MARIAH's THOUGHTS on AVATAR: The Last Airbender (2024)

Genre:

Fantasy

Series:

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Season:

1

Rating:

TV-PG

Episodes:

8

Run Time:

47-64 minutes

Release Year:

2024

Series Directed by:

Michael Goi ... (2 episodes, 2024)

Roseanne Liang ... (2 episodes, 2024)

Jabbar Raisani ... (2 episodes, 2024)

Jet Wilkinson ... (2 episodes, 2024)

Based on the animated series by:

Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon

Social Media:

    

Plot Summary:

A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save a world at war — and fight a ruthless enemy bent on stopping him

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Cast:

Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Daniel Dae Kim

See Full Cast & Crew on IMDB

~~~~~

*My Thoughts*

So. Many. Remakes. And not just of Avatar: The Last Airbender but that’s beside the point. The 2024 Avatar: the Last Airbender is a much-anticipated remake and why shouldn’t it be when people are comparing it to the 2005 animated series and 2010 movie. But even with keeping each iteration separate in my mind, the 2024 version was lackluster. It covers the entirety of “Book One: Water” in eight episodes which follows Aang, Katara, Sokka, Appa, and Momo starting at the Southern water tribe and ending in the Northern water tribe. From the pacing of squeezing twenty thirty-minute episodes into eight hour long-episodes, it was difficult to become attached or more like re-attached to the characters, story, and actors. It relies on the viewers having already watched the animated version that took episodes to build character relationships. The Kiyoshi warriors, King Bumi, Princess Yui, or even Momo are just passing faces on the street. When Momo was fatally wounded in the battle at the Northern water tribe, we do not appreciate pet animal deaths, but the flying lemur had a total screentime of three minutes. It is just too easy to dismiss any of the deaths in the final battle when it is all so rushed. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024) could be a few episodes longer.

Minus the crash-course pacing, the award for best actors shall go to Zuko and Sokka, played by Dalla James Liu and Ian Ousley respectively. Zuko is a perfectly bratty teenage boy with the kindness and honor of his animated counterpart. The addition of Zuko’s crew’s backstory their characters depth, a reason to respect Zuko, rather than nameless characters simply existing because Zuko needs a crew to manage his ship. Sokka is still an endearing idiot who loves food, pretty girls, and inventing new machines and fighting methods, but he is missing his signature misogyny, a characteristic that slowly faded away in the animated series to show his personal growth. Sokka’s original personality is what also influenced Katara and her water bending.

Overall, the entertainment value of Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024) is minimal. It’s alright if you need something to eat your dinner with. Its faithfulness to the animated series is noticeably lacking but nothing that will ruin your viewing experience as an old fan. And at this point, genuinely, I’m tired of Avatar: The Last Airbender remakes.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Oppenheimer (2023)

Genre:

Drama/History/Biography

Rating:

R

Release Date:

July 21, 2023

Run Time:

3 hrs

Directed by:

Christopher Nolan

Produced by:

Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan

Production Co.:

Universal Pictures, Syncopy

Distribution Co.:

Universal Pictures

Social Media:

    

Cast:

Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh

See Full Cast & Crew on IMDB

Plot Summary:

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX®-shot epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it.

The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Emily Blunt as his wife, biologist and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer. Oscar® winner Matt Damon portrays General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey, Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

Academy Award® nominee Florence Pugh plays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie plays theoretical physicist Edward Teller, Michael Angarano plays Robert Serber and Josh Hartnett plays pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.

Oppenheimer also stars Oscar® winner Rami Malek and reunites Nolan with eight-time Oscar® nominated actor, writer and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh.

The cast includes Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Dylan Arnold (Halloween franchise), David Krumholtz (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises).

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan.

Oppenheimer is filmed in a combination of IMAX® 65mm and 65mm large-format film photography including, for the first time ever, sections in IMAX® black and white analogue photography.

Nolan’s films, including Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, have earned more than $5 billion at the global box office and have been awarded 11 Oscars and 36 nominations, including two Best Picture nominations.

source

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*My Thoughts*

I’m here for the drama. The way documentaries could be made to keep people’s attention, Oppenheimer (2023) kept me in anticipation with its music, cinematic lighting, and transitions. It feels like a symphony watching this movie as it bounces back and forth from Oppenheimer’s 1954 security hearing and his years at Los Alamos building the atomic bomb. There are slow moments and moments of anticipation as he and his team test bombs. The scene in Oppenheimer (2023) that depicts this like a piece of art is the celebratory rally after the atomic bombs drop. It shows Oppenheimer’s secondhand guilt. He looks into the audience, who are cheering his creation’s success, but sees nothing but flashing lights and corpses instead of the citizens living in Los Alamos.

Oppenheimer (2023) holds my attention because it has the historical aspect and the atomic bomb, but it has humanity behind it. It is a romanticization of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life, played by Cillian Murphy. Starting the movie during his university years in England, Oppenheimer is filled with stress, as are many university students, riddled with anxiety, able to focus, sleeplessness, and homesickness. It is a good precursor of his personality throughout the movie. His mind is always racing, “hearing the music without needing to read the notes,” as Niels Bohr within the movie puts it. Oppenheimer sees particles and atoms depicted as sparks and little explosions throughout the movie. He’s brilliant, curious, and doesn’t seem to find joy in many things unless he can learn from them.

Oppenheimer (2023) also covers his relationships with others. Although perplexed by Oppenheimer’s witticism or belittled by his ego, men respect and admire him. Women are drawn to him because they find his intelligence enigmatic. Oppenheimer’s enthusiasm for quantum physics draws more scientific minds to him, especially when he begins researching and teaching at Berkeley, and the California Institute of Technology.

Cinematically beautiful, but in the end, Oppenheimer (2023) could have been shaved down by thirty minutes. The ego between scientists made evident, the point of the movie came across, and relationships explored, by the end of the movie, I and other movie goers were getting restless.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on The School for Good and Evil (2022)

Genre:

Fantasy

Rating:

PG-13

Release Date:

October 19, 2022

Run Time:

2 hrs 29 mins

Directed by:

Paul Feig

Based on the bestselling books by:

Soman Chainani

Production Co.:

Netflix, Feigco Entertainment, Jane Startz Productions, Roth Films, Roth/Kirschenbaum Films

Distribution Co.:

Netflix

Social Media:

  

Cast:

Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Flatters, Kit Young, Peter Serafinowicz, Rob Delaney, Mark Heap, Patti LuPone, Rachel Bloom

See Full Cast & Crew on IMDB

Plot Summary:

Best friends Sophie and Agatha find their bond put to the test when they're whisked away to a magical school for future fairy-tale heroes and villains.

source

