1. The Son - I was hoping for the best with this because
The Father is a stunning movie. I think if I reassessed my top 10 of 2021, it would have made the cut because it's a film that I think about
often. But this got mostly mid to terrible reviews, and unfortunately those reviews are right. It just doesn't have the same impact. And it is completely ruined by the truly awful performance by the kid in this movie. I have never seen him in anything before, but I'm stunned that he got this role in a film with huge talented stars like Hugh Jackman, Vanessa Kirby, and Laura Dern.
The Father also has such an interesting narrative and plays with memory & perspective, while this is just flat and linear. And just really, terribly boring. I think it's fairly obvious that *major spoilers ahead* this kid is definitely going to kill himself by the end. But...I think it's weird that they spend the whole film making us feel like it's the father's fault because he left his mother and started a new family. Again, I just never connect with these types of stories, because, ultimately he still has two parents who love him and support him. It would be different if he didn't want to be a part of his son's life anymore, but that's not the case, so what exactly is he so angry about? I do think that the best and most impactful part of the film
is the end, even though I knew
how it was going to end, it's still very heartbreaking to witness. And I say this from personal experience, having someone I was close to die by suicide is one of the worst things I've ever experienced and the feeling of guilt never goes away. The guilt is because I listened to other people - people who told me that he was "fine" and that I shouldn't contact him because he was embarrassed by his first attempt at suicide ("if you call him now, he'll know that we told you and he doesn't want anyone to know"). So I didn't. And then a week later he shot himself in the head. So, always listen to your gut and don't let others stop you from reaching out to people. And be super alert if someone attempts suicide and then suddenly seems "fine". Anyway, I've gone a bit too personal, but I think a lot of people can relate to this guilt that the father feels at the end. I was a little disturbed by his wife's comment of "life goes on" - I understand her intent is to focus on their baby and their new life together, but it's such a fucked up statement. People need time to process (and sometimes that takes years). I wish the rest of the movie was this effective, but overall, it's not good at all.
2. Creed III - So I remember liking the
Creed movies, but I remember very little about them. So then I tried to remind myself about them before starting this one by reading my own reviews/thoughts, but I didn't rate
Creed II on Letterboxd and I had no review of it on this blog, so then I thought "well no wonder I don't remember it! I didn't see it!", so I started watching that first, only to realize that I did, in fact, watch it. This is a really long-winded way of saying that I have a terrible memory and rely on my film diaries so much. It's weird that I didn't log it or blog about it, but I definitely have no interest in re-watching it, so I stopped it and started the 3rd one. And now I know why I have no recollection of the first two. It's a good movie, but nothing about it stands out. I appreciate Michael B. Jordan's first attempt at directing - he's in such a strong position in Hollywood to really push open doors for young black creatives, and he took his chance with this. I think it's smart to pick something that already has such a strong fanbase, and something that he's already made a successful mark in. People definitely respond to the
Creed movies in a positive way, I just don't really connect with them (but I also don't think I need to). From a genuine, critical perspective, I think it feels a little amateur and cliché. Specifically, *some spoilers ahead* the big final scene in the ring when the audience disappears - just next-level awful camerawork. And the "bro" dialogue is *cringe*. The scene with his mom feels forced (his mom had a stroke and is on her literal death bed, but is still perfectly conscious and functioning on her literal death bed...uhhh okay, sure?). But, it is a very
watchable movie. Perfectly fine. Jonathon Majors is such a good villain - like genuinely terrifying. I can't imagine he'll have very many roles going forward, at least for the next few years (I definitely think Marvel is rethinking Kang as the way forward). Also, I thought Phylicia Rashad was "cancelled"?
3. Run Rabbit Run - This could have been a good movie, or at least, an average movie. But, unfortunately, it's very dull and lifeless. It reminds me of
Umma - completely different stories, but both about generational trauma, featuring a single mother, and both boring as FUCK. There are a few really interesting scenes and it's atmospherically creepy, but there's also just a lot of shots of the wind. It's windy...ooooooooh.....scaaaarrrry...type shots. And kids are always creepy - I've said that many times, but at this point I just need something different. It also sort of reminds me of
The Good Son with the ending (that is extremely predictable). I really like Sarah Snook, though. I think she really developed as an actress during her run on
Succession, and I'm interested in what she'll take on next. She definitely seems more comfortable with her natural Australian accent (her American accent is soooo wonky on
Succession). And they did a really fantastic job at casting her daughter in this, and she's a good little actress. Overall, this movie is just missing something. And, in reality, this little girl needs to be taken away - abuse is abuse even if it's unintentional.
4. Evil Dead Rise - Ughhhhh this movie kind of sucks and I don't understand why it was reviewed so positively? First, and the most frustrating for me, the accents are WILD. Why even set this in Los Angeles if most of your cast are from Australia or New Zealand? It would not have effected the story at all to just set it in an apartment building in either of those countries. Instead we have to listen to the cast
struggle for the entire runtime. Second, the opening title card is so fucking stunning - possibly one of the best I've ever seen - and then nothing in the movie after that matches this. It's incredibly frustrating. Third, the film never lets you connect to any of these characters before they start getting possessed. And two of those kids are TERRIBLE actors (not necessary to name them since they are kids, but WOW, just awful performances), so I couldn't care less if they die. And last, I waited the whole movie to see how the beginning connects to this isolated story and....uh...seriously? *spoiler* This girl was
IN this building the whole time and did not hear all the noise around her or see a bloody elevator or the building falling apart around her? And how did she get down the stairs that were destroyed? It's SOOOO stupid. Anyway, I do like both the main actresses (one of them reminds me a lot of Elizabeth Banks), so that's something.
5. Infinity Pool - I love this. Definitely my favorite movie of the year, so far (although I haven't seen many great films this year. This,
Tetris, and
Missing are the only movies I rated 4 stars so far). I kind of knew that I was going to love it because Brandon Cronenberg hasn't disappointed yet - and he's still such a new voice in filmmaking. He's only going to get better and I can't wait to see where his mind goes next. I went into the movie fairly blind, and I suggest anyone interested do the same. It's an interesting concept, for sure - a very wealthy group of people basically find a way to commit crimes and get away with it, but also feel punished at the same time. It's like masochism-lite. It's also an interesting sci-fi take on how clones can be used and abused by the wealthy. I think there's also some commentary on the touristification of different cultures - there is a way to immerse yourself in someone else's culture without being offensive and exploitative, but I feel like most people don't know where the line is. There's just a lot to love about this - the circular camera tilts used in the beginning to create a disorienting effect are perfectly done (this can also feel amateur if not done right, but it's nailed here), and Mia Goth with THAT accent - I know it was actually criticized which is kind of hilarious because it's her
real accent, but I thought it was fabulous and it fit this character so well. The film takes unexpected risks, and mixes up genres, but I also feel like it never goes
too weird (as in, it never goes weird just to BE weird - every weird moment feels purposeful and propels the story forward). Even the orgy scenes feel tasteful with the way it was filmed.
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