|
Review by Tatiana Miranda  Within the past two months, there has been an abundance of fictionalized true crime-related miniseries released, such as Pam & Tommy, Joe Vs. Carole, WeCrashed, Inventing Anna, and The Dropout. Of those recent titles, two are from Hulu, which follows the success of their 2019 true crime-based drama The Act, which is about the life and actions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Hulu's newest fictionalized miniseries, The Girl from Plainville, recounts the death of Conrad "Coco" Roy and the indictment of his girlfriend, Michelle Carter. In 2014, Roy died due to suicide-by-manipulation from Michelle Carter, who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served 11 months. Similar to how Gypsy Rose Blanchard's actions were portrayed in The Act, The Girl from Plainville attempts to show the case in a not necessarily black and white way. Based on the Esquire article of the same name and the 2019 documentary I Love You, Now Die, the show goes beyond the court case and attempts to give an understanding of what led to Carter's actions. In a Good Morning America interview, Elle Fanning, who plays Michelle Carter, stated that the media portrayed the case in a "one-dimensional way" that didn't showcase all the nuances involved. Through interpretations of text messages between Carter and Roy and imagined scenes shown from Carter's point of view, the series gets this point across. Although The Girl from Plainville achieves its goal of portraying the case with nuance, it also takes an abundance of creative liberties that aren't based on even a bit of factuality. For instance, there are regularly moments in the show that showcase Carter's imagination, such as a musical scene between her and Roy singing "I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" in the style of her favorite Glee characters, Finn and Rachel. Moments like this are an attempt to show how Carter might've viewed their relationship. Still, since it's not based on anything, it's likely added for entertainment value and instead turns what should be a dark and eye-opening story into something pulled out of Riverdale.  Beyond the surreal moments like this, the series as a whole has flaws in its way of storytelling. The series jumps back and forth from Carter and Roy's interactions to the consequences of his death, such as Carter's court trial. While the series takes a unique creative direction in showing texts between the two as face-to-face conversations, it doesn't make up for the lack of creativity everywhere else. In Yhara zayd's YouTube video, "hi, not everything needs to be a fictionalized miniseries, kthxbye", she points out that with series like The Girl from Plainville, sometimes the stories realistically are not interesting enough to be fictionalized. This is especially true with The Girl from Plainville since it's based on a profile article and documentary, which both portray the case in the same way as the show.
While fictionalized miniseries can provide a unique insight into certain cases, the abundance that has come out recently seems to be regurgitating the same information portrayed in other forms. Even though the cast of The Girl from Plainville gives their all, the series lacks any interesting perspective that differs from its source material. The Girl from Plainville streams on Hulu beginning March 29, with new episodes streaming subsequent Tuesdays. All eight episodes reviewed. Rating: 2/5
0 Comments
Review by Camden Ferrell  Mothering Sunday is a new romantic drama film that is based on Graham Swift’s 2016 novel of the same name. It had its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and played numerous festivals afterward like the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie is helmed by director Eva Husson with a script from Lady Macbeth writer Alice Birch. The movie may not have the most depth, but it succeeds due to its incredibly erotic nature and the chemistry of its two leads. Jane is a maid for a wealthy British family in 1924. On Mothering Sunday, she receives the day off and goes to visit her forbidden lover Paul, the son of a rich family who is engaged to be married within his social circle. Jane’s life is shaped by a single afternoon of passionate carnal love with Paul, and we see the effect this relationship has on her over time. This is a simple and beautiful premise that gives the story the opportunity to focus on its characters and their feelings in lieu of a more eventful plot. Birch’s script isn’t nearly as engaging or insightful as her prior efforts, but it lays a decent enough foundation for the actors to build on. The erotic nature of the film is able to grow thanks to how the story was structured and the characters were written. It does have a few scenes that disrupt the overall flow of the story, and this can make the final product underwhelming.  The strongest aspect of this movie is its performances. Big actors like Colin Firth and Olivia Colman play very small roles, and the rest of the supporting cast isn’t very prominent, so the burden of carrying the movie falls on its two leads. Odessa Young plays Jane, and Josh O’Connor plays Paul. Both actors are talented in their own rights, and they are quite great in this movie. This film lives and dies by the chemistry of its leads, and they have great chemistry. Their physical and emotional connection are strong throughout, and they handle the erotic scenes with gracefulness and tenderness. Without them, it's possible this movie could have failed to capture audiences like intended.
