#2021 drama reviews

[therealmrpositive]

Malcolm & Marie (2021)

In today's review, I find that you can say a lot of words in an evening, some that will reflect on more than just your life, relationships, and future. As I attempt a #positive review of the 2021 film Malcolm & Marie #JohnDavidWashington #Zendaya

Art is always a mirror of the attitudes of the artist and society around it. The personal drama, and the geopolitical machinations all fuel the creative process. In 2021, off of the success of Assassination Nation, and wanting to pivot to something newer, Sam Levison took a different approach, a more ambitiously artistic approach, in Malcolm & Marie. John David Washington who you might remember…

[dramastaughtme]

💛 The red sleeve

[limecello]

Team TBR Challenge Review: Word of Honor

LOOK IT’S SO GOOD OKAY?  *CAVEAT: To be honest, I put off watching this series for a bit because there were some mixed reviews, and for the first episode(s) the critics are legit. The beginning is … a lot. They throw a lot of shit out there, and introduce characters that are instantly killed off. Also, for whatever reason the first (few?) episodes – I’ve replaying from E1 as I write this review…

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day: Blue Reflection Ray

Released: 2021

Emotions are just fragments, but when a fragment becomes strong enough it becomes a reflector. This special tool allows one to connect to those who are lost. Some use these powers to help and others to hurt. When Ruka finds one a reflector she must make the ultimate decision: should she stay in her comfort zone or push into the world of the unknown.

[twenty-words-or-less]

Swan Song (Todd Stephens film)

Summary: A former hairdresser receives a request from a former client - to do her hair and make-up at her funeral.

Increasingly heartbreaking drama with Udo Kier's Pat struggling to maintain stoic(ish) facade as he revisits old haunts and old faces.

Rating: 4.5/5

Photo credit: Philadelphia Gay News

[tinyreviews]

This movie went under my radar because I feel biographies usually make weak stories. This one bucks the trend though.

King Richard is a 2021 American biographical sports drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin. It stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father and coach of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams (both of whom served as executive producers on the film), with Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, and Jon Bernthal in supporting roles. 

[mylifeinfiction]

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

"This road will take you wherever you want to go, son."

Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These is an extremely short, quietly affecting novella about the weight of secrets and the roads down which we choose to venture. Keegan's prose is so finely attuned thematically that we wrestle with the dilemma the main character faces right alongside him. It all makes for a poignant condemnation of the inhumanity inflicted by the church, and the small-town mentality which has protected them for so long.

"If you don't slow down, you'll meet yourself coming back. . ."

8/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[jasonsutekh]

The Guilty (2021)

A 911 operator becomes invested in a particular emergency call and determines to save the life of a young woman.

As a niche sub-genre of drama film it’s interesting what techniques will be used to vary the limited action. Working to a brief is better than simply saving money on locations and effects, it also means the narrative is very focused on character development and unravelling the mystery which was effective enough as there were a few misleading clues and a satisfying outcome.

Shortly into the fim it becomes apparent that it’s going to be confined to just a few rooms, the furthest we venture from the main workroom is a bathroom, unless you count one brief subjective crossfade to a parked car which appeared to be the protagonist imagining rather than us actually going anywhere. It’d possibly appeal more to theatre lovers than action cinema fans.

There was enough modern subtext to relate it to politics as well as relating small twists that are recognisable from the daily ethos of news as well as a caution against making assumptions. The performance was concentrated almost entirely to one on-screen actor and he carried the drama very effectively for a sustained time as well as conveying a diverse range of emotions.

The direction and editing are the ways that has the most subjective liscense, probably in order to keep more modern audience attention as there are a lot of close-ups which look good but there are times when the shot pace seems to be trying to convince us there’s more going visually than we can see but the audio performances were taking care of that suitably well too.

6/10 -Just a cut above average-

-This is a remake of a Danish film from 2018 that shares the same name.

-Shot during 2020 while the COVID-19 pandemic was still considered highly relevant.

[milliondollarbaby87]

The Little Things (2021) Review

When Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe Deacon aka Deke is sent to Los Angeles it should have been a quick assignment to gather evidence, but he becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer. The issue with this is that it is bringing up his past and something that Jim Baxter must then deal with. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Continue reading Untitled

[sapphired17]

Yumi's Cells Season 1: A Review

Humans are far the most complicated beings on Earth that revolve around what their heart and mind opt out for, each of whom consists of diversified braincells at a personal dose. That being said, even the slightest difference of ingredients can make up an entirely distinctive personality from one another. Here in the fantasy world of Yumi’s Cells Season 1 (2021), we are brought to an…

[sakurablossomsagain]

Reseña del kdrama “Dali and Cocky Prince” (2021)

Título: Dali and Cocky Prince / 달리와 감자탕 / dalriwa gamjatang

Género: Comedia, Romance

No. de episodios: 16

Cadena: KBS2

Periodo de emisión: 22 de septiembre del 2021 al 11 de noviembre del 2021

Sinopsis: Jin Moo Hak (Kim Min Jae) es el segundo hijo de una familia que dirige la firma global de franquicias de restaurantes Dondon F&B, una empresa que comenzó como un restaurante de gamjatang (estofado de huesos de cerdo). Jin Moo Hak carece de educación, pero tiene una excelente capacidad para ganar dinero. Por otro lado, Kim Dal Ri (Park Gyu Young) es investigadora visitante de una galería de arte. Ella es la única hija de una familia prestigiosa, puede hablar 7 idiomas diferentes y tiene una amena personalidad, pero no es muy buena para hacer las tareas del hogar como cocinar. Jin Moo Hak y Kim Dal Ri se conocen sin saber los antecedentes del otro y desarrollan buenos sentimientos por el otro. Más tarde, debido a la quiebra de una galería de arte, se reencuentran como hijo de una familia rica y sin educación e hija de una prestigiosa familia al borde de la bancarrota.

