Thoughts on 5 Films

1. No One Will Save You - This is a really cool little horror movie! I really liked it. Superbly creepy and has a good story. Plus, as I've said a few times before, Kaitlyn Dever is a STAR. There are very few young actresses that I think will be lasting actresses like Meryl Streep, but Dever is definitely one of them. She is so engaging in this and it has ZERO dialogue! Do you know how hard it is to capture an audience without any words?? (although, I would totally talk to myself in this situation..."what the FUCK was that?" etc.). I think the thing that I like most about this movie, though, is that it's never really clear what is happening with her actual life. Her home is invaded by aliens (really cool looking aliens. I love the design - it's like a classic alien design but still feels original and also terrifying the way they extend their limbs. It gives a weird stop-motion effect that I dig), but the more interesting part is that she's living all by herself in this gigantic house that is decorated as if it's from the 1950s. There's an entire retro vibe - she doesn't use any technology, is styled as if she's living in the past, is obsessed with getting mail from the post office that is collectible miniature houses. But then she goes into town and the cars are all present day cars and the people in the background are using cellphones and laptops, plus the grave that she visits has 2022 dated on it. It creates this whole other mystery of what in the fuck is going on? I actually thought at one point that she was the invader? Or something to that effect because the tagline is "an invasion you'll never see coming", so I thought there was going to be a crazy twist. They never really give clear answers as to why she lives like this, although they do answer why she is shunned from the town and its people. I guess she's like a shut-in, but it's odd to be a shut-in and regress to a past decade from before you were born. Anyway, this is a really solid film - written really well and fully thought-out. It makes sense that it's from the writer of Love & Monsters, The Babysitter, and Kong: Skull Island - because all of those movies are solid as well. 

2. Flora and Son - This is a cute movie, similar to Apple TV+'s other cute movie, CODA, and that movie went on to win Oscars!! Still so unbelievable and ridiculous...but anyway. I really like Eve Hewson and she is perfectly cast here with her musical roots (she's Bono's daughter). She was great in Behind Her Eyes, and she played Marian in the Robin Hood movie with Taron Egerton. They had zero chemistry, but I don't think that was either of their faults. Although, I don't really think she has much chemistry with JGL, here either. But the reason the movie still works for me, is because it's not really about the romance. It's about her connecting with her son, and finding something to be passionate about. I think that's definitely something I connect with because I just don't really care that much about anything. I do love movies and tv, and I enjoy writing my thoughts down, but I don't really think it's something I'm extremely passionate about (and I think the current state of film nerds has lessoned my interest even more). I like doing a lot of different things, though, so I try my best to force myself to do things like painting, hiking, reading, etc., because otherwise I would be a big lump sitting on the couch binging garbage tv. I've been up and down with John Carney's films (loved Once, enjoyed Begin Again, but hated Sing Street - I know that's an unpopular opinion, but it's a stupid, cliched movie), but I do appreciate that he sticks to a musical drama genre. However, the songs featured in this movie are AWFUL. The "meet in the middle" song (I don't know what it's called and I refuse to look it up because I don't want to be reminded of it - that's how bad it is), is repeated way too many times and every version of it sucks. And the son's rap is hilarious, but I'm not sure that it's supposed to be? The way she's like "my son is so talented" and invites all of her friends to hear it makes me think that the song is not intentionally supposed to be bad? I'm so confused. The song at the end is kind of cute, but that's about the only nice thing I'll say about the music featured here. And I do think that JGL feels out of place in this, because he's too big of a star for this mediocre role. Jack Reynor is good, though. He gets miscast a lot, but he's actually a good actor (and when he's in something that he's right for he suddenly becomes very hot to me. That bland Transformers movie? Not hot. This? Very hot.). I was a little nervous by the fake out at the end, when they make it seem like she is going to get her "freedom" when her son goes to juvie, and I was going to be irate at how shitty of a person she is, but that doesn't happen, so *phew*. So, it's a cute movie. Nothing more, nothing less. 