~~~~~

*My Thoughts*

Cliché as can possibly be, The School for Good and Evil (2022) film is cheesy and over the top with puffy dresses, glitter, flowers, and pink, lots of pink, but I still loved how fun it all is. Two outcast best friends live in a dreary little village and are whisked away to a school of magic and fairytales where they fully embrace who they are. Afterall, the film is set in Gavaldon, a small-time village where everyone frowns upon those who are different. Don’t dream too big. Don’t stand out. No witches or princesses allowed. But Sophie and Agatha, played by Sophia Caruso and Sofia Wylie respectively, are comfortable enough being themselves and traverse life, despite being bullied, harassed, and nearly assaulted by dusty crusty villagers. The School for Good and Evil (2022) is predictable but glittery, fun, and dramatic. My only grievance is that the acting feels stiff sometimes.

Sophie is a talented seamstress with a room filled with her personal designs. She’s optimistic, ambitious, and loves to read. It seems like Sophie tries to lean far into the ideal princess aesthetic. Agatha is more grounded, intelligent, yet kind and selfless, and she also helps her grandmother collect herbs and ingredients. When Sophie can’t stand living a tepid life in Gavaldon, she writes a note asking for admission to the School for Good and Evil, a magical place described in one of the various books she read, and places it in a wishing tree located at Sophie and Agatha’s hang out spot. While Sophie is admitted into the school and swept away by an unknown creature, Agatha hangs on to her best friend for dear life and winds up being dragged along and the two are, with unexpected results, dropped off at the school. After looking at their characters throughout the movie, Agatha being placed in the school for good and Sophie being placed in the school for evil is sensible.

