Amonute-Matoaka Reviews

Why Women Kill (2019–2021)

Entertaining show

[7/10 · 31 January 2023]

We enjoyed watching both seasons. The cast is sublime, and it's a really good production.

I enjoyed the different storyline in the first season, especially how the "killing" part wasn't necessarily malicious. That was heartbreakingly unexpected (btw the 80s storyline was my favourite, Lucy Liu was brilliant).

I didn't mind that they switched to a different format for season 2, it served that story better to be told in its entirety. I found the characters in season 2 more engaging, more complex, especially the wealthy family (the Castillos). The cast was once again exceptional, shout out to Nick Frost, a delight as always, and to Lana Parrilla for a sometimes hilarious, sometimes truly touching portrayal of what could have easily been a caricature of a character. That season had a lot of twists and turns and I ended up cheering on for those I'd expect to dismiss in the early episodes, (I mean, feeling sorry for Rita and Scooter, who would have thought?!)

Having said that, the ending for the second season was disappointing in how it gave the show's most ruthless killer their "happy ending". For a season that was attempting to communicate some sort of a moral lesson the ending rang completely out of tune.

Black Widow (2021)

10/10, thank you for your cooperation

[10/10 · 10 July 2021]

Can't possibly overstate how much I enjoyed this movie.

It has everything. Meaningful plot, well developed characters and relationships. Action packed. It's fantastically shot! Lots of congratulations to Cate Shortland who did a brilliant, brilliant job. There was meaning and reasoning behind how every frame was shot, and lit, and coloured, and I really want to say I'm grateful for that. This doesn't look like a Marvel movie, this movie has Character.

Also, the soundtrack is masterfully done, the acting is superb (duh). Honestly, what more do you need?!

P. S If you're a Marvel fan, there are some Easter eggs for you.

P. P. S If you're a Black Widow fan, there's subtext that will make you squee with joy, that a creative team finally -finally- managed to truly grasp Natasha Romanoff's character and bring her to the bring screen. Tons of thanks to Scarlett Johansson for this, it would have never happened without her, and it wouldn't have been this amazing.

Jurassic World (2015)

Do yourselves a favour, watch something else this quarantine season.

[1/10 · 4 February 2021]

Yes, I'm late to this party. I didn't see this film when it premiered back in 2015. There was a ton of negative buzz online at the time and -thankfully, for me- I took note and avoided it at the theatres. Thank God, because I might have been sick right there during the screening. However, we are going through some trying times and the lockdowns wore me down enough that I ended up watching this.

First of all, lets look at our protagonists: Both "heroes" are horrible human beings.

The male character is a "dinosaur whisper". A quality that goes against everything Jurassic Park has taught us these past 20something years. Would I be willing to bend the rules if it was worth my time? Maybe, but the way this developed in the film wasn't ground-breaking enough for me to justify a human and his pet (partner?) raptor fist bumping like a kid and his dog in a TV movie.

The female character is a cold blooded capitalist who looked at the loose beasts, and then looked at the thousands of visitors and then thought "oh no, my profits!". Maybe if I wasn't watching this from a 3rd lockdown that was the direct result of a government leadership incapable of controlling a pandemic, due to its initial choice to prioritise profit over human lives, I'd be more inclined to give this lady a shot at redemption? Perhaps. Let's assume I did choose to allow her to become a better person in this film. She doesn't! She doesn't learn her lesson!

Her and the dinosaur dude are -literally- the reason why all these people lost their lives, and yet I'm expected to sit there and accept the film as ending happily for those 2 monsters!

On a side note, there are 2 children in this film. They are annoying.

Finally, lets talk about the violence. I saw the first Jurassic Park as a kid, and while it was a fairly violent film, I wasn't exactly "scared" by it. It was an adventure, with some goriest mishaps than one would expect, like the Brendan Fraser "The Mummy" franchise.

Now as an adult, I'm horrified to admit that Jurassic World made me sick. Specifically, the violent death of the female assistant (Zara, the only character name I remember. Scratch that, the only character name worth remembering) is one that completely horrified me. It went on forever. It was excessive and needlessly brutal. The woman's screams have been imprinted onto my brain. I had to take a break after it, and I can't believe it happened in the middle of the film.

Was I expected to watch a character be brutalised like that on screen and then sit around to watch the rest of the characters joke and get a happy ever after?

