Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Outfit - So I enjoyed this while watching it, but I watched it only 3 weeks ago and I barely remember it. That's never a good sign. But lucky YOU, I take notes! I watched this for Dylan O'Brien - I just really like him. However, it's a good thing that I like the rest of the cast, because *spoiler* he's not in it for very long (and his Chicago accent is a bit cartoonish, especially combined with the gangster dialogue). Mark Rylance is the lead - it's a quieter, more toned down role than what he's been doing lately (sorry, but what exactly was he doing in Don't Look Up?). Zoey Deutch is lovely. And Johnny Flynn!! I really like him, and this is the third time that I've seen him and been like "oh he's good, who is that?" and low and behold, it's Johnny Flynn - he's a very chameleon-like actor. I'm interested to find out what his actual accent is? The internet just says that he's "British" but that could mean a lot of different accents (and he was born in South Africa, which is also interesting!). The film is a little slow-moving, but the dialogue keeps it interesting. It feels a bit like if you made a movie from the perspective of the tailor from the Kingsman movies (like he's just minding his business making suits, but he's surrounded by espionage - this tailor is surrounded by gangsters, but you get my point). It picks up in the end, and becomes a strong tale of revenge. It goes a bit OTT for my liking, especially in comparison to the rest of the movie, but overall it's good (but obviously not very memorable...). Also, the poster makes it seem a lot more "gangster action movie" than it actually is. 

2. The Forever Purge - I had NO IDEA that a new Purge film came out last year?? Was it even advertised? Was it released in theaters? Also...wow...this is a bad movie. I was expecting not great because the only one that I genuinely liked was the second film of the series. The first one obviously has a great premise, which is why there have been so many of them (and a tv series that I haven't gotten to yet). They have all been not-so-subtly about racism, classism, America's obsession with guns and violence, etc. so it makes sense that this one is at the heart of it all - set in Texas and focuses on immigration. It's just...not good. First, it's soooo boring. Second, they make the racist guy the white savior character (oh good, he's racist, but not a murderer so...he's a good guy? OK, no thanks). And last, I stopped paying attention fairly quickly in because it's just *so stupid*. I do really like the main actress, Ana de la Reguera. She's from Narcos and the tv show version of From Dusk Till Dawn, and stood-out in both. This is an unfortunate misstep for her. 

3. Dear Evan Hansen - I obviously have heard the criticism for this, but I tried to go into this with an open mind. Plus, it's a common thing in the film industry to have actors in their late 20s/early 30s play teenagers, so I was confused as to why so many people had problems with it happening here - and it seemed, to me, to make sense to cast the original actor from the very successful Broadway show. Ben Platt is super talented, so I'm sure it was devastating to have his performance lambasted from the very first trailer, that he, nor the film, were just never able to recover from. It's clear to me, after having seen it, that the biggest issue is from the makeup & hair department. That hairstyle clearly makes him look older, even older than he actually is - and absolutely nothing like what a teenage boy would look like in today's world. He's also hunched over for most of the movie as if he's an 80 year old man, which doesn't help (I think this is an attempt to "shrink" himself - to visibly show his introverted tendencies, which probably works better on a stage than on film, so again, not his fault - the director should have caught that it wasn't working). I also thought it was hilarious that the general population had no idea what the plot of this story is - and were horrified by how fucked up it is. But, even though, yes, the story is fucked up, it's also about someone who is paralyzed by social anxiety (likely autistic, even though I don't think it's ever confirmed), and how not being able to pick up on social cues can detrimentally effect your life. It's supposed to elicit empathy from the audience. Unfortunately, the film is very slow (I have not seen the Broadway show, but this certainly does not make me want to) and mostly dull. I had no idea Kaitlyn Dever is in this - and I'm surprised that she is actually a singer (or trying to be?) because I do not like her singing voice AT ALL. But I still do love her. It's also weird that Colton Ryan is in this because he's also in The Girl from Plainville, but I've never seen him in anything before and then suddenly I'm watching him in two different projects the same week! And even weirder, he plays another character that kills himself! The only real positives are, obviously, Amy Adams (as Dever's mom! That's perfect casting, right there) and Julianne Moore. Also, the songs are very pretty and the lyrics are wonderful. Otherwise, unfortunately, the critics were right on this one - just a big ol' mess. 

4. Uncharted - This isn't necessarily a bad movie, but it's just so disappointing. I love both Tom Holland and Marky Mark (yup, still Marky Mark to me!). I've never played the video game, so I had no expectations regarding its translation to the big screen, but I do think that treasure hunting action-adventure movies should...be fun? And this is just sort of a slog. I'm so surprised at the audience rating on RT of 90% (critic RT is at 40%, which is correct), because I can't imagine that anyone had any fun with this. And if it didn't star Tom Holland, I'm not sure it would even be watchable? Marky Mark is as dull as a rock in this. There is a forced chemistry between them that feels uncomfortable instead of a funny comradery, and there is no chemistry between Holland and Sophia Taylor Ali (I didn't even realize he was supposed to like her until the movie was almost over). The other actress is from You, and she is a very one-note "bad guy". And it's not funny, at all. I laughed once and that was when Holland hits the security guard and falls back almost knocking himself out. Oh and when he says "I'm not much of a dancer", because, in case you don't know, that boy can move. But everything else feels overdone and just not funny. The "action-adventure" part is okay, I guess. It's just very predictable and routine, nothing at all new. With some better dialogue and a more charismatic supporting cast, this could have been passable, but as it is, it's just...so dull. 

5. Respect - I watched the miniseries with Cynthia Erivo not that long ago, and I definitely learned some things about Aretha's life that I did not know. I'm not sure why her family denounced the mini-series, but were behind this movie? Perhaps because the movie glosses things over a little more? Or because Aretha handpicked Jennifer Hudson to portray her? Either way, I think the miniseries does a better job of showing her complicated life, but I still feel like neither live up to the legend that is Aretha Franklin. Hudson is perhaps the only person who can nail the vocal range necessary, while also being an incredible actress - I'm surprised this was overlooked for more awards (it's certainly Oscar-baity and it's certainly better than the disastrous Billie Holiday move that got way too much attention last year). Unfortunately this just feels like every other biopic - very straightforward and clean. It implies a lot of stuff without actually saying it, which is sort of an easy way out. It also feels very rushed and directionless. The supporting cast is all over the place - Marlon Wayans is horribly miscast. He's way too soft to play a "tough guy", and his lowered voice feels like a parody (it's actually hilarious). It seems like every record exec is played by either Paul Giamatti or Marc Maron (the latter is in this - and the role is exactly what you expect it to be). Also, why cast the fabulous Mary J. Blige and give her barely anything to do? It's all such a waste. Maybe one day somebody will get it right (like do it as a big fantastical musical bio with Dexter Fletcher at the helm). 

Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. Moon Knight - While I enjoyed some parts of this, I think overall it is all very "meh". I don't love Oscar Isaac the way the entire world loves Oscar Isaac (probably because I didn't love Inside Llewyn Davis as much as everyone else. Although he was in one of the greatest movies of all time, so I'll never hate him). I don't really like him in this role, though. There's something about it that just doesn't feel right, but it's hard to explain (it's probably the accents and the characters don't really feel that different enough from each other). The show just feels like a combination of the show Legion and Venom, with a little bit of The Mummy mixed in. I was waiting for it to do something new, and it never does. It did surprise me in a few parts, but only because I'm not familiar with the character or comic (I definitely wasn't expecting a talking elephant to show up). I do like Ethan Hawke as a bad guy. But that's really all I have to say about this series. I hope that there is no season 2 - although the end credit scenes imply more story. I hope it's just incorporated into one of the films. 

