Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Worst Person in the World - There's just so much praise for this film, and I think it's...okay? There are some great scenes, I like the actors, and I think it feels very authentic and genuine in the way it depicts this character and her relationships. But, it's also very long and slow, she is super annoying, and I found myself rolling my eyes through so much of it. It felt like a Norwegian Greta Gerwig movie (which is a good thing according to some, but not always for me).There is, most definitely, a stand-out scene - and it's the running sequence that is featured on the poster, although the poster fails to capture why it is so special. Renate Reinsve is wonderful (and reminds me a little of Dakota Johnson. Actually, I recall someone saying that the inevitable English language version will star Dakota, and that makes total sense. But please, God, do not remake this). I also really like Anders Danielsen Lie - he's a cutie (and he was also in Bergman Island - a film from 2021 that I liked more than this movie). Like I said, I think their relationship feels quite genuine, but it doesn't necessarily mean much because I think a lot of people fake their way through relationships. Not that they don't care about each other, but because it feels safe or comfortable for whatever reason. And I do think a lot of people have that feeling of being "the worst person in the world" for having a connection to someone else, or multiple people at the same time. But that's kind of ridiculous? It's totally normal, I think. I also don't really think they had much chemistry anyway. And, I repeat, the movie is far too long. I thought it was almost over, and there was still a whole hour...of...not much. I read some reviews after watching this, just to try to understand why it is so universally praised, and a lot of reviewers describe it as "funny", which is sort of shocking?! Is it supposed to be funny?? I did not get that at all. And I didn't laugh once. 

2. Summer of Soul - Not usually a documentary fan, but I'll always make an exception for Questlove. He is always in my answer for those prompting type questions like "name three celebrities you'd want to be stuck on a deserted island with" etc., because he's so knowledgeable and passionate about music/movies/pop-culture history and trivia. I just feel like I could listen to him talk endlessly (and I don't even get the impression that he likes to talk that much, so I don't think he would annoy the crap out of me, instead he would be super chill. I've clearly thought about this way too much!). I recently read his book, Music is History, and his knowledge on the topic blew my mind. It makes perfect sense for him to helm this documentary about this forgotten, but historically important, musical event - the Harlem Cultural Festival. But I think, also, this is the perfect time for this story to be brought to life. With all of the shift in focus to diversity in film and entertainment, I think it's important to shift the conversation to the content of this diversity. And something that I've heard from black critics, co-workers, and friends is that the ultimate part that is missing is black joy. While it is necessary to have stories of slavery, oppression, racism, etc., these are the only stories being told and it's exhausting. It brings me back to the Lovers Rock segment of Small Axe, because it was so impactful, for me, because it was something that felt so rare - surrounded in major events, ultimately it's just a story of a house party with guests dancing and celebrating. It's just so beautiful. And back to this documentary, it is just a big celebration of black music, history, culture, and most importantly, joy. I loved watching the audience reactions, I loved the mixing of different genres of music - everything from jazz, to gospel, to motown, to afro-cuban musical styles being celebrated under one umbrella. My favorite part was Nina Simone's performance (I had no idea she could play the piano like that!). And the last 10 minutes are very powerful. I will say, though, (and I'm so sorry Quest), but Flee deserved the Oscar win in the Documentary category. This is still wonderful, though. I think 2021 might be the first year in history that two documentaries are in my Top 20 (Flee is currently ranked #7 on my list). 

3. Windfall - I really, really like this movie. Way more than I expected to. I saw very few people talk about it, and it seemed like one of those movies that was released pretty quietly (by Netflix). I see a lot of people throw the word "Hitchcockian" around when critiquing pretty much any film that falls under the thriller genre, and usually it makes me laugh. But this feels like the most "Hitchcockian" film I've seen in a while - like, there is definitely inspiration throughout with the music, some of the shots, the use of space, the pacing, the dynamic and tension between the characters. There is also something very modern about it. AND it's trimmed down to a perfect runtime of 90 minutes. Every scene is building to something, but you're never really sure what that is - and then when *it* happens, my mouth actually dropped open. Just a perfect sequence of events that is truly shocking, and then continues to unfold in a very unexpected but very satisfying way (*vague spoiler* she saw her opportunity and fucking took it!! LOVE IT.). I think the cast is great - Jesse Plemons is just killing it lately. I love his genre mixing casting choices - he can be funny, he can be a villain, but he's truly at his best as a funny villain. I also really like Lily Collins. I wasn't a big can of hers until recently I watched a movie in which she played someone with an eating disorder (I can't remember the name, and I'm too lazy to look it up....something with Bones in the title...maybe??), and she was stunning. She definitely won me over, which was unexpected (I will never watch Emily in Paris, though, sorry that looks horrendous and I get suckered into watching trash television way too often, like fucking Bridgerton. God help me, I have to watch season 2!). They both work perfectly off of each other. Just overall this is very well-acted, well-made and solidly entertaining. 

