Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Deep Water - There is a good movie in here somewhere, but this is just incredibly disappointing. On an obviously related side-note, I really liked Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck as a couple - something about them just made sense to me. But the noticeable problem with this movie is definitely the lack of chemistry, and Affleck is the one to blame for that (because de Armas could have chemistry with a brick wall). As an actor, I think Affleck is the epitome of a mediocre white guy, which is why I think he should stick to directing from now on (Gone Baby Gone, Argo and The Town are probably all in my Top 100 Films of All Time list, if it existed). I used to think he was great as an actor, but I just don't think his heart is in it anymore. And he pretty much sleepwalks through this movie. And usually with this type of 'manipulative wife' story (think a mild version of Gone Girl, which is a movie I hated - honestly, the more I think about this movie, the more I loathe it), I can't stand the female character, but in this - I felt like I understood de Armas' character completely. She does make his life interesting - she's also super hot and the mother of his child, and he's completely in love with her, so, honestly, she can do whatever the fuck she wants and he's powerless against it. She's also not someone who fits into the "domesticated" lifestyle of getting married, having children, etc., but the expectation of that lifestyle is so overwhelming that I think people often just...give in, leading to resentfulness and misery (I mean, I would go absolutely insane living with a 6 year old and a boring husband). If the film focused on this play of power dynamics within this relationship, it would have been a lot stronger. Instead, it carelessly focuses on this man being a serial killer (of his wife's lovers), and his ability to get away with it. Ultimately, it's feels really...stupid and convoluted. It's also edited very poorly and there is no concept of how much time has gone by with each scene (and each murder...did he just murder all of these people in the span of 3 days? Because that's what it feels like). And as far as erotic thrillers go, and there haven't been many lately, this one is very tame. There's pretty much nothing sexy about it, except a topless de Armas. The sex scenes are blink-and-you-miss-it, and neither of them seem to satisfy each other, so what's the point? The best way to describe the whole thing is underwhelming. 

2. Mogul Mowgli - I love Riz Ahmed so fucking much it's unbelievable. He's an incredible actor/musician, has a ton of charisma, can display a range of emotions within seconds, and seems like he can tackle any genre. The weird thing about this movie, though, is that it's pretty much the same plot as Ahmed's other movie, Sound of Metal (a musician faces a medical issue that derails his career), and even though I enjoyed this movie - I absolutely love Sound of Metal, so this just fell a little flat for me. Had Sound of Metal not existed, though, I probably would have loved this more (if that makes sense?). The performance scenes are definitely the highlight - first, I think rap is such an incredible art form that often gets overlooked (mostly because of...racism, really, but also because I think the music industry has cannibalized it a bit) but I would LOVE to sit down with those lyrics and really digest the words because there is so much depth about his identity in there. There's also some interesting dialogue about appropriating black culture that I wish they touched on more. Second, because, again, Ahmed has so much presence - he's just an incredible performer. I also can connect with the plot a little because, as I've said, and I'm sure it's super annoying for me to keep bringing this up (trust me, I know), I suffer from chronic pain - but it's not even the pain that upsets me anymore. It's the thought of living with this pain for...ever. And the thought that it's going to get worse with aging and...what if I get to the point where I can't drive or walk? So sometimes I just start crying and people just assume that the pain is just that bad, but it's not; the mental anguish is so much worse than the pain. Anyway, I like this movie, I just think Sound of Metal did it better. 

3. Mass - Well, if you ever have any question as to why the Oscars suck, watch this and then try to explain how Ann Dowd did not get a nomination for her performance in this movie. It's just so baffling - not only for missing out on a nomination, but she easily could have won it. Jason Isaacs is also incredible here, and he's not someone I've ever really taken notice of before as having anything above average skill-level as an actor. But, man, they both just blew me away. The film reminded me a lot of Carnage (which was based on the play God of Carnage), which is about two couples who agree to sit down and talk about their children - one is the bully the other is the victim of the bully. Except this movie's subject matter is far darker with the couple's children being a school shooter and one of his victims. Like Carnage it's all dialogue - just four people talking for the entire length of the movie, which could be tough to watch (as it was in Carnage - from what I remember, I liked it but it does drag a bit), but the acting is so phenomenal, that I forgot that I was actually watching actors and not just four people whose lives were ruined by a tragedy. It's always interesting to consider how much responsibility parents should bear when it comes to crimes committed by their children. Each and every case is obviously different and has its own intricacies, but surely every parent in this situation has to feel the full weight of that guilt. They've had to analyze what went wrong and what they could have done differently. And it's even more gut-wrenching if they saw the signs of a troubled child but chose to ignore it or convinced themselves that there was nothing wrong (as one part of the dialogue goes "how could you believe that?" "because I wanted to." hits really deep). You never want to believe that someone you love is capable of such hatred and evilness, but not believing it could have deadly consequences. The story here gives great insight into how deep this feeling is, and my heart breaks for all of them (and for any parents dealing with this in real life). 

