Fall Movie Preview: 9 Films I'm Excited About

It's been a long time since I've done a preview post because everything got so fucked up with movie releases during Covid - it seemed pointless to talk about something and then have it pushed back a year. But, somehow, things seem to be getting back to normal and most of the releases seem locked in (*crosses fingers and toes*). So, here is what I'm looking forward to this Fall: 

1. Spencer - I've stated it on here before, but as a reminder, I am super fascinated with Princess Diana. I idolized her, just like a lot of young girls my age did. I've been majorly disappointed in the way she's been portrayed in movies/tv - and I don't think anyone has gotten her essence right. I'm hopeful for this. Kristen Stewart is an inspiring choice, and it seems from the early reviews that she's an Oscar shoo-in. Also, from what I've seen, the costume design is stunning. But, it's from the same director as Jackie and I didn't love that. So, I'm cautiously excited for this. 

2. Last Night in Soho - I've already seen a lot of mixed reviews and many critics have expressed disappointment, but I'm still excited about this. I'm a big fan of Edgar Wright and I love how different this feels from his usual projects. The trailer is absolutely perfect with the haunting version of "Downtown". I love Anya Taylor-Joy, but I've never liked Thomasin McKenzie, though (and actually I've found her to be the worst part of every movie she is in, but I am definitely a minority in this thought. No surprise there, really). It looks like it has the perfect amount of suspense mixed with film noir vibes. 

3. The French Dispatch - I'm not always the biggest Wes Anderson fan (in fact, I've hated a few of his most loved films *ahem* Moonrise Kingdom *cough* The Grand Budapest Hotel *ahem*), but he's got a certain style that I admire and I've enjoyed some of his films (it's been a while, though). The cast of this (as in most of his movies) is incredible, so I'm in whether I like it or not. 

4. Eternals - For the most part, the trailers have been super boring. But the cast is great, and that's hard to ignore. Salma Hayek is stunning, but she's also 55 and Mexican, so not exactly you're typical superhero (the times they are a-changin' and it is GLORIOUS). Barry Keoghan has given some incredible performances, so I'm excited to see him in something more mainstream. And Richard Madden gets to keep his Scottish accent!!! Fucking YES! Plus, Gemma Chan, Angelina Jolie, Brian Tyree Henry- just such a stacked cast (I'm ignoring that Kit Harrington is in it. He can't act for shit, what the fuck? I thought he would disappear after GoT). I probably won't see this in a theater (actually I probably won't go to the theater at all this year, but we'll see), but I'm still somewhat excited about this. 

5. House of Gucci - I'm trying to go in a little blind on this one - I have not watched the trailer, and have only seen a few of the production still images which look great. Plus, it's Ridley Scott. And Lady Gaga really impressed me in A Star is Born (not so much in AHS, though). 

6. Red Notice - While this looks incredibly dumb, it also looks like a fun action movie with three very charismatic lead actors. That's really all I need sometimes. And I appreciate that it's streaming on Netflix right away, so I don't have to wait like I do for most of the others in this post. 

7. Belfast - I don't know much about this, but have seen a few critics say that it's their favorite of the year so far. Jamie Dornan has been acing every role lately (I mean, even the crazy bee guy is memorable). Also, I'm interested in Kenneth Branagh's writing efforts because I think the only films he's written are all adapted from Shakespeare? I'm sure it will still have Shakespearian affection. 

8. Passing - Excited for Rebecca Hall's directorial debut! And Ruth Negga & Tessa Thompson are both incredible actresses. I think the story sounds pretty interesting too, and relevant even though it takes place in the 1920s. 

