Paradise Hills (2019)
December 21, 2019 12:56 PM - Subscribe
"Difficult" young woman Uma (Emma Roberts) is sent to Paradise Hills to be reformed, only to learn that the high-class facility's beautiful facade hides a sinister secret. Also starring Awkwafina, Milla Jovovich, and Danielle MacDonald. Directed by Alice Waddington from a script by Nacho Vigalondo and Brian DeLeeuw.
Currently available on the Kanopy app (provided free by some libraries) or for digital rental from Fandango, Vudu, and Amazon.
Currently available on the Kanopy app (provided free by some libraries) or for digital rental from Fandango, Vudu, and Amazon.
Maybe I'm just a little too used to the golden age of tv and the ninety-five minute film version just seems insubstantial compared to the six or eight episode show that might have been.
Whereas I'm all "You mean this has a story that's over and done with in 95 minutes? Instead of 8 hours leading up to an inconclusive or incoherent ending that's really just a setup for Season 2? Sign. Me. Up."
I'm getting old. I don't have enough lifespan left to indulge in all these shows fitting 90 minutes of plot into 8 or 9 episodes.
posted by happyroach at 9:28 AM on December 23, 2019
Whereas I'm all "You mean this has a story that's over and done with in 95 minutes? Instead of 8 hours leading up to an inconclusive or incoherent ending that's really just a setup for Season 2? Sign. Me. Up."
I'm getting old. I don't have enough lifespan left to indulge in all these shows fitting 90 minutes of plot into 8 or 9 episodes.
posted by happyroach at 9:28 AM on December 23, 2019
I thought this had 30 minutes of story that they squeezed into 90 minutes—they could have gotten to the big reveal in 15–20 minutes without sacrificing much. It also felt very much like a side-story in the Mockingjay series.
The story is very bad about internal consistency. While there was some good talent on-screen, there were also some laughably bad line-readings by Eiza González and Arnaud Valois. And there's a lot they could do with the premise that they just didn't explore.
posted by adamrice at 7:29 AM on June 18, 2022
The story is very bad about internal consistency. While there was some good talent on-screen, there were also some laughably bad line-readings by Eiza González and Arnaud Valois. And there's a lot they could do with the premise that they just didn't explore.
posted by adamrice at 7:29 AM on June 18, 2022
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I sort of wonder if there is a director's cut somewhere that is like a half hour longer and has more character development, satire, and jokes.
Maybe I'm just a little too used to the golden age of tv and the ninety-five minute film version just seems insubstantial compared to the six or eight episode show that might have been.
I can't call this good or recommend it, but I do think it has cult potential for people with particular tastes. Class commentary with "uppers and lowers"? A modern take on Stepford conditioning? Emma Roberts in a lesbian romance? Some folks will love this.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:35 PM on December 21, 2019