Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Prodigy - Ugh...this movie is rough. Just about everything about it could have been done in a better way. The plot is an average - "kids are creepy" horror story, with the added twist that he's a child prodigy (but not really). I usually find kids creepy (like, all kids), but this kid is pretty bland. Taylor Schilling was great on Orange is the New Black (she often got outshined by her costars, but she was consistently strong through that whole series), but she is God-awful here. I read a few quick reviews that seem to be impressed by the acting but not the story, and I find that really odd. The acting overall is just awful. Even the guy from Rookie Blue is hard to watch (but not hard to look at...). There's some really interesting ideas about reincarnation and the "soul" being found in the eyes (which is explored brilliantly in the movie I Origins, probably one of my favorite movies of the last decade), but it never goes far enough to be interesting. The ending is pretty great and really effective, it's just a shame that the rest of the film isn't.

2. Harriet - I was really looking forward to this because I love Cynthia Erivo. She's such a talented entertainer - and I really think she's going to be an EGOT winner, like, really, really soon. She is incredible on The Outsider, in which she helped create a really unique and memorable character. She also has an amazing voice. I was rooting for her to win the Oscar this year - even though I hadn't seen the movie, and I already knew Zellweger was a shoe-in. But she's still so young, so she's got time. I also really liked Joe Alwyn in...um...that one movie that I can't remember the name of, but I also recently watched Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, which is terrible, but he is really excellent in it. I'm really excited to see more from him. Unfortunately, I did not like this movie. It wasn't bad, but just a very typical biopic (i.e boooooring). Nothing interesting happens for the first hour, and the dialogue is really cheesy. I also thought that the premonition scenes were really poorly executed (but I honestly didn't know this aspect of her history, which is...interesting). And my final thought - it's an odd choice to not have anyone age. How are we supposed to have any idea how much time has gone by? Obviously this struggle was over the course of years, it didn't happen overnight. I think Harriet Tubman deserves a much stronger biopic (still starring Cynthia - she did a fine job).

3. True History of the Kelly Gang - I don't get it - the title declares it to be "true", but then within the first few seconds we are told that it's not true...so that's weird...right? I like things that re-imagine historical figures or events, but the title is misleading. Also, it focuses very little on the rest of the Kelly gang - mostly just focusing on the most famous one, Ned. I can't say I know much about Ned Kelly, but I did watch that movie with Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom. I don't think I liked it (I don't really remember much about it, but I rated it 2 stars). I really, really, really like George MacKay - he was so wonderful in Captain Fantastic. His performance in that instantly made me a big fan (I'm going to watch 1917 this week and I am excited!). Plus, Essie Davis! Fuck YES! She is awesome. Also, has Charlie Hunnam had a day off? I feel like he's in every movie I watch and I swear I'm not doing it on purpose, even though he is fucking hot and I will always welcome his presence. I was disappointed by the sight of that girl Thomasin McKenzie - this is the third film I've seen her in recently and she's been consistently awful. The movie is interesting, I guess. It's kind of a mess, editing wise. I had a hard time following certain character motivations. It jumps in time, and I feel like it's missing key plot elements that maybe we are just supposed to *know*, but I don't. There are some really stunning and memorable moments, especially that gunfire scene. I actually had to look away from the screen because it was too overwhelming.

4. Godzilla: King of the Monsters - Truly the most boring Godzilla movie I've ever seen. I thought the previous one was pretty bad, but that's a masterpiece compared to this one. I was actually under the impression that this was another reboot, so I didn't realize that it was a sequel to the Bryan Cranston one. I blocked that one out, so I had to look up what happened. I'm really confused as to why Vera Farmiga would do this movie? But casting Millie Bobby Brown as her daughter is a great choice. I just wish it was for a different movie! I liked that they had her as the villain because it's rare for women to be dumb world-ending villains in big blockbuster movies like this. I'm not really sure I understand her motivation for risking humanity (for world peace among the species, I guess?), but it hardly matters in movies like this. What matters is that the special effects are glorious, and that's where this movie fails the most. It looks TERRIBLE. Mothra is cool though.

5. Terminator: Dark Fate - I thought this was a satisfying addition to the Terminator franchise. I had some small issues with it, but I was entertained for most of it. I'm not the biggest fan of the franchise as a whole, but I absolutely LOVE Terminator 2: Judgement Day. I like the first one too, but the sequel RULES. The rest have been pretty mediocre. I was excited for this one for two reasons: Linda Hamilton (obvi!) and Mackenzie Davis. I totally believed that she could be a badass, and I was right. She really gives it her all and plays off of Hamilton (i.e one of the most iconic female badasses of all-time) perfectly. I think the story is really strong and straight-forward, which was nice because I think the last two kept trying to over-complicate things with the timeline. It's disappointing that *HE* doesn't appear until about an hour in, but oh man, it's perfect when he does (I died at the line "and I'm extremely funny"). I'm also disappointed that it seems like they might be trying to make the other girl the lead for the next one. She was awful. So awful that I don't even want to look up her name, but I would definitely not be interested in watching more of her. I would watch a full spin-off of Mackenzie Davis' character, though.