Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Farewell - I...don't...get it. How is this more than a mediocre movie in any way? I was really looking forward to this because I have not been an Awkwafina fan, at all, in any movie that she's been in (and her voice is like nails on a chalkboard for me, and she seems like she's trying too hard to be shocking), but I was ready to have my mind changed. While I don't think she was as annoying in this movie, I just don't see anything special about this performance at all. She just walked around and looked sad the whole time (and it doesn't make a bit of sense that this was considered a "Comedy" at the Golden Globes, which is precisely why the GGs have become irrelevant). The movie is ok, but the only thing that sticks out to me (after watching it a few weeks ago), is the music - it is hauntingly beautiful. I do think it's important to have stories like this represented onscreen, I was just hoping for something so much more. I did laugh a few times, and of course, the story is depressing, but also a little bit hopeful. But, just overall it's a 3 star movie.

2. Fast Color - I love going into a movie completely blind - I knew nothing about this, who was in it, or even what genre it was. And I was pleasantly surprised that it is story that is right up my alley - a little bit sci-fi, a little bit indie drama, and a whole lot of slow burn (it's reminiscent of Midnight Special, or anything that Brit Marling does). I also love Gugu Mbatha-Raw. I'm waiting for her to be a star and this is a good project for her to showcase her talent. The story is about a woman who has "special powers" hiding out after being discovered. She goes back home years after abandoning her daughter with her mother. It's a small family/human drama mixed with some really cool and beautiful sci-fi "special powers" scenes. It's a really strong story of protecting your family, the strength of a mother's love, and sacrificing yourself for others. I do wish it moved a little bit quicker, and I felt like it was missing something to give it more of an edge. The ending is so beautiful, though.

3. Destroyer - I could not follow the plot of this movie. Partly because I was distracted, but mostly because it wasn't all that interesting, but also seemed way too complicated. It just starts off complicated too, so it doesn't really give the audience a chance to want to pay attention. You need to have a hook first, and Nicole Kidman in a bad wig and even worse makeup is not a hook. Basically, the movie is about a botched bank robbery and a woman trying to seek revenge, but then there is all of this other stuff thrown in for seemingly no reason. I think we are supposed to be impressed by Nicole Kidman going super trashy, but we've seen it before (The Paperboy - you know, the movie where she pees on Zac Efron). There are only two other things I want to mention - one, it takes place near where I was born (they mention Chino - which is also coincidentally where my soulmate is from. Ryan Atwood). And two, I know everyone knows that guy as Bucky but he will always be Carter Baizen to me. But the real question - does anyone know what his real name is? Didn't think so.

4. Julie, Naked - Hmmmm, I'm not sure how I feel about this movie yet. It's a little self-indulgent but so are most stories about aging rock stars. I love the cast- Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, and Chris O'Dowd. The story is extremely far-fetched (I mean two people connecting over the internet..?? Come on...), but it's also very cute. It has some interesting theories on the artist versus the people who consume art, with quotes like "you don't value it because it comes natural to you" and "art isn't for the artist", but it's all very wishy-washy. There's no real depth to any of it. It's wild to me that people dedicate themselves to this obsession over celebrities. I've had obsessions before as a teenager/young adult (I will never admit to you just how many *Nsync concerts I've been to), but it's fascinating to me that people keep these obsessions as adults. I'm not judging - whatever makes you happy. I just can't picture myself caring about...anything...to that extent anymore (except maybe Taron Egerton. But I'm not obsessed. Ok...maybe a little...). Anyway, I was pretty disappointed by the implied ending. Why can't she just stay happily single? Why is that not considered a "happy ending"?

5. Vox Lux - Oh wow. I'm sort of speechless with just how insane this movie is. Some of it is a good insane, but some of it is a very bad insane. So, let's start from the beginning. It's written and directed by Brady Corbet. If you've seen Mysterious Skin, then you've been sufficiently traumatized for the rest of your life. The best part of this whole movie is that the credits role after the first (very traumatizing) scene - it is bat-shit crazy, but I actually loved it. I'm talking the FULL credits. What a ballsy move for a new filmmaker! So the catalyst for the movie is a Columbine type school shooting in which one of the survivors becomes a pop star. It's so difficult to watch this scene, and it's horrifying that this is the "new normal". The film is basically exploring the same message as Split - that surviving tragedy makes you special (I think the line is "the broken are the more evolved") and it is problematic as fuck. Then, Jude Law appears with a very thick NY accent, and wow it is rough. I feel like he's done American accents many times before and they were fine, so I'm not sure what happened here, but it is not easy to watch. I love that Jude is appearing in more and more nowadays because it felt like he disappeared for a little while and I missed him. Remember when he was in like every movie that one year? I think it was 2004. Then, the biggest what the fuck - the star of the movie, Natalie Portman, doesn't appear until 1/2 way through. And her NY accent is even worse! And it's stronger than the younger version of the character which doesn't make an ounce of sense. I like Natalie Portman, mostly because I feel that she really challenges herself in the roles she takes, but this is a huge misfire (I do love the Closer reunion with her and Law. I love that movie!). I do think it's interesting that she chose this role with all the stuff that came out about her "relationship" with Moby. Up until Natalie appears, I thought this was an interesting movie - it speaks to the loss of innocence of that generation (she's only supposed to be 5 years younger than me, but I always think a big age gap exists between people who were adults when 9/11 happened and people who were kids. I was 20 years old. Being 15 is a whole different experience). But once Natalie appears it becomes one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's shockingly bad. The only amusement I found is when I misheard the lyrics to one of her songs as "I'm a fried egg girl in an omelette world" instead of "I'm a private girl in a public world" (my lyrics are infinitely better. I'm still laughing about it). Also, it's pretty obvious that she's supposed to be a terrible performer so why make us sit through her whole concert? It's pure torture.