Zara was a young woman who -as far as we knew- was engaged to be married, and worked as an assistant to the main female character. She was charged with looking after a couple of extremely irritating children along with the rest of her duties and -again, as far as we know- the only thing "wrong" about her, is that she lost said children in the crowd at some point. In our eyes as viewers, Zara didn't deserve such a graphic death. As viewers, we're not going to move forward from that easily. At least I didn't, the rest of the film flew past my eyes and I was left with an upset stomach and a brain with only half of its cells intact.

Not only is this film a complete waste of time, it might traumatise you. Do yourselves a favour, watch something else this quarantine season.

Rebecca (I) (2020)

Vapid and unfortunately -given the material and the cast- disappointing

[4/10 · 8 December 2020]

Du Maurier would laugh in the face of whatever poor soul decided Rebecca needed a Hollywood makeover.

This is a story of faulty people committing a long series of mistakes (and crimes) and yet instead of us the audience being filled with dread, we are made to react with apathy to whatever ill befalls them. I'd even go as far as to say that the most sympathetic figure was, in fact, the one that was created to be the embodiment of a scary, haughty, gothic character: Mrs Danvers. Which really makes me question the creative decisions made here that allowed me to get to such a conclusion.

One thing that makes Rebecca (the novel, and the character) so tantalizing is that it's always right on the verge of the supernatural. We're given plenty of hints to let our imaginations run wild, but are never told about any actual explicit ghostly happenings.

This film reduces the atmosphere of the book and the mystery surrounding Rebecca by simply portraying her as a promiscuous woman who finds out she has terminal cancer and instead of suffering to the bitter end she commits suicide by cop with the "help" of her enraged husband.

Said husband hides his crime, evades the law and is allowed to roam free, even though he is, in fact, a murderer.

Wrap this up with a make-shift happy ending that was never meant to be, given the story, and what are we, as an audience, left with? Certainly not the deliciously disturbing story Du Maurier gifted us with.

The One and Only Ivan (2020)

Couldn't possibly be more bland, even if they tried.

[2/10 · 27 August 2020]

This film lacks a script.

In fact their script was so short, you get the same information repeated over and over again in what looks like an attempt to fill the time till they reach the 1 hour mark.

There is barely any character development, since Ivan's personality remains the same, the only thing that changes is his perspective over the reality of his life, and even then the scenes we are treated with, I'm assuming in order to keep the film as children-safe as possible, are not anywhere near shocking enough to warrant the shift in his view of his owner and the suffering he's going through. E.g. a gorilla kept in an enclosure as small as his, would have been on anxiety and depression medication in order to remain barely sane.

Anyway, I guess Disney had a ton of leftover Lion King Remake graphics, and they execs said to themselves "eh, why not", thus this movie was born.

If you have kids under 5 years of age they might enjoy it, but it's not going to enrich their minds in any way, or teach them any valuable lessons, so honestly, what's the point of watching it.

Snowpiercer (2020–2024)

Could have been really good

[6/10 · 25 June 2020]

Snowpiercer has an interesting tale, at least as long as you suspend disbelief as to why humanity decided to place the last survivors on a running train.

Both the 2013 film and this show are based on a French graphic novel. However, while the film's plot was completely different to that of the graphic novel I expected that the TV Show would follow the original story line, since they had the time to develop it. Instead of doing that, the series creators decided to write it from scratch, and that's were trouble begins.

Most of the issues arise from the characters and the plot.

In terms of the plot, the supposed "twist" at the end, is no twist at all. To me at least it was obvious that Melanie had assumed control of the train. Beyond that, there are too many moments where it's just impossible to suspend disbelief (e.g. the beefed up passengers of "the tail" who were supposedly practically being starved to death).

As for the characters, unfortunately they haven't been properly developed on a script level. All the secondary ones have no motives for doing the things that they do. As for the main character, Andre, even though he comes off as a noble person, we still don't understand why he is the way he is, and it's not like there's an air of mystery around him to keep us invested in his story. This type of sloppy writing isn't helping the actor at all, who I'm sure would have been able to keep us engaged, if he had been handed better material.

Jennifer Connelly fared much better and managed to create an engaging performance, but she had a much better character to work with since Melanie was the only one written with consistency. While she's more of a villain, it's easy to understand how she ticks, the stress she's under in order to keep things under control, and keep her secret, which makes for an interesting character, even if you can't necessarily empathise with her. What doesn't make sense in terms of her character, is why she allowed things to unravel the way that they did, given that she had complete control over the fate of the passengers.

