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nairisimonyan
Reviews
Love Potion No. 9 (1992)
They had us in the first half...
This movie had so much going for it in the first half only for it to drop the ball I'm the second half. I think it's biggest problem is that it doesn't devote enough time in helping us care about the main couple. They're both having their own sexual revolutions and then suddenly they're going on a date and then QUEUE THE RELATIONSHIP MONTAGE! It just rushes through the main ROMANCE of the story too quickly. How are we supposed to care about this couple and root for them when we're given no previous indication of their possible feelings for each other or any sexual or romantic tension between each other? This potion should've created a problem in their friendship where they suddenly start desiring each other and don't know gow to act, how to proceed with the friendship, or how to even trust each other knowing there exists a potion that could manipulate each other's feelings. I genuinely thought that's where this movie was heading: they would start becoming attracted to each other and generating this sexual tension but the problem would be that they can't trust each other bc of the potion. Instead we get a confusing plot line of Diane being manipulated by Gary which by the wayis so bizarre because why would Madame Ruth sell A WHOLE JUG OF THE POTION TO SOMEONE? That's so irresponsible and someone as wise as her should know that. I think Sandra Bullock gave the most convincing performance and I really related to her character but Tat Donovan was such a smarmy prick after using the potion. He only began to notice Diane once she was desired by others which in the end makes him no different than Gary. All in all, this movie had great potential for a good romcom but it kind of sucked.
Hunters (2020)
THE ONE REVIEW THAT YOU SHOULD READ
I'm seeing a lot of negative reviews here that I just...completely dont understand. This show deserves better. We all knew Al Pacino was going to be incredible but I would say he was on an equal playing field with the rest of the actors because they were all entirely immersed in their roles. You end up rooting for every single character for different reasons and THAT speaks on good writing and character development. Some of these reviews say the show was too cartoonish...where did you see that? The show was rich with '70s culture and the production value was better than I expected honestly. The comic book motif was not used as often as the other reviews say and the only reason they were used at all was to show how Jonah perceives the world and how he is still just a BOY. He believes in heroes and villains and saving the world and he wants so badly to be this good person that his grandmother believed he was. That's the whole point of his character and it's very clearly shown throughout the season.
As for Nazis being "too cartoonish," that's literally how they are. They are and always will be the token bad guy, the pure textbook villain, because all they know and preach is hatred. They really were like that. I found the storyline and the conspiracies in this show entirely believable considering everything we've seen in the news through recent years. I think the people who call this a cartoonish display of villainy are not the people who are on the receiving end of bigotry and racism and hatred. Racism IS ridiculous because their claims and beliefs are illogical and fueled by lies and fearmongering.
Another point my fellow reviewers made was that the flashbacks were too distracting. I thought they were a beautiful way to show the past and a far more interesting tactic than to simply have the characters tell a long story over and over again. The aftermath of the Holocaust is all about remembrance. Stories are our way to remind the present about the past, that is how we keep history alive. And if the show hadnt used flashbacks, we would never have seen Meyer Offerman as he was, as Ruth knew him. This made their pain and tragedy real and we owe it to the survivors and to the deceased to look at the atrocities and bear witness.
This show was a beautifully heartbreaking display about genocide, justice, revenge and love. It showed us how people survive and how they process tragedy in their own way, not to mention, warning us about our own complicity.
(Also it had a great mindfuck of an ending. Cant wait for season 2!)
The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)
What the other reviews aren't telling you...
Let me just start off by saying this movie does NOT deserve the rating and reviews it has gotten. I was skeptical going in because of the low rating and how lost it had become in the endless sea of romance movies but I found myself in tears when I finished!
Barbra Streisand is a master, no doubt about it. Everything was carefully crafted from the pacing of the story to the complexities of the characters. You found yourself drawn into the storyline and the personalities of the characters. Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall and the rest did a fantastic job in selling the believability of their respective characters. There was glorious tension between the characters and you could see the shift in tone and emotions for them which is ESSENTIAL to creating a successful romance movie.
Now where I begin to disagree with the other reviews on this movie is the whole makeover part of the movie. I know we have been beaten to death with the terrible trope of the ugly duckling getting a makeover and suddenly becoming desirable and therefore equating worth to beauty. However, I dont think that's what's happening here. I think a lot of people miss that because what Barbra Streisand is doing is relating to a very specific sort of woman. The sort of woman who, admittedly, is not conventionally attractive and doesnt take care of herself but still is certainly not HIDEOUS. The sort of woman who has been brainwashed by her parents and society ever since childhood to believe she is ugly and not worthy and has in some cases lived in the shadow of a more beautiful sibling or mother. At that point, it doesnt matter whether you're actually ugly or not, what matters is what you've been led to believe. And so Rose's low self esteem and her firm belief that shes not attractive is very very realistic, especially when Gregory recoils away from her when she tries to seduce him and he even TELLS HER that he doesn't find her physically attractive even if we, the audience, dont necessarily agree. It's all about PERCEPTION. That scene and her reaction was painfully authentic. Not only that, but Barbra makes damn sure to mention that this isnt one of those terrible makeover tropes when she rejects Alex because she realizes he didnt find her worthy when she was her original self. And she tells him that hes not good enough for her because not only does she have the added bonus of being pretty now BUT she also loves herself and accepts who she is and WAS before the makeover. She sees that picture of herself as a child and realizes, by God I AM pretty naturally, there was nothing wrong with me as I had been led to believe.
I'm so glad I found this hidden gem, definitely worth the watch!