Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Worst Person in the World - There's just so much praise for this film, and I think it's...okay? There are some great scenes, I like the actors, and I think it feels very authentic and genuine in the way it depicts this character and her relationships. But, it's also very long and slow, she is super annoying, and I found myself rolling my eyes through so much of it. It felt like a Norwegian Greta Gerwig movie (which is a good thing according to some, but not always for me).There is, most definitely, a stand-out scene - and it's the running sequence that is featured on the poster, although the poster fails to capture why it is so special. Renate Reinsve is wonderful (and reminds me a little of Dakota Johnson. Actually, I recall someone saying that the inevitable English language version will star Dakota, and that makes total sense. But please, God, do not remake this). I also really like Anders Danielsen Lie - he's a cutie (and he was also in Bergman Island - a film from 2021 that I liked more than this movie). Like I said, I think their relationship feels quite genuine, but it doesn't necessarily mean much because I think a lot of people fake their way through relationships. Not that they don't care about each other, but because it feels safe or comfortable for whatever reason. And I do think a lot of people have that feeling of being "the worst person in the world" for having a connection to someone else, or multiple people at the same time. But that's kind of ridiculous? It's totally normal, I think. I also don't really think they had much chemistry anyway. And, I repeat, the movie is far too long. I thought it was almost over, and there was still a whole hour...of...not much. I read some reviews after watching this, just to try to understand why it is so universally praised, and a lot of reviewers describe it as "funny", which is sort of shocking?! Is it supposed to be funny?? I did not get that at all. And I didn't laugh once. 

2. Summer of Soul - Not usually a documentary fan, but I'll always make an exception for Questlove. He is always in my answer for those prompting type questions like "name three celebrities you'd want to be stuck on a deserted island with" etc., because he's so knowledgeable and passionate about music/movies/pop-culture history and trivia. I just feel like I could listen to him talk endlessly (and I don't even get the impression that he likes to talk that much, so I don't think he would annoy the crap out of me, instead he would be super chill. I've clearly thought about this way too much!). I recently read his book, Music is History, and his knowledge on the topic blew my mind. It makes perfect sense for him to helm this documentary about this forgotten, but historically important, musical event - the Harlem Cultural Festival. But I think, also, this is the perfect time for this story to be brought to life. With all of the shift in focus to diversity in film and entertainment, I think it's important to shift the conversation to the content of this diversity. And something that I've heard from black critics, co-workers, and friends is that the ultimate part that is missing is black joy. While it is necessary to have stories of slavery, oppression, racism, etc., these are the only stories being told and it's exhausting. It brings me back to the Lovers Rock segment of Small Axe, because it was so impactful, for me, because it was something that felt so rare - surrounded in major events, ultimately it's just a story of a house party with guests dancing and celebrating. It's just so beautiful. And back to this documentary, it is just a big celebration of black music, history, culture, and most importantly, joy. I loved watching the audience reactions, I loved the mixing of different genres of music - everything from jazz, to gospel, to motown, to afro-cuban musical styles being celebrated under one umbrella. My favorite part was Nina Simone's performance (I had no idea she could play the piano like that!). And the last 10 minutes are very powerful. I will say, though, (and I'm so sorry Quest), but Flee deserved the Oscar win in the Documentary category. This is still wonderful, though. I think 2021 might be the first year in history that two documentaries are in my Top 20 (Flee is currently ranked #7 on my list). 

3. Windfall - I really, really like this movie. Way more than I expected to. I saw very few people talk about it, and it seemed like one of those movies that was released pretty quietly (by Netflix). I see a lot of people throw the word "Hitchcockian" around when critiquing pretty much any film that falls under the thriller genre, and usually it makes me laugh. But this feels like the most "Hitchcockian" film I've seen in a while - like, there is definitely inspiration throughout with the music, some of the shots, the use of space, the pacing, the dynamic and tension between the characters. There is also something very modern about it. AND it's trimmed down to a perfect runtime of 90 minutes. Every scene is building to something, but you're never really sure what that is - and then when *it* happens, my mouth actually dropped open. Just a perfect sequence of events that is truly shocking, and then continues to unfold in a very unexpected but very satisfying way (*vague spoiler* she saw her opportunity and fucking took it!! LOVE IT.). I think the cast is great - Jesse Plemons is just killing it lately. I love his genre mixing casting choices - he can be funny, he can be a villain, but he's truly at his best as a funny villain. I also really like Lily Collins. I wasn't a big can of hers until recently I watched a movie in which she played someone with an eating disorder (I can't remember the name, and I'm too lazy to look it up....something with Bones in the title...maybe??), and she was stunning. She definitely won me over, which was unexpected (I will never watch Emily in Paris, though, sorry that looks horrendous and I get suckered into watching trash television way too often, like fucking Bridgerton. God help me, I have to watch season 2!). They both work perfectly off of each other. Just overall this is very well-acted, well-made and solidly entertaining. 

4. Master - This is actually very different than I was expecting - I thought it would be more about slavery, which it is definitely referencing with this allegorical storytelling. And the allegories are very obvious with lines like "it will follow you" and "it's not supernatural, it's America", but ultimately it does do something very different with its core theme - in that it shows the internalizations of institutionalized racism (by literally setting it in a college, again...it's very obvious). *spoilers ahead* The twist is also extremely obvious - I wrote in my notes as soon as that character appears, "she's not actually black, is she?", because she felt so inauthentic from the very moment she spoke. So I think that's a bit of a failure, because I think the audience is supposed to be surprised by the revelation of a professor passing as black (the entire third act is based around this revelation that I was literally, like "yeah, duh, we know"). However, the confrontation scene is genuinely spectacular ("I don't have to prove my blackness" "FUCK YOU!", I clapped). There are a few other annoyances too - first, there is a whole "supernatural" aspect within the story with the students reading The Scarlett Letter as a backdrop, but that seems really inauthentic to me because that is something you read and study in 10th grade, not at a supposedly prestigious college?? If I spent that much money on college and then I went to class and the told me we were going to read The Scarlett Letter, I would demand a refund. Also, I don't think I like Regina Hall?? I feel like I used to like her, but she was sooooo bad in Nine Perfect Strangers (like shockingly bad), and this feels similar. She just overdoes everything, and it's kind of hard to watch. It feels really long, too. For only being 100 minutes, I felt like it was at least 20 minutes longer than that - which is almost worse than actually being 120 minutes long! I don't think this is a bad movie - The ideas are all there, it's just the movie doesn't do a good job of telling them. 

5. All the Old Knives - Now, this is a bad movie. Not terrible, but definitely on the cusp. The story is good, and there is great chemistry between the leads, but it's just sooooooo slow. It could have been, at least, a 3 star movie, if it picked up the pace (at literally any moment - I just waited and waited for it to come alive and it never does), and had some snappier dialogue. This is another movie that lays out the twist pretty clearly from the beginning - he is definitely in clean-up mode. I like Chris Pine a lot (he is definitely the winner of the Chris debate, as far as acting and charisma goes), and Thandiwe Newton is so great on Westworld (she should have been showered with awards nominations for that role), but they just can't hold my attention with this dull spy thriller (can it even be called a "thriller"? It's like the events after the thriller part). I can't even muster up anything else to say about it. 

Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. The Dropout - I really, really like this show, but I mostly just really, really like what Amanda Seyfried is doing in this. Portraying a real person can be quite tricky and I feel like actors are often over-praised for performances in which they either seem nothing like the actual person or feel like they are doing an impersonation. Seyfried manages to avoid both, and just absolutely nails this performance by capturing the essence of Elizabeth Holmes. I don't know much about her; I remember reading about her when everything went sour, but I did not pay much attention to Theranos or her as a CEO of this start-up. It's all super fascinating though, and it does something so interesting by not really attempting any sort of sympathy or redemption of Holmes, instead she seems like a complete sociopath - we see her insecurities and terror in every scene, but she just keeps fucking doubling down on her idea that simply...doesn't work, and absolutely refuses to feel anything about destroying the lives of thousands of people. There are a few moments that really stand-out about this (aside from Seyfried) - the dance scenes, in particular, I think showcase her immaturity and child-like ignorance to how serious her crimes are. Also, her obsession with Apple and waiting in line for the iPhone (losers...the lot of them! I'm kidding, of course, but UGH also Apple nerds are the worst). It also touches on just how important it is to be a woman in power and, as she calls it, "fail"; but in reality she did not fail - she deliberately misled and manipulated investors, and now every woman that comes after her has to prove that they aren't the same (while men can just keep getting away with it over and over again). There is also a great scene early on when she gets questioned about her future (and plans of having kids), and she responds with "well, you have a wife and kids" and he goes "seriously?", because it is a totally different expectation to be a working mother (and I don't even want to think about the expectations for a working CEO mother). But the thing that is really fascinating is all the praise she received without anyone really doing any research - praise from Clinton, Obama, Biden, The Times, etc., Jesus Christ it's all so embarrassing. And I don't think we've learned a fucking thing from it. 