3. Meg 2: The Trench - I don't really understand the love that The Meg received - it wasn't nearly as fun as it should have been. It was actually kind of boring. I obviously wasn't expecting much from this and I was right. It's pretty on par with the first one, except the acting is better (Ruby Rose in the first one was painful!). It's obvious who the "bad guy" is from the beginning, but the little twist of the other traitor is actually funny (we know she's turned evil because...she takes her glasses off! It literally makes no sense), but it is FAR stupider. AND I just can't believe that Ben Wheatley directed this. THE Ben Wheatley - the director of such original and fascinating films like Sightseers, Kill List, etc. With this and his Rebecca remake, I'm just really disappointed that this is where his career is right now. Aside from the fact that this movie is just plain dumb, it also looks terrible. The scuba suits that they wear literally look CGI?! There is no way the actors are actually wearing those. It's so fake looking. Also, going back to the stupid part - the scene that Jason Statham survives swimming in the deepest part of the ocean by blowing the pressure through his ears (or whatever the fuck he does) is the fucking funniest thing I've seen in a while. It doesn't start to get fun until towards the end when the meg attacks a resort island with a bunch of vacationers, but by then I was already over the whole movie. Also it should be called *The* Meg 2: The Trench.

4. Cassandro - Gael Garcia Bernal is one of my favorite actors (probably top 10) and has been since Amores Perros (which is still one of my favorite films of all time - and why I will always be a fan of Inarritu), which was released 23 years ago. He's incredible in this, and probably will land in my favorite performances of the year by the end of 2023. I do think he's a little too...old...for this role. They don't really say how old he's supposed to be, but the sense is that he's on the younger side for most of the film, like in his late 20s. But Gael is clearly a man in his 40s (a very sexy man in his 40s, but still in his 40s nonetheless). The rest of the film, is just ok. I'm not a fan of wrestling, MMA, boxing etc., I just find it all so ridiculous. And wrestling is probably the worst one because it's all so fake and pre-written. How do people get so excited for something that is fixed? It never will make sense to me (although there are also a lot of conspiracy theories going around, especially in NJ, about football being the same - although not exactly pre-written, it's all fixed for which teams are going to win). It's a good story, though, about this "exotica" wrestler who defies expectations and gains an audience rooting for him, rewriting the results of the matches. It's definitely interesting, and groundbreaking in terms of wrestling (although, to me, wrestling is, like, a super gay sport...). It's just not that interesting to me. The story drags a little. And I don't really like the actress that plays his, like agent of sorts. She's from the A League of their Own t.v. show, which I didn't really like (I know a lot of queer people connected with it, so I'm sad that it got cancelled so quickly, but...it...was...not a good show!). I also think they focus a lot on the beginnings of this "character", and then they rush through his rise to fame. It just feels a little jumbled to me. 