All in all, Snowpiercer is a mediocre show that could have been amazing, if they had worked on the script and the characters a bit more, since the production is otherwise top-notch, and they had a good cast that has unfortunately, mostly gone to waste.

The Iron Lady (2011)

Incoherent editing and a film that doesn't really say anything about its subject

[4/10 · 13 September 2019]

I feel nothing but respect for Meryl Streep, and can only praise her for yet another brilliant performance. To be fair, the cast was magnificent as a whole, and to be honest, the actors' performances were the only noteworthy element of this film.

Unfortunately, while this film makes an obvious attempt at telling the story of a person who suffers from dementia from her perspective, and that said person just happens to be Margaret Thatcher, the film fails, at least in my eyes, at providing us with a complete image of dementia, or of Margaret Thatcher.

Yes, you can't but have a disjointed tale of a life when someone who suffers from dementia does the telling. But a filmmaker, has to create a final product that sends a coherent message. Black Swan is a good example of a film that has an unreliable narrator, and yet it leaves us with a statement about mental illness. And Darkest Hour managed to portray Winston Churchill perfectly. Iron Lady doesn't say much about dementia, and it doesn't say much about Margaret Thatcher either.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Repeat after me. We are cash cows.

[1/10 · 26 April 2019]

I love superheroes. I was raised reading comic books. I watched every film since the first Iron Man. I know when the MCU gets something right. And in this film, they got it wrong. So, so wrong.

I will admit, that this film is a spectacle. But, it's a horrible spectacle. It's a "I can practically hear the money being burned" sort of spectacle.

It's not even technically up to scratch! This film has incredibly badly shot scenes. With framing that is wrong, horrible -Horrible- lighting, the CGI is obviously put together with duck tape in some scenes. I know they did a lot of reshoots, and then I'm guessing the VFX studios didn't have enough time to fix anything but -my dudes, this movie cost upwards of 300 million dollars. Have *some* dignity.

And now the dreaded part: The Plot.

It feels like, they shot the film, showed it to a test audience, they didn't like it, and then the writers put their heads together and went "what sort of fan service can we add to this mess, to make it palatable?", and that was it.

This film's plot isn't coherent. If you dissect it, it doesn't make any sense. Those are not decisions the Avengers would have made. For so many reasons. For one thing, they spent Age of Ultron, Civil War, and I don't know how many other movies, discussing how they can't just decide to make huge changes to the world without taking permission from the citizens, and the governments. And then, they decided to bring back 4 billion people (not to mention animals), without asking anyone. Without even ensuring the planet had enough resources (after 5 years of working a 50% capacity) to make sure this HUGE addition to the population had food to eat.

And that was only 1 side-error this film made. I could go on, for a long time. Because this was a long film. And it was so, so bad.

Another thing that wrecked the experience for me- for the first time in the MCU, there were moments when I felt the actors were not even acting. Some of the character story lines were so ill-developed that even the acting was off, especially for Cap. I was looking at Chris Evans, and seeing Chris Evans and not Steve Rogers in many occasions! I don't even blame the guy, the script he was handed was a mess.

For those who don't believe me, that the writers did a sloppy job, I will give you an example. When Natasha dies, they try to pull at our heartstrings by mentioning her family. Her father's name. Ivan. Only, that's not her father's name. We know her name, it's Natalia Alianovna Romanova. Russians take the middle name from their fathers. Alianovna literally means daughter of Alian. They wrote a main character death and yet they didn't have the decency to research enough to get her name right.

Anyway, I know it doesn't matter what I think. I know it doesn't matter what any of us thinks because at this point, put the Marvel logo on anything and it will sell. Which is why the writers care less and less about their stories, to the point where we get to this utter failure, that nobody will ever look back and think "I should do an MCU marathon and watch Endgame". Nobody.

Nowadays, when theatres have nothing to show, they can screen Lord of the Rings, and be sure -people will show up to see Return of the King on the big screen. I'd have to be dragged in the theatre kicking and screaming to watch Endgame again.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Meaningless

[6/10 · 22 December 2018]

I was truly looking forward to this film ever since the first trailer came out, pity it was such a huge disappointment.

The main characters we know from the previous one have been treated poorly in this film, especially Queenie, who went from an insightful, delightful and loving character to an airhead. Their motivations are lacking, their development is either minimal or immature, and we cannot possibly find ourselves caring for the new ones, since they as well are very badly developed.

