When it comes to reviewing movies, I have no training, experience or bona fides so in what follows, I am uniquely unqualified. Last evening, my wife and I watched Poor Things, a 2023 fantasy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, Willem Defoe and Mark Ruffalo. It focuses on Bella Baxter, a woman in Victorian London who’s brought back to life via a brain transplant and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery. It features echoes of Frankenstein, a Steampunk look and feel and, for a major motion picture, offers remarkably explicit sex scenes. The movie received critical acclaim, especially as regards Ms Stone’s performance, and it’s grossed more than $112 million worldwide on a budget of $35 million thus far. Leesa, my bride, being more analytical than me, had a nuanced view of the thing. My commentary follows and it may not be what you expect.
© 2024 John Oliver
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