Rate: ★★★★☆ 4.5

Dali and The Cocky Prince es el kdrama más lindo, ligero y reconfortante que vi la primera mitad del año pasado (2022). Cuando lo empecé a ver, tenia la noción que era otro rom-com ligero para pasar el rato, y sí, en cierta parte lo es, pero también es mucho mas que eso, tiene muchas enseñanzas y lecciones de vida que vamos aprendiendo a través de las experiencias de los personajes.

La química entre Kim Min Jae y Park Gyu Young está en las nubes, tanto que me atrevo a decir que es una de las parejas más lindas y tiernas de kdramaland. Su actuación estuvo en el punto y no me puedo a imaginar a otros actores perfectos para estos papeles que no sean ellos. 

El humor fue lo que más me encantó. La personalidad de Jin Moo Hak es distinta a lo que estamos acostumbradas a ver de un rico, que en los kdramas es usualmente un chaebol de 3era generación, y que en este caso es distinto, pues Moo Hak es un nuevo rico. Y debo decir que es ver a alguien así es refrescante en el mundo de los kdramas. Los personajes peculiares y la historia lograban romper los estereotipos de rom-com de los kdramas. 

Los 16 capítulos estuvieron muy distribuidos. No se sintió lento al inicio, ni apresurado al final. Todo estuvo en la velocidad correcta... ¿y lo mejor?

🚧 SPOILER ALERT 🚧

No hubo triángulo amoroso y no hubo periodo de ruptura. LO QUE DEMUESTRA QUE UN KDRAMA NO NECESITA DE ESTOS ELEMENTOS PARA SER ENTRENIDO Y TENER 16 CAPÍTULOS. 

🚧 SPOILER ALERT 🚧

Una última cosa que me gusté y aprecié de los escritores es que no se olvidaron de los pequeños detalles -no tan pequeños- que usualmente son parte de porqué la pareja principal se acerca en primer lugar. Como es usual, para el episodio 16 creí que habían olvidado o ignorado completamente este artículo/detalle, pero no, no me decepcionaron incluso al final. 

Curiosidad:

En los pósters de promoción aparecen los actores recreando pinturas icónicas de arte, pueden verlos aquí.

Le doy a Dali and the Cocky Prince 4.5 ★★★★☆ estrellas.

OST: 4 estrellas

Actuación: 5 estrellas

Personajes: 5 estrellas

Historia: 5 estrellas

Cinematografía: 5 estrellas

Química de los personajes principales: 5 estrellas

[moviesandmania]

REPULSE (2021) Reviews of Czech horror now on Screambox

Repulse is a 2021 Czech bleak horror drama film about a tragedy that leads two dysfunctional families to intertwine in disturbing ways. Written, directed and edited by Emil Krizka. Produced by Jakub Kostal and Vratislav Slajer. The Bionaut production stars Pavla Gajdosíková, Stepán Kozub, Petr Panzenberger and Alena Sasínová-Polarczyk. Plot: The fates of two dysfunctional, grieving families…

[bookhouseboy1980-blog]

Yellowjackets S1X02: The F Shape (Review) 

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day: Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime

Alt title: Belle

Released: 2021

Belle is a newcomer to U, a popular social media platform. In U people create new versions of themselves. Belle is most well known for her beautiful singing and mysterious identity. In reality Belle is Suzu. Suzu is quite shy. She comes from the country, and it is through U that Suzu starts really feeling like herself. But Suzu isn’t the only one hiding her true self in U.

Only known as The Dragon, he is beast-like, damaged from countless battles and hatred in U. There are many rumors surrounding him, but one thing is for sure, he is misunderstood. After a fateful encounter, Belle takes interest in trying to figure out the mystery behind him.

[therealmrpositive]

Selena: The Series (2020-21)

In today's review, I look back at the family and singer behind hits like Como la Flor and Techno Cumbia. As I attempt a #positive review of the televisional biographical drama miniseries Selena: The Series #ChristianSerratos #GabrielChavarria

It is a sobering fact that the music industry is full of stars that were taken before their time, the infamous 27 Club is an overgrowing reminder of the lost potential and devastated audience that is left. One name that springs to mind is Selena, who broke barriers in the Tejano music scene and nationally, riding an incredible high before her shooting in 1995. In 2020, Netflix released a two-part…

[tinyreviews]

The journey is unique and it’s human. But that open ending is a letdown, like the writer decide to play it super-safe. Not revealing Lamp’s gender, or the result of Matt and Anna’s journey together. There is no payoff, no closure to all that buildup. No catharsis.

I think some important parts were left on the editing table. There was a setup with Anna’s mother on the phone, that they might reconcile. But we did not see the payoff.

Together Together is a 2021 American comedy film written and directed by Nikole Beckwith. It stars Ed Helms, Patti Harrison, Tig Notaro, Julio Torres, and Anna Konkle.