Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The New Mutants - Not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. I actually enjoyed it for what it is - which is a sci-fi horror. It's certainly not your typical superhero film, as it's very clearly filmed as a horror movie (jump scares and all). And even though it's part of the X-Men series (the final one? I don't believe it), I appreciate that it does its own thing. It's weird and dark, with a smaller, more focused story. However, it's not exactly good, either. For one, the acting is atrocious (Anya, is that you??? I thought you could act? And her character is the best one too! I wanted to love her, but some of that line delivery is *cringe*). The different accents are all very jarring (and none of them feel natural - the worst is Maisie Williams. I don't think she can act at all - she was horrible on Game of Thrones and even worse here, but I was so confused by her accent because I thought she was Irish and I thought why is she doing such a terrible Irish accent if that's her natural accent? So I looked it up and apparently she is supposed to be doing a Scottish accent? What? That was Scottish? And she's actually not Irish, she's English.). It's all very obvious as to what is happening and it takes them way too long to figure it out. And the lesbian plotline feels very forced. It's a shame because there is a great movie in there somewhere, it just doesn't work. 

2. The Prom - Let me start off by saying that I have been a Ryan Murphy fan from the beginning - I was a huge fan of Nip/Tuck and I was obsessed with Glee (if you go back far enough on this blog I used to even do episode recaps! OBSESSED). This film seemed like Murphy doing what he does best - which is over-the-top, campy, musical productions. Yet, I hated *everything* about this. Yes, everything. My biggest problem with it is that it feels soooo dated. Yes, I realize that there are certain parts of America (and the world) that are 20 years behind the times (this takes place in Indiana. One of my co-workers is from there. When she moved here 10 years ago, she said she felt like she was in another country. I don't think people outside of America realize how incredibly different each state is). But, movies aren't behind the times, Hollywood is not behind the times, so stories like this have been told TO DEATH. Even Murphy, himself, did stories like this on Glee 10 years ago! And does anyone else find it weird that they make sexuality a big "taboo" subject, but don't say anything about racism & diversity? The cast is wonderfully diverse, but doesn't that NOT MAKE SENSE in Indiana? It's falsely presenting Indiana as culturally and racially diverse (one of the LEAST diverse states out of 50 - I think it ranks in the bottom 5), and the movie doesn't even address it. Another big issue is that it has this ridiculously amazing cast of Hollywood A-listers like Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman, and then they go and cast James Corden in the main role. First, EVERYONE hates James Corden. I know that there are plenty of celebrities who I hate, but have a large fan base, but I've literally never seen anyone say anything nice about James Corden. Also, it's really surprising to me that Ryan would cast a straight man in this role? I actually don't agree with people who feel that only gay actors should play gay roles (this idea is problematic for so many reasons but the biggest one is that not everyone is out - and maybe playing a gay character will help them with their own identity? And also some people don't like labels - I'm one of those people.). BUT, I also think that it depends on the movie and the character? And this felt like it needed someone who has a little more connection with the character - because it feels like Corden just took a bunch of flamboyant gay cliches and WENT TO TOWN, and therefore it becomes offensive. I don't know, I may be contradicting my own thoughts, but my point is that Corden is terrible. ANYWAY, the musical numbers are mostly awful - the only one that is great is the "Love thy neighbor" one, and the final number is fun and sweet. I also enjoy that it makes fun of celebrities who take up a "cause" (mostly for publicity and public support). This always angers me - bringing attention to certain things is sometimes necessary, but the ones that really get me is when celebrities tweet something like "hey my friend has cancer and she can't afford her medical bills - here's a link to donate money", when this person can literally pay said medical bills with one week of their own salary. FUCK OFF (I literally just saw this happen a few weeks ago.). Overall, I really hate this movie - even though it's probably a better film than, say, The New Mutants, I had higher expectations so it just becomes even more of a disappointment. 

3. Mank - I was dreading watching this, but I figured I should get it out of the way now, otherwise it will keep moving down THE LIST and I'll never end up watching it. I thought it was super weird when the trailer released and everyone flipped their shit about how "great" it looked because I thought it looked like boring, film elitist garbage. And guess what? I was fucking right. Fincher has made some masterpieces - there is no denying that (se7en is one of my favorite movies ever), and even the ones that I think are lesser than, are still good. And they are all...beautiful. This loses the one thing that all Fincher films have - the beauty. The black & white is just so pretentious - and it looks terrible - it's mostly just grey. And it makes it even harder to pay attention to. The story isn't even that interesting? The only people who care about the true story behind Citizen Kane are film buffs, and they likely already know this story. Not that that completely matters (knowing the story shouldn't hinder ones enjoyment), but they do absolutely nothing to make it interesting. Drunk Gary Oldman just reminds me of his guest appearance on Friends, and it's really distracting. But, Amanda Seyfried is great - I've been a fan since she surprised me in Loveless, but I don't think this performance is worthy of awards chatter at all. 

