SUTEKH07

A review blog where I discuss films and TV shows that I am watching, discussing their good and bad points, my opinion, any patterns that I notice or similarities to other films/shows, etc. He/Him

[jasonsutekh]

Deal or No Deal? (2005-16)

A game show where contestants try to find the best amount of money in sealed boxes or make a deal with the banker to swap their random box.

For the studio it must have been a very cost effective show to make since it’s just the stage, cheap boxes, a host, and the cash prize which can sometimes be next to nothing. Only versions from other countries seem to feel the need to add more spectacle to it with fireworks and models opening the boxes.

Each episode is essentially the same so it’s a wonder the audience can keep track of which ones they seem or if it even matters if they don’t. The host is entertaining enough but at times it feels like he gets way too invested in hyping up suspense when really it’s a rather low tension game despite the ominous music.

The stakes are made to appeal to the audience by asking the contestant about their life and what the money will mean to them and it’s also useful that they’re usually rather average members of the public. The banker character is also effective at times but it’s tempting at times to wonder if there’s anyone really on the phone.

Easily the biggest flaw of the show is that it takes very little actual skill to randomly select boxes and all the suspenseful music and advert breaks mean that a game that could probably take around 15 minutes is drawn out into nearly an hour, all the while the host is basically trying to gaslight the audience into believe it’s entertaining.

2/10 -It’s not THE worst, that’s something else. But…-

-On the 1st of April 2006 the banker was credited as “Richard Oldman”, a joke meaning Rich Old Man.

-On a few occasions, the cash amounts became unstuck and fell into the boxes or were not properly added, causing the producers to have to shuffle all the remaining boxes mid-game, proving they spared no expense.

-The identity of the banker isn’t revealed since he is credited as “himself”.

[jasonsutekh]

Walking Tall (2004)

A former soldier returns to his home town to discover much has changed including that an old friend has closed the mill and opened a shady casino as the main source or revenue.

It was fairly strong as far as the subtext went. It was a small town so the community was likely to know most of the consistent population. This makes the redundancy of local worker-run business and the flourishing of more exploitative enterprises a parallel for how crime and gangs can dominate when justice proves to be corrupt or openly fallible.

Much of the content is basic action and superficial expressions of masculinity, including a few off-jokes about heterosexual insecurity regarding touching other men. This was even embodied by the protagonists cutting up a large vehicle which could easily have been a parable for castration, especially when the cut the headlamps off.

The unsubtle messages about police corruption was topical and is still consistently so, unfortunately. The shootout at the police station shows how tenuous illegal deals with gangs are and how fickle the aggreements are because it divides power. The acting wasn’t disappointing but it also wasn’t strenuous on acting skill.

Although there was a great deal of anti-cop subtext, the protagonist then goes on to become another corrupt cop but in a way that the town has to accept as corrupt for good which is basically how police operate anyway. Also replacing the police thanks to an honest court and the locals being kind is so unlikely since when one system in a community is corrupt, it’s almost always thanks to the other systems also being just a corrupt.

3/10 -This one’s bad but there’s some good in it, just there-

-The actor playing the villain originally auditioned for the role of Ray Ray but accepted the lead villain after protesting by saying “How can I play the villain? There’s no villainy in me.” The producers told him “You’re a great actor; you’ll figure it out.” After which he has played several villains in films and TV.

-This is a remake of a film by the same name from 1973 but the story updates and replaces moonshine for crystal meth.

-The director wanted to update the plank of wood from the original movie to a baseball bat but due to objections the compromise ended as the plank of wood with a handle.

[jasonsutekh]

Hands of the Ripper (1971)

A young girl appears possessed by a compulsion to kill but a doctor takes an interest in curing her but instead ends up covering up her crimes.

The premise sounds good because it’s based on a famous true crime case and the addition of ghosts is interesting to see whether previous sin or innocence will win. There were some effective actors and even some welcome comic relief which is twisted into yet another grizzly killing.

It is framed as a Jack the Ripper story but it’s mainly for the name to attract audiences, it could have been a parallel for any trauma conditioning if it had just been any killer. The house maid was incredibly annoying and after enduring her for so many scenes it was actually a shame she didn’t die.

The lead antagonist was rather stoic which added some threat but didn’t reinforce the innocent aspect enough, making it predictable where the narrative would head. The line between science and spiritualism was kept deliberately mixed with justified psychological explanations working just as well as the intuitive information given by the second psychic.

