Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Halloween Kills - I didn't think Halloween (2018) was that bad. It was stupid, but still fun to watch. But this...is horrendous. It's overwhelmingly bad. The whole "evil dies tonight" mob is one of the worst ideas I've ever seen in a horror movie. It takes vigilante justice to new heights of ridiculousness. And the acting by this mob is so overdone it becomes really laughable. Actually, I laughed a lot during this movie, but mostly at parts I probably wasn't supposed to laugh at. And also the scene where the woman hits the gun against the car door and shoots herself - I laughed so hard that tears formed in my eyes. I also think it's funny that Michael somehow overpowers a dozen or so firemen after almost dying in a fire. But other than that, it's all bad. Bad dialogue, bad acting, horrible pacing, and not enough Jamie Lee Curtis. I still think Judy Greer was a brilliant casting choice as her daughter, but man, the girl who plays her granddaughter is really awful (I don't remember her being that bad in the first one?), and the really annoying guy from You is in this too, which is weird because I watched an episode that featured him heavily directly before watching this. Anyway, I don't really have much else to say about this, but it definitely makes me weary of the next installment. 

2. Finch - Quite lovely, really. It's heartwarming and charming from beginning to end. It's nothing really new - and had quite a few elements from other apocalypse and/or robot movies (from I am Legend to Short Circuit), but there are still some wonderful moments that keep it interesting. *slight spoilers* The plot is automatically sad - this guy survives the apocalypse (from global warming), luckily he's an engineer of some sort so he builds all this technology to help keep him alive. Along the way he finds a dog (in a gut-wrenching flashback) to keep him company and give him a reason to live. He gets sick and knows he's going to die so he builds a robot to take care of the dog. If that doesn't put a lump in your throat already, then you might be more robot than human. I really liked the way the technology looked somehow advanced and homemade at the same time. The robot looks a bit like Deadpool, but like, cute. But I really hated his voice at first (he sounded like Borat!), but as he becomes more "human" his voice softens and it's really interesting. I assumed it was computerized, so I was stunned when I found out that it's CALEB LANDRY JONES!!! How weird?! Tom Hanks is incredible as expected - he just commands the screen. I mean he can make talking to a volley ball interesting, so just imagine how he interacts with a robot. And of course, the ending is predictably sad. I don't know how I made it through the fetch scene without crying (maybe...I'm a robot??). 

3. The Harder They Fall - Welp, my film of the year, so far! I was definitely not expecting it to be, and it really wasn't even on my radar until I saw a few people discuss how stylized it was. I thought it was more of a traditional Western, and those have been disappointing me lately. I think some will be quick to describe it as "Tarantino-esque" and they will be right, but it also feels really fresh and exciting. I just fell in love with it during those old-fashioned opening credits, and it kept my eyes glued to the screen for its entirety (which admittedly is very hard to do nowadays). The cast is incredible. Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, LaKeith Stanfield - all wonderful. The standouts for me, though, are Regina King - she's a fucking boss and I love her so damn much. And the younger kid (he's Earl from Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, which I still think should have just been Earl and the Dying Girl) - he's just brilliant. Aside from the amazing cast, there are quite a few other things I really love about this film. First, I love that it's based on real people, but just reimagined into this story of revenge. Diversity and representation is such a gigantic topic within the film industry, and I think stories like this are what's going to change the course of film history (as opposed to just taking a well-known character/story and changing the race or gender of that character/story). Tell the stories that no-one is telling instead (this is proof that they exist!). Second, the soundtrack is incredible. It's got this cool Reggae/Hip-Hop mix, which is unexpected for a Western, but also somehow works so well with the world. It's interesting that the Composer is also the Director - Jeymes Samuel (also known as "The Bullitts", and he was a Musical Consultant on The Great Gatsby which is one of my favorite soundtracks of the last decade. Actually, I only listen to three (THREE!) soundtracks from the last 10 years consistently - Gatsby, Drive, and Rocketman. I think this one will be added to the playlist). Third, as I said in the beginning, it is endlessly stylish. Circular tracking shots galore! I also love the mix of classic Western tropes like the set and costume design and plotting, while also mixing things up with the soundtrack and also THE COLORS. Instead of the typical sepia colored/ washed out look, it is very colorful and bold. There are a few misses - it does get a little slow in the middle, which could have easily been avoided with some tighter editing. And it's probably not something I would watch again, but hardly any movie is. 