As far as stereotypes are concerned, Agatha despises being a princess, never wanting to have been dragged to the magical school in the first place. She doesn’t want to be a damsel in distress or smile and be kind all the time. She despises big, puffy, and impractical dresses. Men’s attention even appalls her, yet she is admitted into the good side of the school. On the other hand, Sophie wants to be the princess of a fairytale land and do much more with her life than live in a simple village. She is ambitious and headstrong, even conniving. Sophie, much to her disappointment, is admitted to the evil side of the school. But due to each of their most prominent personality traits, they prove to be more fit for the half of the school than they originally believed.

The big bad, the antagonist, the real villain of the entire movie, Rafal, trickles into the plot bit by bit. At first, he is seen in the first few minutes of The School for Good and Evil (2022), supposedly being defeated by his twin brother Rhian in a duel, but he reveals himself to be the real survivor after Agatha and Sophie slowly integrate themselves into their respective halves of the school. He is your conventional villain, spiteful, jealous, overconfident, and vindictive. Rafal appears as an apparition made of blood flowing throughout the school and as Sophie falls further into the depths of her ambition to become a princess, he manipulates her to become his ultimate accomplice. But staying true to modern times, Sophie doesn’t need a handsome prince to save her and the entire school from being swallowed by Rafal’s influence. Agatha proves that she has more than enough love and care for her best friend and others to help save everyone.

The School for Good and Evil (2022) is a modern take on the whole fairytale motif. Although cliché and predictable, I find it entertaining for younger audiences, whether that be your child or adolescent teenager. For an older audience, it’s simple and fun background noise to your busy schedule.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Barbie (2023)

Genre:

Comedy/Adventure

Rating:

PG-13

Release Date:

July 21, 2023

Run Time:

1 hr 54 mins

Directed by:

Greta Gerwig

Production Co.:

Warner Bros. Pictures, Mattel Films, Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment,

Distribution Co.:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Social Media:

   

Cast:

Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrer, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Will Farrell, Rhea Perlman, Helen Mirren

See Full Cast & Crew on IMDB

Plot Summary:

To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.

From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”) comes “Barbie,” starring Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie (“Bombshell,” “I, Tonya”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” “Half Nelson”) as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera (“End of Watch,” the “How to Train Your Dragon” films), Kate McKinnon (“Bombshell,” “Yesterday”), Michael Cera (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Juno”), Ariana Greenblatt (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “65”), Issa Rae (“The Photograph,” “Insecure”), Rhea Perlman (“I’ll See You in My Dreams,” “Matilda”), and Will Ferrell (the “Anchorman” films, “Talladega Nights”). The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne (“Little Women”), Emma Mackey (“Emily,” “Sex Education”), Hari Nef (“Assassination Nation,” “Transparent”), Alexandra Shipp (the “X-Men” films), Kingsley Ben-Adir (“One Night in Miami,” “Peaky Blinders”), Simu Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Scott Evans (“Grace and Frankie”), Jamie Demetriou (“Cruella”), Connor Swindells (“Sex Education,” “Emma.”), Sharon Rooney (“Dumbo,” “Jerk”), Nicola Coughlan (“Bridgerton,” “Derry Girls”), Ritu Arya (“The Umbrella Academy”), Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”).

Gerwig directed “Barbie” from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story,” “The Squid and the Whale”), based on Barbie by Mattel. The film’s producers are Oscar nominee David Heyman (“Marriage Story,” “Gravity”), Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, with Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Ynon Kreiz, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich and Cate Adams serving as executive producers.

