Thoughts on 5 Films

1. In the Heights - I'm a big fan of musicals, but I'm just really, really, really not a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda. His style is just not for me, and I could tell that from seeing ads of Hamilton on Broadway. It was such a gigantic hit, but I absolutely dreaded ever watching it. I did watch the filmed version that's on Disney +, and I was a little disappointed at how right I was. My expectations for this were considerably lower, but the trailer looked like so much fun - so full of life and color, I did have hope (as negative as I am sometimes, I would always prefer to be surprised by something). Just like Hamilton, there are some things I really like about this movie - so I'll start there: (1) Both of the main actresses are wonderful - Leslie Grace and Melissa Barrera have amazing screen presence, beautiful voices, and show a range of emotions. Actually, even the supporting actresses are great - I just wish they had more to do. I would have loved to see more of Stephanie Beatriz and Dascha Polanco. And the most resonating scene is definitely the one with Olga Merediz. (2) The scene on the side of the building with the George Washington Bridge in the background is so stunning. I wish the rest of the movie was like this - the creativity of this combined with its simplicity is just so beautiful. I could have watched it for hours on end. But that's where it ends. I just really can't get behind anything else - the music is ok. Some of the songs are catchy, but are often ruined by the rapping (seriously, the rapping causes my whole body to convulse. It's so bad, you guys. Just *CRINGE*). It all starts to sound the same by the end. And other than the previously mentioned side of the building scene, all of the other performance numbers felt so overdone - the scene in the beauty shop with the wigs moving is so creepy, as is the public pool scene (there are SO MANY people in that pool. Just...ewwww). The story line isn't exactly original, and some of the scenes are just so cheesy - like her picking up the spray painted rags and having a fashion 'epiphany', as if tie-dye and paint splattered clothes haven't been a thing since the 70s (LOL). But to end this on a positive note - it's a cute message of appreciating where you come from, the people around you, and being proud of who you are and what you've accomplished. It's frustrating to see the negative reaction to the box office numbers - it didn't hit projections, but I feel like the expectations of those projections were extremely high to begin with. Those numbers were setting it up to fail and will now be used as justification against diverse projects like this. Just watch. 

2. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - I didn't mind the first one. Not that I really remember much about it (I *think* it's the one with the really cool under the bed scene? Or is that Insidious?). But I recently watched the second one, and I thought it was so dull. And there is no way in Hell I'm watching the Annabelle movies (it's a fucking doll. That's not scary. At all). I do love both Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson so, so much, though. This one is much better than the second one, but I got really bored about 45 minutes in - it all is just so obvious and it feels really repetitive. I don't believe any of the "true" stories for one second, so I think that hinders my enjoyment of these types of movies anyway. I also recently read in a very brief article that Ed Warren was allegedly abusive towards his wife, Lorraine in real life, which makes these movies depicting them as happily married really fucked up. I haven't looked completely into the allegations yet, but it's on my list of things to look into (like, I wonder if he blames it on some "supernatural" shit?). I did like the appearance of John Noble, in a very John Noble role, saying very John Noble things ("I have chicken shit on my hands!" HAHA, oh...John Noble. Just perfect). 

3. Things Heard & Seen - This is a weird movie - it's like What Lies Beneath, but not nearly as good (I LOVED that movie). I just think it's weird because there are so many things that just don't really make sense - and I guess we're just supposed to go with it. Like how she just opens the door for two teenage boys when she's home by herself. And how she just moved into this new home that her husband picked up without googling anything about it (and when he said "my wife doesn't know", does he just assume that she will never look into it? or ever talk to local people? It doesn't make sense). And she didn't find it a huge red flag at how quickly her husband gets angry? He was so upset about their very young daughter wanting to sleep in their bed that he sleeps in a different room. And...the thing that upset me the most is how dirty the fucking sink is. It's an old house, I get it, but seriously, that grosses me out so much. Anyway, it's all just so obvious, but there is something incredibly watchable about it. I was engrossed through the whole thing, but I just think it would have been better as a straight-forward domestic abuse/murder mystery rather than adding in the whole haunted house bit. Also, in What Lies Beneath it's a huge surprise that her husband is a monster (sorry if that's a spoiler...it's a 20 year old movie, though, so I'm not really that sorry). But in this, it's quite clear that he's awful because...um...he just looks like an asshole. I'm not really sure I'd ever be convinced that guy could play anything else (that's not a compliment to that actor). The obvious highlight is Rhea Seehorn. 

