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Miller's Girl (2024)
A master class in thespianism and elocution.
Miller's Girl is a fascinating character study in the vein of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. It is loquacious and delivered like a master class in thespianism by the limited cast of characters.
Jenna Ortega is sublime as she moves from yearning adolescent desire to clumsy seduction. Marching headlong into vituperation at her forestalled advances and unrequited love despite a shared forbidden lust.
Martin Freeman delivers as a man juxtaposed between societal norms and his inner desire which must be held in check lest he forfeit his life's work upon the altar of wanton desire.
Dagmara Dominczyk as an older version of the protagonist now crawling inside a bottle as she wallows in disappointment at the unrealized potential of her underachieving husband, is perfection.
Bashir Salahuddin & Gideon Adlon both turn in admirably portrayed supporting characters as they round out the cast as the friends and confidants of the leads.
If you are looking to fill a masturbatory literary need there is some, but not much fuel for your lust here. Which I suspect led to many of the film's detractors as they were left as unfilled as the desperately clutched Kleenex waiting for a release that was not "forthcuming".
Others railed against the suggestion that sweet and lovely Jenna Ortega would play such a part as a teen temptress, newly minted into adulthood and therefore could not enjoy her performance, thus missing the point entirely.
I believe this film will be looked back on as approaching perfection in the decades ahead, and we will see this story redone over and again for its grit and intelligence.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Trouble sleeping? Check this 2.5 hour snoozefest out.
Did Denis Villeneuve even bother to read the book before committing this excrement to celluloid? This film commits the dual sins of not following the source material in any more than a cursory way and being extremely dull in the telling of the story.
On top of the horrific adaptation, nay bastardization of this classic story, they went and made Paul a pus . . .err wussy. Nearly every pivotal scene was apparently not written well enough by Frank Herbert and thus had to be (cough) improved on by some nameless hack for this on-screen abortion of one of the most seminal science fiction masterpieces of all time.
If you love Dune watch the other version of this film, watch the TV adaptations, or better yet re-read the books.
This film's only saving grace is that it would make a perfect way for an insomniac to finally get some sleep.
Children of the Corn (2020)
Excels at sucking more than any other CotC remake.
The chubby little girl is not scary as she fumbles her way through an abysmal plot with dialog your average 5th grader could best playing make-believe in the backyard.
The hero is little better as all the pretty girls had better jobs at the local Dairy Queen where they wouldn't be seen in this train wreck. She delivers her lines with all the enthusiasm of one who is only there to collect a check because even her dim poodle head can figure out this movie blows.
The musical score at times is mundane and forgettable, while at other times it soars to the heights of a cat licking himself while spread out on the piano keys.
It took 35+ minutes to deliver its first attempt at a telegraphed jump scare.
The OG CotC film was disturbing, where the only horror here is in realizing all the better things you could have been doing while this droned on.
The Irregulars (2021)
Written by a middle schooler?
This is not Victorian London nor anything close to Sherlock Holmes and assuredly not created by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It does lift a few character names and a famous address from his venerable works, discordantly smashing them together with ideas purloined from Alfred Hitchcock or perhaps Daphne du Maurier. Portrayed by a forgettable cast with an unforgivable soundtrack, both of which are glaringly out of place here. The cast would mesh well in any Nickelodeon tween drivel, if it weren't for the fact these urchins are in their mid-twenties. Lastly, we have a soundtrack suited to a venue where patrons do molly in gender-neutral restrooms.
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
Binge it in your favorite PJs with a hot beverage and a lap cat.
Selena Gomez grounds the whole cast with her adorable snarkiness in this series. Teaming her up with Steve Martin and Martin Short was pure genius.
The backdrop of a classic building in NY is charmingly populated with interesting though fleeting supporting actors, adding to the true New Yorker vibe. The original premise of a podcast being made about the events taking place within the show makes this more than just another who-done-it. It's fun, clean, and cozy.
It takes some bold artistic risks in how it tells the tale, that I thought paid off. Giving us a glimpse of the life of others by letting you live it for an episode.
I can't wait to see what happens next season.