Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Trap - This is probably the dumbest movie I've seen all year, but not the worst. It won't be featured on my Worst of 2024 list, but it's just so fucking stupid it made my brain hurt. I would love to just "go with it", but there are so many plot holes and inconsistencies, it's impossible. But first, I'll start with the good - which basically comes down to Josh Hartnett. He's great here - probably his best performance to date. I know I've told my Hartnett story on here (he went to my college), but I don't think that I've mentioned all the other things we have in common! Aside from going to the same college, we also share a birthday, like to paint as a hobby, and are in love with people with the last name Egerton!! Isn't that crazy!? Annnnyyywayy...I think he does a great job here playing this sort of duel role normal dad/serial killer character. His facial expressions flip so quickly and seamlessly - it's the only interesting part of this whole movie. I also heard the theory that this movie was made to showcase and launch Shyamalan's daughter's pop music career (which I think he admitted (??), so might be more than a theory at this point), and honestly she can sing and has better stage presence than most current pop stars (sorry, as someone who is a huge pop music fan - I don't understand Taylor Swift at all. And I'm starting to believe the rumors that it's all a cult because how do so many people want to pay to watch someone who can't sing live or dance at all - her rhythm is WILDLY off in every clip I've ever seen? She's a talented song writer, but...that's it?). So, I enjoyed the concert that took up approximately a third of the movie. But everything else about this movie is a TOTAL mess. I've always said that I can appreciate Shyamalan even though he's made some of the worst movies ever made (The Happening, The Visit, After Earth), but this doesn't even have the same imagination or thought as any of his previous movies. The entire premise is a gigantic plot hole! *Spoilers ahead* First and foremost - if they *knew* a serial killer was going to be at a gigantic pop concert with thousands of young girls, they would just cancel the concert. There is NO WAY law enforcement would devise this elaborate plan to catch him by...asking every single male attendee psychological questions before exiting the building (that's the literal plan). Second, he probably would have just passed by the authorities unnoticed. He's a serial killer but he's also a "normal" family guy with children and a wife. He obviously knows how to fool everyone. Third, the reason they know he's going to be at this concert is because they found a PAPER receipt for it at one of his crime scenes. In 2024. A PAPER RECEIPT for a concert ticket. Now, they explain at the end that this receipt was left there by his wife who started to suspect her husband was, in fact, The Butcher. WHICH IS EVEN DUMBER!!! Why would this woman leave this clue that would lead police somewhere in which he is WITH THEIR DAUGHTER?! No mother would want their child to witness their father being arrested for being a serial killer! Wouldn't she just call an anonymous tip line or something? It's just SO DUMB. There are so many little things that happen in the movie that just wouldn't happen in real life (like the employee letting him into the back to find more t-shirts - he would lose his job!). But other than the plot being WILD, there's also terrible pacing that makes it drag instead of building suspense. And Saleka (Shyamalan's daughter) is great during the concert scenes, but she can't act. And once the film leaves the concert it gets even more unrealistic. I can't even think about it anymore - just the dumbest shit imaginable. But was I entertained? Sure. 

2. Didi - I loved this. It's a very cute coming-of-age story, but there's also a lot of depth and layers to the writing so that it doesn't come off too fluffy. I saw a lot of push for Joan Chen's performance, and she is great, but I really feel like Izaac Wang is the shining star of this. He's just so...real. Flaws and all, I felt every part of his embarrassment, confusion, anxiety and awkwardness of being a teenager. There are some coming-of-age moments that are more specific to being a teenage boy, and also a Taiwanese American, but most of it is very universal in its relatability. I think the logline sums it up pretty terrifically - "An impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese boy learns what his parents can't teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom." It's sweet, and also laugh-out-loud funny in a lot of parts (I died when they keep telling "your mom" jokes to the kid whose mom has cancer, and when he does his E.T. impression clearly never having seen E.T. lol). The writing is just spot-on (it's a semi-autobiographical story written by Sean Wang), and it doesn't linger too long on anything or make anything super obvious - like when all the skater kids traipse into his home and don't take their shoes off. I could feel his awkwardness without him having to say anything. And Chen is definitely very good - the scene in which the same skater kids compliment her paintings, the way she gets so excited...it's just too cute! I just loved it all - it's currently my third favorite film of 2024 (behind Kinds of Kindness and His Three Daughters). 

