1. The King of Staten Island - I like this movie quite a bit. However, I fully believe that I would LOVE this movie if it didn't star Pete Davidson, and if it was about 40 minutes shorter. I admit, I have much more respect for Davidson after watching this - it's beautifully written and you can tell that it is deeply personal, loosely based on Davidson's life - his father was a firefighter who died on 9/11. I just don't think he has screen presence and he seems like he's trying too hard (to do what, I'm not sure? He just doesn't seem natural at all). But, just imagine how great this movie would have been starring an actor who had charisma, nuance, range, etc. As for the length, it's an Apatow staple to make a movie far longer than it needs to be, but I kind of respect him for it? He has to know that it gets criticized EVERY time, and he still sticks to making movies the way he wants to make them and is unapologetic about it. Everything else about this movie is wonderful - so many highlights, but my top ones are: (1) the firefighter scenes. Just so much love and respect is shown. The group drunkenly singing to "One Headlight" almost made me cry. (2) Bel Powley is fucking incredible in this role. There have been many girls like this written in films (she's a very typical girl from Staten Island - think of the
Jersey Shore if you're not sure what that means), but I've NEVER seen a girl like this depicted with so much depth and heart. I would honestly watch a spin-off movie with her and root for her success in making Staten Island the new Brooklyn. (3) Marisa Tomei is always a delight, but I don't feel like she's been given much to do lately (Aunt May isn't exactly hard work). This is a reminder of how lovely she is. (4) The music consists of several instrumental versions of 90s songs - and I loved every second of it. My favorite was "Scar Tissue" - it's such a beautifully arranged song. (5) I'm glad that Davidson took some liberties - specifically not having his dad die on 9/11 and instead during a different fire related incident. It would have overshadowed the story that Davidson was trying to tell (which is about his own stunted development) and I probably would have cried the whole time.
2. 21 Bridges - This was the next movie to watch on my list, but it coincided with the same week of Chadwick Boseman's death. It's just such a shocking and tragic loss. I wasn't the biggest fan of
Black Panther, but I recognize the cultural significance and my heart breaks for everyone who is grieving (especially the kids - if I see that video of those kids dancing one more time, ugh...my heart just sinks). Aside from
Black Panther, I haven't seen much of Boseman's work (although
Da 5 Bloods is on my list for this week). This movie is exactly what you expect it to be, which is nice sometimes. It's not drawn-out or overly complicated like some of these movies are - instead, it's quick, concise, and suspenseful. It's obvious as to who the "bad guy" is, but it plays out still with the right amount of precision and tension. I hate when movies like this try to "surprise" the audience with a "twist" - so I like that this movie is like "you probably already figured this out, but here's how it's going down". The supporting cast is really strong - J.K. Simmons (in a
very J.K. Simmons role), Stephan James (in the more complicated role), Sienna Miller (banging out a perfect NY accent - got to love it! She's such an underrated actress), and Taylor Kitsch (I didn't even realize it was him until his very last scene). Overall, it's entertaining - nothing incredibly special about it, but a solidly entertaining crime drama.
3. Capone - Oh boy, where do I begin? The only positive thing I can say about the movie is that it's...weird. I didn't like it, but I can appreciate the weirdness of it all. I was willing to give Josh Trank another chance (after making that disastrous
Fantastic Four movie, which seemingly may have not been totally his fault), but this movie is certainly not doing him any favors. The story is of Capone
after he gets out of jail and is slowly experiencing signs of dementia/paranoia (from syphilis). I know it's a popular story trope right now to humanize bad people (the long-lasting
Sopranos effect), but the difference is - Capone is a real person who MURDERED people. And now you want me to feel bad for him because he's living out his life in a mansion with his beautiful family but he's having trouble with his memory? FUCK THAT. The fact that he still had money when he got out of jail is...disgusting? Wouldn't they have seized everything? Tom Hardy is...Tom Hardy, I guess? I'm not really sure what to make of him anymore. He's starting to get on my nerves - I always feel like he gives his all to every performance, but I'm just tired of this quirky mumbly thing he does for every role. It's starting to feel so samey (I loved him as
Venom, though. Actually, I've loved him in everything, but this just took a bad turn for me). But the absolute worst part of this movie is the makeup. It's soooooo bad, you guys. The scars on his face literally look like he slept too long on some wrinkled sheets. This movie is just hard to watch, and certainly hard to enjoy.
