Change Your Image
Funtasia
Reviews
Defending Jacob (2020)
Destroyed the whole season with episode 8
Unless they were seriously locked in to a second season, the finale (episode 8) was an absolute slap in the face to dedicated viewers.
Leaving something to the imagination of the viewer at the end of an 8 episode series, is fine but we were left with absolutely nothing in the way of explanation or closure with the script and characters.
All I can say is this was THE worst WTF! Finale I have ever seen. It begs for a season 2 but that's not happening so we, the audience commit to 8 episodes, 4 hours of waiting on the edge of our seats for at least some closure on the key theme and characters and we got sweet nothing.
Absolutely ruined beyond comprehension by the finale!
Jury Duty (2023)
A masterpiece of "reality tv" comedy
If you have seen The Truman Show, this is for you but so much better. I haven't laughed this hard in years. For me, it is a masterpiece that you will surely binge-watch all 8 episodes in 4 hours. You cannot pull away once you see the first episode.
The production pre-planning, the chosen actors, finding that perfect oblivious juror - Ronald Gladden, the execution, absolutely everything is enthralling.
If you have ever watched a real jury trial in USA, this takes it to a whole new level of entertainment that is not only plausible (it's in a court in Los Angeles, California after all) but so funny!
The final episode takes us behind the scenes and shows us how this all came together in a brilliant reveal. JUST WATCH IT!
I really hope there are more seasons to come.
This was comedic gold for me!
My Policeman (2022)
A love story delivered with no passion
This period drama/romance had all the potential to deliver an outstanding piece of cinema packed with genuine, raw and passionate performances and draw the viewer into this story with complete absorption. But it did none of that.
Why? Because I've seen more conviction and passion from 3 seagulls vying for the same chip!
All 3 (younger) leads are stoic and robotic and that's purely poor acting skills. So from the outset, I felt nothing for any of them. I definitely wanted to though. I tried but the acting just got worse, plodding along almost as clumsily as the acting.
We'll never know if 3 different leads could have given this film the accolades it could have received because the story is there - a really great story!
I was left feeling betrayed that proper justice wasn't done in delivering a very passionate, tragic and emotive story. I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt this way. The cinematography deserves my 2 stars.
I Came By (2022)
Unbearably Amateur!
I feel sorry for the actors who signed up for this amateur and sloppy movie. There is some good talent in this movie. Did they not read the script first?
It starts off well with an edgy anticipation of what may come next. I gave it 1 star for that. The rest of the movie had me counting my dying brain cells which the writer and director of this mess thought was worthwhile.
I cannot in describe in words just how insulting this was to anyone's intelligence who enjoys crime thrillers.
It is predictable after the first 10 minutes. It's all over the place trying to get better but it only gets tediously worse, so ridiculously worse to the very end. Save you brain cells! Skip it.
Model (2020)
I can't understand anything!
Netflix is usually spot on with subtitles even if the film or series in is in English, but this is a major fail for viewers! The dialogue is mixed between a strong South African English accent, Afrikaans, Xhosa and whatever other language is going on, but there's minimal subtitles provided.
To make it more frustrating for viewers, each person mixes their languages with all their speech. I persevered through the first episode but if people can't understand what they are saying and there's stuff all subtitles, it's a fail!
Our Father (2022)
Our Father - the doctor/preacher playing God
This is one of those documentaries that will have you thinking "oh wow, that's horrible" and then it keeps getting worse right through to the very end.
It is not difficult to relate to the lifelong trauma being faced by the mothers, siblings and fathers simply by imagining how you would feel if this happened to you. It is absolutely THE greatest betrayal of trust by a person who, as a gynecologist/obstetrician (and a preacher), is someone we should trust implicitly with our lives.
For generations to come, these families will continue to live in fear that their children, grandchildren and so on, may unwittingly have a child with a relative.
The documentary was well paced as it introduced each mother and child, while unpacking the sheer arrogance of this evil man, right up to the shocking crescendo at the end of the couple with twin daughters.
It's a must see film!
Windfall (2022)
Like watching grass grow
Three stellar actors actually thought this was a good script and put their name to it.
I sense the film noir attempt or something reminiscent of a Hitchcock film, but it just doesn't even remotely pass for either.
