Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Apex - While I do have some problems with this movie, I think my love, Taron Egerton, and the hottest woman on the planet, Charlize Theron, both give terrific performances and elevate this otherwise cliched thriller. It seems like Taron was having the time of his life with this, and I love it! I kind of like that he keeps things surprising with the roles he chooses. He's definitely been excelling in these darker, psychological roles with Black Bird, Smoke and She Rides Shotgun, but I'm happy that his next film looks a bit lighter (and is titled Everybody Wants to Fuck Me. Okay Taron!). I'm usually pretty picky when it comes to accents (his American accent can be rough...), but I feel like he sort of nails the Australian accent (at least to my American ears - I was just there last year and this is exactly what everyone sounded like to me). But also, the fact that the character admits to being a transplant and being obsessed with the culture, it's easy to forgive any mistakes in the accent because he's kind of "pretending" anyway. He also nails the charming act in the beginning - it's so necessary for him to come off as kind, warm & safe in the beginning because otherwise the whole plot falls apart. And then when his whole psychotic murderer persona is revealed - he absolutely excels in the ritualistic noises and odd dancing, BUT it also reminded me A LOT of James McAvoy in his villainous roles (Split, Filth, Speak No Evil). I thought maybe it was just me, but I've seen a few people also comment on it (there's a LB review that said the role was "clearly written for McAvoy but they couldn't get him"). And I always believe Charlize in these bad-ass roles. She's lived a life and it shows (look it up - her mother shot her abusive father when she was a teenager), and as someone who has also lived a life, I can spot the others like me very easily. There's an interview where she talks about how others call her cold, and she finds it weird because she's actually a very empathetic person. The same thing happens to me - just because I don't show people emotions, doesn't mean I don't have them. I actually feel things very deeply. But I constantly have people tell me that I'm cold and "terrifying" even though I'm tiny, and I do understand it because I definitely don't let people fuck with me or put up with people mistreating me. Anyway, I'm on a tangent, but I just think these two actors in these two roles fit really, really well. I think this is definitely a 2.5 star movie but the acting pushes it up an entire star. I also appreciate that there is zero sexual tension between them and there is no real threat of rape - and I think that's why Gen Z are responding to it (it's all over TikTok - no, I don't have TikTok, but I work with a lot of 20 year olds). But as for the rest of the movie - it's a bit predictable, and it goes a little too far (the whole cave/gollum reveal is where it loses me completely). It moves quickly though, is a tight 95 minutes, builds some great tension, and is just a fun Friday night type of film. 

2. Marty Supreme - I don't like Timothee Chamalet (Chalamet? Nope, I still don't know which one is correct!) and I also don't like the Safdie brothers (I don't remember which one is the problematic one, but I'm going to lump them together because the other one clearly didn't do anything to stop the other from being problematic). But, I obviously needed to see what the fuss was about (and I do like Odessa A'zion). As far as Timmy, I appreciate his enthusiasm and his...gumption. But I just don't think he has the talent that someone with FOUR Oscar nominations should have. There are SO many amazing actors who have ZERO and HE HAS FOUR? It's mind-boggling. Like, you can't tell me that he's a better actor than Taron Egerton, Jack O'Connell, & James McAvoy with a straight face (and yes, I chose my top 3 crushes for this example, but it's TRUE! They have a collective ZERO Oscar nominations. Also, I know McAvoy actively refuses to campaign for awards so he'll probably never get an Oscar. And I feel like O'Connell could care less about awards too, but Taron campaigned for HIS LIFE with Rocketman and was left in the dust. Make it make sense!). Anyway, he's fine in this - a satisfying performance but certainly not even noteworthy. It doesn't help that I hate the character (a sore loser, narcissistic, chaotic, and he looks like a terrible kisser, which isn't relevant, but it's true!). The relationship with him and this aging actress doesn't feel realistic at all (and Gwyneth seems very much out of place in this world). I do like the story and the unexpected turns it takes, but I hated the whole vibe of it. It's attempting the anxiety-inducing pace of Uncut Gems, but the story doesn't warrant this pace. And they just yell at each other for the entire film. EVERYONE IS YELLING! I tried turning it down and it didn't even help - still YELLING! I also don't understand why Kevin O'Leary is in this? Get an actor? It's clear that Odessa is acting circles around everyone - by far the best performance in the movie. The soundtrack is also really great. 