2. Severance - Super fucking out there, but I love it. It seems like an idea that wouldn't work onscreen (which sometimes I still appreciate the idea), basically conceptualizing the idea of a literal split in work life and personal life (creating the idealized "work/life balance" that we all so desperately seek), but with the visual elements stripped down to a very minimal set design, I think that's what makes it work (and also makes it even weirder). I think the hallway scenes start to get really annoying - with them just walking and walking down this stripped down white sterile hallway, twisting and turning, and walking some more, but it also creates this really disorienting feeling which is essential to the series. The cast is incredible - Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, directed by Ben Stiller (with this and Escape from Dannemora, he has really impressed me as a director. I know he's directed a lot of the comedies that he starred in like Tropic Thunder, Zoolander, but this is so different and it's challenging to get right). I think I'm on the 4th episode, and I admit I have no fucking clue where the story is going or how weird it's going to get, and I love that. 

3. The Book of Boba Fett - I'm not the biggest fan of the Star Wars universe (and not that I'm not a fan, it's just not really something that I'm invested in like a lot of people are), but I did really like The Mandalorian. This isn't capturing my attention at all, though. I find myself scrolling twitter or adjusting my to-do list, instead of what is happening on the screen in front of me. I just don't care at all, but I read that it connects with The Mandalorian (and basically becomes a season 2b), so I felt like I needed to watch it (the fucking completist that I am...). It's true, after episode 3, Boba Fett all but disappears from his own television show! But it also became sooooo much better. Fucking Baby Yoda, man, just the cutest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life. I could watch him train to be a Jedi or whatever the fuck he's doing for hours on end and not get bored. It's also nice to see Jennifer Beals again, but I just looked at her filmography and apparently she's been working this WHOLE time, just not in anything I've watched. I think the last thing I've seen from her is The L Word (what a ridiculously addictive show. And apparently there is a recent spin-off that she's in?? How did I not know about that?). 

4. The Tourist - I haven't heard anyone mention this show, but it has Jamie Dornan in it so I WILL WATCH IT. And, damn, he looks really good in this. So far, I like this show a lot. I'm about 4 or 5 episodes in, and every episode has been surprising or has had some shocking unexpected moments, and ends on a perfect cliffhanger (which I don't feel like exists anymore because the expectation of binge-watching, it seems unnecessary, maybe?). It's basically Memento without the backwards storytelling (*top secret info* I fell asleep watching Memento and I've never finished it. SHHHHHHHH!). Dornan is playing a character who gets into a car accident and suddenly can't remember who he is or why he is in the Australian outback with someone trying to kill him. Did I mention that he looks really, really good in this? Well, let me say it again....DAMN. I generally like Dornan, he was fantastic in The Fall and I loved his silliness in Barb and Star. He's also one of the few men I believe someone might pick over Taron (I'm talking about Robin Hood - *spoiler* his girlfriend thinks he's dead so she starts dating Dornan but then he's not dead, obvi, and GIRL HAS A CHOICE to make. I would still pick Taron, duh, but I can see the hesitation). He's great in this, but the highlight is Danielle Macdonald as the rookie police officer who sympathizes with his situation and then gets caught up in his obviously dark mystery. She's been excellent in several projects (the miniseries, Unbelievable, that Jamie Bell movie, Skin), but she really stands out in this - just shows a perfect display of innocence and kindness, while also trying to remain professional. I'm really interested in where this story is going to go, how dark it's going to get, and who else gets caught in his web. 

5. The Endgame - I have a feeling that I will not last for more than a few more episodes (I am currently on the third episode). It's exactly like you would expect for an NBC spy thriller - and it feels like I'm just watching a new version of The Blacklist (I think I made it through the full first season of that, but I couldn't watch anymore - and I can't believe that it lasted so long. I think I still see commercials for new episodes???). I really only watched this for Morena Baccarin - I absolutely adore her (even though I love her husband more. My soulmate, Ryan Atwood. And on a random side-note, how hilarious is it that the kid from The O.C. is spending his time warning people about the fraud and corruption behind NFTs and Crypto?? It's not that surprising, as someone who has loved him for the last 19 years, I've seen him in many interviews and he is very smart and has a degree in economics, but I think it definitely is surprising a lot of people). She's a little miscast here, I think, mostly because the accent is just really hard to get past. She's really inconsistent with it, so it's sort of driving me crazy. Why not just hire someone who has a Russian background that can do the accent? I feel like she should be a little more menacing, but instead she sounds like a cartoon character. I also think everyone else in the show is really, really dull. I do like Costa Ronin, though, but he is certainly typecast (I feel like he played the same role in The Americans and Homeland). So far, it's all very expected and dull. If it doesn't pick up soon, I'm out. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Deep Water - There is a good movie in here somewhere, but this is just incredibly disappointing. On an obviously related side-note, I really liked Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck as a couple - something about them just made sense to me. But the noticeable problem with this movie is definitely the lack of chemistry, and Affleck is the one to blame for that (because de Armas could have chemistry with a brick wall). As an actor, I think Affleck is the epitome of a mediocre white guy, which is why I think he should stick to directing from now on (Gone Baby Gone, Argo and The Town are probably all in my Top 100 Films of All Time list, if it existed). I used to think he was great as an actor, but I just don't think his heart is in it anymore. And he pretty much sleepwalks through this movie. And usually with this type of 'manipulative wife' story (think a mild version of Gone Girl, which is a movie I hated - honestly, the more I think about this movie, the more I loathe it), I can't stand the female character, but in this - I felt like I understood de Armas' character completely. She does make his life interesting - she's also super hot and the mother of his child, and he's completely in love with her, so, honestly, she can do whatever the fuck she wants and he's powerless against it. She's also not someone who fits into the "domesticated" lifestyle of getting married, having children, etc., but the expectation of that lifestyle is so overwhelming that I think people often just...give in, leading to resentfulness and misery (I mean, I would go absolutely insane living with a 6 year old and a boring husband). If the film focused on this play of power dynamics within this relationship, it would have been a lot stronger. Instead, it carelessly focuses on this man being a serial killer (of his wife's lovers), and his ability to get away with it. Ultimately, it's feels really...stupid and convoluted. It's also edited very poorly and there is no concept of how much time has gone by with each scene (and each murder...did he just murder all of these people in the span of 3 days? Because that's what it feels like). And as far as erotic thrillers go, and there haven't been many lately, this one is very tame. There's pretty much nothing sexy about it, except a topless de Armas. The sex scenes are blink-and-you-miss-it, and neither of them seem to satisfy each other, so what's the point? The best way to describe the whole thing is underwhelming. 

2. Mogul Mowgli - I love Riz Ahmed so fucking much it's unbelievable. He's an incredible actor/musician, has a ton of charisma, can display a range of emotions within seconds, and seems like he can tackle any genre. The weird thing about this movie, though, is that it's pretty much the same plot as Ahmed's other movie, Sound of Metal (a musician faces a medical issue that derails his career), and even though I enjoyed this movie - I absolutely love Sound of Metal, so this just fell a little flat for me. Had Sound of Metal not existed, though, I probably would have loved this more (if that makes sense?). The performance scenes are definitely the highlight - first, I think rap is such an incredible art form that often gets overlooked (mostly because of...racism, really, but also because I think the music industry has cannibalized it a bit) but I would LOVE to sit down with those lyrics and really digest the words because there is so much depth about his identity in there. There's also some interesting dialogue about appropriating black culture that I wish they touched on more. Second, because, again, Ahmed has so much presence - he's just an incredible performer. I also can connect with the plot a little because, as I've said, and I'm sure it's super annoying for me to keep bringing this up (trust me, I know), I suffer from chronic pain - but it's not even the pain that upsets me anymore. It's the thought of living with this pain for...ever. And the thought that it's going to get worse with aging and...what if I get to the point where I can't drive or walk? So sometimes I just start crying and people just assume that the pain is just that bad, but it's not; the mental anguish is so much worse than the pain. Anyway, I like this movie, I just think Sound of Metal did it better. 

