Thoughts on 5 Films

1. John Wick: Chapter Four - I was a little skeptical going into this, only because the fourth film of a franchise is usually never actually good. But this is probably the best one after the first one! Is it waaaay too long? God Yes. But was I entertained?? Also, God Yes. Some of the action scenes are stunning, and it feels like its very high stakes - so I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I do think the entire storyline with "Nobody" could have been cut completely??? Who is he and why do I care about him? Just because he has a dog?? I don't get it. Other than that, though, I don't have many complaints. Although I do wish this were the final film. It ends perfectly and continuing it is a mistake, I think. Unless they do spin-offs (which they did with The Continental, and I didn't really like that). Some of the scenes are so ridiculous, but also really, really beautifully filmed (specifically the part where they have their duel in the middle of a rave - it takes way too long for the ravers to notice them fighting and gunshots. It's kind of hilarious, but also really beautiful to look at). And the poker scene is also hilarious - they each have, like, impossible hands and then, of course, the one guy has an actual impossible hand (a five-of-a-kind with no wild cards...LOL). I laughed for like 10 minutes after that scene. And Donnie Yen is such a fun addition, but him being blind is also soooo ridiculous. A blind assassin? Wick could just hide behind something instead of fighting him. Overall, though, I really liked it. 

2. The Exorcist: Believer - I recently rewatched the original, because I never really rated it very highly in my mind, but I definitely forgot how brilliant it actually is. I've never watched any of the sequels, but I plan on it one day. It's a shame that Friedkin was so against this one being made - it was inevitable, and sometimes I think directors feel too much ownership over their projects. It's not like he created the story, or even produced it (I think that would allow for more of the "ownership" feeling, but he was just a hired hand, in my opinion. It's not "his"). Why not get involved and make it live up to the original, instead of fighting against it? Anyway, as many reviews have stated, this movie does, in fact, suck. But, it has a good plot, and it could have been good if it didn't fall into so many cliches and had a less predictable plot. Although, I was surprised by something, but it's a huge part of the story that I found hard to stomach, so it ruined the film even more for me. *Major Spoilers Ahead* In the beginning of the film, this man, played by Leslie Odom Jr. (who somehow has an extreme talent for picking the worst films to star in), has to choose between the life of his wife or the life of his unborn child, and then it fast-forwards to him being a single father with a pre-teen daughter. And I WAS LIVID that he picked his unborn child!!! I rooted for his death for practically the whole film, and then it's revealed that he did, in fact, pick his wife, but things went awry. That makes so much more sense, but also, I feel like it just creates a very unlikable character for 75% of the film??? Big mistake, in my opinion. I love that Ellen Burstyn reprised her role 50 YEARS (!!!) after the first film, but I think they under-utilized her. And THEN, *more spoilers ahead*, Linda Blair appears for a literal millisecond. What in the actual fuck? If you're going to put Blair in the movie the PUT HER IN THE MOVIE!! It just felt like a stunt, instead of a thoughtful storyline. I just didn't care about anyone, especially the bickering parents. The one girl is a really strong actress, though (I recognize her from Nightbooks). And Ann Dowd is always brilliant. That's probably the only nice thing I can say about it. 

 

3. The Kitchen - Big, big Daniel Kaluuya fan here. I wish he were starring in this, too, but it's super cool that he co-directed this. I've been sort of hoping he started doing more behind the scenes stuff again (he co-wrote some of Skins back in the day). It is quite weird though that this is listed as a 2023 release even though I heard literally zip about it until the day it was released on Netflix in January of this year. Apparently it had a very limited release in the U.S in December, but I never saw anyone review it or anything. I'm going to count this for this year, because, well...I do what I want. I like this movie, and I think it's incredible for a directing debut. It is a little light on story, though, I felt like I was waiting for something to happen for the entire movie. But I like the focus on this "father" figure/son relationship - I just felt like nothing really happens with it until the final 30 minutes. I also like this future world that is created, because it feels very real, very scary, and very possible. And the soundtrack is great (I totally forgot about the song "Candy" by Cameo. I LOVED that song as a kid). Plus, even though I'm disappointed that Kaluuya isn't the star, Kane Robinson (aka Kano), is really strong in the lead role and the bond that he forms with this boy feels really genuine. I definitely got emotional when he inquires about a "double occupancy", but then realizes he might end up being screwed. It's a tough decision, for sure, and it's heartbreaking that he chooses his own success (but understandable). The final 30 minutes are really great - but I just wish the whole film was this strong. And I loved the ending, even though it was expected. I saw a few reviews comparing this to Attack the Block, but I got a completely different vibe than that (they are actual hooligans in Attack the Block, that's not the case here - they are fighting authority, but it's become an oppressive police state, so the fighting is necessary). 