One would think the writers would manage to make us care for Leta at least, but even her character is not exactly clear in her motives, and doesn't manage to gain our sympathy. I couldn't possibly blame any of the actors for this, since it is clearly a faulty script.

Of course, all this led to a plot that was either pitifully pulled ahead with things we did not care about, or things that were dropped there like obvious plot devices such as all of Newt's creatures. Other times the story was nonsensical, in the sense that you could understand what was going on, but it was entirely insignificant, when it should have been holding you at the edge of your seat.

For a character driven story that was inspired by our collective childhoods, I'm afraid I found myself leaving the theatre disappointed, having spent two hours with so many characters and yet not caring for any of them, not even the ones I liked in the previous one.

I will confess that the one moment my heart stopped was when Hogwarts appeared. It was out of nowhere, completely unexpected but the theme came on and we were there. I was crying like a baby, but I can't attribute that to this subpar sequel, when it was the countless memories of a childhood spent reading J.K. Rowling's stories that evoked those emotions.

Robin Hood (2010)

Too many cooks, apparently.

[6/10 · 3 November 2018]

So, it seems this film was a nightmare to make. I actually read the original script, titled "Nottingham", a story in no way recognisable in the finished film. An occurrence common enough in Hollywood, but perhaps not with such dramatic changes of writers, or so inconsiderate spendings.

What surprised me is that the final script is actually much more mature, less cliche, had more potential than the original one, even though that was the one considered unconventional. Scott was right in persisting that the story had to be fixed. But, by the time they realised that, the production had already stretched, and so,having run out of time, they went with sloppiness which, of course, shows.

This film starts strong, but sags and limps towards a tepid ending. It would have been saved if it's realism had persisted, or if it had something new to tell us. It did none of those things and thus, a 200 million dollars production turned into a sorry meh.

Bodyguard (2018)

Well made thriller

[7/10 · 25 October 2018]

It's gripping, well crafted, actors are all top notch. The script is excellent in the fact that you always think you know what's coming and then the unexpected happens and you're flabbergasted. What I'm saying is, don't try to solve the puzzle, just let it reveal itself on its own.

The only thing I felt cheated on was how they made you think this show would have some deeper meaning, would make a comment on the current political and social situation in the UK, but then they decided to take the Hollywood exit. Which is fine, but it means that this series is no more memorable than the hundreds of other like it that have come and gone, it lost that bit of originality and meaningfulness. Still, it's a good thriller.

The Romanoffs (2018)

Great series

[6/10 · 15 October 2018]

Fleshed out characters, acted out perfectly. Refreshingly original storytelling that takes cliches and gives them a shake up. I love that you can sympathise with all these characters, even the rotten ones.

It's set in the modern day, and represents it perfectly, the Romanovs are just the garnish. The instigation for the telling of stories that we can understand because they are based on real people, who live lives like ours and are struggling to survive, just like we all do.

A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)

Pure cinematic experience

[8/10 · 3 October 2018]

This film has an amazing atmosphere, it will stay with you for days.

It's wonderfully crafted. The decay of the old professor and his protegee is expressed in their creaky old house, their crummy neighbourhood, the seedy bar they frequent. Time feels almost still as these people's days blend together, well, at least it feels as such when Pursy is not around.

It's obvious the director/writer cared for this film and had researched the material a lot. Every scene is thought out, every character is fleshed and refreshingly real. This film is whole, and its parts cannot exist in a vacuum. The characters, their stories, the music, the setting, all make sense when they are together, like pieces of a puzzle, you need all of them to see the entire picture.

Speaking of the music, this film has a fantastic soundtrack.

Top notch performances all around as well. Travolta was excellent, and seemed to be enjoying his character a lot. I absolutely loved all the scenes with him and Macht trading quotes. Johansson is also brilliant and so very young. She gave her character the right amount of spunk and sensitivity. In a particular scene, which you will recognise when you see it, her honesty broke my heart. Somebody give this woman a decent project because we haven't gotten an original performance like this from Scarlett in years. How long do those Disney/Marvel contracts last anyway?

Do watch this film, you'll feel like you unearthed a gem.

Disobedience (2017)

I really wanted to love it.

[6/10 · 30 August 2018]

When the two actresses shared moments alone it was wonderful. Minutes dipped in sweetness and sadness, with an air of nostalgia. Not that I expected any less of them.

