Review by Matt D
VIP4Starts off really strong and fun.
The sets look incredible and its immersive. They had a really great message about body positivity and unrealistic expectations on women & I was all the way behind it.... Then rapidly spirals into a pure man hate / Women supremacy. Its obvious the writers have a huge chip on their shoulders.. It's messaging is so heavy handed it completely took me out of the movie & brings it from enjoyable to a drab 2 hour rant by an angry twitter blue user who think's women's rights is still in the 1800's.
They have this unreal take that you're set for life if you're a man and just get instant success. They think everything's better if you're a man (Guess what, it doesn't work that way. I'm told every day how I'm a bad person because I'm a man, and for only that.... Just like this movie does)...Being preached at about why being a man is so bad for 2 hours does not make for a fun viewing experience.
It shows the glaring double standards of the current mainstream talking points.
This movie blindly preaches that "the world would be better if the shoe was on the other foot" and it comes across as tone deaf.
Its BAD all one gender "rules the world" but if its women, its A-OK!... which defeats the purpose of feminism.
Women getting equality, not supremacy.
call this a hot take but I think men and women should be equal..... but this movie thinks men don't even deserve a seat on Barbie world's court - that's insane.Why is Patriarchy bad but Matriarchy good....????
Its either all bad or none of it is, and this man hating director needs to make up her mind.loading replies
@mattdeezly1996 The degree at which you missed the point of the movie is shocking. Men have run things since the beginning of time. During the middle of the movie, they showed how difficult it can be to be a young woman. Towards the end of the movie, it showed how difficult it can be to be a human. At certain points where men portrayed as.... well, the gender that has run the world? Yes, but why is that such a challenge to your masculinity? The movie didn't look down on men, it was trying to lift up people. Your review is proving the point of the movie. You need not feel threatened because a movie tried to show girls (or any human) that you can be more than you are.
A woman was actually raped during the shooting of this movie, in a sort of ~artistic plot~ between the director and the actor who did it. It went public, you can even see interviews about it. I don't give a rats ass about your art, they should have been in jail for that. Also, none of the involved deserve to be prestiged so yeah, all that hype about Bertolucci does not stick with me.
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@brufaela She wasn't actually raped. She wasn't told about the butter but the rest of the scene was planned. I am not defending what they did - just pointing out that the actress said that her not being told about the butter made it feel like she was kind of raped.
Review by Matt D
VIP4Starts off really strong and fun.
The sets look incredible and its immersive. They had a really great message about body positivity and unrealistic expectations on women & I was all the way behind it.... Then rapidly spirals into a pure man hate / Women supremacy. Its obvious the writers have a huge chip on their shoulders.. It's messaging is so heavy handed it completely took me out of the movie & brings it from enjoyable to a drab 2 hour rant by an angry twitter blue user who think's women's rights is still in the 1800's.
They have this unreal take that you're set for life if you're a man and just get instant success. They think everything's better if you're a man (Guess what, it doesn't work that way. I'm told every day how I'm a bad person because I'm a man, and for only that.... Just like this movie does)...Being preached at about why being a man is so bad for 2 hours does not make for a fun viewing experience.
It shows the glaring double standards of the current mainstream talking points.
This movie blindly preaches that "the world would be better if the shoe was on the other foot" and it comes across as tone deaf.
Its BAD all one gender "rules the world" but if its women, its A-OK!... which defeats the purpose of feminism.
Women getting equality, not supremacy.
call this a hot take but I think men and women should be equal..... but this movie thinks men don't even deserve a seat on Barbie world's court - that's insane.Why is Patriarchy bad but Matriarchy good....????
Its either all bad or none of it is, and this man hating director needs to make up her mind.loading replies
@mattdeezly1996 It's a freaking movie. Look at yourself coming out here to tell the world that a movie titled "Barbie" didn't kiss up to men. Holy S.
