Reviews

I am shocked to see the negativity in so many of these reviews - personally, the movie blew me away and I thought it was quite fabulous.

It is an understated story portraying entirely one woman's psychological and emotional state at a particular point in her life. All of the scenery, the direction, the pace, the objects, the marvellous cinematography perfectly came together as a crystallized whole. The entire atmosphere of the movie can be thought of as an externalization of the protagonist's mind, her character traits, and her feeling of 'lowkey' entrapment.

There's not much by way of a plot, and there's not a second where the movie speeds up - it moves at its own languid, disquieting pace from start to finish. Much is left unsaid, unexplained - there is little solid structure to latch onto, so the only way to watch this movie is to surrender to Swinton's terrific + intelligent performance and let the scenes speak for themselves.

(Oh, and I thought the 'twist' was brilliant - it really elevated the entire movie for me.)

My biggest problem with this movie is how much it felt like a movie made straight for hulu/netflix distribution. It just feels like a mass-produced streaming platform project in its overacting, its meh cinematography, its derivative plotting, and its dramatic overacting.

There are definitely no surprises here even for the most casual psychological thriller viewer, but the entertainment/watchability factor is not harmed by that. The twists keep coming, the gears keep turning, the stakes keep getting higher - there's really no looking away for the duration of its barely 90-minute runtime.

The emotional ramifications of the events on screen could have been explored with more depth and nuance - major opportunities were missed there in favor of more action. As is, "Run" is an eminently watchable, if somewhat forgettable and overtly commercial, affair.

Although i am an admirer of both the main actress and the director, this movie was extremely underwhelming for me. It's a psychological thriller/drama of sorts, yet there is no sense of urgency to it and the story is somewhat uninvolving, as no particular emotional connection with the characters is established. We never see what exactly is so bewitching about the character of Delphine - she's a bipolar flat line for most of the movie. The plotting is scattershot and somewhat random; the scenery and the cinematography are typical of a French movie of this kind, although a little too much grey/colorless; the performances are nothing special.

Even if one embraces a metaphorical/hallucinatory reading of the film - for which there are many great arguments - it doesn't make it much more interesting.

A basket full of missed opportunities; wouldn't recommend.

This is a perplexing one: it requires so much suspension on disbelief, it rests on so many coincidences and improbabilities, and it is filled with a surprising number of good old plot holes for a 90 minute movie - and yet, thanks to the spirited main performance, the nice scenery, and the light-on-its-feet touch of the director, it manages to exert a special charm of its own.

It is a movie about late blooming, missed opportunities, regrets, inner strength, and new beginnings - somewhat standard for this type of movie, and acted competently and compellingly (if with too sudden a transition) by McElhone, although not as memorably as it perhaps could have been.

The ending - culturally, historically, etc. - makes no sense. It is implausible and improbable (as are indeed most of the happenings in this movie!), yet if you manage to disregard all of that, you might find yourself carried along by the breezy optimism of the story.

This series came entirely out of the left field and blew me away. It was compellingly acted, energetic, playful, full of tonal shifts - by turns comic, thrillerish, sentimental and straight-up chilling. The direction is assured, the casting is fine, the scenery and the cinematography are to die for. I really enjoyed the basic premise - and while, as in most series, there is sometimes a little too much going on, the assuredness of the director and the sense of urgency in the atmosphere keep it propelled forward. Some dark fantasy shots are almost anthologically beautiful (i.e. Those scenes with marianne floating around in a dress towards the end).

My three favorite actresses of the show were those who played emma (a not-really-unlikable "unlikable" protagonist), madame daugeron (top-notch, perfect throughout), and the young marianne herself in the last episode (a surprising and admirably restrained portrayal, hinting at much going on underneath the surface).

I also loved the devilish ending - it didn't even feel pessimistic to me: that's the power this series' idiosyncratic tone strikes! Not to miss.

The element that i felt could have most significantly elevated the series was the acting: while mostly competent, it rarely reaches above b-grade forgettableness. The screenplay was just okay and did not allow for much distinguishing between supporting characters - that the actors (in most cases) didn't manage to breathe life into them downgraded the story even more. Almost nobody had the elemental power needed to carry the roles of gravitas, although i must admit that scenes involving (self-)doubt were often executed pretty well.

I loved the cinematography and costumes the most. They were memorable, unique, and went perfectly in tune with the story, complimenting its emotional landscapes and creating a sense of urgency where the usual dramatic means were unable to achieve that.