2. Super Pumped - This show feels very unnecessary. It's all just so uninteresting. Definitely not good enough for this cast (JGL, Kerry Bishe, Kyle Chandler, Elisabeth Shue). I will probably watch every project that Joseph Gordon-Levitt does, but this is not one of his best. He's good at playing an asshole, though. I'm not really a big Uber fan (I think I've used it 3 times total. But, I have a car and if I'm in a place where I'm not driving (mostly just NYC or AC), getting a cab is super easy - so I just don't understand its usefulness). But, I'm not really a fan of a lot of these major companies/apps that have seemingly taken over the world Amazon, Apple (although I use both streaming services), Airbnb, TikTok, Instagram. I just have no use for any of them (oh the one that kills me is Venmo - everyone I work with uses Venmo except for me, so anytime we buy stuff as a group for like a birthday or pizza for the team, I use cash and everyone is like "ok grandma". Which reminds me of a funny story that has nothing to do with anything but I'll write it down anyway. One of my very young co-workers (she was 22 at the time), lost her ATM card so she walked to the bank on her break to get a new one. She had to walk because her car was in the shop. She came back and was upset because they couldn't give her a new card right away; they told her they would send it to her. I was confused as to why she was so upset and she said that she couldn't get her car back because she didn't have her ATM card to pay them. So I asked "didn't you take out cash while you were at the bank?" and she was so confused. "what do you mean?", I said, "you can just take the cash out of your account and pay for your car...with cash". And it was like a fucking light went on. She didn't even think to do that. Yes, I make fun of her every chance I get about this). Okay, sorry, where was I??? This show is so boring. It's just him yelling and stomping around until he gets his way. It's interesting to watch this and compare it to The Dropout - they should, in theory, compliment each other (I believe Uber is even mentioned in an early episode of The Dropout), both being about CEOs of start-ups, even though they have no experience nor do they follow proper protocol. But The Dropout is superior in every way. This will be forgotten as soon as I watch the last episode (I think I have 2 more episodes left. Lord, help me!). It's turned into something I put on while I clean, or write, etc. It's told in a very Adam McKay kind of way with random weird scenes added for effect (the video game scene with fighting de Blasio is downright embarrassing). There's just not enough story there for all of these episodes. 

3. The Girl from Plainville - First things first,  I'm absolutely speechless at a huge part of this story that I did not know - Michelle Carter's obsession with Glee. In the first episode, there is a quick shot of her bedroom wall with posters of Lea Michele, but I thought that was just done for a timeline effect (and a lot of girls her age at that time were Gleeks). But then when the episode ends with the fucking creepy shot of her memorizing the speech that Rachel (Lea Michele) gives after Finn dies I was so fucking horrified (in case you live under a rock - the actor, Cory Monteith died in real life of a drug overdose. Lea Michele was his girlfriend on and off the show.). I, myself, was a huge Glee fan, but Monteith's death was so traumatic, there was NO WAY I could watch the show after he died. I've avoided all things Glee every since, so it was a huge punch to the gut watching this scene for a multitude of reasons, but it's also deeply sickening - that this young girl sought to have this "tragic love story" just like her idol, so much so that she basically fucking masterminded it. The series does a decent job of showing both sides of the story, but I'm not sure we really need to show her side? I'm not sympathetic or empathetic towards her at all, no matter how hard you try to convince me otherwise. If you know (or even *think*) someone is suicidal, you should try to help them, not encourage them. They are so lucky that a detective followed up on his suicide, and realized that there was something else going on. It could have easily just been labeled a suicide and everyone would have just believed that and moved on. I was also unaware of the fact that she was not actually his girlfriend. I do think you can have personal connections with people via texting, social media (obviously), but the fact that nobody even knew about their "relationship" until after he died was really surprising for me. I did know this was going to be a hard watch for me - for personal reasons (I know I overshare a lot on this blog, but some things are still off limits for me), although I wasn't expecting to also be attacked by all the Glee stuff. It just made me so depressed (Cory had so much potential. It's just so sad). Overall, I think the series is just okay. It's extremely repetitive, every episode has a ton of filler, and the timeline gets really confusing (I hate the scenes that are texts, but played out as if they are talking to each other. It's unnecessarily confusing). It did not have to be 8 episodes. In fact, it could have easily just been a 90 minute movie. But, Elle Fanning, is once again, fantastic. Chloe Sevigny is also always good (but really plays the same character in a lot of projects. Not necessarily a bad thing, she's found her niche and sticks to it). 

4. The White Lotus - I know this isn't exactly "new", but it was only released last year and season two hasn't been released yet, so I'm considering it new (the rush to watch things RIGHT NOW is insane. I saw someone say "I know I'm late to the party, but Heartstopper is really good" a week after its release. A WEEK. And they are "late" in watching it. I just don't understand why everyone is in such a rush??). I didn't actually expect to like this - it seemed like the same show as Nine Perfect Strangers and I really didn't like that show - just a bunch of entitled white people acting like their lives are so fucking difficult. No Thanks (I deal with this on the daily at work because all of my customers are like this - and a lot of the clothes from my store are featured in this show...). But this is highly entertaining trash tv. It helps having Alexandra Daddario - I adore her, but I feel like this is the first time she's been given a chance to actually...act? I mean, there are also multiple shots of her in a bikini (as expected), but she's given a really good, realistic storyline - someone struggling with how she is going to keep her own identity within a new marriage (although...she probably should have thought of all this before marrying him??? And, to be clear even though I like her and her storyline, I don't actually agree with her nor do I feel any sympathy for her. NO, she should absolutely not even consider working during her honeymoon - I would be pissed if my partner even suggested it unless they were, like, saving a life. And she married a super wealthy guy, which will make her life considerably easier. Trust me. I *know* the saying of "money doesn't buy happiness" which is definitely true, but it's so much easier to navigate a depressive episode if you don't also have to worry about...money for food? or money at all). She showcases a lot of depth and emotion (I've also recently watched the Percy Jackson movies, which aren't good, obvi, but she's not overly sexualized because they are kids movies, and she's definitely the best part of both of them). Yes, I know that was a really, long thought with multiple run-on sentences that probably doesn't even make sense, but I don't feel like going back and editing it (deal with it!). I also really, really like Sydney Sweeney. I loathe her character in Euphoria (the first season, at least), but she is really great in the role (I've also really liked her in The Voyeurs and Nocturne - even though both of those movies aren't the greatest). She's actually really funny in this (her sarcastic "we all love Hillary Clinton" and when she keeps talking about her grandfather's sex life and she just keeps going. Oh and the books that her and her friend are reading, while on vacation in Hawaii. It's all really funny). And so is Connie Britton (her response to "mom, you look deranged": "I have a filter for that"). I definitely wasn't expecting it to be so funny. The rest of the cast is all great - Jennifer Coolidge, Jake Lacy, Molly Shannon, Steve Zahn. They are all given moments to shine. I look forward to season two!

