A Home At The End Of The World: Michael Cunningham's poignantly written story follows childhood friends that have reconnected in adulthood. Bobby, Jonathan, & Clare ignore traditional romance by nurturing their own unique relationship!
A bullied teenager turns to beauty pageants as a way to exact her revenge, with the help of a disgraced coach who soon realizes he's in over his head.
I recently watched both seasons of Insatiable, and certainly did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I of course remember when the show first came out, because of the attention surrounding the way in which Patty Bladell (Debby Ryan) loses weight in the first episode, and the subsequent campaigns to remove the show. Insatiable should come with a big trigger warning for eating disorders and fat shaming, but I also felt that the ways in which Patty’s eating and exercise related behaviours are addressed throughout the show in no way minimise or glamorise the weight loss situation in the first place.
In fact, I don’t think the show would have worked so well if it ignored the issue. Instead, Patty is shown to constantly, realistically, struggle with self-esteem issues related to her weight. Both from the obsessive desire to maintain her weight, and therefore, her newfound value in the eyes of others, but also in the sense that she is never truly satisfied because she can so easily recognise how little people cared about her due to their fatphobia. And whilst many of these scenes could be triggering, I also found them to be relatable in so many ways. I personally liked that the show didn’t shy away from this.
That being said, Insatiable is a highly stylised black comedy, so it was never going to be quite what people may have wanted or expected out of it. Whilst it is no laugh out loud comedy, the ridiculous situations that the characters find themselves in are genuinely amusing, and make for some interesting viewing. I can’t say that I particularly liked any of the characters, but I enjoyed all of the character dynamics. Patty and her pageant coach, Bob (Dallas Roberts), have so many great scenes together and play off each other so well. They are both so similar, ruled by ridiculous dreams and notions of revenge, that their strange relationship makes a weird kind of sense.
But I particularly liked how by the second season so many other character relationships are developed and explored as well. Everyone in this show is the exact kind of unusual that works in a black comedy, yet Patty and Bob absolutely shine amongst them. They cannot help but continue to get into trouble, and their antics drive the narrative forward. What I also like about Insatiable however is that the plot clearly impacts on the character’s own psyches as well – in many ways making them even worse versions of themselves. Whilst I don’t really like any of these characters, I absolutely love watching them, especially when they are at their worst. And to be honest, you can’t help but root for the revenge that is leveled at their enemies.
In a weird kind of way, considering how ridiculous and heightened these characters are, they feel real and compelling because they are constantly changing and influenced by the people and events surrounding them. I actually really enjoyed Insatiable, and was disappointed to discover it was canceled after season 2.
One of my most-awaited films of the year is finally here and it is as fantastic as I expected. I'm a sucker for whodunnits, and it's such a pleasure to see them being made with the expertise and love for the genre showcased here. I wouldn't say the final reveal is absolutely unpredictable, but the movie's structure and its other twists are constantly surprising, to the point where it doesn't really matter who the murderer is. The real fun here is in the way all the unexpected puzzle pieces fall into place and in the characters' interactions with each other. The ensemble cast is insanely good and it's obvious they loved playing these characters. Rian Johnson is a master at building these type of stories and it feels like he was given complete freedom for this movie and did every single thing he wanted. Knives Out was one of my favorite films of the last few years, and I'm pleased to say Glass Onion more than meets expectations and is just as good as the first one. Now it's time to wait for the next sequel, but I hope Johnson and Daniel Craig keep making these movies forever.