Emily In Paris

Emily In Paris (2020)

IMDB: 7.4

Cast: Lily Collins (as Emily Cooper), Lucas Bravo (as Gabriel), Ashley Park (as Mindy Chen), Camille Razat (as Camille)

Emily Cooper, an American from Chicago goes to Paris to work for a French marketing firm when her boss cancels her own trip and sends Emily instead. It is centred around the struggles and the joys of being an American ex-pat in Paris. Emily's workplace, daily life, romantic struggles increase immensely when she's dropped into the firm all of a sudden, and it seems to increase the struggles of the ones around her as well. It's a light-hearted rom-com for anyone who wants to escape their own reality.

Personal Thoughts: Escaping from reality comes with its price and Emily In Paris reflects this in the most comedic/American way possible. If you've seen Sex and the City, you would know what I'm talking about. The creator of the show Darren Star also created Sex and the City, which is something that instantly wants to make you watch it as it indicates it will be a light-hearted show with a mostly relatable main character.

The critics have pointed out that there were a few inaccuracies in the way life in Paris was portrayed and maybe this bothers the Frech more than the other viewers as they are known to be realists, however, that might also be one of the things that were exaggerated in the show. The negative opinions usually centre around the fact that Emily isn't as charming as some might think since she doesn't know French and living in France, and perhaps isn't making the most effort to learn.

However, I personally don't think that's very important in terms of a romantic comedy. I am an ex-pat living in Budapest at the moment and I've lived in Rotterdam before. I've tried learning the local languages but it is proving to be more struggling than I thought. Emily didn't know beforehand that she would be spending the year in Paris, which explains why she doesn't know French. I don't think there's much point in being harsh on the character and the show in total. She continuously apologises to people for not being able to speak French, which is very realistic from an expat's point of view. Learning a language takes time, you have to invest all your hours into it to be good at it.

Despite being very clishé in general, it was made that way on purpose. It is (at times) mocking the clishés while letting people enjoy them. There is something we love to hate about clishés and Emily In Paris nails it. For me, it was a bit too much and the American attitude can get a bit too tiring to watch but still, I must've liked the show because I've finished it in one day.

The sense of humour wasn't always the best for me but most romantic comedies nail the romantic part more than the comedy part. Some things I enjoyed were Emily's outfits, the charming cast, and lastly, the fact that it was a mixture of American romantic comedies and at times French realism. The American part is definitely more noticeable but the complications in Emily's relationships felt a little too real to be considered a complete American romantic comedy.

Overall, I enjoyed watching Emily In Paris. It's s pretty fast watch especially if you don't have much to do because of the pandemic and all. The only things I didn't enjoy so much were Emily's reactions sometimes, like her being too over the top sometimes, and the clishés of cultures being too much sometimes. It doesn't show you anything you haven't seen on TV before, like how Sex and the City didn't show anything new, but it makes you watch. It's easy to relate to Emily especially if you're an ex-pat. She's just a girl who arrived in Paris with no friends and co-workers are giving her a hard time and I find that pretty relatable. In addition to that, we root for Emily when it comes to her love life. I really liked watching this show, and judging by the replies I got to my Instagram story which was a scene fro Emily In Paris, a lot of people did.

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The Social Network

The Social Network (2010)

IMDB: 7.7

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg (as Mark Zuckerberg), Justin Timberlake ( as Sean Parker), Andrew Garfield (as Eduardo 'Wardo' Saverin), Armie Hammer (as Tyler Winklevoss)

The movie is about how Mark Zuckerberg, who is a freshman at Harvard creates Facebook. The quote "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies" explains it all really.

    Personal Thoughts: This movie gives enough material to speculate for anyone who loves or hates Mark Zuckerberg. There was a lot of drama happening throughout the movie but apart from that, the movie hypes you up a bit when you see a dorky, bitter freshman create something that has a huge success. The movie starts by showing Mark and his girlfriend breaking up, which doesn't really initiate the creation of Facebook, but I feel like it speeds it up as Mark is feeling shitty about being broken up with and wants to prove to his ex that he can succeed. He's a bit too stuck on her and I don't even have to talk about the misogynistic things he writes on his little blog 'Zuckonit' and the website he creates to rate girls as hot or not. 