Shout by k p
Did you all give high ratings to make a point? Half way through the movie I could not keep my eyes open. Seriously... 8.7 / 10 in IMDB. Crazy!
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@dungrapid5 I thought the same, until I was absolutely blown away by the last third. It went from an average movie to my second favorite of the year.
Hold up… this episode was fantastic! Can anyone deny this season is better than the first?
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@braylonmitch07 Its not only better than the first, it really got good out of nowhere. The first 2 episodes of this season weren't great either.
This might have been edgy 10 years ago, but we're on the other side of this now.
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@outspoken It isn't trying to be edgy. It is trying to tell a story in a way that nobody has before.
Great ending! I wasn't expecting most of it. Though I thought (or I hoped) there would be some sort of reconciliation, I didn't think it would be this definitive. Nevertheless, Edgar and Lindsay's endings felt rushed. These characters deserved a little more.
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@dtsouza Their endings were spread out over the last several episodes as they started to become their own people. The finale was the culmination of all of that.
Propagating family life with kids (even though Gretchen and Jimmy don't get married) to be the cure for everything somehow goes against all this show was about. At least Gretchen's final statement somehow sets the record straight a little bit.
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@onlime Out of the whole beautiful ending and the conversation about how they would choose each other each day, that's what you took out of the episode? A couple of shots from a montage ruined it for you?
I love Jon Stewart and I'm definitely a Liberal, but this movie was just awful. It's Democrat America lost in the wilderness of the Trump years, looking for where they've gone wrong and unable to figure it out. Preachy, tone-deaf, and condescending.
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@triseult Condescending? To whom? He painted the town's people in the best light of the movie. I think you missed the point of the movie - he wasn't creating this from a liberal point of view. He was showing how the whole system is broken, including the left.
Shout by IHateBadMovies.com
VIP8How does a movie like this even get made? He thought of such a bonkers movie? The first thing that you need to know is that this movie is incredibly original. Sure, we've seen some of the action scenes in this movie done in many other movies. What sets this movie apart is that it never loses track of the central story. Despite the frantic pace I felt that I knew the characters and the bigger story. I am not going to lie - I started to drift a bit in the middle but I think that was more on me (it was late). Roger Ebert once said that all movies should be seen on a big screen - I think this movie is a perfect example of this theory. I loved it.
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@blazer380 I am sorry to hear that. Did you watch the whole thing? As time goes on and thousands of movies are made every year, I've come to realize that there are a lot of different ways to tell a story. I see that you've also watched and possibly enjoyed other movies like Sisu and John Wick - I dare say that they have a similar feel to this movie? Cartoonish violence, etc. If anything, I think this movie actually has more depth than either of those movies.
I've actually been thinking about this a lot recently - I had a similar reaction to Asteroid City. Then the more I thought about it, I realized that - in some movies - there can be something more than just the straight-ahead movie experience that we are used to. There are many ways to tell a story, and there is no reason that people can't find new ways to do it.
Shout by IHateBadMovies.com
VIP8It feels weird grading something like this based on entertainment value. The story is really interesting (and terribly sad, of course) but this doc starts to lose steam towards the end.
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@macanri That's an interesting thought. I think that it felt like it ran out of steam in that they were trying to build to some kind of finale (not unlike "Three Identical Strangers" and many others). But the most interesting part of this sad story had already been told. The finale was really a cleanup of the details.
This is a shirt that's been professionally pressed and expertly arranged on a hanger, but there's no story to hang it on.
This tale of two mothers who give birth to clichés at the same time at the same hospital includes passing references to gang rape and made-for-tv melodrama about the horrors of fascism under Franco.
The plot, however, is basically a widget, a hypothetical and unimportant subject Almodóvar uses as a placeholder to illustrate how he'd direct a good movie with an interesting story.
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@saint-pauly That is so well said!
