BritneyPWrites Reviews

Playing by Heart (1998)

"In Its Own Way, It Was Quite Beautiful"

[7/10 · 22 April 2023]

A lovely, truly sweet rom-com-dram(a). Also a tad long and a bit cliché, I still found it to be above average, particularly the banter/language used throughout. Nicely '90s. 7/10.

Movie buffs drawn to like multi-genre fare may find Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011), One Day (2011), Run, Fatboy, Run (2007), Love & Other Drugs (2010), Up in the Air (2007), The Big Sick (2017), As Good As It Gets (1997), Young Adult (2011), The Rebound (2009), Corrina, Corrina (1994), Next Stop Wonderland (1998), Brown Sugar (2002), The Graduate (1967), The Birdcage (1996), I Love You Phillip Morris (2009), You, Me and Him (2017), En kort en lang/Shake It All About (2001), the classic Love Actually (2003) or About Time (2013) worth their time as well/instead. Or heck, even The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) probably applies...if you don't mind topping off your romantic tragicomedy salad with a few dashes of blood.

Fans of Shaun of the Dead (2004), Warm Bodies (2013), or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016), I know you feel me. ;)

Girl in the Basement (2021)

An effective-enough telling of a true-life tragedy

[6/10 · 27 April 2021]

Girl in the Basement is a win for modern Lifetime -- timely, reasonably well acted and presented, dark but not devoid of hope. It is the fictionalized account of the 24-year ordeal Elisabeth Fritzl endured at the hands of her abusive father.

In a few words, this adaptation is a story of stolen innocence and youth, fortitude, and survival. At least that's how I saw it.

Though my own childhood experience with my father was *nowhere near* as harrowing as what is depicted here, as someone who contends with PTSD, I gravitate toward titles like this to challenge and, if necessary, buttress my recovering mind, and though Girl in the Basement made for a deeply difficult watch, I actually felt more empowered than not by the end.

This girl -- this woman, this mother -- fought to stay alive, fought for her children, and she survived. Maybe it's strange to feel proud of someone you don't know and will never meet, but...maybe it's not. *That's* what I took away from this as a viewer.

Above all, the film will make you feel. Disgust, anger, frustration, trepidation, sympathy, curiosity, bewilderment, admiration for the character based on Fritzl herself (portrayed proficiently by Stefanie Scott) -- you won't walk away from this without having an opinion on it, and in that respect, the work works.

It's not a perfect or even great telling by any means, but the film will also make you think. It raises awareness -- inspires people to become more familiar with Elisabeth Fritzl's story and, by extension, the idea of exploring all options when a person goes missing or isn't directly heard from in years. It contributes to conversations on sexual abuse and the devaluation of human life, particularly in regard to women and the efforts made to control them. It reinforces the collective need to get these topics out in the open so we can work on preventing/protecting each other from like tragedies.

In sum, this movie will make you think and feel if you let it. Will you let it?

Speaking as a trauma survivor who's seen this to trauma survivors who haven't: It may very well be too much at times, but I would still recommend giving it a try if you're interested in doing so, or fast-forwarding/leaving during certain parts. Please, set your own pace. But know:

You can get through this.

WE can get through this.

The Walking Dead: Splinter (2021) Season 10, Episode 20

If you're interested in Princess, definitely watch; if not, skip, I guess

[9/10 · 23 March 2021]

With this episode those interested in Princess are rewarded with a captivating character study of someone who's been a trauma survivor longer than most. Paola Lázaro is fantastic, and the post-season 8 dialogue continues to improve. It's a little more natural, the anecdotes more focused.

If you're a fan who's done with new characters, you can likely skip this one without missing a beat.

I thought I was done with new characters, too -- as well as old characters I still consider new even though they've been around for 5+ seasons, lol -- at least until Connie was introduced, but "Splinter" has more than reaffirmed my and others' initial investment in Princess. I look forward to following her journey as we follow the show to its conclusion.