4. I'm Your Woman - Now this is an award-worthy performance. Rachel Brosnahan is wonderful in this very complicated role. I've never seen her in anything before, but I'm so happy to know that she's this good because she's received many awards for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (a show that has been on THE LIST for years...I'll get to it...eventually!). She always reminds me so much of Evan Rachel Wood, which is a good thing. I really love this movie from beginning to end - I love the way it mixes the suspenseful, thrilling parts with the quietness of the day-to-day. I love that it's from her perspective, so we never quite know the full story - the audience is forced into the same confusion that she suffers from. I love the way it ends in a really satisfying way. And most importantly I LOVE the sunglasses she wears in the beginning (I NEED them). This is one of those movies that is hard to articulate why it works so well, it just does - there is just something special, something memorable about it, a vibe that I just adore. And as much as I appreciate films telling a concise story within their timeframe, I do think this would have worked really well as a mini-series. I could have watched hours more of this woman's story. Also, on a side-note, I keep getting this, Pieces of a Woman and Promising Young Woman confused - all three seem to be getting really good reviews. 

5. The Witches (2020) - I'm not sure if I've ever seen the one from the 90s? I certainly don't remember it. There's a few things that surprised me about this - first, it STARS Octavia Spencer! Every promotional image I've seen is with Anne Hathaway. I had no idea that most of the story revolves around Octavia and some mice (the main one narrated by Chris Rock!). Second, I thought it was supposed to be darker - more of an adult Halloween campy movie (the promo images reminded me of Death Becomes Her (one of the greatest films of all-time!) - but it's very clearly a kids fairytale, which is ultimately disappointing. And third, *spoilers* they stay mice in the end! Haha! That's kind of funny, and sad? Especially when he's like "hey Grandma we'll probably die at the same time because mice only live a few years....COOL!". Like, what in the actual fuck is that about? This is not great, and barely entertaining, but Anne Hathaway is perfectly cast, because she does "camp" so, so well. And the production design is fabulous. 

Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. A Teacher - There are some things I really like about this limited series  - first, I absolutely adore Kate Mara. I think she deserves so much more credit than she gets, and she's excellent here in a very unlikeable role. Second, I appreciate that they take a very "icky" subject and give it depth and layers - nothing in life is black and white. I'm not referring to her actions - which are very clearly disturbing. Instead, I'm impressed with the way they are showing his side of the story and how his life is effected (vs how people assume his life was effected). And I do think they do a good job of showing her side, as well - even if it doesn't change the fact that she's a terrible person (being bored with your life is no excuse for her actions, but I think it's this innate sense of needing/causing "drama" to stimulate one's world that isn't often explored in a realistic way like this is). And third, I'm not finished with the series yet (I think I have 3 episodes left), but I love how quickly it's paced. The episodes are short and concise with very little filler, there are time-jumps that push the story forward, and it never really ends the way you expect. I'm interested to see if they end the series in the way that I think they will (which would be very controversial, but also realistic and explores more of the "grey" of life). There are also a few things I don't care for - a big one is the over-use of 90s/00s hip-hop songs (17 year old kids definitely don't listen to "Big Pimpin'" - a song that is 20 years old). It feels so forced, which contradicts everything else about the show. I'm also not the biggest fan of Nick Robinson; he reminds me of Ansel Egort, minus the charisma. He also needs a haircut, stat. 

2. Truth Seekers - This is a big disappointment for me. I just have really high hopes for something created by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg - and this is just sort of blah. I was entertained for some of it, but I kept getting sidetracked by other things while watching it. The plot is actually great (they are paranormal investigators - as a comedy that should work really well). And I adore the cast - especially when my favorite, Kelly Macdonald, shows up! Where has she been? I haven't seen her in much lately. Anyway, overall, it's cute - I would watch more. I think I was just hoping for more of a laugh out loud comedy. Although, every scene with Malcolm McDowell is hilarious. What a legend. 