This film is unique in that it is the first movie that I can recall where there is a homosexual relationship that isn't in some way tragic. It very much reminded me of the fantastic An Education. The film was a joy to watch. I can see how some found the film to be dull - there can be a fine line between subtle and dull.
https://IHateBadMovies.com
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@the_argentinian Thank you so much! I really appreciate the recommendation. I will do just that.
Shout by IHateBadMovies.com
VIP8The film very much feels like someone decided to use a video game to show the horrors of crossing the Atlantic during the first few years of World War 2. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire movie. I think it was smart to have the movie wrap up into a tight 90 minutes instead of trying to make it into an epic. While the movie is quick and intense from an enjoyment perspective it unfortunately has the soul of a video game and not a movie.
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@charlie-r I completely agree, and that's partly what made it feel like a video game. Captain battles, captain rests, captain battles... and on and on. Once again, it was a fine movie and there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with it. It just wasn't a great movie in my eyes.
So thats it .. .. that was the conclusion to the series, Catastrophe. I must say, that end scene when Sharon goes into the water to swim and Rob glances back to see the NO SWIMMING, WAKE sign. I thought that was odd, and it made me think .. oh shit, is something going to happen? .. Then Rob goes out and the camera pans out to them being a lot further out than someone should be swimming normally .. and the camera keeps panning out. (Were they trying to make us think that something happened to the two?)
I've watched the show since the beginning, and i'm glad that i'm here at the end. It's been a fun, hilarious, and emotional ride.
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@smatthew I thought the same at first. I think the point of the scene (and the series) is that they decided to swim in the dangerous waters together. He wasn't going out there to save her - he was going out there to be with her in the journey.
Shout by Saint Pauly
Like an AA meeting: disjointed, funny, moving, boring, inspiring and, ultimately, rewarding.
The actors are mesmerising. Joaquin Phoenix recovers nicely here from his misstep with Mary Magdalene but it's Jonah Hill as the sage gay sponsor who steals the film with a subtle portrayal imbued with nonchalant spirituality. Rock stars Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and Beth Ditto (Gossip) make appearances and Ditto turns in a solid gold performance that left me hoping she'll continue down the acting path.
Despite being overlong and bogged down with an unnecessarily complicated timeline, the overall film moved me and made me glad I got past the clunky title and misleading rom-com poster.
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@saint-pauly you nailed it
Brendan Gleeson is a downgrade from Chris O'Dowd. Patricia Clarkson is a downgrade from Rosamund Pike. Jay is a downgrade from having no regularly-appearing cast member secondary character. Amazing to see the same team behind season 1 produce this absolutely lesser in every way second season. Stuck with it only because the reviews said it gets better after a shaky start and it does sort of get slightly less bad in later episodes while still remaining totally underwhelming and widely missing the mark from the effortlessly charming first season
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@bobdole12 I agree - season 1 was way better. But with that said, I don't know how you can say that the two actors are a step down from season 1's actors. They had so little to work with. I thought they were both excellent.
Review by TheLazyReviewer
Film 59 (Goal: 300) of 2024
When I started this film, I almost immediately critiqued myself. A few years ago, I went all out on film watching, watching 500 films (...yep) in 1 year. That included a lot of random streaming releases. This year I've decided to make film watching a priority, to eat into the 350+ films on my watchlist, and the 200+ films across my streaming services. And I was only going to add the big films across streaming.
So long story short, when I came across Suncoast, without any fanfare, I immediately contradicted that and jumped on it for 2 reasons - it was a 2024 release (which I don't have many so far) and it starred Woody Harrelson, who I'm obviously a big fan of. And within the first 10 minutes, I thought I had made a bad decision. But as Suncoast goes on, I was drawn into the performances and the characters. I saw a comment stating this is standard fare, and it is, but also not. The characters around Doris don't act likes stereotypical films would, and this film is better for it. The film lifts immediately with Woody Harrelson's introduction but Nico Parker also anchors the film with a surprisingly strong performance. Her group of friends also do a good job supporting her and you'll go on a journey with Laura Linney's performance.
