Month: October 2020

I was really looking forward to watching Rebecca because thrillers are my jam and I even dubbed the whole month of October as spooky season for basically everything I ingested into my system. Also Lily James is in it! Despite the movie not entirely living up to my expectations, there were still quite a few aspects that I loved which made it worth while for me.

When a young lady’s maid (Lily James) meets the incredibly handsome and well off Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), she is swept up in a holiday romance she only ever dreamed about. It is no dream, however, when Maxim asks for her hand in marriage and whisks her away back to his family’s estate on the English coast.

But the house holds a secret – a secret about the former Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, who passed away the year before. And as the new Mrs. de Winter attempts to settle into her new life, she learns that the elusive Rebecca’s legacy still lives on and she will never be able to take her place.

The main problem I had with the movie was it’s pacing. I understand for purposes of the story that the newlywed couple had to get married rather quickly, but I couldn’t get over how unrealistic it was as they had only known each other for a weekend! In addition, I felt like everything else in comparison happened rather slowly. There was so much build up and it took ages for something to actually happen. Because of that, I felt it was difficult to concentrate.

Despite this and the fact that the events that transpired were slightly predictable, I did want to keep watching. I had become invested even in the slow burn of it all and I needed to find out what was going to happen. I guess that means they did something right.

I also need to commend the fabulous cast, in particular, Lily James, Armie Hammer and Kristin Scott Thomas who portrays creepy housekeeper Mrs. Danvers. All three worked amazingly with each other and I enjoyed each scene that they were in. Chemistry is very important and they had it by the bundle.

So, if you are a fan of thrillers, give Rebecca a try. It did get mixed reviews, but don’t let that deter you!

Rating: ♥♥♥

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about American history or politics even though I studied them briefly in middle school. So when I heard about The Trial of the Chicago 7, I was apprehensive, but curious. It did look interesting and I knew a lot of the cast members. Despite not understanding everything, I thought the film was very well done and it definitely left an impression on me.

The story follows seven people who all share the same goals and beliefs are put on trial during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), David Dellinger (John Caroll Lynch), John Froines (Danny Flaherty) and Lee Weiner’s (Noah Robbins) lives are intertwined forever and will never be the same again.

One of the things that really stood out to me was the writing. It was sharp and witty when it needed to be, heartbreaking and somber during other moments. I enjoyed the small quips that were integrated to lighten the mood and found that the overall pacing flowed properly.

I already mentioned that a selling point of this movie for me was it’s cast. I cannot stress enough just how perfect everyone was in their roles. Particular stand outs included Sacha Baron Cohen who is incredibly diverse in everything he does, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II whose portrayal of Bobby Seale left me breathless and Mark Rylance as the seven’s lawyer helped hold everything together flawlessly. And who could forget Eddie Redmayne himself who shines every single time – that American accent was quite something, I have to say!

Overall, I learned a lot while watching as well. I like when movies are educational because it adds something extra to the entire experience. In addition to history and politics, the themes of race and police brutality were also brought to the forefront which I found to be very topical, especially with everything we have been experiencing in the world today. Sometimes it seems as if history is repeating itself and we can only hope to learn from our mistakes going forward.

I highly recommend The Trial of the Chicago 7 for anyone who wants to open their minds and immerse themselves into something new. I guarantee that you won’t be sorry!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Maybe I should stop watching movies because a celebrity I like is in it. It doesn’t usually end well. I wouldn’t have even known about Sightless if it weren’t for Madelaine Petsch posting about it on her social media. And we all know that because I am Riverdale trash, she is my favorite and I wanted to see her in a different role than Cheryl Blossom. Unfortunately, this was just not good. It left me with a lot of feelings in the end – the main one being confusion. I was hoping for so much more.

When Ellen Ashland (Madelaine Petsch) survives an attack that leaves her blind, she decides to go away for awhile to recover. Under the care of Clayton (Alexander Koch), a man who her brother has hired to check in on her daily, Ellen’s paranoia begins to spark. Soon enough, she struggles to find the line between reality and fabrication and truly believes that her attacker is back. The only problem? Nobody believes her.

