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Film reviews

Miller’s Girl Review

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What is appropriate when it comes to teachers and students? What behaviors cross a line? How awkward or uncomfortable can situations get? In Miller’s Girl boundaries are crossed when there is an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and student. When things take a turn for the worst in the story, things become misconstrued as the characterizations and dynamics are an utter mess. Overall, the film’s presentation falls flat. While Miller’s Girl is rich in context and dialogue, the continuity is lacking. There is limited background to explain why the scenarios end up being so dreadful and miscalculated. As someone who respects boundaries, Miller’s Girl was a-disappointment.

The film takes place in a rural Tennessee. Jonathan Miller (played by Martin Freeman) is an English teacher. He is lucky to have his job because the school he works at has difficulties with funding. His friend Boris (played by Bashir Salahuddin) is a science teacher and they both end up in a strange dynamic with two female students. Cairo Sweet (played by Jenny Ortega) and Winnie Black (played by Gideon Aldeon) both have uniquepersonalities with Cairo being stranger. Jonathan assigns Cairo to write a paper about an author that speaks to her. The author she chooses is Henry Miller which is a red flag. This choice is questioned by Jonathan because of the context of the novels written by Miller. There is a level of closeness that Cairo learns about from Winnie. Both girls figure out ways to be seductive for their own benefit. Cairo’s goal is to have her piece grasp a lot of attention to help her have a bright future. This is where the real trouble in the film sets in. The seductive relationship between Jonathan and Cairo crosses boundaries. From this point on, Miller’s Crossing turns into an unbearable mess with poor writing and limited continuity.

The film is poorly displayed, and the connections happen too quickly. The seductive scenes are just thrown in. Even the teachers have poor judgment. The story includes one poor choice after another. Miller’s Girl just keeps repeating the same bad mistakes. To add to the mess, weird personalities overtake the film’s writing. The sole purpose seems to be to expose the stupidity among its characters, including the sexualized brains of the students.

There is a scene where Cairo adapts her essay about Henry Miller and correlates it to the seductive (and inappropriate) experience she had with Jonathan. This is an example of how this movie displays mediocrity at its finest. Comparing a famous author and linking it to a teacher with poor morals seems wrong. Although the basic idea behind this movie had promise, it is the approach it took to become enticing or haunting that failed. Miller’s Girl is not only poorly written but also poorly executed.

The film finds no resolution to any of the foolish conflicts. Although there is some seductive chemistry, it seems rushed. When boundaries are crossed, there are irreparable consequences. The story goes around in circles. In the end, this film was a poor experience because it was disgusting and confused. One out of four stars for Miller’s Girl.

Film reviews

Monolith Review

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I love news stories and am fascinated by the way true stories aretold. Monolith spoke to me because it is both enticing and mind-boggling. Directed by Matt Vesely, this film is unique due to the way in which the characters feel empathy with the story they are researching. The writing is strong and stays on point as it dives into cinematic aspects of realism and human emotions. Monolithis a sci-fi thriller that keeps its audience thinking through thethrills of finding answers and making connections. Monolith speaks the universal language of finding the right pieces to solve a puzzle. The movie showcases how invigorating the work of a journalist can be.

Monolith focuses on The Interviewer played by Lily Sullivan. She is an investigative reporter with a podcast that is titled Beyond Believable which covers crime stories and mysteries. The Interviewer is just getting over some turmoil based on disputes at a previous outlet. She is finding new direction and a new audience when she comes across a story that will change her world forever.

The story involves bricks which are artifacts that have meaningful symbols. The bricks have fallen into the hands of a few individuals who have had past experiences which create an attention-grabbing story for The Interviewer. Sullivan’s role as a reporter is quite keen as she deeply investigates the brick artifacts. Living in her solitary home in the mountains, the revelations about the bricks become her story.

The film’s writing demonstrates that her reporting is no joke. The Interviewer speaks to Floramae (played by Ling Cooper Tang), Klaus (played by Terence Crawford), and Laura (played by Kate Box). They describe how the bricks made them feel powerful and that there have been weird psychological outcomes when the bricks were around them. The process of putting together the pieces is where Monolith shifts gears from serious to surprising. The revelations in the story cause it to blow up and increase the following of the podcast as the number of listeners and comments skyrocket. “I want to expose the truth,” accurately describes Monolith as an investigative thriller where a theory is deeply explored to find meaning.

Monolith is audacious in the way the story goes back to afoundation that is at times overwhelming, descriptive, and theoretical. The power of the artifacts brings darkness to the life of The Interviewer. She is the soul focus because the film is justshows her while everyone she talks to is on the phone. As the truths are unveiled, the safety and anxiety of The Interviewer becomes questionable. Is her research making her the next target? Is someone who has had the artifact targeting her? Does someone wish for negative consequences to impact her?Monolith is a true thriller where there is no turning back.

The film is a reporting story that I found spellbinding. The clues and theories in Monolith lead to a harrowing twist. There is an unexpected revelation in the film that makes the audience shake. My curiosity was piqued with all the interesting evidence revealed—the artifacts, the stories, and the puzzle astonished me. One artifact leads to multiple meanings in Monolith. What is the outcome? Is there a risk or other hidden factors? Is there more to the story? Find out in Monolith. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Bob Marley: One Love Review

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The songs of Bob Marley are monumental and loaded with appreciation for life. Marley’s mission was to shine with empathy and build better relationships in a harsh political era. His music and his life brightened the world with positivity, happiness and peace. The new film about him, Bob Marley: One Love, almost hits the mark, although the storyline is rushed at times and its writing sometimes heads in a misconstrued direction. The film sets out to lay the foundations of Bob Marley’s life, and the writing finds some wonderful moments but, again, the direction of the film can be hard to follow. The music shines throughout, however, and is easily the best part of the film.

The man who plays Bob Marley is Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Bob’s widow, Rita Marley, is played by LaShana Lynch. The film is a biopic of Bob Marley’s journey as a person, a musician, and as one who fought through adversity. It starts off in his hometown in Jamaica, and it then goes to his music and the connections he made in the music industry. The film also jumps back to moments showing how courageous and empathetic he could be. Marley’s music and his voice always helped people think about the positives in their lives.

The plot of Bob Marley: One Love is captivating and it will go deep into the hearts of its audience. There is a divine feeling of empathy that flows graciously and poetically through the life of Marley. The writing of the film jumps back and forth—to times of hardship, inspirational moments, and the many joyful times of the music of Bob Marley. When it comes to the relationships he has with his assistants, Chris Blackwell (played by James Norton) and Don Taylor (played by Anthony Walsh), Bob Marley: One Love encourages its audience to shift its emotions and to think of the words, “Every little thing is gonna be alright,” from one of Marley’s most well known songs, “Three Little Birds”.

The story as a whole and the music in particular are very captivating in Bob Marley: One Love. Marley fought through a lot of adversity, and the film often cycles back to the conflicts he had with his assistants, the crew members of his tour, etc. The success of his album Exodus also played a prominent role in the film. But throughout the film the musical tunes kept the positive feelings and empathy going.

I would describe the viewing experience of Bob Marley: One Love as somewhat standard. There wasn’t a strong biopic writing form in the film, and some moments felt rushed to me. But I still felt that my heart was touched by the fascinating aspects of Bob Marley’s legendary musical career, and the film keeps to its point of showing Marley as the positive force for the world that he was. And again, the film is worth it just to revisit the magical musical moments, and to help remind us to be truly grateful for life. Three out of four stars for Bob Marley: One Love.