5. Strays - This is obviously a dumb movie, but it's also mostly funny and entertaining. It's like an R-rated version of The Incredible Journey. I think they did a good job with the voices - Will Ferrell and Jame Foxx have good comedic chemistry together, and Ferrell is really good at being that like earnest innocent character (ala Elf). I also really miss Isla Fisher?! Where has she been? She's so funny, and should be in more stuff! The beginning is really sad with his human being such an asshole, but it is very true that a dog will love you no matter what - you could be the most asshole garbage deadbeat loser and a dog will be like "you're the best human ever!!!". There are some very funny parts to this, that I laughed out loud to - like when they are like "drop the pizza, bitch" and then they run towards it in slow motion, when they are making fun of the other dog about the invisible fence and then realize that it's real, "the devil in the sky" is an ad for the post office, and of course, at the end when they are cursing at the post man. It's a little repetitive, and like I said, really dumb, but overall, I was never bored and I laughed. Mission accomplished. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. - I know that this received mostly good reviews, but I was a little skeptical going in. I thought it was going to be a little too cheesy and "feel-good", but I was wrong. It definitely does justice to the book by Judy Blume. I think Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, is probably her most famous book, but I LOVED Blubber - I genuinely think that it made me be a better person. I did not have the typical family dynamic, and I think in a lot of ways, I raised myself, with the help of books like this. I did connect to this book though, especially the religious stuff, as my mom is Episcopalian and my dad is Jewish. My mom did the same thing as the parents in this book did and that's to let me decide my own religion - I'm not sure if this is what caused me to not only be an atheist, but fairly anti-religious. I just find them all to be pretty cult-like and corrupt. I do think that there are aspects of different religions that are useful in raising children, though (like there's a lot of stuff that one learns in church school that you don't learn in regular school). My paternal grandmother was a lot like the one portrayed in this movie, and I did go to Shabbat with her a few times (she was relentless in trying to push me into being Jewish), although I would not have cast Kathy Bates in this role (again, not necessarily a problem for me, but this role is very specific in her being Jewish - why not cast someone actually Jewish??? It makes no sense). But, the girl they found for Margaret is perfect. And Rachel McAdams is INCREDIBLE. She made me cry! Like actual tears while I was IN PUBLIC (I was on a plane). How embarrassing! I didn't realize that this book also has the same message as Blubber (probably because my brain fused the two together), but I like that it teaches young girls to think for themselves and not follow the "mean girl" mentality (which is also an ironic genius move to cast Rachel McAdams in this - not sure if that was on purpose, but I LOVE IT). In this, it's sort of inverted because her group of "friends" make fun of a girl who they are actually jealous of because she's developed early (where in Blubber they bully an overweight girl). Like I said, I do feel like these books had an impact on my young brain because I've always been adamantly against bullying and cliques. Even now, I think working with mostly women, I see a lot of "mean girl" stuff and I always call it out and refuse to participate. I also had major flashbacks during the "I must, I must, I must increase my bust" scene. I can not express to you how important this scene was to me - not only did I do that exercise regularly (and no, it does not work, LOL), I had a t-shirt with the phrase on it that I wore all the time (I was not allowed to wear it to school though because it was apparently "too tight" and it "distracted the boys". I was sent home for wearing it, and my mom called the school and got in a fight with the administration and basically told them to go fuck themselves. I remember her screaming at someone over the phone "my daughter is in all honors classes and she has perfect attendance, I don't give a fuck what she wears and you shouldn't either!" I loved that she stuck up for me. They also sent me home for dying my hair blue. And again she called them yelling.). Anyway, if I haven't made it clear - I really, really liked this movie. It's very funny, well-told, and full of so much heart. 

2. A Good Person - So after getting really emotional over Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, I mistakenly watched this movie right afterwards. And I cried like 4 times. ON A PLANE. It's not even that good of a movie, but I was really moved by Florence Pugh's incredible performance. I feel like this role is often so obviously "Oscar bait", that it almost becomes a detriment to ones performance, but Pugh's performance is quiet, stripped-down, genuine, and incredibly relatable. It's so weird to me that Pugh has given several Oscar nomination worthy performances (Midsommar, The Wonder, and Don't Worry, Darling) at the young age of 27, but the one nomination she has is for a mediocre performance in Little Women. I don't think she'll get recognized for this, either, which is a damn shame. I think Zach Braff tried to do something a little different with this - because it's not the downfall you expect. *some spoilers ahead* While a lot of people end up addicted to opioids after an accident, I don't think a lot of stories focus on the "accident" and the aftermath of such an accident. The story is that the accident kills two people and she was driving. She is adamant through the whole thing that it was the other driver's fault, but in reality she looked down at her phone to check the map (something every single driver has done) causing her reaction time to be delayed. The story is more about her accepting this truth - and it's heartbreaking. I always think about how when I was hit by a car at 10 years old, the driver was a 17 year old kid who had *just* got his license. The one thing that I vividly remember about that day is him in the waiting room with his parents and he was crying hysterically, and I was so confused because I was like "ummm...he hit me, why is he so upset?". But then when I started driving, and especially as I got older I always think about how traumatizing it would actually be to hit a child with your car. Or in this case have people die because of one careless moment - I do think that would be the thing that caused me to numb the pain with any and all drugs I could get my hands on (and I don't do drugs - I'll barely take an advil for a headache). But there is a lot to be said for forgiveness, of yourself and of others that may have caused you pain due to a mistake. The story weaves in this story of forgiveness very effectively. Braff is definitely a story-teller; I just don't necessarily think he makes good movies - they feel a little made-for-television for me. There's a lot of contrived plot points, and unrealistic dramatic moments that feel too forced. I think Garden State is made the same way (but it's been a while since I've seen it), and the style just isn't for me. But, Florence makes this a must-see. 