Gerwig’s creative team behind the camera included Oscar-nominated director of photography Rodrigo Prieto (“The Irishman,” “Silence,” “Brokeback Mountain”), six-time Oscar-nominated production designer Sarah Greenwood (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Anna Karenina”), editor Nick Houy (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”), Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“Little Women,” “Anna Karenina”), visual effects supervisor Glen Pratt (“Paddington 2,” “Beauty and the Beast”), music supervisor George Drakoulias (“White Noise,” “Marriage Story”) and Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat (“The Shape of Water,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a Heyday Films Production, a LuckyChap Entertainment Production, a Mattel Production, “Barbie.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and released in theaters only nationwide on July 21, 2023 and beginning internationally on July 19, 2023.

source

~~~~~

*My Thoughts*

“This is the most over-the-top, whimsical, wacky piece of art that has touched what sliver of my soul I have left,” is the most accurate sentence I can come up with to describe Barbie (2023). The opening scene with narration and little girls playing with dolls in a desolate wasteland set the tone of the entire film. Little girls play with baby dolls in a dusty, desert scape until a giantess Barbie, played by Margot Robie, appears as a magnificent curiosity. For them, Barbie symbolizes freedom and imagination. They realize they don’t want to just play mother or housewife anymore. They want to be glamorous, confident, and career-driven women. As a babydoll is tossed into the air, the movie then transitions to Barbieland, where everything is perfect, pink, peaceful, and Barbie-centric. The different types of Barbies have their roles in society and it’s like a pretty utopia, and then there’s the Kens who coexist with the Barbie’s.

The conflict of Barbie (2023) rises when the main Barbie, stereotypical Barbie, starts manifesting thoughts outside of the norm for Barbieland, such as death and depression. Stereotypical Barbie’s world starts to spoil like milk and nothing goes right for her, like she’s in a constant state of bad luck. Fairly early in, I noticed the foreshadowing of how brilliant the movie would be from set the color scheme, environment, and the soundtrack. The bright pink and pastel outfits that Barbie normally wears start to change with her newfound conscientiousness, such as a blue business casual outfit to represent depression, muted colors, and greyscale to represent the journey to the real world where it seems colder and harsher. The soundtrack often transitions from upbeat pop music to melodious and melancholy. But let’s not forget the Kens.

The main Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, is clingy and desperate for stereotypical Barbie’s attention and approval because that’s how he started and that’s how he wanted to end. Ken follows Barbie into the real world and learns a different way of life. While he does bring more stereotypically masculine aspects back to Barbieland, monster trucks, beer, and faux fur coats, he also dismantles his homeland to become Ken’s mojo dojo casa. The major climax of Barbie: The Movie (2023) is an exaggerated fight scene and musical. To say the least, I was pleasantly confused but pleased. In the end, Barbieland incorporated the Barbies’ and Kens’ needs and desires.

Barbie (2023) plays heavily on gender stereotypes to lean into its comedy genre, and it works. After watching the movie, I understood why there was plenty of social media discourse. It hits many social issues and makes references to the history of Barbie. It is, indeed, a pink acid trip but it’s such an in-your-face masterful piece of art that you’d want to go back for more.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on One Piece Film: RED (2022)

Genre:

Animation/Action/Adventure

Rating:

PG-13

Release Date:

November 4, 2022

Run Time:

1 hour 55 minutes

Directed by:

Gorô Taniguchi

Screenplay by:

Tsutomu Kuroiwa

Original Story by:

Eiichiro Oda

Produced by:

Eiichiro Oda

Production Co.:

Toei Animation

Distribution Co.:

Crunchyroll

Social Media:

 

Cast:

Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi, Kazuki Yao

See Full Cast & Crew on IMDB

Plot Summary:

Uta —the most beloved singer in the world. Renowned for concealing her own identity when performing, her voice has come to be described as “otherworldly.” Now, for the first time ever, Uta will reveal herself to the world at a live concert. As the venue fills with all kinds of Uta fans—excited pirates, the Navy watching closely, and the Straw Hats led by Luffy who simply came to enjoy her sonorous performance—the voice that the whole world has been waiting for is about to resound. The story begins with the shocking fact that she is Shanks' daughter.

source

