Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Inside Out 2 - I liked the first one, but I hated how everyone latched onto it and misunderstood it (it's not about depression! It's about being sad - a totally normal feeling for a young girl). This one is okay, too. I think they do a good job of explaining that as you get older your emotions become more complex, with added in anxiety, envy and ennui. And speaking of ennui - I have never laughed harder than realizing Adele Exarchopoulos is the voice of Ennui. Probably the best voice casting in all of Pixar. The other new casting emotions are great too (Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri - great casting to make it more "of the moment"). There's some really funny lines ("I'm going to call you "wee-wee" made me laugh hard), and overall it's just very cute. Some of it is also bad - like the entire scene in the vault is hard to watch. It's over-stimulating and too chaotic. It also sends a bit of a mixed message with anxiety being SO evil and trying to destroy lives. Like, anxiety does often ruin things - it stops you from doing things you might enjoy, often resulting in a more catatonic state (and then that causes depression because you didn't do the thing you wanted to do, etc.), but I don't think people who suffer from anxiety actively ruin other peoples lives or treat other people badly. Again, it's supposed to be more of a lighter take on all these emotions a young girl feels - and that all these emotions are normal if they work together and let their emotions have time to breathe. But, anxiety is one evil bitch in this. 

2. Wolfs - This movie relies waaaaay too much on the charm and chemistry between George Clooney and Brad Pitt. It's just them giving each other weird disapproving looks for 80% of the film. That's not to say that I wasn't entertained, because I definitely was. I love Clooney & Pitt together, but this movie is more than a little sloppy. None of it holds up (for instance - the kid would have had so many more cuts with all that blood spooling and splattering everywhere?? How is he just a little scratched up through the rest of the movie? Where did all that blood come from?). And I kind of stopped paying attention to all the mafia stuff, but none of it seemed to make sense (like how they say they can't be seen in the same room together, but then go INTO THE SAME ROOM TOGETHER? What??! So stupid). Aside from Clooney & Pitt's chemistry - the surprising highlight is the GUY I HATE FROM EUPHORIA! I never in a million years would think that this guy would hold his own against A-list heavyweights, but I love to be surprised by someone. He's so good in this that I even looked up his name - Austin Abrams. Not only does he hold his own, but he's funnier than both Clooney & Pitt combined. But ultimately, this whole thing feels like a waste of time and talent. The only person that I cared about was Abrams' character - Clooney & Pitt could have died and I would have happily watched his story instead. And I don't think that was the intent. 

3. Apartment 7A - I definitely thought this was a tv show. I went to start the first episode only to realize that it is, in fact, a movie. A very, very, very pointless movie. You may already know that I'm not a fan of Julia Garner, but one day maybe she'll surprise me just like the kid from Euphoria did!! I would honestly love that and welcome it, but this is definitely not it. I didn't really know much about this going in - other than it was related to Rosemary's Baby. I realized quickly that it's a prequel - and also a spinoff because it's about Terry, a character that had a minor but very important role in Rosemary's Baby. I actually just watched Rosemary's Baby for the first time just last year and I really liked it. But I don't remember the character that Wiest plays in this being so shrill?? Combined with that crazy accent - it's hard to watch. I usually love Dianne Wiest, but I just could not get on board with this performance. The beginning plays out exactly how you'd expect it to - a dancer gets hurt and her dreams are crushed. Things start to get interesting when she's offered that gigantic NYC apartment FOR FREE (can you even imagine? I would take them up on it too! Any sane person would!). But unfortunately, it never goes anywhere - it's just so dull and boring. I definitely zoned out once she gets the terrible haircut. I was still leaning towards a 3 star movie (it's made well, and I love all the original film references), but THEN Garner does this whole "wild" dance in the Hail Satan scene and I had to take a 1/2 star away. She's so laughable at trying to be crazy - it's insane to watch. And then the credits roll and I was not expecting to see John Krasinski and Michael Bay's names as Producers. LOL. 

4. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - Okay...uh...this movie is really good?! I was definitely not expecting it to be. I've seen barely anyone mention it. It's currently in my Top 10 of the year (but towards the bottom, so I don't expect it to be there for long - especially going into peak movie season). There are three really bad parts of this movie - so I'm just going to get that out of the way first - 1. The makeup for Churchill is AWFUL. 2. Alex Pettyfer is (allegedly) an abusive asshole, but he's also a terrible actor so it's VERY EASY to not cast him in stuff, but he's still getting jobs in 2024. *deep exhale*. 3. The party scene at the end is so ridiculously over-the-top with the costumes. Is there a Spirit Halloween on that island??? It doesn't make sense at all. But everything else about it is fantastic. Even Henry Cavill! He has a pulse in this!! And I'm not familiar with Alan Ritchson, but I definitely will be adding Reacher to my list because he is HOT (and I've already heard good things about Reacher). Eiza Gonzalez and Henry Golding are also HOT. They all have amazing chemistry together - it's funny, sarcastic, layered, and it's all based on a CRAZY true story! I also got a kick out of the James Bond connection considering that Cavill is a fan favorite for the role (and Golding is my pick! Make it happen Ms. Broccoli!). I like the focus on historical events combined with their sarcastic energy - it keeps things light and fun even though it's about something very serious. It definitely has a bit of an Inglorious Basterds but that's not necessarily a bad thing - it still does its own thing and feels very much like a Guy Ritchie movie. 

5. Rebel Ridge - I've liked all of Jeremy Saulnier's previous movies, but I would also definitely describe them as overpraised. He's a solid director - and I like his focus on slow burn storytelling. I think this is probably his best film (I rated Blue Ruin and Green Room 3 stars. And I don't remember Hold the Dark? I'm not sure if I watched it? But I can't imagine why I wouldn't have seen it? Anyway, I rated this 3.5 stars). Aaron Pierre is so HOT OHMYGOD. He's also so good at this no bullshit character - someone who can't catch a break and falls into a web of police corruption. But the highlight is newcomer Zshane Jhe. I love her so much. There are some really good scenes too that build the perfect amount of tension - my favorite is probably when he shows up to confront the police at the station as they are looking into his file. I googled MCMAP before they did and said out loud "Ohhhh they are FUCKED". I also like that it deviates a little bit from normal film style shootouts with meta type dialogue - like when he frustratingly says "hit the fucking tires" because that's what I yell out during any car chase shootout scene. And during the end shootout, the one police officer yells "I'm not sure who to shoot at" because it's so chaotic, and nobody knows at that point who is good and who is bad. Also, the final shootout is terrific; it's choreographed so smoothly. I would say my only complaint is the lighting all but disappears after about an hour. And it should have been 100 minute tops. OH...and AnnaSophia Robb's awful haircut. Who did that to that poor girl???