Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Monkey Man - I think I read a little too many positive things about this movie, so ultimately I have to admit that I'm extremely disappointed with it. It's a 3 star movie (and I think I'm being generous), but there's nothing memorable or noteworthy at all about it. I do love Dev Patel, and it's super cool that he directed this. It also has a great soundtrack. But, it's very boring. Not much happens for a FULL 40 minutes other than some oddly placed flashbacks, and then there is this epic fight scene that is really strong - bloody, gritty, great camera-work, very stylish, but I just don't feel like the film earned it. I did laugh when he goes to crash through the window to escape but hits the glass so hard he bounces back instead of it breaking. I mean, I laugh-laughed. For like 20 minutes, so I don't really know what happens for a while. It's just such a classic revenge tale, very plain & simple. And Sharlto Copley does this movie NO favors (he reminds me of how Rami Malek was SO GOOD in Mr. Robot, that I automatically thought he was a genius actor, but he's been absolutely horrendous in everything else. It's like how Copley was SO GOOD in District 9, but I cringe when I see him now. He's such a bad actor. It's embarrassing.). I don't really have much else to say about this, which is part of my problem with it.  

2. Under Paris - This is a great watch. It's far better than I was expecting and currently my favorite movie of the year so far (to be fair, I haven't seen Civil War, Love Lies Bleeding, Challengers, and so many more!). First of all, it has a really solid actress in the main role - which I think is kind of rare for these b-rate shark movies. I don't think I've seen Berenice Bejo since The Past, but she's, like, an award-caliber actress. I was a little nervous that this meant the film was going to take itself too seriously, but her performance is definitely what sells the whole damn thing. Second, I love that it uses the ridiculous aspects of past movies like Jaws and Piranha as clear inspirations. The plot is that a mutated giant shark has made its way into the Seine, OF COURSE the same time that a triathlon is scheduled. The mayor doesn't listen to the warnings because it would ruin the optics for the upcoming Olympic games (scheduled for Paris this summer in real life). But it also takes the ridiculous plot and gives it some relevancy, not only about the Olympic games (which have been criticized by the people of Paris because the city is not ready for it and is ignoring the problems with unhoused people etc.,), but also with climate change, as this young group of activists think they can save the shark. There's a lot of shots of the ocean covered in plastic, the Seine covered in muck and trash, and appearing a yellowish-green color, etc., instead of the more "blue water" shots that typically fill the screen. The message gets a little lost once the carnage starts, but I appreciate the attempt at something deeper in a movie like this. And speaking of, third, the carnage is spectacular. Some wonky CGI, sure, but overall I was really impressed. There's also a very "take no prisoners" vibe with a majority of the cast getting ripped apart by sharks. I just had so much fun with it - far better than recent shark movies like The Meg. Oh, and the main guy is super hot, which always helps. 

3. I.S.S. - This isn't necessarily a bad movie, just very average. It has a great premise, but they just don't fully follow through with it. I'm not the biggest fan of Ariana DeBose (as an actress. She's got a great voice, and I'm sure she's great as a stage performer, but she's not a strong film actress. But she has an Oscar, so what do I know? It's crazy to me, though, that this is her next big role after WINNING AN OSCAR). But, I love Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., and Costa Ronin (Oleg from The Americans, in another Russian villain role - he will never overcome the stereotype). DeBose is definitely the weak link, which is a problem considering that she is the star of the movie. I think it's funny that all of the promos and posters used this image of her with her helmet on being blasted into space and that's literally the first minute of the movie. The other problem is that everything feels very Obvious (with a capital O), like Gallagher Jr.'s true nature is very clear from minute one. And the foreshadowing is insane ("when you don't hear that hum, that's when you can start to panic" - ummmm do you think the humming noise is going to disappear at some point??? Maybe?? It's just so dumb). The surveillance shots are really unnecessary too? I don't get it. I feel like those shots indicate that they are being watched, but by who? It just adds more time to a movie that already feels bloated. It's only 95 minutes long but it feels like a full 2 hours. They do a good job with building the tension, and like I said, the plot is good. It's just executed poorly. However, there is a TERRIFIC ending. 