4. Passing - And the film I expected to be my film of the year, or at least towards the top...disappoints me greatly. It's a solid effort, has some really lovely shots, and an interesting subject but it's so slow and a little repetitive. And I don't really feel like it ever goes deep enough. It's always weird when everyone praises a movie and you just...don't get it (the praise, I mean, not the movie. It's very easy to understand even in all of its subtlety). It's like Nomadland last year (it's well-made, but really? This is what we're giving Oscars to?). Like I said, the story is an interesting discussion on racial identity - and something not often talked about or reflected on. But the actual dialogue is so unnatural and monotonous. It's obviously a stylistic choice, but it's just not a choice I liked. It all felt so forced. Plus, that combined with the black & white, it's just really hard to pay attention to. I would love to praise Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson because I usually adore them both, but the dialogue and tone really just ruin their performances. However, it does have a spectacular ending. I think, overall, I'm just really disappointed, which makes me criticize the film a little more harshly, but it's certainly nowhere near my Top 10. It probably sits somewhere in middle of my current 2021 rankings. 

5. Vivo - Super cute. I didn't know much about it, so as soon as it started and I heard Lin-Manuel Miranda's voice, I wanted to bang my head against the wall (soooorrrry, his voice is like nails on a chalkboard for me - especially when he "raps"). But, he actually has a decent voice for animation (when he's not singing). And actually, I could have done without the songs altogether because the "bounce to the beat of my own drum" song is absolutely painful. And it's so...aggressive? And also, I feel like being "different" is actually the cool thing now, so it's always weird to me that they keep banging on about "outcasts". Why is she an outcast? Because she dyes her hair purple and wears a tie? That is a totally normal thing for teenagers to do nowadays. ANYWAY, I also think the plot is not really something that young people will connect with...not only because it feels outdated, but because it IS actually outdated. Anyone under the age of 60 would just be like...UM TAKE A PICTURE OF THE SONG AND TEXT IT TO HER (or Whatsapp or TikTok it to her?? I don't don't know how those things work). Instead of...traversing the fucking jungle to bring her this physical copy LOL. I feel like this post is not living up to my first statement of it being "super cute", but it actually is. The idea behind it is super cute, and the characters are cute, and I laughed waaaaay too hard at the environmentally conscious young girl berating the man for using a plastic bag ("I'm not a bad man, I just want a cookie"), and then again for driving his car two miles. I mean, I laughed so hard I had to pause the movie. Seriously, so hilarious. Anyway, I don't think it's something I'll remember too much years from now, but it was fun to watch. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Zola - The story behind this movie is WILD - and I don't mean the plot. I mean the fact that it's based off of a Twitter thread consisting of 148 tweets. I have so many questions??? But my first one is who in their right mind would read a 148 tweet thread? I give up after like 5 max. The whole point of Twitter is that it's quick thoughts - NOT an entire story. Anyway, it's fascinating that this film was made because the story isn't all that interesting. But it's told really well - and I think that's the lesson that we can take away from this. People constantly argue about originality and stories that have depth, but in reality as long as a story is told well it can literally be about anything, and very simple, and still seem really interesting. My second question: is any of this being investigated? If even 25% of this story is true then hopefully authorities got involved and helped this woman who is being forced into prostitution? I don't really feel like looking into it, but I'm so sad for this woman if this is true - even though I'm pretty sure she's supposed to be seen as villainous. Other than that, I will say that I enjoyed this movie. It shouldn't work, but it totally does. Riley Keough is perfection. I know that her character is obviously annoying and grating, but there is still something so lovable and naïve about her - and she straddles that line wonderfully. She's also very funny - the part of the story where it tells "her side" is hilarious ("I fuck with Jesus" LOL). Taylour Paige is gorgeous and also does a wonderful job with making this character somewhat believable. AND Cousin Greg! Will he ever be able to overcome his Cousin Greg status?? It's become iconic, really. Also weird that I just watched another movie with him in it shortly before watching this (the Poltergeist remake. It was terrible, obviously). I didn't realize just how tall he is (6'7" Jesus Christ!). I think the biggest success, though, is the editing and ethereal aesthetic - it feels like a dream or like a fairytale gone wrong. Reminiscent of the directing styles of Harmony Korine and Sean Baker, but still feels original and fresh. 

2. Dune - I think my feelings can be summed up by the Reductress headline: Will I Understand Dune If I Don't Give a Shit? The answer is Yes, obviously - it's not that difficult. At least not as difficult as I was always led to believe. I watched the Lynch one when I was a kid (maybe 13 ish?) and I remember not understanding anything, but I also did not care (and I might not have watched the whole thing?). And then I watched that miniseries Children of Dune during my huge James McAvoy obsession (I'm still in love with him, but when I first became obsessed I watched his entire filmography - at least anything that was available in the U.S) and it was terrible. I bought a special edition copy of the novel, but have yet to bring myself to actually read it. But watching this, I was sort of stunned by how minimal and simple it actually is, and I definitely went into this not giving a shit. And, honestly, it's a bit disappointing. It might be beautiful to look at (as expected), but this story could have definitely been told in 1/2 the time and would have avoided the need for a Part II. It's just all soooo dragged out, for really no reason at all. I think it's pretty obvious that a big part of my enjoyment of films depends on the casts, and this one definitely falls short for me. I do not see what people see in Timothee Chalamet. He was good in Call Me By Your Name (a movie that I don't even really like) and okay in Lady Bird, but I've never seen him do anything that warrants all of this praise or deserving of all these big roles (and I feel like there are at least one of these four actors in every movie: Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adam Driver. It's getting so annoying). He was so dull in this movie - just no charisma at all (and on a side note: when I said to my boyfriend "I don't understand why so many people think he's hot", he responded "well I don't think you're supposed to find him hot, that would be gross", "what, why?", "because he's like 16", "he's 25", "what?! holy shit...that little guy right there is 25?!" Haha! It is disturbing, though, that his mother is played by someone YOUNGER than me. I cry thinking about it.). I saw a lot of praise for Jason Momoa, and I agree - he's definitely one of the stronger performances, but he's also barely in it. The only real standout is Rebecca Ferguson, who is actually in it way more than I was expecting. I know people were disappointed with Zendaya's minimal appearance, but I'm sure she's going to be in Part II heavily (which may be a good or bad thing, I haven't decided yet). The problem is that I just dread sitting through more of this. I just honestly don't give a shit. 