3. Sanctuary - I like this movie, mostly because it's very different. I had no idea what it was about going in, and I was hooked from the very first minute. It's weird because it's actually kind of...boring - once you get that it's a role play scenario and that she's a sex worker, the story starts to drag. But I was still also somewhat invested and interested. Margaret Qualley is a very strong actress (i.e one of the good nepo babies!). And Christopher Abbott really proved himself with both Black Bear and Possessor in 2020 - I've been interested in his career ever since. They are both so engaging that I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, and then it really pulled me in when she starts to dance around with her big hair (side note - I LOVE her big, wild hair, I don't feel like that is a popular hairstyle among celebrities anymore - everyone has pin straight, silky smooth hair and it's so boring) and he starts searching for a hidden camera. The camera work is SUBLIME, and she does full psychopath so fucking well. The powerplay and the psychological manipulation that switches back and forth is so interesting, and I honestly could not figure out who was going to "win". And then I started to question whether the whole thing was part of the initial role play scenario??? It's all very fascinating. I do wish it had a bit of a quicker pace, and some of the dialogue is a little cheesy. But overall, there are some really strong moments and I think it's a movie that is going to stick with me. 

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - I'm definitely a big fan of the TMNT franchise - I used to watch the cartoons as a kid and I LOVED the movie that came out in the 90s. Or were there multiple ones? I think the one that I was obsessed with was subtitled Secret of the Ooze if my memory serves me right. I also didn't mind the one that came out about a decade ago with Megan Fox, but I just realized that there was also a sequel to that and I don't think I watched it? It must have been really terrible for me to not even be aware that it existed. Well, I liked this one too. I really like the animation style - it fits with the feel of the original cartoons. I also really love the updated version of April. Haters can suck it. This new version looks like the teenage version of a work friend of mine - seriously, same hair - beanie and all, same style, same glasses. When the ads were airing for this, my husband said "Holy shit, did they base April on Jamika???" and it made me laugh so hard. I don't think she gets to see herself represented in films like this very often, and that's what Hollywood is attempting to fix. It seems like a slow process, and I think sometimes they overdo things or change things for the sake of change instead of genuine reflection. But this was a perfect update. And I love Ayo Edebiri - and I love that she seems to be in everything. It's always funny when someone comes out of nowhere and then has like 5 big projects within a span of a year. I also like that they got kids to voice the turtles. There are some really funny moments and I LOVE the songs featured. "No Diggity" is one of my favorite songs - I listen to it all the time because it puts me in such a good mood. And then they ended with "Can I Kick It?" by A Tribe Called Quest, which is funny because I just watched the documentary that Michael Rapaport made about them and it put me into a 90s hip-hop spiral. 

5. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant - Is it for real called Guy Ritchie's The Covenant??? Ritchie really thinks highly of himself for someone whose most recent movies include the live-action Aladdin, which was horrible. I do admit, that I am a Guy Ritchie fan, but I just think he lost himself (perhaps because he was attempting to expand his efforts, which I can appreciate, or, perhaps it was for a big paycheck *grumbles*). I think Jake Gyllenhaal is such an interesting actor, and he just keeps getting better. He's excellent in this, as is Dar Salim. And it's an amazing story that I assumed was based on a true story, especially with all of the photos at the end. But it's not, it's just an amalgamation of several stories of American soldiers in Afghanistan and the local translators that assisted them during the war. In this story, this translator goes to incredible lengths and puts himself in a very dangerous position in order to save this American. When I started to look up the truth behind it, I saw articles that described it as "not based on a true story, but it could have been" and LOL...what does that even mean?? Every movie in existence can claim the same thing. ANYWAY, there's some really intense and memorable scenes, but I think the score is really mind-numbing and it almost put me to sleep! I also think the whole "I want them alive" thing is really stupid (and obviously happens in a lot of films), but in reality - they would just instantly kill him - just like they killed everyone else. The end. Maybe they would want the translator alive and torture him as an example of what will happen to traitors. There's also an interesting supporting cast with Jonny Lee Miller (I used to have such a big crush on him) and Anthony Starr - I don't think I've ever seen him in anything other than The Boys, and he looks good all scruffy and exhausted looking. Overall, I think the story will stick with me, mostly because of the real-world implications of the effects of the U.S pulling out of Afghanistan (we really just left a lot of innocent people that helped us, to fend for themselves). And it's very well-made and acted. It's a little shy of hitting that 4 star excellence, but it's still great. Definitely one of Ritchie's better films. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Elemental - Well, this is really cute. I like a lot about it. I really like the love story, which I think is rare for me, but these two are just so super cute together - and it's a nice story about two people from completely different backgrounds/cultures (i.e "elements") learning about each other and figuring out how to use their differences as complimentary instead of as an obstacle. It's also genuinely laugh-out-loud funny (I died at the sponge joke - almost cried from laughing so hard). I'm not really the biggest Pixar fan - I still think Brave is the best one, although I liked Coco and Onward. I think the rest of them are okay, but nothing above average (I know I'm upsetting a lot of people - Toy Story fans, Inside Out fans, The Incredibles fans, Cars fans....wait are there Cars fans?? I actually haven't seen any of those ones!). Most of my problems is the actual animation - they are just very busy movies, oversaturated and generic looking (with some exceptions, of course). This one is very beautiful though - it's difficult to anthropomorphize concepts like "fire" and "earth", but I think the animators did a really brilliant job at creating this world. I do kind of have some problems with the rest of the story - first as soon as Ember jumps for excitement at working in her father's store I said out loud to my husband "no young woman is excited about working in retail!" and lo and behold, that's what the story is about - how she is actually not excited about the prospect of taking over her father's store because it's not her passion, but she feels the responsibility of doing so because her parents sacrificed so much for her. I get it, and since it's a message to kids - sure, kids, follow your passion. But, in reality, and in, like a real adult world, you have to realize how incredibly lucky you are if you have parents that work hard so that you have a better life - and they give you a gift of a successful business. Maybe I have a personal bias about this because my husband is in this exact situation. His father is a political refugee from Cuba and worked his entire life to now own multiple successful business (liquor stores and now opening a pot store soon!). My husband has ZERO interest in liquor or retail but he now owns two liquor stores and he is so FUCKING LUCKY. And not just because of the money, although it's nice. I'm just talking about the comfort level of not really having to do much and be automatically successful. He went to school for electrical engineering and his "passion" would be to work for NASA or something similar - building new technology. But, if he really analyzes what he wants from life - do you know how fucking stressful working for NASA would be? How little life he would actually have? Instead he bought a house at 28 years old (!!), works 9:30-4, comes home and spends a few hours working on his own projects in his workshop, and has a hot wife (me! LOL, I'm kidding). Plus, we can travel wherever, whenever we want (and that's also a big passion of ours). I'm just saying it's a fucking GIFT. I've told him many times that if he ever wants to quit and follow his passion, I would support him but he always says that he has no regrets, and I believe him. This feels like I'm on a tangent, but it's very related to this movie. And it just kind of irks me that there are so many younger people who have this idea of following their dreams, but complain about not being able to afford to live. I think we can teach the younger generation about a happy medium, maybe? Plus, personally, I did do the whole follow the dream thing and then I realized that it was actually ruining my dream (working in film was making me hate film - now I do it as a hobby and I'm a lot happier). Anyway, that's enough of my ranting. Overall, I think this movie is really cute and I quite enjoyed it. 

2. Champions - This is exactly what I was expecting - a feel-good underdog sports movie with solid performances. It reminds me a lot of that Ben Affleck one (although I think that one was slightly better). I like when Woody Harrelson actually tries to act - I think a lot of times he just shows up and reads his lines. But he shows a little emotion here which is nice. Kaitlin Olsen is hilarious, but I definitely looked up the age difference because I feel like Woody could be her dad - but I didn't realize that Olsen is 48! I thought she was my age (42) and that she also looks really good for her age (could definitely pass for mid-30s). I guess the age difference isn't that bad, but the woman who plays her mom is probably the same age as Woody, so my point still stands. Anyway, I got a little bored with this because it's all very expected and cliched, but still cute. I also just really hate basketball - I don't really see the skill of running back and forth and shooting a ball in a hoop (and the fact that the scores are always like 116 to 84 prove my point - scoring is way too easy). 