4. Master - This is actually very different than I was expecting - I thought it would be more about slavery, which it is definitely referencing with this allegorical storytelling. And the allegories are very obvious with lines like "it will follow you" and "it's not supernatural, it's America", but ultimately it does do something very different with its core theme - in that it shows the internalizations of institutionalized racism (by literally setting it in a college, again...it's very obvious). *spoilers ahead* The twist is also extremely obvious - I wrote in my notes as soon as that character appears, "she's not actually black, is she?", because she felt so inauthentic from the very moment she spoke. So I think that's a bit of a failure, because I think the audience is supposed to be surprised by the revelation of a professor passing as black (the entire third act is based around this revelation that I was literally, like "yeah, duh, we know"). However, the confrontation scene is genuinely spectacular ("I don't have to prove my blackness" "FUCK YOU!", I clapped). There are a few other annoyances too - first, there is a whole "supernatural" aspect within the story with the students reading The Scarlett Letter as a backdrop, but that seems really inauthentic to me because that is something you read and study in 10th grade, not at a supposedly prestigious college?? If I spent that much money on college and then I went to class and the told me we were going to read The Scarlett Letter, I would demand a refund. Also, I don't think I like Regina Hall?? I feel like I used to like her, but she was sooooo bad in Nine Perfect Strangers (like shockingly bad), and this feels similar. She just overdoes everything, and it's kind of hard to watch. It feels really long, too. For only being 100 minutes, I felt like it was at least 20 minutes longer than that - which is almost worse than actually being 120 minutes long! I don't think this is a bad movie - The ideas are all there, it's just the movie doesn't do a good job of telling them. 

5. All the Old Knives - Now, this is a bad movie. Not terrible, but definitely on the cusp. The story is good, and there is great chemistry between the leads, but it's just sooooooo slow. It could have been, at least, a 3 star movie, if it picked up the pace (at literally any moment - I just waited and waited for it to come alive and it never does), and had some snappier dialogue. This is another movie that lays out the twist pretty clearly from the beginning - he is definitely in clean-up mode. I like Chris Pine a lot (he is definitely the winner of the Chris debate, as far as acting and charisma goes), and Thandiwe Newton is so great on Westworld (she should have been showered with awards nominations for that role), but they just can't hold my attention with this dull spy thriller (can it even be called a "thriller"? It's like the events after the thriller part). I can't even muster up anything else to say about it. 

Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. The Dropout - I really, really like this show, but I mostly just really, really like what Amanda Seyfried is doing in this. Portraying a real person can be quite tricky and I feel like actors are often over-praised for performances in which they either seem nothing like the actual person or feel like they are doing an impersonation. Seyfried manages to avoid both, and just absolutely nails this performance by capturing the essence of Elizabeth Holmes. I don't know much about her; I remember reading about her when everything went sour, but I did not pay much attention to Theranos or her as a CEO of this start-up. It's all super fascinating though, and it does something so interesting by not really attempting any sort of sympathy or redemption of Holmes, instead she seems like a complete sociopath - we see her insecurities and terror in every scene, but she just keeps fucking doubling down on her idea that simply...doesn't work, and absolutely refuses to feel anything about destroying the lives of thousands of people. There are a few moments that really stand-out about this (aside from Seyfried) - the dance scenes, in particular, I think showcase her immaturity and child-like ignorance to how serious her crimes are. Also, her obsession with Apple and waiting in line for the iPhone (losers...the lot of them! I'm kidding, of course, but UGH also Apple nerds are the worst). It also touches on just how important it is to be a woman in power and, as she calls it, "fail"; but in reality she did not fail - she deliberately misled and manipulated investors, and now every woman that comes after her has to prove that they aren't the same (while men can just keep getting away with it over and over again). There is also a great scene early on when she gets questioned about her future (and plans of having kids), and she responds with "well, you have a wife and kids" and he goes "seriously?", because it is a totally different expectation to be a working mother (and I don't even want to think about the expectations for a working CEO mother). But the thing that is really fascinating is all the praise she received without anyone really doing any research - praise from Clinton, Obama, Biden, The Times, etc., Jesus Christ it's all so embarrassing. And I don't think we've learned a fucking thing from it. 