9. Licorice Pizza - This is another one that I'm going to try to go in blind for - so far I've avoided the trailer (but I did see pretty much everyone raving about it). I think I now consider myself a PTA fan, since I absolutely love 3 out of his last 4 films (and 2 of them I would even consider masterpieces, which is rare for me to say). And obviously, I love Bradley Cooper, but you knew that already. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Till Death - *some slight spoilers* Ok, I actually really liked this. It reminded me a little bit of Ready or Not (which I LOVED) - just the vibe of it is the same and I totally dig it. I've always loved Megan Fox. She's obviously hot, but I also just think that she's a lot of fun. She doesn't take herself too seriously, and she chooses roles that she can handle. I do question her life choices a bit when she dates someone who calls himself "Machine Gun Kelly" (don't get me started), and she's oddly thrusting her relationship in very public ways a' la the Kardashians, but I'm pretending like it's not happening. There are a few reasons that I like this movie, but I think the biggest is that I had no idea what was going to happen. The first 25 minutes are pretty straightforward, but still super creepy and I thought it was going to be a pretty obvious domestic abuse type thriller. But the plot turns into something super interesting (and actually original? I think? The closest I can compare it to is Saw, but just in the way that it's about being trapped and trying to figure out how to escape). I also like that she's not complacent - she continuously is thinking of ways to escape. My brain did exactly the same thing that hers did - grab the phone first even though it's likely to be dead given the circumstances and then try to shoot the handcuffs off. They did a really good job of making her feel truly trapped (the only other thing that I could think of is that there are pictures on the wall which means there are nails that she could have used to pick the lock on the handcuffs. Also, one can still drive on a flat tire - it will fuck up the car, but if there is an emergency it can be done). It is pretty dumb how stunning she looks through the entire movie - when she has blood splattered all over her face - it's nicely lined up with her hairline so it doesn't mess up her perfect hair, and then she washes the blood off her face and magically still has makeup on! And it's obvious that the weird steel necklace is an important link to the story, but overall I found it super suspenseful and a lot of fun. The credits are stunning, too. 

2. Black Widow - I have to say, I was definitely not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Aside from not really liking any recent Marvel stuff (I think the last thing I really enjoyed was Spider-Man: Far From Home), actually really not liking Captain Marvel (just so pandering), and continually thinking that Black Widow is the weakest link of The Avengers (what does she...do, exactly?), I also don't really like Scarlett Johansson in this role. So, I obviously went into this with super low expectations, which might have actually helped my enjoyment of it (?). I will still assert that Black Widow seems pointless in relation to the rest of The Avengers, and I still don't really like the character or Scarlett in the role. But I do love me some Russian spy adventures, and this felt way more in that genre than a comic book movie. I remember when this was released, everyone praising Florence Pugh's performance as Yelena, and even though I like Florence, I was skeptical of all the praise (again, I like her a lot - she was great in Midsommar and Fighting with My Family, but then she got NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR for a wildly mediocre performance in Little Women so it's hard to trust the praise sometimes), but she absolutely killed it. She's smart, funny, witty, charming, while also being brutal and cold - pretty much everything that Black Widow should be. My eyes were glued to her in every scene. I also love Rachel Weisz and David Harbour. They all had great chemistry together and made the movie a lot of fun to watch. I still have a few problems with it - I'm not sure why the child version of Scarlett looks absolutely nothing like her (that's just such a weird choice?), and that Nirvana cover in the beginning is horrendous and made me want to die (and there is NO WAY Kurt Cobain would want his song in a fucking Marvel movie for fuck sake, have some respect). The family dinner scene is also waaaaaaay too drawn out - I was having a lot of fun with it and then this scene happened and it just drags the whole movie down before it picks back up again. The good definitely outweighs the bad, though, and I think that says a lot coming from someone who has been consistently critical of Black Widow. 

3. The Courier - As I said above, super into Russian spy adventures - but definitely Cold War stuff if it's done well (like The Americans not like Tinker, Tailor, Snooze-fest). I do not, however, like Benedict Cumberbatch. Actually, that's not completely true - I've liked him before, but I just feel like he plays the same character in everything so he gets over-praised. He's in pretty much everything so he's hard to ignore, unfortunately. Plus, this has Rachel Brosnahan (I'm a big fan after watching I'm Your Woman, but definitely after watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - she's incredible) and Jessie Buckley (I was a big fan after Wild Rose, but I actually haven't liked her in anything else since). They are both under-used (which is expected, I think). This is an incredible true story, though. Just absolutely fascinating to watch this "normal" business-man turn into a spy who helped diffuse the Cuban Missile Crisis. I think sometimes it's hard to make things like this intense because it's just a lot of information being secretly passed back and forth - just over and over again, but they did a good job keeping me invested and then it actually gets really, really intense (I'm glad I didn't know the full story before watching it because I definitely wasn't expecting the last 30 minutes). If you're a fan of the genre, then you'll definitely like this. 