5. Heartstopper - I absolutely, whole-heartedly love this show. It's just so lovely and full of joy. I watched 7 episodes in a row (which is very rare for me) and then watched the final episode the next day (this morning). It feels like the antithesis of Euphoria in every way, and it is exactly what I needed to watch. LGBTQ+ projects are often just so fucking depressing and bleak (and its not just specific to Euphoria, but also, having your trans character a teenager who seeks out adult men for anonymous sex, is not the best, in terms of representation). Heartstopper does something that is so rare - it features teens just...figuring shit out about themselves, but it features ZERO sex scenes, nor does it have any drug or alcohol abuse. And while I know that it's not exactly true to life, it feels somehow more realistic to me. It all feels like "normal" teenage angst instead of something that's trying to shock its audience. Although, I don't think any kid would google "am I gay?", but it's still really cute. I think it would be really hard to be a teenager right now (for SO.MANY.REASONS), for me, because I never had any inclination to define myself or my sexuality, and that is so much a part of being young nowadays - everyone has to identify as something (I'm still not sure why?). The cast is ADORABLE. The only reason this show was on my radar is because there's a lot of twitter talk about how "Kit Connor went to the Taron Egerton school of acting" (actual tweet from someone), which makes sense because he played the kid version of Elton John in Rocketman, but he does have this charm to him that is similar to Taron (that is obviously a compliment of the highest order coming from me). But everyone is really perfectly cast in this. Especially Olivia Colman as his supportive mom. I hope this gets a season two - it's based on some comics and I know there is more to their story and I WANT TO SEE IT. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Sing 2 - Please excuse this upcoming rant about my love, Taron Egerton. He is, without a doubt, the Love of My Life (I'm kidding! Maybe...). And he is super, duper extra fucking hot, but...he also has, like, the dreamiest voice in the world. I watched the first Sing movie because I got stuck in a YouTube hole of videos of him singing in interviews, and I was not disappointed. He has such a great voice for animation. There's something about his accent, too. It's Welsh, obviously, but I've listened to others with Welsh accents and it doesn't hit me the same way (I also remember being surprised by his actual accent - I assumed he just sounded like Eggsy sounds. I truly thought Matthew Vaughn lucked out by finding this kid off the streets who is hot, charming and could act. But no, he's like a trained actor. Which is funny because when I was upset that he didn't get the Oscar nomination for Rocketman (a literal travesty), my bf said "well, if you think about it, he really should have gotten an Oscar nomination for Kingsman because he's a performer naturally, like Elton, but he's nothing like Eggsy". Makes you think, right?). Anyway, my point is that this movie is worth sitting through just to hear his voice. Johnny is obviously the best and least annoying character (and I would definitely watch a spin-off!!! Make it happen Illumination). I've been listening to the soundtrack since it was released back in December - just Taron's two songs, really, but he's featured in a lot of the group songs too. "A Sky Full of Stars" is so good, and faaaaaarrrr better than the original (and I say that as a Coldplay fan, but he destroyed them for real). I liked the drumming, and his angry singing at the end, but I didn't know the context. And let me tell you, the context almost made me cry! It makes the song even better, which I didn't think possible. I'm a bit disappointed that "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" is a duo on the soundtrack featuring Taron and Tori Kelly. She's lovely, but her voice is too screechy for me and she's not even in the scene in the movie?! Doesn't make any sense. I think they underestimated Taron's popularity, which is weird considering how popular his Sing version of "I'm Still Standing" is (it has 145 million listens on Spotify!!!). "A Sky Full of Stars" has over 23 million listens on Spotify and the next song from the soundtrack is only at 1/2 of that. If they gave us the film version of "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" it would definitely be a bigger hit. I don't have a whole lot to say about the rest of the movie - it's very similar to the first. Just super cute, but not much substance. The whole thing felt like it was trying to make Bono cool to a younger audience, which is...weird. The main message was about overcoming your fears, but the whole Bono thing is really shoved in your face. Again, Johnny has the best storyline because it's not just about overcoming your fears/learning new things, but it's also about doing it your own way (and not putting up with bullies). Also, I cheered when his bank robbing gangster father shows up to help them (sorry, but it's so funny that this is part of a kids movie). 

2. The Batman - Honestly, this was such a chore to sit through. Just absolutely pointless. It's not all bad - there are some stunning shots and overall, it's very well-made. But I'm just getting exhausted by the barrage of "well-made" movies that are just that. Like, where is the excitement? The innovation? The surprises? Something? I have a friend who is someone I would describe as "the ultimate Batman fan" (he is even covered in Batman tattoos - like head to toe) and he LOVED this. And, for that, I'm happy. If it satisfied core fans, then that's great! I'm not sure why he loved it yet because the last time I saw him I had not seen this yet (he was so upset when he ran up to me and was like "YES someone I can talk to about The Batman! And I felt so bad to tell him I hadn't seen it. I'm just not in any rush to see movies nowadays). But he, himself, is someone I would describe as a bit "emo", so I feel like he probably felt more of a connection to this iteration of the character, someone who is more of a depressed recluse than a playboy billionaire. For me, though, it just feels so overdone. As beautiful as the score is, I just WILL NEVER get behind a giant blockbuster movie using a Nirvana song as its core theme. I get the parallel that Matt Reeves was trying to point out (Cobain's struggle with fame, etc.), but NO THANKS I HATE IT. Hearing it over and over again, made me want to burn this movie to the ground. Sad emo Batman is fine, but I didn't find the story particularly any darker than previous Batman movies/shows. The Riddler is obviously darker, but also kind of boring - I feel like he blends in with every other villain now. I just feel like the film focuses more on a "vibe" than on story and character development, and in the end I won't remember a thing about. I like Robert Pattinson, BUT, he's NOT good when the dialogue is this bad. There are actors that can make cheesy dialogue work and there actors who can't. He can't (which is why he was sooooo awful in the Twilight films). I like Zoe Kravitz, too. But, again, nothing memorable. The Penguin transformation is legitimately insane, but seems unnecessary. Sorry, but if Colin Farrell is in your movie, I would like for him to look like Colin Farrell (and talk like Colin Farrell). The tiny snippet of Joker was intriguing (and I watched the longer clip that was circulating online). I wish they would focus on literally any other villain, but...I guess we'll see what the sequel brings. 

3. The Weekend Away - This is the worst movie I've seen since last year's False Positive. It's poorly made, the acting is dreadful, and it's the dumbest plot I've seen in a while. I watched this for Leighton Meester - I thought she was someone who would just always be her Gossip Girl character (I still quote her "leggings are NOT pants" tirade to this day), but she surprised me in the show Single Parents (a show that I really liked, but was cancelled too quickly). She has great comedic timing and she's really charming. I also like her for more personal reasons - she genuinely seems like a good person who understand her privilege (and she didn't come from a "normal" life - her mom was in prison when she gave birth to her), plus she is married to Adam Brody and he is a doll. I'm a fan of both of them. Unfortunately, this movie does not do her any favors. It's not really her fault, but it's hard not to blame the lead actress. Everything about her situation seems *off*, like huge red flags flying everywhere - the way her husband reacts to her best friend in the background of her video call, the overly friendly taxi driver, the best friend insisting they talk to two complete strangers, the creepy building manager guy, the cop who tells her he can't help her. It was very easy to guess the outcome (although there are two outcomes - the first one is a little unexpected but mostly because it doesn't make sense, but the second one is the one that I guessed from the beginning). 

4. Needle in a Timestack - The sci-fi premise for this is excellent. It's too bad the final product is such a drag. The cast is (mostly) fantastic - Cynthia Erivo is sure to be a household name soon enough (especially after Wicked comes out), Freida Pinto, and ORLANDO BLOOM! It's been SO LONG! Since the last PotC movie, I think? I've missed him and he looks so fucking GOOD in this. I sort of hate how much better men look as they age. It's really annoying that they peak (looks-wise) between 40-50. I'm not the biggest fan of Leslie Odom Jr., but mostly because of his singing voice. I actually don't mind him in this at all, as the acting is probably one of the few redeeming qualities of the film. And like I said, the premise is really, really cool. Set in "the near future", it's about if time travel really existed and how it would be used. And they nailed it! Used almost exclusively as something to entertain the wealthy, while the rest of the world are forced to suffer the consequences of some rich person's "time jaunting". There are some great ideas within the story about relationships, destiny, free will, the circular nature of life and love (and I really love the idea that "one relationship negates other possibilities"), it's just such a shame that it's so damn boring. The characters have very little charisma or depth at all, so I don't really care about the outcome. And I don't even think the story cares about the outcome? The characters just feel like props within this really cool idea. 