3. Mass - Well, if you ever have any question as to why the Oscars suck, watch this and then try to explain how Ann Dowd did not get a nomination for her performance in this movie. It's just so baffling - not only for missing out on a nomination, but she easily could have won it. Jason Isaacs is also incredible here, and he's not someone I've ever really taken notice of before as having anything above average skill-level as an actor. But, man, they both just blew me away. The film reminded me a lot of Carnage (which was based on the play God of Carnage), which is about two couples who agree to sit down and talk about their children - one is the bully the other is the victim of the bully. Except this movie's subject matter is far darker with the couple's children being a school shooter and one of his victims. Like Carnage it's all dialogue - just four people talking for the entire length of the movie, which could be tough to watch (as it was in Carnage - from what I remember, I liked it but it does drag a bit), but the acting is so phenomenal, that I forgot that I was actually watching actors and not just four people whose lives were ruined by a tragedy. It's always interesting to consider how much responsibility parents should bear when it comes to crimes committed by their children. Each and every case is obviously different and has its own intricacies, but surely every parent in this situation has to feel the full weight of that guilt. They've had to analyze what went wrong and what they could have done differently. And it's even more gut-wrenching if they saw the signs of a troubled child but chose to ignore it or convinced themselves that there was nothing wrong (as one part of the dialogue goes "how could you believe that?" "because I wanted to." hits really deep). You never want to believe that someone you love is capable of such hatred and evilness, but not believing it could have deadly consequences. The story here gives great insight into how deep this feeling is, and my heart breaks for all of them (and for any parents dealing with this in real life). 

4. Death on the Nile - I sort of love that Kenneth Branagh continues to just make whatever the fuck he wants. It seems he's moved from Shakespeare adaptations to Agatha Christie murder mysteries, and I don't hate it. I didn't love his Murder on the Orient Express, but I did appreciate how well it was made - and some of those shots are sublime. This feels like second-tier compared to that film. It's...not well-made, in fact the CGI is barely tolerable. The cast consists of one unlikeable actor after the next (and a few of whom are pretty problematic in our current culture of cancellations): Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Gal Gadot, Russell Brand, and...Kenneth Branagh (not necessarily problematic, that I know of, but always comes across as someone unlikeable, to me). Please get Annette Bening out of there!!! There are two highlights (other than Bening, because duh...she's always a highlight): Emma Mackey is stunning (she's so good on Sex Education too, completely believable as a teenager - it was weird seeing her in this more adult role, but she nails it. Can't wait to see more from her) and Rose Leslie with a completely believable French accent (I had to look it up because I thought *for sure* that she is Scottish, but I couldn't hear an ounce of her Scottish accent so I started to doubt myself). The mystery is SUPER obvious from the first few minutes of character introductions, so it was just a matter of watching it all unfold exactly how you expect it to. I have not read the Christie novel, so I wonder if it's that obvious in the story as well?? You don't have to necessarily be surprised by the outcome to enjoy it, though (as a ton of people already know the ending, obviously), but the problem is that it all felt very dull and tedious to sit through. Just very long, and very boring. 

5. C'mon C'mon - Just wonderful. As I was watching it, I had this sense of a very familiar feeling, so I looked up the director (Mike Mills) and what he's directed before - and it made so much sense that he wrote/directed Beginners. I love that movie so much, and this is definitely in the same universe (and also I've thought about 20th Century Women way more than I thought I would. This is a perfect example of a man who writes incredibly genuine and realistic female characters. And it's fascinating that he's married to Miranda July because, even though I love her, I never feel any connection to her female characters. To each their own, though!). There's just this wonderful sense of warmth and sweetness to this movie. I can feel the growth within the characters - and a lot of times that can be credited to the acting, but in this case I think it's definitely in the writing. Although, Phoenix gives another astounding performance here, far quieter and softer than the performances he gets accolades for, but just as difficult to get right. Honestly, I think Phoenix might be my favorite actor (OF ALL TIME) surpassing Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Penn (I hate him as a person, but damn he's such a good actor). And yet, another Oscar injustice with Phoenix being completely overlooked - this is clearly a better performance than the WINNER of the category. Also, GABBY FUCKING HOFFMAN!! Where has she been??? She's wonderful in this. I like that even though it's a quiet, seemingly simple, story, there is still a lot going on within each relationship. It's definitely a story of motherhood - how much we take mothers for granted, how challenging it is to raise a son (as essentially a single parent), how completely selfless one has to be etc., but it's also about this sibling relationship that is strained but still maintained with this strong bond that is unbreakable. Then there is the obvious relationship that is the main story - about this uncle/nephew bond. How difficult it is to earn a skeptical child's trust and also how perceptive children are. Also, being an only child is fucking hard. I think the "only child trope" is often portrayed as being spoiled and selfish, but that's not my experience at all. My mom was a single mom and worked 3 jobs at one point, I was always alone. And I was forced into adulthood at 6 years old. I had to get myself ready for school, make my own food, clean up after myself, and provide my own entertainment (I will admit that when I stayed with my grandmother, who helped raise me for 2.5 months out of the year until I turned 17, she spoiled me rotten). I feel for the kid in this movie - he's really smart, curious, perceptive and sensitive. I love all the interviews with children about the future (and I love that one child's THOUGHTS on the touristification of major cities - specifically Airbnbs taking over, creating a city of tourists instead of protecting the culture of the city). Overall, I love this movie and it will definitely be making an appearance on my updated Top 10 of 2021 list. 

3 (Million...) Thoughts on The Oscars

1. The Show - God, where do I even begin? I guess I'll just start with the obvious, so that I never, ever have to think about it again. The Will Smith/Chris Rock fiasco. There are obviously more important things going on in the world, but I think this moment really accentuated a very real issue of how to deal with situations that are nuanced and complicated, and boy, have we taken a turn for the worse. At this point, the situation, in my eyes, is done - both have apologized, both admitted to being in the wrong, both have committed to doing better going forward. My issue, now, is the mishandling of the situation by the Academy, and the very vocal group of people who think it's okay to assault someone over an insensitive joke. Here's what should have happened - instead of Rock continuing to announce the category of Best Documentary Feature, they should have just cut to a commercial and asked Smith to leave. I don't care what Rock said, how bad it was, etc., you can't just assault someone at, essentially, a work event, or anywhere. And, maybe after reviewing the situation for a few minutes, ask Rock to leave too (it was not a rehearsed and approved joke, and I'm pretty sure they have standards for the jokes allowed to tell on stage i.e - not making fun of someone's health condition, which is why they don't hire comedians like Rock and Gervais to host anymore). My point is that they absolutely should NOT have continued the show as if nothing happened. I don't think it was necessary to get the cops involved, and was relieved that Rock had no interest in pressing charges over being bitch-slapped. But to just let Smith continue sitting there, laughing and hugging his colleagues, and then allowed his Oscar moment, was sort of shocking. I also don't think his Oscar should be taken away??? I'm reading now that there is an "investigation" into the incident, but that's so unnecessary - we all saw what happened, LIVE, and they missed their opportunity to handle it appropriately. They've awarded Oscars to far worse people and have never revoked an Oscar before (that I know of, at least). So, here's my other issue - a joke is a joke, even if it offends you, it's still a joke. The joke in question, a joke that Will, himself, laughed at until he saw that it upset his wife, should have just been booed by the audience (it wasn't even a good joke - a G.I Jane joke in the year 2022? and also G.I Jane was fucking hot! How was that even an insult?), and everyone could have moved on (and also Smith could have absolutely humiliated Rock in his speech - by almost keeping the exact same speech he gave about protecting his family. He could have stood up for his wife in that moment and would have probably been given a standing ovation. I mean, he got standing ovations anyway, for some reason, but still he would have been seen as heroic). But guess what? People are saying that Smith was *right* for assaulting him because it wasn't a joke, instead it was verbal assault. Yup. You read that right. Verbal assault. Words have no meaning anymore, apparently. I know lines get crossed in comedy - but to define an insulting joke as "assault" is wildly inappropriate and incorrect. Verbal assault implies a threat of direct violence or abuse, and is also said with malicious intent, often uses foul or inappropriate language, is spoken with a loud or threatening tone, etc. I'm not even looking up the exact definition, this is just...common knowledge. It's really, really disturbing that this is how people are perceiving jokes nowadays. Okay, I'm done with that. It's a huge shame that it overshadowed the rest of the show, I honestly barely remember anything that happened after that. But overall, I think the whole vibe of the show was really disrespectful to film. I think the Academy need to realize that they are never going to have the ratings they used to have. Obviously, they should try to appeal to younger audiences, but to just ignore concerns from leading directors, actors, fans, about why it's so necessary to air all of the categories live is just really, really disrespectful. And a lot of the things they did to appeal to a younger audience backfired - why exactly was Megan Thee Stallion there to rap during a kid's song that wasn't even nominated? And why not hire hosts that appeal to younger people?? Personally, I love Wanda Sykes (but she did a horrible job), but she's not exactly popular among 20 year olds? And Amy Schumer is actually, actively disliked by a younger audience - I think she actually did a much better job than I was expecting. I think *the only* time I laughed were from her jokes ("they hired three women because it would be cheaper than one man", calling Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal a couple, her burn of Being the Ricardos, and the "did I miss anything?" quip. I also laughed when they told Dame Judi Dench that she has to take advice from Kim Kardashian and "work harder", but I think that might have been Regina?). The flow of the show was all over the place - why did they open with a musical number from a nominated song instead of a montage celebrating film? why didn't they have Billie Eilish perform her Bond song in connection with their "60 years of Bond" montage? And why didn't they have someone connected with Bond introduce it??? Dench is in the audience! Why did they insult animation as something that adults have to endure while kids watch it on repeat during the category for animation (in which the second best film in the category, Flee, is not even for children)? I, unlike seemingly everyone else, actually liked that the In Memoriam montage was more upbeat and personal (although at that point I don't know a single person that was actually watching it), it seemed more like a celebration of life instead of the downer that it usually is. Let's see...what else? Oh yeah, the whole goal of making the show shorter, again, backfired spectacularly. It's so easy to see what could have been cut - to make room for all of the categories, and keep the show running on time.  And...can't they get in some kind of trouble for touting the awards as "live" when a large portion of it wasn't??? How are they getting away with that? I actually have so many other notes to comment on (like the dumb as fuck twitter Oscar polls that were featured), but I'm mentally exhausted, so...moving on. 

