TEM MAHA

Film Reviews.

[temmaha1996]

Promising Young Woman

Promising Young Woman is a 2020 thriller comedy film directed by Eternal Emerald Ferrell. It stars Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham and Alison Brie. The film is about a girl who lives a double life after an unforgettable tragedy. 

This film was a surprise indie hit when it first screened to some critics a few months ago. Looking at the trailer, I still had my doubts. But, Carey Mulligan is a fantastic actress and her project choices are usually fantastic. It turns out this is every bit the surprise hit it promised to be. It has very strong 80s vibes and a surprisingly good, bittersweet powerful message at the end.

Carey Mulligan is great. She captures the role perfectly. There was a fine line between extremely charming and psychopath, and she crossed both seamlessly. Do not be surprised to see a Golden Globe nomination out of this, and this is easily my favorite performance from her ever. The music is also really good, and the stylized editing and tone of the film was very nice too.

People had problems with the ending, but I didn’t. It caught me quite off-guard and it was definitely uncomfortable to watch. Still, I thought it was powerful and somewhat necessary to stand out in an era where so many films are just tributes to the 80s or 90s. Her chemistry with Bo Burnham was good but after a while you can somewhat see where their relationship is going to go.

This is one of the better films of a torrid 2020 that had so many flops and only a handful of really good films. This is, fortunately, one of the latter. This feels like a tribute to the 80s whilst trying to be it’s own thing. The ending, whilst definitely controversial, worked for me for the most part but if there were just a few more scenes I wouldn’t have minded. Still, Carey Mulligan is fantastic. Promising Young Woman receives an 7.9/10.

[temmaha1996]

Nomadland

Nomadland is a 2020 drama film directed by Chloe Zhao. It stars Frances McDormand, Linda May and Charlene Swankie. The film is about a middle-aged woman suffering the consequences of a recession as she is forced to travel around the United States for jobs while living in her van.

I love Frances McDormand. Her last Oscar-winning role in “Three Billboards” was fantastic and easily my favorite Best Actress performance in years. That being said, this is Chloe Zhao’s crack at Oscar gold after her indie success in The Rider and soon-to-be-blockbuster Marvel’s Eternals got postponed. That being said, this movie is very atmospheric and very realistic.

McDormand is fantastic yet among. Do not be surprised to see her among the nominees at this year’s awards (if it does go ahead) and possibly win. This is a different performance to “Three Billboards” but her masculine charm is still there. The cinematography is also really good and the music is not talked about enough.

Personally, it was a little dragging at times for me. The pacing is definitely an issue. I get what kind of film it is trying to be. It’s not trying to entertain the living hell out of you, make you laugh or cry. It’s just a portrayal of a woman’s struggles during an important part of life, and McDormand really carries that. It’s a tad bit boring at times though and you really just find yourself as meandering as McDormand’s character.

Still, this is a respectable film and Chloe Zhao is promising. She’ll no doubt do a good job with Eternals and who knows what more the future holds for her. As of now, don’t be surprised to see both her name and McDormand’s come up come this year’s delayed awards season. Nomadland receives an 6.7/10.

[temmaha1996]

Wonder Woman 1984

Wonder Woman 1984 is a 2020 superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins. It stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and Pedro Pascal. The film follows Diana in 1984, where a mysterious chain of events result in her reuniting with Steve Trevor against the threat of Max Lord and The Cheetah.

Contrary to what many of my readers think, I actually love Marvel and DC equally. But, DC have done such a god-awful job at their universe-building that I’ve found myself immersed in the MCU far more in recent years. That being said, Wonder Woman was one of their best properties and Gal Gadot has become an icon in that role. Normally, my expectations were high and that is why I am left feeling crushing disappointment writing this review.

The first film had a realistic tone and solid themes behind it. This film takes those qualities and literally just takes a giant dump on it. WW1984 is an absolute mess thematically and tonally. It just feels like a collection of stories, themes and plots all meshed into one giant horribly-paced trainwreck. The aim, I feel, was to replicate the 80s cheese, but all the dialogue was atrocious (not in a good way) , the humor was so forced and the drama/action even worse. Wonder Woman suits up 3 times in her own movie, complete with horrible green screen, sling-looking CGI.