4. Voyagers - Well I didn't think there would be a worse sci-fi than Chaos Walking this year, but this one somehow is. It's pretty much "Lord of the Flies", but in space (which if you say out loud, it sounds awesome, but it's not). It's embarrassingly unoriginal and incredibly predictable. I watched this for Colin Farrell (obviously), but he's not in it very much, so it relies heavily on Tye Sheridan and unfortunately he just doesn't have "it". I thought he did - he was great in Mud and Ready Player One, but he's been given ample opportunities to prove himself and he just keeps falling short. But even worse, I can't believe that THAT'S Fionn Whitehead, because I was stunned by how terrible this performance is and *knew* that he seemed familiar, only to realize that he's the kid from Dunkirk - what in the actual fuck??? He was so good in Dunkirk! And then to top it off, Lily-Rose Depp is as dull as a rock. It's a shame, because it does have potential. The concept for sci-fi stories don't necessarily need to be original, there is still a lot to say with this whole idea of "mob mentality" and how humans react during lawlessness instances, but I'm not sure this movie says anything interesting (although, I think they are convinced they are being edgy by pretty much saying that young men are instinctively rapists). And I think the "good" versus "bad" is over-emphasized by having the "bad guy" be super creepy right from the very beginning. Side note: That's a gorgeous poster, and very misleading as to what the movie is actually about. 

5. There's Someone Inside Your House - I like a few things about this movie - first, it feels very late 90s horror with the beginning taking a nod from Scream and then the local teenagers being hunted one by one with their "secrets" being revealed with a similar vibe to I Know What You Did Last Summer. And there are some really good kills (slicing the achilles tendon, the knife through the mouth - all super cringe-worthy and gory). The concept of the killer wearing a mask of the victim's face is also a super creepy idea, but it is not executed well at all because the masks look absolutely nothing like the person - so it's kind of awkward (they obviously knew they failed, so they had to explain who it was supposed to be in each sequence LOL). The cast is tolerable, but they all sort of look like a more famous actor (I've mistaken Theodore Pellerin for Keir Gilchrist before, but they also have the main girl who looks like Shay Mitchell, along with a Ryan Gosling doppelganger). I think the downfall is that it just falls into certain horror clichés that have all been done (better) by other movies. It's also just dumb that they would still have a "big game" when teenagers are being hunted by a serial killer. And it tries to be profound by proclaiming that the whole "mask" concept is referencing how everyone "wears a mask" to hide from their true selves (via social media, etc.), but it's kind of laughable at how direct it is (I think the audience...you know...gets it? It's not that complicated of a concept). The title doesn't really make sense, either, does it? Other than the first scene, none of it takes place in someone's home. It should really be titled "There's Someone Inside Your Face" - that's much more intriguing, right??? (yes, I do realize why they couldn't call it that). 

Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. Only Murders in the Building - Definitely the best new series I've seen in a while. I just love everything about it, but the best part is that each episode is better than the last. I'm 5 episodes in and all have been not only well-written, but also incredibly memorable in a very specific way. I really like how the mystery is unfolding with each episode focusing on a new "suspect" and then gives a cute little "twist" at the end (and OMG the suspect at the end of the third episode had me dying). The chemistry between the well established comedic duo, Martin Short and Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez is strangely perfect. You don't expect it to work, but the charisma between Short and Martin combined with the dry line delivery of Gomez is honestly brilliant. I like Selena Gomez a lot; she was great in The Dead Don't Die and seems like she doesn't take herself too seriously, but I've also seen her give an absolutely horrendous performance in Monte Carlo (that I watched for Cory Monteith and Cory Monteith only, I swear). There's also great gags that focus on the generational gap among them that are super cute and sometimes laugh out loud funny, but also not overdone. Actually, I think that's what makes the whole thing work - there is a perfect balance of everything. Also, I thought I would be turned off by the "True Crime" podcast aspect, but it's done well. I'm not really a fan - I don't like podcasts at all, actually, but I find the whole idea of obsessing over murders to be incredibly disrespectful to victims and their families (I don't think all of them are like this - but I was stuck listening to one at work that literally had the hosts describe their own outfit and tell each other how cute they looked, and then continued to talk about the mental state of a murderer in the same breath. It was the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard. I think it was called "My Favorite Murder", too, which is absolutely disgusting). Anyway, I can't wait to watch more episodes (I'm pacing myself but it's definitely an easy show to binge though, if that's how you prefer to watch things). 

