ArtistGrl Reviews (27)

3 Body Problem (2024)

Dumbed down beyond recognition

[4/10 · 22 March 2024]

So I've managed to watch almost 2 episodes of this before giving up. If this was an original show, I may have given it the benefit of a doubt, but the creators here have taken on one of the best Sci Fi novels ever written and handled it with the reverse Midas touch, hiring an untalented cast and writing in a bunch of utterly unbelievable characters. Seriously it was easier to believe in the supernatural events depicted than that moronic characters like Auggie or John could pass as groundbreaking scientists. Everything in the book was changed into a stupider version of events. Beautifully written storylines were rushed or discarded altogether, and yet production found the time to graciously spice things up with some unnecessary nudity. It's sad to see what Netflix seems to think of its brainless mass audience. Sad enough for me to cancel my subscription for good.

I can only hope that one day another network might pick this trilogy up and treat it with the respect it deserves.

Giving this more than 1 star for the visual effects and the China storyline.

Biosphere (2022)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 18 September 2022]

Before screening this film at The Toronto Film Festival, the presenter asked the audience not to spoil it. This request limits the possibility of a thorough review, as there is not much that can be said about it's plot without giving away it's one trick pony.

Genre-wise, the film steers between sci-fi, drama and grotesque comedy, relying on a single outstretched joke that becomes quite tiresome after multiple iterations. Some members of the audience were laughing throughout, but it may have just as well been a coping mechanism to deal with content that wasn't entirely easy to stomach.

There wasn't any actual beginning or an end, just references to a backstory that was never fully explored. There was no resolution offered here either, making it feel as though the writers have given up halfway.

What did hold this together and stopped me from walking out (in addition to my middle row seat), was the excellent acting by Sterling K. Brown & Mark Duplass. They were extremely believable, despite the ridiculousness of the plot, adding to the overall atmosphere of discomfort that it evoked.

Finch (2021)

Flat and uninspiring

[6/10 · 7 November 2021]

Came into watching this without any previous knowledge or expectations. If not for a couple of scenes, I would have bet that this was a children's movie. Absolutely no depth, been there, done that kind of script, predictable and flat. The main character's stories were so boring, I'm surprised that the robot didn't fall asleep. Speaking of the robot, why make it's voice so annoying? Couldn't Tom Hanks' character have used Alexa's vocals instead? We are beyond the monotonous era already. Movie "science" was totally bonkers as a whole, something that I would have forgiven had the script been any more engaging. The only good thing about this was the rendering quality of CGI, albeit even it wasn't very creative. It's an ok watch for a weeknight but pretty sure I won't remember this by tomorrow.

Away (2020)

Pleasantly surprised

[8/10 · 15 September 2020]

Almost missed this show, seeing the low score that it got here and remembering the abysmal sci-fi that I last saw on Netflix ("Another Life", which well deserved its 4-ish rating), but I'm really glad that I gave Away a chance. While it isn't flawless and it could have done with less melodrama, it is still a very solid, interesting show with terrific acting, beautiful visuals and acceptable enough science. Yes, their near-perfect telecommunication from space was a bit far-fetched, but it adds to the story, and besides the show obviously takes place years in the future, so who's to say that they haven't installed a bunch of advanced satellites in Lunar / Martian orbit by then...

Away has a lot in common with The First, which was mostly a brilliant drama about the earthly life of an Astronaut destined for Mars, while Away creates more balance between its Space and Earth-bound stories. If you liked The First, you would probably like this too. If you prefer fast action and explosions, then this isn't the show for you.

Ad Astra (2019)

Good but not for everyone

[7/10 · 25 September 2019]

Honestly, I'm on the fence about grading this film. As a big space exploration enthusiast, I'm tempted to give it the highest possible score. A production of this calibre comes only once in a few years (I'm talking Interstellar / The Martian / Contact / 2001 A Space Odyssey magnitude). I wish more films like this were being produced. At the same time, this film fails on an important note where the aforementioned others have succeeded, to follow the breathtaking space endeavor visuals with an equally thrilling plot, appealing to the general audience as well as to space buffs such as myself. Granted, it is a very rare goal to reach in a world tainted by the mediocrity of appealing to too wide an audience, by dumbing down potentially decent films (The likes of Armageddon, where Lyv Tyler played a similar role). Choosing between the two possibilities, I prefer films to fail on account of aiming too high over setting too low a bar.