Pedro Pascal is the knight in shining armor in this film, and he’s the eccentric over-the-top villain! I cared more about him than I did our protagonists (Gal Gadot and Chris Pine) who did try to rejuvenate the film with their chemistry but failed. Kristen Wiig is a talented actress and a good comedian, but she was poorly miscast in this role.

This film tried so hard to be so many things, but it ended up being crushingly disappointing. It is a far departure from what Wonder Woman (2017) accomplished, and I think it sets back the DCEU further in it’s quest to remain relevant. Maybe DC die-hards will begin to demand a Jenkins cut for this film too. I feel sorry for Pedro Pascal, Gal Gadot and Kristen Wiig because Jenkins gave them nothing to work with, with all the cheesy dialogue, jumbled pacing and messy plot. Oh, and she flies now? She flies now. Wonder Woman 1984 receives an 5.0/10.

[temmaha1996]

Soul

Soul is a 2020 animation film directed by Pete Docter. It stars Jamie Foxx, Alice Braga and Tina Fey. The film follows Joe, a middle-aged man caught in an untimely death. In the after-life, he must mentor soul number 22 into existing.

When you see the words Disney + Pixar together, you know you’re in for a Best Animation Picture experience. Soul is not any different from that standard. In fact, I think it raises it. It’s basically Inside Out but for adults, and the creativity on show here is limitless. Soul is actually one of Disney + Pixar’s best since Coco and easily 2020′s best film.

The animation is beautiful. It is a given nowadays that the animation is lush, realistic and fantastic. Sometimes, you can’t even tell that it’s an animation film. However, alot of the world-building here is also gorgeous. From the after-life scenes to the real-world scenes, the creative designs behind the characters and production design deserves a lot of admiration and commemoration. 

The message behind this film is beautiful. It’ll definitely make you want to tear up at the end, but that’s come to be expected when it comes to Disney Pixar. The chemistry between the character of Joe + Number 22 is very good and you really end up caring about them towards the end. All the creative world-building around the film is actually really commendable, and it manages to be for both kids and adults with themes far more mature than a normal child would understand.

It’ll be hard to top a film as good as Soul this year in my opinion (there are literally days left) and I’m very glad that I was able to see such a beautiful film to cap off a depressing, extremely difficult year. Disney gets alot of hate for what they did with Star Wars and the current stuff they’re doing with Mulan and so on, but when it comes to Disney Pixar you have no choice to give them credit and admit the incredible creative minds behind each film they produce. Soul is one of their best and I think it is the best film of 2020 (also a shoe in for Best Animated Picture at the Oscars). Soul receives an 8.8/10.

[temmaha1996]

The Mandalorian (Season 2)

The Mandalorian (Season 2) is a 2020 television series created by Jon Favreau. It stars Pedro Pascal, Rosario Dawson and Gina Carano. This season, Mando is faced with new challenges in Moff Gideon and his ongoing quest to return The Child back to his rightful home.

Say what you will about Disney’s venture with Star Wars, but I for one am glad they own it. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, in my book, are good films but The Rise of Skywalker was absolute trash. As a result, the entire trilogy just feels so disconnected and wasted. But, a glimmer of hope in the seemingly destroyed Star Wars universe appeared last year in the form of The Mandalorian, and more to the point Baby Yoda. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni had a lot to live up to, and for the first few episodes I thought they weren’t going to. By Episode 4, you’ll be screaming with joy.

What made The Mandalorian so darn good last season was Mando’s connection with Baby Yoda. That continues on an even larger scale this season, and you’ll meet familiar friends along the way that you think are there just for ratings, but it actually makes a lot of sense as The Mandalorian begins to dive into more famous Star Wars lore whilst continuing to be it’s own thing.

