Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Motherless Brooklyn - The more I think about this movie, the more I absolutely hate it. It's so uncomfortably cartoonish, but I don't think it's meant to be that way. I *think* it's supposed to be taken seriously, and that is really disturbing. I've always been a big fan of Edward Norton, but I just can't support him with this disaster. First, it's painfully and unnecessarily long. There's just so much filler and bloated scenes for absolutely no reason. Second, instead of being a pulpy stylish noir, it comes across as cliched and cheesy. Third, Norton's attempt at portraying someone with Tourette syndrome is noble, but ultimately is a distraction from his normally powerful performances. Those three things are probably the top three reasons why I hate this movie, but my list could go on for another dozen reasons, like the supporting cast- none of whom fit the role (Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe play brothers. I repeat, BROTHERS - who on Earth thought that was a good casting call?), the obvious twist of Bobby Cannavale's character, the choppy editing, the fact that it actually has no resolution and therefore NO POINT? The whole movie is just absolute garbage. The only positive thing I can say is that I like Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Not in this, but I like her, in general. That's it.

2. Waves - Aw man, I really didn't think I would see another movie from 2019 that I would want to add to my "Best of" list, but this would have absolutely made the cut (probably at #5). The worst part is that I never saw anyone talking about it! I don't follow "film twitter" as much as I once did, but I always check out everyone's yearly lists, to make sure I don't miss anything and I don't remember seeing this on anyone's. The only reason I even added it to my watch-list is because I really like the girl from Lost in Space (Taylor Russell). In a way, I'm glad I never heard anyone talk about it because that means I went into it completely blind. I knew from the beginning that something ominous was going to take place - I could feel the intensity, and that every moment served a purpose to propel the seemingly simple story forward. But, when that moment hits - it hits hard. It absolutely shook me to my core and I physically went numb for about 5 full minutes. The first half of the story feels so real and relevant to today's youth - how every emotion can explode into chaos if left unchecked. It's devastating. Kelvin Harrison Jr. is extraordinary, as is Sterling K. Brown, who portrays his father (I guess you know you're old if you're finding yourself attracted to the parents of teenage kids - this is happening to me far too often lately. He's only 5 years older than me! How does he have teenage kids?! When did this happen to me!). The second half of the movie, or "the aftermath", isn't as strong, but it's still really good and interesting. I forgot that I saw Lucas Hedges in the credits, so when he appeared in the second half, it came as a bit of a shock. I'm not really a big fan of his story arc (the whole forgiving his father part because he's dying just doesn't sit right with me, but I realize that the whole point of the movie is about forgiveness). Overall, I really loved this movie. I instantly looked up what the director, Trey Edward Shults, has previously done, and added It Comes at Night to my watch-list. I watched it the next day - and it's not as good as this,but it also stars Harrison Jr. and he gives another incredible performance. He is definitely one to watch.

3. Guns Akimbo - This movie reminds me of that movie from a few years ago, Nerve with Emma Roberts, only much more batshit crazy. And if I remember correctly, I actually ended up thinking Nerve was decent, but... this...not so much. I do really like Daniel Radcliffe, though, but let's be honest, my main reason for watching this was Samara Weaving. She just has such a fantastic screen presence, and I have the biggest crush on her recently. Unfortunately, I did not find her attractive in this (I think it's the eyebrows), but I did appreciate that by the end of the movie she is once again a complete fucking badass, covered in blood (is that going to be her thing? I do not mind it.). I like what the film is trying to do, but I just think that it's also trying a bit too hard to be edgy and it just comes off as ridiculous. There are a few scenes that made me chuckle (the "it's pre-recorded, dipshit" "Oh" reaction scene is the first to come to mind, oh and him fumbling to do things with guns attached to his hands - I laughed every time), otherwise, it's ultimately forgettable. 

4. Lucy in the Sky - Oh wow. I read that this movie was bad, but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad. The true story is so insane, and a perfect character study to make into a movie. Plus, directed by Noah Hawley and starring Natalie Portman? That sounds just brilliant. But this just isn't it. If you aren't aware of the true story - definitely look it up, it's so fascinating (in short, this woman, a brilliant engineer and astronaut, was arrested after stalking her ex and his new girlfriend. The famous part of the story is that she drove across the country to confront them, and brought diapers with her so that she wouldn't have to make any pit-stops). There's a lot of psychological aspects that could have been explored - some easy examples: (1) that someone could be so intelligent, but also so emotionally immature or (2) that being in love could actually drive someone to insanity or (3) the idea that she was emotionally manipulated, so much so, that she let this man destroy her career or (4) space travel can cause extreme emotional distress. Literally, any of these examples could have provided for some thoughtful content and commentary on mental health, but NONE of it is explored. I also feel like this was a perfect moment to explore having empathy for someone who is obviously struggling (instead of being treated as the laughing stock that she became). I appreciate that they cut the diaper part (which is the main reason she became headline news), but the movie is just so cut and dry. Plus Natalie Portman in that wig with that accent, is just all sorts of wrong. 

5. Luce - So in a complete coincidence, this is the third movie starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. that I watched within one week. I had no idea he was in this, it just happened to be next on my list. And once again, he is incredible. The cast is definitely the best part of this movie - Naomi Watts used to be my #1 favorite actress, but Cate Blanchett and Jessica Chastain have overtaken her. She just hasn't really done anything amazing lately (she's still top 3, though!!). And Octavia Spencer is perfectly cast here - she's so good in this role. The story is extremely racially charged - and so relevant to some of the discourse that I've seen circulating, which is this expectation for minorities to be "role models" for whatever ethnicity they are. The film shows this pressure, and shows how dangerous it can be - and also how it can backfire. I really like the dialogue that it addresses, but I wish it was a little more intense and interesting. Instead, it moves really slowly and it gets a little boring before it really makes its point. However, the ending is just brilliant - the little "moment" that Harrison Jr. does at the end is just chilling.