other magic she invoked to make this movie so visually pleasing.
Script: 6/10 The film came off as fairly taciturn. There's nothing wrong with that, but when characters did venture to speak, they didn't say anything particularly profound.
Realism: 6/10 I gave it more than a five because I think that the point of this film's seeming disconnect from reality was deliberate and employed for the purpose of expressing the queen's own selfishness and obliviousness. I was bothered by the fact that the film showed little of the struggle that the lower class citizens of France faced -- until I realized that was partially the purpose of the film.
Acting: 7/10 I think all the supporting characters did very well. Kirsten Dunst was a good Marie Antoinette, although some of her speaking scenes were less convincing :| I think I'll come out and say it, I don't think she's very good at speaking parts. She is lovely and uses facial expressions to tell her story, but as far as verbal execution, there is much to be desired. Sorry! Jason Schwartzman did an excellent job. I loved his and Dunst's scenes together. This film had many familiar faces and I really enjoyed their performances.
Music: 8/10 I haven't checked other reviews, but i imagine that there were some boo-hooers that disliked the director's choice to include rock music. I liked it because for the modern day viewer, rock signifies rebellion, fun, youth and carelessness. WHICH PERSONIFIES MARIE ANTOINETTE. Also, there's a violin piece that's comically used several times which I appreciated.
Summary: I think this film is excellent for anyone like myself who enjoys beauty. I would have liked a little more introspection by Marie Antoinette, but I think that the director/writers were trying to keep the film somewhat unbiased by not imposing too much of their own interpretations on the viewer. While not a perfect film, it is a lovely one.
The Middle
(2009–2018)
If you want intelligent comedy... look elsewhere.
1 February 2014
This show is monotonous at best. The small-town lower middle class setting is not endearing. If I wanted to watch a bunch of poor people live their lackluster lives,I'd drop out of college and move back in with my family, which would be the preferable alternative, as I sort of love my family. The characters are either obnoxious or boring, and I really have a hard time sitting through it. I guess a lot of people like it though, so you could give it a shot. In my opinion you'd do better with Brooklyn 99, The office, Community, Parks and rec, or New girl, all of which are wittier.
If you're looking for family friendly, I believe Brooklyn 99 is the cleanest (though I've only seen 5 or 6 episodes)
If you're looking for family friendly, I believe Brooklyn 99 is the cleanest (though I've only seen 5 or 6 episodes)
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