Still, this movie was made by a man, and while it is soft, and feels sometimes like it has a woman's touch, the eye is clearly male. So the intricacies of a female friendship, the tight weaves, especially of one that evolved into a romance, are subdued. These two women would hardly waste time discussing trivial things. They would hardly need words to connect emotionally. Their dialogue should have entirely been a clash of viewpoints, with huge emotional undercurrents, love and lust stuck in a web of formalities and banned through a strict, religious upbringing.

Lastly, this movie lacks a resolution. Esti married her husband to be "cured". While I understand her upbringing wouldn't leave her much choice, either do as your told or be an outcast, after all these years, after the fallout with her husband, after admitting she is not attracted to men, after realising she doesn't want to raise a child in such an environment, and after she is provided with an alternative, she stays with her husband because, what? He gave a freedom speech? It just didn't make any sense. She was an educated, full grown woman living in London of all places, she had options.

The Mercy (2018)

Why do we keep romanticising selfish men?

[6/10 · 27 August 2018]

Picture this: a woman leaves her three children and husband behind, she gambles all their money, their house, their business, on an impossible task for which she is unqualified and hilariously under prepared. Then, realising she will never full fill what was promised she commits suicide, leaving her family to deal with the aftermath of her failings, and to face life without her.

Who would be telling that woman's story? Would anyone try to understand the workings of her mind, or what led her to make these choices? Would she ever become anything more than a cautionary tale for women out there, who ever dare to dream of being more than wives and mothers?

I had never heard the story of Donald Crowhurst before, and after reading the synopsis of this film, I did not research the Times Golden Globe before actually watching the film. After the story began, even though I was finding this man's attempt to compete absurd, and couldn't understand why the people around him weren't being more upset about his decision, I assumed he would eventually be the victorious underdog. Therefore, the general joyousness of his departure seemed in tune with the cheerful and relaxed atmosphere that characterised the first part of the film.

Rachel Weisz was brilliant. Even though the script would have you believe this man was a tragic hero, her face whenever she was on camera, was telling the true tale, from the very beginning. Pain, fear, anxiety. So many women have been in this woman's shoes. Left behind by impossible men, who think their lives are too little for them, who think they deserve that something more, who ache to leave their mark on the world, and don't think much of anyone else. Nonetheless she was there, supporting, holding up the fort while he was away, fending for the family and in the end, suffering alone, and picking up the mess. As far as I'm concerned, that noble woman was the true hero of the story.

Colin Firth also made an admirable effort, but he was far too level-headed for the most part. Someone in that situation would have been more tense, a lot less in control. In all honesty I couldn't help myself but feel sorry for this man, all these months on a boat alone, understanding the horrible consequences of a ridiculous decision. In the end, he took the easy way out, and that's as far as my pity went. If the film had left the blame for the utter ruin of the family to him, we, as viewers, would have found ourselves feeling very much ashamed, for caring for such a man's story.

The film's attempt to shift the consequences of his actions on to the press, was ridiculous, but made for a good story, which I suppose is why this is actually a decent film, about a quite pitiful man, and his poor struggling wife. It would have made a much better story, if it had been told from her perspective. The harsh reality of her everyday life vs the tragic beauty of her condemned belief and hope in her husband's attempt at achieving greatness.

Red Sparrow (2018)

Only Americans would think this film represents the reality of Russia

[1/10 · 22 August 2018]

American actors play Russians who live in Russia but speak to each other in English, with fake Russian accents. But this is a realistic film.

There is no reason the mother wouldn't be able to afford to go to the doctor for her illness, Russia has a public healthcare system. It's not ideal, but it's free. She would also be entitled to some form of pension. Not to mention the protagonist -a renowned ballet dancer- would be able to find employment as a teacher, a trainer, or a choreographer, probably within the Bolsoi company. Plus, after the accident, she would also receive some form of work injury compensation pay, not to mention that all these people have health insurances in case stuff like this happen (because otherwise she could sue the company). Also, I don't know why she didn't press charges against the guy who dropped her, especially after she received evidence of it not being an accident. Even if she couldn't go to court, she could at least get them both fired.

Those are the things that people do in the real world when a tragedy happens. They don't suddenly go to expensive hotels to meet with mafia bosses. How does that sound as a realistic decision?

I find the "such a realistic film after all the Marvel-DC shenanigans" comments hillarious, since this movie is such an obvious rip-off from a Marvel character's backstory. Black Widows, Red Sparrows, potaytos, potahtos.

As for the spy stuff, as far as I'm concerned, it was shocking without any depth, or meaning, just for the sake of shocking viewers. Because since the character didn't have to be in that situation, it was to me unrealistic.

