Brand New Cherry Flavor

A Netflix series that follows the descent into hell of a young woman (Rosa Salazar) dreaming of making it big in the Hollywood. We discover how far she must go to make a feature film, and to do that, she has to put up with lots of vomiting kittens, occult and revenge in equal measures. It relentlessly portrays the power dynamics, revenge and the consequences that arise from it. In the later course of the series, these developments are also reflected in grotesque body horror, which uncomfortably unites a weird melange of genres. Combined with Rosa Salazar's impressive screen presence and Catherine Keener's provocative portrayal of Boro.

However the 2nd half of the series took a downturn with cheesy moments and forced storylines. The series starts off compelling and then just kind of goes off the deep end with weak dialogues and rushed screenplay. It recalls Asia Argento's Scarlet Diva, films of David Cronenberg, Lucile Hadzihalilovi, some Hong Kong Cat III sleaze-fest, Nicolas Winding Refn aesthetics, and tries hard to be Lynchian. There's Patrick Fischler who is famous for the Winkie's scene in Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" as Alvin Sender. I felt like this had a lot of potential but I just wasn't enjoying myself anymore in the last half but it partially attempts to get back on track towards the very end and feels rushed.

There is comic relief, Jonathan who plays Lou's son and I don't know if it was intentional or not. His role was very amusing. Even the kitten puking thing will begin to seem more normative after repeated. Felt it was stretched, I was even laughing. I see the "gore" the series was after, but it didn't come through in full circle except for the fisting scene.

In any case, Brand New Cherry Flavor is one of those visual experiences that is truly one horrifying series, but the horrifying doesn't really feel earned. A lot of weird feelings surrounding this series. This will definitely be a hard slog for general viewers for it's uncanny atmosphere even if it doesn't necessarily pay it off but will leave a lasting impression for those who can go into this series with an open mind.

I love 90s David Lynch movies. This is very in his vein. I thought it was great.

*Pros* The main actress (Rosa, playing Lisa) is amazing! It was a very demanding role, which she nailed & completely sold the story. Boro, Lou and Alvin (the funny producer man), were also brill. -- The premise is solid, and time is taken towards enabling us to really resonate with the main character. -- I like the cinematography; and filming locations. -- The hair, makeup & fashion departments deserve a shout out.

I really enjoyed it & it's addictive. And would recommend if you like this genre. Especially if you like AHS.

*Cons* In episodes 1-5, the character's behaviours and motivations made sense & were moderately realistic. And that's what made it so engaging. However, from ep. 6 onwards, characters would behave in ways that are unusual / illogical / counterintuitive. (However, I appreciate that sometimes this is necessary to push the story forward.) -- A lot of plot holes and unanswered questions. -- I think they could have benefited from making the main character more compassionate in some situations involving innocent parties. -- I would have slightly toned down the gruesomeness; it started to get predictable that if we see something gross... someone is going to eat it.

This was a bizarre ride of a show, I enjoyed the slow burn and weird vibes throughout but the ending really let it down. I feel there was zero closure or wrap up, almost like they forgot to release the last episode.

Others may disagree with my assessment, there's a lot of love for this series and some may say there was enough of a wrap up with open ends for the imagination but it felt like a lazy finish with nothing particularly resolved. It's a shame there's no season two because it's a perfect cliff hanger of an ending but for a limited season it's let down.

Acting was great all round, cinematography was on point. The protagonist wasn't overly relatable and was very cold at times but that didn't detract from the enjoyment, very much Aubrey Plaza vibes.

Starts off really slow and so boring. Then really engaging and super weird and shocking, I was hooked and binged it. Then when it ends? Pointless. Thanks for nothing.