Tag: SydneySweeney

Echo Valley

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Kate (Julianne Moore) owns and lives in Echo Valley, a tranquil ranch, where she trains horses and provides riding lessons to the community. Struggling with the loss of her wife, she is starting to wonder how she will continue to make ends meet. When her daughter Claire (Sydney Sweeney) shows up unexpectedly, Kate’s life is turned upside down.

Penned by Brad Ingelsby, the man behind Mare of Easttown, the audience is gripped from the get go. While it takes a bit of time to set up, this is all important in the grand scheme of things. Once the players are established and we learn what’s at stake, it ramps up rather quickly.

Where the film excels is definitely in its performances. Moore is almost always perfect and she more than delivers here. She really drives home the never-ending question of how far a mother would go for their child. Sweeney is a convincing drug addict. She really made me hate her character which just goes to show that she gave everything she had to the role. Fiona Shaw portrays Leslie who serves as an anchor of sorts for Moore’s Kate; a ride or die friend who deserves a medal. Lastly Domhnall Gleeson is dealer Jackie. Perfectly creepy in every single way, it was strange to see him like this!

There’s no doubt that the setting is stunning. It helps bring out the uneasy tone that is felt throughout. From the vast acres of the ranch to the serene lake and the old-fashioned house where Kate resides, the limited locations make the film even more intimate and like these characters and places could actually be real.

Overall Echo Valley is an entertaining thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. It may have taken some time to get going and the plot may not be entirely original, but that didn’t bother me. I liked that it didn’t go where I was expecting it to and that there were still some surprises along the way.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Madame Web

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Sony’s newest Marvel offering comes in the form of Madame Web. Cassandra (Dakota Johnson) is a paramedic who lives in New York City. She develops powers that allow her to see the future which she can use to change it. When revelations come to light about her past, she forms a relationship with three young women who are bound for greatness.

Ever since I saw the film yesterday, I’ve been wrecking my head trying to formulate my thoughts about it. This was one that I was super excited for; the cast is great and a female version of Spider-Man more than sparked my interest, but it ended up being one giant disappointment.

The first letdown was the script. A lot of the dialogue came across as forced and unauthentic. As a result, a variety of the scenes were uncomfortable to sit through because you could tell that the actors were doing what they could with the source material and it just wasn’t translating properly.

Another issue that I had was that pacing. It took awhile to get going and it was as if some scenes didn’t get the focus needed while others got too much. The sequence in the subway that developed into a cab chase lasted for awhile while Cassie’s visit to Peru was only five minutes. It didn’t make sense.

One bright spot was the chemistry between Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced and Celeste O’Connor. They gelled together well enough and their camaraderie was realistic. Cassie was like an older sister to Julia, Anya and Mattie and if we do end up getting a sequel, I look forward to seeing more of them all together. Adam Scott as Ben, Emma Roberts as Mary Parker and Zosia Mamet as Amaria were also welcome additions. Another missed opportunity was Tahar Rahim’s villain Ezekiel Simms. He was one of the worst villains I have ever witnessed! I found him incredibly dull and didn’t care when he was on screen.

I’m sad that Madame Web was such a misfire. There was potential hidden deep within, I just don’t think it was properly brought to fruition. I feel bad for the cast, but it’s not their fault as they did all they could. I hate to say it – the future of superhero films is not looking too good.

Rating: ♥️♥️

Anyone But You

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Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) have the most amazing first date until a misunderstanding thwarts their feelings for one another. When fate intervenes and they are thrown together at a destination wedding in Australia, they do what anybody in their situation would do: pretend to be a couple! Initially thinking it’ll be a walk in the park, they don’t expect the old sparks to reignite.

My expectations for Anyone But You were through the roof from the moment I heard about it. Having been a fan of Sweeney’s since Euphoria, I was looking forward to seeing the other types of roles she would take on next. Similarly, Powell captured my heart in last summer’s Top Gun Maverick and hasn’t seemed to let it go yet. There was no way this film could go wrong with the two of them tackling one of my all time favorite tropes. Luckily I was right – their chemistry was HOT and I could not take my eyes off of them.

What I didn’t know going into this was that it was loosely based off of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. This did become apparent, however, as I was watching the miscommunications unfold and all the meddling the various supporting characters took part in. Bea’s sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) and Ben’s best friend Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) aka the two brides, as well as respective parents Leo (Dermot Mulroney) and Innie (Rachel Griffiths) and Roger (Bryan Brown) and Carol (Michelle Hurd) played their roles perfectly. I also loved Ben’s friend Pete (Gata) and stereotypical Aussie Beau (Joe Davidson) who brought even more laughs.