2. Severance - Super fucking out there, but I love it. It seems like an idea that wouldn't work onscreen (which sometimes I still appreciate the idea), basically conceptualizing the idea of a literal split in work life and personal life (creating the idealized "work/life balance" that we all so desperately seek), but with the visual elements stripped down to a very minimal set design, I think that's what makes it work (and also makes it even weirder). I think the hallway scenes start to get really annoying - with them just walking and walking down this stripped down white sterile hallway, twisting and turning, and walking some more, but it also creates this really disorienting feeling which is essential to the series. The cast is incredible - Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, directed by Ben Stiller (with this and Escape from Dannemora, he has really impressed me as a director. I know he's directed a lot of the comedies that he starred in like Tropic Thunder, Zoolander, but this is so different and it's challenging to get right). I think I'm on the 4th episode, and I admit I have no fucking clue where the story is going or how weird it's going to get, and I love that. 

3. The Book of Boba Fett - I'm not the biggest fan of the Star Wars universe (and not that I'm not a fan, it's just not really something that I'm invested in like a lot of people are), but I did really like The Mandalorian. This isn't capturing my attention at all, though. I find myself scrolling twitter or adjusting my to-do list, instead of what is happening on the screen in front of me. I just don't care at all, but I read that it connects with The Mandalorian (and basically becomes a season 2b), so I felt like I needed to watch it (the fucking completist that I am...). It's true, after episode 3, Boba Fett all but disappears from his own television show! But it also became sooooo much better. Fucking Baby Yoda, man, just the cutest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life. I could watch him train to be a Jedi or whatever the fuck he's doing for hours on end and not get bored. It's also nice to see Jennifer Beals again, but I just looked at her filmography and apparently she's been working this WHOLE time, just not in anything I've watched. I think the last thing I've seen from her is The L Word (what a ridiculously addictive show. And apparently there is a recent spin-off that she's in?? How did I not know about that?). 

4. The Tourist - I haven't heard anyone mention this show, but it has Jamie Dornan in it so I WILL WATCH IT. And, damn, he looks really good in this. So far, I like this show a lot. I'm about 4 or 5 episodes in, and every episode has been surprising or has had some shocking unexpected moments, and ends on a perfect cliffhanger (which I don't feel like exists anymore because the expectation of binge-watching, it seems unnecessary, maybe?). It's basically Memento without the backwards storytelling (*top secret info* I fell asleep watching Memento and I've never finished it. SHHHHHHHH!). Dornan is playing a character who gets into a car accident and suddenly can't remember who he is or why he is in the Australian outback with someone trying to kill him. Did I mention that he looks really, really good in this? Well, let me say it again....DAMN. I generally like Dornan, he was fantastic in The Fall and I loved his silliness in Barb and Star. He's also one of the few men I believe someone might pick over Taron (I'm talking about Robin Hood - *spoiler* his girlfriend thinks he's dead so she starts dating Dornan but then he's not dead, obvi, and GIRL HAS A CHOICE to make. I would still pick Taron, duh, but I can see the hesitation). He's great in this, but the highlight is Danielle Macdonald as the rookie police officer who sympathizes with his situation and then gets caught up in his obviously dark mystery. She's been excellent in several projects (the miniseries, Unbelievable, that Jamie Bell movie, Skin), but she really stands out in this - just shows a perfect display of innocence and kindness, while also trying to remain professional. I'm really interested in where this story is going to go, how dark it's going to get, and who else gets caught in his web. 

