Thoughts on 5 Films

1. If I Had Legs I'd Kick You - I liked this, but I was also slightly disappointed with it. I think Rose Byrne is excellent (I expected nothing less! I love her so much and will be perfectly happy if she wins the Oscar). But I hate the way this is filmed with the extreme close-ups and the shaky camera movement. I think it distracts from the story being told, which is about a mother who is overwhelmed by taking care of her sick child on top of extraordinary life struggles (her ceiling caves in, one of her therapy clients disappears, her boss is a dick, her husband is working out of town). I think it does a good job at showing *just* how much women have to deal with and how unsupportive a lot of men are because they are the financial support (i.e working), but also how unsupportive society is towards women. I will never know how difficult motherhood is, but I see a lot of women struggle - and most of the struggle is warranted because they just have too much on their plate. And I also see why a lot of younger women are opting out of becoming moms. I know there is this whole "panic" about how people aren't having children, but nothing in the world right now is inviting humans to procreate - things are too expensive, women are expected to work AND do most of the domestic & child care, etc. It will drive most people insane. Anyway, I think this is a very good story, nails the ending, and also has a surprising supporting cast (Conan O'Brien??? A$AP Rocky??? LOL. Christian Slater in a mostly voice role??). I just don't like the film style because it feels cheap and forced. Like a gimmick. And it's annoying that we never see her daughter. I do like the psychological thriller vibe it has going though. 

2. Die My Love - I loved this! Way more than I thought I was going to. And just like Lynne Ramsey's previous films, I know it's a film that is going to stick with me for years. I've never quite loved her films on first watch, but making something different and memorable is something to celebrate, so I'm a fan. But with this, I instantly fell in love. I love the way this couple is introduced to the audience. The sex scene is something, but I feel like I know who these people are and what their dynamic is immediately. I think some see this as a film about post-partem and motherhood (with the same themes as If I Had Legs I'd Kick You), but I don't really see it that way. I think it's more about this current romanticization of the whole "tradwife" culture. There is this whole push that claims women are depressed because they are part of the workforce instead of staying at home and taking care of the more traditional domestic elements. And to a degree, I think there is some truth to that. Not because women shouldn't be working, but because working sucks. It's great if you do something you love, but that's kind of rare. I do actually enjoy working, but I would rather stay home and watch movies??? HELLO??? Who wouldn't? However, it's extremely jarring for someone from NYC to move to a house in the middle of nowhere (that is falling apart) and become a housewife and mother all at the same time. I remember when I first moved to the suburbs because my husband bought a house (he literally bought a house the same week as our first date - big week for him!), and I absolutely hated it. I was used to apartment style living in commuter cities and now I'm surrounded by families and Whole Foods. It made me super depressed and I had to figure out how to make this lifestyle work for me. And I did have a mini mental breakdown, but I also had an extremely supportive and patient husband and not many women do. So I do think this film is similar to If I Had Legs... with the whole men are useless and clueless and just so fucking dumb angle. The scene with him bringing home the dog is infuriating - and this exact scenario happened to my sister-in-law. Her partner (not married but have three kids together) brought home a dog after she just had her second baby. As if she didn't have enough to deal with already!! And then that dog did not get proper training at all - so it's a nightmare. But in his head, I truly believe he thought he was doing a good thing because he's absolutely clueless and they are terrible at communicating (they've broken up more times than I can count). Meanwhile my husband and I (no kids), have discussed getting a dog for years but have not pulled the trigger because both of us are not 100%. He would never dream of just bringing home a dog. That's such a big decision that would affect both of our lives - he just would not make such a decision without me. I keep relating this movie to things in my own life, which is probably why I loved this movie so much - it feels real even if it's a bit sensationalized. Jennifer Lawrence is at her very best here and it's SHOCKING that she's not nominated for an Oscar considering that the Academy loves her and has nominated her for way less (*cough* American Hustle), and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this performance is better than anything Kate Hudson will ever do. Robert Pattinson is given so little to do, but he's great as a total idiot. Plus, Sissy Spacek! The movie is basically A Woman Under the Influence, which I just watched for the first time a few years back and it FLOORED me. If you're a fan of that, then I think you'll love this too. Also, the soundtrack is incredible - "Love Me Tender" always reminds me of my grandma because it was her favorite Elvis song. And that "Apples and Bananas" song??? HOLY SHIT! The memories that came flooding back! I used to sing that all the time as a kid and I didn't realize it was an actual song - I think I always thought it was a song someone in my family made up?? I literally got goosebumps when I heard it (and I had it in my head for days afterwards "I like to ote ote ote opples and bononos"). And THAT ENDING. My God, it's perfect. 

