Paradise Hills (2019)

It's a bland crossover of "The Island" and a Disney cartoon. Costumes and decorations seemed tasteless and not visually appealing. If you want to see what "stunning visuals" really are, go watch "The Fall". Seems like the writer is afraid of plot twists and any bold and strong moves in general. Characters are flat and boring.

Fmovies: Very much like a perfume advert, crossed with a fairy tale, but wholly unoriginal nor well acted. As if a bunch of happy clappers have got together to say how bad men are and how amazing women are. The actors are normally on point but the director, well too much possibly. Dont fall for the high score, it's employees giving the ratings. The end is appalingly bad, like a scene from the Simpson's or Family Guy. Nod, nod

Nice and interesting looks/visuals meet slow plot and a too obvious/blunt metaphor to our modern society (or the critic of) - some of the twists are rather flat (the resolution) or the nature of the Dutchess (how does that make any sense) is out of place. The more you watch the inflation of movies one realizes that writing a good book or script is an art of its own that not many really master. That's in my opinion the weak spot of most movie productions in recent years - the script/story. Anyway, like said, Paradise Hills got nice visuals, a pro production and good acting but lacks heavily any quality regarding the story told. Also I must say (just an example), the rather "well build" girl did - despise the rigorose diet in Paradise Hills - not lose one pound of weight in the movie, but that's the difference a dedicated actor makes - sometimes you gotta do more than just talk and act to fit into or fill a role. To sum it up: mediocre, okay if you wanna some balm for your eyes. Paradise Hills reminds me a lot of The Dead Don't Die - both movies are rather a waste of talent and means and a missed opportunity to make something good and memorable.

Paradise Hills fmovies. There's much to enjoy in this movie, which paints a colorful and fashionable future as a dystopia of wealth and lower classes through the eyes of four young women at the mercy of their families. The obvious appeal is visual, from couture costuming, makeup and hair styles, to interesting cinematography and visual effects; for Alice Waddington's first time as director she managed to tie those elements together in a way that maintains interest, and keeps the plot succinctly controlled. Solid performances from Awkwafina, Danielle Macdonald, Milla Jovovich, and Danielle Macdonald keep the audience engaged, and Emma Roberts is eccentrically interesting, though her character confuses.

I like the overall plot concept, which reminds of Stepford Wives with a sci fi twist that has a good level of plausibility. However, a secondary inexplicable "supernatural" layer mars what could have been the more believable story line, and the last 10 minutes either need a lot of additional information for the viewer or, in my opinion, should have been cut completely. While the end adds "excitement" to the finale, for this viewer, it was a futile attempt to add a blockbuster fantasy element that was completely unnecessary. That doesn't make the movie less interesting in the end, and the last moments of the film tie back to the start making a reasonably satisfying story arc. I would have enjoyed learning more about the class distinctions in this society, which would have been far more interesting than spending time on the baffling plot lines aforementioned.

Generally speaking, a movie worth watching; it's a pity the movie didn't have good US distribution; and I'll keep an eye out for Waddington's next.

A very pretty movie. Kept me watching just by the asthetics. The story was a bit all over the shop though and a bit rushed once they found out what was really going on. Would have liked to have seen more from Mila Jovavich character and know more about her because they didn't really give anything away. Wonder if they'll make a sequel

IN A NUTSHELL: This Sci-fi horror/thriller is Allice Waddington's directorial debut. The film debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival and quickly afterward, Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired the distribution rights. Unfortunately, it's not as good as it thinks it is.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Some crude language and 1 F-bomb. Some violence

THINGS I LIKED: I'm a sucker for Milla Jovovich. I've been seeing Emma Roberts all over the place lately. Good for her. She sings in the movie too. A-lister Julia Roberts must be one proud auntie. The young cast includes Danielle MacDonald, Awkwafina, Jeremy Irvine, and Eliza Gonzalez. Fun and creative costume design. The fantastical set designs were intriguing.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The sound kind of drove me nuts. Some of the acting wasn't very good. I've seen many of the actors do much better in other movies, so I was disappointed. It had everything to do with the poor script. I feel terrible saying this, but I was bored. Some of the scenes take place in dim moonlight, so it'll be hard to see what's going on if you watch this on a small device once the film goes to streaming or DVD. It takes itself way too seriously. Many things are totally random and just don't make any sense at all. If they're symbolic, then I totally missed it. Everything just seemed really dumb and self-indulgent to me. You can read the rest of my review at Movie Review Mom.