3. Daddio - I want to like this movie - there's a lot about it that I do like, but overall, I kind of rolled my eyes through the whole thing. The main thing is that I love Dakota Johnson. It's full-on love at this point. She is definitely someone who I was tough on in early roles (the 50 Shades movies, in particular), but she's SO GOOD now. I don't really know how to describe it, but she's just so natural on camera - that sparkle in her eyes, the subtlety of emotions that show on her face, I think she's destined for an Oscar if she just chose better roles (I like a lot of what she's been in, but nothing has been Oscar worthy yet). I do not like the bleached blonde hair in this - and it really makes her look like her mom (you know what's weird, I always knew her mom was Melanie Griffith (and grandma is Tippi Hedren), but I *just now* clocked that her dad is Don Johnson! He's on that new Doctor Odyssey show that is so ridiculous but of course I watch it. I was like "wow...Don Johnson! What's he been up to?" so I googled it and was like..."holy shit! he's Dakota's dad! DUHHHH"). I also like the confined space, mostly single location style film - it is made extremely well. There are some really cool shots, and it's beautifully lit (which is RARE for films nowadays). I also love just watching two people talk - they come from different worlds but create an undeniable bond during this hour and a half taxi ride (although I would HATE it if my taxi driver started talking to me and I would definitely just pretend to be on the phone the whole time). But, the whole gender politics approach to the dialogue is EYE-ROLLING. The reveal of Johnson's character is really dumb (she's dating a married man - which is established from the beginning, but then their is a reveal that is also obvious from the beginning but it's not actually said until the end. And *major spoiler alert ahead* this is the second movie in which Dakota plays someone who has a miscarriage and doesn't immediately see a doctor?!). And some of the dialogue feels like it's supposed to come off as honest, but it's just really cringe (like the whole part where Penn says the quiet part out loud about men being assholes and then he clocks her daddy issues as if it's some sort of big revelation that only he could deduce because he's an observant taxi driver. LOL). I was just frustrated by the whole thing. I mean I could never, ever date someone who texted like a 16 year old boy. They give ZERO reason as to why she is with this married man - and then at the end I think we're supposed to believe that the taxi driver is wrong because he finally texts her that he loves her - as if that's going to solve all their problems and erase all the texts that came before. Also, I love Sean Penn, and the accent - even though it's over-the-top - I can handle, but the gum chewing (like, literal gum chewing) is so grating that I almost couldn't watch. Then he spits it out and I was so relieved for a very short period of time until he takes out MORE GUM!! UGH. 

4. Janet Planet - This is so weird because I saw this movie on the same lists as Didi as being among the best of this year, and there are some really strong reviews about it being a sweet coming-of-age story, and yet I didn't like this at all (and it's also a 2023 release in America so it won't appear on my ranking for this year). I was actually more annoyed by this than anything else - the actual movie is...fine. It's well-made (sort of), the acting is good, and it's got strong bones. It just never really goes anywhere and I think the main characters are incredibly and blissfully unaware of how privileged they are. There's this realization in Didi in which the young boy realizes that his mom is human and has sacrificed so much for him and he "discovers" how lucky he is to have a mom like this. That realization doesn't really happen in this. This little girl is spoiled rotten - almost to a detriment to her own maturity, and she just continues to be a spoiled brat to the very end. And honestly, in all sincerity, I've never seen a woman regret having a child so much in my life. It's separated into three parts - each featuring another person that has entered their life, shifting their relationship, and each part gets worse. I don't really understand why the boyfriend in the beginning is supposed to be seen as bad?! Because he had a migraine and asked for peace and quiet multiple times and she ignored him?? When I was a kid, my mom suffered migraines and I had to be super quiet and sit in the dark and I did it because my mom fucking TOLD ME TO. The end. And now, I get migraines here and there (like 4 a year tops) and I totally understand because any slight noise or light pierces my brain as if someone is stabbing me with a knife. The mom is also, very obviously, privileged because she owns her own acupuncture business and yet can afford her own home and also be a single mom, which is UNHEARD OF but then we learn that she was left an inheritance. On a sidenote - acupuncture is probably the only thing aside from opioids that I haven't tried for my chronic pain and neuropathy because I'm so terrified of it paralyzing me. Anyway, she's also a terrible mother. Aside from raising a spoiled bratty brat, she also criticizes her daughter for being "forthright" (which she caused by raising her like that) and tells her basically that she'll never find a man who will put up with that. FUCK OFF. And THEN she brags about how she can "make any man fall in love" with her?! Is she supposed to have some sort of magnetic personality? Because I didn't get that at all from this character? She's super dull, in my opinion. I do love Julianne Nicholson so much (and I have since Ally McBeal), but the more I think about this movie the more I hate it. Also, some of the shots linger way too long - like why am I watching this little girl wash her hair for like 5 whole minutes? Edit that shit down, please. 