3. Big Sky - I'm very angry with this show. And I'm about to write about a *MAJOR Spoiler/plot twist* within the first episode - so stop reading if you want to be surprised. The show is advertised as a new show STARRING "the sexiest man on the planet, Ryan Phillippe" (I may have added the sexiest man on the planet part, but it's true), and then he gets shot in the fucking head at the end of the pilot. And like, really shot in the head, no way is he coming back from that - he's dead, no question. That's some bullshit, right there. He has shown up in the next few episodes in very short flashback scenes (and credited as "guest starring"), but the stars of the show are definitely a bunch of no-names, so I really feel like they tricked a lot of people into watching it (i.e every girl who was obsessed with Ryan since 1997). Actually, I obviously recognize many of the other actors (especially the two teenage girls - one from Little Fires Everywhere and the other from Gotham &The Goldbergs). But, it's some damn fine false advertising and it really upsets me. I've watched another 3 or 4 episodes and so far it's been really boring (and actually the "twist" in the pilot about the sheriff is obvious even from the commercials and literally nothing else about it has surprised me - it is really disappointing). I'll keep watching this season, but if it doesn't actually DO something, then I won't be watching anymore (unless they do a prequel? with Ryan's character alive and solving a previous mystery?). 

4. Your Honor - I've watched the first two episodes so far, and it is GOOD. I couldn't really figure out how they were going to take this story and make us sympathize with this father/son - if you don't know what the story is about: the kid kills someone in a hit & run and his father, a judge, uses his power to cover it up. Absolutely vile. BUT, they actually make it work (I won't spoil how, but basically he isn't saving his son from being rightfully charged with murder, he's saving him from being murdered....intriguing...right? WATCH IT.). The second episode makes everything even messier by introducing a fairly innocent individual who gets caught up in this crime - bringing even more depth to the story. Bryan Cranston is spectacular (as per usual). I'm so excited to see where this story goes (and hopeful that everyone gets what's coming to them). 

5. Small Axe - I'm not sure if this is considered a bunch of short films or a limited series? I've looked into it and is seems like people are in two very different camps. I guess we'll find out once it starts getting submitted for awards (will it be submitted for Oscars or Emmys???). To me, it's a limited series/anthology, similar to Monsterland. I feel like there is a superiority complex with people insisting it's a film, as if being seen as tv is lesser than, but tv has surpassed films in so many ways, so that's a weird take, in my opinion. So far, I've watched the first 3 "episodes" and I loved one, liked one, and was indifferent on one (Lovers Rock > Red, White and Blue > Mangrove). I think this might be a controversial take because I've seen a LOT of love for Mangrove and I don't understand - it's a standard boring courtroom drama. The acting is great, but ultimately that's all I remember about it. Red, White and Blue felt more essential to me, with current world events - I like the dichotomy of wanting to be a police officer while also wanting to change everything about what the title represents. I also loved the story with the father demanding his day in court. It's just a much stronger story - and again, the acting is great (John Boyega is finally in a role that he seems passionate about). But, Lovers Rock is like nothing I've ever seen. It's basically just a filmed house party but there is so much happening in the small moments. It feels raw, genuine, and sensual. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. And I'll never forget it. I do feel a bit disappointed as a whole, though, simply because I haven't been absolutely stunned by any particular scene yet (which is essential with a Steve McQueen project - even with a film I didn't care for like Widows, there is still a scene that I was stunned by). But there's still two more episodes to go, so here's hoping!

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Happiest Season - This movie is super cute. I appreciate that it keeps to being a "traditional" family holiday movie, while also focusing the story on a gay couple. There's just a lot to like - First, I adore Clea DuVall. I'm so happy that she's writing/directing now. And the Josh Hartnett poster in Harper's room is the perfect nod to Clea's beginnings. I think she did a great job creating characters that are layered, flawed, charming, and genuine. Second, this is where Kristen Stewart excels - she is very adorable in this because her awkwardness works with the story. I'm a big fan of the rest of the cast - Mackenzie Davis is wonderful (even when her character turns into a bitch, I still had sympathy for her). Dan Levy is hilarious (him pretending to be straight is probably my favorite part of the movie. Plus he nails my feelings about marriage as one of the most "archaic institutions of the human race". Hear fucking hear!). Plus, you can't go wrong with Alison Brie AND Aubrey Plaza (who is actually decent in this - I've questioned her acting in pretty much everything aside from Parks and Rec). Third, I think it's wildly hypocritical that people are criticizing the ending of this movie, because historically there is so much valid criticism of gay representation in films as being that of tragic nature (as in, most gay characters in mainstream movies aren't given happy endings). This movie sticks with a very classic happy ending for our main couple in a traditional rom-com Holiday movie. Isn't that what we want? 

