Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Anyone But You -  I'm not the biggest fan of rom-coms, but I'll always give them a chance, and hope for the best because sometimes they are genuinely good. Especially rom-coms that are based on Shakespeare plays - 10 Things I Hate About You is a perfect example!! So, this is a modern day "Much Ado About Nothing", starring major It Girl, Sydney Sweeney, and major Cutie Pie, Glen Powell, and I honestly expected to love it. Unfortunately, I didn't. It's not terrible, but just very average. I don't really see the chemistry between Sweeney and Powell, either, so that's a big negative. They also bicker the entire time and that becomes grating (I know that's part of the Shakespeare play, but I just find it so hard to watch people argue being used as a comedic device). I've really enjoyed Sweeney in almost everything I've seen her in (The White Lotus, Reality, The Voyeurs, Nocturne, even Euphoria - even though I don't like her character), but I think her line delivery is really off here - and it's not really the comedy part because I know she can be funny (her character in The White Lotus is really funny in a very sarcastic way and she nails it). There is a scene that we get a glimpse of a more genuine performance, when Glen Powell has to rip all of his clothes off in the matter of seconds, she starts laughing and it's like a millisecond of her being real, and I just wish she brought that for the whole movie. Can you even imagine not thinking she's pretty, though? I mean, does that producer woman who talked shit about her even have eyes? It's just a common case of a woman being jealous of a much younger, more beautiful woman. I'll never understand it. There's also a way to critique someone without full on lying. Anyway, the film is just filled with really dumb, obvious moments (like the Titanic scene - obviously she's going to fall in and he's going to jump in to rescue her. I also questioned the bad wig that her sister wears, so I assumed something happens to her hair, and YUP it catches on fire). Also, imagine making your entire guestlist fly 22 hours to attend your wedding? What entitled assholes! It's not all bad though. Powell is definitely the highlight. Now he was made for stuff like this. He's hot, charming, non-threatening, and has really good comedic timing (he was my favorite part of Scream Queens, and I think that was before anyone knew who he was!). There are also a few genuine laugh-out-loud moments. But the BEST part was, by far, the after-credits scene with them all singing the most annoying song in the world during different scenes of the movie. It's SO GOOD. It almost made me bump this 2.5 star movie to 3 stars. Almost. 

2. Miller's Girl - WOW. This is genuinely a bad movie. Zero redeeming qualities. There have been plenty of stories like this, whether it's a relationship between an older man and a teenager or student/teacher thing, it's all been done before, so it's weird that this is pretending to be, like, taboo or something? I mean, it's gross, but not surprising or shocking in any way. If you want a taste of how bad it is, the main character's name is "Cairo Sweet". Seriously. I love Jenna Ortega (A LOT), but this is embarrassing. I couldn't even figure out what accent they were all attempting - obviously Southern, but I looked it up and it's supposed to be Tennessee. I can't tell you if it's accurate or not, but I can, for sure, tell you that none of these accents felt natural coming out of any of these actors mouths. And I'm SO disappointed because the friend is, somehow, even worse than Ortega, so I looked up who she was (she seemed vaguely familiar), and it's Pamela Adlon's daughter! I loved her in Blockers, so I'm not going to hold this against her. But neither of these girls feel like real people, and I don't even understand what their motivations are or why they do the dumb things they do. It almost seems like they are hustling, but then they...aren't? It's just written really poorly, so I don't fully blame the actors. Again, if you're curious just how inauthentic these characters are, the teacher (played by Martin Freeman) has his wife listed in his phone as..."wife". UHHH WHAT? Who would do that? I get putting your mom in as "mom" because that's what you call her...you pick up the phone and say "hi mom", but you don't pick up the phone for your wife and say "hi wife". And the teacher is amazed that this student knows who Henry Miller is, as if he's an obscure writer??? I think she's supposed to be in college - they clarify that she's definitely 18, which could be either college or high school. Actually now that I think about it, there is a scene where they are at lockers, so maybe it's high school? But either way, Miller is a very famous person (banned for a lot of schools, but perhaps even more famous because of being banned). It's so stupid! But using Miller as a reference is even more embarrassing for this film because it's so sexually tame and dull, Miller would have, surely, not wanted his name attached to this. 

