Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Bullet Train - This is quite fun. Really convoluted and ridiculous, but quite fun nonetheless. I don't want to talk about the Brad Pitt thing, but I feel like it's necessary - I think it's interesting that there really hasn't been much talk of any so-called "cancellation" after the details of Jolie's abuse allegations were made public. It was like one day of headlines, but no real outcry from the usually vocal crowd. Part of me feels like he's just too big of a movie star and Hollywood definitely needs movie stars right now (this is also why I think Tom Cruise remains as popular as ever even with his Scientology background. People are willing to ignore what they want to ignore when it's convenient). And part of me thinks that maybe we're just waiting for more to come to light. You know how I often go into personal tangents sometimes?? Well, I had this whole huge personal story relating to this incident, but then I deleted it all because we just don't know the truth - and we probably never will. So, I'm just going to move along and talk about the movie. Pitt is the epitome of a movie star, in my opinion, even more so than Tom Cruise (I know many disagree) and he just shines in this - a mix of action and comedy, with his character exuding charm and wit in every turn. But the film is definitely elevated by the talent of the supporting cast and cameo appearances. I think it's been well-established that Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson steal the movie. While the accents are wild, they definitely have a comedic chemistry that is undeniable and super fun to watch (I will be shocked if they don't get a spin-off prequel). Bad Bunny and Zazie Beetz have some really entertaining scenes, Joey King is finally in a role that matches her talent, plus *spoiler* cameo appearances from Ryan Reynolds and Channing Tatum, as well as the expected one from Sandra Bullock (if you don't know Sandy B's voice instantly then we probably wouldn't be friends). I do think it's all a bit predictable how it will all turn out, but there are still some surprises along the way. Also, it's a bit weird to have SO MANY white people in Tokyo (there are literally more white people than there are Japanese people in this movie. Set in Tokyo.). The ending drags a bit, but otherwise just solid fun throughout. 

2. Barbarian - *slightly spoilery* While I think some of the reviews and praise are a little overboard, I did really like this. It's very well-made, structured in such a way that truly takes a turn that I don't think anyone can predict, and has a really strong central performance by Georgina Campbell (a relative newcomer - at least I think? She doesn't look very familiar to me). I was definitely skeptical of the beginning - although I enjoy that it's about an Airbnb fucking up a booking, because fuck Airbnb - I can't wait until that company burns to the ground. But, in all reality, there is just no fucking way this woman would EVER enter that house. It's just plain idiotic - and the "setup" for her being practically forced to enter is even more stupid (all the hotels in the entire greater area of Detroit - a major city - are booked for a conference. Sorry, but even if there were 20 conferences, there would still be a hotel. Or just drive to a busier area and sleep in your car - that would be safer than entering a house with a strange man inside). But, if you get past that - and just "go with it", it does present a good start to a horror movie. I guess we're then supposed to think this woman is brilliant because she takes a picture of his driver's license and doesn't drink the tea he makes her. I kind of figured that Bill Skarsgard was not going to be the villain of the movie - it's just too easy. But, casting him in the role, will definitely make the audience question his intentions (sorry, but he is instantly creepy). The film starts to take an even more horrifying turn when she goes into the very creepy basement (again, wouldn't be me), and it is really effectively done with the pace of the scene, the music, and then her slowly pulling on the rope (I screamed "NOOOO" as my heart began to race). AND THEN. Well, if you've seen it, then you know. But, if you haven't - you will think you know where the story is going, but you will be wrong. And you will be horrified. It drastically takes another turn by introducing Justin Long's character as an uber-douchebag, just defying expectations at every moment. I also think there is some great commentary on how society treats the homeless/the mentally ill/people they assume are drug addicts, etc., and it's definitely not a coincidence that it uses Detroit as the location - a city that continues to struggle with segregation, a constant housing crisis, and economic devastation (if you're not familiar, Collider did a fairly simple but thorough article: https://collider.com/barbarian-detroit-housing-crisis/). Overall, it's a very solid horror movie - one of my favorites of the year (and as a lot of people have pointed out 2022 has been a very good year for horror!). 