Overall, Suncoast is a surprisingly lovely little film. I doubt it'll be in anyone's top 10 films of the year but you'll watch a lot worse films than this.
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@thelazyreviewer You and I have a lot in common in terms of looking high and low to find good movies to watch. Please feel free to check me out at https://IHATEBadMovies.com to find more off-the-beaten-path movies.
Insipid tripe, Permission is yet another Hollywood assault on monogamy. The story follows a young couple that gives each other permission to have sex with other people in order to decide whether or not they truly want to be together. And it goes pretty much as one would suspect, as every other movie about couples giving a pass to their partners goes. There are some decent actors in the cast, Rebecca Hall, Gina Gershon, Jason Sudeikis, but there aren’t any good performances. And the directing is weak as well; as there’s nothing sensual or suspenseful about the affairs. Permission is an incredibly dull and formulaic movie that doesn’t do anything new or interesting with this well wore material.
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@jarvis-8243417 "Assault on monogamy"? Can't they just be doing a movie about relationships without it having to be anything more?
The ending was totally unnecessary
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@jarvis-4590639 The ending was the point. Life is short.
Shout by IHateBadMovies.com
VIP8I think the brilliance of this movie are the things that are not said. So much of our lives involve thoughts that we don't speak of. This movie really takes off when the main characters - it isn't obvious until later who they are - are force to deal with the unspoken. And later, retreat back to it in a fantastic final scene.
It's hard to believe that Todd Fields hasn't done more films. I highly recommend Little Children.
follow me at https://IHateBadMovies.com or facebook IHateBadMovies
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@the_argentinian Looking forward to seeing it!
Shout by IHateBadMovies.com
VIP8I've seen better in the coming-of-age-in-a-crappy area genre and I have seen worse. I think there was a certain honesty in the film's final scenes that appealed to me (it didn't feel like a film that should be wrapped up in a bow).
follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHateBadMovies
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@rashakamal Thank you so much for the kind words! I'll check out your reviews as well. You can see movies that I've tagged as my favorites here: https://ihatebadmovies.com/movie-reviews/?tx_post_tag=favorite&_orderby=wp_review_total%2Cdesc . I love finding undiscovered gems and search high and low to find them.
Shout by Lee Brown Barrow Movie Buff
VIP3Ambiguous in its telling but powerfully performed. A good film, even if the resolution is a little hazy.
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@faithful-soul These kinds of films are meant to provide the questions, not the answers.
Shout by Emily
I think I would have enjoyed this movie more if Mavis wasn't a total bitch. She still could've been a mess without being so mean—it would have made her more relatable and therefore easier to root for.
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@emilyblasik I think that was the point - we aren't supposed to root for every character. The ending proved this.
Review by IHateBadMovies.com
VIP8I decided to give this show a look because I was curious about the wide difference between what the critics think and what the audience seems to think. The first 20 minutes or so were ok. I like all of the actors in the show and Aniston appeared to be doing some really good work. That said, I said to my wife "the only thing keeping this show was a music bed behind the dramatic scenes".
And then came the music bed and it went full-on network drama. This is not a compliment.
The main problem with this show is that the story just isn't compelling. It might be one thing if something like this happened mid-series once we got to know the characters. The last third of the show was completely unwatchable. As good as Aniston was at the beginning it was uncomfortable watching her cry in scene after scene.
I don't get what attracted the actors to this show. There have been soooooo many good series on cable these days - couldn't they find a better one? This is especially true of Steve Carell as he has been in some wonderful dramas.
EDIT The show did get better in later episodes as new storylines and conflict developed. That said, it's pretty safe to say that in just about every scene where someone cries or loses their s*** it's a bad scene.
follow me at https://IHateBadMovies.com or facebook IHateBadMovies.
