Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Kraven the Hunter - I know this was supposed to be bad, so I was prepared for the worst. It's....fine. I think the cast is interesting because it stars people that are supposed to be box office gold - Aaron Taylor Johnson is rumored to be the next Bond (which was before the big Amazon announcement, so maybe that's changed now), and Ariana DeBose is an Oscar winner (?!), you would think these are both big deals. But ultimately, if a movie is bad, people are not going to support it - and the reality is neither of these two have a big enough fanbase or star power to overcome a bad film. It's literally proof that Johnson would be a terrible Bond, and that DeBose should not have won that Oscar. She was fine in West Side Story, but I didn't think it deserved Oscar attention. Her nomination and win was wrong and we can admit it now! There's a great supporting cast - Russell Crowe, Fred Hechinger (who is in like 6 movies from 2024!), and Christopher Abbott. But ultimately, the story is really lacking. There is only one really solid scene - the one where he is chasing the van on foot and then the helicopter scene. It GOES HARD. But other than that, I was really bored and completely lost interest by the 90 minute mark. The whole Calypso part is just plain stupid, and I don't understand why they dress her like she's in En Vogue. It's supposed to take place in the present day and she's dressed like that??? And while I don't think Johnson has "star power", I have liked him in a few things before (Bullet Train, Nocturnal Animals). He's AWFUL here. I think they might have used AI or something for his Russian scenes because the dialogue doesn't link up to his mouth moving, but then his American accent is even worse. Is he trying to sound like Matthew McConaughey? WHY??? Ugh...the whole thing is BAD. And I think it's slightly worse than Madam Web too because, at the very least, that was entertaining. And yet, everybody this let this go "under the radar bad" instead of "ripping it apart on the internet bad". I wonder why? (I'm kidding, I know the answer. It's misogyny). 

2. Wicked - I really dreaded watching this. I've never seen the Broadway show (zero interest in ever seeing it and I'm a theater nerd!). And the marketing blitz for this movie was so fucking grating. It's already starting again for the sequel and I'm not ready. I don't think I can survive it again. I may need to log off of movie-related news until it's over. I've always been a big fan of and cheerleader for Cynthia Erivo (she was excellent in that Stephen King series!, She went to school with Taron and was nice to him!, she has an incredible voice!, she's going to EGOT!), but I definitely find her extremely annoying now. But aside from all that, the biggest reason that I dreaded watching this is because it *looked* terrible! And guess what?! I was right! It's one of the ugliest blockbuster movies I've ever seen. It's also 2 hours and 40 minutes long and it's only part one! LOL. What the fuck are we doing here guys? I know a lot of people talked about the coloring, but it's a fact that the muted colors are a terrible choice for this universe. I felt like I wanted to turn the contrast up on my television. The Wizard of Oz was KNOWN for its colors, as one of first films in color, it was also VIBRANT. The sparkling ruby red slippers, the shining yellow brick road, etc.!! Not only is this dull looking, all of the actors look sick! Ariana's dye job does not help the cause at all - that color is so unflattering for her complexion and the fact that she kept it that way during the entire press junket is WILD. All of the set pieces look like they are made of styrofoam and can easily just get pushed over. Some other stuff that I hated: (1) Bowen Yang is not funny. I've never laughed once at any his SNL skits, and he's so annoying in this. (2) The whole story basically feels like Harry Potter when he's at Hogwarts and I fucking HATE Harry Potter. It's so stupid. In a world of talking bears, people are weirded out because someone is green? That doesn't make sense. (3) Again, I've not seen the Broadway show, so I don't know the story - AND YET, they cast Jeff Goldblum as the wizard - someone who has a super recognizable voice and "hide" the fact that it's him in the beginning. So, literally within the first few minutes, I was like "oh...that's Jeff Goldblum. So the wizard is her dad. Duh". Why do I even need to sit through the next two hours and forty minutes???? However, I have two nice things to say about it - both Ariana and Cynthia do a fine job. They have amazing voices. And, as much as it pains me to say, Ariana does grow on you throughout the movie. Her comedic timing is *on point* and I think she understood and interpreted the role in a very interesting way. But also, as I suspected, it's a co-lead role not a supporting role. She's in the film only 14 minutes less than Cynthia, which for a 2 hour and 40 minute long film is not that much difference. If she won, she would have broken the record for most screentime in a supporting performance. I wonder if she'll campaign for lead with part 2? I honestly think she'll have a better chance at winning. 

