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Bombshell (2019)
filmed like "The Office"
Taking all politics out of this (and it was really forcefully opinionated), Bombshell was just a poor overall production. Why did they feel the need to zoom in by a centimeter during literally every shot (not an exaggeration). Why did they break the fourth wall? It wasn't needed. Very messy film.
Euphoria (2019)
For the Cinematography & Zendaya
Like my headline suggests, my rating is as high as it is (6.5, actually) because of Zendaya's outstanding performance in every single episode alongside her co-stars and the visual aesthetics. From costumes to make-up to the different and unique ways of lighting each shot, "EUPHORIA" is addictive. So, let's start with the good things first.
I believe that many people began this show because they were either a fan of A24 or they are a fan of Zendaya's. They both have pretty large fan bases that would no doubt, attract a lot of modern viewers. And the show's theory was right! Everyone I know is watching "EUPHORIA". I have yet to meet someone who doesn't absolutely love it. For me, what sells this show the most is Zendaya's growth as an actress. In every episode (especially the last), you can truly feel herself pushing her character to her absolute limits in regards to her drug addiction and love. It's really heartbreaking to feel, yet refreshing to see talent like this on screen. In each episode, Rue blows me away. Her performance is complimented and enhanced by the cinematography. The people working on this show really know their stuff in regards to creative endeavor. By having scenes take place in the midst of parties and carnivals, there's a lot of things to work with in regards to lighting. In regards to drug addiction, that storyline opens the doors to creative framing and blocking. Extreme close ups? Not a problem. Dutch angles (which are usually just terrible and reserved for Quentin Tarantino ONLY)? Sounds good. Every risk that a camera could possibly take was taken by the cinematographers on "EUPHORIA". Outstanding work.
From the great performances to the pleasure that comes to the eye, how could anyone see a flaw in this show? Well, I will tell you. And, of course, this is my opinion and my opinion alone (but you are welcome to agree!), but the storylines is lacking. Let's not allow for the pretty color grading and attractive leads to steer us away from what truly matters in a show: the plot line. If a story lacks a good plot, then why are we giving it high ratings?
Now, don't get me wrong. The storyline between Rue and Jules is fantastic. Even the relationship between Rue and her family members. It's all there - the arc and everything. However, I thought "EUPHORIA" was going to be all about Rue. I was wrong. Instead, it's all over the place, with different storylines from Cassie and McKay, to Cat (Kat ?) and her Kitty Queen status. Even Nate and Maddie are in a messed up situation. And sure, things like this (teen pregnancy, self-doubt and abusive relationships) are no doubt extremely present in today's society, those characters and their storylines somehow feel completely blown over. In one episode, it is revealed the Cassie is pregnant. McKay acts underwhelmingly in a scene that calls for tension. It just wasn't there. In the next episode, Cassie gets an abortion. There is no true focus on it, and is not well done. I'm not saying I got offended that the storyline wasn't handled seriously, I'm just saying it should have had more of a focus in quality acting. If the scene were written out better, the writers on "EUPHORIA" could have effectively told their story in the same amount of time that appeared onscreen.
Nate and Maddie are a mess, so I'm not sure if I even want to get into it. It seems as though it is right out of "Riverdale", which is a show that never fails to disappoint. Not to mention that their central issue of the season occurred over just a couple of episodes before it immediately resolved and was barely addressed again (if you're not counting Nate's father, who has some serious reoccurring yet not-so-reoccurring issues of his own).
Cat (Kat ?) has a storyline that's a bit easier to break down, but the resolution to her arc in season 1 is something that in no way left me satisfied. She grew jealous of a girl that Ethan was talking to at the carnival (although was too quick to assume), which is understandable due to self confidence - I'm sure we all can relate. And yet, in the ending episode, it was wrapped up so loosely that it felt... rushed. It was as if the writers just really wanted to finish her storyline up in order to move on to Rue's story. In a way, I get it. The only reason as to why I was watching Cat and Ethan make up was because I wanted to see what was going on with Rue.
And then there are several other characters such as Cassie's sister, Fez and Ashtray. I deeply hope that they come more into play in season 2, because from what I can tell, their character development has barely scraped the surface and therefore, the writers of "EUPHORIA" have a lot of material to work with.
In conclusion, in no way do I think that this is a bad show. The soundtrack fits in perfectly with every scene, and you can tell how much thought was put into the sound design. The visuals are self-explanatory. If only the storyline were stronger... then it would truly be able to compliment the acting talents of Zendaya and the rest of this show's cast.
Little Joe (2019)
"Flavorless Europudding"?
In attempts to be a female Frankenstein story, "Little Joe", directed by Jessica Hausner, tells the story of a female scientist, Alice, who creates a plant that can make people happy. Described by The Hollywood Reporter as "flavorless Europudding", the film was under- whelmingly artistic. The plot lacked structure and scenes did not flow as well as they had the potential to.
