Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Flight Risk - I'm always up for a Marky Mark movie, but this isn't that. He's not the star of the movie - Michelle Dockery is. And Topher Grace. And then Marky Mark. It would have been a decent twist if it wasn't already spoiled before the films release. I'm not sure how much was spilled because I didn't watch the trailer. But I saw images of Mark with the receding hairline so I *knew* instantly he wasn't who he said he was when he first appears in the movie. And obviously he wasn't going to keep up that ridiculous accent for the entire film. But I think it's a little misleading to advertise him as the star of the film. He's even the ONLY actor on the posters. As for the rest of the film - it's pretty terrible. There's no real character development. The dialogue is really in-your-face. We get it...he's a "flight risk" and he's on a plane that's also a "flight risk". It's just a really thin plot to base an entire film on. And Dockery is not a good lead actress for a film (I liked her in Downton Abbey just fine, but she's not a movie star!). But the shocker is that this is directed by Mel Gibson!! What the fuck??? I had no idea until the end. I'm no Mel Gibson fan by any means, but he has some good films under his belt (most recently with Hacksaw Ridge). This doesn't feel like it's directed by a seasoned director so I was shocked to see his name up there. I do think one location film shoots are very difficult to do, so kudos for that, but this is a very forgettable nothing of a movie. 

2. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale - I watched this the next day, so not technically a Michelle Dockery double-bill, but almost! My first question is: Is this really the end of it??? I enjoyed the series to a degree, and I actually liked the previous film (the New Era one), but I don't want to watch any more! Please make it stop! Anyway, Michelle is great in this role and the way she says "mamaaa" kills me every time. I think this was fairly boring, though. It's hard to make an interesting film when the best character of the series has died. And Dominic West is so gross to me now. I used to be a fan, but the whole Lily James thing really creeped me out. It's also ridiculous that Noel Coward visits Downton (that's the plot). Like he would be inspired by the most boring people alive?? LOL. There's not much else to say. I kind of zoned out for a lot of it. 

3. Regretting You - The last Colleen Hoover adaptation made me extremely angry (the now infamous Blake Lively one), but I'll watch anything with Dave Franco. Plus Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, and Willa Fitzgerald??? Love this cast! (ew for Scott Eastwood, though). I'm interested in Mason Thames though because I thought he was amazing in The Black Phone, but I hated him in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon. I didn't hate this movie as much as the Blake Lively one, but I found it really stupid. Basically these two sisters both ended up with their high school boyfriends but are in love with each other's partner. Instead of a love triangle, it's a love square. The sister and the husband are having an affair and then they both die in a car crash together so the affair is discovered after they die. And then the sister and husband that are still alive fall in love (even though they've been in love since they were kids). It's fine as a love story, but then there's this whole kid part with her teenage daughter and her boyfriend that feels so disconnected to the story and I kept expecting a twist or something with it (like he's still with his girlfriend or something), but nope. And unfortunately McKenna Grace is awful in this, but I don't really blame her. I actually think she's just not used to the cheesiness of this dialogue (and that's saying a lot considering she was in the new Ghostbuster films). Mason doesn't have much to do. It mostly sits on Allison Williams shoulders and she's fine, but not as angry or emotional as she should be. I like the idea of imperfect people and imperfect relationships, but this is just executed very poorly. 

4. Together - Dave Franco double-bill! I didn't do this on purpose, but I'm not mad about it! I love Allison Brie so much, too! I think they are my favorite modern Hollywood couple. They have such great screen presence and obviously chemistry - and they made this a very watchable movie. I didn't know much about this going in, other than it being a horror movie about a couple (and the super gross poster of them kissing with their lips stuck together - EW. There's one with their eyes too! Super gross. I chose the less offensive arm one). And it's only 100 minutes long! That's already a plus. I liked it. It's not great, but I like that it's different and bold. The body horror stuff is extreme and intense. I do just wish they explained the story a bit more. And it doesn't make sense that they don't instantly (and instinctively) call 9-1-1 and seek medical attention (like before cutting off your own arm???). I like the idea of a literal take on couples turning into each other. And that ending with the Spice Girls song "2 Become 1" is probably my favorite film ending of 2025. It's so incredibly funny, I can't stop thinking about it. And then the last shot of them is SO unexpected and SO jarring, I don't know how I feel about it, but it's certainly interesting. 

5. Adulthood - So, my husband picked this movie because he searched for a streaming comedy new releases and this came up. I had never heard of it - but I'll never turn down watching a film starring Kaya Scodelario!! I LOVE HER! Plus, Anthony Carrigan and Billie Lourd! It's an interesting mix of actors. I'm not the biggest Josh Gad fan, but I don't hate him or anything - just never found him funny. But I went into this expecting it to be funny! And let me tell you, it is the least funny movie I've watched in years. After a little bit of watching it, I googled it myself because I thought my husband was mistaken. It's listed as "comedy/crime", so that usually means "dark comedy", but again, there is no comedy in this. The story is interesting, though, and not a plot that I think I've seen before, which is increasingly harder to accomplish. Basically these two siblings of opposite nature come home because their mother is in the hospital, as they are staying in their childhood home they discover the body of a woman who had gone missing when they were kids. The assumption becomes that their parents killed her and hid her body in the wall, and the plot kicks off from there with them trying to get rid of the body without getting caught and come to terms with their parents being murderers. It's GOOD! A terrific idea that can go in many directions. But the direction this goes is weird and uninteresting. And it's most definitely a drama with a few slightly comedic moments. And some of the acting is really awful, specifically Billie Lourd. I still sort of recommend it for the plot - I actually think this would have made a great series - like a dark, edgy Breaking Bad type show. It's a shame that it's made into this mediocre film. I was shocked to see that Alex Winter (yes, that Alex Winter) directed it (and has a few small scenes in it). I didn't know he directs? Apparently he has 42 directorial efforts listed on IMDB, but I've never heard of any of them (mostly shorts and tv episodes). Good for him!