Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Train Dreams - Ummmmm....this is so boring. I don't understand all of the praise, other than the fact that it looks really pretty and Joel Edgerton is good (not award level good, but he's...good). And the thing is, I *knew* it was going to be boring before I even started it. I feel like if you enjoy(?) Terrence Malick movies and/or Nomadland, then you will enjoy(?) this. It's visually quite beautiful, but I find it dull and offers nothing new story-telling wise. His life passes before his eyes and then he finally realizes its meaning/importance and then...it ends. That's it. I think the only part that felt a little different, for me, is the score that is very haunting along with his visions of people he interacted with that have died. That part is really effective, and it feels raw and unexplainable (on a relatable personal note, I had a teacher die in front of me when I was 17 and I still see his eyes rolling towards the back of his head as he convulsed. I think about it all the time. And it wasn't even a teacher I knew. But things like that effect your entire life and also how you live your life. I don't know why. Like I said, unexplainable). I also like the way it shows the way the world changes so drastically from the early 1900s to the 1960s. I love the supporting cast of Kerry Condon, Felicity Jones, and Clifton Collins Jr., but I wish they were given more to do. Overall, I was just disappointed that it was *just* as dull and boring as I expected it to be. 

2. Good Fortune - This is cute. I like that it gives a little twist with the story of him living life as another person - basically an angel tries to teach this guy a lesson - the lesson being "money doesn't buy happiness: - by switching his life with a millionaire, and the dude is like "this is great! I'm so happy now!", so the whole thing backfires. It's a funny concept because it's true! Sure, money *doesn't* necessarily "buy" happiness, but it makes your life SO much easier so that you can deal with life better (the ups and the downs). You'll still deal with loss, heartbreak, stress, etc., but you'll also have a pool to relax in! Healthy and delicious food to eat! The ability to travel anywhere to distract your mind! Money makes life easier and I think, in turn, you will be happier (the caveat to this is to stay away from drugs - that shit will ruin you). I think this film does a good job of balancing these ideas and ultimately ends with "having enough" will make you happy. And I think that's true and more of a reasonable, achievable goal that people should have. I'm a big fan of Keanu Reeves, as a person (I actually have a Keanu story that I don't think I've ever told on here. Maybe one day), and even sometimes as an actor (Speed is one of my favorite movies of all time), but the honest truth is that he's a TERRIBLE actor. We just don't talk about it because he's in some BIG money-making films, and he's a good person, so we let him be and I'm not mad at it. But it becomes a problem in movies like this that rely on character development and being able to make cheesy dialogue work and he's downright awful in this. But I love Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, and Seth Rogen. I actually feel really bad for Aziz - he was canceled for a bad date and that is really shitty. I'm hoping people have forgotten (eventually people do forgive and forget - look at Robert Downey Jr.!), and he's back to making comedic projects. I loved Master of None, and I enjoyed this too (he wrote & directed it). Also, ONCE AGAIN, Sherry Cola is in this and underutilized!!! It keeps happening. She is SO hilarious - when is someone going to give her a starring role in something (I'll even take a costarring role at this point. Enough with the glorified cameos!). There's a few really funny moments in this too (the There Will Be Buns name for a cafe made me laugh out loud). The whole switching bodies trope is way over done in the film industry, but I think this was a fun watch. 

3. Bugonia - *spoilers ahead* I loved this! It's not my favorite Lanthimos - that would still be The Lobster (my unofficial ranking: The Lobster > Kinds of Kindness > Bugonia > Killing of a Sacred Deer > Poor Things > The Favourite. I just realized I've never seen any of his pre- The Lobster films and I probably should??). I think Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons could star in Lanthimos films for the rest of their careers and they would kill it every time. Oscar nominations all around. I really liked how this shows the radicalization of young men into conspiracy theorists - and how fucking crazy it is, but in true Lanthimos fashion, I knew it had to get weird at some point, so I guessed that she was, in fact, an alien. The reveal is really good though - and I did question myself many times. Is she? Isn't she? She does a great job of keeping her human instincts and I truly thought when she admits that she was an alien that she was still just playing him in order to escape (which is true, but then it turns out that SHE IS AN ALIEN!). It's also a lot funnier than I was expecting (I laughed when he started playing Green Day's "Basket Case". Perfect song choice!). And I loved the wild ending - it really goes THERE. Life will find a way! On a side note - only Emma Stone can pull off that shaved head look. I don't want to say anything else - like most Lanthimos films, you just have to experience it for yourself and immerse yourself in his crazy worlds. 

4. Eden - This is nowhere near as bad as I was expecting it to be. I actually liked it. It definitely could have been better, but it's a solid 3 star film. I just figured with a cast like this - Jude Law, Sydney Sweeney, Ana de Armas, and Vanessa Kirby (four of the most beautiful people on the planet! And all good actors/actresses!), directed by Ron Howard would be a BIG movie. But I don't feel like "BIG" movies exist anymore outside of franchises (and that sucks, but I'm part of the problem. I went to the theater a total of ONE time last year. It just seems pointless now. I can just watch the movie at home a few months later at no extra charge and not have to deal with the annoying-as-fuck public). But I still thought that this was be an awards contender, so the fact that I never heard anyone even mention it, seemed like a really bad sign for this movie. And while I did enjoy it, I do get why it's not really well-received. The German accents are...rough (there's a LB review that says "Not gonna say who, but there are 5 people in this movie doing their take on a German accent and it is not German nor an accent" LOL). It's also not particularly beautiful either, which is shocking considering it takes place in the Galapagos Islands. It's all very drab and colorless. But I like the story (based on a true story of a small group of people who moved to this island and decided to make it their home), and this is Ana's movie - she's such a star, and she's also unexpectedly hilarious in this ("we're having a baby!!") with her over-the-top baroness who wants to open a hotel for wealthy people on the island. The film reminds me of Triangle of Sadness (and yes, I know nobody liked that either, but I did!), with its focus on greed and jealousy destroying things. I feel like there's a lot of filler - it could have easily been 30 minutes shorter and more to the point. I also like that it's also obviously a biblical tale, but it's not overtly about religion. I was shocked at the end with the reveal that the one woman lived on this island until her death at 96 and her descendants still live there! That's WILD! 

5. Ballerina - I did an accidental Ana de Armas double-bill, and I am not complaining. I love her so much. But, I have to share just how bad my memory is, because I was convinced that this character was already introduced in the John Wick universe, but my husband didn't remember it that way (and he has a far better memory than I do). I said "yeah, remember she helps him at one point, maybe in the second one. She wears this black low-cut dress and kicks ass.". He seemed confused so I looked it up and NOPE she's not in them. LOL. I was thinking of Bond obviously, but I was CONVINCED I was right! Anyway, this revelation really confused me because why is there a "spin-off" for a character we've never met??? What's the point of that? There really is no point - it's a cash grab. And not a bad one. It's actually pretty entertaining and there are some terrifically choreographed fight sequences. And Keanu shows up for a large part of it (slightly more than a cameo)! And other John Wick characters! I probably enjoyed it more than some of the John Wick sequels, but who knows because my memory is terrible! But I definitely enjoyed it more than the John Wick spin-off (prequel) series because that was trash. I think Armas definitely holds her own in in action films and is believable in these roles even though she is super tiny, and only a few women can actually pull that off.