4. Death on the Nile - I sort of love that Kenneth Branagh continues to just make whatever the fuck he wants. It seems he's moved from Shakespeare adaptations to Agatha Christie murder mysteries, and I don't hate it. I didn't love his Murder on the Orient Express, but I did appreciate how well it was made - and some of those shots are sublime. This feels like second-tier compared to that film. It's...not well-made, in fact the CGI is barely tolerable. The cast consists of one unlikeable actor after the next (and a few of whom are pretty problematic in our current culture of cancellations): Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Gal Gadot, Russell Brand, and...Kenneth Branagh (not necessarily problematic, that I know of, but always comes across as someone unlikeable, to me). Please get Annette Bening out of there!!! There are two highlights (other than Bening, because duh...she's always a highlight): Emma Mackey is stunning (she's so good on Sex Education too, completely believable as a teenager - it was weird seeing her in this more adult role, but she nails it. Can't wait to see more from her) and Rose Leslie with a completely believable French accent (I had to look it up because I thought *for sure* that she is Scottish, but I couldn't hear an ounce of her Scottish accent so I started to doubt myself). The mystery is SUPER obvious from the first few minutes of character introductions, so it was just a matter of watching it all unfold exactly how you expect it to. I have not read the Christie novel, so I wonder if it's that obvious in the story as well?? You don't have to necessarily be surprised by the outcome to enjoy it, though (as a ton of people already know the ending, obviously), but the problem is that it all felt very dull and tedious to sit through. Just very long, and very boring. 

5. C'mon C'mon - Just wonderful. As I was watching it, I had this sense of a very familiar feeling, so I looked up the director (Mike Mills) and what he's directed before - and it made so much sense that he wrote/directed Beginners. I love that movie so much, and this is definitely in the same universe (and also I've thought about 20th Century Women way more than I thought I would. This is a perfect example of a man who writes incredibly genuine and realistic female characters. And it's fascinating that he's married to Miranda July because, even though I love her, I never feel any connection to her female characters. To each their own, though!). There's just this wonderful sense of warmth and sweetness to this movie. I can feel the growth within the characters - and a lot of times that can be credited to the acting, but in this case I think it's definitely in the writing. Although, Phoenix gives another astounding performance here, far quieter and softer than the performances he gets accolades for, but just as difficult to get right. Honestly, I think Phoenix might be my favorite actor (OF ALL TIME) surpassing Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Penn (I hate him as a person, but damn he's such a good actor). And yet, another Oscar injustice with Phoenix being completely overlooked - this is clearly a better performance than the WINNER of the category. Also, GABBY FUCKING HOFFMAN!! Where has she been??? She's wonderful in this. I like that even though it's a quiet, seemingly simple, story, there is still a lot going on within each relationship. It's definitely a story of motherhood - how much we take mothers for granted, how challenging it is to raise a son (as essentially a single parent), how completely selfless one has to be etc., but it's also about this sibling relationship that is strained but still maintained with this strong bond that is unbreakable. Then there is the obvious relationship that is the main story - about this uncle/nephew bond. How difficult it is to earn a skeptical child's trust and also how perceptive children are. Also, being an only child is fucking hard. I think the "only child trope" is often portrayed as being spoiled and selfish, but that's not my experience at all. My mom was a single mom and worked 3 jobs at one point, I was always alone. And I was forced into adulthood at 6 years old. I had to get myself ready for school, make my own food, clean up after myself, and provide my own entertainment (I will admit that when I stayed with my grandmother, who helped raise me for 2.5 months out of the year until I turned 17, she spoiled me rotten). I feel for the kid in this movie - he's really smart, curious, perceptive and sensitive. I love all the interviews with children about the future (and I love that one child's THOUGHTS on the touristification of major cities - specifically Airbnbs taking over, creating a city of tourists instead of protecting the culture of the city). Overall, I love this movie and it will definitely be making an appearance on my updated Top 10 of 2021 list.