2. The Winners - The other disappointing thing about this show, is that it featured absolutely NO surprise wins. Usually there is one or two (I feel like the Supporting Actor/Actress category always features a surprise, but sometimes others too). As someone who doesn't really like how awards season has been playing out, I was desperate for a shocking win. Denzel or Andrew in Actor, Kristen or Jessie in Supporting Actress etc. Also, Dune winning Best Picture? I'm not a huge fan of it, but it doesn't make a bit of sense that it won almost all technical categories, yet wasn't nominated for Director, and wasn't a frontrunner for Best Picture. Instead a movie that I could have made won. CODA is a fine movie. I actually liked it, but as a Best Picture contender?? I can't think of one exceptional thing about it. The only wins I was actually rooting for were Jessica Chastain (although I would have been happy with any of those actresses minus Kidman) and Cruella for Costume. I also love Questlove (I have not watched Summer of Soul yet, but Questlove deserves all of the awards all the time - I just read his book Music is History, and I loved it - he's just so passionate in everything he does). Another passionate winner...Riz Ahmed! Is an Oscar winner!! YES. Next up, an acting award. He's incredible. 

3. The Fashion - I have two very surprising favorite looks of the night. I guess the first one isn't all that surprising, because I adore her so much, but I thought Lily James looked absolutely stunning. But the reason I'm surprised is because I don't even actually like the dress. The color, the floral applique, the high slit, with that necklace - it shouldn't work, in theory, but I don't know...she just looked gorgeous. The second one is Kristen Stewart. I mean, has anyone ever shown up to the Oscars in short shorts before??? The rebelliousness of it is hilarious, but also...she looked great! Legs for days, still somehow glamorous while staying true to who she is and how she can be as comfortable as possible at an extremely uncomfortable event. Other looks I loved: Olivia Colman - the dress, makeup and hair, all just perfect and effortless looking. Simu Liu in the red suit - love it. Zendaya - seemed to play it a little safe, but she still looked gorgeous and chic. But, of course, there are some looks that failed, for me. The mermaid dress worn by Jessica Chastain is, honestly, hideous. I love her to death, but it's just so ugly. A usual fashionable icon, Tracee Ellis Ross, wore a spectacularly ill-fitted dress. Billie Eilish with the garbage bag dress (personally, I prefer over-sized dresses over skin-tight, but this look was a mess). And it's odd that Kristen Stewart can pull off not only short shorts, but a blazer with no shirt, while Timothee showed up with no shirt and I cringed with disgust. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. F9 - I honestly forgot that they released another Fast & Furious movie last year until it appeared under the *new* to free streaming movies list. I generally like them all (they all range between 2.5 to 3 stars), but I do admit that they all sort of blend together too. And I do feel like we are at the point in which they should just leave well enough alone. So there's not really much to say about this entry into the franchise, except LOL they go to space!!! But here are some random thoughts anyway: (1) John Cena is a perfect addition to the F&F cast. (2) I didn't think Charlize's hair could get worse than the previous movie, but that bowl cut is a choice. (3) I adore the hot guy from Mayans M.C., I wish he were in this more. (4) There are very few tiny female actresses who can believable beat the shit out of men twice their size, and Michelle Rodriguez is definitely one of them. She's always so much fun to watch. (5) There is something so fucking sexy about a black matte colored car. Okay, that's it. I'm done. 

2. No Exit - This is a very nice contained and concise little thriller. The catalyst for the story is that this young woman is trapped at a Visitor Center with a group of strangers during a snow storm, which is interesting enough, but then this woman discovers that there is a young girl tied up in the back of a van in the parking lot - with nowhere to go and having no idea which one of them owns the van, she has to do some quick thinking to save this girl (and herself). There are a few twists; the first is completely expected but I think the second is done really well to reveal a truly surprising twist of events. Usually with these things, it's the least likely person, but in this case the least likely person is Dennis Haysbert just because he's Dennis Haysbert (one of the most trustworthy actors of our time!), so it's definitely not him, so my guess was the woman (I won't tell you if I was right or wrong, though). I love how tense and unsettling it starts off, though, with a game of Bullshit (the card game) between our 5 stranded strangers. It sets the tone for the rest of the film, and it moves very quickly without wasting a single second. And I love how the game is referenced again when things start to hit the fan ("I'm going to call bullshit on that!"). There's also a nice story of redemption with our main lead (played by Havana Rose Liu - I don't think I've ever seen her in anything previously, but she is excellent!). There are also some pretty dumb moments, and obviously the plot is a bit ridiculous. And *slight spoiler* there is a huge plot hole with the kidnapped girl having a chronic illness (nobody would traffic a young girl with a chronic illness that they knew about beforehand). Otherwise, a solid movie. 