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@sixofhearts Thank you for your thoughtful reply. The weird thing about critiquing a show like this is that at some point the reviewer has to separate the subject matter from the quality of the show. I think that too often movies that portray important subject matter get a softer touch in reviews. I do want to be clear that none of my comments are meant to be commentary on the me too movement. I also love satire - I am not sure that I would put this in that category.
I think the problem that I had with the show is that it took a while before it figured out what it wanted to be. It just felt really scattered at the beginning - I read speculation that this may have been a result of the fact that so many cooks ended up being involved in the production once it was perceived that things were off track. To be honest I thought Bombshell did a better job at portraying a similar environment at Fox. They finally allowed Anniston's character to stop whining and crying halfway through the series and gave her some decent lines.
I can't say that I felt empathy for anyone other than the victims and their stories weren't really flushed out until the later episodes. Empathy for Carell's character? Not at all, although I would say that one of the better jobs that they did was to show that he did have some points about those that enabled him later in the show (again, this is meant to be a comment on the storytelling and not the acts). I recently read Ronan Farrow's book on the Harvey Weinstein - it's amazing how many people enable these guys.
As for the decent Dramas.... Better Call Saul. The Deuce (made by The Wire's showrunner, it was a more grown-up version of the Wire and unlike the Wire finished with its best work). AfterLife. Better Things. The Sinner. Fargo (it's a must-watch). Fleabag (although not really a drama). Feel free to follow me if you'd like to see what else I watch.
Review by IHateBadMovies.com
VIP8Full disclosure - I am not a fanboy. I don't know all of the various secondary story lines and I really didn't care too much if there were minor plot holes. I generally don't like comic book movies and when I do watch them I don't take them too seriously. That said... I didn't mind this movie at all. Or the one before it. I did have a problem with 7 because it essentially felt like "hey, we've got the band back together so lets go re-make a movie that we've already made before". It has to be hard to close up this kind of series as I really don't think you can win. They could have beaten us over the head with cliches about the force (the dialog at the end of ROTJ almost kills the scene). They could have dipped even further into nostalgia. I think the final narrative (each of us has a choice at to who we are) is excellent and the people executing their will against their oppressors is timely. Did it feel like a video game at times? Sure. Overall I was entertained on the level that I was watching it.
One other note. There have been a ton of "rank all of the Star Wars movies" blogs coming out and many of them have this one as the worst of them. I didn't see the middle three (chronological order) for more than 10 minutes each but that was enough to see that they were unwatchable.
follow me at https://IHateBadMovies.com or facebook page IHateBadMovies
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@luckz I think you read that wrong. By "middle three" I was referring to the order in which they were released, not the re-numbering of the series.
An interesting premise, or was it? To my mind, it had the beginning of a unique premise but they didn't work out the how the the premise worked. It didn't have an internal logic. SciFi films don't have to be real but they do have to build (and then be faithful to) an internal structure, which I don't think this did. And, the final twist was entirely predictable. The beginning was boring and poorly written. I thought there was little chemistry between Sophie and Ethan. But the middle was interesting. Not resolving the premise was the problem for me. So, poor beginning, predictable ending without resolving the underlying mystery - I give this film a 6 (fair) out of 10. [SciFi Mystery]
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@nancy-l-draper I think the point of the film was the questions that it makes us ask ourselves. It was never about the mystery and thus I wouldn't want a resolution.
last scene : i hate when they do that !
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@alhasan92milanista Why? That was the perfect ending. The result didn't matter and that was the point.
I seriously have no idea what I'm looking at right now. I'm from NC and this movie is driving me nuts...but I'm committed so I have to finish it ugh!
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@anuknowthis Check out Roger Ebert's review
Shout by Lee Brown Barrow Movie Buff
VIP3What could have been a typical tv-movie of the week becomes something dramatically real and emotionally raw. I was slightly disappointed by the downbeat ending , but otherwise, the film was very good indeed.
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@faithful The ending was consistent with the overall theme that develops at the end of the film. It wasn't about having kids and actually "downbeat". They were going to be ok either way.