3. The Stranger (2024) - I'm surprised that I never really saw anyone mention this movie - a 90 minute horror movie, STARRING a well-loved, scream-queen Maika Monroe and Dane DeHaan. I saw it pop up on Hulu and instantly pressed play. And it's good! Not great, but definitely a solid, interesting, original horror movie with great acting and a terrific ending. Apparently it was made in 2020 as a 10 part series for Quibi, but they turned it into a movie instead. It definitely works as a movie, I don't feel like there is enough story here to make a whole series out of. I like that it just starts the story right away with very little build-up. Monroe is a rideshare driver who picks up an unhinged passenger, and things go awry very quickly. First, I'm so old-school when it comes to things like Uber, because I would 100% prefer to take a taxi. I almost always feel uncomfortable in Ubers because (1) the drivers tend to talk to you and I hate it. I don't want to make small talk with a stranger. And there's a difference between a quick pleasant exchange, and continually trying to talk and (2) they are terrible drivers! Anyone with a driver's license can be an Uber driver, and unfortunately, it's very easy to get a license (as you can see by the amount of accidents on the road every day). It's bad enough that I have to be on the road with terrible drivers, but I don't want to be in the car with a terrible driver! Anyway, I can't imagine ever thinking being a rideshare driver, as a woman, would be worth the money. To put yourself alone with strange men over and over again, is a WILD choice (I would rather drive a bear around *winks*). Anyway, the film does spiral a little out of control and becomes really unrealistic (*spoiler* how on Earth does he sneak a kidnapped victim into a police station without anyone noticing? Yes, they explain it, but it's still ridiculous). I think the whole anti-technology aspect is a little over done, too. Like, yes, it is definitely easier to track and stalk people nowadays, but there are definitely still ways to disappear. I think I still forgive it, though, because I like what it's trying to do. I like that the main character is sort of an unreliable narrator (they hint at a background of a mental illness, and also a past event that feels eerily similar - so the audience questions not only her sanity but her character). Maika is great, and DeHaan goes full psychopath fairly realistically. I think it's definitely worth a watch. 

4. LOLA (2022) - I have to clarify which movie I'm talking about, by adding the year, because apparently there is another movie titled Lola released this year on Netflix (which this one is listed as 2022, but not released until 2023). I haven't seen many people talking about this film, either, which is surprising because it's very interesting. It's sort of like The Man in the High Castle - or actually, it really reminded me of that show that NOBODY else watched called Counterpart with JK Simmons (which is SO GOOD!). The plot is different, but still sort of "alternate universe" type story, that can play out in many different ways. This story takes place right before WWII, and is about these two women who build a machine that can intercept future radio broadcasts, so they are able to change the course of history (both politically and musically). They become national heroes by warning of upcoming attacks - seemingly saving the country, but things don't go as expected. I think this part of the story is the less interesting part, because this alternate WWII thing has been done before, but I really like the way they involve music and entertainment - and how it's essential and ingrained into our culture. Her singing "You Really Got Me", before the song was released, is a GREAT scene, but it gets even better that the entire world seems to embrace the song and it becomes an anthem for victory - even replacing the "we can do it" quote on the Rosie the Riveter posters. There's also a great scene where she gets upset because they realize that the changes they made to history erase David Bowie ("there will be somebody else as extraordinary as David Bowie!!" LIES! There's also a funny Letterboxd review about how the cost for the rights to Bowie's songs probably took up 90% of the budget. I don't feel like finding it again, but it made me laugh and is probably true! I mean, the Bowie biopic couldn't even afford the rights to his music! HAHA). Stefanie Martini and Emma Appleton are both great, and also really hot (new crushes, perhaps?). And I think the use of found footage elements are done really well. I like the ending and that it goes to unexpected places. It's also only 80 minutes long, so it never outstays its welcome. Highly recommend! 

