Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Road House (2024) - Soooo....unmemorable?? I don't even remember watching this and it was only 3 weeks ago (I'm a little behind on my blog!). My notes aren't much of a help either because the only thing I wrote was a sentence referencing the dialogue about Cuban coffee (the bartender person says something about how Cuban coffee is very different than coffee and it's very true! My father-in-law is Cuban and the coffee he drinks basically tastes like mud). I don't really remember if I've seen the original - I'm pretty sure I have, but I was probably 13ish and it was definitely only once, so I don't think I'm expected to remember it, surely? I do remember just how famous Patrick Swayze was at this time (Dirty Dancing, Road House, and Ghost triple threat). I don't feel like it's a sacred movie that shouldn't be touched - an updated version could work, but this just falls flat. I like the people involved - I've always been a big Liman fan, plus Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Williams & JD Pardo (LOVE him). But I don't buy Jake in this role at all - I don't care how ripped he gets, he's still a big ole' puppy dog. I'm really not sure why anyone would think casting Connor McGregor in a film was a good idea, and it's also proof that the so-called "woke" Hollywood doesn't exist. If you're not familiar with his legal troubles, Rolling Stone has a detailed article of his timeline of arrests (A TIMELINE - not even just, like, once or twice, it's a dozen or so arrests and charges). It's just really disappointing, but not surprising. 

2. Lisa Frankenstein - I can confidently say that if I was 14 years old, I would LOVE this movie. It's dark and funny, with teen humor that *just* sits at that line of adulthood. It's very smartly written, which isn't surprising since it's Diablo Cody. I wasn't aware that Zelda Williams (Robin's daughter) was continuing in the film biz, but that's super cool. This is a good feature debut (she has other films under her belt apparently, but none I've ever heard of). As an adult, I still had fun with this (I laughed quite a few times - the "Damnit, Janet" joke and the Pabst joke - both of which probably went over every teenager's head). I think it's a little too derivative (it's like if you mashed Warm Bodies, Edward Scissorhands, Jennifer's Body, and Heathers into one movie). I also think it's a little confused on the story it's trying to tell and the characterization of the main girl changes from scene to scene, which is a writing/directing problem because Newton is doing her best. I like her a lot - I wasn't a fan of her in Ant-Man, but she's nailed everything else. Her "I Can't Fight This Feeling Scene" scene in this is such a strong representation of who she is as an actress - she obviously can't sing, but she goes for it anyway and makes it fun. I just feel like this character doesn't feel like a real person - there's no consistency to her character that a director is supposed to...direct. I also think this is kind of embarrassing for Cole Sprouse - he doesn't even really have any dialogue (it's just an interesting contrast from what his former co-star Charles Melton is doing - being in Oscar nominated films and such). I do think this was presented to him as an early Johnny Depp type role (see Edward Scissorhands or Benny & Joon), so I get why he took it, but he's not early Johnny Depp so this is...*eeek*. I do think it's funny that I told my husband I was going to watch this and he said "oh is that about the pen lady?", as in Lisa Frank, who was super popular during this time period for making pens, notebooks, etc. for teenage girls. And then I looked it up and apparently a lot of people thought there was a connection to this movie, to the point where Cody had to make a statement that the name of the movie is not in relation to Lisa Frank. LOL. 

