Beinana Reviews

Hi! I share my thoughts of recent films, tv shows, and books I've watched or read! I also take recommendations (:

[beinana-reviews]

"Maman died today. Or yesterday, I don't know."

The Stranger

Author: Albert Camus

Page count: 144

The opening line of Camus' The Stranger is very entailing to the tone of this classic short novel. This line is our introduction to Meursault and his indifference to life and his lack of adhering to social expectations. Which is a common theme throughout the story.

Not only do we see his indifference to life, but we see how the world is indifferent to our lives and how these go hand in hand. We see this mainly through the symbolism of the Sun or relative key words, such as; heat, red, glistening & more. The sun and heat appear significantly throughout the novel like his mother's funeral, the murder, and the trial. During the funeral, the sun beats down on Meursault and the older folks from the nursing home that his mother was in, causing them to sweat profusely and have immense discomfort in an event that is already discomforting.

The topic of death is also an omnipresent theme in the novel. We see that Meursault is also utterly indifferent to this as well, viewing these two completely different things as separate but also equally uneventful. He did not care to see his mother's body and even referred to her as "the body" apart from his mother. I found this very interesting to his character and thought it alluded to his views on death. Even after killing The Arab, he shot once on accident... then shot four more times. Unsurprisingly, he did not feel guilty about this nor could he explain himself well.

Camus, the father of absurdism, uses his works to perfectly encapsulate the universal meaningless of life AND death. The search for the meaning of life is nothing short of a treacherous and unnecessary journey, so why should anything matter?

I give this 6 blazing suns out of 10.

[beinana-reviews]

"Every weapon he's using is straight off a Thanksgiving table."

Thanksgiving (2023)

Eli Roth

1 hr 46

When I watched the trailer for this film, I thought it would be a ridiculous holiday horror film. I was only partially right.

It opens with a Black Friday bloodbath, where a few Plymouth civilians were murdered by materialistic greed. At first, I had to laugh at how a bit unserious the opening scene was. That's probably just my Gen Z humor. Although, I found it a bit ridiculous, it is definitely a play on consumerism and capitalism. Capitalism has turn American citizens into greedy little minions. Sale-seeking zombies. Always looking for a good deal. Always looking for their next fix. Even for products we don't need because... who doesn't love a good deal?

In spite of the unserious surface of the film, I have to give props to it as a whodunit film and the graphics of the murders. They were so horrific I could not help but cringe in my seat. Especially the first murder... now that was cold. I could not really figure out who it could have been at all. The movie did well in misleading us on who might be the murderer.

However, there were a few points where I felt like the movie had lost me. There were many slasher cliches that would throw away the element of surprise and would downgrade the thrill. Dropping something while trying to hide, spraining your ankle, villain being revealed when you think you're in a safe space, and more. There was almost no element of surprise and I wish they did more with the motive of the murders. Also, there were more small ridiculous things that would make me laugh, like the live streaming of the murders getting likes and heart eyes.

I give this film 6 Kathleen turkeys out of 10.

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"May I have this dance?"

Pearl (2022)

Director: Ti West

Run Time: 1h & 42m

"May I have this dance?" Pearl kindly asks the lifeless, but daunting scarecrow.

He stares at her with nothing to say, not that it would matter to the young woman anyways. She has her way with him. They frolic, dance, and even kiss. She also uses him to release some pent up sexual frustration. Then proceeds to yell at this barren figure: "I'M MARRIED!"

Pearl who is a daughter of German immigrants, lives her life on a farm. Despite the fresh air and open fields, she feels imprisoned and repressed. She has dreams of becoming a dancer in a troupe, far away from her drear farm life. Despite her innocent appearance, she has morbid practices. She is deathly sensitive to the things those say to her, good or bad.

With much symbolism (e.g. the rotting pig roast, yellow bird in the cage, her parents) and the bright color scheme to throw off the typical slasher feel, Pearl is well done. West showcases Pearl to be a gray character. You see her gruesome and grotesque behavior that costs the lives of many, we can clearly see her head space and how unhinged she is. Her mother even stating she has noticed Pearl's off-putting behavior which shows that Pearl has always been like this.

However, my favorite scene so far is her monologue. Mia Goth did a phenomenal job in her delivery. We can't help but feel for Pearl because she recognizes her behavior and wants to change, but knows she can't. In a way, we can all relate in this sense. I honestly enjoyed this movie a lot, I give it a 8.4/10.