5. The Idea of You - TWO rom-coms in one post!!! We are definitely seeing a resurgence. And surprisingly, I liked this a little more than Anyone But You. Maybe because it's a little more cute and whimsical (as opposed to all the constant bickering), but probably because Anne Hathaway is so damn charming. She's perfect for roles like this. I think she's the closest actress of my generation that can hold the moniker "America's Sweetheart" (usually reserved for actresses of the previous generation like Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, & Sandra Bullock). But I also think that it's a little ridiculous that we're supposed to think she's the "lucky" one in this situation. Like, the whole story is about this 40 something mom who suddenly finds herself dating a 20 something pop star, and we're supposed to feel like she won the lottery, but....he's dating someone who looks like ANNE HATHAWAY, so clearly HE is the lucky one in this situation. It would have made more sense if they had a more normal looking actress in this role. I'm not sure if this was actually based on someone's fanfiction (I heard that, but didn't look into it), but the story is actually terrible for a multitude of reasons. First, obviously it is a popular fantasy to be in a relationship with a famous pop star, but it should be a young person fantasy. I feel like once you hit a certain age, ideas like that go away and you should start to look at life a little more realistically, otherwise you're setting yourself up for a very disappointing later life. But that's not happening anymore - stan culture has taken over and obsession with celebrities is lasting well into the minds of women in their 50s (internet sensation Club Chalamet (Chamalet) is a perfect example). And I say women, because I think it's is largely women that have this fascination. I think it's normal to have favorite celebrities, crushes, etc., but it's the true obsession that I'm referring to. Where people become delusional into thinking that this story could happen to them. Second, the reality of being with a pop star, as shown in this film, is not as glamourous as one would imagine. I would absolutely hate it. I like my privacy way too much, and the idea of someone judging everything I do, say, wear, etc., would make me want to kill myself. But, again, this has become normalized and also self-inflicting, by social media, because people post every little part of their day for engagement and attention, and then get upset when the internet isn't kind to them. And third, and this is going to come off a little ageist, but I think it's extremely selfish for a woman in her 40s (one who already has an almost adult child and doesn't want more kids) to pursue a relationship with a man in his 20s. Like, hook up, for sure, but a relationship? Having him fall in love with you? I would be so worried that he would want children, and I would never want to take that option away from someone. It's the biggest reason that I dated my husband for 6 years before agreeing to marriage, because I was nervous he would change his mind and want kids (he's 7 years younger than me). But, he's still adamant that it's not what he wants - and I feel like making that decision when he's 34 was more rationally thought out than when he was 28. And last, as a woman in her 40s, I imagine that a 24 year old pop star would be terrible in bed (sorry, not sorry). Anyway, those are my thoughts on this story, but again, I still found myself entertained. Hathaway has never looked better - and I've never been more jealous of someone my age. And the thing is, she looks super hot but she also looks her age (she could pass for younger, definitely), but she's just super cool, chic, and just naturally gorgeous. I'm not really familiar with the guy in this - but people talk about him all the time on my twitter feed as if he's super hot, and I just don't see it. Apparently he was in the most recent Cinderella remake and I was not a fan (I wrote "I don't know the actor that plays the prince, but he's not hot, can't sing, and is so unmemorable that if you showed me a picture of him I highly doubt I would recognize him"). He's fine in this, but I think Hathaway is definitely pulling most of the weight. The ending is a little weak (first, I have no idea why SHE is apologizing to him, other than the fact that women apologize for everything even if they aren't at fault). It should have just ended with them not together, even though I realize that's not the norm for a "romantic" movie, but I would have liked it better if they both moved on to more suitable partners and had their "happily ever after" separately. It's also too long. Romcoms should be 90-100 minutes tops, and this is just shy of 2 hours. It's totally unnecessary. OH AND how dare they use Fiona's "Paper Bag" in this setting??? It's my second favorite song of all-time, so I love hearing it in a movie, BUT - the song is about being too much of a mess to let someone love you "these hands are too shaky to hold" etc. There is the quick line "I thought he was a man but he was just a little boy", but that's about how men don't grow up mentally or emotionally as fast as women do, not AN ACTUAL AGE issue. LOL).