    On a side note, Jesse Eisenberg talking gives major INTJ energy which I think was good for the character even though I don't know if Mark Zuckerberg is like that in real life. He's literally a squirrel on caffeine whenever he opens his mouth. I felt like all the blood flows towards my brain when I'm concentrating on him talking, like how your blood flows towards your stomach when you're digesting. (I'm like 78% sure that's a true fact but don't look it up). The movie definitely doesn't put Mark Zuckerberg in a good light as it gives off the feeling that the writer of the movie was the friend who Mark Zuckerberg f*cked over judging by the amount of bitterness. That could literally be anyone though, he apparently f*cked over a lot of people when he created Facebook.

    I liked the Winklevosses (Winklevii), and I liked the amount of random cool lines Armie Hammer has. I also quite enjoyed the scene where the Winklevosses were trying to convince the dean that Mark Zuckerberg was acting against the rules of the university:

    Cameron Winklevoss: Mr Zuckerberg hasn't been responding to any of our emails or phone calls for the last two weeks. He doesn't answer when we knock on his door at Kirkland and the closest I've come to dealing with him face-to-face is when I saw him on the quad and chased him through Harvard Square.

    Larry Summers: You chased him?

    Cameron Winklevoss: I saw him and I know he saw me. I went after him and then he disappeared.

    Lastly, I will talk about Andrew Garfield's performance, which was quite good I think. His character was genuine and the scene he had with Justin Timberlake (Sean) towards the end of the movie was *chef's kiss* just right. I liked how passionately he smashed Mark's computer. My favourite quote from Andrew Garfield's character is probably "I like standing next to you Sean. It makes me look so tough". It was such an iconic scene that made me like his character even more.
    Overall, I don't know if the movie reflects reality completely since my flatmate said to me the other day that Mark Zuckerberg said in a podcast that it was almost all wrong. Either way, it shows the errors in the way Facebook was created. It might've as well be called 'How to Not Run a Business'. It had a fast-moving tempo as Facebook immediately had a huge amount of recognition. It is kinda entertaining to see how people view college as well, it makes me feel like I've missed out on a couple little things when I started uni if I'm being honest. There's literally no drama going on in my university so I can't relate to our boy Zuck in that sense. I would recommend this movie to whoever's feeling like they want to be inspired and uninspired at the same time.

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Enola Holmes

 Enola Holmes (2020)

IMDB: 6.7

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown (as Enola Holmes), Henry Cavill (as Sherlock Holmes), Sam Claffin (as Mycroft Holmes), Louis Partridge (as Tewkesbury), Helena Bonham Carter (as Eudoria Holmes), Fiona Shaw (as Miss Harrison)

    'Enola' is 'alone' spelt backwards. It also is the name of Sherlock and Mycroft's little sister. The movie is about Enola's mother disappearing and her running away from home on a quest to find her mother which results in her bothers trying to find her. She wears disguises every step of the way in order to hide from her clever brothers and she meets Tewkesbury along the way. The movie takes a turn when Enola realises there are people trying to kill Tewkesbury, and decides to solve the mystery of this situation while also saving him.

    Personal Thoughts: I will start off by commenting on the negatives and then I'll come back to the positives. First of all, I liked the movie, it has a different tone than all the other Sherlock Holmes movies as Sherlock Holmes isn't the main character here. It had feminist undertones, which is nice. Although I have come across better ways of delivering this kind of message in movies like Little Women. For some reason, it felt like Enola was portrayed as an exception among girls, which in today's society corresponds to being 'not like other girls'. If you don't know what it is, it's basically a trend started on social media to demonstrate how someone lacks stereotypical feminine qualities to imply they're somehow "better" than the rest of the girls. She is essentially stripped off from most qualities women in those times had. All those qualities are portrayed as despicable and restricting acts throughout the movie. The only times we see Enola interacting with girls is when she goes to the 'lady school' where they teach girls to be lady-like and she immediately hates it. Now, I think it is okay to hate these sorts of things, it is quite a boring concept to have a school for teaching how to laugh and drink tea after all, but I just didn't like that that was the only interaction she had with girls. I liked that there were other female characters that supported the idea of portraying women as strong but I feel like women who don't do jiu-jitsu and constantly go undercover as boys also need recognition in movies. Another problem I had was with Millie Bobby Brown being Eleven in Stranger Things. I kept associating Enola with Eleven and essentially thought that her acting and the characters were a bit too similar as they were both the main characters who were powerful girls living in men's world and we were being reminded of that the whole time. I think her acting just doesn't really do it for me. That being said, she's only sixteen and is very successful and I really enjoyed watching her as Eleven, at least she had a tiny bit of positive interaction with another female character in that show towards the end.