2. The Mosquito Coast - Considering the track record of Apple TV+ series, I had really high expectations for this. Plus, that cast! Justin Theroux and Melissa George!! Wow (and they are both Alias alumni. LOVE IT)!! It's definitely the weakest of their shows, so far, but that's up against shows like For All Mankind, Mythic Quest, Dickinson, and Ted Lasso, so that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's still a strong show - it just isn't as consistent as those previously mentioned. I think my biggest issue is that it just gets a little too unbelievable. In real life, the whole family would have been dead multiple times, but instead they just kept getting extremely lucky and it became really frustrating to watch. But the story is really good, the acting is obviously great, and I actually gasped at some of the shots (the close-up of the eye with the fly and the reflection of the figure walking is absolutely stunning - like Breaking Bad level good). I'm also really intrigued as to where the story is going to go in season two - so overall, it's a successful show. 

3. Scenes From a Marriage - I still have one episode left of this miniseries, but I'm definitely not in love with it. So far, I only really liked one episode (the second one), and the rest have had some good moments but overall have been a drag to sit through. I wrote *so many* notes while watching each episode, but ultimately it's all saying the same thing: marriage is awful and dumb and why do people do this to themselves? The statistic given that the average marriage only lasts 8.2 years is mind-blowing (first, is it real? I'm too lazy to look it up. Second, I'm assuming it's a statistic for America? I don't remember if they clarified that). I think the biggest issue that I have with the series is that it does nothing new - it depicts marriage the same way so many other stories do, featuring two people who clearly do not belong together. And it's not in the "opposites attract" sort of way, instead it's that these two people have completely different values and expectations - with religion, sex, raising/having children, communication, etc. It doesn't make me interested in their relationship at all because it's just so obvious that they should get divorced. And, ultimately they should never have been married to begin with. I would rather see a marriage struggle between two people who actually belong together and have the story show me why it's still worth fighting for. It's so naïve to believe that it will be easy to spend your life with the same person just because you're...in love? Anyway, I could go into depth about all the details and dialogue that frustrate me, but again it just boils down to marriage being dumb and I don't want to keep repeating myself. Also, it's no surprise to me that I side with the male perspective because I usually do, but it's even more obvious with this - she's supposed to be awful...right? And not just because she cheats, but because she's a selfish, manipulative bitch (it's way too difficult to write women as powerful and ambitious and kind. I know, I know). I do love Jessica Chastain so much, though. She's incredible in this. And her and Oscar Isaac have clear chemistry that make them a very believable couple. I'm not a huge fan of Oscar Isaac - I'm not not a fan, though. I just don't see how he has such a big following (I put him in the same category as Adam Driver and Timothee Chalamet, as actors who are waaaay over-praised). They make the series seem more interesting than it is. But if they end up back together in the last episode, I'm going to be so pissed off. 

4. American Rust - Solid slow-burn drama series, with a fantastic cast, that nobody seems to be talking about? It's so oddly under the radar, overwhelmed by the popularity of Squid Game and Midnight Mass (literally the only two shows I see everyone talk about). Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney are incredible - and I feel like they have the vibe that Kate Winslet was going for in Mare of Easttown, but couldn't quite pull it off (sorry, I still don't get the overwhelming praise for her performance. It was so inconsistent!). It gets everything right about "small town America" while most shows attempting this fall into depressing clichés. I also like how the "mystery" is slowly unfolding - while it's still essentially "slow-burn", something important to the story happens with each episode so I don't feel like they are wasting time, but they are also not going to do some big "twist" ending. It's adding to the depth of the characters and the layers in the story, instead. Overall, I highly recommend it. 