5. Licorice Pizza - Well, this is a big NOPE from me. PTA has made two of my favorite movies (There Will Be Blood and The Master. I also loved Inherent Vice), but I haven't always been a fan. In fact, I absolutely loathed Magnolia and Boogie Nights when I watched them (as a teenager - I do intend to watch them again as an adult, but who know when that will actually happen). My biggest issue with this film is the characters - just absolutely annoying and completely unrelatable. And there is just no way I would ever root for a 15 year old KID to end up with a 25 year old woman (who might actually be 28? Was that a mistake in the dialogue or did she lie?). I saw some people making a big deal about it, but then others being like "they are overreacting", which led me to believe that the couple in question were one of those grey areas where one is 15 and the other is 19. BUT IT'S NOT GREY. She is an adult taking advantage and manipulating a CHILD. What the fuck is wrong with people who think this is ok? The movie, itself, doesn't really cross any lines - there's nothing sexual about their relationship (other than a quick "here's what my tits look like" and the kiss at the end), but I feel like the audience is supposed to root for them and that's troublesome. But I don't necessarily have to root for a couple to like a movie, or appreciate the story, this just does nothing for me though. I think it would have been a stronger story if they focused on this woman's stunted maturity - maybe explained why she feels comfortable hanging out with 15 year olds (she does call herself out at one point - I believe she calls herself "weird" or something to that effect) and also still lives with her parents (which I know was a more common thing for women to do at that point in time - living with your parents until you're married), and then gets super jealous when he starts showing interest in someone his own age. I actually ended up hating her completely. She has zero redeeming qualities. I'm also not really sure about Alana Haim as an actress. It's hard to tell because with this because I hate the character, but I think a lot of that has to do with the writing. I'll certainly give her another chance. I'm also not the biggest fan of Cooper Hoffman in this role - I think he's supposed to be more charming than he is, instead he comes off incredibly obnoxious. I also just think the movie is super boring. I found myself distracted by other things, and then looking back at the screen only to have them running. Just lots of running. Every time I looked up they were fucking running again. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home - Uhhhhhh...this movie is...a....mess?! I know Marvel movies get over-praised, but I'm genuinely surprised at the universal love for this movie? It's not even close to being anything above average. And did I mention that it's a total mess? First, I guess my expectations for the movie were obviously high - and I *think* I might have been the last person on the planet to watch it. But I don't even think it's the best of the Marvel Spider-Man movies, let alone up there in the top of the MCU overall. Second, I was under the impression that it was a Spider-Man movie that would introduce the multi-verse at some point, but for, like, a quick fun moment, not that it was the entire plot. I sat there for 2 hours and 28 minutes wondering when the actual plot was going to...start. Nothing about this plot makes any sort of sense. And I know that's a dumb thing to complain about when we are talking about a comic book movie that is introducing a multi-verse, but they could still attempt to explain things that are non-sensical - like how the villains arrive in this new universe only remembering their last moment before they die, but don't question why they are all...older? But the biggest, most ridiculous part is that why on Earth does he care if these villains die? I realize that he is sympathetic towards them because their abilities have taken over and made them evil, but...but...isn't that the point of it all? He. himself, got abilities and used them for good because HE'S A GOOD PERSON, while others will use their super powers for their own gain, or in true supervillain form, to take over the world. They've all killed so many people! In other universes, but also this one! Does he think all of those people on the bridge where Doc Ock appears in the beginning...lived?? It was a major disaster! And what are they supposed to do now? Just go back to their own universe and live a normal life? Wouldn't they just repeat what they did in order to regain their powers and do it all over again because THAT'S THEIR NATURE?! Aside from the asinine plot, the appearance of all of these characters is fun. Briefly fun. But they overstay their welcome. Especially the other Spider-Men. When the three of them "riff" for what feels like 5 hours, I genuinely felt my whole body tense up. Like, what the fuck am I watching, it's so painful. Please make them stop talking. Toby Maguire looks exhausted for most of it and Andrew Garfield is so...dopey? I remember thinking he had a tough time with cheesy dialogue in the previous movies. He's kind of too goofy to make it work. Having them appear in this is definitely a WIN for Tom Holland because he out-acted them in every moment. I don't even know what else to say without seeming like I'm nitpicking. It's just...not great. Some tighter editing, a major overhaul of the dialogue and a...sensible plot would have helped it immensely. 

2. The Bubble - I'm hopeful that this will be the worst movie I see this year. Because this is a bad movie, and I cringe at the thought of watching something worse than this (actually, now that I think about it, I already have...will probably be in my next post). It's pretty insane that all of these talented people got together and made such an unfunny, annoying movie. I saw someone describe it as the film version of that viral Imagine video that celebrities did, and that is a great way to describe this. It's basically a movie about making a movie "in a bubble" because of the pandemic. I think it's super weird that film/television production still continued during lockdowns, but I guess the revenue is worth it? But I absolutely do not feel bad for actors being forced into a bubble in order to continue working (because most do not actually have to work - they are financially secure), so they are still choosing to be in this situation. Anyway, again, the cast is great - Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Leslie Mann and her daughter Iris Apatow (nothing makes me feel older than seeing celebrity children as full-grown adults. Her and Maude are killing the acting game, though). And as annoying and unfunny 95% of this movie is, there are about a dozen really, really funny lines. Some of my favorites: "Don't say 'waitress' in that tone. She risks her life to feed people!", "Do you know how to fly that thing?" "Yeah, I took 8 lessons!" and the entire scene with *cameo spoiler alert* James McAvoy (I seriously can't believe he agreed to this, but obviously my favorite part). He plays himself, and the Professor X jab had me rolling, "I play a lot of different characters!", and the "I don't think you're allowed to run during a pandemic" (might be my favorite line of the whole thing because I literally yell at people all day long for running up and down our stairs at work - "NO RUNNING!!!", and once we re-opened after lockdown I started adding "NO RUNNING WE'RE IN A PANDEMIC!!" because I thought it was funny. I make myself laugh all the time. I'm hilarious, actually). I also laughed that when they pronounced Gal Gadot's name wrong (although I don't even know if they did it on purpose or if they actually think it's pronounced like Waiting for Godot). I did not laugh at the TikTok scenes. It's unbearable. I appreciate that Judd Apatow made this only two hours long (his films are usually far longer, even though it's always unnecessary), but this could have easily been a 90 minute movie and it would have been far better. 

3. French Exit - Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges as mother and son?! Count me in! I hadn't really heard much about this - I'm pretty sure I only saw the poster briefly and added it to my list (I mean, there's even a cat on the poster. It's like it was specifically designed for me!). Unfortunately, it is very boring. It's not a bad movie, but it just moves very slowly and they do very little to make me care about any of the characters. They are all just very inaccessible (it's basically about rich, eccentric people, but I guess we are supposed to care because she has no money left?? But she does have a rich friend who is like "oh just use my fancy apartment in Paris, I don't need it", so why exactly should I feel bad for her? And why don't I have any friends with empty apartments in Paris? I'm doing life wrong, I think.). The cat is actually very important to the story, as she believes that her dead husband's soul is inside the cat (it's basically the episode of Friends in which Phoebe thinks the stray cat is her mom). But they never really go far enough with this, instead it feels like an afterthought. There's not much else to say. Oh wait, Danielle Macdonald is in this, too! I just recently talked about how much I enjoy her in my post about The Tourist. She's not in this much, but her scenes definitely standout. Oh, wait, one more thing - the scene when she starts the fire at the restaurant is hilarious. Completely unrealistic, but it makes for a cool, memorable scene nonetheless. 

