Change Your Image
glovell-39163
Reviews
Damsel (2024)
Lacks depth, lots of missed opportunity
I don't often say this, as trailers have gone downhill lately, but the trailer for this was more interesting than the movie.
The movie was visually striking and the acting was decent but it lacked both character and plot development. We learn almost nothing about the main female lead (even though I had hoped her passion for mazes would lead somewhere) nor do any of the other characters have much depth.
As for the plot, it's overexplained and too simple. The moral of the story is black and white the whole way through without any captivating grey area, which is a huge missed opportunity when you think about the nature of sacrifice and the motivation behind most of the characters' actions.
Overall it needed more complexity and nuance. I finished thinking "meh".
007: Road to a Million (2023)
James Bond meets the Amazing Race
This show is awesome! The production quality is so good for a reality show and if nothing else you get to see the beauty of some remarkable places across the world.
My favorite part may have been that while it has the set up of a "competition" show, the players are not competing against each other but against the game itself. That means, in theory, all of them could win. And they accumulate money as they go, so even if they don't make it to the end, they don't go home empty handed. This eliminates all the unnecessary fighting and manufactured drama that comes with cheap reality shows.
Even so, the show is engaging to watch and has an element of mystery and intrigue that I appreciated, just by nature of how the game is set up. There are many references to James Bond, but you don't have to be a huge fan to enjoy it. I loved all the challenges and questions and faraway places.
The only thing I didn't love is that the game was almost too difficult. Three pairs were eliminated on the very first question. I wanted there to be a chance for someone to make it all the way.
Here's hoping for another season!
Behind Green Lights (1946)
Well Done, Entertaining
I've been watching a lot of classic "B" movies lately and this is one of the better ones. The writing is good, as well as the acting. It nods to film noir without being terribly predictable. It's not too dark or dreary, but it's not comedy either. It also brings up issues of corruption in a way that still resonates today. Several of the actors were familiar from other films I've seen, including Carole Landis who has a tragic life story, as she died shortly after this film was made.
The version I watched on Prime had some sound issues. I'm not sure if there is a restored version out there that would've been better, but it was a worthwhile watch.
Fool Me Once (2024)
A Good Binge Watch
I've seen almost all of the Harlan Coben adaptations, including in languages besides English, and Fool Me Once wasn't my favorite, but it still delivered. All of them follow the same formula, one that definitely works and keeps me coming back for more. In fact, every time I watch another one I say, "I can't wait for them to release more."
I am a mystery lover, and I love the way Harlan Coben's stories unravel, revealing new information bit by bit. Even if you guess the ending, the journey to the end is still satisfying.
This one in particular didn't have any characters I liked or rooted for, and as usual they all made some questionable decisions (particularly surrounding child care!), but I was in for it. I realize it won't be everyone's thing, but compared to some of the poorly written A. I. crap I've seen on Netflix lately, these are golden.
Detective Kitty O'Day (1944)
It's great for what it is
The other reviews I've read are too harsh. There are far worse movies rated way higher.
This movie succeeds in being light, funny, and entertaining with a dash of mystery. If you were expecting a gritty film noir or a complex mystery from a B-movie titled "Detective Kitty O'Day" then you watched the wrong movie. That's on you.
It's purposefully slapstick and goofy. The cops are completely useless. The boyfriend keeps threatening to walk out until Kitty ropes him back into her antics again. It's great.
I can't think of many other films of the era with a female detective headliner, so in that way it is ahead of its time. The film also reflects the sexism of the time, as they all treat her as hysterical, which makes sense as it was made in the 1940s. That said, there is a nice moment where Kitty's boyfriend sticks up for her.
It was a fun hour spent for me and I didn't feel like my time was wasted.
Who Is Erin Carter? (2023)
Written with AI?
The budget was clearly high, the cinematography beautiful, the acting decent. The writing was...oof.