4. The Art of Racing in the Rain - ***spoilers*** Well, this was a mistake. I wanted to watch a cute/light movie to lift me out of my current depression, and after the first 5 minutes, I realized that this certainly wasn't going to do it. The story is told through a dog's perspective - which is cute, but also heartbreaking. The way he can't express his feelings, but knows what's happening is so devastating (specifically, the way he knew she had a tumor - OHMYGOD. Instant tears). I think the movie is advertised incorrectly, and the title is off-putting. It implies that it's about a car racer and his BFF (the dog), but that's a whole side story that is only really relevant in the beginning. I wish I liked the human part of the story - but instead it made me super angry. First, I actually hated the main guy. He missed the birth of his child to race a car. FUCK HIM. Seriously. Second, his wife gets sick so she moves in with her parents...um...why? Because she doesn't have confidence that her own husband can take care of her? And she's probably right, but then why the fuck did you marry him? You literally vowed to take care of each other in sickness...that's the whole fucking point, no? Third, and in conclusion, these two people should have never been married. If he wants to follow his dreams (of car racing), that's fine and I will always fully support that, but there are certain life events that are more important (like the birth of your child), and if you don't feel that way, then don't get married! Then, the whole thing becomes super unrealistic with the parents fighting for custody and him suddenly have money problems - like, do you see the house you live in? That's a wealthy person's home. It's so dumb. Aside from this, the dog is super duper cute and Kevin Costner does a wonderful job of giving him the perfect voice and personality. It really made me want to get a little puppy, but I don't think I have the energy to fully take care of one (see, self-awareness is important. I know that I'm busy and also slightly selfish with how I want to enjoy my free time, which is why I shouldn't get a dog. Or have a child.).
Is it time for everyone to admit that Dave Franco is the superior Franco? I've known this since his turn on
Scrubs (he was so hilarious on that show. And hot. Super hot.). I'm so happy that he is directing, and this is sooo much better than what James directed (actually, I just looked it up, and apparently James has 39 directorial credits under his name. 39! I had no idea. I also didn't remember that he directed
The Disaster Artist, which was done really well. I think I'm just traumatized by watching the horrendous pseudo-documentary
Francophrenia that he directed. It's so bad that I had to walk out of the theater - and James was actually in the audience. I don't care, I couldn't stand it. Actually, that's not true...I do care. Sometimes I randomly think "what if I hurt his feelings?", but that's just because I'm too nice for my own good). Anyway, I liked this movie. It's very well-acted, and well-directed. The story is lacking of originality, and it's pretty predictable, but it's still told in a way that makes it interesting. I don't understand the whole idea of renting someone else's house as appealing? The whole Airbnb business model just blows my mind. And you know why? Because of....exactly what happens in this movie! I didn't even know what the movie was about and the first thing I wrote down in my notes, was "wouldn't you be scared that the place had cameras?". At least, in hotels and such, there are certain business codes that are upheld and security measures in place. I was really excited that Jeremy Allen White has such a large role - I only really know him from the American version of
Shameless, but I love him so much (Lip has my heart, always and forever). And obviously Alison Brie is great (although her being named Michelle is distracting). I was hoping for a happy outcome for both of them, because the other two people are just awful (their characters, not the actors). I'm pretty forgiving of cheating (monogamy isn't very realistic to me), but your boyfriend's BROTHER is off-limits (and ditto for your brother's GIRLFRIEND). So, those two deserved to die (obviously, I'm being dramatic, but seriously, fuck those two). There are some frustrating moments with the plot - too much foreshadowing, the idea that Michelle is more upset about something that happened 10 years ago, than the fact that her boyfriend got so fucked up that he had to bail on a hike that she planned and was super excited about (I would have been livid), the search for the camera footage - as if the footage is just going to be lying around instead of being uploaded into a personal computer or phone (or on the cloud thingy! See I know technology!), and the most frustrating part - they didn't destroy the cameras instantly (or look for more. Obviously if they were in the shower, they would be in the bedroom somewhere too). Overall though, it's a solid little horror movie. In any other year, it would be lost among the sea of mediocre movies, but this year, it may end up in my Best of the Year list. How insane.
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