Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Life of Chuck - Aside from M3GAN 2.0, I watched the rest of these on a plane - and I absolutely think that this has an effect on ones enjoyment or lack of enjoyment of a film. It's already such an uncomfortable experience and the screens are so tiny and slightly blurry etc. It's just not a great viewing experience. But, anyway, I did like this. Actually I liked this a lot. It feels very magical. And I think that's hard to find in films lately. Like, it's designed to make you feel something instead of checking boxes of what studios think an audience wants to see. It also felt slightly like a Black Mirror episode or The Twilight Zone. I was expecting it to be more horror based with Mike Flanigan involved (and it's based on a Stephen King story), but it's not at all. It has a whole lot of heart and warmth, mixed with this eeriness of loss and death in the background. The cast is great - a whole lot of Flanigan regulars (even in some tiny roles - like Carla Gugino in a voiceover role). I've never been a fan of Tom Hiddleston (I was turned off by how pompous he was when he won an Emmy a while back or maybe it was a Golden Globe I don't remember, but his speech was obnoxious), but I really liked him in this. It's not enough to make me a fan, but I think he was the perfect casting choice. The much-publicized image with him mid-dance, makes it seem like the film will feature a lot of dancing, but it's only one very perfectly executed dance scene. It's a spectacular scene about living within a moment, letting your intuition guide you, and how important human interaction and art is. It might even be my favorite film scene of the year! There's also another scene in which the question is asked "is everything going to be okay?" and it hit me really hard because I remember on March 14th 2020, I was at work chatting to two of our young sales associates - both in their early 20s, and Covid was the hot topic. One of the girls turned to me, as a mentor, and asked that very question - "is everything going to be okay?". I could tell how anxious they both were about the thought of a worldwide pandemic hitting, and they just needed someone to say "yes", so I did. Then about an hour later, I got the call that we were closing all stores due to the pandemic and everything spiraled from there. The girl who asked the question had her whole world flipped upside down - her mom ended up getting Cancer (unrelated to the pandemic but happened at the same time) and passed away just a few years later. She had to drop out of school and quit her job to take care of her mom and it was so devastating. All that plus the world was in a pandemic! I sometimes wish I didn't say "yes". I should have said "no, we're all fucked, just live every day as best you can" because that's the truth. Anyway, the only other comment I have is that the song "Gimme Some Lovin'" ALWAYS reminds me of Sleepers. It's weird to hear it in other films. 

2. M3GAN 2.0 - *spoilers ahead* This is dumb and not nearly as fun as the first one. Also, the girl in this is also in The Life of Chuck! I couldn't figure out why she looked so familiar. It's always weird when you watch two movies in a row featuring a random actress/actor in both. Anyway, I think this one makes a huge mistake of gearing away from the horror aspect and making it more of an action thriller. It's an odd genre switch considering how successful the first one was. And they make M3GAN a hero?! Hell no! So stupid. It's also very clear who the bad guy is - the second he corrects the pronunciation of his name, I thought "oh...bad guy". LOL. It's also TWO hours long??? WHYYYY - a 90 minute version of this movie would have been SO much better. I do like the actress that plays the other robot - her name is Ivanna Sakhno. I've seen her in a few things and she definitely has a presence about her and she's very pretty. I also laughed a total of ONCE when the Knight Rider theme starts to play. It's a great joke! I wish it had more of those genuinely funny (even cheesy) moments. Instead it takes itself way too seriously. And I was bored for a lot of it. 

