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Reviews
Miss Scarlet & the Duke (2020)
Series 4 is off the rails. Can it be saved??
I've already watched the entire 4th series on Passport, so if you're waiting for weekly episodes to appear and don't want spoilers, read no further! Also, this is going to be a ridiculously long rant. Apologies; but should you choose to proceed, best go get a beverage and settle in.
What on earth did I just watch?? This was supposed to be it. THE season we've all been waiting for, with the penultimate conclusion to the "will they, or won't they, be together?" saga. So far, the show has followed the typical formulaic timeline for a romance. Season 1: animosity, but cautious flirtations. Season 2: the spark starts to grow into something more by the end of the series. Season 3: someone always gets in the way of the budding relationship. Season 4: pay dirt! Except...not. But sort of? But then more issues, with no real resolution.
Not sure what was going on with Stuart Martin this series. Did he have a scheduling conflict? Dentist appointment? He's not in the final 1/3 of the series. Not to mention Episode 2, "the flashback", where he's lying in a bed the whole episode and gets 2 lines, both only asking for whiskey. So basically, Stuart Martin, who plays a TITULAR character, is missing from 1/2 the entire series; this is just unacceptable.
One minor quibble, was during the flashback episode (2), when much younger Eliza and William first meet in the kitchen. They end up in the kitchen a few times throughout the episode. However, going back to Series 1, Episode 6, when William and Eliza are boiling eggs together, he states "All the years I knew Henry, I don't think I've ever been in this kitchen." Given that, I don't think I'd write an entire episode explaining the pivotal moment when the couple met, as taking place in a room that William had never been in before. Sloppy writing.
And let's talk about when Duke actually was present. We get our day of reckoning between our (mostly) oblivious couple, NOT in the final moments of the series, where it belongs. Instead the revelation is shoehorned into Episode 4, with 2 episodes left to go. Huh?
Whether intentional or not, for me, Episode 4 has echoes of my favorite British miniseries, the 2004 telling of Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South.
The client was a a textile manufacturer from the north, just like John Thornton. I picked up on his accent, which reminded me of many of the textile owners in N&S. The time periods are both Victorian, although N&S took place a few decades earlier. The client complained of "old money" elitists looking down on him and his "new money". Again, echoes of N&S.
Fast-forward to the end of the episode; William carries in his suitcase and tells Eliza that he is leaving for New York. This felt similar to when Margaret tells John that she is leaving Milton. There is shock and instant grief. John Thornton watches as Margaret walked out in a snowstorm. As she is getting in the carriage, with a look of utter grief on his face, he says "Look back. Look back at me."
Here again we echo, a shocked Eliza, standing at the window watching William walk out, in a thunderstorm, to his waiting carriage. As the carriage pulls away, I swear I could hear John Thornton's words in my head, like they were being said for Eliza to William. If none of this was an intentional homage, it felt like one heck of a coincidence.
I've read that Eliza Scarlet's name is a combination of two strong-willed women, Elizabeth Bennet (ALSO called Lizzie by her father) and Scarlett O'Hara. It wouldn't be too difficult to assume that this episode is a nod to Margaret, who is another fiercely-independent woman, struggling against the patriarchy that's trying to keep her down. Actually, it just occurred to me, Margaret Hale is also a woman that comes into her own, after the death of her mother, followed later by her father's death. Perhaps Eliza's middle name is Margaret? :-)
After this episode, the pacing of this entire show is just off, because it feels like a separate series. It's almost as if you don't even care what happens to anyone after this, at least not until William returns. A few things of note happen; there's some undoing of recent business relationships. I'm not sure how Eliza's final act in the series resolves anything. It was definitive, but rather anticlimactic for a season-ending closing scene.
Eliza seems like she's made her choice pretty clear. Now it will be up to William to make the concessions, if they are to be together. I really hope we see some growth for Eliza in Series 5 because, to date, it's still very much Eliza doing what Eliza wants. Even if that means that your love crosses the Atlantic for a year to "think" - oh well. Hopefully, William really doesn't want his job back when he returns.
Also, for the love of all that is good, please bring back Moses. By any logic, the Paris venture is a bust so let's get him, and his dry-witted one-liners, back where he belongs. You know what? Have the writer's people call my people. Clearly I have thoughts and I'm needed!
But seriously, I'd still keep my rating at an 8, giving credit for the preceding seasons. I had mentally placed it at an 8.5; a rarity for me, but now just a flat 8. I'm still invested in these characters and I hope Series 5 will be a redemption, of sorts, to get us back on track. Will it happen?? "Hard to say." "What do you mean?" "You know when something is easy to say? Well, it's the opposite of that." Thank you for explaining, Moses. I've missed you.
First Love (2022)
WOW...
