Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Gentlemen - I've been bitching for a while now for Guy Richie to go back to making original movies - it's been so long! Since RocknRolla (a case can be made for The Man from U.N.C.L.E, I guess). I was very excited for this, but then I saw some of the posters and it looked like a bad copy of Kingsman (especially with similar titles, too). But even weirder, it ended up being a decent copy of Matthew Vaughn's directorial debut, Layer Cake. I don't know if there is a war between these two (seems like they keep trying to one up each other), but I am Team Vaughn 100% (he gave the world the gift that is Taron Egerton, and has consistently kept him employed, as he is a producer on Rocketman and Eddie the Eagle). Anyway, as far as this movie goes, it's not as great as I wanted it to be, but it's hard not to love a movie with this cast. Colin Farrell is the obvious highlight - his initial scene in the cafe had me dying. Just so perfect. Charlie Hunnam is sexy, and he finally gets to keep his natural accent which makes him even sexier. And Henry Golding is also really hot. The whole meta storyline, and story within a story, and this story I'm about to tell you is a lie and then I'm going to rewind and tell you what really happened, got really grating for me. It kept losing my attention, but it's a movie that you have to pay attention to so I kept rewinding it. I think there is just something missing but I can't really pinpoint what that is. Overall, I did like it, though. I was just expecting something more exciting.

2. Horse Girl - If you don't know anything about this movie, I suggest you keep it that way before watching it. It's a movie that I knew nothing about except that Alison Brie stars in it - and I love her, so I was instantly hooked. *spoilers ahead* But what the movie turns into is really unexpected and...exciting in a way. It just starts so slow and normal, and descends into complete madness. At first, I was a little offended by the implications that this girl was "weird" because she seemed like she was living my life (I work, I watch tv, I sleep, I repeat), but then just as I was thinking this - she gets...creepy. I like that you don't really understand what's happening to this girl at first. Eventually, you realize that she's having a mental breakdown (or she is being abducted by aliens if you prefer to take the film more literally). I've said it before, but even though I'm not scared of much in this world, I think having a mental breakdown is just about the most terrifying thing I can imagine. And maybe it's because I think it's actually a possibility for me? I had a mini one last July - where I literally started hallucinating, I lost time, and I couldn't verbalize what was happening to me. It was horrible. It was a little different than what this character is going through because mine was linked to depression and stress, while hers is more of a bipolar/paranoia issue (at least I tell myself this because I feel like I have more control over it, which is comforting). I think this is a movie that I will think about for a while, and I love when that happens. Plus, it has some really charming moments - the birthday party scene, as a whole, is really great - the white guy rap is hilarious, as is the guy's confusion over what "a baker's dozen" means. Although, I have to say if someone was trying to set me up with a "weird, loner girl" and I opened the door to someone who looks like Alison Fucking Brie, I would be way more ecstatic than this guy seems to be. Oh, and Brie co-wrote this, so that's super cool.

3. The Lighthouse - This didn't seem like my kind of movie, but it just received so many great reviews. I honestly thought I was going to be surprised by it. But unfortunately, I think I hated it. I'm a big fan of Robert Pattinson - and I'm excited for his take on Batman, it's such a surprising casting choice (and I'm reminded now of that actor's roundtable interview where Eddie Murphy was comforting Pattinson and he said something like "I think you'll be a great Batman" and then he instantly turned to Taron Egerton and said "and you'd make a great James Bond" and Taron got all flustered. That's two Taron mentions in one post! I can't help it, he's the only thing that's keeping me going at the moment). Anyway, spending 4 weeks with someone in a small space is definitely my version of Hell, and that's basically what this movie is about. I just don't connect to it, and I should. It's also really dark in parts (in color, and also subject matter), so I had trouble seeing what was going on (and I even put my glasses on!). The accent bothered me a lot - I didn't even think it was supposed to be American, but apparently it's supposed to be a Maine dialect. I can't say that I know a lot of people from Maine, so maybe it's done well, but it still was hard to listen to. And, just in case you haven't seen it, and want to know just what you're getting into - he fucks a mermaid, and just when I contemplated the logistics of that to myself, "how does one go about fucking a mermaid?", a mermaid vagina flashes across the screen. Asked and Answered. The movie just felt like it was trying too hard to be weird and that's always frustrating for me.

4. The Way Back - Not something I was particularly excited to watch - it just seemed like a cliched sports movie, while also being a cliched substance abuse movie. And, it is both of those things. However, I enjoyed it way more than I was expecting to. I'm a big fan of Ben Affleck, but he's done this "working class, average Joe" character TO DEATH (to the point, where I think he thinks he can still relate to this type of role, but he hasn't been "working class" in over 20 years). He still does it really well, though (and he might even get an Oscar, considering everything else has been canceled this year? Maybe they should just cancel the Oscars? Or just give it to Taron Egerton as an apology for overlooking Rocketman? That's THREE times. I'll stop now. I promise.). I think it's pretty clear that Ben put his own personal history with abuse into this movie, which made it more authentic and genuine, and also sad. Just plain sad. I liked that the movie doesn't end with the big "winning game", and then everything is suddenly great (i.e a typical happy ending), instead it gets pretty dark and self-destructive. On as side-note, I will never understand drinking beer all day. Don't you feel bloated and gross? I love beer, but if I'm trying to get drunk (and wallow in self-pity), I would drink hard liquor. Just seems logical...

5. Late Night - I was so IN for this movie in the beginning with Emma Thompson being a character who is in a position of power, but treats other women like garbage, as she has an "issue with women". It's such an underrated problem that women have to deal with, but it's way more common and simpler to blame men. I thought that it had so much potential, but it never really went anywhere - and instead, the character is just a bitch to everyone regardless of sex, so the setup in the beginning is pointless. It's interesting that in reality we aren't even at the point of having a female late-night talk show host, but the story revolves around one that's been on the air for so long that she's getting stale. It's also interesting that it still feels outdated (they act like "slut-shaming" is a new term, and that's been around since I was in high school, so at least 20 years). I'm a big fan of Mindy Kaling, so I think I just expected something more original and modern (I don't think she gets enough credit for her comedic talent in writing and, also, timing - she's brilliant). I do think it did a good job at creating really genuine, layered, complicated characters. It also focused a lot on the importance of diversity within a team, and writing from your own experience (pointing out that people want to hear from women over the age of 50 - however, Pamela Adlon outdid this sentiment with an absolutely perfect season of Better Things). And Emma Thompson is incredible, as usual.