3. The Bluff - I was hoping for a fun swashbuckling pirate adventure movie, but this was mostly dull. There are a few stellar scenes, though. And I love Priyanka Chopra so much (she's SO beautiful!). And she's a believable bad-ass. I like the twist with her character a lot. And I think the fight scenes are extremely well-choreographed (and are the stellar scenes I was referring to). But unfortunately Karl Urban is not hot with this look (he's usually super hot). That hair and that beard are NOT it. So disappointing. The biggest mistake with this is that it doesn't really build on the characters enough - I wanted to know more about them, but it is all very surface level. It's just boring and it feels really long. I also think that there's no clear intended audience? Who is this made for? Because a pirate adventure movie should skew a bit towards being "family friendly" (like Pirates of the Caribbean, Hook, etc), but this is rated R for some really gory violence that seems unnecessary. I don't even have anything else to say about it? 

4. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die - I liked this movie a lot! It's a fun concept, has a great cast, and it's well-written. It's really, really, really weird too. In a good way! It's hard to come by movies that just go full weird and commit to it 100%. I think the beginning scene is very funny with this man claiming to be from the future and he needs to recruit a group from this diner to save the world. They pan several time to patrons of the restaurant but skip over the actual cast until he starts to pick his "team". Then all of the sudden you notice Michael Pena, Juno Temple, Zazie Beats, and Haley Lu Richardson. It made me laugh. I really love everyone's backstory but Juno really broke my heart with this performance. She's been so good lately with Ted Lasso and Fargo (she deserved the Emmy for that role, for REAL). It's a good example of an actress I used to hate because they weren't properly cast in roles that were right for them. I also think that Sam Rockwell is The Best. He has such good screen presence and energy, and he picks really good projects. The story is obviously really relevant with AI taking over the world and people being so entranced by their phones/social media that they are becoming pod people and don't even recognize reality. This story just takes this very real concept and enhances it to the point of an apocalyptic alternate universe. The really striking part is, like I mentioned, with Juno Temple's character losing her son in school shooting and how desensitized America is to it. But as harrowing as the story is, there's a lot of deeply funny moments ("you're like my mom's age" is the meanest thing anyone's ever said to me - but it's funny here). I would say that this is a 4 star film, but the last 30 minutes really go off the rails for me. The whole misfit toys (that are basically stolen from Toy Story) thing bored me to death. But the very end is spectacular!   

5. Good Boy - I'm surprised that it's taken someone this long to think of this concept - a horror movie from a dog's POV. It's kind of genius. But I think the execution leaves a lot to be desired. It's still a solid movie, especially as a director's first feature film (I rated it 3 stars - which means good!), but the whole supernatural, haunted house part left me cold. It would have been better if the horror was something actually scare like a serial killer or if they just focused on this guy dying (of Cancer?) and the dog feeling this death coming like a sixth sense type of deal (which I KNOW is also considered "supernatural", but I do think animals have a sense when something is wrong and can sense when their owner is sick in a way that we can't explain). But I think it's still a very strong concept for a movie - and fairly easy to make - just follow a dog around a creepy house, add some creaky noises and/or some haunted music and BAM you've got yourself a horror film. In the beginning the only thing I thought was "I swear to god if something happens to this dog I will murder someone", but luckily nothing bad happens to the dog so if you are hesitant to watch this for that reason, you are safe! And also, this dog is AMAZING! Best dog actor since Messi from Anatomy of a Fall. I'm weary on just how they got this dog to seem so terrified, but there are so many safety precautions and rules for pets on film sets now, so hopefully he's just that well-trained. The best part of the film, though, is that it is only 73 minutes long! That immediately tells me that there is no filler. Like I said, it's a simple concept - it doesn't need to be dragged out for a two hour film.