e_dash89 Reviews

Gossip Girl (2007–2012)

Lost the Plot

[5/10 · 11 August 2014]

What started as a guilty pleasure on netflix soon became a chore to watch as the seasons continued and the plot became more convoluted.

Characters like Serena and Lily became more and more unlikeable and not even the brief and emotional Chuck and Blair moments sprinkled out through the early seasons could save it.

Season 5 was awful, and after forcing myself to get to episode 20 I gave up and looked the rest of the plot up online. I'm glad I did, it seems to have only gotten worse.

Story arcs seemed to go nowhere and were discarded as soon as the writers got bored.

Who wasn't fed up with Jenny's petulant stare when she was being defiant? How could anyone find Serena likable and forgive all her misdemeanours? How did Lily end up with William despite his criminal behaviour? Why even bother with the Dan and Blair storyline? Who even cared about Ivy and Charlie? Why even bother bring back Bart Bass?

The list goes on.

Cherry Tree Lane (2010)

Uncomfortable, but....

[4 September 2011]

On the surface, this appears to be a slightly amateurish, low budget, run of the mill thriller which seeks to exploit some of the fears of modern society.

Yet when the dust finally settles and the credits roll you will lean back on your chair, think about it...then realise that there was more to it then that.

This is a genuinely scary film, something that will unnerve you and set you on edge. It touches on the essence of what makes a film scary. There is no special effects, no malevolent spirits, no clever setup.

It leaves you with an idea of what might happen next, then your imagination fills the gaps while you can faintly hear what's happening in the background.

Brutal.