~~~~~

*My Thoughts*

Opposed to One Piece: Stampede, where the main antagonist felt empty and one dimensional, One Piece Film: RED gives Uta the entire spotlight. It is set after the Wano arc, nearly one thousand episodes and chapters into the main story of One Piece. The Straw Hat Pirates travel to Elegia to see a live concert from the world-famous singer, Uta. Although Uta is an antagonist for only one film, she’s fully developed with motivation and backstory that makes her compelling to watch. She is the adopted daughter of Red-Haired Shanks, the pirate that inspired Monkey D. Luffy to become a pirate in the first place, but she was left behind as a child on the island of Elegia after a devastating attack that left the island barren and desecrated with only its former ruler left alive to raise Uta and help her develop her singing skills. After several years, Uta is a talented singer who invites people to Elegia and over den den mushi or transponder snails to watch her first ever live concert. Although she wants to create an era of peace and joy through her music, the cost is over seventy percent of the lives of the world’s population as the effects of Uta’s singing sends her listeners’ souls into a dream of which they will never awaken from even if she dies. One Piece Film: RED is both entertaining and terrifying thanks to Uta and Ado’s performance.

Gorgeous. Beautiful. We love Ado’s music in this house. It is easily a five-star film simply for Uta’s character and Ado’s voice but I’m knocking One Piece Film: RED down a star simply because it felt like the Straw Hats didn’t matter. Luffy is the only one that mattered though because he is Uta’s childhood friend and subsequently understood how she feels. The rest of the crew are there because they happen to be the protagonists of the main One Piece series and are just tools to stop Uta from destroying everything, which is fine for the moment. The final fight is intense and the cameos from fan favorites like Katakuri are fun, but I didn’t feel a sense of unity or relationship between the Straw Hats or majority of the characters. Similar to One Piece: Stampede, from an outsider’s perspective, the Straw Hats are a pirate crew who know a lot of the other characters and we just accept it with no explanation or build up. “These characters seem to cooperate very well in combat. I have no idea how they know each other, but this film seems really cool,” is what I would say if I had no knowledge of the Straw Hats. I know these characters and I’m willing to see this movie in theaters, but it’s not something I would, for example, bring my cousin to, who is becoming interested in anime.

My biggest chagrin to this film with music and a singing antagonist is that it failed to cameo my favorite crew, the Kid Pirates who are a music themed crew inspired by punk and metal specifically.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on The Platform (2019)

Genre:

Spanish/Horror/Sci-fi/Thriller

Rating:

TV-MA

Release Date:

September 22, 2019

Run Time:

1 hour 34 minutes

Directed by:

Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

Production Co.:

Basque Films, Mr Miyagi Films, Plataforma La Película AIE, Consejería de Cultura del Gobierno Vasco, Euskal Irrati Telebista (EiTB), Eusko Jaurlaritza (with the support of), Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) (with the support of), Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA) (with the support of), Radio Televisión Española (RTVE), Zentropa

Distribution Co.:

Netflix

Social Media:

Cast:

Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan, Emilio Buale, Alexandra Masangkay

(For full cast and crew on IMDB)

Plot Summary:

A slab of food descends floor by floor in a prison. The inmates above eat heartily, leaving those below starving and desperate. A rebellion is imminent.

source

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*My Thoughts*

I heard of the movie The Platform or El Hoyo about a year ago but hadn’t considered watching it until someone recommended it to me recently. It is a Spanish social science and psychological horror film. The main character is a young man named Goreng looking to earn a diploma in exchange for six months in the “Vertical Self- Management Center,” nicknamed “The Pit,” which is essentially a torture chamber with literally extra levels, but cellmates are allowed to bring one item from the outside world. In Goreng’s case, he brings a book, Don Quixote. Although inmates have their basic needs met such as toiletries and mattresses, The Pit itself only has one source of food and that is the levitating platform that descends every day. It is full on the first floor, but the lower it gets the less food there is for those deeper in The Pit. Those viewing The Platform are meant to follow Goreng as he spends time with his cellmates and switches around different floors each month.