Yes, Season 2 is bigger and arguably better than Season 1. However, I do think Moff Gideon was extremely underused and there are parts in the first 3 episodes I did feel were filler. Apart from that, this season brings the big boys (quite literally) out to play. You’ll get surprise after surprise, with a very emotional and bittersweet conclusion. Still, there are interesting seeds planted for next season and it’ll be very curious to see where the show goes from here. The Mandalorian (Season 2) receives an 8.5/10.

[temmaha1996]

Tenet

Tenet is a 2020 action drama film directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Kenneth Brannagh. The film revolves around a protagonist as he is set to prevent the end of the world using mind-bending time travel.

This is probably one of the only highlights of 2020. The fact that Nolan’s big blockbuster wasn’t postponed to a later date gave a lot of fans joy during a time of hardship. I was a big Nolan fan from Memento all the way up until his fantastic Dark Knight Trilogy, yet I found Interstellar underwhelming (largely due to the final act) and Dunkirk completely off-form for a director of his caliber. I wished and hoped that he’d return to form with Tenet, and luckily he did.

Nolan usually tries to outdo himself in terms of how complicated he wants his movies to be, and this one is no exception. Tenet might just be his most complex film yet. That’s why the technical aspects are so impressive (as always). From the direction, to music, to the cinematography, to the choreography and visual effects, this film is an ambitious masterclass. I loved John David Washington and Robert Pattinson’s chemistry, and they both enjoyed excellent performances.

This is Nolan back to his roots. Coming up with extremely mind-bending plots without having to rely on a past-event or source material. This film will blow your mind again and again, yet some of the reveals, especially towards the end of the film I felt were completely unnecessary. Still, I was thoroughly surprised and my brain constantly hurt. If Nolan were to continue in this vein with his next film, I’d say he’s back to being one of my favorite directors of this generation. Tenet receives an 8.3/10.

[temmaha1996]

Greenland

Greenland is a 2020 disaster film directed by Ric Roman Waugh. It stars Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin and Scott Glenn. The film centers around a family who are separated in the midst of the imminent apocalypse. They must find each other and safety before the disaster strikes.

I used to love disaster movies. Back in the day, with films like The Day Before Tomorrow or 2012, you just can’t resist all the insane CGI effects and the on-the-nose cheesiness of the plot and dialogue. They’ve really fallen off these past few years and anything we’ve got (I’m looking at you San Andreas and Geostorm) has been awful. Yet, here’s Gerard Butler again as he is pit against yet another end of the world situation.

Surprisingly, I didn’t hate this film, heck I even secretly enjoyed it. It’s cheesy, yes, and it definitely doesn’t add anything new to the disaster genre. Still, the sheer realism of the film and the sweet time it takes for the disasters to hit is what makes it better than what we’ve got recently. This film is dark, and it’s actually very realistic (up until the last few minutes). You’d imagine people reacting like this in the face of disaster, and the fact that our characters spend half the movie trying to find each other or being pit against desperate people in similar situations is what makes it stand out.

That realism and grit is actually kind of thrown out in the last few minutes. It’s almost impossible to do what our characters did in time, and the ending was almost, almost emotional and whilst I didn’t have a problem with the outcome, I was somewhat unconvinced especially after how real-world they tried to make it before.

Greenland won’t blow you away. It won’t make you regret your time or money either. It’s actually a very decent disaster film that’s easily the best we’ve got in the past decade when it comes to this genre. Gerard Butler is better than he usually is although he’s still Gerard Butler playing a tough guy. The film’s commitment to setting up real-world obstacles for our characters to get out of made it so interesting, and although the ending does seem a little unconvincing, I can let it pass for the sake of good ol disaster movie entertainment. Greenland receives an 7.0/10.

[temmaha1996]

The New Mutants

The New Mutants is a 2020 superhero film directed by Josh Boone. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton. The film is about a group of powerful young mutants who are forced to fight their demons once a new member joins.

It’s about time this thing got released. It’s been on-and-off for the past two years, and even survived a Disney takeover. Finally, in 2020 where movies are hard to come by, it’s been released to the public. Unfortunately, however, I never wish it had been.