Similarly to Contact and to Interstellar, Ad Astra sets to explore the personal themes of a father / child bond over the vast distances of space. Intertwining ingenuity, bravery and advanced technology (grounded to a believable level that seems like it could be just within reach), with the most basic human instincts of loving our family and wanting to protect them.

Yes, this could have been faster paced. The psych evaluation monologues were a bit much. Some scenes we could do without (lunar pirates). But it was such a delight to watch the beautifully and realistically rendered space scenes on the big screen. I am grateful to all the creators for pulling this off and appreciate the obvious effort that went into this. Thank you.

Another Life (2019–2021)

What did I just watch?

[4/10 · 12 September 2019]

As a space enthusiast, I was thrilled to see astronomical images previewing this show. Space exploration is at the top of human endeavor and even mediocre SciFi shows depicting it, spark some degree of intellectual discourse. Not this one. It was seriously the stupidest thing I've ever watched. Feels like the script was written in the days of Idiocracy, while they were drinking Brawndo. I am offended if this show is what Netflix execs think of their customers. It's a sad world when shows like this are produced while shows like The OA get cancelled.

The Aeronauts (2019)

Fun to watch on the big screen

[7/10 · 12 September 2019]

Came to see this without too many expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The backstory wasn't very interesting and a bit slow to develop but the balloon scenes were beautifully rendered, thrilling and engaging. I literally clung to my seat during some of them. I liked how the film respected the scientific endeavor and the viewers by avoiding cliche romantic developments between its characters. Overall, an entertaining night, even if I won't remember it by tomorrow.

Seberg (2019)

Mediocre at best

[4/10 · 8 September 2019]

It is sometimes hard to pinpoint where exactly films fail, the cinematography wasn't bad and you can definitely see that Kristen Stewart tried, but everything else about this film was below mediocre. Characters were one dimensional and lacked any depth, plot development, from the very moment the two main characters meet and then meet again, was abrupt and unbelievable. The other main characters - the good FBI agent vs. the bad one, were just as shallow. Not to mention the wives, whose role never went anywhere and might have as well not been in this film at all.

In the end, it simply wasn't interesting to watch and that is something no amount of blank long gazes and gratuitous nudity can fix.

If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and watch 'The Lives of Others', a 2006 German film that shares a similar theme but actually does it justice.

Leave No Trace (2018)

Wish there was a different website for people who highly rated this

[3/10 · 14 April 2019]

What a dragging, plotless, utterly unbelievable snoozefest. Watched this because my SO likes wilderness/ off the grid themes, but even he could hardly make it through. I've given it 3 only for the cinematography and the fact that there wasn't anything particularly offensive about it, except for being boring beyond words. While nodding off throughout, I literally wished IMDB had a feature to block anyone who had given this film anything over 7 from having their ratings counted towards any other listed movies as seen through my account. This could have been so awesome, as this is the epitome of hyping up terrible films with undeserving ratings.

High Life (2018)

Disappointing film, thin plot, misleading premise

[2/10 · 15 September 2018]

This is not a thriller/ sci-fi film but a failed art project relying too heavily on controversy alone. I'm guessing that the space / ship scenes were made to look ridiculously fake on purpose, as I've seen more convincing cinematography in movies from the 1960's.

Unlike many people at the TIFF screening who kept leaving as the film progressed, I actually stayed for the entire thing. It felt much longer than ity was but still managed to end abruptly.

Only positive thing was Robert Pattinson's acting. None of the actors were bad, but there is nothing that they could have done to save this one.

Non-Fiction (2018)

Not for the general audience

[4/10 · 12 September 2018]

As a fan of European films with an intellectual spark and some witty humor, I was expecting to enjoy this. Despite a slow start, I kept hoping for an eventual improvement, but the film just dragged on and on, repeating the same idea in many different settings, to the point of exhaustion, for 108 tedious minutes.