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"Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man."

The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

I am very late to reading the book, as it was all over BookTok last year or two years ago. I'm not sure. The point is... I actually enjoyed it. It was refreshing and new for me, after reading much more darker content recently. It was a well-needed read, I even finished it in less than a day.

Basically, it is about this young woman named Olive who falls for a mentor, Dr. Adam Carlsen, after they have been fake-dating for a little over a month. Unbeknownst to her, she had already met him two years prior to their arrangement after having trouble with her expired contacts in his lab's bathroom. What made this fictitious romance possible, was Olive entering his lab and kissing him in a panic after trying to convince her best friend (Anh) she is over her "ex" who Anh has feelings for. Olive explains her situation, and Adam explains how can benefit by convincing Stanford to unfreeze his research funds (too much to explain honestly). Which is really just an excuse because he was amazed by Olive when he first met her in his lab's bathroom, he just wanted to help her. Of course, we see Olive slowly realize her feelings for Adam become more authentic than a farce.

I am honestly a sucker for corny romances, shitty cartoon covers, and the fake dating trope... so we could say I am coming from a place of bias when I say I really enjoyed reading this. I also appreciate the author being a woman in STEM, a neuroscientist to be exact, and also a romance novelist. There is also a spicy scene for those who are into books like that, but it's only two chapters of it. So do with this information what you will (; I give this book a 8/10 which may be too high for some, but I truly liked this book!

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"She and I were bound together at the border between life and death."

Norwegian Wood (1987)

Haruki Murakami

Page Count: 386

TW!!

After having already read Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, the stunning visual and emotional imagery was not surprising, but nevertheless intriguing. I also should have seen that ending coming, but I sure as hell did not. This post would be a million words if I were to cover everything I wanted to cover. So let's try to keep it short:

Norwegian Wood tells the troubling tale of 37-year-old Toru Watanabe's early life. His battles and turmoil with love, life, and death. After hearing the Beatles' 'Norwegian Wood,' Watanabe is taken back to his early 20's where he first fell in love with Naoko, who was his best friend's girlfriend before his friend committed suicide at the age of 17. Ultimately, Naoko also commits suicide at the age of 21 after being in a sanatorium with a much older woman named Reiko. Watanabe also spent a few days with Naoko and Reiko in the rehab center. All the while spending his time in college with a classmate named Midori. He gets with Midori not too long before Naoko hung herself, and was ridden with guilt when he heard the news since he promised to wait for her.

Murakami's ability to bring Watanabe's troubles to life so lucidly is astounding. It is interesting how Murakami is able to allude the entire novel to the song, through both Naoko and Midori. The writing is so passive and delicate, but so real. It is littered with lust, loneliness, loss, and love; but not always reciprocated. The unrequited, unfulfilled love triangle is central and thematic to each of their broken individualities.

Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and give it an 8.2/10

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"...And it is absolutely not your fault."

Netflix's Sex Education (2019-)

TW!! SA

I have watched this show at least 5 times. Yes, it is supposed to be a heartfelt, coming-of-age comedy series about the sex lives of high school students. But it can be so much more than that. They cover so many important issues, and has one of the best representations of the LGBTQIA+ community. It talks about the hard stuff in the best way, always giving us a different perspective. Personally, I found the abortion episode to be incredibly moving. "I feel more guilty for the one's I had, than the one's I didn't." This is a reality for many people who had to go through such a traumatic procedure. It really dives into the untold truth that many people grieve their abortions, and that's okay.

Also, Aimee's assault on the bus. People tend to have this idea that sexual assault can only come in one form, but really there are so many ways. Aimee's for example. How she herself tried to downplay it as nothing because assault like that is not as covered as much. Sexual Assault is Sexual Assault. And it should always be taken seriously, no matter the extent of it. I also admire the portrayal of the aftermath of the assault, and the emotional toll it took on Aimee. Feeling like you can never escape the feeling you felt in that moment. Seeing and feeling them everywhere. This is also a reality for so many people, and I think the show showcased this incredibly.

I'm sorry for talking about such hard topics, but it truly is a great show with a great mixture of comedy, romance, and the hard to talk about topics. Seriously a fantastic show, I give it a 9.2/10.

P.S. If you have experienced sexual assault, please know it is okay to reach out for help. You can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline: [phone], tell a loved-one, or even reach out to me.