3. The Iron Claw - The hype for this movie was inescapable, and I don't really understand why. It's a very good story, with some decent acting performances (I've been SAYING Zac Efron is a good actor waaaaay before everyone else jumped on this bandwagon!). But, objectively, the actual film is very average - nothing about it puts it in the "award-worthy" category, so the apparent snubs are warranted. I think people tend to get confused by their own personal enjoyment of a story. And this is an incredible story because it's SO UNREAL how this family suffered so much tragedy. I'm not really familiar with the story (I don't follow wrestling at all), but I read a little about it when the film trailer was released last year. It reminds me of the Carter family (Nick Carter has lost THREE of his four siblings in the span of a decade!). It's not hard to make a movie out of this story - it sort of writes itself. However, the reason I'm not really that impressed with the movie is that the pacing is WAAAY off. Nothing happens for the entire first hour - and none of these people are interesting enough to watch for a FULL HOUR. I also know that stories like this take certain liberties to make the story more interesting and/or move quicker, but combining two of the brothers into one is very disrespectful in my opinion. It also leaves out that the family are born-again Christians - which is why the father is the way he is (with the attitude of "what will be, will be" because God wants it that way. I'm sorry, but born-agains are fucking lunatics. My mom's sister is one and when I was a teenager I asked her if she would sponsor me for a Diabetes walk that I was doing and she said no because if someone has Diabetes it's because God wants them to suffer. I said my best friend was born with Diabetes and she said "she must be suffering the sins of her parents". I'll never forget it. My mom told me - in front of her - that I never had to speak to her again, and I never have. LOL.). The father is obviously seen as the "villain" of the story - emotionally abusive, controlling, but they never really explain why he's like that so it's a bit frustrating. It just feels like they needed someone to blame for the tragedies, instead of telling the truth (adults are responsible for their own decisions!). There is also nothing really cinematic about it, aside from a few well-done emotional beats. I do worry about how Efron got his body to look like that - it has to be steroids and it just can't be worth risking your health like that for a movie role. I also feel bad that everyone went so hard on him for the physical changes in his face, assuming he had plastic surgery only to find out it was from a facial injury. I admit, I thought the same, but I also wonder why with all of his money, he didn't get a better plastic surgeon - clearly something went wrong? It's very sad. Anyway, Efron is good here. So is Jeremy Allen White (and as an aside - I've been a fan since Shameless, but I get aggravated when actors get super popular and are suddenly cast in everything even if they are not right for the role and, I'm sorry, but casting him as Bruce Springsteen is WILD. I hate it.). But the highlight is my sunshine, Lily James (AND HOW DARE THEY IMPLY THAT SHE'S UGLY! "look how pretty she looks when she puts some effort into it" is the dumbest quote from a movie I've ever heard). And the lowlight is, you guessed it, Harris Dickinson (stop putting him in stuff! He has ZERO personality or screen presence. I don't understand!). 

4. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes - I was actually under the impression that this movie was good, but...uh....it's definitely not. I surprisingly really liked The Hunger Games movies. All of them. I wasn't expecting to, but I found them very enjoyable and interesting. I was IN for a prequel - especially starring New Jersey's own Rachel Zegler. But, this was terrible. I rated it 2.5 stars, because it's well-made - the production quality is top-notch. But everything else about it made it almost unwatchable so I'm considering lowering my rating. First, Rachel's accent is SO HARD to listen to. And when she sings with it, I wanted to die. The twang??? GIRL YOU ARE FROM NJ! Second, it's very inaccessible - I have a terrible memory, as you may already know. So I know I liked all the Hunger Games movies, but I don't necessarily remember them - so I found this very confusing. They just jump right into the games, but I thought it would have more of an origin story. Third, Rachel and this guy (Tom Blyth - I'm not familiar with him), have ZERO chemistry. The film never does a good job at showing that they are in love until they suddenly just ARE. It's just so boring, and I don't understand the mostly good reviews for it! It's obvious as to how he is going to save her because the foreshadowing is insane (and IN THE TITLE OF THE MOVIE!). Even the costumes suck! Rachel wears an Anthropologie skirt for the whole film (I'm pretty sure, they just dyed it multi-color); not exactly wow-worthy. And whoever did that to Viola Davis needs to be fired. The only good thing I have to say about this is that I really like Hunter Schafer - I don't necessarily think she's a good actress (and she's awful in Euphoria), but I just really like her. I read that recent article about how she's tired of being seen as a "trans actress" and doesn't want to be known for that, which is a pretty rare thing for someone of her generation to say. But I think all of the identity politics is what is causing such a division. I think she has a lot of potential to be part of the A-list as just an actress, and that should be very inspiring for a lot of people. 

5. Night Swim - And speaking of stupid, I can't believe they made a movie about a haunted swimming pool. Literally. It's a pool. And it's haunted. LOL. I actually liked the opening scene with the little girl, because I definitely remember being a little scared of a dark pool at night when I was a kid (I was somehow scared of a shark getting in??? It's ridiculous, but I was scared of sharks when I was little but only because when I was swimming off of my uncle's boat in the middle of the ocean and my cousin started calling me to come back to the boat and I didn't listen and then he said there was a shark so I swam back as fast as I could. And he made it a big joke about how I swam so fast, but he never told me if he was lying about there being a shark! He still claimed for years that there was a shark near me! I had nightmares about sharks for years! I'm not sure how I thought they would end up in a pool though. LOL). But then it just goes full stupid. There's a whole baseball subplot, about how he hurt himself and somehow the pool is going to heal him but kill everyone else (I think?). It's also very boring - they tease the audience a lot but nothing really happens until towards the end. There are also some very weird cuts (like when it's suddenly pouring rain and he's screaming "the pool is the best thing that's every happened to me"). It has a great cast, which is sort of depressing because why is Oscar-nominated Kerry Condon in a b-rate horror film??? And Wyatt Russell is on a career upswing with the Apple TV+ Godzilla show. They are completely wasted here. 