Also, switch the Russian locations with literaly any other country, and you get the exact same movie, without any issues. Blah, blah, poor female artist with no money gets pulled into political games with corrupt governments in Russia, France, Brazil, UK, China, USA etc.

I only gave it 3 stars for the photography, the locations and the music.

Bride Wars (2009)

This could have been a decent movie, they chose to be shallow.

[2/10 · 11 August 2018]

I'm usually the first person aboard the "Hollywood needs to stop ridiculing our inteligence by asuming a big wedding is all women care about" but I actually saw potential in this film.

It has 2 talented leads (both Hathaway and Hudson have proved themselves as decent actresses to say the least) and 2 main characters who have some substance, i.e. they are not just mashed up cliches. It has a premise, childhood friends get married on the same day, but loses it all, because it assumes the worst of women.

Let me explain. There simply is no way two people who were selfless enough to be able to hold on to a friendship for so long, would turn against each other like hyenas over an easily solvable problem. The movie makes our characters denounce the idea of a double wedding (more to get rid of the thought in all of its viewers heads) straight away, but the thing is, two best friends like them, who do everything together, who have shared this dream all their lives, would have had a double wedding and they would have loved it.

Making this about the brides being all "this is MY day, I'M the bride" blah, blah is what ultimately ruined the movie. Because from being a movie celebrating friendship, it turned into a parade of selfishness and shallowness, not because it didn't have a choice, but because this is what the men who made this film think about women like their central characters, and that's just sad.

The cleansing comes too late in the film to salvage it, as far as I'm concerned. The fact that these two inteligent women come to the same conclusion we came to 5 minutes in the film, that they are sharing their lives together, but only do so at the very end of the film makes for a sadly torpid script.

One last thought: the amount of concealed evil exhibited in the ugly games the two best friends played against each other is not telling of feminine nature but, again, it is telling of what the men who wrote this script think about women. And, again, that's really sad.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Excellent superhero movie, lived up to the hype, it suffered from the expected flaws but MCU fans will definitely love it anyway.

[9/10 · 26 April 2018]

I enjoyed every minute of this film while it was happening. It was so thrilling, so action-packed, there wasn't time to look for flaws, or to chat, or to simply say to your friend "Wow did you see that?!", it was brilliantly done in regards to pace, aesthetics, timing, all was great. For an action superhero film it absolutely delivered, money well spent, poor DC, etc

After the film finished, after the tube ride home, the thing that was kind of pressing at the back of my head just burst into my brain and made me feel that even though this was a majestic film, true modern mythology, it still didn't manage to escape the expected traps:

a) By packing a movie with so many characters, we only managed to see developed story-lines for some precious few of them. Also, because there was so much plot going on, the story didn't actually develop much. I think we had about 15 minutes of story in a 2,5 hour film. Which means there wasn't much character development as well. Because of that, if you are not an MCU fan, this movie will mean nothing to you. Our collective emotional heartstrings as an audience were pulled in regards to the characters simply because we know these people from previous movies, if we didn't we wouldn't have cared about them at all.

b) All movies who decide to play around with the subject of Time, need to tread carefully. This movie not only decided to bring alternate realities and time travel into the game, it did so casually. This will obviously be used as a storytelling tool, which is not necessarily a mistake (it depends on how it will be handled), but it is a cheap trick (e.g. having Scarlett Witch destroy the last stone only for having Thanos go back in time and get it), I know Marvel is swimming in money right now so they don't care about this stuff, I'm just putting it out there, because it's true, and it's a fact that will be heavily criticized.

c) They practically created a villain who is a master of all the elements of the universe. You can't really fight that, it doesn't make any sense. Of course nobody cares because the fight scenes are majestic and everyone is too busy holding on to their arm rests for dear life, again, I'm just saying that now Thanos actually has it all.

If you're an MCU fan, this was what you've been waiting for. If you're not, you'll have fun, but you won't get much of a kick out of it.

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

This movie is fantastic, people are being obnoxious, as per usual

[9/10 · 1 April 2017]

Before you start judging me (I'm kidding, I know you have already done that) I need to inform you that yes, I have seen the original anime and I am a fan. Not of the franchise, I wasn't that involved, but I really did love the films.

So, this film was visually stunning, -stunning- I can't stress that enough. And I'm not talking about fancy CGI here, this was an amazing piece of art. You could watch it even without a script and it would make sense! Also, amazing soundtrack -of course- and a true nod to the original (aesthetically).

