Review of To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018) by Kman5473 — 03 Sep 2018

I loved the story of this film, I liked the writing, I loved the chemistry between the leads. Some of the actors were great, others were just ok. Having said that, this is a remarkable example of what a very talented cast and crew can do with a tiny budget and just 21 days to shoot! Crazy! Nobody slept for a month, I would guess. There are a number of technical issues that made it into the final cut of the film. They're subtle, but they stick out and scratch some of the polish off of the final product. Biggest one was audio--throughout there were a number of noticeable lines dropping out (best example, whatever Lana Condor says as soon as she enters the hot tub is completely missed).

My biggest criticism of this film by far, though, goes to the direction of photography. Most of the angles used throughout felt isolating and awkward with not subjective reasoning behind it. Let's break the 180 degree rule here just cause, let's make these two angels not cut well together just cause, etc. This is my most subjective critique: I did not like the color grading on this either. Waaay too blue/turquoise. It felt like the movie was underwater throughout.

Other than that, great story! Absolutely worth a watch.