TenderTempest Reviews

My Girl (1991)

Thought this was just gonna be another wholesome kids movie but OMG?!

[9/10 · 6 December 2023]

This movie covers all bases from childhood innocence to bitterness that come with adulthood. The 90s were the golden era of family films, and this is no exception only difference is this turned out to be traumatic. It started off as cheerful and quirky, but it ripped my heart out and had my bawling towards the end. The climax literally made me hate bees like I never did before.

The dynamic between Thomas and Vada is adorable, cute and sweet though imo the writers could have given them a happy ending and it still would have been a great film. In a world full of tragedies and misery, happy endings should be something that we should be drawn towards.

As for the cast, great performances all around from Macaulay Culkin, Anna Chlumsky, JLC and Dan Aykroyd. Special mention to McCaulay Culkin for being so diverse with his characters and playing his role so amazingly well.

Voyagers (2021)

'Voyagers' brings out the worst in Humanity and threats facing future colonists

[4/10 · 16 April 2021]

The voyagers, a group of lab-grown teenagers raised on a spaceship en route to colonize and repopulate a distant exoplanet with habitable conditions soon takes a darker turn when a few overly hormonal teenagers let their hedonistic fantasies run wild. The themes on humanity at it's worst self is emphasized throughout the film but the execution is too clumsy for it to make much of an emotional impact. It just goes to show that we don't need alien intruders, crashing asteroids, or severe malfunctions in the spaceship to threaten the mission when the worst of human nature can cause a much bigger problem.

We also witness the kindness of compassionate and sympathetic characters like Sela (Lily-Rose Depp) that balances out the movie's equilibrium to an extent.

Think it has more to do with the outlook on humanity's worst self more than the spectacle of showing breathtaking views of space and distant exoplanets. Apart from Lily Rose Depp's character, everyone else turned out violent, rapey and (very cliched) toxic males fighting over who gets to claim the girl. Intriguing premise somewhat let down by bad editing, subpar acting and lacking special effects.

Vikings (2013–2020)

Vikings dabbles in different styles and genres like...does it want to look like GoT, Rome or Tudors?

[10/10 · 5 March 2020]

It doesn't matter because Vikings is still up there with the top drama shows and an invaluable gem for History Channel. The cinematography and beautiful scenery really stand out. The show begins with Ragnar as the lead but as the story progresses, his household characters - Floki, Lagertha, and his children get their chance in the limelight as well. Great casting choices and background music. 'Vikings' is so immersive that it also visualizes what the characters think/dream of - be it mythology or a character just tripping. Though it somewhat loses its track after S4, and characters are found switching sides as easy as a chameleon blends in with the surrounding. The battle sequences have surely gotten better later in the series and drama still can sustain a level of interest throughout.