freidap Reviews

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

gen z done it

[4/10 · 3 April 2024]

A hurricane party goes awry.

I can't say a lot good about this movie other than it's beautiful due to the stunning actresses and the usual A24 color correction. I think it's going for horror satire but kind of misses the mark. On the serious side, the movie tries to develop the motivations of the characters by using short monologues as they incessantly run around the house looking for answers to their mystery. It uses almost none of the divulged information successfully. On the lighter end, the film adapts generational satire, but overplays it.

So who done it? Was it the coke, the shrooms, the creepy 10 years older dudes, an intruder, a glow necklace come to life?

If you can make it over halfway through, the final scene makes the movie worth finishing, but I believe the creators relied heavily on this end and forgot to develop the movies means. It's almost as if the whole movie was created around its conclusion as the sole idea.

4/10 for bodies bodies bodies.

Rotting in the Sun (2023)

simply excellent modern classic

[8/10 · 2 March 2024]

Starving artist Sebas, seeing his woes intensified by social media, sinks further into depression. Thriving influencer Jordan rides a wave that only a vast but supremely shallow online presence could bring.

These men are two sides of the same coin. When their relationship builds, things take a turn for the interesting.

The movie includes modern tropes but modernity is not the point. There are classic dichotomies in the forefront. Is what you want the thing you need? Is the artist an artist if they don't perform? What is the performer without the artist? Where is the line between brutal imposition and destructive passivity?

Loved it!

Air (I) (2023)

Lackluster

[4/10 · 15 June 2023]

I was expecting something enticing and exciting but this movie fell through. The actors took advantage of their star quality with lackluster performances, as if they just showed up and were given their character and lines the day of filming. Because of this, I did not have a good sense of the real life individuals they were playing, Jordan's dad being the exception.

Also, so much time was spent in this office / HQ, and the dialog nor story was interesting enough for that setting. I. E. They did not include much info that was not general knowledge to anyone who has seen a Jordan documentary or read his Wikipedia. The movie relied on 2 or 3 facts as shocking revelations to impress the audience, and those facts were drilled hard.

I will give credit to the film editing as it was pretty seamless. The pacing was also good. The cheesy moments fell flat but they made for good jokes if you're watching with others.

4/10.

Before Sunset (2004)

Objectively good

[7/10 · 4 February 2023]

I appreciate the craft of this movie, especially the continuity. It's an objectively good movie. But.. I can't say I enjoyed it that much. The characters seemed written to be realistic - but too much realism made them unrealistic. This was a mentally bumpy ride for me.

Like, did people actually talk like this in 2004, in prose with several random sexual plugs? Their dynamic has tension and chemistry, but what do they see in each other? Jesse is terribly cringy and un-charming, while both self-absorbed and self-deprecating. He had the grace of youth as the excuse in Before Sunrise. I was expecting he would mature in the 9 years before reencountering Celine, but nope! Celine is no saint either, lying directly to Jesse on occasion, but she has more likabilities. But maybe thats what this is all about: two flawed humans fall in lust. An imperfect love forms through space, time, and imagination.

How imagined or pure is the connection with someone you've spent about 24 hours in 10 years with? I guess we'll see in Before Midnight..

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

What you'd expect

[5/10 · 1 February 2023]

Not knowing anything about the story before viewing, I got what I had expected from this film. It seems a simple adaptation from the novel, with typical rom-dram scripting and a rounded-off ending.

Some time periods were a bit rushed as others mentioned - like love scenes that had seemingly no basis for the passion ensued. But even though there are logical jumps, the plot's unraveling mystery does not leave you bored.

Being from the North Carolina coast, I really enjoyed the scenery and felt the roles and locations were true to the state's character. The film is visually stimulating overall and is worth committing to on a boggy day.

The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021– )

Funny and relatable

[7/10 · 19 August 2022]

The Sex Lives of College girls is both entertaining and relevant. I found myself laughing out loud many times but in the same scenes feeling very empathetic to the realistic challenges the girls face. The show could have been a solid 8/9 but there were two things distracting me 1. Acting from some the secondary characters fell flat, and 2. Dubbing. The dubbing was so obvious I questioned if it was intentional, and on top of this the new dubbed lines didn't hit.. But, overall nice show and I'll be back to watch the second season!