3 Thoughts on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

1. The Franchise - You guys, you know what I realized recently? I don't think I've ever seen Ghostbusters 2!! It was on tv, and the part I saw did not seem familiar at all. It makes sense because I never really held the Ghostbusters movies as, like, a childhood memory - I don't even think I saw the first one as a child. I'm pretty sure I was an adult (although I'm sure I saw scenes because I knew who all the characters were...maybe I did see it as a kid, I don't know). I think that's really rare for a child in the 80s, but it just wasn't my thing. And I've never really liked Bill Murray (sorry, EVERYONE, he seems like an asshole. A miserable asshole. I don't find him funny at all). I think the 2016 "all female" one was pretty pointless and stupid (but will be burned in my memory for Chris Hemsworth's lensless glasses. It's too funny). But, I actually really liked Afterlife. It definitely surprised me, and I thought the cast had such great chemistry together. I was excited for the franchise to continue. I thought it was super cool that it reinvigorated an almost 40 year old franchise. Unfortunately, this one feels like it killed any remaining excitement. It's not terrible, but just very average. I came away from the theater feeling disappointed, and the more I thought about it, the more I dislike it. 

2. Ghost Girl and Company - The two biggest mistakes this entry makes is (1) trying to cram a million and one characters into a two hour movie. Please take a second to just look at how insane that poster is (it's Marvel-level insane) - and the even weirder part is that one of the major side characters (Melody aka Ghost Girl) isn't even featured on it. AND McKenna Grace is...the STAR of the movie so she should be bigger. Like, the main family should be equally sized and centered and then everyone else should be small or eliminated all together, and that's true for the movie too. Carrie Coon is completely sidelined (it almost feels like she didn't even want to be in this?). I probably could have done without the original cast altogether (maybe a cameo here and there, but they several old cast members who had whole scenes!). And I don't even remember any of the side characters from Afterlife, so it's weird to bring them into this setting as if they were beloved characters. I think the only two important other characters (aside from the family) are Melody and Kumail Nanjiani's character (who also provided some much needed comic relief - never quite laugh out loud funny, but amusing nonetheless). It's obvious from her introduction that Melody is going to be important in the end. I would have liked her story more if they actually went for the story they hint at - as in - just let Phoebe be gay. It's extremely implied that there is more than a platonic connection with Melody - but it's never explicitly stated. It's such a cop out, and extremely irritating. Which brings me to (2) why did they make Phoebe the most annoying teenage girl on the planet? She was so funny and interesting in the first movie, but here she is UNBEARABLE. The whole plot with her being sidelined because she's too young is SO DUMB. But her attitude about it is even dumber. I wanted her dumb dad jokes, her quirky fun-facts, and her adorable winks! It's WHO SHE IS! 

3. The Rest - Overall, this is just...not a good movie. It's boring, badly paced, over-stuffed, and non-sensical. Like, why would they deem ghostbusting as too dangerous for a teenager, but her walking into an empty park in NYC in THE DARK *screams* BY HERSELF is somehow okay??? I wouldn't even walk into an empty park in the dark in NYC by myself and I'm 42. There is some good stuff - the effects are done really well, especially the scene in which Patience and Fortitude come to life. And the frozen stuff is done really well - I like how it's genuinely scary with the ice spikes tearing up through the ground. If it were funnier, I probably could forgive a lot of the faults, but I laughed a total of ONE time in its two hour runtime (when he tells the library researcher "he's already dead" as a joke - perfect comedic delivery). BUT, my husband liked it - and he's a big fan of the franchise. He, like me, loved Afterlife, so he actually insisted we see this in the theater (a true rarity!), and he left happy, so what do I know? 

Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. The Gentlemen - I LOVE this show!!! It's so much fun and Kaya Scodelario and Theo James have INSANE chemistry together. It's honestly refreshing to see because it feels like it's so rare for actors to have actual chemistry nowadays. I've been a big fan of Kaya's since Skins (so much talent came from that show - Dev Patel, Nicholas Hoult, Jack O'Connell, Daniel Kaluuya etc.), and I hope this is finally the break that she needs to send her into stardom. I thought she would breakout with the Maze Runner films, but those films didn't turn out as popular as expected, nor did they have any lasting effect. I think this is a good role for her because this is definitely a more adult role, and there is a lot of depth to this character - there are moments in which the audience doesn't know if she's good, bad, untrustworthy, a murderer, or just a really good businesswoman. Theo James really won me over in the second season of The White Lotus - I really didn't like him at first, but once I realized that he's supposed to be a very unlikeable character and HE NAILS IT, I pivoted to total respect for his acting skills. He is incredible in this  - so likeable, even as a wealthy entitled aristocrat. It's so weird that the movie version is really bland and they were able to turn it into this. I can still see some of the same elements and characters - it definitely feels like the same world, but this is just so much more interesting. It's also fascinating that marijuana is still so illegal in the UK. Because even before it was technically legal here, it really wasn't a big deal - there certainly weren't underground mobsters growing it (they deal in much harder drugs like heroin & cocaine. Pot is...laughable). It's even more of a contrast when Giancarlo Esposito shows up as a somewhat lighter version of Gus Fring (I definitely was one of the people who looked up if they were trying to connect this to Breaking Bad - the character is just too similar!). I'm hopeful for a season 2 (it seems to have done pretty well, so I'm expecting it to happen). Also, I laugh every time they call the brother "Fredward" because it reminds me of when I first heard that Ned from The Simpsons full name is "Nedward", I laughed for like an hour. I don't know why it's so funny to me, but I laugh all the time about it. 

2. Apples Never Fall - *spoilery* I can't really decide if I liked this or hated it, but I will say that it is very successful in being binge-worthy. I just kept hitting "play" on the next episode even though it's so incredibly trashy and stupid. It's like they made a Lifetime movie into a miniseries and they somehow got actual actors to star in it - like ANNETTE BENING! What are you doing?! You were just nominated for a fucking Oscar! I hope she doesn't fall into the Nicole Kidman pattern of doing a miniseries about privileged white women over and over again. This plot did have me guessing, though. I think it's fairly obvious that this is the rare case in which the husband didn't do it. I figured that there was going to be a reason behind every clue that pointed to him. But I also thought that *major spoilers ahead* she's not actually dead (rule of trashy murder mysteries "no body = not dead"). I did think that maybe she killed the strange con-artist woman, though, and that maybe he was covering it up for her. That would explain why he acted so weird. And he definitely acted weird. If your wife went missing, a normal, loving husband would show waaaay more concern than he does. Sam Neill just never convinces me that he's concerned about her whereabouts, and I think that's a big problem from a storytelling perspective. The rest of the cast are kind of...terrible. Yes, even Alison Brie - whom I ADORE, so it pains me to say. She's jut very grating in this, and overdoes her character. And again, it just doesn't feel like how a human being would naturally react. It's interesting watching them all turn on their dad, but none of them seem as distraught by it as they should be. I do really like the woman who plays Savannah. Her name is Georgia Flood - and I could not for the life of me figure out what I knew her from until I just looked it up right now and it's Wentworth (she was Bea's daughter!). As I said, it's one of those shows that hooks the audience, but it's not necessarily a good show. And the twist ends up being really, really dumb. 

3. Manhunt - For an Apple TV+ show, I expected better. It kind of feels like a History channel reenactment show, which is an insult to these actors, but it's true. The casting is WILD. Hamish Linklater as Abe Lincoln??? Lili Taylor as Mary Todd??? Neither of them fit these roles AT ALL. Also, Patton Oswald sticks out like a sore thumb. I saw people commenting about how some of the dialogue is too modern, and I don't think I wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for Oswald's delivery of this dialogue. I do think Tobias Menzies is doing a great job leading the show, and I don't have any problems with the guy playing Booth. Unfortunately though, I'm just bored to death watching it. It's kind of interesting to see how this whole "manhunt" went down, but there's also just something so dull about it - I think maybe it's the pacing? It should be more exciting, no? There's just nothing even worth noting to talk about, which is probably why so many people focused on the dialogue not being historically correct. I think if it were more interesting (and had better casting), people wouldn't even notice this minor detail. 