    Sherlock was way hotter than any other Sherlock I've seen on TV, which I will get criticism for, however, I didn't like this Sherlock's personality. He just didn't have that awkward genius Sherlock-ness. I'm used to Sherlock referring to himself as a sociopath, not a caring family member. It was just too big of a difference for me to get used to if I'm being honest. He just disappeared into the background for me but that might just be the effect of him barely having any dialogue with anyone. In addition to that, Mycroft was a pretty annoying, two-dimensional character. Most characters were pretty two-dimensional when I think back to it. This isn't a Marvel movie, not everyone has to be portrayed as villains or heroes.

    Now, I know I've just spent two paragraphs complaining about the negatives of the movie but I actually really liked it. I wouldn't say this movie is problematic, I can only say that there were small things that annoyed me as with every movie and if you bare with me, I'll get to the positives which make up for the negatives. The cinematography was nice, the whole idea of making a movie about Enola was nice and there were multiple actresses that I liked in it. Another thing I really liked was seeing Tewkesbury. I don't know who the kid who's playing Tewkesbury is but he's the most adorable, genuinely nice and emotional actor I've seen in a while and that says a lot. Whenever he looked at Enola I just melted a little. His little teardrop at the end, his genuine love for the girl, all of it made the movie for me. There's just something about seeing nice guys being in love that makes my day better. Every emotion he had was valid and encouraged (We have to protect Tewkesbury at all cost).

    In conclusion, I loved the relationship between Tewkesbury and Enola and you could even just watch it for that. The plot, the cinematography and everything was quite nice. I realised I haven't mentioned Helena Bonham Carter's performance, which was good of course, but I have the same problem I have with Millie Bobby Brown. I always imagine her a bit like her character in Harry Potter which makes things a little creepy if I'm being honest. I loved Fiona Shaw's performance, I have always loved her performances, especially in Killing Eve. To briefly touch upon the negative things I said about Enola's character, you don't have to isolate the character from other females to make her better than them, you don't have to constantly mention she doesn't know how to do embroidery for her to be original. To me, knowing how to do embroidery is as original as knowing how to fight when it's cleverly written. I wish these character traits were treated more casually that I could relate more to Enola.

P.S: Don't mind all the negative things I'm saying, I liked this movie, I really did, I just usually rant a lot about these things :D

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Locke and Key

Locke and Key (2020)

Cast: Jackson Robert Scott (Bode Locke), Connor Jessup (Tyler Locke), Emilia Jones (Kinsey Locke), Darby Stanchield (Nina Locke)

    The series is an adaptation of a cartoon about the Locke siblings and their mother moving into the Locke house which was the house that belonged to their father's family before their father was murdered. While they're staying there, they are trying to build a new life while also discovering things about the house, their father's past and trying to get past their trauma. Without spoilers, I can only say that it is worth a watch especially if you're into fantasy as a genre.

    Personal thoughts: First off, this is my first review of a Netflix series and I haven't quite finished watching it so I'll just comment on the bit that I watched. I thought it is interesting and raises questions as to where it's going and what it's about. It portrays the struggles of the teen characters and uses the two other characters, their mom and their little brother Bode, to deepen the plot by finding the function of the keys and finding out more about their father's past which will probably become more relevant in the future episodes considering the name of the show. I liked how the settings looked which plays a big part in why I like it and recommend it. I looked up the settings and found out that they're all towns in Canada. The town is actually in Lunenburg which is a small town in Nova Scotia. Another thing I liked was the functions of the keys. It's pretty interesting how each of them has its function whether it's good or bad. I also liked that there was imagery that supported the siblings' trauma, like the scene where Kinsey is supposed to play the girl that drowns in blood and the guilt that Tyler feels when he's about to have sex. These kinds of scenes did help to convey the message of their traumatic past.