The only difference I found in the script (in general, not the plot), was that this film was a character driven story. All the philosophical stuff stemmed from the protagonist's experiences. It's a good way to keep an audience interested, it's the go to of Hollywood and it is something I expected and honestly, really didn't mind. Major has an interesting story to tell. Plus I went into the cinema and expected to see something that could stand on its own feet and not just recreate the anime. What's the fun in that? Plus, guys, this is Hollywood, if they took the "lets talk about human nature" way, we'd be simply telling them not to play with things they don't understand. This is the kind of film that Hollywood makes, and this particular film is actually a good example of that kind of film.

I didn't give it a 10 because that's kept for real masterpieces and this film just misses that special something. As if it reached the edge of what was achievable but in the end, didn't take the leap. Still a great film though.

As for the casting, I think they were all wonderful. Scarlett too, she did a great job making her movements robotic, everything she did was calculated and her stillness in some shots was really eerie but her eyes were so freaking expressive, as if all that was left of her humanity was hiding there, well done Scarlett.

Speaking of whom, I feel I need to address this subject. Is there whitewashing happening in Hollywood. Duh, of course there is. Is it normal to want an Asian actress to be cast in a film taking place in an Asian environment? Sure is. Is it a stretch to say that Scarlett freaking Johansson was cast in a role because she was white? Eeeeh, it kind of is. I mean, she's not some random white girl, she's the highest grossing actress of all time, the A list of Hollywood's A list, who wouldn't cast her? And for a film that would be criticized by fans anyway because "it's a Hollywood production of a Japanese title again" why not bring in the big guns to attract the general populace? I'm not going to go into the "Major is a cyborg so she can be of any background because she doesn't have one" debate, because I think it didn't play a part in the casting decision, it was clearly a marketing choice to cast someone who is already famous and popular. Plus Johansson is THE action girl these days, I mean, who else would Hollywood cast?

Doctor Strange (2016)

So many tropes, so much wasted potential, so boring. Kudos on the special effects though.

[4/10 · 14 November 2016]

Such excellent pictures, so bad a film. Common enough.

Steven Strange becomes Master of Everything seemingly in a day. He's egotistical and arrogant, we got that in the first 3 minutes, stop repeating yourself movie. The plot is -of course- a mixture of all of Hollywood's favorite tropes, with not a bit of variety, just a little flavor that you're watching a movie and not a montage of pretty images.

Mads Mikkelsen should sue the producers for wasting his time. I was so happy to see his name. I was then so disappointed to barely see him do anything at all, let alone anything worthy of his time, during the whole film. His villain character so NOT noteworthy. It's like they tried to make him unmemorable. I hope you'll enjoy those millions though Mads.

Pretty boring.

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Weak but beautiful

[7/10 · 6 January 2016]

I suppose I'm no different from the millions of other Disney-Pixar fans, therefore the fact that I greatly anticipated and had high hopes for this film is to be expected. I never watched a trailer, I never read the plot, I simply saw a poster outside a movie theatre and as soon as I saw the production company, I knew I was going to watch it.

It became obvious to me from the start, that it was going to have a poor, cliché at best, plot. And it most certainly did. But this film was so beautifully shot, so masterfully lit and created, it stole my breath away. I could watch it for the landscapes alone. Amazing and unbelievably realistic, with perfect lighting and colouring, it is an ode to mother nature. After the end, I was calm and with a smile on my face. It is not what I expected and it is definitely ill- written, but it is truly a beautiful film and -for me- doesn't deserve the severe criticism it received.

It is no Inside Out to be sure, but it didn't look like it tried to be deep or meaningful. Just a simple family film. Perhaps a bit dark for a Disney film and quite unique, but still good for all ages.

Agora (2009)

Not even historians can claim accuracy about this particular story and yet here we are.

[8/10 · 17 May 2015]

When the movie started, I decided that I would put my knowledge about Hypatia aside and give a chance to this attempt at telling her story.

Even though that choice allowed me to enjoy the film, I was still disappointed by yet another blatant use of this woman's name in order to promote a certain idea.

Historical inaccuracy aside, this is an expertly directed film, with excellent shots, literal and symbolic narrative, on point music and beautiful cinematography.

The script's message hits you a bit over the head with the black- robed parabolani, the over-the-top dramatization of the destruction of the Serapeum, the very European "good guys" and the very Middle East Christians. Yeah, we got it already.