4. Chaos Walking - It's crazy to me that Tom Holland is going to be in two of the worst movies of 2021, but here we are. This was obviously going to be a mess - it was supposed to be released years ago but had a terrible audience testing and went into reshoots bringing its budget to over 100M, and released to a critical beating and a BO return of 22M (I know, I know, obviously there is a pandemic, but still that's a rough loss). Holland is definitely not the problem, here. He's so freaking adorable it hurts. And Mads Mikkelson in that fur coat? *chef's kiss*. Plus, I appreciate the ideas because they are super out there and totally weird, and...not really filmable??? So, visually it doesn't work at all. I also don't think Daisy Ridley is a good enough actress to carry half of a movie. She's fine in the Star Wars movies, because those movies are so much bigger than her. But, she's not a good actress. I don't understand why she got to keep her accent and Holland didn't? And why is her hair blonde? It's very obviously dyed blonde and not natural...so, did she dye it in space? And are we supposed to be intimidated by a Jonas brother??? They couldn't get someone...like, actually tough looking? I think my biggest problem, though, is the dialogue because it should be waaaaaaaaay funnier to hear the thoughts in a young guy's head (and like, waaaaay dirtier). Instead he's just like "oh she's pretty". Um...ok. How very boring. 

5. Pinocchio (2019) - I was curious about this movie since it was virtually unheard of until it was nominated for a few Oscars (for Makeup and Costume Design). It's super weird that it's referred to as (2019) even though it was released in 2020, and it's also super weird that there is also another one coming out that is (2021) even though it probably won't be released until 2022 (what a shit-show). I was super annoyed that Amazon Prime has this listed as the "English subtitled version", but it was actually dubbed in English. I absolutely LOATHE dubbing, but I already decided that this is what I was watching in that moment and it took so much energy making that decision I couldn't bare the thought of picking out something else to watch (I know you've all been there. All 3 of you!). Anyway, Pinocchio is probably one of my least favorite Disney classics. I don't really remember much about it - except for Figaro, of course, who doesn't exist in this version. I did not like this version, at all. It's really long and boring. Pinocchio is super fucking creepy, too. I don't see anything particularly celebratory about the costumes, either - it's all very bland. And just all around creepy. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Oxygen - Such a brilliant little sci-fi movie. I was not expecting it at all. I watched this for Melanie Laurent, but I got sucked into the intriguing plot immediately. I really fell in love with Laurent with Beginners - she has great screen presence and she's just so beautiful. I feel like these claustrophobic "one actor" stories always star men so this is a nice change of pace, and Melanie is the perfect person to carry a film like this. Plus this is the perfect movie to create during a pandemic (filmed last summer) - minimal cast, and it feels relevant but it's not directly related to real world events. There's some really cool visual elements, both in technology and camera-work. I also did not guess what was really going on at all. I thought I had it all figured out, but then the phone call with her mother really threw me off. I really enjoy all the little twists and turns, and ultimately the end is quite strong and makes a whole lot of sense. Right now this movie sits right on top of my favorite movies of this year. I expect that it won't be there for very long, but I still highly recommend it. 

2. Army of the Dead - Oh geez...where do I begin??? Well, I'll start off by saying it's not a bad movie. I don't really think someone as talented as Zack Snyder is capable of making a "bad" movie. But, it's just...quite dull for a zombie apocalypse movie. It's like Ocean's 11 mixed with Dawn of the Dead, and in theory that should be AWESOME. The plot is actually pretty solid - and having Las Vegas as ground zero for a zombie apocalypse is actually kind of genius if this were like 20 years ago when Vegas was literally just surrounded by the desert, but now there is a huge suburban boom surrounding it (my entire dad's side of the family moved there, so I know it well). Anyway, I think the only thing I like about the movie is Tig Notaro, which is kind of telling considering that she wasn't even originally part of the movie. And while I'm on the subject, digitally inserting an actor into a movie is the worst idea ever. I applaud Snyder for taking swift action against an accused sexual assaulter and child pornography solicitor, but the whole idea scares me. And it just feels off. I wonder if I would have noticed had I not known in advance, but it was hard to ignore that she feels unnaturally inserted into the movie. I also liked the girl who plays Bautista's daughter. She reminds me of Marion Cotillard (which is obviously a compliment of the highest order). But, I pretty much suffered through everything else. Visually, it's really freakin' blurry. Obviously a stylistic choice, but I hated it. I don't need to be shown what to focus on. The emotional notes all fell completely flat. The character that, I think, is supposed to provide comic relief, Dieter, is really annoying. It's waaaay too long, and it feels like every scene is dragged out an extra 3 minutes, at least. And finally, the music choices are really obvious - everything from "Viva Las Vegas" to "Zombie", if the movie was better, this might have worked and added to the campiness and fun, but instead it feels obnoxious. Overall, objectively, it's a 3 star movie, but I just wanted it to be so much more. 

3. Wander Darkly - I'm in love with this movie, honestly. It's odd and confusing at times, but the heart of it is so damn beautiful. I can deeply relate to the main character in the movie - played by Sienna Miller, in a very stripped-down performance. I think if you've ever had issues with your memory, or had the feeling of your brain "breaking" or just have had a feeling of being incapacitated, then you'll be able to relate to it, too. The film focuses on this couple basically reliving their memories of important moments in their relationship. It has the same vibe as The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (a very underrated movie) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But, the innovation behind it is that you watch the scene - their "memory", but then they break "the moment" by talking about it while they are acting it out (I'm not sure this makes sense, but I'm not really sure just how to describe it - it's like a meta recreation of memories?). I find it so interesting how people can experience the same moment but remember it differently. There's a lot of mystery behind what is going on - Is she dead, alive, in a coma? Will it end darkly with her giving in to her feeling of being dead or will it end with hope? I felt very overwhelmed emotionally, and I actually had to wipe a tear away at the end. There's some really great dialogue too - my favorite was the zombie interaction "zombies? But you hate zombies...", "they are my people now", but the line that hit me really hard is "You keep trying to prove that I'm okay, but I can prove that I'm not". All of it flows so well, even when it's weird and confusing, but I do think some of it becomes a little repetitive. Otherwise, I love it so much. Also, Sienna and Diego Luna make a really adorable couple. 

4. Love and Monsters - Super, super cute movie. I like Dylan O'Brien a lot. He reminds me a little bit of Logan Lerman, mixed with Cory Monteith, mixed with my high school boyfriend (all are good things). So many things I like here - the opening is great, the use of narrating the story through his letters is a perfect use of a voice-over device (you get inside his head, without it feeling forced), the monsters are super cool and imaginative, and THE DOG is the best dog in the whole wide world. There are really strong, emotional scenes - like the "sky jellies" falling with "Stand by Me" playing. It all just works really well. But then, the last 1/2 hour just ruins everything. *spoilers ahead* It's obvious that the new group are "bad guys", and this whole "humans are worse than the monsters" trope is really overused lately. I just don't feel like any of it is actually necessary? It could have ended a lot more simply and sweetly. It's still a really cute movie, though. It just turned a 4 star movie into a 3 1/2 star movie, and that's super annoying. 

5. Plan B - Sometimes it's inevitable to compare movies of similar themes and genres - and as this is a female coming of age tale about two best friends and one crazy night - it's easy to compare it to its most recent predecessor - Booksmart, and I have to say that this is SO MUCH BETTER. It instantly feels more authentic and genuine. Sorry, I know I'm supposed to like Booksmart (all the elements are there), but I kind of really, really didn't. Sunny and Lupe felt like real people - actual teenagers that I would have been friends with in high school. With Booksmart, I felt like I could not connect with those kids at all - and I assumed that it was just because of the generational aspect, but this makes me realize that, no, that movie just tried way too hard and it didn't work for me. I don't think I've ever seen the two main girls in anything before, but they are both hilarious and cute. I don't necessarily connect with the plot - as it takes place in South Dakota and it's a very different place than where I grew up (sex-ed was actually about sex-ed not abstinence) and I think emergency morning after pills became available in like 98/99, but it was so new it still didn't really feel like an option. Anyway, my favorite part about this movie is that I laughed really hard multiple times. Like when they are trying to read the map - "is that red line traffic?". And the Jesus rap is hilarious. Oh wait, actually, my favorite part is that the guy that Sunny likes is actually a genuinely nice guy who likes her. I kept waiting for the twist of him being an asshole like making fun of her or pretending like he doesn't know her in front of his friends, but he doesn't. It's the best.