Rapid Reviews are a way for me to give a quick summary of why I did or didn’t like something, without feeling the need to go into all of the nitty gritty about it that my full reviews and articles do.
Happy December, Gothamites!
If you caught up with last week’s Top 10 Movie Musicals there are a couple of things I’d like to share, including this list I put together on Twitter with links to my favourite musical number in each film.
The other is that it was what inspired me to watch the second film in this week’s Rapid Reviews. Swings and roundabouts?
I’m also rediscovering a love of rewatching things I love. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but I often spend so much time focussed on watching new content that I neglect the things I love. Mostly recently, I rewatched my two favourite Star Trek movies, The Voyage Home and First Contact. A little comfort movie is good for the soul.
The Queen’s Gambit miniseries (2020)
I had no intention of watching The Queen’s Gambit because it didn’t look like my kind of television show, but after three people in one day went out of their way to recommend it, I thought it would be worth a look. I was right! The Queen’s Gambit isn’t so much about chess as it is about the ambitions of a genius who can support her adoptive mother and herself using her natural talent for the game. And the struggles, temptations and relationships that come with being suddenly thrust to the forefront of her field.
I loved The Queen’s Gambit so much that I’ve started reading the novel it was based on by Walter Tevis.
The only good things about this film are the relationship between Cher and Stanley Tucci, Cher’s song ‘Welcome to Burlesque’ and Alan Cumming. Everything else is trite, badly acted and, worst of all, boring. According to IMDb trivia, even Cher thought it could’ve been better.
I wanted to love Godmothered, I really did. While I found it to be quaint, Godmothered is also fairly bland. There are so many missed opportunities in terms of injecting humour and most of the attempts at humour fall flat. It doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be and doesn’t have enough romance to be a romance, enough comedy to be a comedy, or enough Christmasiness to be a Christmas film — though it does dabble in all. It’s okay for something to have on, but it’s not a brilliant or memorable film.
This was another film I wanted to love as I had meant to see it in cinemas but didn’t get a chance, so I was excited to see it on a streaming service. But it didn’t quite hit the nails on the head for me. The horror isn’t really that convincing, nor is the science fiction. Granted, I haven’t seen the original yet to be able to assess it against the source material, but the remake of Flatliners … well … flatlined for me.
If you have a different take or would like to chat about what you’ve been watching and reading, drop a comment here or hit me up on Twitter.
Gotham City Times 