paligladayan Reviews

Bridgerton (2020– )

A series worth watching!

[9/10 · 7 February 2021]

If you enjoyed Downton Abbey, you will probably enjoy this series.. Situated in England, although different eras, the two series take us back in time to the grandiosity and richesse of 1800-1900s, with the gowns, accessories, balls, waltz and palaces.. I would give the series some time, since the first episode can be confusing with the large number of characters, names and big families. Yet, once you get acquainted to the characters, you will fall in love with their acting Despite being only 10 episodes, the characters evolve tremendously. The acting of the 2 main characters Daphne and Simon is beautiful! The two characters embark on a very complicated journey, yet evolve and grow together. Obviously it was clear where their friendship was heading: starting with a cold ruse, into a beautiful friendship, to only move into passionate love, lies and true and complete love at the end. The progress of the couple felt almost impossible at times, and I think that's what made it convincing. The secondary characters, such as Eloise, Colin, lady Danbury, Anthony, Marina and Penelope add a great touch to bringing variety to the series. Eloise is revolting, while all ladies her age should think about marriage, she doesn't! Anthony is involved in a forbidden love. Marina is pregnant from a true love yet is not married yet. And so on.. these characters bring us the reality underneath the perfection painted through those balls and gowns. We are and will always be humans, with lust, desires, but also shame and mistakes. I love the mothers character, who despite making mistakes was juggling her 8 children alone, as a single parent, trying to balance between the duties and roles that the era demanded from her but also having her own values and principles, believing in true love. Finally, lady whisteldowns character added a true twist to the whole plot (a little like gossip girl) where aside from all the action and intrigues, a main mistery remained all along. (Although I should admit, it was easy to unveil her true identity)

Emily in Paris (2020– )

Perfect series to watch during pandemic

[7/10 · 3 February 2021]

While we are all locked down in the middle of a pandemic, this series brings all beautiful sides of the life we miss in a few episodes! Emily dresses nicely, has always makeup on, goes to work daily, visits cafes, pubs and restaurants, in one of the most romantic cities in the world. This series allowed reminded me the fun of constantly meeting new people and the beauty of discovering new places doing new things, while we are stuck in our bubble. While some characters are too naive, Emily's character is a little exagerated. Yet she teaches us an important lesson: even if nobody believes in you, you don't fit in because of your different perspectives and nobody gives you a chance, ambition, perseverance and courage might allow you to reach your goals. Now in the movie, the end results justified by Emily's unconventional means might be a little too good to be true, but it still reminds us that being rejected because you or your ideas are very different from the people around you is not the end of it.. Personally, what I enjoyed most in this series, aside from the virtual trip to normal life and Paris, is the unique creative methods and the right choice of words (most of the time) that allowed Emily to reach some of her goals and convince an unconvinceable entourage in very interesting ways. The typical love triangles, and predictability are what makes it a typical happy ending show! Yet, hey! If you're watching this series, what else did you expect? I think the preview and genre reveal the type of the series before even watching it

Toy Story 4 (2019)

Fun for kids and adults!!

[9/10 · 12 August 2019]

I can almost say this is my favorite toy story.. Beginning with all the memories from the previous toy stories and moving on to new adventures.. aside from having a great sense of humour and so much imagination, the movie actually carried amazing messages for adults as well.. I'm 28 and late 20s seem to be the time you realize you're not 18 anymore, you are actually growing up, that you have to let go of some things since life goes on, and so you need to cope accordingly.. yet, life is still beautiful, since you still have all those beautiful memories and you can still make new ones! I think this movie also presents values that not only kids, but also adults should sometimes be reminded of.. love, caring, friendship, sharing and so many other ones.. I know I mentioned my age earlier and this might seem funny for some, but I actually had tears in my eyes at the end of the movie.. I couldn't imagine woodie without his friends, but then again.. life is life.. they will always be his family, but he had to make a decision for new adventures.. step up and make a change because, well, times goes by and life happens.. I truly wouldn't miss this movie.. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of watching a second or a third when they come out, as I usually prefer the original first ones of most of the Disney movies, yet this one is truly worth it.. no matter your age :)

Aladdin (2019)

Mesmerizing!