3. Joy Ride - Not as funny as I was hoping for, but it's definitely an entertaining movie. It's like Bridesmaids and The Hangover minus the wedding stuff, and it's not as laugh-out-loud funny. There are some really funny parts, but I would mostly describe it as...cute? There's really only a small handful of more explicit jokes (like the vagina tattoo - "it's on the inside too" I laughed so hard), but it's mostly just a cute story of friendship and self-discovery. There is a little twist that I was not expecting, but I think it's a really good twist and I'm assuming that a lot of Asian Americans can identify with it, especially those adopted by white parents. It definitely provides a lot of depth to this need for self-identity relating to ones ancestry. I really, really love Stephanie Hsu (she should have won the Oscar Goddamnit!!), and Ashley Park is having a fantastic year with this, Beef and the current season of Only Murders in the Building. I also think Sherry Cola is hilarious!! I don't think I've seen her in anything before, but she feels like what Awkwafina tries to do, but Cola is more authentic (I'm not trying to be mean, but Awkwafina comes off as very fake and trying too hard, to me. Many disagree and find her hilarious. To each their own, I guess). The cast work together really well, and it feels like an authentic friendship (jealousy included). The K-pop scene is very funny, and I LOVE the Daniel Dae Kim appearance at the end (he's so hot!). It's also kind of stupid, because how do they have no luggage, but yet they have an outfit change in every scene?? How did they get out of the country without passports? They never really explain it? I hate when a big plot point is just dropped at the end for convenience. But overall, it's a cute movie. 

4. Theater Camp - I do NOT understand the love for this movie - it is beyond average and mostly annoying (just like theater kids! I kid, I kid...I'm allowed to joke about this because I am technically a theater kid *sad face*. I was a drama studies major in college and I also did show choir as a kid all the way until high school. I was far too cool for it once I got to high school! Hahaha, I'm kidding again...). I had really high expectations for this going in - it received fairly decent reviews and I saw a lot of people say that it's very funny. Plus, it has both Molly Gordon and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear reunion for the WIN!!). I didn't realize until afterwards that Gordon co-wrote and co-directed this, which makes me wish I liked it much more, because I really love her. It's just not very interesting and I don't care about the characters at all, and most of the dialogue is grating. And not very funny at all - although there are a few funny moments that I laughed at ("tear sticks are doping for actors" and his misunderstanding of "your boy has the BDE" are two lines I laughed at). It feels like it's trying too hard to be a mix of a Christopher Guest mockumentary and Wet Hot American Summer. I think my biggest problem is probably Ben Platt - I felt really bad for him with the whole Dear Evan Hansen fiasco, but I also just don't think I like him. I think the supporting cast is a little under-utilized because Jimmy Tatro is the clear highlight (and he's hot!). And there are some really talented kids featured - that's probably the nicest thing I can say about it. I wish they were given more time to shine. 

5. Fast X - I can not believe that there have been 11 installments in the Fast & Furious franchise in the span of 12 years. It's just so absolutely ridiculous, but I've seen every single one of them - and I've pretty much enjoyed them all. I couldn't tell you the plot of any of them because it all runs together in my head, but overall it's a fun series. But, after 11 films, it's hard to even think of something to say - the action scenes are obviously great, it's incredibly stupid, Vin Diesel can't act, etc. So here are my random thoughts about this one - first, I'm glad Charlize Theron doesn't have that awful haircut - you would think someone that stunning could have any haircut, but apparently not. Second, what in the fuck is Brie Larson doing in this??? And why do they always get like Oscar nominated/winning actresses to star in these films (Theron, Larson, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno) but the men can barely act?? Larson is severely miscast in this (and I think she's been miscast a lot lately in these blockbuster movies. She's not a blockbuster actress, but she blew me away in Room and Short Term 12). Her line delivery is somehow worse than Vin Diesel and that says A LOT. Third, this feels very long - I'm sure the length is probably in line with the previous movies (I'm too lazy to look into it), but it drags a lot at the end and there's a lot of unnecessary stuff thrown in. BUT, as many people have said, Jason Momoa makes this film. He's the logical next person to join this franchise, but he just revels in this villain role and just absolutely smashes it - he's sadistic and unpredictable, but also shuns gender norms in such an unexpected way considering how hyper-masculine and testosterone fueled these films tend to be. It's so refreshing. I read some gossipy articles that said how Diesel was upset that Momoa stole the movie and that he "overdid" it, which I think is hilarious if true. What a man-baby. His performance is overdone, but it makes the whole movie entertaining - if it were a basic villain performance, the movie would have been...nothing.