S Todd

Who doesn't love a good action movie? I even love bad action movies, but this was rubbish. The plot revolves around the "good" psychopath Sam Heughan taking on the "bad" psychopath Ruby Rose. However the stories and characters are inconsistent and ridiculous. If Rose was really an unfeeling psychopath, she wouldn't have bothered hijacking a train for revenge. Most of the dialogue is also cingeworthy, especially coming from Hannah John-Kamen, who is wasted as the girlfriend character. This movie is trying to be a morality tale, but fails ultimately. The idea that Heughan's character is a hero who deserves a happy ending is also ridiculous. If he wasn't tall and handsome no one would be rooting for him. He is just as monstrous as the antagonist, and frankly, I found myself rooting for Rose's character more often than not.

Whenever you have a documentary that purports to give you the facts but is so one sided in its approach that should be a big red flag. While I support the overall message of eating more plant-based foods, there was a lot of misinformation presented here. The fact is that this film was heavy on the message but light on the science.

I know very little about Japanese history. While I find a lot to like about this docuseries, the subject matter is fascinating and the cinematography is beautiful. I cannot comment on the historical accuracy. However I just cannot get over the fact that the story is told almost entirely by white historians. This is just incredulous that it would be considered ok to tell the story of Japanese people, without real representation by Japanese historical experts.

As a poler who took to the sport because running bores me, I was happy to see the trailer for this film. I was genuinely excited to see pole showcased in its fullest for the world at large, to be associated with strength and grace and athleticism and not just with sexuality. This is what most people primarily associate pole with, (ignorant of its origins in Eastern/cirque tradition among traditionally male performers) and this film does nothing to enlighten and dispel those characterisations. I was quite disappointed with how focused it was on Sheila Kelly and her new student cohort. Sadly I find her approach exploitative while pretending to be noble. I am myself a survivor of sexual assault. It has nothing to do with my pole journey and it disturbed me to see that association made continuously through the film. I don't wish to take anything away from the women featured who found Kelly's approach helpful in their own journeys. There are many personal tales which are moving, however I found much of it cringe worthy. The idea that pole is a definitive way to reclaim one's stolen femininity doesn't sit well with me, any more than if someone stated the same thing about figure skating, gymnastics, yoga, or tennis for that matter. The idea that pole is primarily for traumatised women creates more serious issues than it solves. It doesn't address the fact that the profile of the pole dancer is a complex one, ranging from professional athletes, to strippers to ardent hobbyists to the casual fitness enthusiast. They are male and female and everything in between, of all ethnicities, socio-economic levels and, yes, professions. The experience documented is not at all representative of what it's like to do a pole class at any reputable studio (and there are so many great ones to choose from). Neither do I think all the approaches used by Kelly are appropriate (from a therapeutic perspective) for the women who come to her. Ultimately, It doesn't seem that the filmmakers tried very hard to present a balanced and nuanced representation of pole dance. It feels more like an advert for Kelly's brand.