3. The Photograph - I love Issa Ray so fucking much. I recently started Insecure (I'm on season 3 now) and it is hilarious. I also love LaKeith Stanfield, but I'm really just here for Kelvin Harrison Jr. He's wonderful, but sadly has a minimal role in this film. It's not a new concept - in fact, I feel like I *just* sat through this story with The Last Letter from Your Lover, a movie that I surprisingly enjoyed (two people research into an old love letter/photograph and then fall in love themselves - bringing together a "circle of love" fairytale type romance). Unfortunately, I found this movie very, very slow. There's also very little chemistry or passion among the lead actors so I never fully invest in the present day love story. I also think the casting is just a bit off - the younger and older Isaac look absolutely nothing alike, which kind of confused me for a second and I thought I was missing something from the plot. And Chelsea Peretti is an odd choice for this "high powered female boss" role - she's too funny and sarcastic to be taken seriously. And on a minor nitpicking note: it's clear that they used old stock footage of London because Big Ben isn't covered in scaffolding (it was when I was there in 2018 and I'm fairly certain it still is, but either way this movie was filmed in 2019 and it definitely was still then). Maybe just don't use Big Ben? There are plenty of other landmarks that one would identify as London. Like I said minor nitpicking, but I think it speaks volumes to the movie that I was so bored that I focused on nonsense like this instead of the story sweeping me into its romance. 

4. Night Teeth - Luckily, I saw a warning that the heavily promoted stars of the movie, Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney are not actually in the movie very much, otherwise I would have been highly disappointed. I get why they are advertised as the attractions of the film but they barely grace the screen for 5 full minutes, so that's not really fair to the audience. Otherwise, this movie is kind of fun in parts, but mostly a little too repetitive and dull. I'm a big fan of vampire stories and I appreciate that this is combined with a gang war story with a film noir vibe (it's reminiscent of From Dusk Till Dawn, but I hesitate to make the comparison because that might imply that it's better than it is). I think this might have been better as a mini-series or even a multi-season show because there are a lot of great characters and world building happening, a lot of different avenues could have been explored, but the focus is mostly on the two main vampires and their driver, clumsily discovering who they are. I really enjoyed Debby Ryan in this role - she is really beautiful and charming (and that rose gold hair is perfection!), but I thought the other girl was a misfire. She over-acted in most scenes and I'm not sure why her hair and outfit were so 80s styled? I thought they were going to like a costume party at first. What a weird choice? Anyway, there is potential in this, but it falls slightly short for me. 

5. The Night House - *spoilers* I went into this pretty much blind - I only knew that it starred Rebecca Hall and that's honestly enough for me. I had a few hesitations in the beginning ("UGH is this about ghosts??" or "OH NO it's going to be just like Intrusion, right?"), but I'm glad that they subsided once the story starts to kick in (It is kind of about ghosts and it also has some really coincidental similarities to Intrusion - lots of dudes building their own houses nowadays...huh? - but it is thankfully very different and it's actually closest to Final Destination, which is a very intriguing but unexpected premise). I really liked it. Right now it's in my Top 10 of 2021 (I'm counting this as 2021 even though it premiered at Sundance in 2020 - the release to the rest of the world was delayed until this year), but I don't think it will sit there for long. Rebecca Hall is incredible, as expected. And I think the story does a great job at keeping the audience invested enough to keep guessing what is going on. It gets much weirder than I was expecting (again, think Final Destination "you can't escape death" story), and they somehow *big spoiler* made the fact that her husband is a serial killer "but he did it out of love" actually believable? and you kind of sympathize with him??? which is very weird, but I appreciate flipping the narrative on its ass like that. Also, even though they make the house super creepy, a big house on a lake is the dream right there. I went to a party at a house like this about 5 years ago, with a motorized deck that you can take out on the lake and I've literally dreamed about it since. I don't even care if it's haunted or whatever, I'll take it.