Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Drop - It seems I liked this a bit more than most (most of the film people I trust gave it 2 stars, I rated it 3). I think it's one of those films that is exactly as advertised - a silly action thriller. It's what I wanted to watch and it's what I got. It's elevated by terrific acting performances, particularly by the star, Meghann Fahy. I just love her SO much, and I've been yelling that she is a STAR for years now, so I'm very happy that she's a lead in a feature film. She's got that tough combination of being both extremely sexy and soooo adorable simultaneously. I've seen the guy in this a few times before, but this was the first time I looked up his name - Brandon Sklenar. He's from NJ, so I must support! He's good, though - he kind of reminds me of a scruffier Josh Hartnett. I'm also usually a fan of singular location horror thrillers - like Red Eye. I think it forces a bit of creativity with the narrative, and while yes, that can sometimes feel contrived and unrealistic, I find it fun. The director, Christopher Landon, also directed both Happy Death Day films and Freaky and I really enjoyed those too (he's also very attractive!). It's fascinating to me that people have these things on their phones, though. The whole "drop" thing goes way above my head - I would never! I don't have an iPhone though (and I never will. I don't have any Apple products except apple tv+ that my husband pays for lol). The fact that strangers can send you things on your phone and know your location is WILD. My other annoyance with this movie is that the first date outfit she has on is SO MUCH better than the second one her sister forces on her. The second one is sexier, I guess, but it looks like she's going to a holiday party! Do not wear velvet on a first date unless it's the holidays. Period. ANYWAY. Like I said, it's a bit silly - if the guy could poison the piano player, he could obviously figure out how to poison the mark instead of this whole elaborate plan. But, overall, I was invested in the story, it moves quickly, and has some great tense moments. I also like the way the shots are set up at certain angles that really make the audience feel how high up they are at this sky restaurant. 

2. Heads of State - This is actually a really fun movie! I wasn't expecting much, but both my husband and I quite enjoyed it. We laughed a lot, and that's always a sign of a good time. Idris Elba and John Cena have GREAT comedic chemistry together. My husband had never seen Elba in anything other than serious stuff so he commented how surprised he was that he's funny and then was like "oh...now I get why people were pushing the Bond role for him. That would have been great". It's too late now, but this film definitely proves they really botched a potentially great run of Bond films. I also really like John Cena - he just has a lot of fun on screen and he's a genuinely good dude. A few funny moments that stood out to me are the whole "Keep Calm & Carry On" theme, as Cena's character points out it literally means to "do nothing and keep doing nothing". I laughed hard at the "I'm Dr. Dre and you're Eminem" line. The best scene though features scene-stealer Jack Quaid (who is now in THREE of my favorite films this year!). The whole scene with "Sabotage" playing is so cliche, but they pull it off really well and it's genuinely hilarious. I also like Priyanka - and she's a nice addition to their collective energy. There's not much else to say - I just think it's a fun date night movie. I hope they do a sequel. 

3. The Old Guard 2 - I have zero recollection of the first one except that they are superheroes (I think?). The first one came out during the pandemic and I think we were all traumatized, consuming content because there was nothing else to do but turn our brains into mush. This one just *starts*, and I have no idea what's going on - a little recap would have been helpful. I just found myself zoning out immediately. I love Charlize though - I will watch her in anything (but I'm particularly excited for the film coming out with her and Taron!). I'm not sure why she keeps having such awful haircuts in movies, though? Is it a running joke or something? The mullet is BAD. I know Uma Thurman is an addition to this (a good one), but I'm not sure if Chiwetel Ejiofor or Henry Golding were in the first one too??? It's such an incredible cast - you think I would remember it?! Anyway, this is just plain dull. Uma and Charlize are great adversaries (both believable kick-ass women). And I like Kiki Layne. I just think they expected too much from the audience with this. 

4. Heart Eyes - Ohhhhh this is written by the director of Drop! And I see that he has a writing credit for Disturbia?? I think I might love him. I don't know much about this other than it's a Valentine's Day horror movie, and it's probably going to be dumb, but I really liked the Thanksgiving themed horror movie (called Thanksgiving) - it was dumb, but I had a blast! Unfortunately, I didn't have as much fun with this. And I don't think it's a writing issue - it has a good story. It's definitely a directing issue. This is the same director of Werewolves Within, a film that also has a good story, but terrible execution. I think the biggest problem is that the actors over-act and it feels more cheesy than funny. Michaela Watkins is a perfect example because I think she's hilarious in everything I've seen her in except this and Werewolves. She's unbearably bad in both of these movies because her characters are so overdone and don't feel like real people. That's a director choice, not an actor one. I also knew who the killer(s) was immediately upon introduction (again, just like Werewolves). It's incredibly obvious. I did laugh a few times, though - like with the casting of millennial favorites Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa as...Hobbs & Shaw (lol). And the acronym HWW (hysterical white woman). The main cast are very dull, though, and the whole thing is a bit unmemorable. 

5. The Amateur - UGH....I hate Rami Malek more and more with everything I see him in. And it makes me so mad because I would argue to the death that his performance in Mr. Robot is one of the greatest television performances ever. But the problem is that he's so good at Mr. Robot because he literally has NO personality whatsoever. He's so dry and monotoned which was perfect for that show, but not as a lead actor in film. I know a lot of people who will argue that he was "SPECTACULAR" in Bohemian Rhapsody but I disagree. His performance in that was...fine, I guess. That movie had a lot of problems, from a technical perspective, and his performance definitely hid the fact that the overall film was a disaster, but it makes me genuinely mad that he has an Oscar and now he makes films like this - where he has no screen presence, charm, or...talent. I think this will land on my Worst of 2025 list simply because it's so fucking dull. I was surprised to see Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe, AND Julianne Nicholson in this because the only ones advertised are Malek and Laurence Fishburne. And it's weird that Jon Bernthal shows up for a hot second? His career is bigger than this tiny role. The whole plot is unrealistic and stupid (which would be fine if it were also interesting!). But the part that really pissed me off is the scene with the pool. I knew as soon as everyone started talking about that stupid glass pool bridge in London that sits between two buildings, that someone would use it in a movie. But the GOOD guy in this uses this pool basically as a way to kill someone BUT it would obviously kill all the people below the pool too?? All that glass falling to the ground like that??? And I'm supposed to root for this person? How fucking stupid is that. It lost a whole star from me *just* because of that scene. If you potentially kill innocent people you are no longer the good guy.