Clearly the good writers have been on strike. The script was nonsensical to the point that it seems like it may have been written with the assistance of artificial intelligence. Even the title makes you wonder who on earth would have approved it. It sounds like a documentary about a bygone pop star from the 90's (you know, the one who wrote "I Want Candy"). The script treats its viewers as if they are stupid and lazy while treating them to way too many obviously choreographed fight scenes where nobody feels any pain. And the whole "Who is Erin Carter really?" thing never played.
I'm tired of streaming services sacrificing decent writing and assuming the viewers won't care. I do care! I really care.
Lightyear (2022)
Low expectations, high marks
I went into this movie with low expectations. I never loved Toy Story really, nor any of the sequels, so an origin story didn't really interest me. I watched it on an airplane because that was pretty much all they had and I was pleasantly surprised.
The writing, for one, was better than most of the movies I have seen recently and the message about learning from your mistakes was complex for a kids movie. There were a lot of funny moments that appealed to both kids and adults. And the characters had interesting dynamics and relationships so I felt like I was invested in what happened to them. Definitely underrated.
His Girl Friday (1940)
Worth watching over and over
Every time I watch this movie I find another joke that I missed last time. It's so fast-paced and chaotic it's easy to miss snippets of the dialogue, but that's kind of the point. It's not everyone's type of comedy, but it's exactly the type of comedy that I like: witty, cynical, and slightly absurd.
Some people complained in other reviews that it's too loud and annoying, that everyone talks on top of one another, and that the characters aren't like-able. But that's pretty much everything I like about it. Not many movies are willing to take the risks that this one does, but it totally pays off. And, despite their gaping flaws, I end up liking the characters anyway.
This movie makes a lot of statements about politics, the media, gender roles, and more that are still relevant today, 80 years later. Of course, that's probably another reason people don't like it. But as far as films that make statements about such heavy topics go, this one is one of the best, tongue and cheek just enough to make you forget how real some of it is.
I still question how I feel about the title, considering it refers to Hildy as Walter's loyal and competent "right hand man" but the reference also puts her in a subservient role, which the movie doesn't reflect. It's something to mull over, like so many other bits and pieces of this clever film.
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
Funnier than expected
I have read a couple of Sophie Kinsella's one-off books but have not been able to bring myself to start her "shopaholic" series. (Probably because the word "shopaholic" is in the title... I loathe shopping). I thought I would watch the movie instead, having some time to kill, and must say I was pleasantly surprised. This movie is laugh-out-loud funny. It had one or two eye-roll moments, but it was not nearly as sappy as I thought it would be. There are some surprising casting choices too. Definitely worth a watch!
How to Murder Your Wife (1965)
It gets preachy and uncomfortable
The movie has a generally funny premise, and Virna Lisi truly shines, but the second half tanks.
I was willing to go along for the ride until the courtroom scene. The social commentary is heavy-handed to the point of preachy, and it's a long scene. The message is sexist even for 1960's audiences. A few others called it a "battle of the sexes" but it's not, because the point of view of women is not represented at all.
I could get into just how sexist it is, but I won't. Just don't bother.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
You'll be amazed days later at how clever it is
I was not expecting this movie to be as well-thought-out and brilliant as it was.
It was a movie about violence against women and it had something powerful to say, but it was calculating in how it came across. Every element-from the directing, to the writing, to the cinematography, to the acting, to the music-was a conscious choice. No angry male-bashing. No bitter ending. Just a clear message about holding ourselves and each other accountable-men and women together.
I could go on about every clever aspect. The critique of the male gaze, the specialization of women, and the horror genre itself was beyond brilliant. The question of hero vs villain throughout the movie made you constantly question your own assumptions. And for a movie about violence, it was careful not to be gratuitous so as to numb us to it, but instead made us hyper aware of it.
Everyone should see this movie. It is a movie for our time.
My one critique would be that while it was definitely a feminist movie, it was not necessarily a womanist movie. It was very much from the perspective of the white upper-middle class. Laverne Cox comes in as a representation of black women and transgender women, which is critical since violence against both are frequently ignored, but her character does not have much of an arc. It makes the movie's message feel like it has a gaping hole, since violence is a problem for all women.