1. I'm Thinking of Ending Things - Charlie Kaufman, it's been a long time, and I was super excited to watch some weird shit (I didn't see
Anomalisa and I hated
Synecdoche, New York so much that I pretend that it doesn't exist). I successfully avoided any dialogue around this, so I went in completely blind. I assumed that the title referred to suicide, so I was a little disappointed that it's about a break-up (but...not). The beginning is intriguing, I guess, but also sort of annoying - it's all very odd and doesn't make sense, like why she can't remember how long they've been together - she thinks it's 7 weeks, but it could be 4, but either way, it's not long enough to meet the parents, yet. Especially if you're "thinking of ending things". And then she is seemingly horrified by what goes on at farms (um...is she stupid?). Things start to get interesting, pretty quickly though - the scratches on the door, the weird reaction from his parents, etc. I suddenly realized that I might be watching a horror film? A Charlie Kaufman horror movie?! How exciting! Only it doesn't turn out that way, either. I realized as soon as she looks at the photograph, what was happening - and while a narrative focusing on fragmented (and sometimes false) memories, is a great idea, my interest faded as soon as they get back in the car. The car ride is filmed during the dark, and I literally could not see anything for at least 10 minutes, plus the dialogue just goes round and round but never really accomplishes anything. Overall, it's similar to other Kaufman projects - original, odd, intellectual, and poetic. The dance sequence at the end is really emotional and beautiful. Jessie Buckley is great, but her American accent bothered me. Jesse Plemmons is also really strong - and he has such a beautiful voice! The highlight is Toni Collette (always and forever).
Spike Lee is a legend, but I didn't love this movie. First, it's waaaay too long. They find what they are looking for an hour in, and it's excruciating to realize that there is still a whole hour and 35 minutes left. Second, it's basically
Triple Frontier but this time the team is smarter - and they BURIED the money (btw, I didn't like
Triple Frontier either). And third, are we supposed to ignore the fact that they should be 45 years younger in the flashbacks? Why didn't they get younger actors to play them? It's Chadwick Boseman and 4 old men fighting in the Vietnam War. It's just absolutely, stunningly ridiculous. But, there is some good stuff - the interspersed scenes of Trump rallies and present day news, is done really well (especially the part with the black guy in the background), and the dialogue is really natural and often hilarious (and the monologues are stunning). The cast is great - I expected that Chadwick was in it more, so that's disappointing, but Delroy Lindo gives a career best performance. I also think that it's a story perspective that we haven't really seen as the main focus for a movie - the Vietnam War told exclusively through the Black experience.
3. Dora and the Lost City of Gold - I don't know much about Dora, but I thought this movie was going to be bigger. Maybe Dora isn't as popular with the young kids anymore? This movie is a super cute, treasure hunting, family friendly good time. I love this girl - Isabela Moner (but apparently her name changed to Isabela Merced? That's odd.), she is a terrific young actress and has such strong screen presence. Michael Pena steals the movie though - his rave music impression had me laughing so hard. How did they keep a straight face while he did that? I'm not the biggest fan of Eva Longoria (she said something extremely awful in my presence, but I keep it to myself because maybe she's a better person now? I sure hope so.). The story moves really quickly, and the twists are done really well (for a kid's movie). And it's kind of funny ("
can you say severe neurotoxicity"?). I didn't really care for the CGI animals - they take you out of the story. Also, there is a really awkward drug scene in which they (accidentally) do drugs and turn into the cartoon versions of themselves and have a really good time (so...um...do drugs kids! It's fun!). And, there is a scorpion scene (fuck my life, I hate scorpions so much).
4. The Devil All the Time - First, I have to say, thank God for Netflix. Getting to see new releases, safely at home, during this time has been a true saving grace for people like me. Three movies from this post are Netflix 2020 releases, and I am just so appreciative that we have this option, at the very least. Second - this is probably one of the strongest casts I've seen in a while. It's just (almost) perfect. The two highlights are Bill Skarsgard and Riley Keough. But the heart of the movie weighs heavily on Tom Holland, and he does an incredible job. I'm not sure why his acting abilities were ever questioned - he was the standout performance in
The Impossible. I also think R. Patz did a great job. There's a lot of chatter about the accents (specifically Pattinson and Holland's), and I am usually a really tough critic when it comes to accents, but I thought they were both...fine? I think it's great when I can watch something and
forget where the actor come from. And they both made me forget that they both are British, so to me, they are successful. However, I think Pattinson went a little overboard with the high pitched tone - and that's what people are reacting to. I read that he refused a dialect coach, which I find infuriating. You're getting paid in the millions, but refuse expert advice? That's so disrespectful and arrogant. Anyway, my only real problem, acting-wise is with Bucky (or how I will forever know him as - Carter Baizen, and no, I still don't know his real name). He just sticks out so much as the weak link. Third, I love the intertwining stories, the way the narrative unfolds, the ending - it's all so disturbing, intoxicating, and oddly moving. The way the preacher talks about "delusions", as the
other scene happens, is so deeply heartbreaking. By far the best movie of this year (so far).
5. Shirley - As you may already know, I'm not the biggest fan of Elisabeth Moss. I've read terrific things about her performance in this, but I also read that she was great in
Her Smell and she is actually awful in that, so I had to see for myself. I'm going to disagree again - she over-acts and doesn't have any depth. But, I did enjoy a lot of this movie - everyone else is great (Logan Lerman, Odessa Young and Michael Stuhlbarg). I appreciate that it's not a typical biopic - I think we've surpassed the traditional biopic by now, let's get more creative biopics like this from now on, please. I like the focus on her depression, and her agoraphobia (I assume?). I can relate to her need to stay in bed all day (I can literally sleep all day; I think it terrifies people how easy it is for me to just give up on living). The sound design is wonderfully unsettling and intense. And Shirley's husband's disgust for mediocrity is fantastic ("
terrifically competent. There's no excuse for that."). There is also a scene that is very memorable in which she confronts "the other woman" - it's done very well.
No comments:
Post a Comment