Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

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Today we’re going to talk about a movie that is the latest installment in a franchise I had almost pronounced dead. Does The Secrets of Dumbledore allow Fantastic Beasts to make a comeback, or can we bury it for good?

The Plot (According to Rotten Tomatoes):

Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?

Fantastic Beasts on RT

The Rating:

I was quite curious about this film. In preparation I rewatched the first two Fantastic Beasts flicks since I couldn’t remember a thing. While the first one had been somewhat decent if a bit bland, the second one was a hot mess. So, if we were to continue with that downwards trend, the third movie would be awful – and that’s what I prepared for. But I wanted to know just how bad it was going to be.
Turns out, it actually wasn’t?? Sure, this isn’t the most intriguing film out there but it was decently good. I was *so* surprised.

The biggest letdown of the second film for me was the story that was essentially plot holes taped together and holding on for dear life. In this one, the story makes more sense and manages to draw you in. I mean, there are still some flaws, but in comparison, it is a big step up. Somehow the pace of this one is also better than in the second one and the story just flows a lot nicer. Now I am curious about the next movie! I was fully prepared to just put this series in the trash and give up on it and its future installments. But The Secrets of Dumbledore reeled me back in. However, while the title refers to Dumbledore, he actually doesn’t have all that much screentime. In the second film, I was really irritated with it being called The Crimes of Grindelwald and then at the end, you end up wondering what his crimes were (I mean, what did he do before the movie?). I hope that we learn more about the connection between the two in the next films because not properly addressing the past is a major plot hole for me. Yes, they throw in a sentence or two here and there but I feel like we didn’t learn about any of it in a profound way, we’re just barely scraping the surface so far.

Downton Abbey: A New Era

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Are you reading for a trip to the 1920s? Well, let’s embark on a little journey to Downton Abbey together and discuss the latest movie in the franchise!

The Plot (as found on Rotten Tomatoes):

From award-winning creator Julian Fellowes comes the motion picture event DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA. The much-anticipated cinematic return of the global phenomenon reunites the beloved cast as they go on a grand journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the Dowager Countess’ newly inherited villa.

Downton Abbey on RT

The Rating:

Because deep down at heart I’m 70 years old, I, of course, went to see the new Downton Abbey movie as soon as it hit the cinema. Let’s be honest though, we all know what kind of content Downton Abbey is, so I really wasn’t expecting much from the movie.

First of all, it’s been ages since I’ve seen the show, so the first quarter of the movie was spent trying to remember who everybody is on my part. Oopsie. However, that was an issue quickly overcome and I managed to nicely settle into the story. While there are some moments where they are just trying to hard and some parts where the story is a tad flimsy, overall, this was surprisingly good. I’ll start with discussing some of the criticism I have before moving on to my favorite bits – so beware of spoilers from here on out!

The Hating Game

Hello, my darling readers!
Today we’re talking about a film I wasn’t particularly fond of: The Hating Game. There are a great many things wrong with it, so let’s find out what in detail!

The Plot (as found on Rotten Tomatoes):

Based on the best-selling book, THE HATING GAME tells the story of ambitious good girl Lucy Hutton and her cold, efficient work nemesis, Joshua Templeton. Committed to achieving professional success without compromising her ethics, Lucy ultimately embarks on a ruthless game of one-upmanship against Josh, a rivalry that is increasingly complicated by her mounting attraction to him.

The Hating Game on RT

The Rating:

So, the other day I was out shopping with my friends. As the mall also had a cinema, we decided to go see a movie. Turns out, that choosing something halfway decent was a challenge, it really was slim pickings. Our options were either kid’s movies, Morbius (which according to all the reviews out at that point was supposed to be god awful), or a rom-com. We figured, maybe at least that’ll be a little funny?
Long story short, we sat down to watch The Hating Game, and oh boy, it was so much worse than I could have imagined.