Overall, it was terribly slow when some scenes were spent planning a wedding that we don’t see happen. Also, the society is painted as a hypocritical mixture of standards where engaged men and women can’t be seen together alone, as well as an entire street of women who are even credited as whores.

2/10 -It’s not THE worst, that’s something else. But…-

-Two characters mention in conversation that Queen Victoria is on the throne, however the film is cannonically set 15 years after the Ripper murders ended, making most of the story in 1903, two years after Victoria died.

-One of the prostitutes, “Long Liz”, is named after one of the Ripper’s actual victims.

-A replica of St. Paul’s Cathedral was built due to permission to film there being rejected.

[jasonsutekh]

Freakier Friday (2025)

A mother and daughter who have previously switched bodies are having trouble raising a teenager without a spouse in the picture but when one comes along with a daughter who wants to move them to London, strife enters the scene.

It was amusing to see the original actors back for the sequel, especially how many were willing to reprise their roles. It was good that there was a twist where others were added to the spell and the stakes were increased. It was especially cool that even one of the original teachers reprised his role.

Much of the main plot was repeated since there was still a wedding that the younger generation wanted to avert without knowing the full implications of love. It also meant that the narrative was even more spread out between characters and there were more storylines to follow and keeping up with who was in which body. It was really odd that the younger brother from the original movie was all but ignored for the sequel.

There were some amusing moments that emulated the original comedy style, it was particularly interesting that the Jake actor didn’t look too much different from the original movie. The new actors worked out well and the new witch role worked in a refreshing way. It would have been cool to see the implications of the daughters’ school life though.

Having the story spread so much made it much more difficult to identify with the characters, especially when they were mimicking each other. It was also weird that the British and American characters kept the same accent in a new body since that’s not how vocal chords or the mind works but it’s probably because the actors couldn’t consistently copy them.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

-Mark Harmon’s first film since 2011 in Certain Prey.

-The actors did not perform their own surfing, CGI was used to impose their featurea onto professionals.

-An actual earthquake hit Los Angeles during the concert scene, which was extra confusing since the scene later included the cast pretending there was an earthquake.

[jasonsutekh]

Domestic Disturbance (2001)

A young boy that doesn’t accept his stepfather discovers that he’s a murderer but is readily willing to believe him.

The acting was all a decent quality given the need to play multiple subtle emotions convincingly. Even the youngest character was one of the stronger actors of the piece, maybe even better than the main villain. The movie was light on gore but had some dramatic effects scenes, notably the shipyard fire.

Most of the first half of the movie was fairly standard and slow, requiring time jumps just to keep the narrative on track even though they didn’t register well. Easily the most irritating aspect is that the police force is clearly useless and prejudice but get forgiven at the end as though it’s natural instead of the protagonists pursuing a very obvious neglegence case.

There were a few notably tense scenes that were effective enough to keep the drama consistent. The family dynamic was fairly believable in the beginning but had some flaws that were overlooked for the sake of the narrative, or possibly it was a criticism of the custody system regarding its superficiality.

Women didn’t have a very present or positive role in the movie considering the mother figure mostly ignored her child or deferred her opinions on him to men and was altogether too useless until the evidence was handed too her on a plate. The more engaging scenes were involved with the investigation but they also just showed things the audience already knew so it wasn’t strong content.

3/10 -This one’s bad but it’s got some good in it, just there-

-Several plot holes were created because the film was originally 111 minutes but reduced to 89 to suit the studio.

[jasonsutekh]

Death Line (1972)

A feral man infected with plague dwells in the London underground but the police force don’t take it very seriously until a couple gets involved and refuse to let it drop.

Most of the cast was recognisable and fairly high profile in some cases, others were known for many British classics of the time. Some of the locations were very effective since it’s difficult to film on an actual train platform and the abandoned station set looked convincing enough.

Even though there were some very good actors involved, some of them get so few scenes that it may as well have been anyone playing the parts which seems a terrible waste of talent. The narrative itself was so torturously slow I was ready to confess everything half an hour in and I hadn’t done anything. All the police scenes could have been cut out and it’d have been the same story.

