Change Your Image
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTU1MDM5NzA2OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTUwNDEwOTE@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
themoriartymethod
Reviews
Nancy Drew (2019)
Au contraire!
Before I watched this show, I did a quick google search, so naturally I saw the relatively average rating and assumed this was going to be another hard pass for me, as I have been entirely disenchanted by shows like Riverdale and Sabrina.
Still, mine is something of a Nancy Drew household. I've enjoyed the books, so to did my parents (my father for example, is a rather cautious driver, and often paraphrases lines such as "Nancy drove as fast as the law would allow").
I'll admit, the first episode didn't do much for me, and I've never been a fan of gratuitous sex scenes. I'm not a fan of gratuitous anything, really. If you can't fill your time slot without padding it with excessive softcore or sweeping drone shots with some popular for five minutes song, I figure you should probably take a few writing courses. This is where Nancy Drew 2019 loses a star from me - the first few episodes especially seem to have rely on padding.
Many of the criticisms I've seen posted here are invalid as far as I'm concerned. With the exception of one of the actors in the main cast (it's Nick. Dude always looks confused. Someone tell the directors to help him with his facial timing), I was completely enchanted by the portrayals and especially the character development. It is an absolute treat watching the comradely of the characters grow, and the way that the characters are written in the later episodes allowing them all to be individuals.
Nancy's character in particular is flawed, and I mean that in the literal sense. Her character arc is sprinkled with changes, and at no point does she come across as helpless or anything else. Despite her character's problems, she comes across as capable, whip smart, and independent (perhaps at times and to the benefit of the scrip, independent to a fault). Several times she sarcastically makes comments that are clearly "feminist"; but nothing that I would qualify as being "agenda pushing". Nancy is a strong female character, but not without flaws, and that's something that a lot of stories could learn from.
The show does not try to be edgy, like some people have claimed - at least not in the sense of most modern shows. While the "old" Nancy Drew may have solved mysteries that are somewhat "quaint", this version deals with more serious mysteries (murder, folklore, etc.) - which I think is fair treatment for the character. Nancy Drew has had several adaptions that hold truer to the books - this series is more of a look at what Nancy could be as an adult. While it is a "teen" show, the character is 18-19 - so yes, an adult, though a young one. This gives more room to explore new subject matter. At some point, Nancy Drew was going to be a grown up - and I'm enjoying the ride.
The series also makes several nods to the books and fans of the series who aren't expecting a female character from the 1930s in a show taking place in the 2010s will probably enjoy the easter eggs. For example, there is a hidden staircase (and a shot that mimics the cover of the book), a secret involving an old clock, Hannah Gruen being a "keeper" of sorts, and the high school named after the author Carolyn Keene.
I can honestly say I am very excited for season 2, and hope they are able to maintain the quality of season 1. I'd agree that the show gets off to a bit of a rough start, but pretty much from the second/third episode, it really is a treat, filled with twists and plenty of clues for viewers who are making guesses at the "whodunnit".
Enjoy the ride!
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Ouch
Not a spoiler, but a warning anyway:
All I'm going to say is that I have never lost respect for a character as quickly as I did Rey at the end of this film.
After the last few years defending her character, arguing she wasnt a mary sue, etc.
I feel pretty betrayed.
Overall - A big FU to JJ Abrams. What a mess of a film. I dont think I can stomach writing anymore about it. The 3 stars are for the aesthetic appeal and some of the jokes. That was SO BAD.
Extracurricular (2018)
Why?
I caught this film at TADFF. Thankfully I didn't technically lose any money on it, because if I'd spent a penny to see this I think I'd feel mildly violated.
Make no mistake, this isn't the worst film I've ever seen. In fact, it's so brutally cliche and average that I would almost prefer it had been terrible. Instead it was just a horribly drawn out experience in the finer aspects of boredom. With no reason to like the main characters save a very shallow girl/girl romantic arc with a student outside the murder club, one has no reason to enjoy their psychopathic behaviour. These aren't characters you love and they sure aren't fleshed out enough to be characters you love to hate. They're just generic high school brats arbitrarily turned into serial killers.
The film earns it's two stars for the aforementioned "romance" (which, like every other plot point in the film, serves no actual discernable purpose) - at least an attempt was made to give one of the characters a story. It just wasn't actually a story at all, because it had no beginning or end. It was just there, and ultimately added nothing to the film.
The second star comes from some decent cinematography, and the third from some fun (but again, largely unsatisfying and empty) kills and a few chuckle worthy lines of dialogue.
The director is heralded because of his young age, and I can't speak to how well this lines up with his other works. I can say, however, that this movie has put me off any desire to see anything by him. He has created something utterly forgettable and filled with tropes masquerading perhaps as tributes - with empty characters and ultimately uninspired locations and scenes, and a plot with so many holes and inconsistencies that if it had been filmed on cheese, it would be swiss.
It won't kill you to watch this movie, which manages to get your hopes up just enough every few scenes before abandoning whatever potential they had, but it will make you wish you'd watch videos of toddlers sucking on lemons instead - they offer the same amount of intellectual stimulation, and honestly, they probably tell a better story.
I hope that your benefit of his age (and by the size of his entourage and pocketbooks at the premiere) Ray learns that there's more to movies than setting barns on fire and moderately aesthetically pleasing special effects. If he doesn't figure that out, well, the next best thing would be that he find another career.