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MoobieLubber
Reviews
The Counselor (2013)
I tried...
I saw this movie when it first came out and I hated it. I gave it the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe I just wasn't ready for it; or maybe I was expecting too much from it. Fast forward to 2022, almost 10 years later, and I found myself with an opportunity to watch it again (coincidentally, after having a weird urge to watch it after some random memory of it.) thanks to HBO max.
So, round 2, 10 years, I'm sitting here and it's not as bad as I felt it was back then...but...I still hate it.
The dialogue was worse than I remembered; like, who talks like this? It sounds like a cheesy novel reads. (The beginning scene is a perfect example...who says that stuff??)
They acted the heck out of this movie though, so you know they believed in it and probably really felt like they were doing something special, but it was almost a waste of talent. This storyline with a more believable dialogue, would've been almost great though.
And Cameron Diaz's character is wonderfully wicked, aside from that windshield scene.
And as much as I wanted to love Fassbender in this, his fake American accent with this dialogue just didn't win. It felt too fake and forced and his character suffered because of it. He's so much better than this.
A plus is having Javier and Cruz in a movie together though. Love them, even in a movie like this. (Javier's character was an eye roll as well, though. But not as bad as Brad Pitt trying to be "Mr. Cowboy cool". Sighs on both)
And loved seeing Rosie Perez...even if briefly. She played her part well.
I really wanted to like this movie...even after a decade, some growth, and with a different perspective and mindset, the same flaws from the initial watch stand, and even feel more ridiculous at times. But...on a positive note...the story they were trying to tell *was* intriguing.
Saved by the Bell (2020)
It's so cute though...why all the hate?...
I don't get why people are putting so much hate on this show...maybe it depends on what you liked about the original. This reboot is pretty wonderful though. I never took the original too seriously, but enjoyed it just the same. And I love how this new version pokes fun at the ridiculousness of the original, while still embracing it and even falling guilty to the same tropes it pokes fun at...and mostly on purpose.
It's very self aware of the franchise, but also has a soul all its own that's pretty enjoyable.
I'm not sure what people were expecting it to be, but i'm just happy it's not the exact same show with different people (im looking at you "Saved By the Bell: The New Class")... This version is the original version sifted through the Degrassi filter...and seasoned with 30 Rock...and they managed to pepper in some Glee and High School Musical...with a little hint of Parker Lewis Can't Lose. I dont know how such a new show could feel so familiar but still be so fresh. It could even be it's own show, but im happy its tied into the Saved By the Bell world...cause it works there. It's silly...and funny...at times smart...and its adorable.
That theme song though....that kinda hurt lol
The Family Stone (2005)
This movie
This movie is so unrealistic and yet so realistic in the sense that the situations portrayed are very much exaggerated, but shows a messy family and how messy holiday family gatherings can be, even if not as portrayed.
People get mad at how rude the family is to Meredith and say it's for "no reason", but the reason is that she comes off exactly as feared upon first greeting; and because they're such a tight knit family, already determine they don't want or trust her to be apart of it. Not in the way she's being introduced...as the future wife of Everett...the eldest son, who more than likely is going to "take over the empire" when the dad and the mother pass on. They don't see her as a queen especially of that household, especially since she doesn't even carry the same morals. Enter Julie...the exact free spirit, strong minded, self aware woman they expect to see for Everett who was once the same down an opposite path away from his true self, that Meredith would've only further taken him down, which the family did not want.
It's a strange movie, doing normal movie tropes in strange and different ways, but coming out the same...in one cleanly wrapped conclusion of a box with pretty bows.
In the end, everett found his rightful queen, ben found his fitting flawed woman familiar to the family ways, and even the little sister was able to find happiness that she was probably afraid to welcome knowing how picky her family is about newbies...thanks to Meredith. And because of all these neatly tied bows, the mother could die in peace knowing her children are okay. And the father and Suzanna are just loving and accepting of everything. They're the real heart of the family. And then thad and his boyfriend...the whole reason for them being so tight knit and protective can also still be at peace and comfortable being who he is.
I really liked this movie, as odd and painful as it was to watch at some points (the dinner scene; Criiinge). I felt bad for Meredith, i felt bad for the family, but i liked how it somehow managed to work itself out.
It was a mess, but it was a weird, wonderful, comforting mess.
I recommend it just for the experience or the watch.