amberhelenawriting Reviews

The Goldfinch (2019)

Great casting, but speedrunning the plot. Make this a miniseries please!

[6/10 · 26 June 2023]

Whatever you do: read the book first! And if it's too late, read the book after.

After finishing the book, I was absolutely enchanted. One of the best books I've ever read, and I hadn't been this captivated by any book since childhood. This movie however, like someone else mentioned as well, should've been a mini series. I wish we could get a do over with the same cast. Especially Hobie is so well cast. The book is massive however, and it needs a lot of time to really let the minute details sink in. I would say this isn't a bad try, but it's just impossible to capture the essence of such a great novel in one movie. It needs time and air to make you connect with the characters and storyline. And if I hadn't read the book, I wouldn't understand what was happening at all.

Mulan (2020)

This wasn't bad at all! Touching and a visual feast

[8/10 · 17 August 2021]

Honestly, the main reason I'm writing this review is because I'm baffled by the amount of hate it's receiving. First of all: I actually liked it better than most Disney live action redo's. I'm not here to just see a literal copy of the animated movie. I really enjoyed it and it made me emotional at times. Also, the visuals are just absolutely stunning. Those colors, the landscapes and sky... Just, wow! I think the story as presented in this movie is beautiful. I'm not Chinese, so I'm not sure how true to Chinese history, tradition and lore this is, so I can't base my opinion on that. But as an outsider I thought it was a great movie, better than I expected. I think if it was even more raw and lost some of that Disney glow it would've been even better.

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)

Well, it's bad but not that bad

[7/10 · 19 November 2020]

I rated this for the genre and not for movies in general. In that regard it's totally fine. It's warm and fuzzy, non sensical, but who cares. It was a nice sequel. Although how a husband wouldn't recognize his own wife is beyond me, but for the sake of the plot... Just sit back and watch this if you had a long day and wish to not think. Also, sugary sweet but that goes without saying.

IO (2019)

It's not THAT bad

[6/10 · 27 January 2019]

A lot of people seem to want this movie to be something it's not. I also had different expectations. It's a slow, somber and calm movie. But that doesn't mean it's bad. I feel like it's very conceptual and unfinished almost, and would work better as a short film. If you accept the (incorrect) "science" in this movie and look beyond that, it's a still portrait of someone clinging on to an old and hopeless dream. I imagine this could be the story of one of the twelve volunteers from Interstellar. Again, it should've pulled out more stops to turn this into a feature film. The idea is there but the execution is too bare.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)

How this doesn't have a higher rating is beyond me

[10/10 · 18 December 2018]

I didn't expect much and was very very pleasantly surprised and deeply moved by this story. It's dark, visually stunning and almost had a Lord of the Rings vibe. I've seen the Disney animation and the live action movie, loved both, but this felt like a realistic, adult story. Really brilliant!

Zoe (I) (2018)

Ignore the average rating and watch it

[10/10 · 13 August 2018]

This is sci-fi the way it should be. Thought provoking. The acting is great and it is visually and musically appealing. But most of all, it has some great new ideas about humanities possible future (it feels really close to what could happen in the next century, even though it might be impossible) and it explores some of the more well known dilemmas about AI's in an emotional and beautiful way. I would definitely recommend watching this. Complaints about the pace are probably by people who are more accustomed to the action side of sci-fi, it's just the right pace the make things sink in but not get bored.

Ibiza (2018)

Where's the story? I'm confused!

[5/10 · 25 May 2018]

First of all: the leads have GREAT chemistry. But I felt like I was watching a snapshot of the "real" movie. I feel a little betrayed. The story is about Harper, a New Yorker send to Barcelona, Spain for a business meeting. Her two best friends tag along for a party trip. In Barcelona Harper meets a deejay and they instantly connect. That's it! That's the whole story. They fall in love. Harper f's up her meeting and is fired. No one seems to care. She mentions starting her own company. The deejay calls and asks if she wants to meet him in Tokyo. She says no at first because of her new business endeavor. But then her friends convince her to all go to Tokyo. END MOVIE. I checked my Netflix to make sure it was really the end of the movie. I felt confused. Such a waste of perfectly fun characters and a storyline that could've been heading somewhere, but then it was not. Who wants to watch a movie of people instantly falling in love and being happy, the end?

The 100 (2014–2020)

Don't give up! This show is AMAZING!

[10/10 · 18 May 2018]

It might start off as just another teen show with bad acting and plot lines, but it just keeps getting better and better. It won't be long until you're hooked. I ended up watching all episodes to date (season 5, episode 4) in about two weeks. I literally pulled all nighters because I had to know what was going to happen. Just when you think things can't get any sicker, it gets sicker. It's Lost meets Black Mirror meets Game of Thrones. I am one of those people bothered by scientifically incorrect sci-fi, but as soon as you accept the reality of the show as it is, it's awesome. It's absolutely brilliant. I can't wait for more!

Waiting for Forever (2010)

So horrible I couldn't resist writing my first review

[1/10 · 25 January 2015]

This is one of the most terrible movies I ever watched. What a waste of time. I even finished the movie hoping it would get better, but it got worse and worse. If you feel like watching an absolutely depressing movie, with the most ridiculous plot lines and bad acting watch this. The main character is a stalker with severe mental issues, his brother is rude, his friends are absolutely naive... Also, this is everything that happens to the main characters: both Wills parents died in a train crash, his mom had cancer but didn't tell him, Will talks to his deceased parents out loud, thinking they are still there, Emma's father dies, her boyfriend murders her lover and she is being stalked by Will for years. Doesn't this sound like the kind of things that happen in a C-film? Yeah, they do. But in the end Emma doesn't seem upset about her fathers and lovers death, she doesn't seem upset about her husband to be murdering one of them. No, she just realizes she's in love with the guy who used to stalk her and had an imaginary relationship with her. Seems legit.