4. The American Society of Magical Negroes - When I saw the trailer for this, I honestly thought it was an SNL sketch or something. The concept of this film is clearly problematic. I think it's weird that it was ever made - I feel like if executives polled a room full of black people, like "hey what do you think of this concept", a majority would have been like "please don't make that". It seems so obvious, and yet, this was greenlit, and also heavily marketed! The bigger problem, though, is that it never reaches anything offensive because overall it's pretty tame and uninteresting. It becomes more about this love triangle, which is unnecessary. The concept, of "magical negroes", is just stupid and places the blame on black people (and other POC) instead of higher institutions (i.e government, education, etc.) - as if racism would be solved if black people made white people feel "deep social ease". I get that they are trying to make a satire about the cliched black characters that are featured in predominately white films, but I don't think most will make that connection. And you know what, there is a lot of dialogue about black men "scaring" white women, but they fail to ignore the fact that women are just scared of men. Period. If I'm walking alone at night (which I often do because I work late hours and my work does not have parking - it's street parking and the free street parking is about 5 blocks away), and a man is walking towards me, I definitely get nervous. And usually, if it's dark, I can't tell his race. But if I cross the street or pick up the pace in my steps, do you know what happens when it happens to be a black man walking by? They get offended, and about 50% of the time will make a comment about me being racist ("little white girl scared of the big black man" or something to that effect). It always makes me feel like shit, and sometimes I want to engage to explain myself, but I just keep walking. Like, I'm 5ft tall. 95lbs. Walking by myself is dangerous! Just like it's dangerous for a black man to walk in a white neighborhood! I feel like black men should be more empathetic to that situation. It's a different danger, but still a danger. Annnyyyywaaayyy. There's a whole Barbie type speech about racism and it's just as eye-rolling as the Barbie one (not because of the actual words but because of how it's supposed to be perceived as groundbreaking dialogue). I also just don't like Justice Smith - his voice is so low it almost seems fake and he shows zero emotion on his face. 

5. Perfect Days - What a gorgeous film! I absolutely adored every second of it, and I appreciate the story it tells so much. I wish everyone could watch this and make some serious life changes, because I think the world would be a much happier place. It's so simple, but very effective. I don't know much about Wim Wenders (I've only seen Wings of Desire a long time ago), but I like this "slice of life" storytelling style so I might look into his filmography more. This story follows a janitor's daily life, a job that is often shown and perceived as unrewarding, but this is shown in such a different life. This man is fulfilled - he has several hobbies (reading, collecting physical media, photography), he cares about his work which gives him a feeling of being proud and productive, he finds responsibility in taking care of plants and watching them grow, he connects and interacts with strangers, etc., and all of these things give him a purpose. This is the human experience - if you nurture and protect these things, you will indeed find happiness and live a fulfilling life. It's so simple and yet so many people struggle to grasp the concept. I'm not saying that it's always easy - and I think this is shown in the film with some of his interactions - how his co-worker steals from him and takes advantage of him, how the woman that lost her child looks at him accusingly instead of with gratitude. But the important thing is that he doesn't let these exchanges change who he is or question the choices that he's made. There's a key scene with his sister that shows some insight into his past - that he is estranged from his family for a reason that isn't disclosed, and it's also implied that he might be financially better off if he wasn't cut off from his family. I know so many people who surround themselves with toxic people because of financial reasons and I'll never understand it. It's just not worth it. Anyway, I can also see why film nerds really connected to this with the focus on physical media being such a hot button topic - he collects books, cassettes, vhs tapes, and still gets pictures developed (I do too! I still have photo albums and after every vacation I print all my pictures and write down what everything was - I have a terrible memory so this helps me). The soundtrack and needle drops are a little too on the nose, but it's also perfect so I can't complain (ending with Nina Simone's "Feelin' Good" - just perfect). I think the only thing I took issue with is the American woman (I'm assuming she was an American tourist, but she only spoke briefly so I'm not 100% sure) was confused by the clear bathroom doors, but we definitely have those all over the states (and for a while now! I remember those being a big new thing when I was in college - so like 20 years now). It's a dumb little thing, but it bothers me nonetheless!