    What kind of felt a little clishé was the 'new people in town' trope. It's the easiest way to drop a new character in the story and widely used by writers. Even the kids themselves seem confused as to why they were supposed to be moving out but thankfully the writers supported the idea of them starting a new life specifically there with the mother searching for her husband's past life. I think I just like the idea of the main characters knowing more about their surroundings and not ending up a bit empty towards what's happening around them. Another thing I'm not very into is their possible romantic interests. I just thought the dialogues were a bit basic (especially between Tyler and the girl that says she turns into a pumpkin when it's late) I think their interaction could be made more interesting. Tyler just having the confidence to go up to a girl and not saying much was not very interesting or realistic in my opinion. What someone in Tyler's situation would most probably do would be noticing a girl they like from afar but not talking to her unless he has a reason to or anything to say considering he's emotional and not feeling talkative or confident at all.

    I also thought the fact that everyone in town mentioned their father's murder so casually to them was kind of weird and a bit too much maybe. As an example, the ice cream guy mentions it twice when he first meets Kinsey. Given that it's the first time he met Kinsey and knowing that it creates a weird environment, you'd expect him to not mention it when he's trying to befriend her but that wasn't the case. At least the pumpkin girl didn't mention their father's murder which is something to be thankful for.

    Lastly, I guess the pace is a bit slow so you have to stick to it for at least two episodes but I still recommend it to anyone who's into fantasy, teen drama, mystery etc. and doesn't mind a couple of little clishés since the parts about keys make up for a lot of the small things I mentioned. Overall, this show gives you a lot to like with it's interesting and original plotline, mystery and production.

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Little Women

Little women (2019)

Cast: Saoirse Ronan (Jo March), Emma Watson (Meg March), Florence Pugh (Amy March), Timothée Chalamet (Laurie)

IMDB: 8.2

    This movie is the 2019 adaptation of the book 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott. In the opening scene, we see a quote by the writer herself that indicates she has had a gloomy life and 'Little Women' in a way is her way of escaping that reality. It is evident in the movie that happiness is the desired element in everyone's lives and that is exactly what's delivered to us. The main character Jo March is a writer and she lives in a colourful household with the rest of her siblings and her mother. They are all striking girls at a time where girls are only meant to marry well and otherwise they're considered foolish. The movie revolves around the girls' lives, ambitions, struggles and how they're perceived by men and other women while emphasising their uniqueness. It is about how women are strong, interesting, striking beings and they can accomplish things, be strong and love, not when they have to, but when they really do.

    Personal Thoughts: This movie was something special, hence my decision to come back to actually putting a bit of effort into this blog. It inspired me to wake up and write something about it which is a hard thing to do for me these days. I do love feminism as a theme and came across many different ways of approaching the topic. Little Women does this in a very cosy and lovely way that shows how sisters have a special bond and how each of them has ambitions that are considered unrealistic by others but supported by each other. I personally loved the fact that the girls had a world of their own and it attracted others without even trying which is shown in the scenes where Laurie, his tutor and his grandfather often look at the girls admiringly when they're being all lively and care-free. Another thing I would like to touch upon is how love is approached in the movie which was very real in a way. I was one of the people who expected (and really wanted) Laurie and Jo to end up together because their friendship was something special and it was evident how he cared about her and even though it wasn't too clear if she cared about him in the same way, I guess I hoped she would. I think this is how most people feel about these two characters perhaps because it is portrayed so well how Laurie is in love / heartbroken but all these aside, it is also admirable how he gets over it as well. However, if we look into the scenes, it's all about friendship and it is still something admirable to have, maybe even more admirable than romantic love which does fit the theme of the movie. On a side note, even though I liked the movie a lot, I did feel like it was a bit out of the blue when Jo was suddenly into Friedrich and Laurie was into Amy which only feels like an attempt to make a happy ending for all. It is realistic in a way though so I'm not too against it either. It's just that sometimes the book might explain it all whereas since the movie is a compressed version of the book some events have to be shown rather shortly so as a viewer we don't prefer how some things end up being and these two relationships were one of those things in the movie for me. Overall, it's realistic, heartwarming, funny and Timothée Chalamet looks super good so it gets a 9/10 from me.

Update: I read the book and it barely mentions any romance so the movie took a few liberties in that sense

P.S: I feel like Timothée Chalamet is made to be the soft boy in love in every movie with slight alterations in the character but he just does it so well that I don't even care. Also not to be a complete fangirl here but the scene where they were in a meadow was just so good I get how it's nominated for best picture (I'm putting it below)

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