Goreng seems to be a kind man that cares for others and wouldn’t need to be in The Pit, but with each floor he spends time on, the more he changes. He first wakes up on a floor in the seventies with his cellmate, Trimagasi. The next month he wakes up on a floor in the hundreds causing him and Trigamasi much despair. In the third month, Goreng had survived and was assigned a new cellmate, Imoguiri, the woman who interviewed him to enter The Pit. Each month it seems like Goreng becomes less willing to fight his circumstances or convince those on higher floors to consider helping those below them. When he seems to have lost his will to live, there’s a shred of his humanity left. Goreng aims to change the system of the “Vertical Self-Management Center” and those who control it from within the The Pit. There’s at least one soul willing to help him in his pursuit but very few after that.

The Platform is a film that shows but never tells. It’s suspenseful and leaves you questioning your place in life or what kind of human you are. The simplicity of a four walled cell and a levitating platform lets those who view The Platform imagine the worst. Although not a hack-n-slash horror film, it will not disappoint those who are more into suspense and social commentary.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Umma (2022)

Genre:

Drama/Horror/Mystery/Thriller

Rating:

PG-13

Release Date:

March 18, 2022

DVD/Blu-Ray Release Date:

May 24, 2022

Run Time:

1 hour 23 minutes

Directed by:

Iris K. Shim

Production Co.:

Catchlight Studios, Raimi Productions, Stage 6 Films, Starlight Media

Distribution Co.:

Sony Pictures

Social Media:

Cast:

Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart, Dermot Mulroney, Odeya Rush, MeeWha Alana Lee, Tom Yi

(For full cast and crew on IMDB)

Plot Summary:

Umma, which is the Korean word for “mother,” follows Amanda (Sandra Oh) and her daughter (Fivel Stewart) living a quiet life on an American farm, but when the remains of her estranged mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the fear of turning into her own mother.

source

~~~~~

*My Thoughts*

Umma is a movie following a mother and daughter on their somewhat isolated bee farm, starring Sandra Oh and Fivel Stewart as Amanda and Chris respectively. The first few minutes are a quick introduction but immediately introduces Umma who will cause some supernatural trouble. After Amanda’s mother dies, her ashes are brought to the farm for a final and proper ceremony to put her soul to rest, but Umma’s spirit still lingers to see what has become of her daughter after so many years of animosity. Amanda’s daughter, Chris, knows very little to nothing of her grandmother or even the outside world because Amanda had been sheltering and home schooling her since she was a child. The only communication they have is with a local shop owner, Danny, who helps them with their groceries, selling their harvested honey, and occasionally keeps the two company when his niece comes to visit.

On the surface it seems a little plain, it uses a few jump scares, but Umma also uses clever patterns that show Amanda becomes what she fears the most, her mother. There are indications of trauma due to childhood abuse and gaslighting that cause Amanda to pass on the abuse to Chris. Unfortunately, it is up to Chris’s character to break said patterns and end the cycle of emotional abuse to gain her independence. The more Chris tries to break away from Amanda though, the stronger Umma’s hold on Amanda strengthens causing both to fear for their lives. Eventually, Amanda’s dismay to Chris wanting to leave for college gives Umma the opportunity to possess Amanda.

The supernatural aspect of Umma helps drive home the message of healing old wounds and gives Amanda and Chris opportunities to build a healthier relationship. Even Umma is at peace when Chris influences Amanda to break free. Although they respect Umma for helping bring them life and making them who they are, Amanda and Chris eventually help her pass on with a traditional ceremony. I would say the overall entertainment value is a three out of five stars, it’s a bit tepid throughout and no scene throughout the movie became memorable, but the execution and message are a five out of five.

My rating:

JASMINE's THOUGHTS on The Sandman (2022)

Genre:

Adult

Dark Fantasy/Horror/Drama

Rating:

TV-MA

Release Date:

August 5, 2022

Season:

1

Episodes:

10

Run Time:

37-54 minutes

Network:

Netflix

Based on:

The Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman

Production Co.:

Netflix

Warner Bros. Productions

DC Entertainment

DC Comics

Distribution Co.:

Netflix

Social Media:

     

Cast:

Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Charles Dance, Gwendoline Christie, Jenna Coleman, Mason Alexander Park, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Stephen Fry, David Thewlis, Ann Ogbomo, and more

(For full cast and crew on IMDB)

Plot Summary:

There is another world that waits for all of us when we close our eyes and sleep — a place called the Dreaming, where The Sandman, Master of Dreams (Tom Sturridge), gives shape to all of our deepest fears and fantasies. But when Dream is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for a century, his absence sets off a series of events that will change both the dreaming and waking worlds forever. To restore order, Dream must journey across different worlds and timelines to mend the mistakes he’s made during his vast existence, revisiting old friends and foes, and meeting new entities — both cosmic and human — along the way.

Based on the beloved award-winning DC comic series written by Neil Gaiman, THE SANDMAN is a rich, character-driven blend of myth and dark fantasy woven together over the course of ten epic chapters following Dream’s many adventures. Developed and executive produced by Gaiman, showrunner Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer.

source