While there were a couple of funny moments, they were too few and far apart. As far as the story went, there was not much beyond the initial concept. As a character-driven film, I found most characters to be flat and unrelatable, particularly the protagonist and his romantic interests. The minor development at the end felt forced and out of place.

Since I saw this at the Toronto Film Festival, a Q&A followed at the end. Unlike other public screenings that I've attended so far, most questions this time came from people in the film industry, who themselves mentioned that they could probably better relate to the book publishing industry, thus this film, than most. Since I'm not of the industry nor a French speaker, I could only hope that some of its charm lost in translation.

American Woman (2018)

American Woman

[8/10 · 11 September 2018]

Gripping performance by Sienna Miller as a smalltown young mother / grandmother, coping with the mysterious disappearance of her teenage daughter and left to raise her grandson on her own. The film spans over many years and exhibits interesting character growth as life goes on. Christina Hendricks also delivers an excellent performance as her next-door sister, as well as the rest of the family. It's been awhile since I've seen a good drama and American Woman has delivered the goods. Best film I've seen in the Toronto Film Festival so far.

Snowpiercer (2013)

One of the stupidest movies I've ever seen

[3/10 · 11 May 2014]

This movie was so terrible it's not even worth the time of getting into all the details of how absolutely ridiculous, boring and painful it was to watch. The plot, characters, everything about it was totally unbelievable and impossible to relate to. By the time a main character started describing his tragic past, it was so over the top that we would have laughed if it wasn't so gross. I gave it 3 only because I reserve 1-2 for movies which are completely offensive, misogynistic or racist, or just impossible to watch. Somehow I did manage to watch this one until the end, still hoping that it was somehow going to redeem itself... It didn't.

Gravity (2013)

A thrilling ride from start to end, must see on the big screen in 3D

[9/10 · 28 September 2013]

Just returned from seeing this at the Haifa Film Festival. As an astronomy enthusiast, I thoroughly enjoyed Gravity. It was more absorbing than any movie I can remember in recent history and probably the closest most of us will get to being in space, any time soon. The stunning visuals combined with great 3D work and sound effects totally draw you into orbit right along Sandra for the 90 minutes it lasts. By the way, the teaser trailer does not do Gravity justice, but it was nice to be pleasantly surprised for a change. Plot wise, it's not the most sophisticated film ever - Hollywood couldn't resist some of its usual manipulations (no need to elaborate here, you'll know it when you see it), but in this case, it's forgiven.

Melanoma My Love (2006)

Very difficult film to see

[6/10 · 9 October 2006]

Just came back from seeing this at the Haifa Film Festival. The film tells the story of Uzi (Yigal Adika) who discovers that his happy, full of life 30 year old wife, Noga, is sick with Melanoma and has only a short time left to live. It details the progress of the cancer, the medical treatments, and the psychological effects of it on Noga, Uzi and their children. Yigal Adika initiated this production as a tribute to his late wife who died of this disease.

As far as the production goes, anything was done to keep this painfully realistic. The acting was very good, both from Adika and the actress who played his wife. The hospital scenes are very true to life (except for when the doctor agrees to Yigal's request to keep the severity of Noga's condition a secret from her at the beginning - that's immoral and even illegal as far as I know). The signs of the disease are wrenchingly detailed. The hopelessness of these situations is delivered and well conveyed. Even the shaky hand-held camera can be somewhat justified towards making this appear more like documentation of real events than a scripted film.

The problem is that the same realism that lifts this movie up is the same thing that turns it into such a difficult watch. All the physical signs of illness and hospitalization make it a very unpleasant experience, especially on anyone who went through a similar ordeal with a loved one. Seeing it made me remember all those bad things people always try not to think about. Frankly, I believe such movies should be overall avoided. Enjoy life while it's good. Pain, sickness and sorrow happen often enough in real life, I see no reason to go and watch it willingly in a movie...