Bling Empire (2021–2022)

Into it

[7/10 · 1 May 2021]

Such a fun show to get lost in for a couple of days. The lavish lives of the cast are unrelatable but their personal circumstances sure aren't. I love that they have included some descriptive cultural asides in the show, making it less purely voyeuristic than most other reality tv shows. I'm ready for the next season!

Two Distant Strangers (2020)

Firm message and solid production

[7/10 · 28 April 2021]

Overall, I liked it. Joey Bada$$ did a superb job and I believe he has a big acting career ahead of him if he wants it.

I was hoping the story would be less simple, but then again subtle messaging has not done much for the black community in the past. This simplicity makes it good for almost anyone to watch and (hopefully) empathize with the morals.

I agree that the police officer was kind of unrealistic - not because his words, actions, or intentions were unrealistic, but because the delivery and timing of these could have been adjusted for a greater, realistic effect.

In the end, this short film will certainly be worth your time.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Just watch it!

[6/10 · 2 February 2021]

If you are looking for a revenge thriller that the trailer implies then this will not be the movie for you. If you go into the movie without expectations, you may enjoy the ride.

First, I loved the casting of this movie. Almost all actors played a role contrary to their typical type-cast. The direction was also wonderful and playful.

I can see how the central character is frustrating to viewers as she refuses to fulfill expectations by neither taking an extreme nor taking a logical approach to solve a problem and reconcile with reality. This said, the messaging around sexual assault is handled relatively lightly so this movie may be even more frustrating for survivors.

Unlike other reviewers, the end did not ruin the movie for me. I liked the ultimate message as I saw it: a woman must destroy herself completely in the name of justice.

Superior (2021)

Entertaining and thrilling!

[6/10 · 2 February 2021]

I had the opportunity to see this film premiere at Sundance and really enjoyed the movie from start to finish.

The high points of the movie were the pacing and originality of the story as well as the character disassociation that takes place at the height of the plot. The disassociation seemed really original and I wish it was played up even more!

I docked a star or two for a couple of reasons (I'm new to film and cinema history so excuse any criticisms that I have which are related to stylistic choices). One thing that I found unnecessary was the driving home of 80's references - every time a period reference became a focal point, I found myself looking for physical objects that would be contradictory. Second, I found that Vivian's character could have been written better in the first half of the movie. Her initial interactions with Marian seemed improvised and unusual given the time the sisters had been apart, at least unusual without much context. Lastly, and this may be purely stylistic, but the subjects were sometimes precisely center-camera, in a way that drew my eyes from the subjects and to their setting (particularly in the house).

Overall I thought this was a great debut by Vassilopoulos - I'm excited to follow her work and see how her career evolves from Superior.

Mario (I) (2018)

A Must Watch

[8/10 · 16 September 2020]

Although the film employs an unremarkable plot-line consisting of a push-pull love story, the acting and dialogue will have you empathizing with every emotion of the two main characters. Aside from the incredible acting, Mario highlights an important issue: the anti-gay culture that persists in the most renowned sport in the world, football. All said, I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone.

Billy on the Street (2011– )

Hilarious

[10/10 · 19 January 2020]

I discovered this show after I heard Billy on Conan O'Brien's podcast and absolutely love it. Some reviewers might be offended by Billy's outlandish style, but the New Yorkers interviewed on the show truly don't care. Watch at least a few episodes and Billy's eager attitude will grow on you.

If you don't have a decent knowledge of pop culture it will be hard to get this show. If you do, you might love it.

The Circle (2020– )

Nice concept, improvements needed

[7/10 · 19 January 2020]

I really enjoyed the premise of the show, and did feel the urge to continue watching. The contestants were well-selected overall, providing a good mix of personalities.

However, some of the segments were unbearably dragged out and the finale was poorly executed. I found that when someone was able to meet another person from the circle face-to-face, the scene was extended for too long. Not sure if this was poor editing or just the lack of rapport between contestants. Either way, it was awkward.

In the finale, a catfish entered the meeting room first to meet the other contestants, and then had to explain themselves every time a new person entered the room. I feel as though they should have entered the catfish last in this scene for the sake of redundancy.

Also, I hope the production team will improve their voice dictation capabilities, or whatever was going on there. It seemed like the contestants had to scream into their TV's to get their words typed, which was kind of distracting.

Next season, I hope the circle will prompt more 1:1 interactions or games between contestants. This will give better content for editing and hopefully reduce the chance of someone not knowing how to rank their fellow contestants, due to lack of interaction, by the end of the season.