More Than Books (TV & Film) – July

Hi everyone,

I watched a lot of great film and television in July. For eight days I went on a cruise and watched around five films while on the boat, so a lot of them were watched then. Otherwise, everything else was just viewed in my spare time.

Films

Before I Fall 

Rating: 

I read the book back in 2011 and enjoyed it at the time, so it was really great to see the film and remember what happens in it. It is quite a unique and fast-paced film that captures High School life in a cliched yet thought-provoking way. I don’t remember the book that much so I’m just going to say that I liked the movie and book equally.

Gifted (2017)

Rating: 

This movie is forgettable but was pleasant to watch. The little girl was so cute and there was a moment where I almost cried (almost). I liked the backstory given to the girl, as it made her situation much more fascinating. It is about a seven-year-old girl who is gifted, but is in a custody battle between her uncle and grandmother. There was a romance between the uncle and her teacher, and I did not sense the chemistry at all.

Get Out (2017)

Rating: 

I loved Get Out! It was very creepy and throughout the film I knew something weird was about to happen. The characters are all so strange. The plot/twist is really creative I liked how everything played out. There is also some humour to the movie, which was great because of the ridiculous plot. If you like thrillers then you will enjoy this film.

To the Bone (2017)

Rating: 

To the Bone is new to Netflix and has come under fire for allegedly glamorising eating disorders. I’ve never had an eating disorder so I’m not going to comment on it, but I’ve definitely been concerned about being thin, and personally did not aspire to be like Ellen. It is a very confronting film and I did not really enjoy it, but more for the usual reasons I do not like films, such as that it moved slowly and lacked purpose (even though the message was clear).

The House (2017)

Rating: 

I love comedies so I almost always enjoy a comedy. This one hasn’t been doing so well though. It was really entertaining and I love both Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell, they are both great comedians.

Misery (1990)

Rating: 

After I finished the book, I watched the film. Seeing as I watched so quickly after reading the book, I noticed quite a few differences. But it helped the viewers understand what was happening. I really liked the film, it moved quickly (faster than the book) and wasn’t very scary. I absolutely hate horror films because they make me stay up all night, but this one was not scary.

Television

Gypsy (2017)

Rating: 

I liked the premise of this psychological romantic thriller. The only thing Gypsy reminds me of is Mulholland Drive (2001), which is weird because Niomi Watts stars in both of them. It is disliked by critics and audiences – it has 27% on Rotten Tomatoes – but I really liked it! It is not very thrilling at all really, and I guess I just liked the character of Jean. However, there was one thing I did not like, and that is the ending! I thought everything would get resolved but nothing did. It ends on a cliffhanger.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-present)

Rating: 

This rating is just for season 3. I had been watching this season over around the past two months, and if I didn’t want to watch something to do exercises to, I probably wouldn’t have watched it. I definitely did laugh out loud a few times, but it’s not really that funny in my opinion. It’s too stupid at times and I don’t like some of the characters (Lillian and Jacqueline). Kimmy and Titus are bearable. Xanthippe is my favourite. The best part of the season was when Titus sung The Star-Spangled Banner over the speakers.

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• Have you watched any of these films or television?