What looked like  one of the first superhero horror films turned into a watered down, bland and frankly pointless attempt at an amateur horror film with a bunch of characters who just so happen to have powers. Speaking of characters, none of them are remotely layered nor entertaining. Out of all the fantastic X Men stories and characters from the comics, I have no idea why Fox chose these bunch of losers and a story so generic and predictable.

The acting, particularly from lead Blu Hunt, is atrocious. The forced romance between her and Maisie Williams, whilst new, feels very forced and unnatural. The usually reliable Anya Taylor-Joy has no idea what she’s doing with her accent and I’ve literally forgotten the rest of the characters’ names. This is an extremely talented and young cast, yet they were given such an awfully written script it’s just painful to see.

People are blaming Disney for this mishap, and it may have played a part because of the change in rating from R to PG-13, but I genuinely believe this film would be uninteresting anyway. There was a somewhat interesting concept; the first modern horror superhero film, but what we actually got was just a very lazy and half-assed attempt at that. Fully expect Marvel to sweep this under the rug as Fox takes the final L in their X Men pursuits, before the inevitable reboot of the franchise (hopefully done more right than wrong this time) by Marvel Disney. The New Mutants receives an 4.0/10.

[temmaha1996]

The Queen’s Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit is a 2020 Television series directed by Scott Frank. It stars Anna Taylor-Joy, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Bill Camp. The series follows Beth, a chess prodigy who is orphaned at 9, as she goes on a journey to become one of the best chess players in the world.

This series took everyone quite off guard. No one knew what it’s about prior to it taking off in popularity. However, Anna Taylor-Joy is one of my favorite young actresses today and it seems like she can do only good for the past few years. What we've got here is surprisingly one of the best mini-series Netflix has ever produced.

Scott Frank isn’t a no-name director. He did a fantastic job directing Godless, a western miniseries in 2017 for Netflix and here his work is still top-bar. For a synopsis as monotonous as chess itself, the entire series is shot so beautifully with great direction. The cinematography and the aesthetics of every episode is extremely underrated.

Who can forget Anna Taylor-Joy, who singlehandedly carried this series. She did have a lot to work with, because the script was fantastic and her character was a fascinating one. Still, her sheer charm, charisma and elegance just made you root for a character that wasn’t even that likable. This is a series with strong character work, and you go through all the emotions she goes through and more.

There are a few pacing issues at some points, but that’s to be expected. I don’t think I would have done much differently, and overall this show is incredibly solid and a must-watch for all with a Netflix subscription. It does take it’s sweet time to build up all your emotions up until the very last moments, but the last 20 minutes of the last episode give you a great and extremely satisfying conclusion. The Queen’s Gambit receives an 8.5/10.

[temmaha1996]

Holidate

Holidate is a 2020 romantic comedy directed by John Whitesell. It stars Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey and Jake Manley. The film follows two people who hate being alone during the holidays. Once they meet, they agree a deal to be eachothers plus ones for every holiday.

Netflix is pretty much one of the only companies who are still producing bad/decent/good romantic comedies. Bar a few flicks, Universal, Warner Bros and Fox don’t churn out half as much as romantic comedies as Netflix does and I think it gives a certain demographic what they want. Sometimes, they’re annoyingly bad and sometimes they’re guilty fun. Holidate is luckily leaning more towards the latter.

Luke Bracey and Emma Roberts have good chemistry. It seemed they had a good time shooting this film and it can be seen even through the screen. The comedy here is slightly raunchy and I think that works in it’s favor because there are some really laugh out loud moments.

The film actively tries to make fun of romantic comedy cliches, and it’s not the first one to do it. Ultimately, all the romantic comedies that make fun of romantic comedies end up being just like every other romantic comedy. This film is no exception. It follows pretty much every rom-com beat ever and you can see everything unfolding from a mile away.