5. The Wonder Years - I think, in theory, I should like this sitcom. But sadly, it just doesn't work for me. Sitcoms are really hard to make work nowadays - especially classic family oriented sitcoms (I think the only one I still watch is The Goldbergs, which is still pretty good although its concept is wearing thin). The original series is absolutely wonderful and I kind of new that a reboot would never be capable of capturing all the things that made the original so special. But, I think the biggest reason that this doesn't work is the timing of it - the whole "nostalgia" factor is missing. When the original aired it took place 20 years prior, but as a kid I could still relate to Kevin (as different as things were, many things were still the same), where as this reboot still takes place in 1968 - which feels like a different planet from modern day. I'm just not sure who the audience is? Because in 1988 - the audience was everyone (although in retrospect it's a mostly white audience), but I just can't see anyone under 50 connecting with this. And while it can still feel relevant when it comes to race relations - it's also extremely obvious in the way each episode seems set to "solve" things (oh look the black team and the white team played a game together. Racism is solved!). I do think it's smart to reimagine the series through the eyes of a black family during the same time period, it obviously offers a layer that wasn't there originally, but it's just lost all subtlety. I'm going to keep watching and hoping for improvement because I'm fully aware that sometimes it takes sitcoms a little while to find their footing and that could be the case for this. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. News of the World - This is one of those movies that I assumed was probably really good, but I absolutely just dreaded watching it. I had a similar feeling for the previous Paul Greengrass/Tom Hanks collaboration Captain Phillips and, of course, I ended up really loving it. Unfortunately, this movie just bored me to tears. There's some beautifully intense scenes, as expected. And Hanks is great. The young girl is also good, but I don't think her performance is memorable enough to reach award-worthy (she was considered "snubbed" for the Oscar nod after gaining a Golden Globe nomination). She reminded me of Hanna (the character and the actress, and I mean the excellent tv version not the mediocre Saoirse Ronan one). But I think I'm just not really a fan of Westerns (there are exceptions, of course, but I'm currently trying to watch Deadwood which is highly considered as one of the greatest television shows ever, and I just can't get into it). There's just something about the color palette and cliche of it all that makes me want to take a nap. I did like the bond between these two, but other than that I don't really have much else to say about it. 

2. The Many Saints of Newark - Other than some stunning casting decisions, I don't really have much else to say about this movie, either. So, first let's just talk about the cast - my absolute favorite casting is Corey Stoll as Junior Soprano. It's so perfect, I could cry just thinking about it. Billy Magnussen and John Magaro as Paulie and Silvio, also perfect. And even though she barely had any lines, the girl who played a teenage Janice, again...perfect. Adding in two of the most loved NJ natives, Vera Farmiga and Ray Liotta, to the Sopranos family is...guess what...yup, you guessed it...perfect. But that's where the perfection ends. I don't think that anyone could do a young Tony Soprano justice, so casting his son is probably the best option but it just didn't work for me. And I don't really like Leslie Odom Jr, but at least he doesn't sing in this (it's really his voice that I don't like, his acting is fine, I guess). Alessandro Nivola did a fine job in the lead role, but casting someone from Boston should be illegal, in my opinion. And you can always tell when someone is trying to do a NJ accent - even if it's good, it still felt a little forced. As for the film, it's just...pointless? I love The Sopranos as much as anyone else, but living in NJ for the past 12 (ish?) years, I have more appreciation for the impact it has here. I remember when I first moved here, literally everyone I met had a Sopranos "connection" ("my aunt is friends with Gandolfini's cousin", "parts of it was filmed on my street", "my nephew was one of the background actors", etc. The best I have is that Edie Falco went to the same college as me. It was 20 years before me, but still.). I just don't really think a prequel is necessary, and if you're going to do it, it needs to be perfect. And this just isn't it. Tony Soprano stealing an ice cream truck and giving out free ice cream to the neighborhood kids is just something I never needed to see. I don't even really have anything too negative to say about it, but it's just so very blah. 

3. The Guilty - I remember when that Halle Berry movie, The Call, came out a while ago and I thought it was really interesting to do a movie about 911 operators because it seems like such a stressful and also quite unfulfilling job. That movie wasn't really that good, but for one reason it became quite memorable for me. And that one reason is: Guilt. It always stuck with me - the way she feels so guilty for something that's not really her fault. These people really have to think on their feet for such varying situations and sometimes they will inevitable make mistakes that could have deadly consequences. I thought that this movie was going to focus more on this topic, but instead The Guilty is focusing on a cop who is assigned to a call dispatch center while awaiting a trial for a previous (unknown to the audience) call of duty situation. I'm sorry, but as an audience member, if you put together the fact that it's about a demoted police officer and it's titled THE GUILTY, you can figure out how it's going to end. Also, the call that he gets that is the catalyst for the plot, is quite off from the beginning so I instantly figured out that things weren't as they seem. And yet, I saw multiple reviews calling the twist "excellent". It's honestly one of the most OBVIOUS movies I've seen in a while. And maybe because it seems so obvious, it also seems incredibly dumb (whhyyyy would her "captor" let her keep using the phone? And why would he keep answering the phone? SO DUMB *rolls eyes*). Gyllenhaal does his best with it, but this made me realize that I might not be the biggest fan of Antoine Fuqua? For such a praised director, I was surprised when I looked at his IMDB page and realized he only really has one movie that's above mediocre (Training Day, obviously). And I would probably rate this movie as 3 stars, because even with the obvious plot, it's still well-made and well-acted. But then the ending is just so neat and tidy with no real consequence for anyone - it's just such an utter disappointment. Also, I was super excited for Riley Keough and she's not actually in it - just her voice (and she oddly sounds like Judy Greer?).