Where to begin? If you love rom-coms, I actually think you might enjoy this one, as it follows the basic bitch template to the T. I swear when writing the script somebody must have made a list of rom-com-clichés, and they went through that like a to-do list. Not a single one was skipped. That was already enough for me to roll my eyes quite a lot. But I figured, I’m not really a rom-com fan, so this is probably a me problem. Well, my friends also hated it.

The Batman

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I finally found the time to sit down and pen the review for a movie that surprised me tremendously. Let’s talk about The Batman!

The Plot (according to Rotten Tomatoes):

Batman ventures into Gotham City’s underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans become clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis.

The Batman on RT

The Rating:

Okay. Okay! OKAY! This movie was so much better than I had expected. I actually went in knowing just about zero about this Batman iteration and was prepared for the worst. And then they hit me with a mopey emo-looking Robert Pattinson and Nirvana on the soundtrack and I absolutely loved it?!

But first things first. Let’s talk about R-Pats. He is absolutely brilliant as Batman. Somehow, he just nailed the role. Like, the darkness that seems ingrained into him, the difference between Batman and Bruce, the everything! There really is a stark distinction between the two, I sear even in physique they seem different, so in this film, I’m actually inclined to believe that people don’t know Bruce is Batman. On a completely different note: even though Pattinson looked super fit in this role, he still looked like a normal person. I didn’t check out of the interviews, so I don’t know if it is true, but he doesn’t look like he had to dehydrate just for a shirtless scene. You know what I mean? Like, when you get those scenes with dudes who have abs that are just surreal, and they themselves don’t even normally look like that. Pattinson on the other hand did look like a person you might encounter, well, a person that works out.

Fresh (2022)

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Today we’re taking a closer look at a movie I hardly wait for to be released: Fresh. From the first moment that this was announced I was excited. Let’s see if it was worth the wait…

The Plot (according to RT):

FRESH follows Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who meets the alluring Steve (Sebastian Stan) at a grocery store and — given her frustration with dating apps — takes a chance and gives him her number. After their first date, Noa is smitten and accepts Steve’s invitation to a romantic weekend getaway. Only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.

Fresh on RT

The Rating:

By now you all probably know that I’m a simple kind of gal. I see a movie has Sebastian Stan in it and I click. I only knew two things about Fresh before I sat down to watch it: Stan plays the lead and it’s gonna be weird. So, how could I not end up loving this movie?

We start out with a shitty date – let’s just pretend that twat didn’t happen, followed by a meet-cute. This was probably one of my favorite scenes like that I’ve ever seen, as were their interactions after that. Both characters were the perfect amount of weird and awkward, it felt realistic yet charming. Could ever rom-com ever please take notes? Thank you.

But y’all know already that this isn’t a rom-com. Far from it in fact. *spoilers ahead!*

The Crucible

Hello, my darling readers!
Today I want to talk about a film I had meant to watch for ages. Then I finally found the time to check it out but had to process what I had just watched for a while. Let’s talk about The Crucible!

The Plot (as found on Rotten Tomatoes):

After married man John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) decides to break off his affair with his young lover, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder), she leads other local girls in an occult rite to wish death upon his wife, Elizabeth (Joan Allen). When the ritual is discovered, the girls are brought to trial. Accusations begin to fly, and a literal witch hunt gets underway. Before long, Elizabeth is suspected of witchcraft, and John’s attempt to defend her only makes matters worse.

The Crucible on RT

The Rating:

What can I say about The Crucible?
Well, it certainly was intense – and so weird. I went into this film fully expecting that I would love it but I don’t and I’m rather confused with myself. The idea is intriguing and I recall reading somewhere that it was meant as an allegory for the McCarthy era and how people were persecuted for being communists at that time. In light of this connection, the film is even more fascinating to me and I think I watched it with different eyes than I would have otherwise. Or at least I was pondering the events unfolding more than I would have otherwise. Even without this allegory, the movie ties into history and the Salem witch trials. For that reason alone I should have been all-in on this movie, so what is bothering me?