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aliceecila
Reviews
Absentia (2017)
Binge Inducing but Inconsistent..
This definitely left me on edge and even caused some anxiety. I had to binge watch both seasons in a matter of three or four nights just to get it over with- like with a good mystery novel I simply cannot rest until the end. It was definitely a love/hate kind of show for me...
As others have mentioned, the sound is off with hushed voices & blaring background noises and therefore very annoying. I just watched it with the CC on. The words on screen have never bothered me and actually allow me to catch every word & fully comprehend the entire story.
Also, in general Let's remember that fictional entertainment is pretend and does not promise to hold true to or correlate with facts of life. Therefore it should never be judged by that criteria. You're supposed to watch it for what it is- a conjured creation of imaginations.
If you want more facts depicted- or a "nonfiction" real-life approach- go watch a documentary, read an academic text book, or better yet just go stare at yourself in the mirror. Instead of purposelessly criticizing a purposefully sensationalized, suspenseful, thrilling, dramatically and preposterously mysterious FICTIONAL television series.
For a sexy thrilling mystery fictional series- it definitely hits the spot and is definitely worth a watch (or two if you missed something the first time)!!
Warning Spoilers Below (don't read if you haven't watched it yet and want to):
I love the few sexy and stirring in the heat-of-the-moment scenes between Emily & Nick- you can feel their anguish, love and longing. Nick acts/performs best in scenes with Emily in both seasons. And I liked the sense of sexual tension/frustration between Emily and her adoptive brother Jack that keeps you guessing whether or not he's the killer/her abductor in Season 1. Jack is a great character (and actor) in both seasons, albeit a bit too pitiful & naive at times.
I thought Alice was suspicious from the very start and that she would prove to not be as sweet as she sounds. I also think Nick and Emily had more of a passionate real connection and that Alice was a malicious manipulative insider "witch" of sorts to steal him away so fast.
B/c there's no way Nick, an FBI agent, as in love as he was with Emily- his wife & fellow FBI agent & mother to his young SON- while also having a close relationship w/his father-in-law ex-cop, would have given up so fast on Emily without even having a body to bury, and moving on to date & quickly marry Alice just a mere year or so after Emily went missing. Just NO WAY- unless like I said, Alice "knew"/was instructed on exactly what to do and say to him in order to get him hooked so fast...ulterior motives all along of course...
They definitely could have cut a few scenes short though or out altogether because it dragged a bit towards the end. One thing I may have missed though is who are the other bodies that were buried in that mass grave with Dr. Shen? I may have to go back to see..
And what exactly triggers Emily to blackout into her killer mode? A real shot while she's sleeping? Or Like the sound of water or something? I feel like I missed that too?
So A bit confusing and lagging towards the end, and I sadly hated Nick by the end too... but I really enjoyed the twist and how it puzzles together in the last episode of Season 1.
I loathe and usually avoid anything involving children being harmed and am not a huge fan of the "horror" genre.. So I had to "slowly" fast forward and mute a few times throughout Season 1, but most of those scenes didn't involve integral dialogue and were just purely gratuitous to me. Now in Season 2, I thankfully did not have to fast forward through anything.
Season 2 is better because the pace is quicker and you already know the main characters for the most part. Emily is a bit of a man-eater but she definitely has her reasons... I just feel badly for Tommy- I really liked him. I don't think they should've taken him out that way- it wasn't necessary.
Alice is what I pegged her to be from the beginning so no surprises there for me. Yet again..Poor Jack.
The standout in season 2 for me is Cal's character. I LOVE Cal. He is very interesting.. has a magnetic tortured stoicism and sounds like he has a very disturbing intriguing past that I'd love to hear more about...I LOVE the exciting intense escapades of Emily & Cal. They really made the perfect team. Perfect chemistry. I wanted them to just get to it many times- it was just so palpable. It was like a mini-movie in the middle of the tv series... hopefully we'll get to see more of him and them as a team in Season 3....
Late Phases (2014)
Surprisingly good werewolf movie!
This is a really good "low budget" movie. Great acting- especially by the main actor and the priest character. I actually wanted to know even more about "Ambrose"- he really draws you in- very engaging actor. Plus nice to see a couple other talented familiar faces!
The story was original enough for a "monster" movie. But one of the main reasons I decided to rent it was because of how much it reminded me of Silver Bullet in the trailer (which was probably the first werewolf movie I ever watched and is still my favorite at 30 years old). And it didn't disappoint! I kind of wish it would have kept us guessing for a bit longer than it did but it was faster paced in general. Not too much blood and gore either- just the right amount. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the actual face of the werewolf- they should have made the snout a bit broader and/or longer. It was still pretty creepy & scary looking nonetheless. But really overall a well-done scary mysterious werewolf movie- definitely worth watching! They are hard to come by!
So if you are a big fan of Silver Bullet or Wolf, you will enjoy this one as well!
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Nauseatingly Self-indulgent
I just watched the unrated/2 hour version. Maybe I should have watched the rated/shorter version? Maybe that version was better? Either way, I am glad I did not go spend over $10 on it at the theater.
They literally beat this horse so dead that it has since rotted, been turned into compost by Diane Lane, been eaten by Jane Lynch, been flushed by Leonardo DiCaprio, been necromancied by Apatow Productions, and lastly been reborn as a shark named "Doby". And I even have a thing for sharks- lifelong Shark Week fan- and still did not find this all that funny.
And don't tell me I don't have a good sense of humor. I know funny- I love to laugh. I love absurdity! I love weird awkward humor! But this was just too much not funny (like stupid boring Kelso from That 70's Show not funny), mixed in with just a few sporadic moments of genuine funny, for me to enjoy.
I mean I did laugh a bit- maybe once or twice I guess- but more like a ha. One or two HAs'. But I also had to fast forward some scenes because they just got too long and dumb. And I know black/white racial tensity was fresh back then but the jokes have been done to death!!! Just not funny anymore. There's nothing even new, shocking, or obscene to say about race anymore- especially not in this movie.
I actually think the real problem is that Hollywood is letting their actors be the writers way too often now. They have taken "improv" to a lazy self-indulgent place (i.e. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET; American HUSTLE). And it sucks. Not everyone is good at it- just because you're a good actor does not mean that you are also a good writer and director. Not everyone who has hosted SNL has been good at. Get over yourselves. I think they (these actors) have obviously been allowed to become the editors of their own movies as well. That's why all of these recent over-hyped overrated disappointing movies have been so long- how do you expect a narcissist to part ways with their own face, their own voice, and their OWN WORDS???
And "fans" please stop buying into it so much. Hollywood has become a bunch of inbred nepotistic panderers. Please stop feeding the 1% before their beautiful heads become soooo fat that they turn ugly, and then implode.