Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Here Before - I watched this for Andrea Riseborough because she's so good in smaller psychological thrillers like this. She is fast becoming one of my all-time favorite actresses. She is relatively unknown here in America, but I think that will change soon. I think the plot of this is interesting - she thinks that her new neighbor's daughter is her dead daughter reincarnated. There are a few scenes that are particularly really well-done and creepy without ever being outright scary. It just kind of gets under your skin a bit. Haunting, deeply depressing, but also a little hopeful. I do like that they ended with a twist that explains everything instead of continuing with a supernatural type story. Unfortunately, it moves a little too slowly and is mostly forgettable. My only other comment is that I really like the woman who plays the neighbor - Eileen O'Higgins. I've seen her in a few things and she always stands out (she's really very pretty), but it really, really bothers me when actresses have their ages scrubbed from IMDB. It feeds into the narrative that women (especially actresses) aren't allowed to age. And I can still find it just by searching a bit more, anyway, so it's absolutely pointless. 

2. Blonde - Well, I loved this. I certainly didn't expect to. I read A LOT of negative reviews and criticism - from the misogyny, to the exploitation and disrespect shown to Marilyn and the objectification of Ana De Armas, to the anti-abortion messaging. All of it seemed very concerning. The thing is, for me, I agree that all of these elements are there (to a degree) but...it doesn't make it a bad movie. You can appreciate a movie, and also disagree with its messaging. I also saw a lot of people get upset over an interview with the director, Andrew Dominik, in which he explains that he didn't want to make a movie about Marilyn's life, he wanted to make a movie that explored why someone who seemingly had everything and was adored by millions would still be depressed and (possibly) kill themselves - this was apparently the disrespectful part. But I think it's an interesting angle to her life and watching the movie through that lens, made all of it work so well for me. I also thought about it for weeks afterwards, which is becoming more and more rare. I have also become more and more fascinated with fictionalizing real events and/or people in film and television - and I think this is far more interesting in terms of storytelling than to just film a "normal" biography that is essentially a Wikipedia page. We are so advanced in our ability to find knowledge about literally any subject on the planet, it's not that hard to look up Marilyn Monroe's life if that's what interests you. I read a book about her called The Girl, it was a nice read easy read that showed how passionate she was about acting, how well-read and intelligent she was, etc. This movie, however, was based off of a fictional account of her life by Joyce Carol Oats (I have not read it, so I'm not sure how much was changed). There's a lot of things in the movie that seemingly go too far - one is the multiple scenes of sexual assault. First by a studio executive - which allowed her to get her big break, and the second, being a full-on rape - with the assaulter being none other than JFK. I think it's hilarious that anyone is offended by these two things. If you think Marilyn didn't sleep with executives to get parts, then I think you're delusional. I read a biography on Natalie Wood that broke my heart because it was filled with all of these incidences with respected and adored famous men that Wood had to navigate in order to be successful in Hollywood (from being "special friends" with Frank Sinatra when she was 14 years old, to an alleged rape by Kirk Douglas). It's how things were done, and still being done in a lot of ways. It's changing, but slowly. I don't think Dominik is judging her for it, or expecting the audience to judge her for it, but I think it's safe to assume that maybe it's something that made her miserable? It's not misogynistic to show misogyny existing! Should I say that louder???? Because I feel like people don't understand that concept at all. I think the JFK thing is interesting because it's so shocking to see someone actually...go there. The Kennedy family is so fucked up and they got away with so much shit, it's not all that hard to believe that our beloved JFK was a rapist (and they never actually say that it's JFK - they just call him "the president", and used an actor who has portrayed JFK in multiple projects - which is also brilliant!). I do think it's kind of fucked up to invent a rape, but it makes sense in the context of the movie, and I don't know...it's kind of refreshing to watch someone take a risk like this. I'm not even close to being done with my thoughts yet, which is also why I loved this movie. There's A LOT to talk about. To continue with the story/controversy part - I was actually expecting way more sex and nudity considering that it received an NC-17 rating. It's actually not that bad at all. And I didn't really feel like de Armas was objectified at all. She, herself, said that she didn't understand the rating and she was fully aware of the nudity before signing on to the project. The only part of the criticism that I will agree with is that this is definitely anti-abortion propaganda. There are several scenes that show Marilyn's regret over abortions (that are seemingly also fictional, which is a weird thing to fictionalize because she always was really open about wanting kids and a family. I don't think she ever had any abortions, but again - it might have happened and it might have been something that made her depressed). But I also think that people have a right to their opinion and are free to express this within their own art - and the abortion thing is complicated. There's nothing in the movie that is necessarily anti-choice. Again, I don't think Dominik is judging her or women for having abortions, but he's speculating that it might effect their mental health (and I, as someone who is pro-choice, agree with this sentiment. I personally would never do it for fear that I would hate myself forever. It's okay to think that! Everyone is different, and for someone else it might not effect them at all.). Okay, I think I'm done with all that - so on to the actual movie. I think it's beautifully made - it's thoughtful, eerie and harrowing, and stunningly lit. I know lighting is a weird thing to focus on, but I saw a tweet not that long ago that said "does anyone know how to light a fucking movie anymore?" and it made me laugh because no - nobody knows how to light a movie anymore. But this is spectacularly done. Ana de Armas shines in this - just absolutely stunning. I don't think it's hard to do a Marilyn Monroe impression - but she does a wonderful job at capturing her essence. The accent is a little distracting, but I got over it pretty quickly. It's wild how much she looks like her, too - just add the blonde hair and the mole and BAM. I was surprised by the supporting cast - a lot of talent displayed. Julianne Nicholson, Sara Paxton, Bobby Cannavale, etc. My biggest complaint isn't going to shock you: it's way too fucking long. I'm way more bothered by that than any of the controversy. Edit your fucking movie, people! Also, I cringed every time she called the men in her life "daddy". 

