christie-21536 Reviews

Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)

A film about how trauma festers

[9/10 · 11 October 2022]

This film is an incredibly well done look at trauma and how it festers inside of you if you have no support system and never deal with it. It's about the reality you build around you to avoid having to think about that trauma, and about the battle you fight every single day to feel normal.

A lot of reviews complain that a victim who wasn't believed is a theme that has been done before, but I really don't believe I've seen a film put the long standing effects of trauma under the microscope under a lens like this. This film really showed how every single person who was in a position to help the bullied children failed them and found a way to place the blame on them instead for not finding their own way out of the situation. I can't help but think about what Arthur says about how Ani left the runway wide open for the popular boys to do something awful to someone else in the future. These kids really thought that their bullies were untouchable because their support systems failed to be there for them. I feel like this is the main theme of the film, and really shows that we need better support systems for children. She continues to find herself surrounded by people who don't support her because she built a life for herself where that isn't needed. It was so heartwarming to me to see Ani finally begin to deal with her trauma after the support of her best friend and of her boss made her realize it was the only way she'd ever heal. I feel like it's hard for me to explain why I feel like this movie went further than others that follow similar themes, but this movie in particular spoke to me.

The performances of Mila Kunis and Chiara Aurelia are absolutely riveting and wonderfully supported by Connie Britton and Finn Wittrock.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Awful everything

[1/10 · 9 February 2022]

One of the primary components of BDSM is consent. That doesn't seem to exist in this movie. The script is bad, the music is bad, everything is bad. Please do not watch this movie and think it represents anything realistic at all.

Hustlers (2019)

A portrait of desperate times

[7/10 · 9 February 2022]

It really feels like many of the negative reviews expected a female version of Magic Mike or something like that. I feel like many of them missed the point.

This is a story about a crime ring formed by strippers who have had it with the Wall Street bros who come in and take advantage of them. It's about how for many women, stripping is a form power they can hold over the men who have controlled many aspects of their lives. It's also about taking desperate measures when there are no better alternatives.

I enjoyed this movie, and thought the cast did a great job.

The Woman in the House (2022)

Needs a little more humor but pretty good

[7/10 · 2 February 2022]

This show is for people who enjoy drama but also enjoy parody. If you don't like parody, you will be disappointed. I thought it was very entertaining. However, I think for a "dark comedy" the jokes were way too few or too subtle to really feel like a comedy. It was mostly just dark. Lots of ridiculous directions in the story made up for the lack of jokes I think. At the end of the day it wasn't a masterpiece but it was entertaining.

How I Met Your Father (2022–2023)

It's ok

[7/10 · 1 February 2022]

HIMYM is one of my favorite shows because I can relate to the characters. It wasn't a perfect show by far but it had a lot going for it.

I can't really relate to the characters (except maybe Duff's character) in HIMYF so it's been difficult to get into this show. The jokes are a bit forced in my opinion. I'll probably continue to watch to see if it improves but I'm not super hopeful it can live up to HIMYM.

Virgin River (2019– )

The scenery carries the show

[6/10 · 26 July 2021]

I was drawn into this series because of the beautiful location, the quirky small characters, and the small town drama vibe. I liked season 1 a lot. It wasn't the best tv I've ever seen but it was enjoyable and made me want to move to Virgin River. Season 2 was not quite as good, but watchable. It's the season where you start to watch every plotline go downhill, but with room to recover. Season 3 goes downhill so rapidly and culminates in a disastrous season finale. It kind of breaks my heart. I stuck through it all for the wonderful scenery and decent acting performances. Towards the end, the acting gets more strained as the plot gets more unbelievable.

Mr. Mayor (2021–2022)

30 Rock vibes

[7/10 · 14 April 2021]

This show gives off major 30 Rock vibes with ridiculous head shaking humor. I agree with other reviews that the first 1-2 episodes aren't great, but the show really hits it's stride after that. Holly Hunter deserves an award for her acting as the cooky, ultra progressive character Arpi. Overall not a perfect show, but a fun watch.

Happiest Season (2020)

Feel good Christmas movie

[7/10 · 30 November 2020]

I liked this movie. It made me feel things, but not too many things, as a rom com should. My only beef with this movie is that Harper did not really redeem herself totally. Coming out should be done on your own timeline, but lying about it to your partner is pretty bad. She also essentially ignored Abby the whole movie when she could have spent time with her and continued a friend narrative. Especially considering she was leaving Abby alone with unfamiliar people. I would have liked to see that issue acknowledged before the movie ended.

I did sort of ship Abby and Riley for a bit (clearly more chemistry between Stewart and Plaza than between Stewart and Davis), but ultimately I'm glad that it didn't happen. I'm a firm believer in making an effort to resolve issues in a relationship rather than giving up and jumping ship. I just wish the issues were actually resolved.

Ultimately though, this was a fun Christmas movie that I enjoyed watching.

Django Unchained (2012)

My favorite movie of all time

[10/10 · 22 November 2020]

The cinematography, the music, the acting, the story, everything was absolutely fantastic.

Run (I) (2020)

Fantastic acting, but impossible story

[5/10 · 22 November 2020]

All of the acting in this movie is absolutely fantastic. Kiera Allen stole the show. The pacing was also perfect for a thriller. The huge, glaring problem with this movie is that the plot makes no sense. It can't be possible that not a single person noticed something strange going on. It also makes no sense how Chloe didn't discover something that tipped her off sooner. The more you examine the plot, the more holes you will find. Overall I enjoyed watching it, but it was just too unbelievable.

American Horror Story: Orphans (2014) Season 4, Episode 10

Best episode of the entire show

[10/10 · 1 October 2020]

At the time I am writing this review, 9 seasons of AHS have been released. This episode is by far the best throughout all seasons. I rewatch all of AHS every year, so I've seen season 4 many many times. The story of how Elsa found Pepper moves me to tears every single time. The ending breaks my heart.

Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

Incredible

[10/10 · 19 August 2020]

I almost didn't watch this show. For awhile I didn't think I'd be interested in a show about meth. I don't think there's a bad episode of this show. There is so much character development. So many emotional moments. I have loved and hated everyone at different points in the story. The best part of this show is how it takes you on a journey to show how easy it is to justify doing questionable things, bit by bit, until you are so far away from who you were before. What an incredible show.

The Lovebirds (2020)

An alright film

[5/10 · 19 August 2020]

This was a good movie to watch to kill time, but it was nothing special. The plot is pretty predictable. I don't regret watching it and thought it was funny, but I won't be telling my friends, "you gotta see this movie!"