4k-UHD/Movie Review: Fifty Shades Freed

 

Fifty Shades Freed is the 2018 conclusion to the trilogy of movies based on the novels by E.L. James, 2015's Fifty Shades of Grey, and 2017's Fifty Shades Darker. The movie again stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in the main roles of Ana and Christian. Eric Johnson, Eloise Mumford, Rita Ora, Luke Grimes, Kim Bassinger, and Marcia Gay Harden have supporting roles. By now, pretty much anyone getting the movie knows what the series is and what it is not. This film definitely has more story to it than the other two movies (and is the best story of the three). Parts of the story are a bit silly, but it definitely introduces kind of a thriller/suspense aspect (mostly involving Ana's ex-boss, Hyde) that the other movies did not have. It also delves deeper into Ana and Christian's relationship now that they are married (which happens at the very beginning of the movie). While it is still not an awards contender in any category (except maybe cinematography), it makes for an enjoyable wrap-up to the franchise.

The 4K set is a two-disc set with a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is great, as the movie looks and sounds wonderful in the ultra-high-definition format. Some of the visuals (especially when they are in the mountains) really pop in UHD. As was the case for the other movies, the UHD disc just has two versions of the movie (the theatrical and the unrated version). The unrated version does not add much to the storyline; it just adds a few minutes to the movie. The rest of the behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and music videos that make up the bonus material (about an hour's worth altogether) are on the regular blu-ray disc. Ultimately, if you liked or loved the other movies, you will probably feel the same about this one. If you hated the other ones, then this is not going to do anything for you. Certainly, many of the same issues that plagued the first two movies persist in this one, chief among them the lack of chemistry between Dornan and Johnson. And, of course, the movie still has a ton of sexual content and nudity, so it's not family-friendly or for the easily offended. If you come in with realistic expectations for it, that it is a decent but certainly not the greatest romance movie, with some drama and suspense, it is enjoyable.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Fifty Shades Darker

 

Fifty Shades Darker is the 2017 follow-up to the 2015 movie Fifty Shades of Grey, based on the series of novels by E.L. James. The movie again stars Dakota Johnson as Anastacia/Ana Steele and Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, a billionaire entrepreneur with a penchant for BDSM relationships. In the first movie, the two have a torrid love affair that goes bad because of his inability to open up and have a normal relationship. This movie is essentially about his attempt to win her back and the two trying to make a relationship work, with a lot of obstacles being thrown in the way of their relationship.

For those who get the 4k Disc, the movie looks and sounds very good in the UHD format. There is definitely a video quality upgrade from the blu-ray disc (which is also included in the two-disc set). The UHD disc just has the movie itself and the blu-ray has the extras, which are pretty meager. The extras include a couple of short deleted scenes, a teaser for the final movie, and then a handful of making-of featurettes that vary in length from about 3 minutes to just under 9 minutes. Nothing special, but they are there if you want to watch them.

I have not read the books (which were mostly a hit with women), but from the reviews (and based on interviews with Dakota Johnson talking about them) they were pretty bad. And, as a result, the script definitely has some cringe-worth dialogue. The issues from the first movie definitely carry over to this one, a big one being that the chemistry between Dornan and Johnson was still not great in this movie, and overall, I just had a hard time buying them as the kind of couple they were portraying. On the plus side, if you think Johnson is hot and want to see her tits on an almost two-hour loop, this movie will give you that. There are some good additions to the cast for this movie including Bella Heathcote, Kim Bassinger, Marcia Gay Harden, Eric Johnson, and Rita Ora. I  think the expanded cast helps to break up Christian and Ana's storyline so that the chemistry issues between Johnson and Dornan are not as obvious. Ultimately, if you liked the first movie you will probably like this one, as long as you manage your expectations. It definitely has the feel of the second chapter of a trilogy, putting the characters in peril and, as kind of cliche, having an overall darker (pun intended) theme. If you think of it as Twilight without the vampires and a lot more sex, that will give you an idea of what you are getting into if you watch it.   