Still, this film is a good flick to watch during the holidays and it’ll make you laugh at some of the more raunchy/dirty jokes. The two leads have good chemistry and even though it is ridden with cliches, you know what you’re getting into and it’ll do a job for the perfect home movie date during the Coronavirus pandemic. Holidate receives an 7.0/10.

[temmaha1996]

The Witches

The Witches is a 2020 fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It stars Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci. The film is about a young kid and his grandma, as they are hunted and pitted against a group of evil witches.

Robert Zemeckis was responsible for one of the most iconic trilogies in film history; the Back To The Future trilogy. I’ll forgive you if you completely forgot about that, as it’s been years since he’s made a somewhat decent film (Looking at you, Beowulf). Now, here he is again adapting Road Dahl’s “The Witches” into the big screen following the original film adaptation back in the 20th Century.

I am genuinely confused as to who this movie is for exactly. For starters, this film has one of the scariest creature designs I’ve seen all damn year. Heck, I haven’t screen a scarier film in the past two years. The decision to make Anne Hathaway and co. a CGI heavy, smiling-from-cheek-to-cheek bald monster with weird hands and feet is baffling to me, because kids will shriek and get scarred for life. Not to mention, the film isn’t half as entertaining for adults either because when it’s not scary, it’s just very childish.

I guess Octavia Spencer is alright in this film (she’s rarely ever the negative part of any film) but Anne Hathaway is a disaster here. She didn’t just play it over the top, it’s almost like she took heavy drugs before filming and decided on an accent so atrocious and inaudible even the subtitle writers must have hated her.

To conclude, it’s not a good film. You don’t need to see it, and even better yet if you have small children then don’t put them anywhere near it. There’s a few cute little mice in the trailer and posters but don’t let them fool you, because the witches are genuinely frightening. Even if your kids aren’t scared of them, they’ll be bored out of their minds and just beyond confused as to what this film was trying to accomplish. The Witches receives an 3.0/10.

[temmaha1996]

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is a 2020 comedy film directed by Jason Woliner. It stars Sacha Baron Cohen. The film is a sequel to the 2006 hit, where Borat returns to America to give his daughter as a gift to Vice President Mike Pence. 

The first Borat film was genius. It always going to be hard to top just how shocking it was at the time. Back then, Cohen could get away with far more jokes than what he did in this film. Still, this film is slightly more timed to 2020, and 2020 only and you’ll have a good laugh with what the film is trying to make fun of.

It’s always gold to see Borat interact with unsuspecting Americans, and he does so once again in this film to good effect. I particularly enjoyed his interactions with Rudy Giuliani, the priest, the Jewish women and the two cowboys. Asides from that, this film has a far more cohesive structure than the first.

But, it’s arguable and barely deniable that this film isn’t half as funny as the first. You’ll laugh here and there, but there’s no denying that Borat did have to tone some of his pranks down due to fears that he’ll get hurt or that he’ll receive backlash afterwards. Also, this film is slightly more political compared to the Pamela-Anderson-chasing first film.

Still, you’ll find yourself laughing at Borat poking fun at Donald Trump (largely) and the Coronavirus pandemic. It’s not quite as enjoyable and entertaining as the first one (also feels somewhat safer), but at the very least there seems to be a more cohesive plot and a nice little message at the end. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm receives an 6.5/10.

[temmaha1996]

Love and Monsters

Love and Monsters is a 2020 action comedy film directed by Michael Matthews. It stars Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick and Michael Rooker. The film follows Joel, a lovestruck teenager caught in the midst of a giant insect-led apocalypse. Years later, he realizes that his girlfriend is only 80 miles away and sets out on a journey to go find her.

Wasn’t this film a little pleasant surprise. I had virtually no idea that this film existed up until it’s release, and it’s a shame I didn’t because this is one of the better films I’ve seen this year (that’s not saying a lot, considering the lack of releases this year). Dylan O’Brien is a star. He might not be your Timothee Chalamet or your Robert Pattinson, but he’s a damn good charismatic action star (The Maze Runner franchise doesn’t do him justice).

