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mselisagrant
Reviews
Lift (2024)
Fun lightweight heist film
Ignore the (way too many) negative comments posted here.
Sure, the film isn't going to win any awards and won't blow your mind, and yes the clearly "DEI" hiring is already tiresome (and no doubt something we will all have to grow to live with - thanks Hollywood) BUT this film is good fun.
I gave it a go despite the reviews here because I knew it was partly filmed in my birthplace Trieste (in the stunning Miramare Castle) and in Venezia - a place I love and visit often. I was so glad I did!
The story, while somewhat lightweight, was interesting enough as there were enough "different" elements for it to hold its own.
In a world where we expect less surprises and not a great deal of anything worthwhile from Tinseltown any more, this one was unexpectedly a treat!
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (2023)
She's such a gem
She was the girl we all wanted to be in my youth - so beautiful, so versatile and so "lucky". Then she became the first person I felt was like "a peer" to confess her life wasn't at all like what it seemed to us.
This revealing documentary touches on all the important moments of her life - as we all remembered them too - and explains things in her own words and with the insight you only get with age.
The documentary gives great perspective on what was happening in parallel to key moments of her youth in particular which hopefully conveys to those who didn't live through it just how much she really was a "consumer product".
I have always thought highly of her and after watching this I feel that was completely warranted. She really is a beautiful human - inside and out. And the decades of solid friendships she has been able to maintain despite the chaos of her life prove it.
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024)
Powerful content but extremely long winded watch
The information unveiled in this is staggering and so extremely important but its effectiveness and ultimately the potential of it to cut through is going to be limited because it's insanely slow.
I wanted to watch it and found it all so interesting - however I kept falling asleep and needing to rewind. An unassociated editor was required to bring this piece to market.
That said... it's a story that is years in the making and truly deserves to be understood. That corruption starts from absolute power is not a new philosophy- "absolute power corrupts absolutely"- but to see just how deep this particular conspiracy goes and to understand how many years it took to be revealed makes this an important watch.
Perhaps just do it in small doses ...
Quincy (2018)
Such a legend!
This man has got to be one of the most talented musicians and composers of modern times - and not just for producing the best pop album of all time "Thriller".
The documentary is not a linear look at his life but it tell me it as only a daughter can as one of his 7 kids is the producer and director.
Watch it to see just how much can be achieved in a lifetime and marvel at how we , as a society, have had someone so deeply talented release hit after hot and then ask the question - how did we get to a time when a song like "WAP" exists?
This really is a great historical piece and one that any lover of music and film will enjoy deeply.
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
When music meant something
This was an important song at the time and I remember it being so exciting to hear the voices of all those legends standing side by side but to see how they got it organised was so interesting. Particularly now that so many of those legends have now left us 💔
The documentary has lots of actual footage of the recording session itself interwoven with modern day interviews with a number of the artists, some held within the actual recording studio they made the song.
The behind the scenes stories were both fun and fascinating as I'd always suspected there would have been some ego management required to make it run smoothly.
For anyone alive at the time, it will take you on a great trip down memory lane and remind you just how incredible the talent back then was. Clearly it's hard to locate now as nothing of that quality and with that amount of star power could be done today.
Great watch.
The Dressmaker (2015)
Australian cinema at its very best
This film is exceptional - it's Australian cinema at it's very best.
The acting is flawless, as one would expect from the phenomenal cast of Aussie actors and the marvellous Kate Winslet who has carried off a perfect Australian accent.
The cinematography is marvellous, so rich and so stylish. The director has made the Aussie outback in the 1950s feel appealing despite being clearly quite grim at the same time.
And the storyline! My goodness what a tale! It's interesting, unique, gripping and so deliciously fun.
Without giving too much of the storyline away, the finale is a masterpiece and one that you'll no doubt long remember.
If you are not familiar with Australian cinema, or you are a fellow Aussie yet to see this multi award winning film, this is a must watch!
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Needed less cliches and to be much shorter
While the nods to the original were lovely and all, there were WAY too many and it bordered on ridiculous in some parts.
Added to which, the film was unnecessarily long - primarily in scenes that were paying "homage" to the first.
That said, the film had merit and the final part of the movie is super cool and definitely worth the wait.
Seeing Val Kilmer, despite his limitations die to his cancer, was magnificent. Could have done without the Ice Man lookalike though.
That said... the actor selected to play Gooses son was fantastic! He looked so similar and had the same swagger. No wonder Anthony Edwards was happy with the choice!
The Trouble with KanYe (2023)
Look at me look at me!
This documentary is mostly about the so called reporter and not, as the title would otherwise suggest, Kanye.
I don't recall ever watching a documentary before where the focus is on the reporter, their face and their opinions. What ever happened to unbiased investigative reporting?
I kept watching in the hope that something if value would come from it but very little substance can be found in this. Honestly, don't waste your time.
Whatever one thinks of Ye, the content of this film isn't truly going to sway you or confirm your beliefs in his regard. It's a disjointed and uninteresting account from a BBC reporter who is of little consequence - unlike the man being discussed in this film.
Although I'm not a Ye fan myself, his talent and business savvy is indisputable. Sorry BBC reporter who's name I've already forgotten...
Milli Vanilli (2023)
A must watch for lovers of 80s music
These guys were an incredibly well marketed package - and the package they offered was adored by millions around the world leading to crazy sales.
Yes, we were eventually told it was a fraud and that they didn't sing on the album BUT the truth was that they were loved for more than their singing. Their look, their moves, their sex appeal - it was all part and parcel of why people loved them and those things were real!
The sad reality is that regardless what the truth is about how they got caught up in the lie, the fact that they coped all the blame was - and still is- incredibly unfair. Those who really profited from it should have been held accountable and made to pay.
This documentary is really well done and provides a great glimpse back into the 80s, an era that for many of us was just the best. The way the story unfolds is interesting and the content appears to be balanced and comprehensive.
Worth watching.