I gave it 2 stars because Jesse Plemons' acting carried what was salvageable of this 1 hour and 32 minutes of nothing.
Save yourself the trauma of waiting for something to happen in this film and go watch paint dry or grass grow.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
An unfolding story worth watching
This a period drama set in 1925, combined with a bit of 'coming of age' and definitely well defined as a psychodrama. Bear in mind that although it's a classified as western, there is no gun slinging or typical western action. This is a story that unfolds with many emotions, past and present, from each key character.
The people who say this is a slow burn film - the dialogue (and often silence) is essential to bring these characters to life, albeit slowly but sometimes very quickly.
There are so many delicate and harrowing issues that each person is living with. It's not spoon-fed to the viewer but it's not difficult to grasp if you take the time to listen and watch how everything unfolds.
This is such a refreshing change to the typical Hollywood blockbusters that have no substance, flooding our screens lately.
Jane Campion directs and delivers this touching masterpiece brilliantly. There are some scenes that I wish had been explored a bit further, particularly with Rose and her previous husband's death.
Watch it twice because I missed some very important dialogue in places.
Don't Look Up (2021)
Relevant but too choppy and fast to absorb
This is a very relevant movie at this time. It is very cleverly written and produced in a satirical and comedic way to highlight so many political and social issues in the world today.
The A-list cast is phenomenal! No doubt about that. Leonardo is a stand out in anything he does, as is Jennifer Lawrence.
I'm not sure if it was the editing department or the director who is at fault here for the rapid chopping from scene to scene which broke the flow for me. The speed at which this was done became unnerving for me to to follow and connect with each character. Too fast for the viewer to absorb. I had to rewind many times to try to capture the speed of the dialogue and scene cuts/changes.
What it made it more difficult to watch and enjoy is that so many issues and characters were at play here. They became unrelatable to me due to the constant chopping and changing of scenes. I was completely lost and bored when Ariana Grande was given a whole viewing time performance like something out of America's Got Talent. Sure, the lyrics were satirical and tried to follow the theme of the film but if you didn't have subtitles turned on, it was just Ariana's "look at me".
The whole film was too fast, too choppy, too many character and social issues to take in effectively as a viewer. It was like a bombardment of think, listen, observe and rewind, rewind if you want to understand what we're trying to do and say here.
I found one thing in the film that stood out for me that I want to end this review with ... the Xanax. You're probably going to need one after trying to get through the chaos of information in this movie.
The Hunt (2020)
It's a satirical comedy
I think many people writing reviews about this film missed the fact that this film is classified as a comedy, a dark comedy with horror elements - not too dissimilar to the dark angle of Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and other shock-value films.
If you don't like movies that put a fun twist on everyday social issues, then this is not for you a f you plan to tear apart a dark comedy and rate it with a 1 out of 10.
This film has aroused much global controversy and people have formed retaliatory reasons to leave negative reviews without having even watched the movie.
The script is very clever in the way it dramatises today's divisive society on many social issues in a comedic way. The acting is great especially from Betty Gilpin (Crystal) and although Hilary Swank played a very minute on-screen role in this film, she certainly added some kick to the movie.
I like movies that don't spoon-feed you everything about the plot to the point where you can turn the sound off. Enjoy this for what it is ... a dark comedy.
Convergence: Courage in a Crisis (2021)
Could have worked as a mini series or not
There is a a lot to be said about writers and directors cramming far too many social issues into a 2 hour movie with so many individual people's stories trying to be captured in their entirety while trying to keep the audience interested and engaged in what is classified as a documentary film.
This movie attempted that and unfortunately it failed. A mini series may have worked in order to develop the characters' individual plights without jumping across numerous other characters' stories, countries, LGBTQI+, racism, politics, BLM, refugees, asylum seekers, illegal migrants, citizenship issues, recovered drug addicts, protests, activism ... the list is as long as my forearm. Way too many social topics presented in a rather amateur way for the screen. It's like a YouTuber made this mashup.
It was made even more tedious to watch with the contrived Syrian social media influencer banging his own drum for more exposure and likes whose constant crying was initially believable until he bragged and celebrated about his posts going viral. And another social media pro and driver in China also in it for exposure.