4. My Son - I'm in love with James McAvoy, obviously. And even though he is an extremely popular actor with big franchises under his belt, I still think he's really underrated? Other than the fact that he should have at least 6 Oscar nominations and has ZERO, he also takes huge risks in his career choices. From taking on something like Split and Glass where he had to play a dozen different characters within seconds of each other, to The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby which tells the same story from three different perspectives, to something like Filth where he is basically a completely unhinged person that you can't take your eyes off of.  I really feel like he truly loves acting and appreciates it as an art form, and not just a paycheck. What's been referred to as a "gimmick" for this movie, is actually incredibly brave for an actor to choose to under-take. If you don't know - McAvoy wasn't given a full script for this, so he had to improvise based on the other actors dialogue/action. I think it's a super cool idea - and honestly, I could not tell you which parts were improvised so McAvoy succeeds in every aspect. It's completely smooth, and if you watched it without knowing the "gimmick", I highly doubt anyone would have any idea that's how it was created. Claire Foy is also incredible, and I feel like they have really great, intense chemistry together. I like this movie for the acting and the experiment, but I wish the story was stronger, though. It kind of goes nowhere and it ends really flatly. I'm surprised that I found this streaming for free on Peacock - is that a legitimate streaming service for films now? I need someone to make a map of all the streaming services and when you have to pay extra (I get Peacock for free for some reason, but some things are blocked and you have to pay extra which is super annoying because I started watching Dr. Death but after 3 episodes it makes you sign up for the premium service to watch the rest. Which is annoying, but fine. However, it's weird that I can stream a brand new 2021 movie for free?). But back to me being in love with James - he looks so good in this with his slightly greyish hair and his natural accent. He's just so dreamy. 