4. Scream (2022) - I know that this received some pretty positive reviews, but I didn't really take that too seriously. I thought enough was enough with the Scream movies, especially after the disaster of the 4th film (which I've seen a lot of retroactive love for?! What?! It was terrible and the killer was ridiculous). But I liked this! Like, a lot! The cast is incredible - obviously there's the original trio of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette, but the new cast is just so perfect. It definitely feels "next generation", but not in an obvious way (like the 4th one). I adore Jack Quaid, like if I were a few years younger I would have the HUGEST crush on him (he was born in the 90s so it's a NO for me now). I remember when I saw him in The Boys, and I couldn't figure out why he seemed so familiar - so it made sense that he's Dennis Quaid's son, but I only recently connected that MEG RYAN is his mom!!! But also, the real reason he seems so familiar is that he reminds me of Pacey from Dawson's Creek (not Joshua Jackson. Pacey. There's a difference. Trust me.). Jenna Ortega is a STAR. She stood out for me in You, and I'm so happy that she's getting all these huge roles. It's weird that being the first victim in a Scream movie is such a big deal, but it definitely is (also, I thought her name was JennY Ortega and I'm pretty sure I referenced her as that for the past year or so. Oooops). Melissa Barrera was one of the very few good things about In the Heights. Dylan Minnette continues to prove himself as a strong young actor (he was really good most recently in The Dropout). But perhaps my favorite of the new cast is Mikey Madison because she is so brilliant on Better Things and I want all three of those kids to go on to other great projects. Aside from the cast, I think it's perfectly done to keep it relevant - still sticking to the whole "meta" thing by discussing it as a "requel" (a reboot/sequel) that seems so popular now. *slight spoiler ahead* I do think it's a little too obvious as to who the killer is because they keep discussing "revisiting" the original movie. I guessed it from the very first moment they are introduced and the movie did nothing to make me think otherwise, which is a little disappointed but also better than making the killer completely ridiculous like the 4th one did. 

5. I Want You Back - I thought this would be a cute rom-com, and it is. But it's also...not very memorable or funny. It's just cute. I like a lot of the cast - Charlie Day is just so frickin' funny. I really liked Gina Rodriguez in Kajillionaire (that's the only thing I've seen her in). Jenny Slate can be really, really funny (but also sometimes annoying). AND Manny from The Good Place! He was my favorite character. The only downside of the cast is Clint Eastwood's son. He always comes off as such a douchebag. He's attractive, for sure, but I would most definitely pick Charlie Day over Clint Eastwood Junior (I don't actually know his name? Scott, maybe? Doesn't sound right...). Charlie has more charisma in his pinkie than Junior has in his whole body. I was enjoying it, but I paused it around the 50 minute mark thinking it was over soon, only to realize there was a whole HOUR left. Romcoms should NOT be 2 hours; 100 minutes max for stories like this, unless they are top-notch 5 star movies (which don't really exist). Also, I SCREAMED when Ben McKenzie walks through the door. I definitely was not expecting that to happen - mostly because BEN MCKENZIE AKA RYAN ATWOOD AKA MY SOULMATE is now playing the father of a 17 year old girl. FUCK MY LIFE. Just kill me now. I did laugh though. And this movie definitely needed some more laugh out loud moments. I only remember one LOL moment and that's when Junior/Scott(?) confuses the idiom "get back on the horse" as "get back on the whores". The most disturbing part of the whole movie is that they use the trunk at the end of their bed for....dirty laundry??? That's supposed to be used for storage (like extra sheets and pillowcases, etc.) not your laundry? How do they get it from there...to the washing machine?? It's not something that can be easily carried so they would have to transfer it to a different basket anyway? It just doesn't make any logical sense. I spent way too much time thinking about this, I know. 

3 Thoughts on The Lost City

1. The Action-Adventure Romantic Comedy - I whole-heartedly adore this movie. I feel like there's been a little bit of a resurgence of the action-adventure genre recently with the Jumanji movies, Jungle Cruise, the Jurassic World movies, and even Uncharted. So it's definitely capitalizing on an upward trend, but I feel like this movie really gets a big aspect of the older action-adventure movies, and that is that it mixes up the genres by adding the rom-com within the story. The closest comparison I can think of is Romancing the Stone (and that's from 1984). Other films have done it, of course, like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but I don't think any of them have balanced all of the genre mixing so well. I genuinely laughed so hard at multiple parts of this movie, I rooted for the main characters to get-together in the end, and I had SO MUCH FUN with the adventure that they are forced to embark on. For me, going to the movie theater has become a thing of the past - and this started waaaaay before the pandemic. There are several reasons for this (theaters are too crowded, people are inconsiderate, easier to just wait for comfortable home viewing), and in 2020, I made it my goal to go to the movies more (LOL that didn't work out well, obviously) because I did start to miss it. Before the pandemic really hit, I watched two movies in the theater - Bombshell and The Rhythm Section and neither were very inspiring. After Covid hit, I went to the movies once to see Wonder Woman 1984 (in a private theater), and even that was...meh. It did not make me long for the movie theater experience at all. I would still rather just watch movies at home! But this movie might have finally changed things for me. I sat there in awe of the spectacle, enjoyed laughing along with the other audience members, and just being taken out of the real world for a few hours. Total bliss. 

2. The Movie Star(s) - Another thought that sprang to my mind while watching this movie is this idea of "The Movie Star". There's definitely a disintegration of the idea of movie stardom - it rarely exists nowadays. And I'm not talking about actual acting chops either - just that magnetic charisma that very few people have that makes you gravitate towards their every move. I've always loved Sandra Bullock (I'm not exaggerating in the slightest - she was my role model as a teenager and well into my 20s. I bought her every magazine cover, saw every single one of her movies, recorded her television appearances (ON A VCR!) - she was everything to me), but this is the first time in a while that I sat there watching a film, thinking, "this is a movie star". She's peak Sandra Bullock in this - hilariously funny, genuinely charming, intelligent and witty, and she has a way of making you love her even when she's being a little bit of a bitch. She just commands the screen. It's also kind of amazing (and inspiring?) to watch Sandra, at 57 years old, star in a movie like this and still be that hot. And she plays off of Channing Tatum so well - the chemistry is instant (the age difference doesn't even bother me, but probably because I'm so used to seeing it the other way, this is actually kind of refreshing). I'm a fan of Channing, and I think he should stick to comedy (or comedy/action movies like this). He's not the best actor, but he's actually hilarious. The way he fumbles through some of the action sequences had me in tears from laughing (his failure during the fight scenes are just so good). Plus, the scene with them dancing is soooo fucking sexy. I don't think he's hot (just not my type, he's obviously attractive), but damn, sometimes I forget that he's a professional dancer, but I LOVE when I'm reminded of it. The other big "Movie Star" I should mention is, obviously, Brad Pitt. His appearance is more of a glorified cameo, but it is absolute perfection. I knew he wasn't in it for long, but it's quite shocking what happens to him - my mom was very upset about it, but I thought it was hilarious. 