And if you've had an abortion, and need to talk to someone, you can also chat with me or reach out for Post-Abortion Counseling in your area. Remember, it is okay to grieve.

[beinana-reviews]

"We Accept The Love We Think We Deserve."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999)

Author: Steven Chbosky

Book!! Not movie.

TW!!! Suicide & SA

I was personally a huge fan of the movie adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. But it truly cannot beat the book. There are things in the book that were not covered in the movie, like Charlie's friend who committed suicide. Charlie claiming his friend did not leave a note, but in the book his friend left a very beautiful, but sad poem. I will attach a link of the poem, it is worth the read. The book does a much better job is showcasing the loneliness of Charlie, and how the sexual assault of his aunt affected his love life. While reading the book I could not figure out if Charlie truly loved Sam, or if it was because there were things about her that reminded him of his Aunt Ellen. It really showed Charlie's delusion on paper. This would have also been super important in the movie. I would still highly recommend both the book and the movie, 9/10 for the book and 8/10 for the movie.

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My Little Goat (2018)

Director: Tomoko Misoto

Run time: 10 minutes and 13 seconds

TW!!!

This Japanese animated short horror film, is about a female goat whose children are swallowed by a big wolf, that she end up saving by cutting the wolf open. She saves all but one. She finds a little boy with a sheep hood on, telling her children he's their lost brother. They all start to question him, but the young boy is frightened by how mangled the little goats look from being swallowed. He tries to escape, accidentally flipping a mirror, where one of the little goats see their reflection and is frightened. Suddenly, the wolf is back, but it is actually the boy's father. The film shows him as a man and as a wolf, to show the monster he truly is towards his son. The little goats try to fight the man, but the mama goat comes back and kills him. I love short films for their ability to tell a story in so little time. The film showcases the physical effects of trauma, that are rarely ever covered in media. The stop motion also helps with the uneasy effect, I give this an 8/10.

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"The world won't come to me... so I must go to it."

The Goldfinch (2013)

Author: Donna Tartt

Book, Not Movie!

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a modern classic that encases a young man's life (Theo Decker) after losing his mother in a museum explosion, and leaving the museum with a noted painting by which the novel is named after. This novel is a coming-of-age story detailing the tragic events and turmoil of Theo; the absence of his parents, having to move across the country, addiction, and the guilt of a crime. As much as I loved the plot line and detail, Tartt's writing takes the cake. She is incredibly detailed in writing emotional imagery. By far, a piece of text that moved me heavily, was the scene where Theo went through his withdrawal. I could never imagine how painful it must be for a person to go through addiction and withdrawal, but they way she covers not just the physical pain but the mental and emotional, is very powerful. I was completely taken by this book, I give it a 9.7/10.

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"Fuck this Franchise!"

Scream VI (2023)

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin

Run time: 2 hours and 2 minutes

SPOILER WARNING!!!

The Scream movies and Ghostface are iconic within the scene of horror, there is a lot of pressure on the movies that follow the first one. But Scream VI does a fair job within the franchise.

This movie was bloody.

It truly did a great job in depicting graphic murders and suspense. The use of the urban setting can also be applauded. I mean how can someone openly stab another person on the subway and not be noticed. Or having an open knife/gun fight in a bodega. The public element of this movie really helped in pushing the suspense of the slasher scenes. This film was very effective as a whodunit film, however it was predictable. It tended to use that predictability against the audience, giving us waves of doubt. Overall, it was a very well done film and did not lose any touch to the original Scream movie. It gets a 7/10 from me.

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"We ordered it from the U.S. It will be fine."

Parasite (2019)

Director: Bong Joon-Ho

Run time: 2 hours and 12 minutes

Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite deserves all of its nominations and awards, as it is truly a masterpiece. In short, Parasite is a black comedy thriller about an extremely impoverished family, the Kims, who scheme to get each family member a job within a rich family's home, the Parks. It was filmed by a Korean cast and crew, and was the first film that was not filmed in English, to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. The cinematography and writing for this film were phenomenal. The thematic elements and motifs with the basement and scholar's rock, and the parallels between the Kim and Park family. It also opens a discussion of the economic disadvantages between the rich and poor, especially through a cultural lens. It depicts how those who are at said economic disadvantage will reach a breaking point and how that can be troubling for every party involved. This is overall an amazing movie with incredible writing, I give it a 9.6/10.