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Reviews
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Shallow Action Flick
An overdose of CGI to hide the paper thin script, a non existent character development and a very, very, very poor acting with complete lack of emotion. I give it 5 stars for the quality of CGI and some entertaining action scenes.
The Dawn Wall (2017)
Incredible story, average direction
The characters and the story are something out of this world, but the documentary itself is not especially well directed. They try to juggle between three topics: athletic performance, psychology and relationships, all centered around this project which aims to achieve something seemingly impossible. It s still very much worth watching but it could have been much better articulated and communicated.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Divisive
This film leaved me with very, very mixed feelings. The rendering of LA at the end of the 60s is visually stunning without appearing fake or forced. Cars, outfits, buildings, landscapes, everything feels real, on point and contributes to create a vibrant atmosphere. The acting is top notch, especially Brad Pitt.
Now I have to be honest I did not understand a lot of key aspects as I was watching it and I believe the negative reviews are partly based on a misunderstanding (and maybe a certain lack of humility of some people...). Every scene is packed with references, symbols and deep meaning hidden under the surface. From the Margot Robbie scene in the movie Theater portraying the innocence of those days to the brutal, cathartic end fueled by the hate for the Manson family and the Sharon Tate murderers that destroyed this very innocence.
The main characters are two sides of the same coin. Leo is a doubtful, half touching half insufferable person, borderline alcoholic, constantly seeking approval from others. The actor is first of all a man. Brad is incredibly calm, confident, full of secrets and resources. He s the unbreakable character in a movie from the 60s.
So what could seem empty and boring is actually quite meaningful, everything stands for something and there s meaning in everything, however the average viewer that I am would have appreciated another layer of more basic scenario and more entertaining dialogues (as Tarantino got us used to).
In the end this movie has outstanding redeeming qualities but it s paradoxically too personal to be considered a universal masterpiece. That s my humble opinion.
GLOW (2017)
Inconsistent Mixed Bag
This could have been a great show but too many things are absolutely not working from my point of view and I felt completely disconnected after a few episodes. Is this a comedy? a drama? a satire of Hollywood? It seems like the director and the producer disagreed on the general tone of the series and both tried to push for their views. So the end result is inconsistent both in general atmosphere and in the story line.
Quickly you don t really understand what s at stake or why certain scenes were included in the final cut. Many side stories start at some point and fall away without being developed afterwards, such as the affair between the director and the trainer. What was the point? What s also the point on the She Wolf episode and why does she become nice to Ruth when she calls her wolf (...but why?). And there are a lot of other examples of undeveloped side stories, inconsistencies, or even ridiculous situations (when the wrestling champion comes to pick up his daughter, she pretends to be in a couple with the producer. The scene does not even work for a second)
The back story of the main character (poor but seemingly talented young actress trying to break through in Hollywood) is meaningless after two episodes. At some point she becomes just some sort of clown with a fake Russian accent and the connection with the character is lost.
One of the big disappointment was also the visual aspect of the show. You expect something flashy and colorful, but 90% of the episodes are shot in a grey and dirty warehouse! You also barely get to see wrestling scenes. I understand that they are training and cannot wear fluorescent spandex all the time but a bit of light in this dullness would have been welcome.
Overall not worth watching.