The storyline was fairly weak to begin with. The audience is initially introduced to Alice, who is abso- lutely work obsessed. She genetically modifies a plant that can change peoples' emotions and overall make them happy just by breathing in a scent. This project of Alice's surely goes wrong, as people are starting to become brainwashed. However, the brainwashing wasn't all that interesting. The plant, called Little Joe after Alice's son, Joe, was brainwashing people through its pollen in order for people to want to protect it, because the plant could not reproduce. The whole idea of this is just so hard to process, especially within the moment in a theater. It took me awhile to figure things out. The story is bland and straight out confusing for the first hour.
Overall, the point of the plant taking away peoples' emotions wasn't emphasized enough. The acting was nothing special - the actors didn't convince me that
the plant was harming them. The performances were so neutral and underwhelming. I couldn't feel emotions from any of the characters, even if there were intense parts within the film. In one scene, we see a character absolutely torn apart due to a build up of depression and other mental illnesses. Because of her job, the woman cannot stand her life anymore and throws herself off a high ledge in her work building. It was emotionless and bland during a time where the performances needed to be intense and dramatic. Hausner could not deliver to her own script's needs.
"Little Joe" was also just a failed thriller film. There was barely any suspense, even though I believe there was meant to be a lot. The pacing within the first hour was slow, trying to focus on family issues. It just took awhile for me to piece things together, which should never be the case (unless done extremely well, like in "Memento").
Though I thoroughly disliked the creative direction that was taken in the film, I would still rate it around a 6/10 solely because there were multiple strong technical aspects that I think a lot of the film critics' reviews overlooked. There was an article written on "Little Joe" that only focused on the negative aspects of it. It gave absolutely no credit to sound design. The sound was probably the best part of the film. The score matched up extremely well with the visuals and the sound effects worked perfectly with it too. The visual images that I was seeing went hand- in-hand with the auditory sounds that I was hearing. It made me feel content within the showing. Speaking of visuals, I appreciated how "Little Joe" used a really difficult color palette, yet somehow managed to keep it strong and consistent. The choice of reds and greens was a bold move, and I didn't think that it could be pulled off. It was - props to Hausner for that. The production designer was impressive and was not afraid to go for the consistent color palette. The image shown above was one of the main looks of the film, and it was color corrected absolutely perfectly. To end, I appreciated how the color palette was introduced to viewers, right from the opening shot.
13 Reasons Why (2017)
13 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Watch This
After watching season 1 and thinking this fully through, I decided to no longer support the show of 13 Reasons Why. Here is a list of 7 reasons as to why I just don't see the appeal in the show (sorry I lied in the title. I became way too tired). Obviously, this is all opinionated. You do not have to agree with me.
1. This show fights for mental illness, but represents it wrong. Depression isn't something that should be taken lightly. Yes, this is shown in the show. However, the show victimized Hannah rather than ever showing her being depressed. She was a victim of sexual assault and bullying, and thought this is a very possible point that could lead to depression, not all people with depression are necessarily a rape or bullied victim.
2. The show shows Hannah's suicide on screen. Yes, you do not have to watch it. In fact, many people most likely skipped over this part. However, it was so unnecessary. It creates an uncomfortable environment for some viewers, and is undoubtedly a red flag, despite the warnings.
3. The show shows rape onscreen. As if her killing herself wasn't enough for the producers of the show. The same explanation for reason 2 applies.
4. Clay Jenson's storyline moves too slowly. Everyone else in Hannah's tapes were able to listen in just a few hours. But, because Clay is such a special snowflake, it took him days and days to get through the collection. While some may argue that it's because Jenson was so in love with Hannah, I believe that that should not justify the fact that his storyline is just something that moves way too slowly. There are dull parts in multiple episodes that seem to have been put in to waste time.
5. It shows guidance counselors turning Hannah away. Now, I don't exactly remember how it happened, but I do know that this did happen. This is exactly the opposite of what school guidance counselors are trying to promote: help. They want to provide help to students who need it, but Hannah's counselor turned her down for some reason, which spreads bad word about people who are trying to help others.
6. It makes it seem like suicide is a choice. It dramatically reveals the quick and instantaneous message that: if you kill yourself, you will receive a lot of attention -- THIS IS NOT THE CASE!
7. It romanticizes suicide. The fact that Clay Jenson is in love with this suicide victim should be pretty self-explanatory here...
Overall, production design wise and acting wise, the show is fine. Yes, it is addictive, but I also believe that it can spread the wrong message to some people. Many fighters on Instagram will say "you don't have to watch the show!! It's THAT simple!!!" -- I don't watch the show anymore because of these reasons. It's like hearing a song on the radio you hate. You still don't like it...it's not like you listen to it, but you still have that opinion on it.