~~~~~

*My Thoughts*

Note: This Review contains NO spoilers

Although I haven't read the graphic novels, I was already enticed to watch this new series after watching the trailer and reading the synopsis. Now, after watching this first season, I am absolutely mesmerized with it! I enjoyed each and all of 10 episodes. The casting is great! The cinematography is stunning! The storytelling flowed seamlessly from episode to episode.

This is definitely a must watch for fans of dark fantasy and mythology. This contemporary adaptation of mythology and fantasy is mind-blowing and captivating. Each episode will take viewers on Dream's journey and struggle to adjust to the changes in time and history while he was imprisoned. This first season introduced viewers to the various characters and their connections to each other in the waking world and the dream world... and then some.

I was completely absorbed into the storytelling of this new Netflix series. I found it to be dark, fascinating, and dramatic. I also found myself having to watch scenes over again to understand the flow of the story better. Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad thing. I would say that even the smallest intriguing detail can make a difference in following the story.

After binge watching all 10 episodes, I am even more excited to see this series to continue on. Season 1 is just a tease of what to expect more of in the next season(s) to follow. I so hope The Sandman series continues with more seasons... with more stories to tell.

My rating:

JASMINE's THOUGHTS on Dune (2021)

Genre:

Action/Adventure, Science Fiction, Drama

Rating:

PG-13

Release Date:

October 21, 2021

Run Time:

2 hrs 35mins

Directed by:

Denis Villeneuve

Based on the novel Dune by:

Frank Herbert

Screenplay by:

Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts

Production Co.:

Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Entertainment, Villeneuve Films

Distribution Co.:

Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO Max

Social Media:

     

Cast:

Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac,Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Dave Bautista

(For full cast and crew on IMDB)

Plot Summary:

Oscar nominee Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049”) directs Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Dune,” the big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestselling book.

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Villeneuve directed “Dune” from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth based on the novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert. Villeneuve also produced the film with Mary Parent, Cale Boyter and Joe Caracciolo, Jr. The executive producers are Tanya Lapointe, Joshua Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Jon Spaihts, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present “Dune”.

source

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains NO spoilers

Wow! What an epic film... AND, it is the only part one! The cinematography was amazing. The story was compelling and intense. AND... Oh my goodness!!! The worms.... WHOA! 😲 It was impressive! The whole time I was watching this first part, I kept replaying the Dune 1984 film in my head. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to make a comparison between the two films. I enjoyed this 2021 film, and it was just the "tip of the iceberg" into the Dune Saga. I have to admit that while not comparing this to the 1984 movie, I found some similarities in some scenes. And... It was great! Ha! Moreover, this 2021 version is not trying to cram the entire book into about two hours, and was giving viewers more details. And, that's what I really enjoyed about this 2021 version. Although the 1984 version is probably a cult classic for me, I am also loving this 2021 film.

I was absolutely blown away with the beautiful cinematography and costumes. With a strong and fascinating story, I was in complete wonder watching the story of Dune being laid out in this first part of the film series. I love when film adaptations of books get made as close to the book as possible. Although I haven't read the book series... yet, I have watched other film adaptations of books not "following" the book (that I have read), and was ruined by it. I will have to read Dune to find out... Ha! Other than that, Dune was well worth the 2 hours and 35 minutes to watch this captivating and entertaining film adaptation. And... I am so looking forward to watching the next parts in the Dune Saga.

Yup! It is only the beginning!

My rating: