1. Most Wanted (FYI: apparently in most places, this movie is called
Target Number One) - I watched this movie for Josh Hartnett (obvi); I am really he makes a big comeback. I
think I liked this movie, but I watched it a few weeks ago and I am struggling to remember it, so that's never a good sign. The story is a little bit "been there, done that" territory - journalist investigates a cover-up, but I like the way it is told a little bit out of order. But it definitely could have been told within a 90 minute time-frame and it would have been far more intense. The best part of the movie is Antoine Olivier Pilon - he does an incredible job, plus, bonus, he's such a cutie! Especially when he's dancing around to "Respect" (Sadly, he was born in the 90s which means he's too young for me. And before you ask, my love, Taron Egerton was born in 89 so he makes the cut...just barely). Anyway, that's all I got. It reminded me of that Jeremy Renner movie (I think it was called
The Messenger?) - not in plot, but just the way if feels dated but it's still a well-told story.
2. Lost Girls & Love Hotels - I LOVE Alexandra Daddario and I've been bitching for her to do something that doesn't rely on her looks, but sadly this isn't it. I mean, she doesn't run around in a wet t-shirt in this and the role is a lot darker than her previous characters, but she still gets naked (again, not complaining, I just feel like she can do more). Plus, it's really weird that she doesn't show her tits through the whole movie - even noticeably hides them during sex scenes, only for her to show them in the end. It felt like a reward for sitting through this shitty movie, and
that is even more objectifying than anything else she's done. This movie is basically
Lost in Translation mixed with
50 Shades of Grey, which is certainly not
*my* thing, but it's definitely someone's (?). I think this whole movie can be boiled down to the scene at the end where she is tied up for like 5 minutes, and then the line "it doesn't make you special or interesting that you like this" happens - because IRONY. First, she's literally the main character and the film is telling "us" that she's not interesting, but also, if it's not interesting then why the fuck are there so many movies about it? Where are all the movies about women who enjoy sex
without violence? The film also never tells us
anything else about her. So what exactly is the point? I can't quite find one, and I have no interest in thinking about this movie any further.
3. Kajillionaire - I don't know why, but I had really high hopes for this movie even though I haven't really loved any of Miranda July's previous movies. She's still someone I root for. And just because I didn't *love* them, doesn't mean that I don't admire them. She's got this quirky original style that seems really authentic (and it's something that I think a lot of people in the industry fake - I'm not naming names...). I've also always been a huge fan of Evan Rachel Wood, so it's really unfortunate that I did not like this movie. It's well-made, has some wonderfully nuanced performances, and has an interesting story - overall another solid 3 star movie. But there is also some things that made it very hard for me to enjoy - the biggest one being Wood's unnaturally low voice. I was also very confused by her age and also how much time passes during the course of the movie. Wood looks young, but certainly
not teenager young which is what is implied in the beginning, but then suddenly she seems much older about an hour in. It's just really jarring. But there are also three things that are wonderful - (1) I literally screamed out "holy shit...is that...Debra Winger??!!" because I haven't seen her in ages and I adore her. It's wonderful seeing her onscreen again. (2) I've never seen Gina Rodriguez in anything before and she is DELIGHTFUL. Definitely the best part of the movie. I just instantly fell in love with her. (3) The last scene with the kiss is just stunning.
4. Godzilla vs. Kong - First, team Kong, always and forever. Second, I've actually never really seen many
Godzilla movies aside from the most recent ones. I've only seen bits and pieces, and I've really never had any interest in seeing more. Third, am I missing a Kong movie with Rebecca Hall? It feels like I'm supposed to know who these people are - so I assumed I missed a movie, but afterwards I looked it up and I couldn't find anything. I really liked this whole part of the story - with the young girl bonding with Kong using sign language. I'm slowly teaching myself ASL, so this was a good test for me (I failed. It's actually much harder for me than I expected because I learn by writing things down - and it's impossible to write down hand movements so it's all based on memorizing and I have a really, really terrible memory. But I'm not giving up. It's just going to take me a long time). Anyway, I think this is definitely one of the better monster movies to come out in recent years - the plot was decent, even though it is pretty obvious as to how it will all play out. The cast is fantastic - Hall, Alexander Skarsgard, Eiza Gonzalez (lover her, even though she didn't have much to do), and Brian Tyree Henry all kept me interested in the story. And most importantly, the destruction and the fight scenes are glorious.
I'm not quite sure I understand all the buzz about this movie, but it's still really cute and sweet. It's just not anything amazing or Oscar-worthy. I did really love how it's animated - it's so beautiful with the muted colors and it feels classic and timeless. I just think the plot is very paint-by-numbers fairytale - there are no surprises or interesting plot-lines. And I didn't even really feel any connection to the characters. I honestly struggled to pay attention to it. I know I'm in the minority, obviously, but it's just...cute. I don't even really have anything else to say. I can't imagine that I'll remember anything about it a few years from now.
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