5. Together - And speaking of being in love with James McAvoy, I had to watch this movie as soon as possible (I actually paid to rent it, which is super rare for me - I usually just wait until they are free nowadays. I'm a very patient person). I read that this was a quarantine relationship drama, and I had my reservations (Locked Down was basically the same but they added a heist, and it was also Not Good), but I also have faith that McAvoy can make anything worth watching. As I said in my post on Locked Down, I never really got the whole lockdown experience that most people had. I definitely saw a lot of people complaining about the amount of time they had to spend with their family or significant other, both online and from friends of mine. I think the immediate reaction is to be snarky (why are you with someone that you don't like being around?), but ultimately you're not really supposed to be around someone 24 hours a day. I would have gone insane too. Luckily I worked during lockdown, but my boyfriend really worked - he owns two liquor stores and they were deemed essential services so they were allowed to stay open to the public. He basically had holiday business with a tenth of the staff (I think he worked a total of 76 days in a row; 12 hour days). We had plenty of space. And even when we don't and I need to be alone - I just tell him to go away and he does. Anyway, back to the movie, it's set up right from the beginning that these two people don't like each other and now they are stuck together for an indeterminable amount of days, so basically we get to watch this couple bicker for 90 minutes? Cool, cool, cool. I think the story would be much stronger if we saw the breakdown of the relationship due to these living conditions instead of setting it up in the beginning. But I'm sure that story is down the line somewhere in film production land. What I did appreciate is that the film does not shy away from the effects of Covid and the strain it's had on people's mental health, and also the complete lack of responsibility and empathy from leadership. So many mistakes were made and nobody is acknowledging it. I'll still never understand why we didn't just keep the mask mandate in place until more were vaccinated? I think it's pretty obvious that there was going to be a backlash to the vaccine, if you were paying attention. Instead of addressing that, it seems we went into this very idealistic place of "oh we have a vaccine, everyone is going to take it, so let's ease all restrictions", which is the dumbest thing we could have done. Also, the way nursing homes (which are called care homes in the UK - learned something new! I also learned that they call eggplant "aubergine", which makes sense because we use the word "aubergine" to refer to a color that is the purplish color of eggplants!) were handled is a disgrace and people belong in jail for it. I think it's something like 30% of all Covid deaths in NJ are linked to nursing homes. Just devastating. Anyway, I appreciate this movie for what it tries to do, but just like with My Son, I wish I liked it more. I found the breaking of the fourth wall really jarring, and I thought I would get used to it, but I never did. It just felt awkward. McAvoy is really stunning in some scenes, though. And once again, he'll be ignored completely for it. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Saint Frances - Well, I was not expecting this movie to anger me as much as it did; nor did I expect to hate the main character so very much. Just thinking about it makes me brain hurt, especially because I saw so many positive responses to this movie (I actually saw a female critic describe it as a "feel good" movie and WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK IS HAPPENING). So here are all the reasons I hate this character: First, and probably the least important but most frustrating, apparently this woman is supposed to look young, as someone confuses her for being in her 20s - but, I'm sorry, she looks my age (40). But the frustrating part is that she's one of those actresses that has had her age wiped from IMDB. I get the reason behind this, but ultimately it feels like it's shaming women for aging. And don't put a woman onscreen and tell me she's supposed to look 20-something when she looks 40. If you google her you can find her birthday listed as 1983/84 which means she was around 36 when filming this. Her character is supposed to be 34. Sure. She can pass for an older looking 34 year old, but nobody would confuse her for 20s. Second, the age is actually important here, because she's supposed to be a typical "failure to launch" type character (but female). But instead, she just comes off as incredibly stupid to me. She's surprised when she gets her period? I get that in your 20s you're still trying to figure out your body and your cycle, but by the time your 34 you should, like, know if something is normal or not? There's no reference to her being like "my cycle is unpredictable" instead she's just like "oops my bad!". Aside from the fact that it's astounding to me that some women don't experience the overwhelming feeling of wanting to literally die from PMS (both mentally and physically), I personally can never imagine just not knowing that I'm about to get my period. And she also thinks that "pulling out" is an actual birth control method...at 34. While I do like that she's unapologetically not on birth control (TMI, I'm not either and I never have been because the side-effects are OUTRAGEOUS compared to the side-effects of condoms). And I know that I'm talking a lot about periods and birth control, which might make some uncomfortable, but the ONLY positive thing about this movie is that it allows space for this discussion that is often seen as taboo in films. It's an incredibly female-centric story that hits on these topics along with discussions about abortions, motherhood, PPD, and also - another taboo topic - being a woman who has no interest in motherhood OR having a high-powered career (there's always talk about women who have to either choose or juggle both, but what about women who want neither?). It's strange that I do connect with this character, but I just wish she was written differently. Third, during a very emotionally resonating scene towards the end that combines all of these important discussions I just referred to, she states "I don't know why I'm crying. I'm an agnostic feminist". Which just erases everything that comes before it. There's this whole imaginary battle between being a feminist and being pro-motherhood that this is just amplifying instead of erasing it. And what does being agnostic have anything to do with being emotional and empathetic? As if "agnostic feminists" are just cold-hearted bitches, really. How angering is that? Anyway, I've written all of this and I haven't even gotten to the actual movie yet. The idea behind it is strong, but there are just too many moments of frustration for me to really engage with it in a positive way. And, it's about a woman having an abortion so if you describe that as a "feel good" movie, you might need some therapy, in my opinion. 

2. Valley of the Gods - I can honestly say that I have no idea what I watched. I watched for Josh Hartnett (and am so happy that he's in so much nowadays!), but I guess I didn't really expect it to be so trippy. There's no real narrative, very little dialogue, and some very odd scenes (that are also mostly very beautiful to look at). I guess it's told in these little vignette type stories, but they don't really seem to relate to each other. I think it's supposed to reflect class distinctions by showing the gluttony of wealthy people vs Native Americans still living off the land. But there's a lot of metaphor type imagery that just isn't interesting enough to do any sort of deep dive into, but there's also a lot of overtly obvious imagery that makes me roll my eyes (one of the characters fucks the dirt - like literally fucks the ground below him). It's one of those films that feels like it's trying to be weird and confusing, but ultimately it feels really hollow. I would love to say that it's worth it for Josh, but it's really, really not. 