You missed a great opportunity to get this right, Netflix. But you messed it up.
Modern Love: On a Serpentine Road, With the Top Down (2021)
We have lost our appreciation of storytelling
The first episode of Season 2 was so in line with the emotional storytelling of Season 1. This is about love, life, loss, connection. The writing is spectacular in capturing those human elements. The acting, cinematography and directing is just as superb.
Every episode is a well-told story that will take you on a journey as though you are in the story yourself.
That, to me, is the definition of great filmmaking - to evoke our emotions, a reaction, a feeling for the characters, a connection. I hope there will be a season 3.
Tiger King (2020)
You can't make this stuff up 😳
Mind blowing sums it up for me. And that's putting it mildly. From the first few minutes, I was gobsmacked and glued to the screen. The trailer and plot summary don't capture or prepare you for what you're about to experience in this off-the-charts-crazy documentary series. This actually happened. All of it!
While you're shaking your head in bewilderment or rolling in fits of laughter at each scene, more and more sub-plots, twists and turns keep coming at you. Just when you thought you'd seen it all ... but wait, there's more. And more. Until the closing credits.
I can't possibly sum up this series in this review, and you'll see why when you watch it. There is so much going on but the title itself is enough to do that for you: Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
This documentary took 5 years to make. That in itself is a wacky, coincidental story. The quality of the work by the 2 directors to stitch all this together into a masterpiece of viewing is of particular commendation. I would not be surprised if this gets a few award wins. It's definitely flooding the media.
Strap yourself in, grab some snacks and watch this true story unfold in all its craziness. There is already talk of a Season 2 by the producers with so many plots still unfolding and ... it ain't over 'til the cat lady sings 😉
Next in Fashion (2020)
Beware - your eyes will hurt
I was really looking forward to this series but I barely made it through the first episode. My eyes hurt from the plethora of frames and camera cuts every .5 of a second. How many frames can you possibly squeeze into every 10 seconds? At least 10! Constantly.
My tv was like a strobe light. Epileptics be warned! My head hurt within the first 15 minutes. Add to that the overwhelming barrage of colours and lighting (which could have been bearable) with the strobe-like camera work, and you will switch off or your eyes will ache. Physically painful to watch.
Closer (2004)
Get Ready to Get Closer
If you have ever wanted to confront the brutal truth and lies about human relationships, then get ready to get Closer.
Be warned - this film pulls no punches and quite intentionally shocks and offends us through the script and the characters. It will relentlessly draw you in and spit you out at the end. If you want warm and fuzzy romanticism, stick to When Harry Met Sally or Ghost.
Mike Nichols takes us, so successfully, into the darkest and warmest depths of the human heart in lust and love and thrusts us into a web of relationships where identities are withheld, selflessly revealed and even emotionally raped.
This masterpiece depiction of who we are as individuals and why we are certain people to some and other people to others will command you to examine your own identity and re-evaluate your views on love, lust and relationships.
Natalie Portman's performance as Alice/Jane is spectacular from start to finish. She delivers this massively complex character to the screen with brilliance. But keep up or you will miss the diversity (and yet simplicity) of her character. Clive Owen delivers a remarkably brutal honesty as Larry. You will love and hate him at the same time.
This movie tells it how it really is. It is thought-provoking, to say the least. Where other movies have skirted around the raw and real, Closer grabs you by the scruff of the neck, slaps you in the face with a wake-up call and reminds us that these characters exist all around us, if not within us ... we just don't like to admit it or talk about it and we most certainly don't want to be confronted with it.
They are real, fake, honest, deceitful, loving, ruthless, caring, selfish, likable, loathed, unbelievable and believable. You decide! To truly enjoy this movie, I would recommend that you pay very close attention to the dialogue. Every word, sentence, action and reaction is a revelation of character. If you miss the dialogue, nothing will make sense and you will walk away from this masterpiece feeling disappointed.
Get comfortable, forget everything you think you know about relationships, put your seat-belt on and enjoy the ride of your life into the beauty and ugliness of the human spirit.
This is by far the best film I have seen. If you cannot handle the truth and you prefer to be kissed before you are slapped to a rude awakening, then steer clear of this one!