The storytelling is okay. Twists happen; some of them are impactful. Interpersonal relationships could have been imbued with more depth; professional relationships, however, both at the university and within the society, were well portrayed.

While i thought that i would find the political (anticolonial) side of the series didactic, surprisingly it wasn't really off-putting. The blackness of the slaves' sweaty bodies within the ship was a stunningly powerful shot and the entire concept of bile was almost poetic. I found that aspect of the series very creative - and the anti-elite criticism that it presents stretches to much more than just the anticolonial sentiment. I did not mind the underexplained aspects of the show, feeling that some things (such as the old woman) were perhaps better left that way.

Overall highlights: the character of rosa, the settings + costuming, the concept, the cinematography (even ordinary scenes such as those in rosa's flat were well shot and well lit)

Tbh we all need a man like Frank working for us... And the peek into Bonnie's childhood was just heartbreaking. Makes so many of her actions and motivations clearer. What a show! (If they just cut the sex scenes...)

There's lot to admire here: Annaliese's decision regarding Nita, the interesting trial, the brilliant, brilliant ending soundtrack ("We All Fall Down") and the intriguing deepening of the future plot. Definitely an uphill compared to the sex-crazed last episode!

I was bored with how everything revolved around sex in this episode - and this is a rather unwelcome trend which I also noticed in the past installment. I hope the series moves past this - more legal drama please, less sex scenes and boring characters' sex lives.

Aside from the base premise of hunting people for sport, and giving them some weapons and an advantage to make it more challenging - and the ending which is delightfully reminiscent of Cornell's "The Most Dangerous Game" - there really isn't much in here that's based off that story.

That aside, I *really* didn't expect to like this as much as I did! The "You read Animal Farm?" scene was hilarious.

The visuals and the feel of the setting was pleasing, but i wasn't taken at all with the acting and some aspects of the story were too heavy-handed. it is compulsively entertaining and fun to watch, but nothing more than that: no complex dialogues, no layered characters, no subtexts.

it shoots for an epics but ultimately succeeds only in being a mediocre adaptation of a mediocre hist-fic novel, which i do recommend for a bit of mindless fun; just make sure to turn your critic button off in advance.

An anachronistic tribute to virility and male power as our brooding hero, damaged yet fierce and morally strong, seeks for revenge. it is fairly stereotypical in its portrayal of power plays, court rivarly and chivalric romance, but is nevertheless very enjoyable, entertaining and (melo)dramatic. performances are fine with some minor exceptions, the scenery is beautiful and the costumes are pretty to look at, although irritatingly unhistorical.

so, yes, i do heartily recommend this one to anyone who might have missed to see it; it's an epic that fairly deserved its place in the historical drama canon, as well as in the popular culture, and it preserved the image of william wallace, which might have sadly been forgotten otherwise.

Worth watching for the 1500s/1600s visuals alone. the setting is very vivid and minuciously presented, echoing both spanish courts like alhambra, french countryside and italian riviera. it manages to turn original 16th/17th c. misogyny-positive tale into bold, timely and poignant tales of bodily image, female opression, power struggles and parents/children relationship. the movie is grotesque and weird, yet multi-layered, with lots of subtexts and contemporary issues to draw on, so it is ultimately more than the collection of three entertaining, loosely interconnected stories.

there is more to it than seems at the first glance, so it is definitely worth a rewatch. the ending scene particularly stayed with me, being very well-directed, visually pleasing and touching. it gave me goosebumps!

for some elements of sci-fi and the gruesome creatures, i'd say it takes its inspiration from english restoration writer, margaret cavendish, and particularly her carnivalesque and bizarre work "the blazing world" - it might be interesting to watch this as a loose adaptation of that work; do reat it if you get a chance.

Worth watching for the 1500s and 1600s visuals alone; the world imagined is minuciously presented, with various vibes of french countryside, italian riviera and spanish courts like alhambra. the ending scene was very well done, and it gave me goosebumps. overall, i could have liked it more but i didn't: it was entertaining, yes, but i sort of wanted a little bit more depth and subtexts under the visuals. these "fairy" tales are, nonetheless, dark, bold and daring stories of female opression, bodily image, dark side of power, parents/children relationship (done in sort of a diptych, very successfuly, in my opinion); yet what is truly fascinating is the fact that they draw on real 16th/17th c. stories and succeed to transform the misogyny-positive tales into a movie with some very strong, resonant, timely messages.

might be well worth a rewatch - there's much more to it than seems at the first hand. definitely recommended! (think of the movie as a slight alteration margaret cavendish's the blazing world with its wonderfully bizarre creatures and exploration of females in power with some extra 'guilty pleasure' stories. i'm aware that this might sound confusing, but i'd just suggest you read that book before watching this; there are some intelectually stimulating parallels which can be drawn.)