3. The Supporting Cast - I love what Daniel Radcliffe is doing with his career lately. Just really big risks in which he gets to be super weird (Miracle Workers is a joy to watch mostly because of him, and Steve Buscemi, of course). He plays "the bad guy" in this, but the audience is never really led to hate him. He's quite funny, and charming in a way, and also super weird and a little creepy. I also really like the girl from Together Together! I liked her in that movie so much, so it was nice to see her in something else (especially such a big movie like this) so quickly. Her name is Patti Harrison, btw. Da'Vine Joy Randolph is a hilarious side-kick too. Just overall a perfect cast. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. The Worst Person in the World - There's just so much praise for this film, and I think it's...okay? There are some great scenes, I like the actors, and I think it feels very authentic and genuine in the way it depicts this character and her relationships. But, it's also very long and slow, she is super annoying, and I found myself rolling my eyes through so much of it. It felt like a Norwegian Greta Gerwig movie (which is a good thing according to some, but not always for me).There is, most definitely, a stand-out scene - and it's the running sequence that is featured on the poster, although the poster fails to capture why it is so special. Renate Reinsve is wonderful (and reminds me a little of Dakota Johnson. Actually, I recall someone saying that the inevitable English language version will star Dakota, and that makes total sense. But please, God, do not remake this). I also really like Anders Danielsen Lie - he's a cutie (and he was also in Bergman Island - a film from 2021 that I liked more than this movie). Like I said, I think their relationship feels quite genuine, but it doesn't necessarily mean much because I think a lot of people fake their way through relationships. Not that they don't care about each other, but because it feels safe or comfortable for whatever reason. And I do think a lot of people have that feeling of being "the worst person in the world" for having a connection to someone else, or multiple people at the same time. But that's kind of ridiculous? It's totally normal, I think. I also don't really think they had much chemistry anyway. And, I repeat, the movie is far too long. I thought it was almost over, and there was still a whole hour...of...not much. I read some reviews after watching this, just to try to understand why it is so universally praised, and a lot of reviewers describe it as "funny", which is sort of shocking?! Is it supposed to be funny?? I did not get that at all. And I didn't laugh once. 

2. Summer of Soul - Not usually a documentary fan, but I'll always make an exception for Questlove. He is always in my answer for those prompting type questions like "name three celebrities you'd want to be stuck on a deserted island with" etc., because he's so knowledgeable and passionate about music/movies/pop-culture history and trivia. I just feel like I could listen to him talk endlessly (and I don't even get the impression that he likes to talk that much, so I don't think he would annoy the crap out of me, instead he would be super chill. I've clearly thought about this way too much!). I recently read his book, Music is History, and his knowledge on the topic blew my mind. It makes perfect sense for him to helm this documentary about this forgotten, but historically important, musical event - the Harlem Cultural Festival. But I think, also, this is the perfect time for this story to be brought to life. With all of the shift in focus to diversity in film and entertainment, I think it's important to shift the conversation to the content of this diversity. And something that I've heard from black critics, co-workers, and friends is that the ultimate part that is missing is black joy. While it is necessary to have stories of slavery, oppression, racism, etc., these are the only stories being told and it's exhausting. It brings me back to the Lovers Rock segment of Small Axe, because it was so impactful, for me, because it was something that felt so rare - surrounded in major events, ultimately it's just a story of a house party with guests dancing and celebrating. It's just so beautiful. And back to this documentary, it is just a big celebration of black music, history, culture, and most importantly, joy. I loved watching the audience reactions, I loved the mixing of different genres of music - everything from jazz, to gospel, to motown, to afro-cuban musical styles being celebrated under one umbrella. My favorite part was Nina Simone's performance (I had no idea she could play the piano like that!). And the last 10 minutes are very powerful. I will say, though, (and I'm so sorry Quest), but Flee deserved the Oscar win in the Documentary category. This is still wonderful, though. I think 2021 might be the first year in history that two documentaries are in my Top 20 (Flee is currently ranked #7 on my list). 

3. Windfall - I really, really like this movie. Way more than I expected to. I saw very few people talk about it, and it seemed like one of those movies that was released pretty quietly (by Netflix). I see a lot of people throw the word "Hitchcockian" around when critiquing pretty much any film that falls under the thriller genre, and usually it makes me laugh. But this feels like the most "Hitchcockian" film I've seen in a while - like, there is definitely inspiration throughout with the music, some of the shots, the use of space, the pacing, the dynamic and tension between the characters. There is also something very modern about it. AND it's trimmed down to a perfect runtime of 90 minutes. Every scene is building to something, but you're never really sure what that is - and then when *it* happens, my mouth actually dropped open. Just a perfect sequence of events that is truly shocking, and then continues to unfold in a very unexpected but very satisfying way (*vague spoiler* she saw her opportunity and fucking took it!! LOVE IT.). I think the cast is great - Jesse Plemons is just killing it lately. I love his genre mixing casting choices - he can be funny, he can be a villain, but he's truly at his best as a funny villain. I also really like Lily Collins. I wasn't a big can of hers until recently I watched a movie in which she played someone with an eating disorder (I can't remember the name, and I'm too lazy to look it up....something with Bones in the title...maybe??), and she was stunning. She definitely won me over, which was unexpected (I will never watch Emily in Paris, though, sorry that looks horrendous and I get suckered into watching trash television way too often, like fucking Bridgerton. God help me, I have to watch season 2!). They both work perfectly off of each other. Just overall this is very well-acted, well-made and solidly entertaining. 

4. Master - This is actually very different than I was expecting - I thought it would be more about slavery, which it is definitely referencing with this allegorical storytelling. And the allegories are very obvious with lines like "it will follow you" and "it's not supernatural, it's America", but ultimately it does do something very different with its core theme - in that it shows the internalizations of institutionalized racism (by literally setting it in a college, again...it's very obvious). *spoilers ahead* The twist is also extremely obvious - I wrote in my notes as soon as that character appears, "she's not actually black, is she?", because she felt so inauthentic from the very moment she spoke. So I think that's a bit of a failure, because I think the audience is supposed to be surprised by the revelation of a professor passing as black (the entire third act is based around this revelation that I was literally, like "yeah, duh, we know"). However, the confrontation scene is genuinely spectacular ("I don't have to prove my blackness" "FUCK YOU!", I clapped). There are a few other annoyances too - first, there is a whole "supernatural" aspect within the story with the students reading The Scarlett Letter as a backdrop, but that seems really inauthentic to me because that is something you read and study in 10th grade, not at a supposedly prestigious college?? If I spent that much money on college and then I went to class and the told me we were going to read The Scarlett Letter, I would demand a refund. Also, I don't think I like Regina Hall?? I feel like I used to like her, but she was sooooo bad in Nine Perfect Strangers (like shockingly bad), and this feels similar. She just overdoes everything, and it's kind of hard to watch. It feels really long, too. For only being 100 minutes, I felt like it was at least 20 minutes longer than that - which is almost worse than actually being 120 minutes long! I don't think this is a bad movie - The ideas are all there, it's just the movie doesn't do a good job of telling them. 

5. All the Old Knives - Now, this is a bad movie. Not terrible, but definitely on the cusp. The story is good, and there is great chemistry between the leads, but it's just sooooooo slow. It could have been, at least, a 3 star movie, if it picked up the pace (at literally any moment - I just waited and waited for it to come alive and it never does), and had some snappier dialogue. This is another movie that lays out the twist pretty clearly from the beginning - he is definitely in clean-up mode. I like Chris Pine a lot (he is definitely the winner of the Chris debate, as far as acting and charisma goes), and Thandiwe Newton is so great on Westworld (she should have been showered with awards nominations for that role), but they just can't hold my attention with this dull spy thriller (can it even be called a "thriller"? It's like the events after the thriller part). I can't even muster up anything else to say about it. 