Husson’s direction is a little all over the place with this movie. She definitely excels in the movie’s moments of physical passion as those scenes are executed exquisitely. However, the in-between moments sometime lack the artistry and pacing of her other scenes, and this can make the film come off as stilted in execution. Regardless, the movie is shot adequately, and the music is romantic and subtle. There are some overarching problems with the movie, but it still mostly succeeds in telling a passionate and titillating story of forbidden love and how it affected her life over time. Mothering Sunday is certainly a movie for adults only and rightfully so. It Is content to be unambitious in its narrative, so it can instead focus on the raw passion of its characters. Its erotic nature is paramount to its success, and it works very well thanks to how it is tenderly executed by its director and her actors. It may be a bit too slow in places, but it’s a sweet and romantic film that ultimately succeeds in its intent. Mothering Sunday is in theaters March 25. Rating: 3.5/5 Review by Adam Donato  Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum star in Paramount Pictures' "THE LOST CITY." To quote Charlie Day in Horrible Bosses 2, “Fuck you, I love Sandra Bullock!” Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock plays Sandra Bullock in what appears to be an original popcorn flick. At least it’s not a franchise, sequel, reboot, adaptation of something else. Instead it’s a classic movie star romantic comedy adventure. Channing Tatum plays Channing Tatum who’s having quite the year with this and Dog. Does Brad Pitt add enough legitimacy to make this “original blockbuster” successful? There’s three movies that exemplify the quality of The Lost City. Marry Me came out on Valentine’s Day earlier this year. It looked equally as cheesy and stupid as The Lost City. They don’t like each other, but they’re forced together and they just might find love along the way. Not to mention the age gap. While Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez are an awkward match despite almost being the same age, she was engaged to a man when she could very realistically be the same age as his mother. Similarly, when Bullock was getting her drivers license, Channing Tatum was born. The joke in the movie that Brad Pitt makes more sense for her as a romantic option really brings to light that Tatum and Bullock are an awkward match. They both play the same character they do in every movie. She’s a down-on-her-luck woman just trying to get by. He’s a goofy hunk who is trying his best. They’re independently enjoyable in the movie, but their romance is barely believable despite the movie’s efforts.  Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe star in Paramount Pictures' "THE LOST CITY." Last summer saw the release of Jungle Cruise. A determined woman has to venture through the jungle to solve an ancient mystery, but she has to put up with mister funny muscles until they fall in love. For an original blockbuster, it kinda feels like a movie that already feels like a bunch of movies. Jungle Cruise is just the most recent comparison. This whole movie is cliche. The only character that feels fresh is played by Brad Pitt. Everything with his storyline is done perfectly. Daniel Radcliffe does a solid impression of Jesse Eisenberg in Batman v Superman. There’s enough personality here that the run-of-the-mill plot is tolerable. The edge that The Lost City has over Jungle Cruise is that it’s less cynical. Although it’s generic, it’s not trying to ride off the coattails of franchise recognition.
Sometimes in movies, the characters watch a blockbuster movie, not unlike the beginning of Tropic Thunder. Recent Netflix “blockbuster” Red Notice embodies this feeling perfectly. It feels like a parody movie. The stars just play themselves, the jokes are cringe (“Ummmmm, I have a rule against dark and scary caves.”), and the plot couldn’t be less interesting. All of this applies to The Lost City. Most of the time with movies like this, it comes down to how much chemistry the two main stars have. It’s already established they look off. That would be less of a problem if the treasure hunt adventure was interesting in the slightest. Still, it’s a fake movie that was designed in a lab. This is nobody’s passion project. It’s a basic movie that solely gets by with a collection of likable stars. Movies like The Lost City are designed to be as vanilla and inoffensive as possible. What helps it feel fresh is that it’s a love letter to schlock. It’s hard to dislike something that moderately accomplishes the low goals it sets out for itself. The casual movie fan will think this movie is a riot and they’re not wrong. It's a perfect date movie. The Brad Pitt parts make it worth a single watch. The Lost City hits theaters on March 25. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Photograph by Seacia Pavao.
Julia Child is one of the most well-known television chefs there is, and so it’s no wonder that there have been several projects made chronicling her life. The new series Julia is pretty standard biopic material, but it is so convincingly performed and charmingly written that it is hard not to love.