The gore was scarce but when it did appear, it was macabre enough to contrast the triviality of the other scenes. There was some attempt at comedy by showing the lead investigator being brash and even going off to get drunk instead of investigating. At first the lead, in fact only, woman was rather persistent, intuitive, and compassionate.

After the narrative had been established, however, the only notable female in the entire story turned into a simpering mess that couldn’t function except to run, cry, and at one point huddle under a table in full view when she had ample time to lock her attacker in the same cell he had her trapped in moments ago, crippled because she saw a rodent that was somehow scarier than a plague-ridden murderer.

2/10 -It’s not THE worst, that’s something else. But…-

-The actors playing the two policemen in the pub improvised most of the scene because they were really getting drunk.

-The title was changed for American distribution to “Raw Meat” which the director despised.

[jasonsutekh]

Commando (1985)

A former colonel’s daughter is kidnapped by a terrorist cell intent on overthrowing a country and using his skills to do it.

There were many practical effects which succeded to entertain with gusto, the sexual appeal was satisfied for those who enjoy body builders, and there were the classic one-liners that land variably. The lead woman made a fairly decent sidekick eventually and kept up the tradition that kidnapped air hostesses can be surprisingly helpful.

Much of the narrative follows the traditional structure of action movies with a soldier protagonist. Almost all of the enemies miss every shot, the hero gets most of them against the odds (and miraculously without any cover quite often), and the enemy has vague intentions accompanied with a lame bargaining chip that every character and audience member knows they will dispose of.

The daughter didn’t just play a victim, she at least had the motivation to try for an escape which strengthens the roles of the very few women in the film. On the counter side the men were often represented as cannon fodder, psychopaths, incompetent authority figures, or strong men with weak allegiances.

Not much of the narrative was unpredictable. There were a few precious delays for the protagonist and a few of them weren’t even coherent plans and were instead solved by chance or the unpredictable influence from a bystander. Overall, it built up more of a reputation that anything using the same tropes now could create, possibly because modern movies would attempt to elevate things with CGI that would actually reduce it.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

-Some of the production was set in an actual L.A. International Airport terminal which was shut down for filming.

-Arnold Schwarzenegger was taken to hospital at least three times during filming due to performing his own stunts.

-The mansion used in the final shootout in Commando was the same one used for the final shootout in Beverly Hills Cop (1984).

[jasonsutekh]

Annie (1982)

An orphan girl dreams of her parents coming back to rescue her from the cruel orphanage owner, however when a billionaire wants to adopt her, the cruel owner sets up a plan to kidnap her for the reward of finding her parents.

A few of the songs were memorable and well performed, especially when many of the cast were children. Although the choreography wasn’t terribly iconic, the settings gave the dancers a great deal to work with in both the poorer and bourgeoise settings, although the larger spaces take many more actors to fill them out.

Having the father be a money-loving republican who finds a way to love a child seems like more of a fantasy now than the Wizard of Oz (1939) would and it really dates the film. However, it does explain why they would take their new family member to see her first movie and make it something as depressing as Camille (1936) even though there are parallels to the film regarding elevations in class structure. There was also some unfortunate racial stereotyping which got too commonplace.

Most of the actors held up the drama well and there was one particularly recognisable actor who fitted his role of Rooster very well. There was some fairly strong comedy in the form of slapstick but that was possibly because it was used sparingly. The basic plot was honourable enough, however the dog could have been written out without harming the narrative in any way.

The love interest for Daddy Warbucks wasn’t terribly convicing since there seemed little actual passion or even interest there. It would have been a better finale if the culprits had been seen to get their cumupence, or at least have learned of their errors. Instead we see the lead villain joining in with much unearned luxury instead of suffering a terribly painful and amusing death which may not have been suitable for the rating but would have entertained orphans everywhere.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

-Tim Curry’s rooster crows were dubbed because the director wasn’t satisfied with his attempts.

-At one point an orphan stamps on Miss Hannigan’s bare toes out of spite which took several takes and in one the actress actually stamped on her foot.

-Lines like “God dammit” and “Come back here, ya Goddamned kid” were included to increase the rating to PG under the assumption that only young children and their parents would go to see a G-rated movie.

[jasonsutekh]

Chucky (2021-4)

The serial-killer possessed doll finds a new gang of potential victims with even darker motives than simple widespread carnage.

