1. A Quiet Place - I really wanted to see this in theaters, but I read so much about how sound and the use of silence is really important, and I thought that a theater audience might ruin the experience for me (I've had many terrible theater experiences lately - surprisingly everyone was really respectful in
First Man which also relied on the use of sound.). Anyway, I decided it would be best to wait for home viewing and I'm glad I did. I was able to immerse myself in it more than I think I would have in a theater. It's really quite a beautiful movie about family, love, loss, and sacrifice. John Krasinski is on a major high right now (I knew after watching
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men that John was much more than Jim Halpert; that he was on his way to a very interesting career.). There are so many things I love about this movie - the unique (and intense) concept, the gorgeous crane shots used while walking through the woods, and Emily Blunt's stunning performance - showcasing the fucking strength of a mother. The gender politics are pretty interesting, because it's very traditional yet modern. I think some saw it as problematic, but I think it's realistic. I think if a sort of apocalypse type situation happened we would rely on our genetic strengths of men being the "hunters" and women being the "caretakers". But I think this film shows that ultimately we all need to work together to protect our family (or the human race, if that were the case). I like this type of horror film because it feels very realistic, even with the sci-fi twist. It's interesting that it's produced by Michael Bay - I love to put together pieces of movie deals that probably went down (i.e Bay totally said "sure I'll finance your weird, practically silent movie, but your going to be in my shitty Benghazi movie". Bay is also a producer on the new Jack Ryan series, so obvi they like working together). The only
problem that I have with the movie is the convenient ending (wouldn't the world's scientists have already experimented with sound to ward off these alien things?). Also, when he's in his basement testing the radios all 4 of my cats looked right at the television so I'm pretty sure aliens with super-sensitive hearing would hear the buzzing of the radio waves.
2. Ocean's 8 - While it's an enjoyable movie, I was incredibly disappointed. There is just so much potential that is untapped. Sandra Bullock has been one of my favorite people since
Speed. I just ADORE her. And
Ocean's 11 is one of my all-time favorite re-watchable movies. The combination is just pure genius. Add in one of the greatest actresses of her generation - Cate Blanchett, and my head just explodes with the possibilities. Maybe it's my high expectations or the fact that I can think of 100 different ways to make this movie fantastic, but ultimately I found this movie just so dull. I think I'm a little bothered by the fact that they are stealing from a museum - a place that is not only educational and inspiring, but also completely innocent. The reason you root for Danny Ocean and his crew is because he's stealing from a sleazy, asshole casino billionaire. I was also not really impressed with anyone else in the cast - none of them stand out at all (I think I'm alone in this thought though because I read rave reviews about Awkwafina - but she had like 5 lines, maybe? and I remember exactly zero of them). And GROOOAN James Corden. Probably the least funny popular comedian alive (or maybe that's Kevin Hart?). Who thought that was a good casting decision? UGH.
3. Ant-Man and the Wasp - Wow, you guys. This is terrible. I wasn't expecting it to be terrible at all. I thought it was supposed to be good or at least Marvel mediocre. It's at the bottom of the barrel for Marvel movies. Yup, right down there alongside
Thor. The plot is messy and predictable. There are too many bad guys so it felt really unfocused. The timeline doesn't make sense because it says "present day" which would mean after
Infinity War, but it's clearly happening at the same time as
Infinity War which is in the past. The girl who played Ghost is a terrible actress. Actually everyone seemed pretty terrible. They lost the chemistry that the first one had; every interaction felt very forced. The whole thing was just unexpectedly painful. At least Evangeline Lilly's hair is better in this one. And the ending is pretty shocking even if you know it's coming. I think because it's so boring, I started to forget what I was watching and lost the bigger picture of it - and then the ending happened and I gasped out-loud. I'm pretty excited to see where the story goes and I'm really looking forward to Captain Marvel.
4. Incredibles 2 - I don't remember the first one (it was 14 years ago! How do people remember things from that long ago?). And when I say I don't remember, I really, truly mean it. Not a single thing. I guess maybe I should have watched it again before watching this one, but who has that kind of time? So because I don't remember the first one, I was really surprised at the voice casting - Holly Hunter....really? For a voice role? How weird is that? Anyway, I absolutely hated this sequel. It's really boring and predictable. The jokes land with a thud. And it's sexist. Not in an obvious way, of course. Because the general story is all about "feminism", but the undertones are really filled with sexist bullshit. The "bad guy" basically hand-picks her because she is easier to manipulate (because female) and half of the plot is about how the father actually has to take care of HIS OWN CHILDREN as if that's a burden for him. The only positive thing I can say is that I love that both Jonathon Banks and Bob Odenkirk are voices because what a weird
Better Call Saul connection.
5. Hereditary - The trailer scared the crap out of me. The movie not so much. The ridiculous ending really ruins it. It's a very "what the fuck" ending, but not in a good way. The first hour of the movie isn't even a horror movie, it's a psychological drama. The catalyst for the story is really unexpected (and thankfully not given away in the trailer), it's a scene that I will likely never forget. I'm actually cringing just thinking about it. But then after it happens, absolutely nothing makes sense. And even worse, nothing feels real. Toni Collette is brilliant though. I would be okay with her getting tons of award nominations for this performance. Her scream face is just THE BEST. Alex Wolff is also really great - I recognized him from
In Treatment (pretty weird to have Gabriel Byrne as his father again, especially because they look nothing alike), but he's also been in more recent films like
Patriots Day and the new
Jumanji movie. Pretty interesting career so far. Anyway, it's not a terrible movie, but it's just not my thing.
