Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Mary Queen of Scots - Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie are probably my two favorite young actresses. They have both done some incredible work and have made really interesting career choices. They both are phenomenal in this otherwise perfectly adequate film. The film is definitely more centered on Mary, but Robbie really shines as Queen Elizabeth I, it was definitely a more challenging role and she really went for it. I love Period Dramas, but I always have a problem discerning between background characters because everyone looks the same. Definitely a big problem in this movie - I couldn't figure out which character was on which side. I also tend to get confused when it comes to British Royalty and then I furiously google who everyone is instead of just focusing on what I'm watching. I also am really skeptical when it comes to how truthful these movies are because honestly so many plot points could be completely made up, and I wouldn't know the difference (like the scene where they beat her gay friend to death - looked it up and it seems to be partly true). Overall, I would recommend this movie (for the acting, alone), but if you're not into this type of movie then this will probably bore you to death.

2. Kong: Skull Island - Super fun Blockbuster movie. And, man, what a cast! Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston (weird to see them all together in a non-Marvel movie), Toby Kebbell, and the standout performance, John C. Reilly. His comedic timing really makes the movie. I also really love all the of 70s nostalgia feeling throughout. It's done really well, with a bit of grainy images mixed with modern special effects. It also, not so subtlety, gives several nods to "Heart of Darkness" (characters named Marlow and Conrad). The best part of the whole movie is Jackson's Jurassic Park reference with one of his most famous lines "Hold on to your butts!". I laughed so hard at that. There are a few minor issues that I had with this movie - the first, and most important, is that I rooted for all of them to die the second that they started shooting at Kong without provocation. Second, Toby should never do a Southern accent again. Third, it's about 20 minutes too long so it feels really bloated. It would have been so much more fun if they just trimmed a little bit here and there.

3. Mortal Engines - This world building could have been so great - the idea of mobile cities is actually really fantastic, but this movie is just....so boring and lifeless. The main girl (sorry, I'm too lazy to look up her name) is part of the problem. She looks a little like Alexis Bledel, and it's really disappointing that she's not. But then she also looks a little like Elle Fanning, and again, she's not. Instead, she's just there...with no screen presence at all. There's also the guy from Misfits (again, lazy), who is also extremely dull here. But the biggest surprise is Leila George - I did look her up while watching the movie, because she looks so much like Melissa George, and I thought that maybe they were sisters, but apparently they are of no relation (even though they both have the same last name, and are from Australia, and LOOK IDENTICAL. I mean, they just have to be related). Instead, I found out that she is the daughter of Vincent D'Onofrio and Gretta Scacchi (still so weird to see actors I grew up with having ADULT children. It makes me feel so old). And the biggest mind-blowing tidbit I learned about her is that she is dating Sean Penn. Again, Vincent D'Onofrio's DAUGHTER is dating Sean Penn. Hollywood is so weird. All of this information is more interesting than this movie, I promise. I lost the plot after an hour, and suddenly there were these weird skeleton Terminator type monsters and I have no idea why, nor do I care.

4. Fahrenheit 451 - I just don't think this works as a movie - there are just some books that need to be protected in our mind, and this is one of them. I've avoided watching the film version from the 60s for this exact reason, but this cast was just too intriguing - Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon are a winning combination. However, this film is just so dull, and I don't really see how that could have been avoided. I like that they updated the "future" to include virtual reality, digital copies of books, and that there is some really strong commentary on the problems with "PC culture" (being offended by works of art because they depict racism, sexism, etc. - it's all coming to a terrifying conclusion). I think they tried to make the film have a Blade Runner feel, but it feels like a knock-off and not in a good way. There are a few really strong scenes (the VR club scene comes to mind), but overall it feels like a made-for-television movie (which I think it is? This wasn't released into theaters, was it? It's hard to keep track nowadays).

5.  The Snowman - You guys, this is a terrible movie. BUT, not as terrible as I was led to believe. I mean, a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes is definitely an exaggeration. It's hard to watch the movie without thinking of all the "Mr. Policeman" snowman memes and laughing hysterically throughout, but it has a semi-interesting plot, a loaded cast (Fassbender, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rebecca Ferguson, Chloe Sevigny, J.K. Simmons, and Val Kilmer) and an overall mystery that isn't revealed until the end. Granted, the twist is actually terrible, but twists are often terrible in these types of movies. I'm assuming that the book is really good, and that the initial script was strong (otherwise how did it attract all of this talent??). The movie just dragged a lot, some bits were a bit ridiculous, and it's poorly edited. I was also really disturbed by Val Kilmer's performance, but then I looked him up and apparently he had throat cancer so they had to dub all of his dialogue. I'm not going to put any negative energy in his direction - dude's a legend and I hope he's feeling better soon.