3. Turning Red - The controversy around this movie is quite something, isn't it? First, I think the most glaring problem is that film criticism has changed drastically. It's turned into something that is extremely personalized ("how do I feel about this movie", how do I relate to this story"). I don't think that's a bad thing - and it is exactly how I write about movies. But I also don't think it's...professional. If I were getting paid to review movies as a professional film critic, I would write very differently. So the film critic who declared that this movie was "not made for him" (if you don't know what I'm talking about, first, good for you! and second, just google it), and then reviewed the film through that lens was clearly deserving of the backlash, just not for his opinions, but instead, for the fact that he's terrible at his job. Second, it's a known distinction between men and women, that men tend to relate better to male characters, while women can relate to both male and female (and any other gender). It's a generalized theory, of course, but I think it's true - and it explains why more stories focus on male characters (there are obviously other factors too). The times they-are-a-changin', though, and it's fascinating to watch a certain group of people (mostly white men) have complete meltdowns about art being made that isn't geared towards them (and for the record this only the fourth Pixar movie out of like 30(?) that has a female lead. FOUR. Calm your nuts, guys.). Third, it's also extremely fascinating that this movie is being picked apart for being not appropriate for young children. And not just because of the period talk (I'll get to that part in a second), but because this young girl...defies her parents (which is a running theme in soooooo many Disney movies that I grew up with - The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, etc. but definitely a big part of seemingly every Pixar movie too, Finding Nemo, Luca, Coco, etc.). Why is this one being singled out for it? I definitely think it has something to do with the story revolving around a hormonal teenage girl and for some reason that is a terrifying topic. And, speaking of hormonal, I get that period talk is uncomfortable for some people, and I get that parents have to navigate that discussion with their children, but isn't it helpful to have it discussed more in popular culture? I just don't understand how that makes anything harder for anyone? And this isn't an adult issue, it's a KID issue - the average age girls get their period is 12 (aka a kid), but some get it as early as 8. If we want to get rid of the stigma or "taboo" of a very normal bodily function, this is where it starts. And, I know that parents don't want to think about it, but teenage girls are super horny. I don't really remember a lot from those days, but I recently went through a bin of my childhood stuff and found a bunch of notes from my friends that we used to exchange during class, and let me tell you, I was SHOCKED at how x-rated our discussions were. Just absolute filth. So, in short, this film is very relatable for teenage girls, especially ones who may have had a strained relationship with their mom. Also, as a teenager just a few years before this movie takes place, I could relate to all of the early 2000 aesthetic (the girl with the butterfly clips in her hair hit me hard!) and pop culture references (and I was a HUGE *NSYNC fan. But I will say that the movie's biggest plot hole is that these girls are able to buy tickets for a huge boyband at the box office the day of the concert. UM WHAT? That did not happen. I literally had to sleep outside the box office, months in advance, along with a bunch of other teenage girls - but I did get SECOND ROW tickets BABY!!). There's also a lot of commentary on generational trauma that I think a lot of non-white people can relate to (as proven by many reviews that I read). The odd thing is that I didn't actually think this movie was all that good, I just feel like I have to stick up for it. It's not bad, either. It's a very mediocre Pixar movie (I'm not really a big fan of Pixar, though, I think the only one I really loved is Brave). I don't like the animation style at all, and there are parts of the movie that are severely obnoxious and annoying. It's overly saturated in color and very busy. And honestly, any professional film critic could have a laundry list of things this film fails at, but being unrelatable is just not it. 

4. Benedetta - OHHHHH how I love this movie! I am contemplating it as my favorite film of 2021 (it's definitely a tie right now between this and The Harder They Fall). I knew very little about it going into it, and I think that's an advantage to enjoying it, so I'm not going to say much. It's very typically a Verhoeven film - it's unapologetically very erotic and I would expect nothing less from a film about a forbidden lesbian love story involving a nun. There is absolutely nothing subtle about it and the imagery used, and I find it just hilarious (they literally carved a Virgin Mary statue into a dildo. I'm dead.). There is also a particularly disturbing torture scene that I will likely never forget (but oh how I wish I could). I'm stunned that this isn't among the International Feature Oscar nominees this year (it's far better than Drive My Car and The Hand of God, but also is far more controversial - again, a Virgin Mary dildo, probably not going to win over Oscar voters). The lead actresses are outstanding - Virginie Efira and Daphne Patakia have insane chemistry and their sex scenes are, like, actually sexy (sorry, but I'll never understand the love for the sex scene in Portrait of a Lady on Fire). Also, I, like most are focusing on the sex part, but it's actually got a lot to say about religion and the power that it holds over people. I read the movie as incredibly anti-religious, and I truly think that's the intent, which will likely alienate a large portion of its audience. My only *issue* with it is that it's a French language film that takes place in Italy (and is based on "true" events). It doesn't make a bit of sense to have them speak French (but it's a French financed film, so I understand why it's made that way, but it will never not be an issue for me). 

5. The Adam Project - This is a perfectly cute family movie. There's absolutely zero originality there, but it's...cute. It definitely copies Back to the Future the most, but also acknowledges it perfectly (the kid gives obvious Marty McFly vibes with that vest. It's blue instead of red, but we know the reference is clear). I obviously love the reunion of Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo (and the idea that this is in the same universe as 13 Going on 30 is hilarious and I will allow it). I've said it before, but I've never really been a big fan of Ryan Reynolds (he's great in Deadpool and The Voices), but he's perfectly Ryan Reynolds in this (yes, I realize that I've used the word "perfectly" three times already for a movie that is farrrrrr from perfect). The best part of this movie, though, is definitely this kid. What a find! He is definitely a future movie star - so adorable, charming, endearing etc., with great comedic timing. The plot is way overdone, and definitely gets a little repetitive. Also, the de-aging of Catherine Keener is terrifying and it hurts my brain. I think it's so hard for me to accept because we know what a young Catherine Keener looked like, so seeing a different version of that is hard to process. I would just prefer for a different actress cast in the role (I'm sure there are plenty of young women who look like Keener who could have played the role sufficiently. It's not like it's a challenging role or anything). Anyway, there's not much else to say. I had a good time watching it, laughed a bit, and felt a bit of the nostalgia for classic 80s family adventure films that this film relies on, which overall, is a satisfying watch. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. West Side Story (2021) - Usually if a film is as well-made as this one, and isn't terribly offensive in any way, I would rate it a solid 3 stars (even if I didn't necessarily like it - The French Dispatch is a perfect recent example). But there are just too many unlikeable factors in this remake that I (hesitantly) rate it 2 1/2 (which is comparatively very low - so many 5 star reviews! It's going to cause me to have a stroke one day, I think). First and foremost, even if you completely ignore the accusations against Ansel Egort, he is so obviously miscast here. It's actually stunning just how awful he is. And I say that as someone who has been a fan of his in past projects (I thought he was adorable in The Fault in Our Stars and LOVED him in Baby Driver). But, who thought he could do this role? He can't sing! And he's not someone that I would describe as instantly likeable, which is kind of essential to this role. The controversy happened as filming was wrapping up, so I understand that there was just no way to recast him, but at some point in the beginning did nobody else notice that it wasn't working? There is just absolutely zero chemistry between him and Rachel Zegler - in fact, she seems pretty much repulsed by him. It's the least invested I've ever been in a love story in my entire life. And speaking of Zegler, I remember when she was cast in this - and it was a big deal around here, because a normal 17 year old girl from Hackensack, NJ was cast in a Steven Spielberg production of West Side Story! That's so cool! I was rooting for her, and she's not...terrible, exactly, but she certainly lacks the charisma needed for such a big project like this. She felt lost by her surroundings for almost the entire movie. As for the much lauded performances by Ariana DeBose and Mike Faist, they are...fine? DeBose is probably the only one in the entire cast who can sing. But an OSCAR? She'll likely win it, considering she's won all of the precursory awards, but I'm at a loss for words. Faist has some presence (comparatively), but his voice is way too high-pitched for me (and the horrendous accent is hard to listen to). He's also probably the least threatening grown man I've ever seen in my whole life. I can appreciate that they at least cast a little more appropriately than the 61 version, but also still didn't cast a Puerto Rican in the role of Maria, so it's still a little problematic. Anyway, aside from the casting, it really does just seem pointless. You know how people always identify older movies and add "you can't make that movie today" because of its outdated racism/sexism/etc.? Well, this is one of them. And they do very little to update it or modernize it (bare minimum). I say that as someone who likes the original. It's a musical version of Romeo & Juliet, with stunning songs, amazing choreography - what's not to like? But instead of making it relatable to a younger generation, they slightly update it by giving more depth to "The Sharks". They also use Spanish dialogue (without subtitles), which is probably the only thing that felt authentic about the whole movie. But overall, no matter how well-made a movie is, if it's poorly acted by 1/2 of the cast, has zero chemistry in the romance that is the catalyst for the plot, and feels pointless, then I have to question what the fuck we are doing here? And I judge every single person who rated this 5 stars on letterboxd. 