4. We Were the Lucky Ones - I really like Logan Lerman and Joey King, so that's why I added this to my watchlist even though it seems depressing as fuck. The first two episodes are exactly that - depressing as fuck, but also terribly boring and predictable. It does pick up, though. I'm on the 5th episode, but the 4th episode is definitely a highlight (more on this later). However, I'm not really invested in these characters, either - I don't really feel like they are given any time to develop, instead it's all plot (as in, this is what happened TO these characters and...we already know because this time in history has been well documented and turned into many movies, novels, series, etc.). I think King is very strong so far, though, even if she's laying the accent on a little thick. She has a really strong scene in which she has to tell the man she loves to go ("they need you, I don't") - and she executes it really well, showcasing the heartbreaking sacrifices thousands were forced to make. As I said, I'm a big fan of Lerman - and even more so after watching Hunters - his acting in the final season blew me away (also there's an episode that will haunt me for the rest of my life - and it's also about the holocaust. But it's told in such a way that felt new and soul-destroying). I think I've mentioned before that I had a terrible interaction with his mother (who was his manager and still might be) a long time ago when I worked at a production company in LA. She was just very unfriendly, but I understand she was trying to protect her son from a very unfriendly business (he was only like 16 at the time - interestingly, the role that we were looking at him for eventually went to Ezra Miller and then they ended up starring in Perks of Being a Wallflower together just a few years later). The rest of the cast is filled out by actors I'm not familiar with, but all are strong. There are some really standout scenes, during episode 4, in particular. The scene in which they are digging their own graves and then she has her daughter run to the other woman and call her "momma" - harrowing. I think a big problem, though, is...the title sort of gives the show away, because I assume that even in the most harrowing situations they all still live (because they are *the lucky ones*). It's still all very depressing and feels hopeless. If you're not in a good place, mentally, then maybe skip it...

5. Palm Royale - I'm surprised this show hasn't had more buzz considering the talent involved (Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Laura Dern, and the one and only, CAROL BURNETT!). I don't think I would have even heard of it if it weren't for the fact that the retailer that I work for did a fashion campaign as part of their promotional advertising. I haven't seen anyone talk about it at all - and, again, it stars CAROL BURNETT!!! I don't think Apple TV+ is very good at marketing their shows, though. A few of them take off, obviously, like Ted Lasso, but I see random ads on Twitter for their other shows, and that's really it. They need to step it up, because they are the most consistent (quality wise) with programming, and definitely worth the money. I like the look of this show - the production design, the costumes (the look that Janney wears in the first episode in which the print on her glasses MATCH the print on her top is exquisite and I MUST HAVE THIS LOOK), etc., are all outstanding. I think the story is a little lacking, though. I'm caught up on what has aired, but I think there are still 4 episodes to go, so it has time to win me over. Kristen Wiig is a favorite of mine - and she's so stunningly gorgeous! I think this gets overlooked because she's also hilarious, so she's just known as being "funny" instead of "hot", but she is definitely both. There is also a very special scene featuring father daughter acting duo Laura & Bruce Dern (in their first time acting in a scene together!). Dern (Laura) is always a highlight - I recently started that HBO show she did a while back called Enlightened and she's SO good in it (and kind of plays a similar character here). There is some funny dialogue - like when the manager insults Wiig's character with "you look like you can afford it" and she responds with "that is...so kind!" (the show is about her trying to fit in in an exclusive country club even though she clearly doesn't fit in). And then during the meeting with the group of feminists one of them says "boys can be feminists too" and she dismissively goes "y'all are such a hoot!". LOL. The big misfire is the casting of Ricky Martin - first, why would this 50 year old man be doing the job that is essentially a pool boy??? That job is reserved for hot 20 year olds, Ricky, stop playing. He's also a terrible actor, but I feel like that's already a given. Do you want another fun fact about my past celeb interactions?? Well, I also interned at a few record companies in the early 2000s, during the height of TRL, and Ricky Martin being a big thing. Well, he was promoting a new video for the song "She Bangs", and he was nervous that there wouldn't be enough people supporting him outside (remember how crowds used to form in Times Square for TRL??? Crazy times), so as an intern they made me go and gather people to stand outside for him - I made posters for them to hold up and everything (one of them read "BANG ME Ricky" LOL! Times were different then). I actually did that for several musical artists at that record company, and then I interned at Jive records (who had Britney, *NSYNC, and Backstreet Boys) and I asked them about it and they were like, "uuuuhhhh no, those crowds for our artists are there naturally" and they thought it was hilarious that other record companies faked it. Anyway, epic sidetrack. I know you missed those!