Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Anatomy of a Fall - *some spoilers ahead* I tried to go into this with minimal expectations, because people talked it up SO MUCH, and sometimes that makes for a disappointing experience. I'm pleased to say that it is excellent. A few notes shy of a masterpiece. First, and foremost, I love that we don't get a definitive answer about what actually happened to the husband. I was sort of expecting it to end with a scene that explained everything, but it doesn't, so we are left to determine for ourselves. Second, the acting is spectacular (for the most part...). Sandra Huller deserves all the praise that she is receiving. I also think the man that played the prosecutor (or whatever the French version is called) makes the whole movie. He literally made me question everything and almost had me convinced that she did it! His sassy attitude is just very entertaining too (his response to "Is Stephen King a serial killer" is "Well, did his wife turn up dead under uncertain circumstances?" LOL). Third, for a French courtroom drama that is over 2 hours, it moves very quickly (although, it could have been shorter, for sure). I love that the dialogue opens up discussions about marriage and relationships, jealousy, and also how perspective is not reality. I think it's a little ridiculous that this case seems to hinge on the memory/perspective of their son - who is also BLIND. I feel like his whole testimony would be thrown out because it's clear that he's suffering from trauma (and that fucks with your head). It's interesting how every moment of their marriage is dissected, though, and it could easily be translated into a multitude of meanings. We don't really see their marriage before the death - just a small scene in which she is clearly annoyed with her husband. And how often are women annoyed with their husbands?? My husband and I get along swimmingly, but I'm annoyed with him multiple times a day. And Fourth, that might be the greatest performance from a dog that I've ever seen? How did they get the dog to do that? It's also a very cute dog - the type of dog I would love to have (I think it's a border collie?). So, do you guys want to know my theory on what happened? I simply think that he fell. The ledge is tall, so they make it seem like that is unlikely. But if he heard a noise or was looking at something he could have leaned over the ledge and then lost his balance. The other two options - murder or suicide - just don't fit. I don't think she has any motive to kill her husband and that fight seems like a normal relationship fight (except that it turns violent - and that shouldn't be normal, but it is for a lot of relationships). And I don't think she would traumatize her child like that - if she did murder him, she surely would not want her son to find the body. And as far as a possible suicide? Who would jump off of a two story house to commit suicide? There's a high probability of survival (and just some broken bones) from that fall. Plus, the testimony at the end from the kid, talking about how his dad was preparing him for death? I think he was actually, literally, talking about the dog? You need to prepare your kids for animal deaths as it's often their first experience with death. It's wild that they all are like "oh yeah, he was suicidal". And, yes, it seems he was suicidal, with taking a bunch of pills one time, but also...people like him often do things like that for attention. I mean, you should always take it seriously, but I think he was just being a dramatic, jealous, little bitch because his wife was successful and he couldn't handle it properly. Anyway, that's my take. Also, I love that they use the instrumental version of 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P" because it is so hilarious and I'll never be able to listen to that song without thinking of this movie ever again. Okay, so do you also want to know why I don't think this film is a masterpiece? It's a minority opinion, for sure, because I've mostly read praise, but I think the kid is God-awful. I think they definitely should have hired an actual blind person for this because his pretending to be blind was SO BAD and distracting. It really ruined an otherwise perfect film, for me. 

2. Good Grief - This was a bit disappointing for me. I love Dan Levy so much, but I felt like this movie was missing something. Actually missing a lot (including a point?). It's very similar to Spoiler Alert in a way, except that movie had the husband die a slow death, and this is very suddenly in the beginning. But the story is the same - grieving for someone you loved but had a complicated relationship with. I like some things about it - like that it's more about his relationship with his two best friends, but I never really get a sense of love between these friends? It's like they are just 3 people stuck together. There's no connection, comradery, honesty among them, and I find that weird. Ruth Negga is the CLEAR highlight - acting circles around everyone else, but also has the most interesting storyline. She also knows how to command the screen. I can't believe they cast Luke Evans in such a small role, though. I expected him to be shown in flashbacks or something? But, nope. Emma Corrin is in it, too, in a blink-or-you'll-miss-it part. I think my biggest gripe with the film is that these just don't feel like real people and the situation doesn't feel grounded in reality, either. First, who would let their husband know that they found someone else via a card? Nobody, that's who. And second, how did you not see the hundreds of thousands of dollars missing because of this whole other life he has? They are clearly wealthy, but not so wealthy that he wouldn't notice that much money missing. Third, not in a million years would they let this rando guy stay in the apartment with them??? If they felt bad for him or whatever, they could just pay for him to stay somewhere else (again, they clearly have money). My other big gripe is the way art is used in the story. There are two major references to Monet for really no reason other than some of the movie taking place in Paris - the poster is a copy of a Monet painting with the characters inserted into it (thanks, I hate it! Apparently it was a specialty poster posted on Instagram to promote the movie and not the official poster, but still...) and then there is an important scene that takes place at the Orangerie Museum (that has Monet's work in that oval/circular room. I would love to see that in person. I went to Paris once a long time ago and I hated it, so it's at the bottom of my list for a revisit, but if I ever go this is my number one place I want to see). But, the part I really hate is that the main character is an "artist" who...uses a projector to project images on a screen and then draws over that (i.e CHEATING). I had an art teacher in high school who tried to teach us this as a way to draw and I complained, dropped the class, and they let me take an independent study with a different art teacher instead. But they still let him teach that way!! It's basically tracing. A literal 4 year old can fucking trace. And art is supposed to be an interpretation of what you see/feel not "hey let me trace this exact image onto my canvas". It just makes me so angry! Anyway, this movie also feels like it's 3 hours long and it's only 100 minutes. And there's a karaoke scene that will make your ears bleed. 

