
There might be another post tomorrow, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish it on time, so I’m going to take this opportunity to say: Happy new year! I hope 2023 is filled with wonderful things for all of you and that your goals and dreams come true.
Now, this is my final post talking about the movies I watched in 2022. I’m really glad that I managed to review every single one of the 50 movies I watched this year on the blog: 2022 in movies #1, #2, #3,#4, #5, and #6. And I’m happy to share my thoughts on the last batch of movies:

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (4.5 stars): This is my first Almodóvar film and I’ll be watching more. This movie is chaotic but in the best way, because it’s captivating. It tells the story of a group of women that feel powerless and overwhelmed, in one way or another, because of men and it’s about them having breakdowns, being messy, and reacting a little bit outlandishly to the situations they are put in. In terms of color palette and aesthetics, every choice in this movie feels so intentional, everything looks so beautiful and it’s a style that works so well with the story its telling. Overall, a great movie.

Enola Holmes 2 (4 stars): This was just as fun as the first one. Millie Bobby Brown does a great job as Enola Holmes in this sequel, I really liked that we got to see more Sherlock and more of Enola’s relationship with her brother, and also the little bit of romance in this was really cute. I think the way this is told, breaking the fourth wall adds to how fun this is to watch and in terms of the mystery, I really appreciated how it highlighted a real historical figure that did so much for working women.

Something from Tiffany’s (3.5 stars): I was expecting a bit more from this after hearing so many good things about it. But overall, it was entertaining and cute and it had a cast that did a great job. My issues with this are that the connection between the two main characters at the beginning felt a bit forced and that I wish there was less back-and-forth and confusion about the ring, and a lot more romance between the main characters.

Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (3.5 stars): Everyone seems to love this and I’m unfortunately not one of those people. I think it’s an ok documentary, but I have issues with it. There are some heavy reveals in this documentary and Selena doesn’t shy away from showing the good and the bad. I think this does a good job of showing her struggle with mental illness and bringing awareness to this subject, which is really important. And also it’s honest enough to leave in a few moments where (to me) Selena comes off a little bit as a diva and out of touch with reality, which I guess is normal since she is being a celebrity most of her life.
My problem with this is that spans such a long period of time and with the time jumps, it feels a bit disjointed at times like there’s no rhyme or reason as to why certain parts were included. Also, it feels like it gave too much protagonist to some of the people around Selena and it felt very intentional, but it didn’t always make sense.

Smile (3 stars): I went into this expecting it to be bad and it was not. It was nothing extraordinary or unique but it was entertaining. The acting was really good, there were a lot of tension-filled, anxiety-inducing moments and it kept me captivated the entire time. The one main thing that didn’t work so well is that it tried to address trauma but it ended up being too heavy-handed.

Falling for Christmas (2.5 stars): The way people are talking about this movie created the wrong expectations for me. Don’t get me wrong, this is a perfectly fine Christmas movie, it’s good to pass time and there are some cute moments between the two main characters. But most of the characters are two-dimensional, a couple of them are even caricatures, the plot is so unrealistic (and I’m not even talking about the amnesia), and while the characters have a couple of cute moments, at first the romance feels like it comes out of nowhere.
FILM CLUB
I watch 4 romantic comedies as part of the latest cycle of the film club I participate in:

When Harry Met Sally (5 stars): I rewatched this movie with my movie club and it’s as good as I remembered. The dialogue is so clever and the actors do a good job delivering the lines, the acting, in general, is excellent, and the character development of the two main characters, but especially Harry, is phenomenal. I have to admit that there are about 15 minutes of the movie, from the point when something finally happens between Harry and Sally to just before the ending, that are not as strong as the rest of the movie. But it was still good and the rest of the movie is so incredible that it still gets 5 stars.

Nothing Hill (2 stars): I watched this movie a long time ago but I remember almost nothing about it and unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it at all. Julia Robert’s character is awful, she treats this guy so poorly, she doesn’t tell him she has a boyfriend, he is there for her and she ends up accusing him of things and yelling at him, she leaves him and breaks his heart more than once throughout the movie, and after a half-assed apology, he ends up apologizing as well for not accepting her apology immediately. She walked all over him and he let her. So definitely not a fan of the romance in this.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (3 stars): I had never watched this film but I had always wanted to. The main couple has so much chemistry, they are good together, it’s a good romance. Also, I loved how greek culture was such a big part of the movie. Nonetheless, I feel like this movie was too fast-paced. it rushed through their dating, then it rushed through their engagement, and finally their wedding. It’s like a race from beginning to end. Also, I was a bit frustrated seeing how the main character wouldn’t stand up to her family. She learned to accept them as they are but they didn’t leave room for her or him, it was their wedding but it wasn’t and I was so annoyed.

Harold and Maude (4 stars): I really liked this movie, the dark humor is great, the soundtrack is fantastic and the message of loving who you are and the power of finding kinship was beautiful. Nonetheless, I have my one issue with this, the romance was unnecessary, I don’t think it strengthens the message and I think taking it out wouldn’t have affected the movie in any significant way. I would have loved this movie so much more if it wasn’t for the 20-year-old falling in love with the 80-year-old lady, who was a teacher figure and who he admired so much.
