Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Mack & Rita - So I'm pretty far behind on my movie thoughts - about a whole month behind, so excuse me if I don't have much to say on these next 5 movies. My memory kind of sucks, and sometimes boils down to whether I liked it or not, and my quick notes taken during my viewing of it. Which is why I keep writing on this blog - it's not really for others (I think like 5 people read it), but it helps me remember more specific things about films I've watched. And this is definitely a case of me not really having any memory of this movie - I rated it 2.5 stars on Letterboxd (which means "average" to me). So, according to my notes: I like the cast a lot - The girl from You is adorable (I don't know her name, sorry), and I really like Taylor Paige in Zola, so I was interested to see her in a different role - she is also adorable. Dustin Milligan - also....adorable! Plus, Simon Rex! (He's not adorable, he's very sexy though). And Diane Keaton, who I have some complicated feelings about, and I don't think she's given a truly great performance since the 70s, but I adore that she continues to do romcoms well into her 70s and ages with such grace and beauty. She's definitely someone I would describe as a "legend". She sat next to me at a restaurant last year (she was filming a movie in the town I work in), and she actually made me a little flustered and nervous; she has a sense of regalness to her that is hard to ignore. Anyway, this movie is cute - it's a typical body swapping story which is such a dumb plot, but continues to be explored by Hollywood over and over again. This one is about a young woman who has an "old soul"; she stops by this mystery guru person (?) who accidentally turns her into her 70 year old self (somehow?). It's dumb, but cute. The beginning is kind of annoying, though, because these women she's friends (?) with all seem kind of mean to her, and I don't think she should be friends with them - she has nothing in common with them. I can identify with her a little bit, because I was partly raised by my grandmother too (and I love a good kimono - does that make me a 70 year old? I'm pretty sure they are fashionable. Most of the clothes she wears are from my store and it is a very trendy store). Some of the scenes drag on too long - like the Pilates scene (we get it, her body is old so she can't do the moves), but I thought the whole "Instagrammies" thing was really cute. The most disturbing part of the movie is that this group- a WINE CLUB group- put ice in their red wine. Fucking monsters. 

2. Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. - I liked what this movie was trying to do more than I liked the movie. It's a mockumentary style movie about this couple trying to rebuild their megachurch after a scandal has disrupted their success. There are many good things about it - Sterling K. Brown is THE BEST. Regina Hall has been so up and down for me (but mostly down lately with Nine Perfect Strangers and Master - both just horrible performances), but she is incredible in this. Her subtlety in the dramatic moments where she is being absolutely humiliated by her husbands actions, combined with her sharp comedic timing is really wonderful to witness. They feel like a very real couple. My favorite moment is them rapping together in the car (this is me when I'm driving, except I'm white and can not rap). Also, my mouth dropped open when Nicole Beharie appeared because I had no idea she was in this - and I love her! I wish she had a bigger role in this. She definitely deserves bigger roles (if you're not familiar with her please watch Miss Juneteenth and her episode of Monsterland - she should have earned an Oscar nomination and an Emmy nomination respectively). There are a few key scenes that are really wonderful - the end in particular with Hall saying the line "I would sooner kill him than leave him". What a line. Unfortunately, some of it is a little dull and repetitive so it becomes a little boring. It's also very reminiscent of the Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker story.  

3. The Menu - Not what I was expecting, but I loved it. Anya Taylor-Joy is a true talent (and I love her as a red head). Nicholas Hoult can be really great sometimes (I used to hate him, but he's definitely grown on me. I guess I'm no longer a hater. It happens sometimes!). But the true star of this is Ralph Fiennes - just an absolutely incredible performance. I like that the story takes some really unexpected twists and turns and doesn't cop out the ending. It's a classic "eat the rich" type story similar to this year's Triangle of Sadness (although I did like Triangle better just slightly), and it goes quite dark and deadly. I like that it sort of twists the idea of the "final girl" too, since the story can definitely be considered in the horror genre. I would probably describe it more as a very dark comedy, though, because there are several scenes that are quite hilarious. I'm not a foodie at all, and I think most of these over-priced exclusive menu places are just not worth the money at all, but it's satisfying to watch all these pretentious people describe their food experience ("we're eating the ocean" LOL), knowing that things are not going to go well for them. There's a great supporting cast of Judith Light, Janet McTeer, Hong Chau, and John Leguizamo. There is also a deliberate pace and purpose that feels really intense and quite refreshing. It's atmospheric, very jarring in places, and haunting - all while somehow keeping it very light and funny. Just excellent. 

4. Bodies Bodies Bodies - This movie is really, really fun. I was expecting it to be more annoying and too "young" for me, but it's surprisingly well-written and enjoyable. It's also very well-acted. I liked Amandla Stenberg a lot in The Hate U Give and Rachel Sennott is incredible in Shiva Baby, they are both definitely actresses to look out for. Giving a voice to the influencer generation that didn't make my eyes and/or ears bleed is a difficult task, but I really like them both in this. Maria Bakalova won me over with this, too (I wasn't the biggest fan of her in Borat - she was...fine, but an Oscar nomination? Be real.). And even Pete Davidson didn't irk me! I also didn't mind him in that movie he wrote about Staten Island, but I just don't think he's funny at all. I didn't realize that "Bodies Bodies Bodies" is a game - a game that I would definitely never play?? I would just hide in a closet somewhere until it was over. But it does provide for a good horror type movie premise, but I would argue that this movie is never scary (I don't think it's supposed to be?) - it's more of a fun whodunit plot. I figured the least likely person was the killer, and boy was I wrong. The ending subverts every whodunit plot in history and I LOVE IT (although I do remember this being a plot of another movie, I just can't for the life of me figure out which movie??? Anyone?). It's just so fucking funny. 

5. Orphan: First Kill - What a ridiculous fucking plot. I didn't mind the first one - but it only works because of the twist. I feel like once you know the twist, watching it again would just be torture. But this "adult in a child's body" does not work for a prequel if the actress looks like an adult now?? How did they think this would work? I spent the first 15 minutes googling and doing the math because it just doesn't make any sense. First of all, I actually thought that the actress was an adult in the first one (like I thought she was maybe 20 and passing for 10. Not unreasonable because I passed for a child well into my 20s), but she was actually only 12 years old! I have a lot more respect for her acting abilities after learning that. But now she's 25 and she looks about 17/18 but it's a prequel so she's supposed to pass for under 10!!! There's just no fucking way anyone would believe this girl is under 10 years old. So the whole plot becomes null and void. Then, it turns into The Imposter, which as I've said before is just such a ridiculous story (I know, I know, it's a true story). There is just no way that someone wouldn't recognize that this person is not their child and there would be extensive medical tests of a child who was abducted and then found (I mean, just a simple physical would show that she's not a child). HOWEVER, *slight spoilers ahead*, the big twist is revealed. I should have guessed there would be a twist considered the first one was literally built around a shocking twist. But this one is even more stupid! I'm not going to spoil it, but it at least makes the plot make a little bit of sense, even if it's stupid. I haven't seen Julia Styles in a while, which is probably a good thing because she gave one of the worst performances in history in that last Bourne movie she was in. Like, unforgettably bad. She's pretty terrible in this too. Isabelle Fuhrman is way too talented for these movies, but I don't see her getting many roles because this character is too iconic in a way - I think it would be hard to see her as anyone else. I'm hopeful that I'm wrong though, and she has a successful career in the future.