A very decent aspect of the series is that it does the opposite of the reboot movie which retconned the past. Instead, the series embraces the roots and even previous kills, replaying them while spending no extra doing so. It presents very much as it should, as a horror movie in series form; the intrigue and suspense doesn’t dip noticably. There are flashback episodes but no fillers.

It varies in tone when the narrative is broken up a great deal. Sometimes it works out, not as a break but as variety from a distance, such as when we go from the main Chucky story to Tiffany’s part of the plot, but when they meet up again regularly, it feels like the series was building up to it.

Easily one of the best parts was the relationship between the two lead heroes, they were strong characters and had great chemistry. Jennifer Tilly really goes off in the series; she gets to express both her relationship to the franchise as well as the unhinged, manic side of herself that I fully support. Also Fiona Dourif does a disturbingly good Chucky impression which makes sense considering the actor playing the title character is her irl father.

It would have been good to have had a cameo from Junior in the finale of the third season since it involved recurring ghosts. It was a real shame that the series was cancelled because it had a strong cast and easily surpassed The Walking Dead (2010-22) in terms of entertainment since there was comedy to balance out the gore.

8/10 -It’s certainly worthy of very high praise!-

-Jake became the first LGBT protagonist of the franchise; there had been other representation but only as secondary or minor characters.

-The safe combination in the season 2 finale is 110988, the date the first Child’s Play (1988) was released and also the date of death on Charles Lee Ray’s grave.

-The actors playing Lexy Cross and Mayor Michelle Cross were actually daughter and mother.

[jasonsutekh]

L’Avventura (The Adventure) (1960)

A young woman goes missing on holiday and she is searched for but her best friend and the missing woman’s fiance begin to establish a connection.

The essence of the narrative is engaging, namely the romantic love story of the pining friend who will not resort to betrayal for the chance of happiness but when the opportunity of he best friend’s dissapearance arises she’s faced with the conundrum of potentially exploiting her friend’s abduction or endulging in the same friend’s likely abandoment of her fiance.

As with a great deal of the more artistic Italian cinema, this film has slow ways of expressing situations and characters. There are long shots where the landscape is more prominent than anything happening with the actual story. The island scenes could have been a full half hour shorter without losing anything narratiely or artistically unless pretentiousness is valued.

Some of the locations do more of the drama work than anything the characters have going on. The open sea and sky provide both isolation and expanse for the characters so that, even when they get back to civilisation, the isolation is embedded by the loss of Anna. The artist was an amusing character when he was revealed to be superficial and lecherous.

Even with existentiality as a main topic, there are ways to establish connections to them that this movie does not manage. Anna provides some more eccentric perspectives but they don’t get born out other than to create a personality that is easily missed. At times it felt like the narrativewas reaching for reasons to keep the two proper love interests apart and given the society presented it needn’t have reached so far.

2/10 -It’s not THE worst, that’s something else. But…-

-The company financing production went bankrupt forcing a strike of the unpaid crew.

-The film was heavily criticized for apparent immorality at the time.

-The island was genuinely bombarded with harsh weather and the crew were, at one point, stranded on the island.

[jasonsutekh]

Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Pianist) (1960)

A pianist becomes embroilled with gangsters after helping his brother escape from them.

There were some engaging and innovative camera shorts from occasionally unexpected angles. Although the characters were fairly basic, the female actors held their own rather well and easily outshone all of the men since they were able to actually emote. Even the lead man was impassive for most of the duration.

Most of the narrative is barely coherent, not in the sense that the story isn’t going anywhere but in that it doesn’t feel like it matters where it’s going. A major character death changes the basic environment and behaviour of the protagonist but no development is shown or discussed which makes most of the characters archetypes.

The better part of the movie was Fido and his kidnapping as it was the first time there felt any proper risk. The prank on the gangsters’ car added some much needed relief to the depressive lives of the other characters. Being mostly shot on the streets was a novelty which introduced more realism.

Only one character was really likeable and that sort of made it inevitable that she would die and even then she was rather naive by falling in love so easily, asking no questions as her love interest became single rather suddenly. Near end there was little to connect the aidience with the protagonist and the tedious artistic improvisation wore down the movie until there was little left.

1/10 -I’d rather listen to a tape of leaf blower noise-

-The lead character is said to be based on the director since he also allegedly suffered from shyness.

-When the movie bombed at the box office the director returned to more traditional storytelling.