Thoughts on 5 New TV Shows

1. The Dropout - I really, really like this show, but I mostly just really, really like what Amanda Seyfried is doing in this. Portraying a real person can be quite tricky and I feel like actors are often over-praised for performances in which they either seem nothing like the actual person or feel like they are doing an impersonation. Seyfried manages to avoid both, and just absolutely nails this performance by capturing the essence of Elizabeth Holmes. I don't know much about her; I remember reading about her when everything went sour, but I did not pay much attention to Theranos or her as a CEO of this start-up. It's all super fascinating though, and it does something so interesting by not really attempting any sort of sympathy or redemption of Holmes, instead she seems like a complete sociopath - we see her insecurities and terror in every scene, but she just keeps fucking doubling down on her idea that simply...doesn't work, and absolutely refuses to feel anything about destroying the lives of thousands of people. There are a few moments that really stand-out about this (aside from Seyfried) - the dance scenes, in particular, I think showcase her immaturity and child-like ignorance to how serious her crimes are. Also, her obsession with Apple and waiting in line for the iPhone (losers...the lot of them! I'm kidding, of course, but UGH also Apple nerds are the worst). It also touches on just how important it is to be a woman in power and, as she calls it, "fail"; but in reality she did not fail - she deliberately misled and manipulated investors, and now every woman that comes after her has to prove that they aren't the same (while men can just keep getting away with it over and over again). There is also a great scene early on when she gets questioned about her future (and plans of having kids), and she responds with "well, you have a wife and kids" and he goes "seriously?", because it is a totally different expectation to be a working mother (and I don't even want to think about the expectations for a working CEO mother). But the thing that is really fascinating is all the praise she received without anyone really doing any research - praise from Clinton, Obama, Biden, The Times, etc., Jesus Christ it's all so embarrassing. And I don't think we've learned a fucking thing from it. 

2. Severance - Super fucking out there, but I love it. It seems like an idea that wouldn't work onscreen (which sometimes I still appreciate the idea), basically conceptualizing the idea of a literal split in work life and personal life (creating the idealized "work/life balance" that we all so desperately seek), but with the visual elements stripped down to a very minimal set design, I think that's what makes it work (and also makes it even weirder). I think the hallway scenes start to get really annoying - with them just walking and walking down this stripped down white sterile hallway, twisting and turning, and walking some more, but it also creates this really disorienting feeling which is essential to the series. The cast is incredible - Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, directed by Ben Stiller (with this and Escape from Dannemora, he has really impressed me as a director. I know he's directed a lot of the comedies that he starred in like Tropic Thunder, Zoolander, but this is so different and it's challenging to get right). I think I'm on the 4th episode, and I admit I have no fucking clue where the story is going or how weird it's going to get, and I love that. 

3. The Book of Boba Fett - I'm not the biggest fan of the Star Wars universe (and not that I'm not a fan, it's just not really something that I'm invested in like a lot of people are), but I did really like The Mandalorian. This isn't capturing my attention at all, though. I find myself scrolling twitter or adjusting my to-do list, instead of what is happening on the screen in front of me. I just don't care at all, but I read that it connects with The Mandalorian (and basically becomes a season 2b), so I felt like I needed to watch it (the fucking completist that I am...). It's true, after episode 3, Boba Fett all but disappears from his own television show! But it also became sooooo much better. Fucking Baby Yoda, man, just the cutest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life. I could watch him train to be a Jedi or whatever the fuck he's doing for hours on end and not get bored. It's also nice to see Jennifer Beals again, but I just looked at her filmography and apparently she's been working this WHOLE time, just not in anything I've watched. I think the last thing I've seen from her is The L Word (what a ridiculously addictive show. And apparently there is a recent spin-off that she's in?? How did I not know about that?). 

4. The Tourist - I haven't heard anyone mention this show, but it has Jamie Dornan in it so I WILL WATCH IT. And, damn, he looks really good in this. So far, I like this show a lot. I'm about 4 or 5 episodes in, and every episode has been surprising or has had some shocking unexpected moments, and ends on a perfect cliffhanger (which I don't feel like exists anymore because the expectation of binge-watching, it seems unnecessary, maybe?). It's basically Memento without the backwards storytelling (*top secret info* I fell asleep watching Memento and I've never finished it. SHHHHHHHH!). Dornan is playing a character who gets into a car accident and suddenly can't remember who he is or why he is in the Australian outback with someone trying to kill him. Did I mention that he looks really, really good in this? Well, let me say it again....DAMN. I generally like Dornan, he was fantastic in The Fall and I loved his silliness in Barb and Star. He's also one of the few men I believe someone might pick over Taron (I'm talking about Robin Hood - *spoiler* his girlfriend thinks he's dead so she starts dating Dornan but then he's not dead, obvi, and GIRL HAS A CHOICE to make. I would still pick Taron, duh, but I can see the hesitation). He's great in this, but the highlight is Danielle Macdonald as the rookie police officer who sympathizes with his situation and then gets caught up in his obviously dark mystery. She's been excellent in several projects (the miniseries, Unbelievable, that Jamie Bell movie, Skin), but she really stands out in this - just shows a perfect display of innocence and kindness, while also trying to remain professional. I'm really interested in where this story is going to go, how dark it's going to get, and who else gets caught in his web. 

5. The Endgame - I have a feeling that I will not last for more than a few more episodes (I am currently on the third episode). It's exactly like you would expect for an NBC spy thriller - and it feels like I'm just watching a new version of The Blacklist (I think I made it through the full first season of that, but I couldn't watch anymore - and I can't believe that it lasted so long. I think I still see commercials for new episodes???). I really only watched this for Morena Baccarin - I absolutely adore her (even though I love her husband more. My soulmate, Ryan Atwood. And on a random side-note, how hilarious is it that the kid from The O.C. is spending his time warning people about the fraud and corruption behind NFTs and Crypto?? It's not that surprising, as someone who has loved him for the last 19 years, I've seen him in many interviews and he is very smart and has a degree in economics, but I think it definitely is surprising a lot of people). She's a little miscast here, I think, mostly because the accent is just really hard to get past. She's really inconsistent with it, so it's sort of driving me crazy. Why not just hire someone who has a Russian background that can do the accent? I feel like she should be a little more menacing, but instead she sounds like a cartoon character. I also think everyone else in the show is really, really dull. I do like Costa Ronin, though, but he is certainly typecast (I feel like he played the same role in The Americans and Homeland). So far, it's all very expected and dull. If it doesn't pick up soon, I'm out. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Deep Water - There is a good movie in here somewhere, but this is just incredibly disappointing. On an obviously related side-note, I really liked Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck as a couple - something about them just made sense to me. But the noticeable problem with this movie is definitely the lack of chemistry, and Affleck is the one to blame for that (because de Armas could have chemistry with a brick wall). As an actor, I think Affleck is the epitome of a mediocre white guy, which is why I think he should stick to directing from now on (Gone Baby Gone, Argo and The Town are probably all in my Top 100 Films of All Time list, if it existed). I used to think he was great as an actor, but I just don't think his heart is in it anymore. And he pretty much sleepwalks through this movie. And usually with this type of 'manipulative wife' story (think a mild version of Gone Girl, which is a movie I hated - honestly, the more I think about this movie, the more I loathe it), I can't stand the female character, but in this - I felt like I understood de Armas' character completely. She does make his life interesting - she's also super hot and the mother of his child, and he's completely in love with her, so, honestly, she can do whatever the fuck she wants and he's powerless against it. She's also not someone who fits into the "domesticated" lifestyle of getting married, having children, etc., but the expectation of that lifestyle is so overwhelming that I think people often just...give in, leading to resentfulness and misery (I mean, I would go absolutely insane living with a 6 year old and a boring husband). If the film focused on this play of power dynamics within this relationship, it would have been a lot stronger. Instead, it carelessly focuses on this man being a serial killer (of his wife's lovers), and his ability to get away with it. Ultimately, it's feels really...stupid and convoluted. It's also edited very poorly and there is no concept of how much time has gone by with each scene (and each murder...did he just murder all of these people in the span of 3 days? Because that's what it feels like). And as far as erotic thrillers go, and there haven't been many lately, this one is very tame. There's pretty much nothing sexy about it, except a topless de Armas. The sex scenes are blink-and-you-miss-it, and neither of them seem to satisfy each other, so what's the point? The best way to describe the whole thing is underwhelming. 