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: A Bigger Splash

 

A Bigger Splash is a 2015 movie starring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Dakota Johnson. Swinton plays Marianne Lane, a rock singer who is vacationing in Italy with her boyfriend Paul ( Schoenaerts). Fiennes plays Harry Hawkes, Lane's ex-boyfriend who shows up at the villa Marianne and Paul are staying at with his previously estranged daughter, Penelope/Pen (Johnson). The plot basically involves Harry trying to win Marianne back and Pen trying to seduce Paul. It becomes a tale of jealousy and animosity, with a bit of a twist ending.

Overall, the story is okay, but a bit predictable. The movie is odd in a lot of respects, the first being that Swinton barely talks in the movie because her character had surgery on her throat. At most, she can whisper, so Swinton has to basically act non-verbally the entire movie. Fiennes' character, Harry, on the other hand, is totally extroverted and talks too much. Fiennes goes really over-the-top with his performance which some may like and some may find annoying. Johnson really seems out of place trying to play a seductress, which she does not have the personality for. Yes, she is hot and has no problem getting naked for a role (which she does in this movie), but she just does not seem to have the personality type to pull off the role she was trying to play.

For those who get the blu-ray, the A/V quality is good for a movie that is not special effects-laden. The extras are very bare bones, just the trailer, a stills gallery, and a handful of very short (anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes) featurettes that amount to being short character profiles

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

 

Fifty Shades of Grey is an erotic drama from 2015 starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. The movie is, of course, an adaptation of the very popular but widely panned series of books by E.L. James. I have never read the books, so I cannot speak directly to the quality, but they do get pretty bad reviews, and in a recent Vanity Fair article, Dakota Johnson (who plays Anastasia Steel) said they were pretty horrible. For those who don't know, the storyline is basically about a relationship between Ana, a quiet college student, and billionaire businessman Christian Grey (by Jamie Dornan). Their relationship becomes complicated as he becomes more controlling and introduces her to the world of BDSM.

The movie is definitely not for the pearl-clutching crowd. There is a lot of sex and nudity in it, which should be obvious going in, and the sex gets amped up as the movie goes along. The problem with the movie, aside from the shlocky screenplay with some really bad dialogue, is that Johnson and Dornan do not really have the right chemistry to pull off the relationship. Johnson can play quiet and mousy fine, and Dornan can play intense (as evidenced by his role in the wonderful series The Fall), but it was hard to buy that they would be in a BDSM relationship with each other. Johnson does seem like she has a lot of personality in real life, but she either wasn't allowed to or chose not to display that in the movie, basically playing Ana very bland and monotone all the way through the movie, except during the contract negotiation scene, which was really the best non-sex scene in the movie.

For those who get the blu-ray, the movie looks and sounds great in HD. The extras include an unrated version with mostly tacks on a few minutes to the ending of the movie after the elevator closes. It does not add much to the theatrical version at all, which is also included. Then there is a teaser for the second movie, Fifty Shades Darker, and a handful of featurettes titled The World of Fifty Shades of Grey, Behind the Shades, E.L. James & Fifty Shades, Fifty Shades: The Pleasure of Pain, Christian's Apartment: 360* Set Tour, and Behind the Scenes of "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey). Then there are some music videos. So, if you like watching the extras, there is a good amount there.

Overall, the movie is okay but not great. As I said above, the dialogue can be really cheesy in spots, and as a result, the acting is not as good as it could have been. Johnson has gone on record saying the production of the movie was kind of a mess, which definitely bleeds through into the final product. If you get this because you think Johnson and/or Dornan is hot and do not expect to watch an Academy Award-winning drama, then you probably will not be disappointed. If you expect the movie to be something it is not, then you definitely will.

Magazine Review: Vanity Fair Magazine July/August 2022 Dakota Johnson

 

The July/August 2022 issue of Vanity Fair features a cover story on Dakota Johnson, in which she, frankly displays more personality than she has in a lot of her movies. She comes across as funny, witty, charming, and having no qualms about being a smart ass. She talks about the chaos of filming the "fifty-shades" movies and her career in general. Then, there are several other good articles, one on Congresswoman Val Demmings and her run for US senate, an article on the January 6th attack on the US Capitol, one about the whole Brian Laundrie-Gabby Petito situation, and a very interesting article about the UK's conservative party's ties to Russian money. Vanity Fair, unlike some other magazines, has more than just one or two long articles. Some others have a long cover-story article, and then every other article in the magazine is a page or less. VF does have some short articles, but many of them are as long and detailed as the cover article. Definitely a good read.