This is about as close to perfect as a series gets. The character development, scenery, chemistry, fluid movement through eras, interweaving of historical events, beautiful score and satisfying ending were all done with such grace.
I eventually put my phone down and actually just watched the my television screen exclusively. And that never happens!
As someone who split from their first love as a teenager, yet came to be in a long-term relationship with them over twenty years later, I can attest to the fact that this certainly DOES happen. Sometimes the way by which you find each other again is odd. Coincidences in life certainly do happen; we see evidence of this every day.
For me, in the long run, my second chance didn't last more than a few years. However, until we met again, it always felt like unfinished business to me. Splitting the second time, on my own terms, gave me a sense of closure finally. I could stop wondering "what if".
Sadly, due to circumstance, only one half of our couple had to wonder "what if". It's torture enough to go through, but I can't even fathom knowing that you are the only one experiencing it. I won't give away any spoilers here. We all have past loves, past friendships, and past experiences that all create the foundation for who we are as people. It's what makes us "US". First Love takes you on that journey for this couple so succinctly and effortlessly.
Just know that this series is not only binge-worthy, but it's even put-your-phone-down worthy. And that's saying something.
Merry Matrimony (2015)
Nonsensical
I don't expect much when it comes to Christmas movies; my standards are pretty low. They are just something to have in the background while I'm doing other things, like wrapping gifts.
Most typical Christmas movie fare rates a 5. Some of the better offerings garner a 6, and once in a while, you see the rare Christmas "Unicorn" movie that deserves a 7 (think Love Actually). But this one...this piece of garbage...wishes it could be a 5. Heck, even a 3 would be aiming high.
I knew I was in for a bumpy ride when Eddie visited Brie at her apartment, after not having seen her for years. He said that he hoped it was okay that he stopped by and he had gotten her address from a fellow co-worker. Interesting, since she was literally in the same apartment as when they were in college together. Why would he need the address? Serious memory issues? Also, typical lazy set dressing; her Christmas decor in her apartment didn't change at all. It was identical. Who doesn't change up their holiday decor for 7 years? Hallmark couldn't spare a couple hundred bucks on different garland and lights. Seriously?
Also, the failure of this couple to communicate or have any chemistry at all was astounding. Hallmark loves to play that lack-of-communication-leading-to-confusion angle, but this one was especially unbelievable. It just went too far and could've been resolved by asking one simple question.
At the end, he proposes to her about 12 seconds after clearing up the confusion. Really?? And she throws the keys to the mansion they were using for the photo shoot and says they may as well use it, since they've got the keys for a couple more days. Really, really?? You didn't want to have time for family and friends fly in? Maybe have time to get a marriage license, so that it's legal? Was she so paranoid that he'd leave again, she needed to get it done before he came to his senses? Why couldn't they go with the "one year later" option?
Utter tripe. Some HM movies are worth a rewatch every year, even if they are barely entertaining. This isn't one of them.
Life Itself (2018)
One of the best.
Sitting here shattered...still crying as I write this. Likely, this will be one of the best movies I will ever see. I will think about this for days; weeks even. I will tell people whom I love to watch it.
This one got as much praise as it did criticism in the reviews. And that's okay. This film had its heart-wrenching, sad tear-filled moments. One reviewer said to skip it and go watch something up-lifting instead. But you see, this IS up-lifting. You just have to get to the end to understand why.
I'm not going to disparage anyone for a negative review. In this day and age, we're too quick to knock anyone down who doesn't share our opinion. Let's face it, you like what you like. This is an incredibly sad story with a beautiful, loving ending. Some people can't relate to that much heartache condensed into two hours. For others, it's too painful of a watch.
This movie is partially in Spanish, with subtitles. It's about a third of the movie. So if you do not speak Spanish and don't love watching movies with subtitles, I ask that you give this a chance anyway. It's just two hours of your life. What do you have to lose? I ask that you put your phone down and really, really focus.
We've all had heartache. We've all had moments that make us soar. As did our parents and our grandparents and the generations that came before. Everything that came before us makes us who we are today. The butterfly effect of our existence in this world. Our experiences will also effect our children, our grandchildren and beyond...lives that we can't even fathom.
This is a study in history and a lesson for the future. Maybe it moved me more than others because I lost two family members in the past month. This helped to put some things into perspective for me, which I really need at this moment.
It's okay to love and love hard. It's even okay to lose that love. Your life is still better because that person was a part of it, for however short or long. We are like ripples in a pond. We all love. And are loved. And that is life. Itself.
Midsommar (2019)
The cinematography was good...
...that's about it. I kept waiting for it to get better, bit it never did. Much like the plot, the entire film devolved into a pointless carcass, just like the bear. And most of the visitors. Take a hard pass on this one. I certainly wish I had.