Change Your Image
CharHeika
Reviews
Eternals (2021)
So glad I didn't pay to see this.
(My family watched this in theatre, I watched it at home.)
One of my biggest complaint was how hyped these visuals were, yet the film is totally washed out and dark, as if under a bad filter. I did ask my family if this movie looked right on our new TV, but they confirmed it was this dark in tones in theatre as well. Weird. It only became bright in the very few fight scenes or power activation scenes to highlight the gold. The Deviant designs looked out of place for the settings as well.
This film is entirely hard to watch. It's incredibly slow paced for a little over 2hrs and I often found myself checking the run time ever 20 minutes wondering, "Is it over yet? When will it get good?". The plot drags and unfortunately the talent of the actors does get to shine here.
The Eternals are essentially an outdated group of super-robots who has to rediscover their purpose and choose their own paths for life after learning the truth of their creation. Eternals checks the block of diversity; although some character choices seemed a bit forced. (How is a god-robot deaf? The sign language is a nice touch, but seemed inappropriate after the "big reveal" and made the dialog in the movie feel one-sided many times. Also, why doesn't Brian Henry have more chemistry with his character's literal husband? He plays the father role well, but the gay romance did not shine through as convincing.) When the characters most memorable qualities are about their present life and are watered down with failed humor interjection, it is hard to remember what their actual powers or relevancy was. (For example, I literally could not remember Sersi fighting until the very last few fight scenes when all characters are suddenly more interested in her inherited ability.) With as much indivual screen time they gave each character, I actually wonder if this would turned into a better limited TV series.
Overall, I'm not sure where this film was going. Hands down the worst Marvel film out there. It did a lot of world building, only to further prove that the Eternals are irrelevant as some sort of guardians of earth. Not excited to see them featured in the teased Guardians of the Galaxy. A real shame too, considering the actors in this film are otherwise really talented. (They really did Gemma Chan wrong by giving her such a stale character... and I do hope Ma Dong-seok gets better recognition for western films, he is AMAZING in action films.)
Haute Dog (2020)
Fun Concept, Distracting Script
Like many competition shows, Haute Dog features a lot of scripting and much of it can be campy.
Judge Robin Theade's commentary tries to compete with host Matt Roger's and often feels awkward. Neither of these two have an idea of what they're commenting on from a groomer's standpoint and their lines often lead to uncomfortable or flat "humorous" delivery. Unfortunately, both spout trouped dialogue that can come off occasionally as racially uncomfortable or even overtly sexual in ways that borderline harassment. It's a real shame that the creators decided these forms of humor were acceptable. (Really? Comparing African-american hair to dog fur? Sexualizing competitors?)
Overally, I genuinely love seeing the competitive groomers tell their stories and share their creativity. Every dog featured looks absolutely stunning! Aside from the competitors and cute variety of dogs, judge Jess Rona is the saving grace of the show. She provides helpful insight to the styling/grooming techniques and is the glue that holds this cast together.
I believe this show has a chance of high sucess if the directors improve on the minor flaws; modify the comedic relief, have qualified judges, and perhaps throw in a few more challenge incentives for the "Leg Up". Haute Dog is truly refreshing as a concept and invites viewers to watch a new kind of competitive TV show. Every competitor is genuinely passionate about their craft and I like the positive messages that can be presented.