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SLKneeland
Reviews
Agnes (2021)
Where was the plot??
This movie was so disappointing that I had to review it. Starts off slow and creepy, then just dissolves into meandering, plotless nothing and then ends. I honestly can't even pinpoint a climax, and I didn't feel like it gave enough explanation for the things that did happen. Like sex where someone nibbles your earlobe and you're like, okay, this is going to be a good time, then they just nibble your earlobe for an hour and a half and you're like... I feel stupid for letting you do this.
Ally McBeal (1997)
Cute show that fizzled out
Ally McBeal starts out on an awkward but endearing premise, a young lawyer is swept up by an unconventional law firm partnered by her old school acquaintance only to be faced with working side by side with her first love. The first couple seasons are a roller-coaster ride in the amusement park of imagination, weaving between her love life and her investments in her cases and coworkers.
It goes downhill after about the third season. Certain main characters start to degrade in their charm and interest, leading to a re-shuffling of the lead roles. Sadly, this couldn't revive the show for me. Ally's quirks have grown stale, the repetitive plot-lines revolving around sexual harassment are old, and the rest of the cast's personalities seem to be moving in a jaded direction.
All in all, a cute show that really should have quit while it was ahead.
The Vagina Monologues (2002)
Completely disappointed
I hated this film. It infuriated me, to be honest.
I'm a feminist, I'm comfortable with my body, my sexuality and my gender, and I despised this film. I think it ironically detached women from their vaginas instead of uniting them. My vagina is not some separate entity from me, wandering around with a hat and a catchphrase. It's a part of me, we're a team, we're inseparable.
Watching the actress reclaim the word "cunt" made me alternately angry and horrified. It was like watching a three year old throw a tantrum while turning inside out-- it was that graphically gross and irritating. The message isn't my issue-- it was HER.
All in all, I'm deeply disappointed by this movie, this message, and especially the presumptuous and conceited and horrifying way it was presented. I don't recommend anyone-- women or men-- to see it.
The Blue Lagoon (1980)
This movie is, above all, HONEST
I adored this movie. I thought it was stunningly honest, above all else.
About the nudity: Would I have liked this film half as much without the nudity? Of course not- it all goes back to what I said about honesty. What would you do if you were alone on a desert island with your best friend for years? I loved that the director wasn't afraid or ashamed to portray the most believable scenario, the one we all know is likely. It didn't even feel like a movie- it felt like a private glimpse into their story. It wouldn't have been the same if they had been covered up and ashamed AS IF SOMEONE WERE WATCHING.
About the birth: Um, humans have been having children unassisted for thousands of years. It is not too far-fetched to believe that these kids could take care of the situation. Nor is it far-fetched to think that two Victorian-era children were uninformed about pregnancy and nursing.
The acting: Of course it was awkward! Don't you remember what middle school was like? Don't you remember the secrets you thought you had to keep, and the confusion and the self-consciousness? I thought the film was brilliant at portraying this.
I loved that the characters reverted to their vague childhood memories of civilization. The 'dud n' berries' were a cute return to their early education, as is the prayer "Oh father who art in heaven, kingdom come, with liberty and justice for all" that Richard says when Em gets sick.
I hope this movie is never abused for the nudity of children, but I think that anyone who obsessed over it as critically sexual didn't watch the movie as it should have been watched.
Ghost World (2001)
Worthless
I disliked this movie intensely. It was a waste of my time, just as Enid is a waste of space.
Enid serves no purpose and she is, by definition, a sociopath. She was a poor student (she's repeating *art* for Pete's sake). She can't hold a job (if it was fun, they wouldn't have to pay you to do it). She's an awful friend, often jerking around her buddy in the film, Rebecca. She's an unusually cruel daughter, often belittling her father who has done nothing negative to her and allows her to do as she pleases. She's a worse step-daughter, completely at odds with the character of Maxine, whose greatest fault was being the pinnacle of normality. She fails utterly at cultivating a relationship with someone who is capable of reciprocating. Enid is also worthless to herself, often sabotaging herself, her relationships, and her place in the world.
This film wasn't about 'finding oneself.' It was about the selfish actions of one pathetic girl. Enid values her own individuality above everything. Does the peppy girl who reappears occasionally not have her own individual nature? Is she not also doing exactly what makes her happy? Enid's case is not significantly different than anyone else in the story, nor was it artistically obscure. The difference between Enid and everyone else is that everyone else in the film /makes it work/- and Enid is too lazy and too self destructive to realize that she is not exceptional and actually do something. I don't think this film had anything profound to say about how awful and shallow American culture is.