[9/10 · 18 July 2019]

First of all, I should start by saying, that the little mermaid, beauty and the beast and Aladdin are by far my favorite Disney princess movies.. I am in love with the idea of remaking these movies ! Since I was expecting more from beauty and the beast, I actually went to the theaters for Aladdin with a little doubt.. yet this movie surprised me big time! Let us first start by costumes and sceneries! Incredible! I hope I won't break Disney fans hearts by saying even more beautiful than some of the ones in the original movie. The few new songs (sang mainly by Jasmin) had beautiful lyrics very much applied to today's world and were a nice new touch to the movie.. most of the actors were well chosen for their roles, but Will Smith is very impressive in this movie! Before watching the movie, it was really hard for me to imagine Ginnie without Robin Williams.. come on, he's the only Ginnie that can possibly exist! With all my respect to the role and character Robin Williams created, I personally believe that Will Smith did a great job recreating a Ginnie that you just cannot stop admiring! He kept Ginnie's core traits, his speed, his humour, his tonality, but he also added a touch of his own which can be summarized in a mild sarcasm (the few changes done to his script also probably helped him develop this new Ginnie). I wouldn't miss this movie if I were you! It will be 2 hours of pure magic and laughter!Reminiscent of my childhood with a great touch of humour!

The Writer (2019)

Well done Lebanon!

[9/10 · 27 June 2019]

I'm a Lebanese living abroad.. I often watch Lebanese series online because I love our culture, our traditions, our language, in short, I love my country.. but also because it makes me feel like I'm still part of what I like to call home.. Yet I'm also a big fan of Hollywood and other international movies and series of all genres, and subconsciously I am always comparing Lebanese movies and series to international ones.. which let's be honest is not fair.. since like everything else in life, budget mostly but also filmmaking experience make a huge difference on the final outcome.. This series redefines Lebanese series and brings Lebanese productions up to a whole new level and opens the door to new genres! The screenplay was unique, the sceneries were heartwarming, the music was an innovation on its own, the characters were well developed and the acting of most of the characters was very realistic, bringing the series to a whole new level.. Although, I should mention that it was hard for me to get attached to the series at the beginning.. it took me 3-4 episodes to grasp the plot, get acquainted to the new genre and start loving the characters.. so if you're like me, and judge a series by the first episode, this one will teach you to be patient and give it a chance to prove itself.. I am truly convinced that its innovative aspect might be the reason why it might take some time to actually get into the story and be perplexed by its misteries.. I am so proud of my country, my people and my culture.. By both the genre, the new filming techniques used, the contemporary acting, the appearance of many new talents, the constant mentioning of worldknown authors, books, actors and directors, etc (which allowed me to situate the plot into our reality) this series is a promising success! Cheers to new challenges! Well done Lebanon 💜

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Genius & Nostalgy

[10/10 · 5 December 2018]

I am surprised to see that the rating of this movie is less than 7. And what I find even more surprising is to read reviews saying the plot is missing. Honestly, let me start by saying that I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. Born in 1991, I litterally grew up with these people! So consider me bias if you want, but I'm truly impressed by this movie, since I loved it as much as the Harry Potter ones.. I left the theater impressed and more than satisfied. Let me start by the cinematography and the production. I don't think I've ever seen something more sophisticated yet realistic. While I was watching the movie, at some points it reminded me of the Harry Potter ride at the universal studios in LA, where you're basically unable to tell the difference between what's 3D projected and what is real. Truly amazing, it left me speechless at the end.. Second, yes, this is where bias has a huge role, and anyone who is not a Harry Potter fan would probably not share this feeling with me. But when the Harry Potter themed start to play, seeing Hogwarts, and Dumbledore so young.. I mean, I was having goosebumps for more than a few minutes at a time.. Hogwarts is my home too.. Actors? Or genius? Bundles of talents walking around in that movie.. Newt!! I still can't believe that actor played Stephen Hawking, a role so real tackling so many different aspects of the most human capabilities and feelings. And now this?! I mean I wanted to stand up and clap when the movie was over. Young Dumbledore? Yes I'm a girl, and he melted my heart, but! Seriously, I couldn't imagine young Dumbledore any different than the way he was presented in that movie. And Grindelwald was such a perfect dark character for this movie. His minimalist acting was truly mesmerizing. Finally, as a truly loyal Harry Potter fan, I would like to say that I will for sure watch this movie again on big screen, because the plot had so many details related to the original 7 books, that I'm sure I missed them while I was too busy contemplating the beautiful sceneries and magnificent creatures. Also, I will impatiently wait for the third part which I expect to be even more captivating as I feel that these three movies are coming in crescendo on the level of production, acting, nostalgy and plot.

Forever My Girl (2018)

Simple yet Beautiful

[7/10 · 5 December 2018]

I watched this movie on a Tuesday night, after a long day at work. Sometimes, I believe after a tiring day when you face so many problems on different levels, watching a simple movie where life is easy, people are forgiving and sceneries are warm, is a good way to wrap it up and go to bed with a smile on your face. Although the actors did a great job, some parts of the plot were a little naive and too easy.. Which has nothing to do with the reality of people and life.. Nevertheless I find that these types of movies have another purpose: to calm and sooth the mind, to allow you to feel the rythm and enjoy the music and finally to remember that it is always possible to choose the easy and forgiving way out in life.. It is a matter of choice of what you want to see, to feel, to show and to share..