2. Drive My Car - This is another example of a movie that is well-made that I didn't like (still better than West Side Story, though). Three hours is unnecessarily long for this story (especially after watching a 2.5 hour movie directly before it). Slow burn doesn't even begin to cover it. The credits don't appear until 40 minutes in, and as much as I love the rebelliousness of it, I also *knew* from that moment that this movie just wasn't going to be for me. Those 40 minutes could have easily been condensed to about 15 minutes. It's a very character driven story, which isn't a bad thing, but unfortunately, the characters aren't all that interesting. It's also a man dealing with loss (of his wife), and I guess we are supposed to see this as "complicated" because we (the audience, along with this man) know that she was cheating on him but....sorry to be a cold hearted bitch, but WHO CARES? She cheated, but he doesn't seem to be that upset by it or even surprised by it, and it doesn't mean that she's a bad person or that he wasn't in love with her (and I don't need a THREE HOUR LONG movie to tell me that). Then the story focuses on this play that he directs - a multi-language interpretation of Uncle Vanya. I've read pretty much every Chekhov play (Drama Studies major - I took an entire class just on Chekhov), but out of his major 4 works, Uncle Vanya is my least favorite one (Three Sisters = The Cherry Orchard > The Seagull >>>> Uncle Vanya). I do like the idea of doing a singular project in multiple languages, though - it feels like a celebration of diversity and language instead of forced representation. Oddly, the part of the story that I just couldn't get into is his interactions with the woman who "drives his car", which is very likely due to the length of the film. I was just so bored before any of the seemingly important stuff happens. If an hour (literally an entire hour) was cut from this movie, I would probably really like it - but as it stands, I'm just indifferent about it. 

3. Fresh - *some spoilers* I was super intrigued about this movie, more so for Daisy Edgar-Jones than...wait for it...SEBASTIAN STAN (I was forced to learn his name!!! FORCED because he is in fucking everything right now, and he certainly isn't a good enough actor to warrant all of these roles. Also, I've seen the name a ton of times, but I didn't realize that his last name was "Stan" because I thought people were just saying they were a "Sebastian stan", as in the word the internet uses when they are an obsessive fan of someone). I've only seen Daisy in Normal People, but I LOVED her performance. She kind of reminds me of Anne Hathaway (which could be a good or bad thing depending on the project). It's weird that this was the second movie in a row that the credits didn't appear until well into a large chunk of the movie (this one I think was at 33 minutes in. It worked much better for me here than it did in Drive My Car). So, first I will say that I definitely like this movie - it's well-acted (minus a bland SebStan (that's his nickname!), has some cool shots, and is just a fun, suspenseful thriller. But the thing I like most about it is that it made me reminisce about several bad dating experiences. It captures a viewpoint that is often seen as "extreme", but totally relatable. Because, guess what? When women go on dates, we have to worry about GETTING MURDERED. Isn't that fucking crazy? Totally true, though. So....prepare for my fun tangents ahead: Ooooooh let's talk about dating, shall we? First, I think it's odd that this "dating is hard" concept is sort of seen as a peril of modern dating, which I find SO MUCH better than dating when I was in my 20s. Modern dating is pretty much dating through apps. I was very hesitant about this at first, but I have to admit - it works! I guess you have to have a good sense of when to move forward and when something is a "red flag", and I usually have a good sense of that now. It's easier to weed out the weirdos if you can spend time talking to them through social media and I kind of feel like if you are still running into weirdos, that's on you? I do find that A LOT of people invite drama and disappointment into their lives, when I just shut it down very quickly. I had mostly good luck with online dating (and that's how my boyfriend and I met - and we are going to hit 6 years together this June). But I do say NOW when I talk about luck with dating, because I definitely did not have it in my 20s (and the female character is supposed to be mid 20s in this, I'm assuming). Three things (memories from my 20s) popped into my mind watching this: (1) The time I was roofied at a bar. YUP. Luckily, and I mean I thank the fucking heavens above, I happened to be on an antibiotic for my chronic bronchitis at the time and should not have been drinking anyway, and those antibiotics interacted with the drugs put in my drink INSTANTLY. I had to be rushed to the hospital but, most importantly, I was safe (there's obviously a longer story, there, but I'll move on). (2) The time I decided to do a "say yes" to everything. I was in a super depressed funk after a major breakup and didn't really know how to navigate dating. It's, once again, a long story, but to shorten it - I definitely ended up with someone who was married (or, less likely but still scary, a serial killer). I realized it once we were in his (very fancy) NYC apartment and he had to take a private call in another room. I was bored so I grabbed a magazine that was sort of hidden under a pile of papers. I noticed the name on the mailing address line was different than the name he gave me (but the address was where we were). I was instantly alert - like, FUCK he gave me a fake name (I'm old, so google existed, but it wasn't used the way its used now) - what do I do??? I got up and started looking around. For some reason I opened the fridge and there was literally nothing in it. So it was not an apartment that was "lived in". I grabbed my shit and left - and as I left I asked the concierge at the front desk of the building, "I should go, right?" and he said "yeah girl, run". Unfortunately, this was after I slept with him (TMI, don't care). (3) The numerous times that I was called a bitch because I was so over men that my "go to" response was "no thank you". I literally didn't even look up at whatever man was hitting on me - just "no thank you" and literally hit instantly with "bitch" or even better "you're not even that hot". Soooooooooo back to the topic of this movie - I find it interesting that she doesn't meet the cannibalistic serial killer through the new "modern" dating, instead he hits on her in a supermarket (which also...RED FUCKING FLAG. I hate when guys try to talk to me at the supermarket. I literally will prop up some sort of men's product on the top of my cart - like axe spray or deli meat to prevent men from talking to me. I always assume that any guy talking to me at a supermarket is a serial killer. Is this not engrained in other female brains? It should be. Maybe this movie will change things?). It's also weird that it's not seen as a red flag that he hit on her in a supermarket (talking about cotton candy grapes - as if that's not something that women already know about? That there are grapes that taste like cotton candy? Where do you people live? This is a well-known grape), but it is a red flag that he doesn't have an Instagram. Are we living in backwards land? Anyway, I'm on a roll because I'm not even half-way done with the thoughts in my head, but I will also say that I totally agree with the guy on her first (very awful) date - I mean, he was really rude, but also why the fuck did she dress like she was a teenager going to a sleepover? Why would she wear that on a date? Am I supposed to think he's an asshole because he commented on a very real observation? I wouldn't expect a man to show up in his fucking pajamas on a first date!? AND, probably an even bigger no-no for me to say, as a feminist, but...um...her getting fucking taken by a cannibal serial killer is totally her own fault (just like it was my fault when I was roofied and also my fault for sleeping with a potential serial killer but most likely just a normal married man). There is this whole scene about "it's not your fault!" when it comes to women being raped and murdered, which to an extent is true (obviously), but also women need to take responsibility for their own actions - and *understand* the world we live in. We, unfortunately, live in a world in which YOU CAN NOT just go away with a man that you DO NOT KNOW. It's THAT SIMPLE (now, again, this is a grey area - and does not take into account women, or actually any gender, who may have learning disabilities and/or autism that prevents them from understanding basic human normalcies. And this is why we have to be so vocal about what is safe and not safe for women to do. I'm sorry, I would love to say we live in a "free" world where women are safe to do the same things that men can do, but that's not reality. If we stop pretending, women will be safer. Period.). Like I said in the beginning of this post - when women date, we literally have to take into consideration the likelihood of being raped and/or murdered. It sucks, but it's undeniable (and you know what's even worse? We are actually more likely to be murdered by a partner!). This might be my longest post since Boyhood (God, I hated that movie). Let's see, what else do I have to say? Should I talk about the actual movie? Ok. I liked it, as I said. The end is a little over-the-top and a bit ridiculous, but for a first feature, I think it's really well done. As someone who can't even watch cooking shows (or touch raw meat - I literally have to leave my body when I cook. It's so fucking gross), this was a tough watch. It's a little predictable (I mean, I *knew* she was definitely going to bite his penis at some point, obviously), and I knew the waterfall picture was going to be how the friend figured out she was in trouble. But overall, I had a ton of fun with it. And "Heads Will Roll" is the perfect song for this film, and I love that this song has had a bit of a resurgence lately. 

4. After Yang - YAY! I loved it! I can't imagine this won't be on my Best of 22 list, but it's obviously super early for that. If you've read this blog for a while, then you know my love for Colin Farrell. One of the greatest actors of his generation, and someone who consistently picks challenging roles both in blockbuster films and indies (this and The Batman were released in the same week and they could not be more different). He is *terrific* in this movie, surrounded by an outstanding supporting cast - Jodie Turner-Smith is becoming a fast favorite (she was so good in one of my favorite movies of the last decade, Queen & Slim). Now, I'm not sure why the theme of this post seems to be talking about the opening credits, but this is the third movie in a row, in which it seems like an important moment. These credits are perhaps my favorite I've seen in quite sometime. It perfectly encapsulates a moment that feels futuristic but also entirely relatable, while also capturing the dynamic of this family. It's also just *super fun* to watch. While I admit that it does become a little slow and repetitive (and I dislike the doubled dialogue - very jarring and irritating), there is still just so much to unpack here and analyze well after the film ends. As most futuristic robot stories tend to respond to, the obvious "question" of the film is "what does it mean to be human?", but it also narrows this down to more specific themes of identity - and even more specific, Asian identity, and again even more specific with Asian identity as someone adopted by a non-Asian family. *some spoilers* It's also weirdly about the idea of destiny and soulmates, human concepts adapted by this robot (I got literal chills when the girl appeared in his Alpha memories). Just a really beautiful movie that will stay with me forever. 

