Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Trial by Fire - I hadn't heard of this movie, but I came across it while scrolling for something to watch. Jack O'Connell and Laura Dern certainly peaked my interest. It's based on a true story about a man who was executed for killing his 3 children in a fire, despite there being a significant amount of evidence proving his innocence. It's definitely an interesting story, but the film doesn't give it the emotional resonance that this story needs. It feels like a TV movie - which isn't really an insult anymore, but I meant it as one. I usually love Jack O'Connell (he will ALWAYS be Cook from Skins, to me), but this performance is rough - the awful American accent combined with the white-trash persona, it just felt so inauthentic. There was a highlight with Emily Meade, though. She felt like a real person, flawed and confused. I also appreciated that they never shied away from how awful this couple were - they were both physically and emotionally abusive to each other, and were probably terrible parents, but it doesn't necessarily make him a murderer, though. He was definitely convicted based on his background and his past immoral behavior, and that's where the problem lies. It's just a terribly tragic story on many levels, but I wish the film was stronger.

2. On the Basis of Sex - While this was a typical biopic that I'm not necessarily thrilled about, I still enjoyed watching it. It's a cute movie that gives a little insight into Ruth Bader Ginsburg's rise to the Supreme Court, but it also delves into her marriage and her relationship with her daughter (who idolizes Gloria Steinem). It's always a joy to watch Felicity Jones - she's just such a delight. Plus, I learned a few things! (1.) I knew Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an amazing woman, but I didn't realize just how amazing. (2.) I had no idea her husband had testicular cancer back in the 50s. And she took his classes for him so that he could stay in Law School while undergoing treatment. I absolutely LOVE their love story. They are both so inspiring. (3.) I never realized how tiny she is. I know this seems trivial, but it's really hard to be taken seriously, not only as a woman, but especially as a tiny woman (trust me). The only thing I hated about the movie was the final shot - it was so poorly done and unnecessary. We already know what RBG looks like.

3. Knives Out - I enjoyed this movie a lot, but I didn't love it like I was expecting to. The cast is phenomenal - led by the stunning Ana de Armas. I am so excited that she is EVERYWHERE now. I fell in love with her in Blade Runner 2049 and I'm so excited to see her as a Bond girl. The rest of the cast is a dream - Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, the girl from 13 Reasons Why, Daniel Craig (I'm leaving off Chris Evans, sorry, he's just so dull. I'll never understand why people are so obsessed with him. Although he's been funny before with The Losers and Scott Pilgrim. Overall, though, BLAAAAHHH.). I think I went in with the "trust nothing" attitude, so that's exactly what I did and that led me to assume that the story that was presented as the "truth" was not in fact "the truth". I guessed who did it, but I definitely would never have figured out how that person did it. I wish it was a little campier (like Clue or Once Upon a Crime), I just didn't have as much fun watching it because it took itself a little too seriously. There are a few funny moments - I loved the reference to "Flam", which is obviously a jab at Gwyneth Paltrow's "Goop" company (on a side-note, at work I was asked to listen to a podcast with Gwyneth and some other ridiculous woman about women in leadership. This is what the world is coming to - I'm supposed to take advice on leadership from Gwyneth fucking Paltrow. Fucking kill me.).

4. Alita: Battle Angel - Once you get past the "look" of it, it's an ok movie. But I had a really hard time with visuals for at least an hour before I was able to focus on anything else. There are a few things I really enjoyed - It has a really, really fascinating sci-fi premise. Jennifer Connelly is wonderful, as always, and Rosa Salazar is fantastic (but ruined by the special effects, such a shame). The scene in the pub is wonderful and very effective, and the last hour had a really intense pace that I appreciated. Everything else is pretty tough. Aside from the visuals, the second worst part of the movie was the guy who played Hugo. The lines are always cheesy with movies like this, but he really took it to another level of cheese. Also, I wish some of the supporting cast were featured more because there are some really awesome people involved (Eiza Gonzalez, Jackie Earle Haley, Mahershala Ali). I think it's weird that it has this fairly large cult following of people demanding sequels and such. It's very mediocre overall.

5. The Dead Don't Die - I always assumed I was a Jim Jarmusch fan, but after looking at his filmography, I'm not so sure. I liked Broken Flowers to a degree, same for Only Lovers Left Alive, but man, did I loathe Paterson (and I don't think I've ever seen Coffee And Cigarettes). This is by far, my favorite film of his, and I think it's weird that it's his worst according to reviews. I thought it was really interesting, and different, and hilariously sarcastic. At first, I was really aggravated by the sight of Adam Driver (whyyyyy the fuck is he in EVERY movie?), but he's perfectly dry in this. I really loved the entire cast - Bill Murray, Caleb Landry Jones, RZA, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Sevigny - they all played to their strengths. My favorite scene is when they discover the two murdered waitresses - it's so awkwardly odd and serious, but also dryly funny. I also loved that they kept ironically referring to Selena Gomez as a "hipster" because if I close my eyes and picture a celebrity hipster, it is most definitely Adam Driver and Chloe Sevigny. And my favorite bit was towards the end when it just goes full-blown meta ("I know because I read the script" - I gasped with shock and laughter). I had a lot of fun watching this movie and I would actually consider watching it again, because I feel like I might have missed a lot of smaller jokes.