3. Sorry, Baby - Um...I'm unsure how I feel about this movie. I definitely liked parts of it and was fully engaged in this story, but I also feel like it's missing something. I think it's a little unfocused? Or...something. I just can't quite pinpoint it. Also, from the trailer, I expected the kitten/cat to be featured more. It's a big part of the story - that they get a kitten to help them heal, and cats are SUPER healing. A cat's purr can fix any situation even if it's just for a few moments. There are moments in this that I just don't really understand - like why they are so mean to the one classmate who is clearly special needs and/or autistic. It's a weird flex considering the story is supposed to be an empathetic look at a person who is processing life after sexual assault. But they are also someone who lives on the outskirts of what's considered "normal" - as a non-binary person. And PTSD effects have similar sensibilities as someone with autism (difficulties socializing, hard time processing emotions etc.), so I feel like the film making this other student almost villainous is a CHOICE. Then, there's the ending with her getting picked for jury duty in which she's asked very personal questions in front of her peers that I don't think they do in real life??? I was asked those questions during a one-on-one interview (it was the judge, the two lawyers, and the defendant in the room - the rest of the jury duty candidates were in another room). I just feel like if the lawyer got the hint that they might have been the victim of a crime - they wouldn't press the issue in front of everyone? It didn't feel realistic at all. It might be nitpicky, but the rest of the film feels very genuine and real so this threw me for a loop - and it's a very pivotal scene. I also think some of the shots linger a little too long. And, nobody can convince me Naomie Ackie can act - and yet she keeps showing up in movies I want to like and ruining them! BUT, I do think this is an excellent script and a great directorial debut. It felt very personal, authentic, and a little bit quirky (but not too quirky). And Eva Victor is great - I loved them in Billions too. Such a great modern character that didn't feel pandering. Overall, I did like this - I just wish I loved it. I do hope the screenplay gets some love during awards season. 

4. The Woman in Cabin 10 - I actually read a Ruth Ware novel right before I watched this (a different one - it was called Zero Days and it was bad. I previously read In a Dark Dark Wood and I liked it, although found it unrealistic. I think her novels are very pedestrian. And that's not necessarily an insult - they are definitely made for a mass audience, but there's not much to them.). This is...average at best. It kind of reminded me of that show with Harris Dickinson - A Murder at the End of the World. It's a different murder, but it's the same vibe - a bunch of rich people doing rich people thing and then someone is murdered and the gaslighting begins. It's immediately obvious what the actual plot is. Like, it's SO OBVIOUS, I find it hard to believe that anyone would be surprised by the twist. I would call it Hitchcockian, but it's too unimaginative for that. The ending is downright stupid too - after the twist is revealed the "bad guy" goes completely and unrealistically insane. What is his plan exactly? After he's already found out he just keeps doubling down and it's just stupid. Also, does Kiera Knightley realize that she ruined her career with that laugh during the press interview for this? For reference, she was asked about being involved in a Harry Potter project given JK Rowling's anti-trans tirade and she responded by LAUGHING. It's one thing to try and stay neutral from politics, but it's another to act like it's a silly concern. Or to pretend like you're unaware of the controversy. Just an absolute horrid response. I'm not one for canceling people, but the rest of the world does not share that sentiment, so good luck to her! Anyway, I tend to not like Knightley in modern roles (she's excellent in period pieces), but she's SO GOOD in Black Doves, I had hope she would be good in this too, but she's not. She just doesn't fit this role at all - and she's mostly a very annoying character. There's a great supporting cast - Hannah Waddingham, Guy Pierce. But there's also two actresses I LOVE - Kaya Scodelario and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the teensy-tiniest roles, which is weird because they should both be LEADING roles! Why are they even in this??? I think they each have like 5 lines. It makes no sense and it makes me irrationally angry. 

5. Bring Her Back - I actually really liked this. I really liked Talk to Me, as well - so my expectations were high and they were met. I think with both of these films, the performances really excel the whole film. I think a lot of horror and supernatural films feel a bit cheesy to me, but both of these are so grounded in reality because the acting is so strong. They are mostly unknowns (at least to me. I do recognize the one kid from the Apple tv show Invasion), except for Sally Hawkins - who is just incredible in this. You really feel her loss and trauma, even when she goes full psycho, she is still a sympathetic character. I went into this not knowing anything about it, which I also think helps. The story starts off really interesting - with these kids suffering the loss of their father and then being placed in a foster home. Although, I think the idea that he was going to be her guardian when he turned 18 is a little unrealistic? Does he even have a job or a place to live?? Did they get an inheritance? It seemed like they weren't really well-off to begin with. I think that would have made for a more interesting story - he can't financially take care of her because the system sucks. But they are put into the care of this woman who recently lost her own daughter (which doesn't seem like the best idea?) and she has a very elaborate plan to bring her daughter back. I wish they explained this whole zombie spell thing more instead of keeping it vague (it seems like it's related to Russian Red Sparrow mind control, which is very interesting). I think it gets a little bit slow around the 60 minute mark - I knew what was coming, and it takes too long to reveal what the audience already knows. But it has a really strong beginning and an even stronger ending. Overall, it's a solid horror film with explicit themes of loss and trauma that will stick in my brain for a while.