Interestingly enough, the series picks up at a place where Child is already successful from her cookbook, but is not yet a global sensation because she has not yet made The French Chef. This series follows the production of the first season of her iconic cooking show, and blends behind-the-scenes showbiz drama with the social angle of things. The storytelling here is definitely very condensed. The writers manage to capture the making of an entire season of the cooking show in a mere eight episodes, but in doing so, they effectively capture the hectic feeling that defined this production. Add in all of the subplots, and it’s an altogether riveting series. There are some interesting themes discussed in the series, but more often than not, these feel like an afterthought. There is one arc that does a fabulous job of exploring the role of feminism in a story like Child’s, but other subplots are entirely underdeveloped, like one following the Black producer on The French Chef. 
Photograph by Seacia Pavao.
Child is obviously a very likable figure, and many people have said that she is as approachable off the screen as she is on screen, but that doesn’t always translate into a compelling character arc. She’s almost too perfect in how she’s presented, and while this was always going to be a bit fluffy, it’s a tad overboard.
Sarah Lancanshire gives a very good performance in the leading role. Unlike previous takes on the iconic chef, it’s much more nuanced, with many layers of emotion within it. There’s also a fabulous supporting cast, including Fran Kranz, Brittany Bradford, and David Hyde Pierce, all of whom play people who supported her along her journey. The series does a great job of emulating this era of television. Although the carbon-copy recreations of The French Chef are minimal, the show does a great job of showing the pieces that went into creating the look. It’s strongly crafted all around, even if it isn’t particularly flashy with what it does. Julia is the type of prestige project that will absolutely be eaten up by older audiences. It’s a cute little show, and while it may not quite do justice to its potentially weighty themes, it’s a pretty delightful watch. Julia debuts on HBO Max on March 31, with new episodes streaming subsequent Thursdays. All eight episodes reviewed. Rating: 4.5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Hazel Doupe and Ingrid Craigie in YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER, a Magnet release. Photo by Cait Fahey. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing. Films exploring mental illness can be difficult to watch because of the trauma it could cause to those watching. It's hard to see people dealing with this kind of thing in films. People deal with these aspects of life in real life, so seeing them on the big screen or streaming isn't the best. The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins, and What They Had, starring Robert Forster and Blythe Danner, are two recent films dealing with mental illness. These are two excellent examples of how mental illness is depicted on film. You Are Not My Mother takes an entirely different approach to the topic. Char (Hazel Doupe) is a teenager who lives with her mother Angela (Carolyn Bracken), her grandmother Rita (Ingrid Craigie), and her brother Aaron (Paul Reid) in Dublin, Ireland. When her mother leaves the car in a park and goes missing, she worries about her mental state. She also has to deal with problems at school most teenagers deal with, like peer pressure and bullying. Director Kate Dolan relies on a couple of different things to make the film have a very suspenseful, horrific nature. One of them is the creepy music by Die Hexen. The score is very atmospheric and moody. It helps create a feeling of dread that the film used to perfection. Also, little things like vomiting a tooth or weird dancing help with the film's creepiness. This film goes down a dark path that it may not be able to come back from.  Hazel Doupe and Carolyn Bracken in YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER, a Magnet release. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing. The acting in the film is very good, but also very off at times. The Bracken character is very off-putting. Doupe and her school counterparts are all fine in helping to create an atmosphere of horror throughout the film. The reactions of the girls and the mother are what drive the horror aspects. Giving good performances helps create a better experience for the audience watching.
In addition to the film's mental illness and school bullying aspects, it also has elements involving family and how various characters deal with their family members. How these things can fit into the film is key. They can't be shoehorned in, or they won't make sense in the context of what Dolan is going for. She tries to do too much in this regard. All these character subplots are too much for the film to handle. Horror films dealing with mental illness and or bullying can work in the proper context. It takes the right mood, which this film tries to create via the music and creepy performances from Bracken specifically. Doupe and the others work within this dynamic Dolan creates. They are very engaging in their performances. I was interested to see how this story progressed, but the end product was a bit too underdeveloped for me. The moody atmosphere worked for the most part, though. A few too many subplots took away from the main focus, but it worked pretty well regardless. You Are Not My Mother hits VOD on March 25. Rating: 3/5 |