3. Skinamarink - Okay, so I appreciate what this film attempts to do. But, a big HOWEVER, it's one of the worst films I've seen in a while. If it were like a 20 minute short film experiment, I would have been on board. But to watch this screen with minimal visual elements and barely any understandable dialogue as a full-length feature is just pure torture. I thought it was interesting that I saw mostly bad reviews of this, and then it was picked as the best horror film of the year by a major film outlet. It definitely made me curious about it, and now I understand the disconnect. Because it is extremely experimental and in terms of film, kind of groundbreaking. It reminds me a little of The Blair Witch Project because I hated that movie, but I understand and appreciate the influence it had. I do like that it evokes emotion and a bit of childhood nostalgia - as a kid, "darkness" was filled with the unknown. You would hear little noises and stare into the void until you've convinced yourself that something is there. Shapes and images start to form, but were never really there. The vibe in the beginning is just *excellent*. But then, it goes on like that - absolutely nothing happens. It's so hard to even pay attention to because the screen is mostly black and there's no dialogue, just quiet child-like whispers. It's not scary at all (unless, as an adult, you're still afraid of the dark???). Some stuff disappears and weird things happen, but that's it! I didn't think I would see a worse film than Cocaine Bear in 2023, but leave it to me to watch the worst film of the year mere days before the new year. 

4. Love at First Sight - *some spoilers* This is a perfectly cute romcom. The leads have great chemistry, it has a layered story, and some funny moments. I think it could have done completely without the "storyteller" gimmick, although I do like Jameela Jamil. It's just awkward having her play all these different characters at different points in the story (although using the same actor for every minor speaking role certainly saves money!). I love Ben Hardy and I think Haley Lu Richardson is adorable (I love her big, curly hair too! Movie stars don't have hair like this anymore - it's just her and Margaret Qualley! Everyone else's hair is straight, straight, straight!), and like I said they have chemistry galore, which is essential for a story like this. I do feel their instant connection. I don't think Hardy plays a believable 22 year old though?? He's clearly in his 30s and looks it (not an insult, he's hot!). It's clear that there's going to be a "twist" and I thought it was going to be that they were going to the same wedding or something (maybe he was related to her new step-mom or something like that), but I quickly realized that he was going to his mom's funeral after he mentions her being sick (there's still a nice little twist with this, though). Some of it is a little stupid, though. Not to be pedantic or anything, but if you've already checked into your flight and gone through security - they'll hold the plane for you for a few minutes and announce your name incessantly (this happened to me once and when I finally got on the plane everyone clapped! So embarrassing). Plus, flights to London are like 7 hours at most? They are acting like they are on an 18 hour flight! And why would she plan a flight for the SAME DAY as the wedding you have to go to? Nobody would do that. It's just bad planning. But, again, it's cute so I'll forgive the dumb plot points. I do like the line about how "You're more likely to die on the ride home from the airport" because I say this all the time. Car accidents are so common (especially in New Jersey), I don't understand how anyone who drives (especially in New Jersey) is scared of doing things like flying? When I was telling people about going on a volcano helicopter tour (which I finally did last year and I LOVED it! I'm obsessed), everyone said "but helicopters are so dangerous" and I was like "uh...I drive on the Garden State Parkway every day, why would I be scared of a helicopter?". It just doesn't make sense. Also, that cover of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" is stunning! Oh and I love that Dexter Fletcher is in this! I adore him. I sometimes forget that he started as an actor. 

5. Gran Turismo - I'm sure this is shocking to everyone, but I don't follow car racing. I saw a commercial for this when my husband and I were watching tv and it seemed to peak his interest. I always get excited if he wants to watch a movie, because he rarely does, but then he sadly declined but then proceeded to tell me the entire story. I'll watch anything, really, especially anything with Orlando Bloom (I know he's a terrible actor, but he's pretty!). What my husband failed to tell me is that this was about the driver that killed a spectator a few years back! Which I actually did know about! It was a huge news story and I remember watching the video of it and being horrified (how are the people allowed to be that close to the race cars, though?).  I googled about the real-life incident while watching this, and apparently people are upset with how it is portrayed here because it's used as a motivating factor (and they messed with the timeline), but stuff like that happens a lot in stories based on true events to increase the melodrama. Anyway, that part was more interesting to me than anything else. It sort of felt like it was trying to be Kingsman with the whole "we are recruiting you into an elite group of people" except that the elite group are just people who can drive cars really fast (instead of, you know, saving the world). Car racing may be the dumbest sport (sorry, not sorry), but I admit, it would be pretty overwhelming to be on that track having never raced an actual car before. I don't think I like the main actor (he was also in Saltburn and I kind of ignored his performance because I couldn't decide if I liked him or not), I can still be swayed I think, but there's something off about him. I like David Harbour here, though. And I like that he's actually a good coach and not a complete asshole. They make him seem like he's going to be that cliched asshole in the beginning but he's more realistic in his approach - like during the first race he's got low expectations and he's just hoping for him to complete the race safely. I think the whole dad part could have been done better - did it really take that long for his dad to express his pride for his son's success? The whole storyline disappears and then reappears to, again, add melodrama. Otherwise, it's a slick movie - very well-made, moves quickly, and has that appealing underdog thing going for it.