4. Dumb Money - This was a bit more entertaining that I was expecting, but also something that is completely forgettable. It's definitely trying to be The Big Short, and it fails. I like that it tries to explain the whole GameStop vs. Wall Street thing that happened during the pandemic because I did not understand it at all. And I still don't, really? Because if it's that easy to do, then why don't people who invest in the stock market just continue to do stuff like this? Like, why don't they just form groups and agree to all put money into one specific stock until it reaches a certain point, cash out, and then pick a different stock?? Right? So, maybe I just don't understand it? Also, once it hits the point where I'm making 6 figures, I would have cashed out. I get why that's a mistake, but I could do so much with 100k (I don't want millions. People with millions become bad people, mostly). Anyway, it's still interesting that these normal people took down billionaires. The film focuses on the main guy, who apparently was some sort of internet personality (I'm old, this is another thing I don't get - and also the whole ape thing and crypto), along with the insane people who took his advice (including a nurse, two college students, and a GameStop employee). They did a great job with casting really likeable people (Paul Dano, America Ferrara, Myha'la, Anthony Ramos), so I felt really emotional seeing all these people beat the system and change their lives. There's also Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson, Nick Offerman, Shailene Woodley, and SO MANY MORE - just an incredible cast of people. Oh AND Dane DeHaan! I didn't even recognize him at first because he wears a mask the whole time. Anyway, I've said it before, but I do think that we need to wait a while longer before turning news stories into movies. We need longer to reflect and see the full impact (this story *just* happened in 2021!). I think a lot of the parts that were supposed to be "cool" or this whole "fuck you" attitude it tries to pull off, just come off as desperate and made me role my eyes. Like playing "WAP" in the beginning or when Davidson drinks out of the cup before delivering food (which is dumb because in 2021 all restaurants doing deliveries were Covid conscious and would definitely not put your straws in your drink before delivery - everything was sealed). It would have been better if they focused more on the nurse and maybe the GameStop employee? People who felt more real. 

5. Passages - I thought this was going to be one of those sneaky films that ended up on my Top 10 of the year list, but it didn't quite get there. It's very good, but just not excellent. It's a solid story about the complexities of marriage, relationships, sexuality, jealousy, etc., and it feels very authentic and tangible. I really like the exploration of sexuality, because I tend to think sexuality is very fluid - which is a popular opinion, but it also recently feels unpopular a lot of the times because people are so focused on "identity" nowadays. I think people are attracted to people, not gender, although you might have a "type" and that "type" might be someone of the opposite gender, which would make you typically straight (although, I, for one, would never be attracted to a man wearing that many sheer tops....LOL). Anyway, I like that the lines are blurred here, but also that it's not really even the point of the story. I really like Adele Exarchopoulos but her character wasn't really developed very well, and it would have enhanced the story so much more if she were. I really wanted to understand her and her side of the story, but alas, we are only really given one point of view - and that point of view is from a master manipulator. Just a real asshole that upends the lives of others around him because he's a narcissist and also extremely insecure at the same time. People like that don't change. Franz Rogowski and Ben Whishaw (why did I always think his name was Ben Winshaw? I just looked up how to spell it and was like, wait, where's the n???) have incredible chemistry together and there is a very necessary sex scene (all sex scenes are necessary! I'm so exhausted by the discourse). I like a lot about this movie but I don't think it's something that's going to stay with me for very long.