On the downside, first of all, this movie about Hypatia doesn't tell Hypatia's story. This Hypatia is a modernized and very tuned down version of the real woman. And even though Rachel Weisz does an excellent job with the material that was given to her, giving us an utterly charming, absent minded, driven and powerful in a very dignified and quiet way scholar, that character is not Hypatia.

Hypatia was first and foremost a philosopher, a neoplatonist. Hypatia had such deep faith in Plato's teachings, her whole life revolved around it. Her moral code was so high and similar to the teachings of Christianity, her integrity was such that gave her "immunity" to the religious battles that were raging in the city. Many of her students were influential Christians, who later joined what they learned from her with Christian faith. She was so knowledgeable, ethical, just and wise, her influence in the political and social circles was equal to that of the archbishop. Powerful stuff for that time. Which brings us to the reason behind her murder. Political jealousy it was, plain and simple. There was no battle between science and religion taking place, no feministic tendencies or unrealistic scientific revelations.

In conclusion, even though, as I said, this is a solid film with a positive message, the way it is delivered is lacking. By using a historical figure and manipulating her story in order to serve the movie's purpose, these people became no better than the people they try to condemn. And please humanity, if you have nothing truthful or of any actual historic value to add, leave Hypatia alone. She's been your poster girl for 100 different purposes these last 500 years. A woman of value ended up being remembered for her brutal murder and not for her extraordinary life. There's a point where enough is enough.

Robot Overlords (2014)

It's a family film people! For kids, you know, small humans.

[6/10 · 29 March 2015]

Normally, I would have given this film a 3.

Buuut, it's promoted as a family film, and as a family film it deserves a 5 (+1 from me because Gillian Anderson). It's not the movie's fault that teenage drama is lame. If the script wasn't immature and the directing was a bit better, it would have been a more solid film, and would have gotten a better rating. I don't care much for special effects so it's a no matter to me whether they were good or not.

All in all, this was a mediocre family film, with a good cast, not that good a script, kinda good directing and made in a way as to be as children-safe as possible. No blood, no gore, even the villains are made in a way that speaks to children.

Aaaanyway, definitely wait for the DVD, this is not a cinema-worthy film.

Blended (2014)

Truly bad

[1/10 · 19 July 2014]

Those poor, poor actors. How to work on such a script? Was it written by a 10 year old? Was it fan-fiction originally?

This story had no flow whatsoever. Not only was it immature and cliché, it didn't even have a proper script formation. The scenes were unconnected. The dialogue, especially at the beginning, had no real purpose. You could bypass the first half hour of the film with no real problem. Not to mention that the characters are really, really, badly written.

It is amazing how writers and directors think that in order to make a respectable rom com these days, all you need is two white leads who fall in love in the end, a goofy best friend, corny music and dialogue and you're pretty much done. Just know that sloppy can only get you as far as forgettable.

Maleficent (2014)

And Sleeping Beauty will never be the same.

[7/10 · 5 June 2014]

I went into the theatre expecting to watch a mediocre film. I was so wrong. For such a type of film, it was spectacular. And I say such a type of film, because you don't go into the theatre to watch a remake of Sleeping Beauty and expect a film with the depth of Fellini. It's a blockbuster for crying out loud. The only reason I gave it a 9 out of 10 is because I wanted to see some more character development. I understand that's not the point of the film, but I believe it would have been an excellent movie if it had allowed its characters to evolve more.

Still, the characters were interesting, the plot surprising and the cgi very good. It was a little cheesy at some points, but it's a fairytale and, to me, the cheesiness added to the general dreamy atmosphere. The cinematographer worked wonders too. As did the make-up artist and the costume designer. But this is a Disney film after all, so I wasn't surprised finding these points perfectly done.

It was also so very refreshing watching yet another film where women are portrayed as complex characters and not as simple stereotypes (super- villain extraordinaire, damsel in distress e.t.c.) and their relationship with the men in their lives is that of equality and companionship. Keep going Disney.

Angelina Jolie was amazing. She owned the screen. I found myself cheering for her from the moment she appeared. And that's a big deal because Maleficent scared the bejesus out of me when I was a little girl. I'll never watch Sleeping Beauty the same way again thanks to her.

P.S I would have given it an 8 out of 10 but for the rape allegory. I was shocked and pained. It was marvelously done. People were actually crying when the scene played. They were crying for the lost wings of a fairy. If that's not successful performance, script and direction, I don't know what is.