For a film that was relatively low on the radar, I am surprised so much of the visuals looked great. The monsters look good, and the design of the apocalyptic world was spectacular. Not only that, there’s actually a fair amount of heart in this movie. I found myself really into it from the first minute until the last, and that’s mostly down to Dylan O’Brien and his relationships with a dog, a robot, a few insects, an old man and a young lady. Hey, and there’s actual character development in this film where the character learns things that they aren’t great at from the beginning (Looking at you, Star Wars’ Rey and 2020 Mulan).

But, with movies like this, there’s always a few conveniences and there were some here again. Towards the end, it did feel a little too “action hero-y” for me that seemed like a departure from the rest of the film that created such a sense of danger and dread.

Still, this film is the perfect film for literally anybody starving for a blockbuster at the moment. It never really takes itself seriously, yet it has a sense of realism, heart and genuineness that isn’t present in quite alot of the studio blockbusters these days. It sets up a little sequel too, and I would be lying if I said I won’t be excited to see that. Love and Monsters receives an 7.8/10.

[temmaha1996]

The Haunting of Bly Manor

The Haunting of Bly Manor is a 2020 limited television series created by Mike Flanagan. It stars “perfectly splendid” (Carla Gugino), “perfectly splendid” (Victoria Pedretti) and “perfectly splendid” (Henry Thomas).

Mike Flanagan is one of the most underrated directors working today. The Haunting of Hill House was nothing short of a masterpiece. It was not only one of the greatest horror series I have ever seen, but it was also one of the best TV shows I’ve ever seen. Every episode, from the storytelling and attention to detail (regarding the hidden ghosts) is what made it so bone-chillingly scary. The “sequel” or “follow-up series” to Hill House was always going to have an extreme amount of expectations going for it, and unfortunately it doesn’t always end well.

One thing that Mike Flanagan will always be great at crafting is beautiful, dream-like imagery, and he’s done it again with the cinematography in this series. Every shot is like a work of art, and the colors, especially for a horror series, were so vibrant.

But, there’s so much that didn’t sit well with me this time. I’m all for a slow burn, Hill House wasn’t exactly fast either, but this took it to a whole other level. There weren’t any major scares with substance until Episode 4, and by then you just feel like you don’t care as much as you thought you initially did. What Hill House did so well is character development, but in this series there’s just too much going on.

By the time you get into the latter episodes, the series just goes on and thinks that “hey, hey look at me, I’m so smart and I’m going to bend your mind” but it just ends up feeling so repetitive after a while. I get it that we were in the shoes of the characters, but like I said the scares are well too far between. What I didn’t enjoy in particular is Episode 8, where we get an out-of-nowhere episode explaining the backstory of the manor and why it’s spirits are so evil. That was a lazy rescue mission for me, it would’ve been far more effective if we knew about Viola + the spirits way before the penultimate episode. The Haunting of Bly Manor receives an 6.3/10.

[temmaha1996]

The Boys (Season 2)

The Boys (Season 2) is a 2020 television series directed by Eric Kripke. It stars Anthony Starr, Jack Quaid and Karl Urban. This season follows the continuing misadventures of The Boys’ battle against Vought and The Seven.

The Boys’ first season was an absolute blast. Luckily enough, I was one of the very few who just started the show this year, so I didn’t have too long to wait for the second season to arrive. The first season was unapologetic, hardcore, unforgiving yet it felt so socially and politically relevant. Season 2 is no exception.

This season, a lot of time is spent developing all our characters. It’s always wise to give the audience more of something they loved from the first season, and almost everyone loved to hate Homelander. This season we find out more about him as a character and he is still the best part of the show. There’s also love shown for Maeve and Black Noir (To a lesser extent, but still he’s great), who didn’t exactly stand out the first season but she’s given much more to do here. They continue with Butcher, Hughie, Starlight, MM, The Deep and A-Train’s character progressions here as well and I thought they did a great job at giving these characters more to relate to.