3. The Good Nurse - I think with this, I've come to realize that I don't like Eddie Redmayne. Like, it's kind of crazy that he has an Oscar, if you think about it. I think I did like him in The Theory of Everything (which is what he won his Oscar for), but he has not been good in anything else, and in fact, has been absolutely terrible in almost everything I've seen him in (The Danish Girl, Jupiter Ascending, the Fantastic Beasts movies). He's, once again, very awful in this. His American accent is unbearable. But the saving grace, as per usual, is of course, Jessica Chastain. If she wasn't giving such a strong performance, I may have fallen asleep about 1/2 way through. It's an interesting story; just not told in any exciting way. The beginning is a little suspenseful - which is exciting because I wasn't expecting it (I actually had no idea what this was about before watching it - just that it starred Chastain and Redmayne and *somehow* they are *not* playing siblings???). It's based on a true story, but if you aren't familiar and don't want to be spoiled, then *warning spoilers ahead*. I think this could have been better as a miniseries, and maybe if we got to know the victims a little bit; maybe some more information about just how he kept getting away with murder, etc. Although his reason for murdering people is quite chilling ("they didn't stop me"). The whole thing is quite chilling actually - we put so much trust in certain professions, like nurses, it's unfathomable that someone can just keep hopping from hospital to hospital killing people (and even crazier that he admitted to 29 murders, but they think the number is closer to 400. How does it jump that far??). It does start to get intense once she starts helping the case - like when he just shows up to see her daughters. I just wish it had more depth, more insight, something to make it memorable. 

4. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent- This was a little disappointing for me. I'm not the biggest Nicolas Cage fan - I'm not not a fan, but I don't belong to the cult of his fanbase. I do think he's been great in some films (and some of his films are among my all-time faves - like Face/Off). BUT, I am a HUGE Pedro Pascal fan. I saw the trailer for this before The Lost City and I thought it looked really good. And fun. I think a lot of movies are missing the "fun" part nowadays (The Lost City is a great example of a movie that focused on being fun). Plus, it mostly got good reviews (even some 5 star reviews from people who I usually agree with!). But ultimately, they showed most of the actual fun parts in the trailer, and overall, I was a little bored. It's a great concept, but the whole meta thing has been done a billion times and other than the Nic Cage/Nick Cage thing, there really isn't anything special here. It's very predictable and seems to drag on forever. Pascal has a tendency to over-act sometimes (see: Wonder Woman 1984), but I think it works up against Cage in this. I've said it multiple times, but I really don't like Tiffany Haddish and I totally forgot that she was in the trailer, so I loudly groaned with disgust when she appears. However, she's not that bad here - I don't think she's really given much to do, so she really makes no impact on the film whatsoever. Other thoughts I had while watching this: (1) I hate the CGI de-aging stuff with a passion. It's awful here - Cage talking to his past self is completely unnecessary and could have just been easily cut altogether. (2) I totally forgot Monica Potter was in Con Air (another GREAT Nic Cage movie). I met her about 13 or so years ago and she was lovely. (3) The shot in which Cage is looking at a statue of his face and then the images merge together is fucking gorgeous. Seriously, what a shot! (4) I'm sorry, but people who cite Paddington 2 as a perfect movie really need to get their shit together (I'm not actually sorry *shrugs*). (5) *spoiler* LOL at the Demi Moore cameo. 

5. See How They Run - I liked this a lot, but I do question whether I would have liked it as much if it didn't star two of my favorite actors - Saoirse Ronan and Sam Rockwell. They are a match made in heaven with this film - seriously, I could probably watch them banter back and forth for hours without getting bored. Just delightful. Plus, I really like Ronan doing something a bit different, and showing her comedic timing. The film itself, is a very typical whodunit mystery in the same vein as Clue or Once Upon a Crime, both of which I loved - so for me, I was entertained for this. It kind of felt like a less quirky Wes Anderson film (which can be both good and bad, depending on how you feel about Wes Anderson). Aside from Ronan & Rockwell, there are some other really strong supporting actors - Ruth Wilson, David Oleyowo, etc., but there are also some actors that I simply don't like - Harris Dickinson has the charisma of a garbage bag. How is he getting roles? I'll just never understand. And Adrien Brody is a decent actor, most of the time, but that doesn't mean that I have to like him. He's incredibly annoying and full of himself, and an entitled asshole. Anyway, there are some really, really funny stand-out moments and colorful characters. My favorite bit is when Rockwell learns that the cops don't have guns in England and he responds "but how do they kill the bad guys?" and then later they callback to it with Ronan yelling at the "bad guy", "stop! in the name of the law!". There are also a lot of references to Agatha Christie (as it is a centerpiece of the film - a murder in a theater that is running a play based on one of her stories. She's even a character in the film), my favorite being when a character says casually "perhaps they were all in it together, sir" and then shrugs it off. I think there are probably a lot of smaller moments of reference and funny bits that I would probably pick up on a second watch.