At turns dark and moody and hopeful and poignant, this movie has it all, at least of what you could expect from a biopic/period drama: wonderful costumes, excellent cinematography and settings, a good script and straight historical facts. all the three actresses played their roles exceptionally: charlotte was fierce although depressed and sad; emily was strong, but damaged; anne was overlooked, yet hopeful.

i loved the sisters' interaction with their father - although we don't really know much of patrick, his portrayal in the movie was touching. it also touches on some of the more autobiographical elements on brontes' novels, which i appreciated.

so, "to walk invisible" is nothing less than a 3d textbook with all the saucy and gloomy details they don't show you. a rare treat, one i can only highly, highly recommend.

Coppolla's here with yet another visionary take on the classic story: here she surpasses her influences, creating at the same time a mesmerizing psychological portrait of power plays, repressed sexuality and social norms, as well as the utterly beautiful visual, rich and layered eye feast.

accompanying sounds to the movie (crickets, floor cracking, muted gunshots in the background) only added to tension. so, this is seemingly a muted piece which is thrimming with tension underneath - and it never quite releases your adrenaline, not even when it reaches the haunting, well-executed ending.

if you're the type of person who likes everything layed out for you, this might not be the movie for you, as it is deceptively simple and one-sided on the surface. however, if i were to make a list of my top 10 movies, this one'd certainly get there.

The costumes felt a bit anachronistic and i couldn't tell any of the ladies in courtly dresses apart. the hairstyles and make-up didn't ring 8th century china, either. the plot is meandering, the dialogues and the interractions between the characters lackluster at best.

i couldn't exactly follow the plot: why was the seer assassinated? why did the nun suddenly change her mind? how do they shift between so many places and palaces? no sense of setting whatsoever, except for some nature shots which were made to appear breathtaking, but only fueled my disappointment and rage at the overall blandness of the plot.

if you'd like to watch a series of vignettes in an exotic locale with some autumnal vibes and relatively recognisable close-ups of asian-style makeup, this is for you. if you're here for the characters, for the dialogues, for the plot, for the emotions - feel free to leave.

If you want a historically accurate movie that also manages to squeeze in a tiny bit of emotional drama, look no further. however, despite being well-written and directed, i had a constant feeling of something missing - and i can't exactly point my finger as to what.

also, i wasn't fond of knightley's acting in this one at all: it felt particularly forced, especially in the second half, after she takes up her studies. so, this one went for substance over style, but it sadly didn't succeed in portraying emotions and relationships in a love triangle of sorts with the same level of accuracy as it did the freud/jung relationship.

(to be fair, there are some excellent edwardian costumes, and i liked most of the interiors we get to see - their aesthetics were spot on.)

This is a bold, vibrant and well-woven take on burton's novel, and it succeeds in transcending much of the eeriness and atmosphere of the novel onto the screen. i loved the visuals and the portrayal of 1600s bustling, crowded city ruled by religion and money was downright exquisite. the scene of guild feast was particularly well-done.

it does alter the ambiguous ending of the novel slightly, making it more satisfying for tv audiences. i've no trouble recommending this 2-episode series: it is striking, memorable, and delivers some excellent performances, as well as lovely visuals. a delight to savour.

This movie feels so unfinished, lacking in plot and character development. Jane's relationship with Donovan feels somewhat forced, and it watches like a cheap cowboy romance. Characters are utterly unlikable, even something that starts with a good motivation lands somewhere else. What I liked, though, were some of the flashbacks; despite intensity of the present time story, the past one was much more interesting. This could've been interesting if it was made like one of those old epic sagas ('Far and Away'), with showing the details rather than just retelling them. Spanning it all in a day concept was an ultimate hit-and-miss. The happy ending was so perfectly made that I could not give this not a single star more. Overall, this movie may keep you entertained for a hour or two, but I would have difficult time recommending it.