Thendral's Take: November 2021
The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella
My Thoughts
This was different from the usual Sophie Kinsella books in that the romance was kept minimal and the focus was on family drama and healing from childhood stuff instead. I thoroughly enjoyed this premise even though this wasn't the most relatable read for me - I didn't see myself very much in Effie nor did I find what she had to go through in this book as something I am going through or had to go through. Sophie Kinsella's heroines are usually slightly neurotic - it's often done in a quirky way like that's just how she is. Whereas here, since the focus was on childhood, it was so easy to understand why Effie was acting the way she was. The humour was fantastic, bordering on ridiculous and silly at some points but I'm not one to complain about that - I laughed out loud at so many points. This is exactly what I would want in a fun, lighthearted and entertaining book.
Overall
You know that if Sophie Kinsella wrote it, I will read it. Her previous book, Love Your Life felt like a slight disappointment but this was great! Another great page-turner from her, I laughed and sympathised my way through the book in about four hours. The standout points of this book for me were:
1. being in your childhood home with your siblings as adults
2. having a second chance at romance with your childhood sweetheart.
And yes, you know me, I would recommend anything Sophie Kinsella writes, so it goes without saying that if you're looking for your next chick flick, ta-da! Oh! If you have read her "I Owe You One" and liked it, this book is amped up on the family aspect of that book!
My Thoughts
This is going to be a very quick rundown. If you didn't look for a flow, and literally treated the movie like a Disney theme ride, I think this would make for a fine watch. Because the plot was so muddy and if you don't take everything at face value you're just going to watch everything thinking "whaaaatttt?" If not for the performances by Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall, I would have said this was a less than average movie. Even then it's just a bit above average. Dwayne Johnson doesn't seem to be at his best like the Jumanji movies. I THINK he may have toned it down for Emily Blunt's character to shine but I'm not sure. I would give the movie major points for being family-friendly though, with something in there for any kid and keeping the humour simple and effective but not patronising.
Overall
Give this a watch if you want something fun and need to kill sometime like when you’re on an airplane or train ride. I don't think you would be missing out on much by not watching this movie. I was surprised to hear it's getting a sequel although I must say, I may just watch it for Emily Blunt!
Eternals
My Thoughts
Let me tell you what I liked first:
Angelina Jolie (duh) - in particular, the way Thena (morphed into Athena, Goddess of War) was portrayed as feminine and graceful yet strong AF.
the performances of Gilgamesh, Phastos and Makkari. Personally, I would say Lauren Ridloff (who played Makkari) was a breakout star.
the significant tonal difference of this movie compared to the MCU movies we have seen so far.
the diversity. No one was there as the token member of a specific group and the way everyone interacted with each other felt organic and natural - it's everything I long to see in a mixed setting in real life (in terms of race, age, languages, etc)
the inclusion of mental health issues (I *think* PTSD) termed as "Mahd Wy'ry" in the movie
the new approach to "superheroes"
Now let me tell you what the issue with the movie was. It was too much plot. WAY TOO much. There were too many characters and so there were too many backstories, too many character arcs and too many future stories to set up. There was a reason why the avengers weren't all thrown together in the first movie and four of them had their own movies before coming together in the first avengers movie. This movie felt too much for the storyteller AND listener. I think perhaps if they had just focused on one or two characters, the story would have been cleaner with more triumphs and letdowns for those characters to experience which could have then helped with the pacing. Instead, with all these introductions and discussions among these characters for us to understand who the eternals are, what they're doing, etc, the movie just became flat. I like this new direction and tone and this kind of effort may have paid off when MCU was in its infancy. But now that we have watched things like infinity war and endgame, we want A LOT more. Especially in terms of action when this movie is following Shang-Chi. But here's the irony, because of the experimentation in this film and deviance from the usual Marvel movie setup, I don't think anyone would have paid as much attention to this movie if it came out when MCU was in its infancy either.
Overall
I actually enjoyed this movie but I wish it was better. I expected more. Which is why even though I like it, I wouldn't rank it higher up if I had to rank the MCU movies. What this movie set out to accomplish was a near impossible feat for anyone - it should have been done over two or three movies. I would say watch it if you're an ardent MCU fan looking to keep up with the MCU. Otherwise, it's honestly your call.
My Thoughts
Listen, other than saying “I LOVED this show and you NEED to watch this”, I really don’t know how else to tell you the marvel that is this show. I really like the direction, I love how they've used the camera. E.g., when it pans around a room or zooms into things/ people - this makes the TV series much more immersive. It feels like you're right there watching all this unfold in front and around you rather than on a screen - especially episode 8. The inclusion of an episode entirely in ASL deserves to be lauded. Oh and the theme song!! It’s stuck in my head!! The chemistry/ unlikely friendship between Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short is an unexpected stroke of wonder. I also loved that for the diversity in terms of age, all of the characters were portrayed to still figure life out as they go - what a reassuring point of view!
Overall
I am BEYOND excited that this show is getting a season 2 and I CANNOT recommend this show enough to you, regardless of the genre you’re looking to binge a new show in! You NEED to watch this show now if you haven’t already! If you’re a fan of true crime like me and have yet to watch this show, well, what are you waiting for??
Overall
I have to be honest with you, I had a hard time connecting with this show because I simply couldn’t relate to the main character. BUT, that really doesn’t matter and I think it’s an important show for everyone to watch. I was scared, excited, hopeful, frustrated and sympathetic all at the same time (just at varying levels at times) towards the lead. I liked the way they showed the character to be “clueless” or too young to understand the world around her at times. But as disconnected as I felt from the lead, the show still made for a powerful watch for me. I really don’t how to pick apart this show which is why I jumped straight to the overall. All I will say is, the show deserves a watch simply for the way they handled the topic of abuse and its importance - it doesn’t matter if we are not in a similar situation or we don’t personally know someone like that. It’s important to know what abuse is like and as much as this show is not a blanket experience for ALL abuse victims, it gives you an idea that’s important for us to understand and empathise because that’s what makes us better people. Just be warned, it is NOT an easy watch because of the sensitivity of the topic of abuse. Abusive situations are terrifying and I can only imagine the difficulty in escaping such a situation.
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