2. The Hunt - *spoilers* I expected this to be insane; I just wasn't sure how insane. It's basically a Goddamn shit-show, really. It's a literal fight between the "Deplorables" and the "Snowflakes" except the "Snowflakes" have turned into the "Deplorables" because the "Deplorables" accused them of something heinous in a wacky conspiracy theory so they decided to make the conspiracy theory a reality. Truly a shit-show. However, it's also a little bit fun - the dark humor works really well, there are some great kill scenes (and also extremely surprising - Just as I thought "ooooh I didn't know they were in this!" Boom *dead*. And on a side-note - it's obvious who the brunette is in the beginning because her name is listed in the opening credits and she's THE MOST FAMOUS ONE. Why did they bother trying to make it a surprise?). Betty Gilpin leads the whole movie, and she is great (as always), but it's hard to root for her (or anyone, really), so the twist at the end is definitely necessary. It's all beyond ridiculous and stupid, but entertainingly so. And I think that's what they set out to do, so ultimately it is a successful movie. 

3. Nocturne - *spoilers* Another Blumhouse Production on Amazon. While I liked it better than The Lie, it still feels like it's in the same universe as it, and of movies that are trying to be deeper than they actually are. It's like an amateur version of Black Swan and Whiplash. I like the idea of jealousy and greed destroying you (mentally and physically), and I think it's even more complicated when the person that you are seen as "lesser than" is your twin sister. It's sibling rivalry taken to the extreme. There are a few really great scenes - like the "coming at me" scene - the music is haunting and the beats hit just right. The ending is also very stunning (and makes the already beautiful poster downright chilling). But ultimately it feels immature, and a little bit like a soap opera (sleeping with her sister's barely ex-boyfriend instantly makes her unlikable. And ugh, what a shitty first time - with someone who is clearly an asshole, on the floor, for 30 seconds. I truly feel bad for this girl). I'm pretty disappointed with these movies, so far, but I'll give one more a go (I'm thinking Black Box?). 

4. Hillbilly Elegy - The discourse around this movie is a little bit embarrassing, to be honest. I don't read full reviews of movies until after I watch the movie - but I saw snippets of some incredibly harsh reviews for this, so my expectations were managed. Overall, I think this movie is ok - a three star movie (which is how I feel about most movies - a majority of them range between 2.5 and 3 stars). Amy Adams gives another stellar performance, and ultimately carries the movie. It's a little cheesy, predictable, and it doesn't really have anything new to offer. However, as far as the reviews and discussions about this movie, I have some concerns. So, a big one that went around is that this movie "throws all its women under the bus to save one man", which is true, but the story is a "true story" based on this "one man's" memoir - so what's the problem, exactly? He very clearly shows all the sacrifices the women around him make in order for him to be successful. And that HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE. Like, what the fuck world do people live in? Women, especially mothers, sacrifice their lives all the time for their sons (or husbands) because men have a BETTER CHANCE at being successful. It's so weird to me that people are upset that a movie is showcasing sexism...that exists, arguing that it's sexist? But....but...that's the POINT. Another criticism is that this story would have been seen differently if the family weren't white. Which, again, is true. But the story is again a "true story" about a poor, white family. Were they supposed to somehow include commentary on race? (The answer is no.) And the third discussion I saw is that the scene showing his credit card declining is inaccurate and a misconception because poor people know exactly how much money they have. I agree with that sentiment (poor people are actually better at knowing their finances than rich people, for the most part), but I also think that the point is that he's using credit cards as his means of survival because he has no money (even with scholarships and loans, he has an overwhelming amount of expenses). And credit cards are essential to poor people, but they are also what keeps poor people...poor. Couldn't the discourse be around that? Something that is actually an important discussion? Also, there are levels of poor - and I don't think it's ever implied that this family is living in poverty (I saw some suggest The Florida Project for a more accurate depiction of poor, but while it's great, it's definitely about a different level of poor). Anyway, I'm done I think (and I didn't even get into the whole judgement based on politics part! It's just all too much). 

5. Sound of Metal - I really loved this movie. First, Riz Ahmed is incredible. Second, ditto for Olivia Cooke (but whyyyyy the bleached eyebrows...whyyyyy???). Third, it's just a really great story of losing something that feels like an essential part of who you are, and having to learn how to live without it. It's applied to this story as the main character, a heavy-metal drummer, suffers from sudden hearing loss and it's recommended that he avoid loud noises - causing him to give up one of his biggest passions (and career). But, I think the story can be applied to literally any situation and is therefore very relatable. Both Ahmed and Cooke create fully fleshed out characters, suffering from heartbreak and fear of this inevitable conclusion to this part of their lives. As it ended, I noticed Derek Cianfrance's name as one of the writers and executive producers and said to myself "yeah, that tracks" (if you've seen his movies, you'll understand). There are also some stunning shots and exceptional use of sound (or lack thereof). Also, on a slightly related note - it has been on my list for a long time, but I think this next year I'm going to learn sign language.