July 30, 2022

JULY 2022 - Film and TV


Another month has gone by!  It's crazy that we are halfway through the summer! I had a bit more time this month to watch more movies and TV shows! Last month I only watched like 4 things haha if you didnt see last months post you can check it out here!  This months all of the movies and TV shows were new to me with the exception of one (Casablanca). 



9/10.  I have been meaning to watch this movie for ages and I finally got around to watching it! It is an academy award winner with a star studded cast including Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Julian Sands and Daniel Day Lewis. It is based on the novel by the same name written by E.M Forster. The story takes place at the turn of the century (1907). It follows Lucy who meets George on a trip to Florence, where they share a brief romance.  Once she returns home she is engaged to another man named Cecil... that is until George appears again. 


One of the best things about this movie is the wardrobe !  it is SPECTACULAR, all the the clothes are historically accurate...a little too accurate If you told me these were real upper class people from 1907 I would believe you. The silhouettes were perfect. Both the men and women in this film had a beautiful wardrobes and it made me want to get some Edwardian dresses haha. I am in love with all of Lucys dresses (Duh) but I also love the light coloured suits the men wear, and I specifically liked that striped blazer Freddy (Lucys brother) wears. 


The cinematography is beautiful it's like watching a painting on film. The colour palette is rich but muted, very beautiful to look at. As for the the plot, the source material was written in 1908 so it's a bit more slow paced compared to current movies.  You also have to place yourself in the time period they are living in to understand how scandalous a kiss is. The movie is very romantic!  I find modern movies and plots tend to show too much when it comes to sex. When a kiss, hand touching, and longing stares can be just (if not more) romantic. Just my two cents. Overall I really enjoyed it and will probably watch it again! 




9/10. Also known as the shadow in my eye. This movie broke my heart and left me thinking about it for days. Even watching the trailer again to link it in this post made me sad.  Based on the true story of a school in Copenhagen that was mistakenly bombed by the British air force during WWII in 1945. I actually didn't know this story when I started the movie. 


The acting was amazing from the young cast, especially from Bertram Bisgaard who played Henry. The scene where he is at the doctor because he cant speak after seeing something traumatic nearly brought me to tears, it was heartbreaking, so incredibly well acted.  The kids bring so much innocence to the movie in contrast to the ongoing war around them. 


The movie was beautifully filmed but very haunting. There is a bit of a catholic plot in the film... which I go back on forth on if it was necessary. I don't mind the religious aspects in films, I just don't know how much it adds to the plot. Teresa was a bit unhinged... and I wanted to like the romantic plot in the movie but I don't think Teresa was in a good place to be involved in a relationship so it kinda ruined the romance for me. It was a bit more slow paced but I think it has to be for this subject matter. Overall it was a good movie and I recommend it if you are into these types of movies. 




9/10. I mean I feel like I don't even need to review this movie because it is one of the most popular films ever made.  I've seen it before but it was playing at the movie theater as part of the classic film series and I had to see it on the big screen! With stars like Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman you can't go wrong. 


A good example of a film noir with its dark shadows and moody lighting. Of course we all know the story, Rick owns a nightclub in Casablanca, everything is going well until an old flame appears (Lisa) with her husband. However her husband is being chased by the germans and Lisa knows Rick can help them leave the country.


Of course there is some beautiful fashion moments thanks to Ingrid Bergmans character, early 1940s structured shoulders and suits which isn't my taste but she wears it so well!  I love the white hat she wears (Photo above) its so beautiful and I hope to find something like it. I don't have much else to say about this film, its a classic and I'm sure most of you have seen it... if you haven't please come out from under that rock you've been living under and watch it lol. 


MIDNIGHT AT THE PERA PALACE (2022)


8/10. Ah ! This show is so underrated! Not sure if its popular in Turkey but I've never heard anyone talk about it here in Canada! I REALLY liked it!  I was a bit unsure when I first watched the trailer because it reminded me of a hallmark movie.... I decided to give it a try anyway and was pleasantly surprised! The show takes place at the Pera Palace, which is a real hotel in turkey where it is rumoured that Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express. So of course you know the show has a mystery "whodunit" element to it!


The show starts out with Esra (A journalist) who goes to the Pera Palace to write and article. Due to a bad storm she is offered a room at the hotel to spend the night. By coincidence she ends up time travelling to 1919. The problem is that any little thing she does could interfere with the future... which of course ends up happening.  Luckily Ahmet  (hotel manager??)  notices and he travels back in time to bring Esra back. He realizes that she has altered the future and tried to helps her fix it. There is also a bit of a political conflict, one of them being that they have to prevent the assassination of Mustafa Kamal. 


Of course there is a love interest ;) Literally the best part!  and if the fact that they live in different time periods wasn't complicated enough... there is more to it!  But I wont spoil it!  I LOVED Halits character, His clothes are swoon worthy!  However I will admit that Esras clothes aren't the most historically accurate. The hair is also super out of place for the time period.... I could argue hat she's not actually from that time period so it makes sense, but the hairstyles on a lot of the other actresses are also not accurate (neither are the clothes) I tried to look past it but that was one of my biggest draw backs. As well as a small plot hole? But I cant really get into it without ruining the show (Sorry!)  If you've seen it DM me on instagram and we'll talk about it! I heard talk about a season 2 that is suppose to come out early 2023 and I hope its true! Season 1 is only 8 episodes so you should be able to get through it quite quickly... I think it took me 2 days to watch the whole thing. 




6.5/10.  Not sure how I haven't seen this movie before. I watched it on Netflix and it was so creepy... and also really sad. I think it's labeled as a horror? I would say it's more of a psychological drama. Based on the book by Stephen King  


The story is about a farmer who conspires to murder his wife for monetary gain, he also convinces his son to help him kill her. They soon become delusional and their actions start to eat away at them as the days pass. The story takes place in 1922 (duh)  and they completely nail the time period! The accents, clothes and set design. Every time they were inside the house I was looking around at the decor, I loved the wallpaper lol... ok I'm side tracking. 


While it was really well done I was hoping for a bit more horror in it, I think they could've pushed it a bit further!  But since it's a Stephen King novel it leans more on the psychological side, I was hoping for something a but closer to the shining in terms of horror. But It was a bit more slow paces with a lot of narration, so if you want something more fast paced you might not like this movie. For those reasons I gave it a 6.5.  I haven't read the book so I'm not sure how the ending compares but for a movie it ended  abruptly and I wish there was something more at the end.




10/10. This documentary was spectacular !  I logged on to Netflix and saw that it was recently added... I tried to look up reviews but I only saw two. turns out it had just come out that day!  After I finished watching it I recommended it to friends and posted about it on my instagram story and I had so many messages from people saying they really liked it. It's a tragic and heartbreaking story but its so well put together. Highly recommend it if you are into true crime documentaries. 


The documentary starts off with a woman being found on the side of the road. She was rushed to a Hospital and  Her husband eventually shows up. It turns out that she was a stripper, unfortunately she quickly dies in the hospital.  When she girls she worked with tried to get in touch with her family they realize she's not who she says she is. The police is notified and after a bit of digging they lay out the nightmare this girl has lived through. 


It's really had to review the documentary due to the sensitive subject matter and I also don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it. But I highly recommend it if you are into these types of documentaries. They do an amazing job at jumping back and forth the timeline without making it confusing. There are also tons of videos with photos and testimonies from people that knew her. 

1 comment on "JULY 2022 - Film and TV"
  1. A really fascinating read Carolina. You write very eloquently! I'm not familiar with most of these, so it was good to hear your insights. Keep up the excellent work on your blog! I really enjoy my visits here. Love Saba x

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