TV Show Review - The White Lotus (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Number of episodes: 7
Year: 2022
Starring: Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Michael Imperioli, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Megan Fahy, Will Sharpe, Haley Lu Richardson, Tom Hollander

Description: Set in a resort in Sicily, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.
 
Review: The first season of this mini-series was a huge success, so they decided to create a second season. Set in Sicily this time. Jennifer Coolidge is the only returning actress. Het character Tanya has ended up in Sicily with her new husband, and once again the tragicomic character seems to attract misfortune and calamity. Her husband does not appreciate her as the diva she is; she ends up needing a group of flamboyant gay men for that. Tanya’s assistant Portia, meanwhile, may be available on call, but must also make herself invisible.

We also mee three generations of American-Sicilian men who have a special relationship with female beauty. Another storyline revolves around Cameron and Ethan, two former college mates, who have found each other again and are constantly testing both each other and each other’s relationships. There are more characters involved, but these are the three main storylines.

“The White Lotus” again proves sublime at portraying interpersonal interactions, awkwardness, misunderstandings, suspicions and the volatility that almost all of his character harbor. The season begins with a corpse, but we have to wait until the final episode to see who ends up floating lifeless in the ocean.

Meanwhile, “The White Lotus” mercilessly fillets human nature, where, as in the first season, you have no idea where it’s all going or will end up. I only missed Murray Bartlett’s character from season one, but overall, I liked this season just as much as the first. And I’m totally in for another series of events at a different White Lotus hotel.

00s Movie Review - The Lovely Bones

Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime/ Fantasy
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli

Description: Centers on a young girl (Saoirse Ronan) who has been murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from purgatory. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.

Review: “The Lovely Bones” sows that last days of Susie Salmon’s life and her first steps into heaven. Susan is a 14 year old girl, who dreams of becoming a photographer. Her life abruptly ends when she is brutally murdered. Her parents start a search for the killer. Meanwhile, Susie is in the ‘inbetween’, a place where the dead end up when they aren’t ready for heaven yet. And she watches how her father becomes obsessive in his search for the man who killed his daughter.
The film looks magical, the ‘inbetween’ looks beautiful.
Stanley Tucci and Saoirse Ronan are the two highlights of the film. Both performances are solid and strong. Ronan fits the dream world perfectly and Tucci is creepy as the sinister Harvey. He gets totally lost in his role and it’s really hard to imagine someone else in this role.
The tempo of the film is not that solid though. Sometimes it’s fast paced, sometimes it’s a bit of a drag. And the tone of the film sometimes switches too, which makes it a bit messy here and there. This doesn’t fit the dreamy world at all.
It’s really hard to rate this film, because it’s a really beautiful movie. It looks gorgeous and has some really good performances. And the story is beautiful as well. But there are some inconsistencies here and there. A case of ‘the book was better’ is in place here, but I still really enjoyed the film.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 133: Oldboy

Director: Spike Lee

Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Action

Runtime: 104 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Imperioli, Max Casella

Description: Obsessed with vengeance, Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin) sets out to find out why he was kidnapped and locked into solitary confinement for twenty years without reason.

Review: In the same year that South Korean director Chan-Wook Park makes his Hollywood debut with the movie “Stoker”, the remake to his successful “Oldeuboi” is released. Spike Lee got the tough task to direct this movie. It’s 1993. Joe Doucett is divorced and an alcoholic. The more you get to know Joe, the more you dislike him. He’s all arrogance and he doesn’t have time for his young daughter. To make a long story short: he’s an asshole.

After he blew a meeting with an important client, he decides to get drunk. The next day he wakes up in a strange motel room. A room that he can’t get out of and he will be held captive for twenty years. When he is finally released, his journey to find out who and why starts.

“Oldeuboi” is a modern classic and people where skeptic about the American version. According to Spike Lee, this is his interpretation of the original. “Oldboy” is in general the same as its original, but Lee did change things here and there. Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen show they were the right choices for the lead roles. Sharlto Copley, known for his excellent roles in “District 9” and “Elysium”, disappoints. His antagonist role is a bit cartoonish.

It also bothered me a bit that in “Oldboy” there are more questions asked then answered. The moment where Joe meets the man responsible for his captivity, the plot collapses.

It’s not a bad remake, something the fans where afraid of. It’s probably not to their liking, but for the neutral viewer it’s an okay thriller. Not one of Spike Lee’s best movies, but very accessible.

Rating: 3/ 5