5. The Endgame - I have a feeling that I will not last for more than a few more episodes (I am currently on the third episode). It's exactly like you would expect for an NBC spy thriller - and it feels like I'm just watching a new version of The Blacklist (I think I made it through the full first season of that, but I couldn't watch anymore - and I can't believe that it lasted so long. I think I still see commercials for new episodes???). I really only watched this for Morena Baccarin - I absolutely adore her (even though I love her husband more. My soulmate, Ryan Atwood. And on a random side-note, how hilarious is it that the kid from The O.C. is spending his time warning people about the fraud and corruption behind NFTs and Crypto?? It's not that surprising, as someone who has loved him for the last 19 years, I've seen him in many interviews and he is very smart and has a degree in economics, but I think it definitely is surprising a lot of people). She's a little miscast here, I think, mostly because the accent is just really hard to get past. She's really inconsistent with it, so it's sort of driving me crazy. Why not just hire someone who has a Russian background that can do the accent? I feel like she should be a little more menacing, but instead she sounds like a cartoon character. I also think everyone else in the show is really, really dull. I do like Costa Ronin, though, but he is certainly typecast (I feel like he played the same role in The Americans and Homeland). So far, it's all very expected and dull. If it doesn't pick up soon, I'm out. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Deep Water - There is a good movie in here somewhere, but this is just incredibly disappointing. On an obviously related side-note, I really liked Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck as a couple - something about them just made sense to me. But the noticeable problem with this movie is definitely the lack of chemistry, and Affleck is the one to blame for that (because de Armas could have chemistry with a brick wall). As an actor, I think Affleck is the epitome of a mediocre white guy, which is why I think he should stick to directing from now on (Gone Baby Gone, Argo and The Town are probably all in my Top 100 Films of All Time list, if it existed). I used to think he was great as an actor, but I just don't think his heart is in it anymore. And he pretty much sleepwalks through this movie. And usually with this type of 'manipulative wife' story (think a mild version of Gone Girl, which is a movie I hated - honestly, the more I think about this movie, the more I loathe it), I can't stand the female character, but in this - I felt like I understood de Armas' character completely. She does make his life interesting - she's also super hot and the mother of his child, and he's completely in love with her, so, honestly, she can do whatever the fuck she wants and he's powerless against it. She's also not someone who fits into the "domesticated" lifestyle of getting married, having children, etc., but the expectation of that lifestyle is so overwhelming that I think people often just...give in, leading to resentfulness and misery (I mean, I would go absolutely insane living with a 6 year old and a boring husband). If the film focused on this play of power dynamics within this relationship, it would have been a lot stronger. Instead, it carelessly focuses on this man being a serial killer (of his wife's lovers), and his ability to get away with it. Ultimately, it's feels really...stupid and convoluted. It's also edited very poorly and there is no concept of how much time has gone by with each scene (and each murder...did he just murder all of these people in the span of 3 days? Because that's what it feels like). And as far as erotic thrillers go, and there haven't been many lately, this one is very tame. There's pretty much nothing sexy about it, except a topless de Armas. The sex scenes are blink-and-you-miss-it, and neither of them seem to satisfy each other, so what's the point? The best way to describe the whole thing is underwhelming. 

2. Mogul Mowgli - I love Riz Ahmed so fucking much it's unbelievable. He's an incredible actor/musician, has a ton of charisma, can display a range of emotions within seconds, and seems like he can tackle any genre. The weird thing about this movie, though, is that it's pretty much the same plot as Ahmed's other movie, Sound of Metal (a musician faces a medical issue that derails his career), and even though I enjoyed this movie - I absolutely love Sound of Metal, so this just fell a little flat for me. Had Sound of Metal not existed, though, I probably would have loved this more (if that makes sense?). The performance scenes are definitely the highlight - first, I think rap is such an incredible art form that often gets overlooked (mostly because of...racism, really, but also because I think the music industry has cannibalized it a bit) but I would LOVE to sit down with those lyrics and really digest the words because there is so much depth about his identity in there. There's also some interesting dialogue about appropriating black culture that I wish they touched on more. Second, because, again, Ahmed has so much presence - he's just an incredible performer. I also can connect with the plot a little because, as I've said, and I'm sure it's super annoying for me to keep bringing this up (trust me, I know), I suffer from chronic pain - but it's not even the pain that upsets me anymore. It's the thought of living with this pain for...ever. And the thought that it's going to get worse with aging and...what if I get to the point where I can't drive or walk? So sometimes I just start crying and people just assume that the pain is just that bad, but it's not; the mental anguish is so much worse than the pain. Anyway, I like this movie, I just think Sound of Metal did it better. 

3. Mass - Well, if you ever have any question as to why the Oscars suck, watch this and then try to explain how Ann Dowd did not get a nomination for her performance in this movie. It's just so baffling - not only for missing out on a nomination, but she easily could have won it. Jason Isaacs is also incredible here, and he's not someone I've ever really taken notice of before as having anything above average skill-level as an actor. But, man, they both just blew me away. The film reminded me a lot of Carnage (which was based on the play God of Carnage), which is about two couples who agree to sit down and talk about their children - one is the bully the other is the victim of the bully. Except this movie's subject matter is far darker with the couple's children being a school shooter and one of his victims. Like Carnage it's all dialogue - just four people talking for the entire length of the movie, which could be tough to watch (as it was in Carnage - from what I remember, I liked it but it does drag a bit), but the acting is so phenomenal, that I forgot that I was actually watching actors and not just four people whose lives were ruined by a tragedy. It's always interesting to consider how much responsibility parents should bear when it comes to crimes committed by their children. Each and every case is obviously different and has its own intricacies, but surely every parent in this situation has to feel the full weight of that guilt. They've had to analyze what went wrong and what they could have done differently. And it's even more gut-wrenching if they saw the signs of a troubled child but chose to ignore it or convinced themselves that there was nothing wrong (as one part of the dialogue goes "how could you believe that?" "because I wanted to." hits really deep). You never want to believe that someone you love is capable of such hatred and evilness, but not believing it could have deadly consequences. The story here gives great insight into how deep this feeling is, and my heart breaks for all of them (and for any parents dealing with this in real life). 