5. Blink Twice - *extreme spoilers ahead* I think this is a very interesting watch so closely to Trap, because it's a reminder that movies can have a ton of plot holes and not be realistic, but can still be GOOD because I can understand the motivation behind it. I get it. So, obviously it doesn't make sense that a perfume can erase memories - but only traumatic memories - and that snake venom can make you remember these previously erased memories. The concept is probably dumber than Trap, but I think the POINT of it is that the desperation that people have for fame and wealth - to be a part of this exclusive group of people living in luxury - causes this imbalance of power in which people are taken advantage of. People become willing to "forget" the trauma and focus on advantages they gain instead - and this is how people like Weinstein, Puff Daddy (I will always call him Puff Daddy), Epstein, etc., kept getting away with all this shit. Whether it's an endless supply of drugs and alcohol, emotional gaslighting, blackmailing, etc., it's all a way of "poisoning" someone to keep a checks and balance of the abused and the abuser in place. So I think the whole perfume poison is just a metaphor for how abusers maintain control. And because of that, I can just "go with it". Overall, I really liked this. And I think for a directorial debut, it is excellent. I will definitely watch more from Zoe Kravitz. It has style and substance, features some terrifically intense scenes, and feels relevant. The highlight for me, is no surprise, Adria Arjona. She is INCREDIBLE in this. I also think this is the first time I've liked Channing Tatum in a serious role - but he does this charming douchebag role very well. I saw someone compare this to Don't Worry, Darling, so I knew there was going to be some sort of twist (I thought it would be closer to the simulation plot of Don't Worry), which there really isn't. The plot is hinted to from the beginning - and I'm someone who is in the "trigger warnings are stupid" camp. First, it gave away the plot. Second, art is supposed to invoke (evoke? I don't know the difference) emotion, get reactions, be surprising! If you have a sensitivity to a certain situation it's up to you to avoid it as best you can, but it's unrealistic to avoid it all together. And if you're watching something that is a rated R thriller/suspense, then you have to be mindful of what that means. The only time I would argue *for* a trigger warning is if it's something dark or traumatic that happens in a blatant comedy (like if someone has a miscarriage in a dumb comedy like Tag, for instance - it's a movie you're watching that's intended to make people laugh, but that's a very triggering event for a lot of people). It's still a grey area, but at least, I can understand it for that case. I don't understand it here. Anyway, there is another little twist that I did really like, even though it makes the plot make even less sense (the she's been there before revelation). I just like that Zoe really went for it with this - she's someone who grew up in this industry of excess and wealth and men always getting what they want, and this feels like a big fuck you to all of it. On a sidenote, I really liked her and Channing as a couple! I thought they were cute. But they announced their breakup like an hour before I started watching this. The film does have a few flaws though - I don't think Naomi Ackie is a good actress at all. I thought she was bad as Whitney, but I thought it was more of a directing issue, but she's not good in this either. Especially compared to Adria - who is able to show layers of fear and terror with just one glance. She's not terrible, but there is just something off about her that made me wish it starred someone else (like Aja Naomi King would have been great in this, and she should be a much bigger star). And I do wish that they addressed just how this perfume works to erase trauma but not any other memory, and yet with the ending - it seems that Channing doesn't remember anything? If they just put some thought into the plot just a tiny bit more it would have been a stellar film.