I actually liked the idea of this a lot. It seemed interesting and had the potential to be really cool. I love thrillers, but this one fell short and didn’t grab my attention at all. It was incredibly predictable and the way it ended left a lot to be desired. I just kind of sat there and thought to myself that’s it?

The acting wasn’t that great either. Aside from Madelaine who I believe has quite the career ahead of her, everyone else seemed like they were trying too hard. I didn’t think there was any chemistry between the characters and the villain wasn’t menacing in the slightest. I was pretty annoyed with everyone by the time the credits started rolling to be honest.

I wish I had more to say about Sightless but I really don’t. It took me some time after seeing it to process everything because it was just so strange and not in a good way. In fact, I don’t even feel like I should recommend this to anyone. It isn’t worth it.

Rating: ♥.5

I will pretty much watch anything that Ryan Murphy touches and so The Boys in the Band seemed like something I would love. I mean, the cast is totally stacked and it takes place in New York City. What more could I want from a movie? I’m sorry to say that this one just didn’t cut it for me. Maybe I didn’t watch it at the right time or maybe I was too distracted – I wasn’t a fan at the end of the day.

The story takes place in 1968. Seven gay friends get together to celebrate a birthday. When an unexpected guest stops by, an otherwise tame and harmless evening is turned completely upside down. The group decide to play a game in which they must call their true love, whether past or present, to profess their feelings. Going forward, to say that nothing turns out as expected is an understatement.

As I already mentioned, the cast members were the saving grace throughout. I probably would have turned the whole thing off otherwise. Zachary Quinto, Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Brain Hutchinson, Michael Benjamin Washing and Tuc Watkins are the men who not only kept this movie going with their impressive acting chops and electric chemistry, but they made the film worth watching. I love how Ryan Murphy was able to get them all to come back after they starred together in the stage production of the same name.

Another thing that I appreciated was how it really did feel like I was watching a play. The way the story was staged and how the entire movie only took place in one location was perfectly executed. Sometimes I forgot I wasn’t watching this in a packed audience.

Unfortunately, I found the actual story itself to be a bit boring. It felt like nothing really started happening until the second half of the film by which point it was too little too late. In addition, up until that point, I didn’t even get the impression that these friends even liked each other and couldn’t understand why they were celebrating such a special day. They were bitching and bickering the entire time!

I do think that The Boys in the Band is still worth checking out if only for the performances. I don’t think I’ve seen acting like that in a long time to be honest and I mean that in the best possible way. I just didn’t vibe with it personally.

Rating: ♥♥♥

If you know me at all, then you are probably aware that I love everything and anything having to do with Sherlock Holmes. My father grew me up on the stories which meant they were imprinted in my brain at a very young age. So, you can probably imagine how stoked I was when I heard Netflix was doing a movie about Sherlock and Mycroft’s little sister Enola. I knew I had to see it immediately and I am happy to report that it did not disappoint.

For as long as she can remember, it was always Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) and her mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter) against the world. Learning everything imaginable from the woman who gave her life, Enola can’t think of things ever being any other way. When Eudoria goes missing, Enola knows that something is wrong. It’s not like her mother to just get up and leave without telling anyone where she was going. And so Enola sets off on a journey to find her and get some answers.

Having to dodge her two brothers (played by Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin respectively), one of which wants to ship her off to finishing school, the other actually believes that she is onto something. But Enola doesn’t want to take any chances. As she goes on her travels, she is swept up in a dangerous conspiracy involving a young lord by the name of Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) that she must tend to as well.

Millie Bobby Brown was phenomenal in this. It was like the role of young Enola Holmes was made for her. I loved the energy she brought and found her very relatable for a girl of only sixteen. In fact, the whole cast were amazing. The only gripe I have is that Henry Cavill’s Sherlock lacked passion and was rather dull. I’ve never been a huge fan of him in general though so I’m sure that doesn’t help matters.

The story itself was interesting and had many twists and turns along the way. I enjoyed the entwined cases and thought they complimented each other well. I have to admit that there was a bit of a dip about halfway through, but things definitely picked back up again.

Overall, Enola Holmes is a super fun movie that makes you forget about everything else if only for a couple of hours. It put the biggest smile on my face that lasted days later. And if the rumors are true that there will be a series of four more movies, I am so here for it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