Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Stowaway - I like this movie even though it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a bit more...sinister, I guess. I kept waiting for something evil to happen; some big twist that changed everything. But instead it's a very quiet, slow-burn story about sacrifice. It's weird because I felt disappointed and a little bored while watching it, but after it was over it stayed with me, and the more I thought about it, the more I like it. I do think that some of the acting is a bit questionable (I like Anna Kendrick in some things, but definitely not dramatic roles), but both Toni Collette and Daniel Dae Kim shine as expected. The biggest fault that I have with the movie is something that I don't usually complain about, but the music is way too overwhelming. It is just so oddly noticeable and it outweighs every scene. I also think that there is this expectation that it should be a bit more "sci-fi" in its story-telling, but instead it's a "drama set in space". Once you wrap your head around that, I think it's a very strong movie. There's a lot of depth and thought put into the moral dilemma that is the heart of the story. 

2. Uncle Frank - I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Written and Directed by Alan Ball (which could go either way for me because Six Feet Under is my favorite show ever, but I absolutely loathe True Blood), featuring a stellar performance from Paul Bettany, I think it encapsulates a relatable tale of self-loathing, guilt, and family dysfunction very well. It also feels very realistically in its time - set in the early 70s, it never feels over-the-top in its styling. There are a lot of small moments that will stay with me - like when his aunt very sweetly said "you're all going to Hell, you know" after finding out that he's gay. It reminded me of when my boyfriend's very religious, very Cuban grandmother came to his gay brother's wedding and we all remarked how well she was handling things, and then she came up to my boyfriend and in the sweetest voice said "I guess I only have one grandson now". It was jarring because she didn't say it in a hateful way, just a matter-of-fact. Anyway, I think a lot of people can relate to this, even if it is a story from almost 50 years ago (how devastating is that to process?). 

3. The Woman in the Window - I've said it before, but I don't think Joe Wright will ever do anything as stunning as the first half of Atonement, but I have hope every time I hear of a new project. You seemingly can't go wrong with Amy Adams and Julianne Moore in a Rear Window inspired story with a fittingly Hitchcockian style. But somehow this goes just so wrong. It's somewhere between serious drama and hilariously camp, but I'm not quite sure which one it's supposed to be. It's also extremely Obvious with a capital O. If you didn't figure out every twist within the first 40 minutes, then hopefully it's because you just lost interest in the plot. The biggest surprise for me is that it's Anthony Mackie that she's married to! His voice is featured in the beginning, and I recognized it but I couldn't place it. It's weird that him and Wyatt Russell are in a movie together (two Captain Americas in one movie?? It would have been hilarious if Chris Evans had a quick cameo for shits and giggles). I wasn't that bothered by the movie until the end. I thought it was "fine" until the "reveal" of who the killer is (which is already Obvious) and then they overly explain everything and is just flat out insane - it reminds me of the killer reveal in the first Scream movie, but that was supposed to be camp and hilarious. The tone of this is just wildly inconsistent. But it's beautifully shot, because of course it is. Also, the whole thing could have just been avoided if people had WINDOW COVERINGS. They are like "stop watching our house or I'll call the police!", ummmmm just cover your fucking windows. Just so dumb. 

4. Those Who Wish Me Dead - I think this is a solid little thriller - very much in the same vein as The Client (UGH I LOVE The Client so much - still quote the line "I don't want a laaaawyer, I said I neeeed a laaaawyer" pretty regularly, and no, nobody ever gets it). And I really missed movie star Angelina Jolie. I think the only projects she's done recently are the Maleficent movies, right? And she was excellent in them. I don't know when it became cool to hate her, but I think she's great. She's wonderful in this, but surprisingly takes a backseat to an ass-kicking pregnant woman. Her name is Medina Senghore and I'm pretty sure this is the only thing I've ever seen her in, and HOLY SHIT she is awesome. I absolutely love that she does not fall into the cliche of the innocent victim. Outshining Angelina Jolie seems like an impossible thing to do, but she fucking does it. I also really like the chemistry/comradery between Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult. I would love a spin-off tale featuring these two assassins - like a prequel that shows how they got partnered together. I just really liked this whole thing; there isn't necessarily anything special about it, but it's extremely watchable and interesting with fully engaging characters and tension. Sometimes that's all that's necessary. Also, what a great title. 

5. The Personal History of David Copperfield - I think my expectations were just a little too high for this - I read a few really good things about it (it has a 92% critic score on RT!), but overall I think it's just "ok". It's a satisfying re-telling of David Copperfield, but there's nothing particularly memorable about it. I think they realized that the story is just really...boring (I don't mean that in a mean way, just that it's such a classic story, it's hard to make it feel modern and interesting again), so they do these odd scenes to spruce it up a bit (like the fast-forwarded "to the theater!" scene), but it didn't really work at grabbing my attention. Dev Patel is charming enough and it took me the whole movie to recognize Morfydd Clark (from Saint Maud! What an incredible performance), but the rest of the cast seems wasted to me. I also feel like the way critics described it as "whimsical", "energetic" and "sharp-witted", I thought it was going to be more like the style of the apple+ show Dickinson, which is a brilliant show, and this pales in comparison.