Though there were some moments throughout that were on the slower side, the jokes were consistent and had me giggling. I especially couldn’t hold it together during the hiking scene and I found myself singing along at the top of my lungs during Unwritten which will undoubtedly find its way back to the charts.

Every once in a while, a romcom will come around and sweep you off your feet. Anyone But You was exactly what I needed at this time of the year – two extremely good looking leads, fiery passion, some comedy and the beautiful backdrop of Australia. It was an absolute blast from start to finish and the perfect movie to end my year on.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Night Teeth

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For one night only, college student Benny (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) fills in for his brother Jay (Raúl Castillo) as a chauffeur in hopes of making some extra cash. His job is to drive around two women, Blair (Debby Ryan) and Zoe (Lucy Fry), for what he’s been lead to believe, a night of party hopping. What Benny doesn’t bargain for is the real identity of his clients’. Soon Benny is exposed to a world he never knew existed where a war between humans and vampires has been going on for centuries and it is up to him to save Los Angeles before the sun comes up.

When I first saw the trailer for Night Teeth, I couldn’t help but think what a cool concept. Sure vampires are old news these days – I have devoured more than enough stories of them over the years. But for some reason, I have never tired of them. Maybe it’s because there is always something different thrown into the mix. And this time around looked like yet another fresh take on the mythical creatures that I knew I had to watch it immediately.

One of the things that drew me in initially were some of the cast members. I knew most of them: Debby Ryan from Suite Life on Deck, Alfie Allen of Game of Thrones fame, rising star Sydney Sweeney and Megan Fox, who I hadn’t seen around for awhile. While I was disappointed not to have as much of some characters as I would have liked, I have to say that I thought Benny made a great protagonist. He was your average every day college guy just looking to make his way in the world. I also really liked seeing his relationship with his Abuela (Marlene Forte) because it added a humanized element to the otherwise supernatural atmosphere. Despite having seen Jorge Lendeborg Jr. in films before, this was the first time I actually paid attention to him.

I also enjoyed the bits and pieces that were added to enrich the legend of vampires. There were some pieces of information that we knew already (staking the heart, can’t stay out in the sun etc.) however, I appreciated the extra details that gave the story a more modern take. I also thought the war between the humans and the vampires was interesting. I just wish we could have learned more about it.

Unfortunately that’s where the excitement ended for me. Maybe I had too high expectations, I’m not sure. But Night Teeth didn’t pan out exactly the way I had anticipated it would. It had some really great ideas, a pretty good cast and yet I was left wanting more. Some of the time I felt like some scenes were dragged out while others I wanted more. It all just fell a bit flat for me at the end of the day.

Rating: ♥♥

The Voyeurs

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When young couple Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and Thomas (Justice Smith) move into their dream apartment in Montreal, they are excited to embark on this next stage of their relationship. They soon realize that they can look directly into the apartment across the way. Inhabited by photographer Seb (Ben Hardy) and former model Julia (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), it’s impossible for Pippa and Thomas to look away. What starts off as innocent curiosity turns into a full blown obsession that will lead to inevitable disaster.

The Voyeurs is unlike any movie I have seen before. The concept was foreign to me and if it wasn’t for Sydney Sweeney, I probably wouldn’t have watched it. But my interest peaked while checking out the trailer and I knew I had to see what it was all about. What started as me being skeptical turned into full on investment and at some point I couldn’t even turn my eyes away from the screen. I needed to see what was going to happen next!

While the film is graphic on many levels, it’s important to look past it in order to fully appreciate the story. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it, but we shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover.

I appreciated the young talent shown throughout. Sydney Sweeney’s star is definitely on the rise. Starting out in Euphoria and most recently starring in The White Lotus, girl is going places and I can’t wait for her career to flourish even more. Justice Smith was a great choice as Thomas – his chemistry with Sydney was believable and realistic. The couple across the street portrayed by Ben Hardy and Natasha Liu Bordizzo were entrancing and kind of scary. And for fans of Kim’s Convenience, Jean Yoon has a supporting role as Pippa’s boss.

Yes, The Voyeurs comes across as trashy, however it is anything but. It was really surprising and kept me guessing the whole way through. I wouldn’t write it off just yet.

Rating: ♥♥♥