Lucky 13 (2005)

To be fair, this is not the worst movie ever but definitely way below average

[3/10 · 11 May 2005]

I wasn't sure whether to watch it or not, but since a few people here did give it 8-10 stars (die-hard Lauren Graham fans I guess), I decided to see it anyway.

And well - don't believe them - I don't remember the last time I was so bored! the naysayers weren't exaggerating one bit! the plot never develops, the acting is worse than in "Days of Our Lives", everything feels completely forced and unreal, very poorly-edited, and it's just not funny at all (seriously, I find more humor in watching the news). The only nice scene they could think of - Zach throwing souvenirs into the water, was overdone so much that it made me feel they were only trying to justify the price of the underwater cam, which frankly wasn't worth it.

3 stars are only because it was not completely antagonizing or patronizing, and because the soundtrack was pretty nice, especially if you like 80s music.

Every Mother's Worst Fear (1998 TV Movie)

One of the worst made for TV movies I've ever seen!

[19 July 2003]

God this was just horrible! everything about it... the acting, the script, the characters... I just couldn't decide what was more laughable, the unbelievably dumb 16 year old, (yes some teens are innocent and gullible, but not to that level!!), the internet-geek who "never goes out of his house" and voluntarily gives a hell of a laptop to some woman he never met before, or the mom who didn't know anything about computers, but learned 'it all' in a couple of, umm, minutes? Not to mention Ted McGinley AKA Jefferson Darcy as the big bad scary hacker guy...

Other than that you just gotta love movies about comps and "the net" made by people who know absolutely nothing about it (except for various textbook quotes)... There were so many holes and misinformation in this movie I couldn't even begin writing about it...

But in any case, to all worried computer-illiterate parents: unless your teenage daughter suffers from major brain damage, you don't have anything to worry about... but if she does, disconnect the internet and let her watch TV instead... cheers :)

The Beauty of Vice (1986)

Not too bad

[19 July 2003]

When a shy young married woman from a small village is "pushed" to go to work as a maid for a nudist resort, she discovers the kind of activities and freedoms she never knew existed and is eventually drawn into that world herself when she falls in love with a vibrant English couple who stays at the resort, which of course, will change her and will bring serious consequences on her former life.

Unlike what the summary sounds like, this is definitely not an x-rated adult movie or something like that... This movie is basically a story of an old-fashioned strict society clashing with the modern lifestyle of the west. What I liked most about this movie is that it's very honest, and Jaglika's innocence is indeed well played and very endearing, she makes the whole movie work. Though I'm usually not a big fan of these kinds of films, I could really relate to it and understand the motivations behind the different characters. It may not be the most fascinating foreign film out there (or even in the top 100), but it's an interesting look into a different culture (whichever one you choose to view as "different"). 7/10

Grosse Pointe (2000–2001)

How, how could they cancel it???

[29 May 2003]

This is only the funniest TV show I've seen since 'Married With Children' ended!! I admit I didn't watch it when it was first aired, but a couple of weeks ago I caught it on late-night reruns and was hooked straight away... little did I know that there were only a few episodes left to air! so after some checking up, I found out that it was that 'failed' TV show our local comedy channel bought after it had already been killed in the US, probably the reason it didn't get much advertising or attention here either.

Well, dear american broadcasting networks, who hold the future of the world's greatest series on your hands, I must ask you... why, oh why do you let such a great shows like Grosse Pointe end so quickly and on the other hand kept stuff like "Suddenly Susan" airing for so long? that is just beyond my comprehension...

Grosse Pointe had it all, comedy, parody, irony, a kind of a 'behind the scenes' look on Hollywood, great guest-stars, nice punches at the shows it made fun of (I loved the episode where Marcy "died")... everything... I wish there were some more seasons :(

Equilibrium (2002)

Incredibly dumb & pretentious, but nice actions scenes

[6/10 · 9 May 2003]

There is not much to add as I agree with everything the people who didn't like this movie had already said here. Anyone who can't see what a rip-off this is, probably haven't watched any sci-fi / futuristic movies before, or just didn't pay much attention. I remember seeing the "1984" movie adaption just a few months ago, and in the beginning of this movie I had to wonder whether "Equilibrium" was a remake of some kind... the difference is that "1984" made sense. This movie contradicts itself endlessly, people without emotions seem to be the ones with the most emotions, and vice versa. The whole thing is so predictable and moronic I don't think there can be any spoilers to be said. I only blame myself for watching it even after having heard what it's about (future world's government denying people of feelings in order to prevent wars)... The whole concept is stupid.