And honestly, I think if you're a trauma survivor yourself, you'll appreciate this episode more than most. Having struggled with PTSD myself, I'm of the opinion that the show's articulation of the disorder continues to get better and better.

9/10 -- does not deserve such a low rating, let alone an average one.

Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012 TV Movie)

A Half-Step Above "So Bad, It's Good" Territory

[5/10 · 1 May 2020]

Honestly one of the better ones.

I only stopped by and stayed for Robert Englund and, thanks to his cheeky, Quint-esque character, found myself snickering throughout.

Lake Placid: "The Final Chapter" (lol, when is any film labeled "The Final Chapter" actually the final film in the franchise?) is pretty good for what it is and a decent SyFy movie to have on in the background while you complete menial tasks. The last few minutes are especially fun. If you're a sci-fi/horror fan, I say dive in.

5.5/10.

Electric Dreams: Human Is (2017) Season 1, Episode 6

Sometimes Humans Are Less Than Human...

[6/10 · 21 April 2020]

...and monsters make better men. Or do they?

A fairly slick presentation of a less-than-original concept.

Postpartum (I) (2016)

It's fine...worth a watch on Prime for horror fans with 25 minutes to kill

[5/10 · 2 April 2020]

Pros: The performances are pretty good and there are at least 3 references to classic horror movies sprinkled throughout the main character's dialogue -- those were fun to catch.

Cons: The vague, disjointed narrative isn't scary, interesting, thrilling, or darkly humorous. You can also see the kid breathing in the opening scene, which takes away from the horror of the moment.

Not bad for a short, but I'd recommend Fear Clinic instead (the 2009 web series, not the 2014 film), which also stars scream queen Danielle Harris. Last caught that on YouTube. Same vibe, better storyline, and it has the added bonus of genre vets Danielle Harris, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, and Lisa Wilcox working together as their characters work against each other.

Obsession (IV) (2019)

Stick Around for the Ending

[5/10 · 7 January 2020]

The majority of this movie is, in my opinion, average. The premise is as old as the farm equipment occupying the setting, and Brad Dourif as the kindly older man who takes to Mekhi Phifer's character, Sonny, after Sonny rescues him from a robbery is the only real bright spot. As a longtime fan of Dourif's work, it's always refreshing and gratifying to see him play a warm(er) character instead of a serial killer, wily racist, or out-of-this-world weirdo -- not to take anything away from his portrayal of said archetypes, lol. He really does deserve better offers -- the man is a Golden Globe winner/Oscar nominee/Emmy nominee, for Pete's sake.

Mekhi Phifer, who is usually a fine actor, doesn't fare all that well here with the subpar material. There's so little chemistry between him and Elika Portnoy -- who delivers a sleepy and largely ineffectual performance as the stock "hot wife" character -- that their (ample) sex scenes quickly become uncomfortable to watch. We're supposed care about and root for them, but there's nothing there to get invested in, which is a death knell for stories like this. The cashier, who delivers but a single line to Larissa, gives the second-best performance in the film. That should tell you everything.

Well, almost everything.

The tiny twist 3/4 of the way through is mildly piquing, as is the big twist at the end. To be honest, I was genuinely taken aback and pleased, from a darkly humorous point of view, about where we ended up and why.

The film is such a mixed bag, I don't know if I can safely recommend it or not. It's only 90 minutes, but many of those minutes are not terribly enjoyable. Still, Brad Dourif and the ending make this a touch above average for me -- a 5.5/10. Yet I'm only rating it a 5 overall because it IS a painful slog to get through the middle to get to the halfway decent ending.

Breaking Bad: Ozymandias (2013) Season 5, Episode 14

Fans Unite

[10/10 · 30 September 2019]

Guys...I just wanted to point out the rating for this episode is a 10/10. We all banded together to give the greatest episode of primetime television the score it deserves, and that's kind of amazing in a way, if you think about it. Just speaks to how universal good art is and the collective beauty of uniting with others over it...and all that jazz.

That's it. Not a review, sorry, more of a comment.