-The ending was decided based upon who was availiable for shooting.

[jasonsutekh]

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)

A man balances his work life with dating two women, one of whom is married.

In one way it works as an expression of repressed sexuality and frustration of the economic system that exploits workers as much as if can even to this day. The lead is expressed as the villain but is seeking the few pleasures availiable since none are offered by the nuclear family dynamic and he’s proven though his efficiency that he deserves rewards not given by the current structure.

Even so, the lead character does little to redeem himself as a respectable or even sociably likeably person since he openly talks about how he plans to use people while rejecting political structures like communism which suggest helping others like himself. He’s also neglectful in his own home but still feels like he’s owed more than he has.

Some of the subtext is similair to the Ken Loach stream of indie cinema demonstrating the hardships of the working class while aknowledging the flaws of the dynamic. However, in doing so it also reveals the flaws of the generic social system in which women are repressed and look for an outlet that satisfies their unfulfilled desires through adultery with men who will break the social rules they are confined within.

As with most social realism movies, this one was depressing and had nobody that seemed worth likeing because at the time of prodcution showing them as actual people and not just lecherous villains meant promoting bad ideals. However, the supposedly honorable neigbours were just as awful which exposes the injustice of the time and society despite the unorthadox methods the main characters used to gain the basic level of leverage.

2/10 -It’s not THE worst, that’s something else, but…-

-Skeggy is named after his home which is Skegness, 78 miles away from Lincolnshire.

[jasonsutekh]

Shameless (2011-21)

A family living in poverty try to make the best of it by any means availiable to them.

Despite the clear artistic liscense involved with making so many morally dubious characters likeable, it’s fairly realistic in showing the parts of drama often left out of other shows and even documentaries. There’s nudity but it’s rarely glamourised and though the violence may appear excessive, it represents some communities and much thought has gone into the practical, legal, and social representation and implications.

Although there are many sub-plots at once so some variety in tone is possible, several arcs can be consistently pessimistic especially when it comes to love. The series definitely makes some judgement on politics or ethics but also attempts to show both sides, even on topics that don’t really require debate.

There’s a few different explorations of sexuality which sometimes provide a more hopeful depiction of love to contrast the more volatile relationships, Ian and Mickey being the most fun to route for. Even though the events are unpredictable most of the time, there’s a sense of closure at regular intervals or when a main character leaves.

It’s consistently bizarre that everyone keeps forgiving Frank and even listening to his ideas when he’s demonstrated his lack of reliability so frequently. This usually occurs when he has a rare good day but it tests the credibilty of the family dynamic. It’s not a great message when certain characters get less likeable when they attempt to be healthier or sober.

7/10 -Well above average, but no masterpiece-

-This show is a remake of a British series of the same name, the main family names are the same and the same director worked on the first episodes for both versions.

[jasonsutekh]

La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) (1960)

A journalist spends a week following the rich and famous, indulging in their quality of life.

The satire is potent and it somehow got even more relevant over time since humanity doesn’t learn from subtext very well. There is some very effective juxtaposition by showing an average person with higher aims wandering in a new world of excess. Due to the rich atmosphere, there are naturally many interesting locations but also variety for contrast with the poorer characters.

All of the rich people are necessarily depressing. The host of the party that murders his family in a fit of depression is especially effective since we are introduced to them at length and in detail and then there’s a sufficient gap to make it a surprise when they all turn out to be expendable to the plot.

In one way it’s clever in that the characters have power due to their fame and money but are trapped by the paparazzi hounding them and the expectations of what they should look like, however there’s a parallel to the creator of the movie who is directing every characters’ decisions and is expected to make it into a viable story. Amusingly a considerable amount of characters have gay subtext, presumably because the rich are above the law and social conventions but it was fun to see how conventional it looked in a 60’s film.

As a movie it’s very slow and depressing since it’s designed to convey a message, as well as being terribly too long to be entertaining to anyone but the tediously facetious. Although there are many interesting political features, there are no enjoyable characters so we’re barely routing for any happy ending which gives the audience little hope to be crushed. Also the protagonist’s girlfriend is exceedingly irritating.

2/10 -It’s not THE worst, that’s something else. But…-

-Photographers capture Robert on film and one says “and to think this guy did Tarzan”. A reference to the actor who played that character in five films.