3. Moonfall - What a ridiculous fucking movie. And not the good kind of ridiculous, either. In theory, it should be the good kind of ridiculous - it's basically Independence Day and Armageddon combined! And it has a decent, well-liked cast. Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry, Michael Pena. But unfortunately it feels like a commercial for Lexus and Colorado tourism. And Elon Musk propaganda. And I guess we're just letting the conspiracy theorists win this round??? It's just so terrible. But it is still entertaining, I guess. And they legitimately try to explain how the Earth and humans were created, so I have to respect it for that. I actually would have rated it 3 stars if it had a hot guy, perhaps (sorry, I love Patrick, but he's not exactly hot). I think they tried to pull in a younger crowd with the plot revolved around the son - but he is a very terrible actor, so that backfired a little bit. It doesn't really do anything new or have any lasting emotion, but worst of all - it's just not fun. Also, do not watch this movie with someone who is very into science and space stuff because he will tell you every ridiculous thing that is scientifically impossible (my husband. Do not watch this movie with my husband). 

4. Memory - In an ironic twist, I have absolutely no recollection of watching this movie titled Memory. But then I took a glance at my notes, and remembered that it's another generic Liam Neeson action movie. For some reason, I can't stop watching them! I noticed that there are two more added to streaming (Blacklight and The Marksman) and my brain just instantly goes "I'm IN!". According to my notes, I didn't hate this. It's weird that Guy Pierce is in another movie about someone losing their memory and writing stuff on their arms. There's definitely something in this about trafficking undocumented minors, which seems important, but the film is too generic and dull to make any real impact. It's also very long - and has about 5 different endings that aren't the actual end of the movie. I did think some of the shots were cool (and there is a great scene in which someone gets shot on a treadmill that is done very well - and I do actually remember that!). Neeson is a wonderful actor, but he is definitely just phoning it in at this point. It kind of makes me nervous for him - is he okay? Has someone checked on him? He did that hilarious cameo on Atlanta - that literally made me do a double-take because he basically doubles down on his racist comments. But other than that it feels like he's sleepwalking through his performances and collecting a paycheck. 

5. Hocus Pocus 2 - I know that the first one has quite a large cult following, but I was never really into it. I was more of a Practical Magic girl, if we're talking witch stories. Part of the reason is because I'm not a big fan of this cast of witches - I hate Sarah Jessica Parker (always have, probably always will), and I think both Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy are a bit...grating. But, I will admit that together, the three of them have some really fun chemistry and I think they brought that same energy back for the sequel. I had fun with it - it's cute, light and has some real laugh out loud moments. There are some really fun musical moments - just like the first. For real, I smiled through the entire "One Way or Another" scene. Just pure joy. I wish Hannah Waddingham had a larger role, because I ADORE her (and she can SING! They definitely should have capitalized on that!). The younger cast is wonderful - especially Whitney Peak, who is essentially the star of the film. She's gorgeous, has great comedic timing and screen presence. I'm not really familiar with the other younger stars - I've heard of Froy Gutierrez before, but only from the Richard Madden dating rumors (I think he's on that Teen Wolf show??), but he is definitely a star. I think we'll definitely see more of him soon. The worst part of the movie is definitely SJP's eye makeup - I know that she had that black eye makeup on for the original, but it is so unflattering for older women. They should have updated it to something that's more trendy but still goth-like. Anyway, that's all there is to say, really. Cute movie - family friendly, entertaining, good stuff.