4. Death on the Nile - I sort of love that Kenneth Branagh continues to just make whatever the fuck he wants. It seems he's moved from Shakespeare adaptations to Agatha Christie murder mysteries, and I don't hate it. I didn't love his Murder on the Orient Express, but I did appreciate how well it was made - and some of those shots are sublime. This feels like second-tier compared to that film. It's...not well-made, in fact the CGI is barely tolerable. The cast consists of one unlikeable actor after the next (and a few of whom are pretty problematic in our current culture of cancellations): Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Gal Gadot, Russell Brand, and...Kenneth Branagh (not necessarily problematic, that I know of, but always comes across as someone unlikeable, to me). Please get Annette Bening out of there!!! There are two highlights (other than Bening, because duh...she's always a highlight): Emma Mackey is stunning (she's so good on Sex Education too, completely believable as a teenager - it was weird seeing her in this more adult role, but she nails it. Can't wait to see more from her) and Rose Leslie with a completely believable French accent (I had to look it up because I thought *for sure* that she is Scottish, but I couldn't hear an ounce of her Scottish accent so I started to doubt myself). The mystery is SUPER obvious from the first few minutes of character introductions, so it was just a matter of watching it all unfold exactly how you expect it to. I have not read the Christie novel, so I wonder if it's that obvious in the story as well?? You don't have to necessarily be surprised by the outcome to enjoy it, though (as a ton of people already know the ending, obviously), but the problem is that it all felt very dull and tedious to sit through. Just very long, and very boring. 

5. C'mon C'mon - Just wonderful. As I was watching it, I had this sense of a very familiar feeling, so I looked up the director (Mike Mills) and what he's directed before - and it made so much sense that he wrote/directed Beginners. I love that movie so much, and this is definitely in the same universe (and also I've thought about 20th Century Women way more than I thought I would. This is a perfect example of a man who writes incredibly genuine and realistic female characters. And it's fascinating that he's married to Miranda July because, even though I love her, I never feel any connection to her female characters. To each their own, though!). There's just this wonderful sense of warmth and sweetness to this movie. I can feel the growth within the characters - and a lot of times that can be credited to the acting, but in this case I think it's definitely in the writing. Although, Phoenix gives another astounding performance here, far quieter and softer than the performances he gets accolades for, but just as difficult to get right. Honestly, I think Phoenix might be my favorite actor (OF ALL TIME) surpassing Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Penn (I hate him as a person, but damn he's such a good actor). And yet, another Oscar injustice with Phoenix being completely overlooked - this is clearly a better performance than the WINNER of the category. Also, GABBY FUCKING HOFFMAN!! Where has she been??? She's wonderful in this. I like that even though it's a quiet, seemingly simple, story, there is still a lot going on within each relationship. It's definitely a story of motherhood - how much we take mothers for granted, how challenging it is to raise a son (as essentially a single parent), how completely selfless one has to be etc., but it's also about this sibling relationship that is strained but still maintained with this strong bond that is unbreakable. Then there is the obvious relationship that is the main story - about this uncle/nephew bond. How difficult it is to earn a skeptical child's trust and also how perceptive children are. Also, being an only child is fucking hard. I think the "only child trope" is often portrayed as being spoiled and selfish, but that's not my experience at all. My mom was a single mom and worked 3 jobs at one point, I was always alone. And I was forced into adulthood at 6 years old. I had to get myself ready for school, make my own food, clean up after myself, and provide my own entertainment (I will admit that when I stayed with my grandmother, who helped raise me for 2.5 months out of the year until I turned 17, she spoiled me rotten). I feel for the kid in this movie - he's really smart, curious, perceptive and sensitive. I love all the interviews with children about the future (and I love that one child's THOUGHTS on the touristification of major cities - specifically Airbnbs taking over, creating a city of tourists instead of protecting the culture of the city). Overall, I love this movie and it will definitely be making an appearance on my updated Top 10 of 2021 list.