3. A Complete Unknown - Another movie I dreaded - I can't stand Bob Dylan and I don't see what's so special about Timothee Chalamet (Chamalet?). BUT, sometimes I'm wrong! I do like James Mangold as a director, and the supporting cast is excellent - Elle Fanning, Scoot McNairy, Melissa Barbaro, Edward Norton, Boyd Holbrook...the list goes on! So, I tried going into this with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn more about Bob Dylan. Plus, a lot of it was filmed in NJ (and I even know someone who was an extra in it, so that's cool!). But, as I expected, it literally tells me nothing about Bob Dylan. It's just him picking up a guitar, mumbling through some dull-as-fuck songs that you can barely understand, and being an asshole to the women around him. Cool story, bro. And Timothee looks like he's dead behind the eyes for 99% of the movie. He also does the whole "squinting my eyes to show emotion" thing that drives me crazy (I call it the Reese Witherspoon School of Acting). Sure, he sounds like him, but Dylan sounds like nails on a chalkboard, so I don't think that's...a good thing? I feel like this performance requires very little of him, so an Oscar nomination is fucking crazy. Barbaro as Joan Baez is the only interesting part of the movie, but I wish she just got her own biopic because she's an actual interesting person. But I would argue that an Oscar nom for that role is also fucking crazy. It's all fucking crazy. I got super bored by about 30 minutes in - they show all of these historical events happening at the time but fail to connect how Dylan feels about anything or how it influences him in any way. The only interesting scene is when Dylan is throwing a hissy fit on stage and Baez just keeps going like a goddamn professional (the lighting is really good in this scene too). And as far as the "filmed in NJ" stuff - it's crazy that they would use such recognizable places as non-NJ locations. The whole end of the film is clearly filmed in Cape May with a NJ landmark (Congress Hall) heavily featured, and it's supposed to be...Rhode Island??? LOL. So stupid. Anyway, needless to say I hated this. Also, to be clear, I hate Dylan's voice and I think all of his songs sound the same, but I will concede that he is a brilliant lyricist - I wish we saw more of his writing process. 

4. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera - I think I liked the first one, but I don't really remember it, if I'm honest. I rated it 3 stars, so I assume it was a fun action film starring Gerard Butler being Gerard Butler. (it's weird that I just rated it 3 stars on LB without writing anything up about it on here? I still question whether or not I actually watched it, but whatever!). This is exactly that - a fun action film starring Gerard Butler and also starring O'Shea Jackson Jr., and they have great chemistry together. It's a good, twisty, action heist film with some great scenes (Rave Butler is almost as good as Rave Venom!!). I found myself questioning whether or not Butler was actually going to betray his new group of "friends". I kind of wish it ended a few minutes before it does to leave things a bit ambiguous, but instead they provide closure and a set-up for a third movie. There's not much else to say about it - I think it's very clear whether this is the type of movie you will enjoy or not, and it's exactly what you'd expect. 

5. Sing Sing - It's INSANE that Colman Domingo was in the same category as Timothee for an Oscar, and that Timmy had the edge towards winning!!! INSANE. Domingo is AN ACTOR - truly one of the greats, and this performance is incredible. I think his performance outshines the actual movie a bit - because it's a really interesting experiment, and an interesting story. It's based on a true story of the supporting actor, Clarence Maclin - who probably should have been Oscar nominated, as well, in the supporting category (if they didn't nominate lead performances instead). A former prisoner who rehabilitated himself through performing arts and continues to help incarcerated people - it's a really inspiring story. I do believe in rehabilitation for prisoners, but I think it's such a rare thing because the U.S. prison system is run as a business and it makes too much money to care about its inhabitants. They care about making money - and it's directly linked to people committing more crime when they are released. ANYWAY, I'm glad that there are people that are able to break free from this system of abuse by our government - and the sheer willpower, strength, and determination that it takes is mind-blowing. This film is also advocating for the simple notion of treating prisoners with humanity and dignity - and that's also a concept that not a lot of people grasp. You don't know someone's story - how they got there, the events that led them to prison, etc., and there is a very small percentage of criminals that are actually evil - most were in desperate situations, were victims of abuse themselves, or just didn't have the support needed for mental illnesses. And I'm saying this as someone who had an immediate family member in prison for most of my life who definitely belonged there. But, I think, as a whole, we've lost a lot of our ability to empathize with imperfect people. Anyway, this film is a great study in character and humanity - it brings to light the importance of the arts and finding *that thing* that makes life worth living, to keep fighting for your freedom, etc., and it's really beautiful. I do think it could have pushed this narrative a little bit more, and had a little more intensity because I did find my mind wandering to other thoughts. It's just slightly too slow, but I love what it's doing. I almost cried during the end credits - seeing all the actors that portray themselves. It definitely strikes a chord.