-The movement of paparazzi reminded the director of how sparrows jump around, hence the character “Paparazzo” which is similar to the Italian word for sparrow which is “passero”.

[jasonsutekh]

Tales of Terror (1962)

Three stories about the states of death and their relationship to the living world: after death, before death, and the act of dying.

It was interesting that each story included Vincent Price in one role or another and each was slightly different which also added variety to the stories being told besides the premise. All the other actors held the drama very well and all the roles felt well suited to them. Even the animal training was of a high wuality and there were some good shots.

The first installment was the weakest of the three since it was both predictable and there were no characters the audience were alligned with and especially had no chance to actually identify with. It began in a state of morose and suspicion and the only possibility given for closure was revenge which isn’t ideal.

In an odd interpretation the second part combined two Allen Poe stories: The Black Cat and The Cask of Amontillado, and it doesn’t feel like it does either justice by mixing them. The third was at least satisfying at the end and had a decent impact both by characterising the dead man with a voice and then having aesthetic practical effects for the climax.

There was a common theme besides life and death which got tedious as the stories progressed, namely the weak heterosexual relationships that end with people supposed to love each other desiring the death of their spouse. Women are presented as very fickle and naive, giving in to anyone who shows them kindness or support regardless of what they’ve done previously.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

[jasonsutekh]

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

As Nosferatu is filmed in 1921, the lead actor is in fact a real vampire and intent on devouring the leading actress the the orchestration of the director.

It’s an interesting spin on the classic formula since we get the gratification and threat of having an actual vampire but it also works as a highly inaccurate mockudrama of how the 1922 movie Nosferatu was made. The effects for Orlock was still very strong and well recreated, especially the nails which had a nice click to them with sound.

Considering it’s an insidious plot that had so much potential for suspense with the aid of classic tropes, it was rather a low movie. The actual Count was a huge downgrade from the original depiction since he didn’t have nearly as many powers, had forgotten most of his past, and the kills were brief and rather dull.

There weren’t any actors that let it down and the main two, the director and Orlock actor, held up most of the drama well enough to make it engaging. They kept in a few of the key cinematographic aspects of the source material, in particular the use of shadows and some fo the most iconic shots were recreated with a new perspective.

The most disappointing part was that it’s based upon a film that has intense drama and a constant noir shadow over it but when suggesting there was something even more sinister behind it, it comes up so much less. The cast and crew are superficial characters and the monster is reductive to the point that the iconigraphy withers.

3/10 -This one’s bad but it’s got some good in it, just there-

-The actor playing F.W.Murnau was 46 when doing the role, however the real Murnau was only 33 when he filmed Nosferatu.

-The crew stay in the Han Budala Inn, which translates from Turkish as “The Fool’s Inn”.

-The actual Max Schreck was 8 inches taller than the actor portraying him here.

[jasonsutekh]

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)

A hotel for elderly expatriates opens in India and is greeted by disagreeable patrons that find a place in the local society and don’t want to leave, however when a second venues becomes available for expansion, there are complications for all.

Easily the biggest attraction is the consistent abundance of great British actors in both movies. Keeping the cast consistent definitely helped carry the drama over to the sequel. Although the setting wasn’t always glamorous, it felt genuine to the environment and allowed the audience an appreciation fo the qualities of an imperfect but still very vital and connected culture.

Although they’re consistent movies, the first installment was clearly superior to the sequel since the structure was repeated almost entirely and added little. There was one homosexual connection in the frist movie but it was dissapointing that int eh second it reverted to the generic upper-class romantic stereotypes.

Development is always welcome and at least there wasn’t something so tedious as killing off a few of the characters simply for the drama. There was some variable development in different was depending on the sub-plot and it was interesting to see how they affected each other. Each character gave advice despite their own problems.

The second installment wasn’t disappointing, it just wasn’t that surprising. It was more of a continuation of the developments we already saw in the first movie. The interloper for the hotel owner in the sequel was interesting and it was good that jealousy wasn’t shown as a justifiable quality but was also disappointing since he was a little too smug and it’d have been satisfying to see that knocked down a peg.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: 6/10 -Just a cut above average-

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: 5/10 -Can’t find a better example of average-

-It isn’t legally possibly for foreigners to retire in India since there are no long-term retirement visas; visitors can only spend up to 180 days there in a calender year.