5. The Green Knight - I think I was expecting too much with this. It's a good movie, that even has some *excellent* moments, but overall it's not something I would recommend to anyone aside from people who have an appreciation for cinematography and editing. David Lowery has a fascinating filmography, with more credits as an editor, and honestly, you can tell in his movies. He knows which shots to linger on and how to make complicated shots look easy. The opening shot in this alone is something to celebrate - it's just stunning. The music is very haunting, and also very reminiscent of Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints, which is actually the only thing I remember about that movie, and probably all I remember from this one as well (time will tell). It also has a very strong ending (actually, really, really strong ending - the more I think about it the more brilliant it becomes). Dev Patel is...fine in this? I saw a lot of chatter about him being snubbed by the Oscars, but it's certainly not an award worthy performance. And speaking of Oscar, how is Alicia Vikander being so sidelined in films? I didn't even know she was in this movie! In such a small role (albeit a significant one), I just don't understand her career at all. She won an Oscar! It feels like it doesn't mean anything anymore (which I guess could be deemed a good thing if they're giving out Oscars to actors like Rami Malek, the sooner they are forgotten, the better, I guess. But I really like Alicia. She should be on the same level as Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone, and yet she's taking bit parts that are mostly forgettable). Anyway, that's really all I have to say about this. People way oversold it to me, unfortunately. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Flee - I'm not the biggest fan of documentaries, but I was super intrigued by this as an animated documentary. Also, the only movie ever to get Oscar nominations in the documentary, animation, and international categories. It definitely deserves the acclaim (and is far better than its international competition of both Drive My Car and The Hand of God), although I think the animation is its worst feature. I saw someone compare it to Waltz with Bashir, and I agree to an extent, but also because of that - it kind of seems more of a copy than inspired by. But the story is incredible - and it is perfectly paced and incredibly intense. It's just such a harrowing life story of this man (and his family) that gives incredible insight into the refugee experience. I get why his story was told as animation, but I just didn't like it. There was too much going on - with the different animation styles (I actually preferred the black faceless animation - it felt more harrowing), the past and present tense, the addition of real footage, etc. It's just a lot to absorb instead of allowing the audience to focus on the story. But I still really loved it, and the ending totally got me. *spoilers* When he goes through the doors and it's a gay club, I literally burst into tears - like, full-on ugly crying for 10 minutes. A scene that I will likely never forget. 

2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) - My past experience with Texas Chainsaw movies consisted of the 2013 one with my girl, Alexandra Daddario, and I sort of liked it? So I decided to watch the original a few days before I watched this one, and it's actually not what I was expecting. Good, but not great - with a WHOLE lot of screaming. I tried to watch the second one, but I couldn't find it streaming anywhere so I decided to just skip ahead to this one since it's supposed to be a direct sequel anyway. This one, though, is awful. I'm so disappointed that this is Elsie Fisher's next feature after her incredible debut in Eighth Grade. She's not exactly the worst part of the cast, but all of them are pretty terrible. And I don't believe for one second that any of them are "influencers" (with those haircuts? Nuh-uh, sorry I don't buy it). I also thought the girl who plays her sister was about 14 but apparently she's 27. Of course, the one guy I find hot is Irish (I mean I knew he wasn't from Texas because then I wouldn't find him hot. It makes sense, I promise). And of course *spoilers ahead*, he suffered the most brutal kill. I actually flinched. Anyway, the plot is stupid (there is no way these kids could just buy a whole town? They all seem so stupid? I don't believe they are business savvy AT ALL), the dialogue is the worst, and the characters are all so annoying. The best part is obviously the scene where Leatherface steps onto the bus and they all point their phones at him, and then he just brutally massacres all of them - tossing influencer body parts left and right. Just absolutely hilarious! Also, thumbs up for the ending (I clapped). Oh and one more thing, I was confused at the casting of Sally because this woman definitely doesn't look anything like Sally from the original, and I wondered why they didn't just cast the original Sally, but apparently she died in 2014 (and she was in the 2013 one! I didn't even realize!). But they still could have cast someone who looked like a believable older version of her? 

3. The French Dispatch - I just don't think Wes Anderson and I get along anymore (I did like Isle of Dogs, but I didn't like his previous two movies before that). I still rated this movie 3 stars because it's incredibly well-made and has some stunning set design (and no Oscar nomination! Another egregious snub), but that doesn't necessarily mean that I enjoyed it. I *love* that he has a signature style - it's incredible that you can take any shot in this movie and instantly recognize it as a Wes Anderson film. He has my complete and utter respect. I just don't vibe with the stories. There are three stories within this film, and the first one is clearly the strongest, but by the third one I struggled to keep my eyes open. The expected star-studded cast consists of a lot of Anderson favorites such as Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Saoirse Ronan and (new to Anderson films) Lea Seydoux. I think the highlight, acting-wise is Benicio del Toro, who is actually hilarious in this ("And that's why I signed on for clay pottery" had me laughing). And the dud is Timothee Chalamet (that mustache is embarrassing, and I've given him multiple chances, but I'm convinced that Call Me By Your Name was a fluke). I also didn't like the fake teeth on Tilda Swinton - such an unnecessary distraction. There's not much else I have to say - if you're a fan of Anderson, then I can't imagine not liking this as it's perfectly Wes Anderson. And even as a film fan, in general, you'll appreciate the static camera shots, the color palette, and the symmetry of it all. 

4. The 355 - It's always interesting to watch a film with this caliber of incredible talent and figure out how it all went so wrong. It received some pretty harsh reviews when it was released to theaters which was definitely disappointing. It seems insane that a movie starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o, Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger could really be that bad (I mean, TWO of them are nominated for Oscars THIS YEAR!). Unfortunately, the reviews are pretty fair. It's not exactly bad, but it's entirely mediocre. The plot is unnecessarily complicated and twisty - instead of building in intensity, it just gets frustrating (I literally yelled out - "JUST FUCKING KILL HIM ALREADY"....Twice!). The "big" twist is very obvious (again, if you don't see someone die then they are not dead...this is action thriller 101). It's far too long and it drags. I'm not sure what kind of hold Carter Baizon/Bucky/himbo has on Hollywood because he's in way too many projects right now and he's not a strong enough actor to warrant any of these roles. The biggest problem with the movie, though, is that these women all do some really stupid shit - they are never one step ahead, instead they are constantly being outsmarted. Plus the action and chase sequences are filmed so clumsily. Every movement feels painfully staged. It's like they spent way too much money on the actresses and they had nothing left over for the actual production. Also, I *love* the idea of having an international cast, but if you are going to make their nationality important to the plot and part of the identity of the characters, then you need to cast it correctly. Nyong'o is not British (and her accent is horrendous) and Cruz is not Colombian - so all of them lined up in the poster with their nation's flag behind them feels...wrong. 

5. Copshop - Solidly entertaining Gerard Butler/Frank Grillo action thriller. But surprisingly, they are both overshadowed by Alexis Louder - she really holds the plot together and out-acts everyone around her. Both Butler and Grillo play to their strengths though and "stay in their lane" so to speak. It's a little disappointing that I don't find either of them hot in this - Butler with the American accent (what's the point in that???) and Grillo with the horrifying man bun (although it's even worse when he takes it down). It's a little bit of a cat and mouse plot, except the role of cat and mouse keep switching - you don't really know which one is the bad guy or if they are both the bad guy, but one might be (relatively) better than the other. I tend to like Joe Carnahan movies (The Grey, Smokin' Aces, The A-Team), but it feels like a long time since he's made a good movie? Boss Level was ok, but hardly memorable. I think I'll probably say the same thing about this movie a year from now. It's basically Assault on Precinct 13. 

Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. The Afterparty - I wanted to like this show more than I did. I certainly saw a ton of rave reviews of it on Twitter, plus it's from Christopher Miller and stars, my love, Dave Franco. Overall, though, I found it really mediocre and often times very annoying. The cast, aside from Franco, are just full of people who are not my cup of tea. Sam Richardson is fine, and Ben Schwartz has been funny in some projects (although I can only think of Parks & Rec). But Tiffany Haddish is awful - and I've seen enough of her projects now to make a clear declaration that she is not funny. Ditto for Llana Glazer (I don't think I'll ever forgive her after False Positive - one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life). Double ditto for Ike Barinholtz (who is also about a decade older than everyone else so it makes no sense why he is at the same reunion as the rest of the cast. I don't actually know if that's true because I'm too lazy to look it up, but he sure looks a decade older than everyone there). I will say that there are two episodes that stand-out - the musical episode and the animated one. The musical one veers way too dangerously into Hamilton style rapping for my taste, but I do appreciate the genre mixing. It's a really interesting way to show different perspectives of the same event. And I definitely didn't guess who the killer is - I had a theory, but I also thought my theory was way too obvious. They did a good job of keeping it a mystery, but also explaining it all in the final episode where it completely makes sense (as in, if I watched it again - it's probably all really obvious). I also like the little Fred Savage cameo! 

2. Dopesick - I'm 3 episodes in and it's good. I'm not fully invested in it because I already know the story and it's moving very slowly (I've seen a lot of shock as if the show is uncovering information that wasn't already readily available). I also think (so far) it's trying to take the blame of the opioid crisis off of doctors, and I just don't buy it. As someone who experiences chronic pain (I was hit by a car as a child and fell off of a ladder when I was 20) - I've seen DOZENS of doctors over the last 20 years who have consistently tried to prescribe me Oxy and when I ask for other options, I am met with complete abandonment, as in "you must not be in that much pain then" and/or "well, I tried to help but clearly you don't want to be helped". And that, my friends, is why I don't trust doctors nor do I trust Big Pharma. And I'm going to say something really controversial, but I *completely* understand why people don't trust the Covid vaccine. It's all the same people in charge - that not only caused the opioid crisis, but were also in charge during the AIDS crisis (while Fauci did some good during the AIDS epidemic, he certainly did not do enough, CLEARLY. It's crazy to me that he's seen as some sort of hero now. Does google not exist anymore or are people too lazy to use it?). Also, to be clear, I got the stupid vaccine because it was the right thing to do; I'm just saying that I understand why others are skeptical (not the ones who think it's 5G related or that it's like a mark of the devil or whatever the conspiracy nuts are spouting out nowadays). But when it takes almost a full year for them to admit that the vaccine causes changes in menstrual cycles - that's a problem. Anyway, I'm clearly on a tangent, and not one I talk about often - I try to stay out of it all because I've found that not many people know how to manage life in the grey. Either something is "bad" or "good", "wrong" or "right" with no nuance in-between. And I also would hate for someone to base their own decisions on something I've said that they may have misinterpreted (as an example, I hate Hillary Clinton - that's a whole other topic, but I was pretty outspoken about it during the primaries before the 2016 elections - so much so that both my bf and mother voted for a 3rd party candidate in THE 2016 election. When I found out after the fact, I was like "WHAT? How could you not vote for Hillary, when there's SO MUCH at stake?", "you said all those awful things about her!", "BUT I STILL FUCKING VOTED FOR HER! ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?" It just absolutely blew my mind, but I've learned to keep my mouth shut now. Hillary is great. I love her. Never done anything bad in her life, ever). OH MY GOD, I'm on another tangent. My apologies. The series is strong even if it's a little slow - great performances from Michael Keaton, Will Poulter and Kaitlyn Dever. It really reinforces how small-towns (specifically mining towns) were specifically targeted, and how addiction effects everyone (more crimes etc). I'm interested to see how dark the story is going to get. 

3. Inventing Anna - I read and heard about the accent that Julia Garner does in this, and yet, I still was not prepared. It's so bad that I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to watch the whole thing (I did, though). Admittedly, I have never heard of Anna Delvey before this (I don't really follow socialite news? Who does? Why does everyone seem to know about this woman?), but out of curiosity, I listened to a few snippets of her interviews to hear her actual accent, and Garner does, indeed, fail spectacularly. I get that Garner is trying to show how her accent was as fake as her persona, but the "real" Delvey still sounds believable. If Garner spoke to me in real life in that accent, I would not believe it was real (does that make sense?). She basically sounds like a Russian valley girl. Aside from Garner's accent, her acting isn't terrible - she's far more tolerable here than she is on Ozark (sorry, but I have no idea why so many people love Ruth? I've been rooting for her death since day one). But the best part of the cast is recognizing all of the Scandal and Grey's Anatomy alums. Plus the addition of Anna Chlumsky and Laverne Cox! Just a terrific cast, overall. The story to this is absolutely insane, but also it's kind of believable because a lot of society people are so fucking delusional and lack the "street smarts" needed to decipher when someone is cheating them. I don't really feel bad for any of the people that she screws over (especially the woman who didn't notice 400k in credit card charges). I'm not sure why there is such an interest in terrible white women being terrible, when there are so many other actually interesting people to make stories about, but then again, I'm watching it? So I guess they win. I did find some of it really interesting, though - just how easy it was for her to scam everyone. And it's hilarious that she knew the Fyre festival organizer. Also, I LOLed at the Culkin reference (Clumsky's face was priceless. My Girl, forever). 

4. Bel-Air - I had to watch this out of pure curiosity. Of course, I was a huge fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (and of Will Smith, in general). I know it shocked a lot of people when it was first announced that they were switching genres with the reboot, but honestly, it makes sense. I think we are at a point of exhaustion with sequels, reboots, etc., but this is the way to keep it fresh - either modernize it or change the genre. Do something different, basically. The only problem with this, though, is that making it a soapy drama - it basically turns into The O.C. (complete with a punch to the face at the end of the pilot episode. Totally expecting someone to say "welcome to Bel-Air, bitch"), which is kind of hilarious. I never connected how similar the plots were until now. I've watched the first two episodes, so far, and as of right now, I'm not really feeling it. It's been mostly exposition and character introductions - like, LITERAL introductions (this is Uncle Phil! And this is Carlton! Hello Ashley!). Hilary was always my favorite character, but the whole influencer thing is grating (but makes sense for an updated version of the character). The dialogue is also a little forced and the use of the word "jawn" is excruciatingly overused (I also didn't realize that is a localized Philly word, but it makes sense because the only person I see use the slang that much is Questlove). Anyway, it has potential and I like all of the actors so far, so I guess we'll see!

5. In From the Cold - Kudos to Netflix for sending an email recommending this show to me because otherwise I would have never heard of it. I feel like streaming services, in general, are doing a terrible job at promoting their shows. It's like they focus on one or two things even though they just released 10. Usually things reach me because of word of mouth (my co-workers) or Twitter (although both recommended Bridgerton to me and I'm still bitter. One of the worst series I've ever seen in my life - and not even in the "so bad it's good" category like You). But, oddly, I think Netflix probably knows my taster better than anyone (I've had the service for about 20 years). This show is pretty much a combination of Alias, Fringe, and The Americans (three of my all-time favorite shows!) and it is exactly "my shit". Also, it stars Margarita Levieva, who is someone I assumed I didn't know, but she's Amanda Clarke from Revenge (the "real" Amanda Clarke) and I also remember really liking her performance in Inherit the Viper. I'm really excited about her starring role in this because she is wonderful. I kind of wish they didn't give the premise away in the series description, though, because the pilot episode is excellent, but would have been a shocking surprise had I not known what to expect. It's still a successful pilot episode, because I immediately wanted to watch the next episode (the Limp Bizkit cover of "Break Stuff" really won me over). I also really like the woman who plays the younger Anya - she reminds me of Jodie Comer, but I'm not sure if that's just because of the character or the actress. I'm not the biggest fan of her daughter (the acting, the character are both annoying); it's never a good thing when you're rooting for an innocent teenager to die, but I definitely think it would have benefitted the show a bit. There are also some really strong action & fight sequences that felt believable (the subway kill is probably my favorite - and then they watch it on the surveillance camera! So gruesome, and kind of hilarious). Anyway, it's definitely for a specific audience, but I really liked it and am hoping Netflix renews it for another season ASAP.