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The Handmaid's Tale: The Word (2018)
I can't handle too much more of this depressing series!
We just binge-watched both series over a week or so and it takes it's toll on your nervous system!
It has a brilliant concept, is superbly acted and has great cinematography and an atmospheric score.
The storyline, though very far-fetched, does contain a lot (sadly) of believable references that you will recognise from our current world situation.
I'd dare to posit that the non-parents watching this series can't have the same deeply disturbing sense of dread watching the events unfold, as those blessed (Praise Be!) with children.
If you have kids, you will be moved to anger, tears and shock at some of the truly despicable people and their actions in Gilead.
I would give it 10 stars if they would have found a way to wrap it up in 1 or 2 seasons, but season 2 made it clear that it's here for the long haul, and I might have to pass on the next series.
There were too many questionable decisions made by major characters in season 2, and the hate-accept-hate-tolerate-despise-love etc relationship between Offred/June and Serena Joy is becoming impossible to believe.
Throughout both series we've been led to believe that any hope for June (or any other Handmaid for that matter) to escape her situation is absolutely futile. Her (their) situation is completely and utterly hopeless.
So my jaw dropped open at the end of the last episode when she turned down the possibility of escape after people had risked their lives getting her the opportunity.
It was difficult enough to believe that Emily was also being given the chance to escape after her spontaneous and (hopefully, but probably unlikely) fatal attack on Aunt Lydia.
How did they manage to co-ordinate the fire, Nick, the Marthas and Emily in such a short time?
The ridiculous look of vengeance and power on her face in the closing sequence is just not cohesive with everything we've learned about June's chances of survival in Gilead.
Is she going to get tooled-up and massacre them all now?
In this last episode we see Serena Joy lose a finger for simply reading from the bible in front of the all-male council.
What will they do to a serial escaper who wrote (which carries a severe punishment in itself) obscenities on her wall for psycho Commander Fred to see, and then absconded with their weeks-old baby?
I'm sure I'll watch the first episode of season 3, and I'm equally sure that I'll be disappointed at the way they handle her return into the lion's den so to speak.
I almost hope it is disappointing (I can't imagine any believable scenario that doesn't involve Offred being ceremonially and painfully murdered in Gilead!) then I can let it go without watching any more, it really is that disturbing if you invest yourself in the material.
Tales of Poe (2014)
Amateur hour in every department
My review is based on the 1st story and the first 15 minutes of the 2nd, I couldn't last any longer.
The acting is terrible but the screenplay is worse. The first story "The Tell Tale Heart", may well have been scary on the page as Poe wrote it, but there is no story here to speak of. A nurse goes to look after a reclusive woman who was once a beautiful movie star. Now she is ugly, old and scarred, and, for some unexplained reason has a white eye! This eye somehow (it's not even explained why) forces the nurse to kill the old woman who (we find out later) is dismembered and hidden beneath the floorboards.
Cue a young police man who calls to investigate a "scream". In another ridiculous scene he is seduced by the nurse whilst the floorboards shake because the heart is making a noise. This scene looks like it was made by first-time film students.
The 2nd story begins just as badly as the first with stunted dialogue and a completely unengaging storyline.
I'm sure the last 2 stories are masterworks, I'll never know, I got out while the going was good!
Ryde (2017)
No idea what people could possibly like about this movie!
This is truly awful film-making.
From the opening scene in the bar it should have been clear that I was wasting my time, but I persevered for no reward. The acting is wooden, script seems to have been written by film students and there is absolutely no tension or build up to anything that happens. There is no backstory to make us care about anyone and even people who like graphic violence (not me) will be disappointed as the brutality is more implied rather than clearly shown. The scene in the car towards the end with the girl trying to escape is ridiculous. There are so many plot holes it doesn't bear thinking about. (Plot holes in a film this simple are actually difficult to achieve!) Even the soundtrack sounds like a cheesy 80's horror flick.
Worst of all, I've just seen that a sequel is already planned.
Avoid.
Louis Theroux: A Different Brain (2016)
Uncomfortable but essential viewing, typical Theroux.
Louis meets people coming to terms with life after traumatic brain injuries and the ongoing effects it has on themselves and their families.
This is not a medical or technical documentary about brain injury, there is almost no reference to it at all, but you do get a very real perception of just how complex the human brain is. There is also no controversy or shock-value as we are used to with most Theroux documentaries. It is a glimpse into the everyday lives of 4 people who, by various means, suffer life-changing head traumas. Although they all have the brain injury and loss of independence in common, the way it affected their personalities and character is quite diverse. It is more verification that, even with today's technology and scientific knowledge, we still know so little about how our brains actually work.
As it runs for just an hour, you never really get into the details of each situation, but this is not a hindrance as there is still more than enough to give one a very real sense of the difficulties they face. I doubt that anyone not personally impacted by brain injury could watch this and not feel extremely fortunate, grateful and extremely moved.
Louis is even more restrained than usual in this documentary, (which is understandable given the delicate subject matter), but, as always, he appears to be genuinely touched by their plight, and really interested in finding some basic understanding of how these people think and feel.
It is not an easy watch, as, obviously there is no happy ending or even uplifting moments which gives you hope for the sufferers or their families. "It's happened, so I just have to get on with it and enjoy life" says Natalie, though you never really get the feeling she actually understands the gravity of her situation, which is perhaps for the best.
It is extremely sad to see the devastating effect it has on the people close to the sufferers, especially as each of them seems to have little or no understanding of the sacrifices their loved ones and carers have to make just to get them through a "normal" day.
I may be biased as I am clearly a fan of Louis Theroux's style of film-making, but I fail to see how anyone could fail to be engaged and emotionally affected by this tender and sombre documentary.
The Class of '92 (2013)
Heart-warming memories of a never-to-be-repeated time
This is a remarkable film. It is a revealing insight into a time which is embedded into the cultural psyche of any football fan or indeed, any sports fan. Of course, if one is a Man Utd fan (like myself) it is an absolute treat!
I defy any Utd fan not to get a lump in their throat as they relive Beckham's wonder goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon, or Giggs' gravity-defying dribble and match-winner against Arsenal in the the semi-final replay of '99, or Ole Gunnar Solskjær's toe-poked winner against Bayern Munich in the epic Champions League final of '99.
It's not just a catalogue of footballing highlights however. It gives a real insight into the mindset and environment these working-class, soon-to-be superstars were nurtured in.
I know all film-making is manipulation, clever editing and good story-telling, but it is difficult to believe that the relaxed, raw and even hilarious anecdotal banter between the now legendary players, is anything other than genuine, transparent, respect and admiration for each other.
The blend of talent, ability, dedication, character, camaraderie and ultimate history-making achievement between these young footballers is like a far-fetched story from a kids' football magazine. Yet it is all true.
I firmly believe that the current infrastructure of football doesn't permit this kind of situation from ever occurring again. We live in a different world now.
As a side-note, the current under-performing Man Utd team (and manager) should watch this together to remember the amazing legacy they are trying to preserve.