On a brighter note, Christian Bale delivers a good performance (even with this kind of script), the movie is quite stylish and nice action scenes. Just turn your brain off and enjoy the shooting...

Red Planet (2000)

What a shame...

[4/10 · 15 April 2002]

It could actually be interesting, if it wasn't for the ultra-lame plot and terrible acting / character development. And when I say terrible acting I mean TERRIBLE, I've seen better acting in kindergarten musicals. I mean all the talking, was it supposed to have any meaning? were there any hidden messages I didn't notice? or was it plain dumb? it sure as hell wasn't the least bit interesting. All along I felt like "shut the hell up and show some nice Martian scenery, you have nothing to say anyway"... And the robot, don't get me started on that one! it's fighting moves looked like a drag-queen in the 70s.

Now to the positive: yes, great 3D effects, very convincing looking planet / spaceship. Made me wish I was there (no, not really).

Hard to believe it's possible for Mission To Mars to be better than anything, but it was better than this one.

3/10

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Are you people insane?!

[1/10 · 2 April 2002]

How in the world did this movie get such a high rating?? it's the most ridiculous, idiotic and tasteless thing I've ever seen. The music, except for a couple of songs, was hardly tolerable (why, oh why didn't they take people who could sing?). The plot was as unoriginal as it could be - exactly like in the Moulin Rouge spectacle, it looks like it was improvised in less than a minute. The only good thing about this movie was Nicole Kidman, but even she couldn't save this disaster.

Is it just me or does it seem like movie-goers worldwide are getting dumber and dumber day by day? or is it true that 12 year old girls took over IMDB? whatever it is, at least my friend enjoyed his 2 hour nap... 3/10

K-PAX (2001)

Very enjoyable...

[9/10 · 22 March 2002]

This was a very refreshing, intelligent and sweet movie. I really didn't expect much seeing the low grade most reviewers gave it, but was pleasantly surprised. The acting was outstanding and the plot was original & interesting (I didn't think it was anything like the other movies it was compared to, e.g. "Girl Interrupted" which I really didn't like). K-PAX was very well done and never got boring. At no point did I look at the clock waiting for it to end, but only at the ending hoping that it's not going to end yet. (*minor spoiler alert*): Yes the ending for me was somewhat disappointing Prot-wise, but maybe it was better than directly admitting that Prot was just a lunatic. The scene with Powell and his son almost made up for it, but not quite...

8.5/10, only because I believe an ending deserves more than 1 point.

No Laughing Matter (1998 TV Movie)

Average "don't do it" movie

[5/10 · 3 March 2002]

I ran across this movie on a boring TV night, and continued watching it only for "Charlie" (Chad Christ) who was quite handsome for a TV movie character... The film was about the lives of Charlie and his mom (Suzanne Somers) who was suffering from a *major* drinking problem. Charlie's sole purpose in life was to go to Yale, but as usual, life didn't go quite the way he expected...

I found the mom's drinking parts overly exaggerated and also the fact Chad's girlfriend stayed with them for so long without her parents giving a damn. Well, I can't say this movie was that bad, but it certainly wasn't the type of film that would drive people away from alcohol or make them start using condoms or any other educational merits. Usual made-for-TV corn, 6/10.

The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

Disappointing

[7/10 · 25 February 2002]

The idea for this film sounded very promising, it was directed well and was quite suspenseful at times. Yet, it kept building up for some kind of a great resolution that never came. Certain things were totally unreasonable and remained so. Overall, with a few changes to the script, it had the potential to be much much better. 6/10