But, I truly believe this season could have benefited from at least 2 more episodes. Some of the set-up isn’t paid off in the end, and Episode 7 and 8 in particular just feels really rushed and jumbled up into one big conclusion. Also, this season feels far less realistic and a lot of it feels more convenient. There’s also not enough time to develop Kimiko and Frenchie’s storyline, which takes a backseat for a lot of the time this season.

Still, this is still a solid show with relevant commentary on the current social and political climate. It’s insistence on developing it’s characters really makes it stand out and the hard-hitting and unapologetic script is exactly why people love this show. Personally, I’m hoping to see even more urgency and a true sense of dread and danger in the next season. Hopefully, even more Homelander insanity too. The Boys (Season 2) receives an 8.0/10.

[temmaha1996]

Emily in Paris

Emily in Paris is a 2020 television series created by Darren Star. It stars Lily Collins, Lucas Bravo and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu. The show follows Emily, a young marketing specialist from America who is transferred to Paris in order to show them the American way of marketing.

Romantic comedy shows are pretty hard to come by nowadays. Back in the day, I’d remember my mother binging “Sex and The City” and “Ally McBeal”. But thanks to Netflix, who is also partially responsible for the romantic comedy renaissance in the film industry (to an extent), here we are with Emily in Paris. It’s very guilty and enjoyable. Women will definitely love it and men (at least some) will find it as a guilty pleasure. One of these men is me.

Look, sure there’s a few problems regarding cliches and how over-the-top some of the characters are, but I’m sure that kind of escapism is surely missed during a time where nothing seems to be going right (looking at you 2020). Another thing that bothered me a little was that how convenient conflicts were; things just go right/wrong at the same time and characters turn good/antagonistic for the sake of the plot quite suddenly.

Little nitpicks aside, this series is really enjoyable. If you’re a fan of flashy romantic comedies then you’ll have an absolute blast with this one because it lasts around 5 hours. It takes advantage of the fish-out-of-water premise very well, placing Emily in a world she’s bound to wreak havoc in. It also takes advantage of it’s beautiful location very well, and you’ll find yourself craving a little trip to Paris or a late night/early morning croissant. There is some definite cheese in there, but when the laughs it’s hard to resist.

To summarize, don’t go into this series expecting something similar to Game of Thrones, Westworld, The Boys, Mindhunter, The Handmaid’s Tale or anything like that. This is more of a throwback to the early 2000s/late 90s romantic comedy shows that’ll enchant the ladies and entertain the men (even though you don’t want to admit it). Emily in Paris receives an 7.5/10.

[temmaha1996]

Enola Holmes

Enola Holmes is a 2020 mystery comedy film directed by Harry Bradbeer. It stars Millie Bobby Brown, Sam Claffin and Henry Cavill. The film is about Enola Holmes, Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, who sets out to find her mother after she disappears.

Millie Bobby Brown is a rising star. However, asides from Stranger Things (where she is fantastic) and Godzilla 2 (where she was passable) this is most likely her biggest project to date. I get that it’s trying to pay tribute to British pantomime back in the day where they’d always break the fourth wall during a mystery, but does that translate well to the big screen?

Still, some of the comedic moments are somewhat passable and for the most part the film does have some heart to it. There are moments which pushes it’s PG rating and I respected that. There’s some chemistry between Enola and Tewkesbury as well.

But, the whole breaking-the-fourth-wall was just a little bit too much for me. Heck, even Deadpool doesn’t do it as much as Enola did. They kind of overdid it at points, like a running joke that someone keeps saying until it’s not funny anymore. Also, to cast Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes sounds like a good idea on paper, but to cast one of Hollywood’s most uncharismatic actors as one of the most charismatic detectives doesn’t exactly sit well with me. He can be a charisma vacuum if he’s given the wrong roles.

Enola Holmes isn’t bad. It’s simply passable. If you have literally nothing else to binge on Netflix or you’re feeling uneasy to go the movies, I guess this is decent entertainment to keep the time passing. But, if you’re looking for a fantastic mystery with effective comedy and great characters, then I suggest you watch Knives Out instead. Enola Holmes receives an 5.5/10.