3. Springsteen: Delivery Me From Nowhere - This is awful. I've always been a big Springsteen fan, but even more so now living in NJ. I don't necessarily think he's someone who needs a biopic, though? Like, we all already know his life from his own words. There's kind of...nothing left to tell? So when it was announced, I was skeptical. But I didn't expect it to be this bad. First of all, casting Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen is a laughable decision for many reasons. He's a fantastic actor, and I've been a fan since his Shameless days (and his version of Lip is one of my favorite television characters of all time!). But this is a case of casting an actor *just* because he's popular. He doesn't look like Springsteen. He doesn't sound like Springsteen. He doesn't become Springsteen. I know White is from NY, but he's well-known for two Chicagoan roles. But also, NY is not NJ. Especially South Jersey. Jersey Shore people are very specific and you can literally point them out when you see them (not in a bad way...not like Jersey Shore tv show type people - who are all from Staten Island NEW YORK by the way). Just get an actor from New Jersey! There are a ton of them! And get someone who has a bit of a rugged, rock star look instead of a blonde pretty boy who literally models in his underwear. Nothing about him is rock and roll. AND HE CAN'T SING??? I probably could forgive the casting if he could sing! His "Born to Run" is HORRIFIC. He sounds fine with the Nebraska songs because they are quieter and within his vocal range, but still not great. UGH I could SCREAM just thinking about how awful this casting is. And aside from that - even if I could get past how infuriating this is - the movie is sooooo dull. I appreciate that it's not a normal biopic that goes from A to B in it's storytelling (those are the worst!), and instead it's about a slice of his life that shaped his career and the rest of his life, but....um...make it interesting??? I love that it shows his interest in true crime and his fascination with Badlands. It's cool to see where inspiration comes from - but this just never becomes interesting. And the other casting is weird too - Stephen Graham and Gabby Hoffman as his parents???? UM...what? It's just all bad. 

4. The Wrecking Crew - This is fine. Nothing great, but has some entertaining moments. I think casting Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa as brothers seems like a great idea. And starting off with a Guns N' Roses song is also a great idea ("Paradise City" is such a classic song). But the rest of the movie is kind of predictable and fine. Momoa is great - and he nails the comedic delivery of some of his lines ("I'm getting paid???" made me laugh out loud). Bautista, however, struggled. I like him a lot and I think he's been great in some roles (as Drax and in Dune). But he's clunky with this dialogue and very, very stiff. Like he's reading off of cue cards or something. I also wish Morena Baccarin was in it more?? She's in a quick scene in the beginning but comes back for a terrific car chase sequence (she totally makes this scene). And I love Frankie Adams SOOOO much (from The Expanse!). And Ned from Spider-Man! Just an overall great supporting cast and all are underutilized. But, there's some really satisfying action sequences, and a great fight scene between Bautista and Momoa. On a side note: I screamed when he says "Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to fuck with" because I just screamed that during Jeopardy right before we watched this movie. The Wu-Tang Clan was one of the answers, so, obviously, I screamed this loudly to make my husband laugh and then it WAS IN THIS MOVIE! How weird! And it features a NEW song from RZA! (*fun fact* I've met most of the Wu-Tang Clan including RZA). 

5. Afterburn - Dave Bautista double bill!! (I didn't actually watch these back-to-back. And I think I watched this one first, but I don't even remember because I watched them both over a month ago! I'm behind on the blog again. What's new!) Unfortunately, this would have definitely made my Worst Films of 2025 if I had seen it before I made my list. It's barely a 1 star movie. It sounds like it should be, at the very least, a mediocre post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, but it's SO BAD. First of all, this is described as a "sci-fi/comedy" and it IS NOT. It's not funny...at all. Like, at no point is there a joke, unless Bautista saying "I knew this was a bad idea" over and over again is a joke? Also, Bautista just can NOT carry a film. I still like him, and I want him to do more movies, but he belongs in small supporting roles that don't require any emotions. Also, I always thought that guy from Game of Thrones was Scottish, but apparently he's Norwegian, but he's *I think* supposed to be Russian in this? Or Scottish? It's hard to tell. And I don't understand why people in France wouldn't be speaking...French? Have they been conquered? It's never really clear what exactly is happening in the world. I do like Olga Kurylenko though! Happy to see her, but wish it was in a better film. And the coat she wears in this is fabulous (my husband called it "apocalypse chic" LOL). Overall, though, this is just barely watchable - the plot is so thin and barely makes sense, there is no character development, shitty action scenes, and it's very, very dry.