2. Mogul Mowgli - I love Riz Ahmed so fucking much it's unbelievable. He's an incredible actor/musician, has a ton of charisma, can display a range of emotions within seconds, and seems like he can tackle any genre. The weird thing about this movie, though, is that it's pretty much the same plot as Ahmed's other movie, Sound of Metal (a musician faces a medical issue that derails his career), and even though I enjoyed this movie - I absolutely love Sound of Metal, so this just fell a little flat for me. Had Sound of Metal not existed, though, I probably would have loved this more (if that makes sense?). The performance scenes are definitely the highlight - first, I think rap is such an incredible art form that often gets overlooked (mostly because of...racism, really, but also because I think the music industry has cannibalized it a bit) but I would LOVE to sit down with those lyrics and really digest the words because there is so much depth about his identity in there. There's also some interesting dialogue about appropriating black culture that I wish they touched on more. Second, because, again, Ahmed has so much presence - he's just an incredible performer. I also can connect with the plot a little because, as I've said, and I'm sure it's super annoying for me to keep bringing this up (trust me, I know), I suffer from chronic pain - but it's not even the pain that upsets me anymore. It's the thought of living with this pain for...ever. And the thought that it's going to get worse with aging and...what if I get to the point where I can't drive or walk? So sometimes I just start crying and people just assume that the pain is just that bad, but it's not; the mental anguish is so much worse than the pain. Anyway, I like this movie, I just think Sound of Metal did it better. 

3. Mass - Well, if you ever have any question as to why the Oscars suck, watch this and then try to explain how Ann Dowd did not get a nomination for her performance in this movie. It's just so baffling - not only for missing out on a nomination, but she easily could have won it. Jason Isaacs is also incredible here, and he's not someone I've ever really taken notice of before as having anything above average skill-level as an actor. But, man, they both just blew me away. The film reminded me a lot of Carnage (which was based on the play God of Carnage), which is about two couples who agree to sit down and talk about their children - one is the bully the other is the victim of the bully. Except this movie's subject matter is far darker with the couple's children being a school shooter and one of his victims. Like Carnage it's all dialogue - just four people talking for the entire length of the movie, which could be tough to watch (as it was in Carnage - from what I remember, I liked it but it does drag a bit), but the acting is so phenomenal, that I forgot that I was actually watching actors and not just four people whose lives were ruined by a tragedy. It's always interesting to consider how much responsibility parents should bear when it comes to crimes committed by their children. Each and every case is obviously different and has its own intricacies, but surely every parent in this situation has to feel the full weight of that guilt. They've had to analyze what went wrong and what they could have done differently. And it's even more gut-wrenching if they saw the signs of a troubled child but chose to ignore it or convinced themselves that there was nothing wrong (as one part of the dialogue goes "how could you believe that?" "because I wanted to." hits really deep). You never want to believe that someone you love is capable of such hatred and evilness, but not believing it could have deadly consequences. The story here gives great insight into how deep this feeling is, and my heart breaks for all of them (and for any parents dealing with this in real life). 

4. Death on the Nile - I sort of love that Kenneth Branagh continues to just make whatever the fuck he wants. It seems he's moved from Shakespeare adaptations to Agatha Christie murder mysteries, and I don't hate it. I didn't love his Murder on the Orient Express, but I did appreciate how well it was made - and some of those shots are sublime. This feels like second-tier compared to that film. It's...not well-made, in fact the CGI is barely tolerable. The cast consists of one unlikeable actor after the next (and a few of whom are pretty problematic in our current culture of cancellations): Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Gal Gadot, Russell Brand, and...Kenneth Branagh (not necessarily problematic, that I know of, but always comes across as someone unlikeable, to me). Please get Annette Bening out of there!!! There are two highlights (other than Bening, because duh...she's always a highlight): Emma Mackey is stunning (she's so good on Sex Education too, completely believable as a teenager - it was weird seeing her in this more adult role, but she nails it. Can't wait to see more from her) and Rose Leslie with a completely believable French accent (I had to look it up because I thought *for sure* that she is Scottish, but I couldn't hear an ounce of her Scottish accent so I started to doubt myself). The mystery is SUPER obvious from the first few minutes of character introductions, so it was just a matter of watching it all unfold exactly how you expect it to. I have not read the Christie novel, so I wonder if it's that obvious in the story as well?? You don't have to necessarily be surprised by the outcome to enjoy it, though (as a ton of people already know the ending, obviously), but the problem is that it all felt very dull and tedious to sit through. Just very long, and very boring. 

5. C'mon C'mon - Just wonderful. As I was watching it, I had this sense of a very familiar feeling, so I looked up the director (Mike Mills) and what he's directed before - and it made so much sense that he wrote/directed Beginners. I love that movie so much, and this is definitely in the same universe (and also I've thought about 20th Century Women way more than I thought I would. This is a perfect example of a man who writes incredibly genuine and realistic female characters. And it's fascinating that he's married to Miranda July because, even though I love her, I never feel any connection to her female characters. To each their own, though!). There's just this wonderful sense of warmth and sweetness to this movie. I can feel the growth within the characters - and a lot of times that can be credited to the acting, but in this case I think it's definitely in the writing. Although, Phoenix gives another astounding performance here, far quieter and softer than the performances he gets accolades for, but just as difficult to get right. Honestly, I think Phoenix might be my favorite actor (OF ALL TIME) surpassing Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Penn (I hate him as a person, but damn he's such a good actor). And yet, another Oscar injustice with Phoenix being completely overlooked - this is clearly a better performance than the WINNER of the category. Also, GABBY FUCKING HOFFMAN!! Where has she been??? She's wonderful in this. I like that even though it's a quiet, seemingly simple, story, there is still a lot going on within each relationship. It's definitely a story of motherhood - how much we take mothers for granted, how challenging it is to raise a son (as essentially a single parent), how completely selfless one has to be etc., but it's also about this sibling relationship that is strained but still maintained with this strong bond that is unbreakable. Then there is the obvious relationship that is the main story - about this uncle/nephew bond. How difficult it is to earn a skeptical child's trust and also how perceptive children are. Also, being an only child is fucking hard. I think the "only child trope" is often portrayed as being spoiled and selfish, but that's not my experience at all. My mom was a single mom and worked 3 jobs at one point, I was always alone. And I was forced into adulthood at 6 years old. I had to get myself ready for school, make my own food, clean up after myself, and provide my own entertainment (I will admit that when I stayed with my grandmother, who helped raise me for 2.5 months out of the year until I turned 17, she spoiled me rotten). I feel for the kid in this movie - he's really smart, curious, perceptive and sensitive. I love all the interviews with children about the future (and I love that one child's THOUGHTS on the touristification of major cities - specifically Airbnbs taking over, creating a city of tourists instead of protecting the culture of the city). Overall, I love this movie and it will definitely be making an appearance on my updated Top 10 of 2021 list.