3. The Mad Women's Ball - I was really excited for this movie. I'm a big fan of Melanie Laurent, and it's always super cool when an actor/actress ups their game and gets behind the camera. And like Saint Frances, it's also super cool that it's completely unapologetically a female-centric story. The idea of hysteria in women obviously goes way back (this takes place in the 19th century), and the mistreatment of women (and people, in general) who suffer from mental disorders isn't really a new topic, but I really love how this movie doesn't ever try to erase this woman's "madness", which is that she can see ghosts. We're never really given any medical diagnosis other than her being "mad" i.e "crazy", but instead it's just sort of accepted as truth by several who are eventually convinced of her ability. I mean, honestly, sometimes I feel like I'm fucking crazy - and have these weird abilities that I don't understand. Just a few months ago, on my birthday, we were at a hotel, waiting for the elevator and I said "actually, we can't get on this elevator". I don't know why I said it - it just came out. So my boyfriend begrudgingly agreed to take the stairs. We went to dinner, came back a few hours later and there was an "out of order" sign on the elevator (and it didn't work for the entire rest of our trip). We were so freaked out by it, but my bf is very scientific (as am I), so he's convinced that I must have heard something without realizing it, that triggered my adverse reaction to using the elevator (like either a mechanical noise, or possibly workers already talking about it not working?). But for me, it's just that I knew we shouldn't get on it. And that's just a small, recent example - shit like that happens to me all the time and my bf continually tries to rationalize it, but after 5 years together, he's slowly admitting that I have weird psychic abilities that can't be explained. And if I lived in a different timeline, I would definitely have been locked up or burned at the stake. Anyway, I did like this movie. It wasn't as interesting or memorable as I wanted it to be be, but there are some beautiful shots and the acting is strong, as expected. 

4. Intrusion - *spoilers* What a fucking load of crap. I saw this described as a "tv movie", but it's hard to even know what that means anymore in terms of quality. But it is definitely old school "tv movie" quality (i.e terrible). I like Freida Pinto and Logan Marshall-Green (although, he'll always be Trey Atwood to me, so technically....my brother-in-law?), but they are spectacularly bad in this movie. Logan does a weird, unnatural voice that instantly makes him creepy. The worst part, though, is the predictable storytelling. The foreshadowing is insane - the way he pushes the filing cabinet in such an overdramatic fashion (I was instantly like "oh...wonder what's behind there??" and then the noise that the "house" makes during the police visit. It's so fucking obvious that the missing girl is in the house.). I appreciate that she begins to suspect her husband quite quickly...but it also doesn't make any sense? And if she does suspect him, then why wouldn't she instantly go to the police? I mean, we're talking about a missing girl. It's just particularly annoying because it could be a good movie - if they weren't so fucking obvious about everything from the very beginning. It would be interesting to watch this woman suspect that her perfect husband is actually a psychopath (obviously, it's been done a million times, but it's still a fascinating topic), but instead the audience is like "OH HE'S BATSHIT CRAZY, GIRL", almost instantly. The end is also incredibly dumb - the way she just discovers his hiding place and *walks right into it* without calling the police or making a big scene about it first. If I discovered a secret door in my house (that my husband BUILT HIMSELF), I would NOT just walk down the creepy fucking steps essentially trapping myself?! Also, I actually have one of those stupid touristy Big Ben metal trinket statues and it weighs maybe 2lbs and would definitely not kill someone. Why didn't she grab a knife for fuck sake?? It will definitely make my "Worst of 2021" list. 

5. Nightbooks - This is a very average kids horror movie. It reminded me of the Goosebumps stories or that Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark movie, but slightly better. Casting Krysten Ritter as a witch with blue hair is obviously a win (and that pearl capelet that she wears towards the beginning is TO DIE FOR). She does campy so well that it's actually super cool. I'm actually envious of how cheesy she can be but still be ridiculously hot? It's annoying, actually (but I love her). The kids in it are super cute - the main kid is like a mini Patton Oswald (just adorable, really). I think my biggest criticism is that it just *starts* right away without getting to know this kid at all. And also when he comes back, obviously, it would be a bigger deal and his parents would ask a million questions (and there would be police involved!), but it's very much "kids fairytale" type storytelling. I can see many sequels and possibly spin-offs, as well, but unfortunately I haven't seen many people talk about it at all? I may have just missed it because I feel like the discourse for streaming movies last exactly 2 days and then it's never heard from again.