A Cure for Wellness
This movie is a TRIP. On the plus side, it is visually stunning. I almost recommend it on the cinematography alone. On the other hand, it is so, so incredibly weird. Not bad necessarily, but...just absolutely bananas. For the first two-thirds of the film, the story is interesting and engaging. But it's too long by at least 30 minutes and the plot suffers from it. The last act of the film is pandering and excessive, weirder even than the rest and features a scene that it both deeply unsettling and completely unnecessary. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of Crimson Peak -- another gorgeous film with decent performances, but a messy story and a lackluster ending. Both left me feeling the same way: I'd watch them again to bask in their beauty, but I might regret it.
Murder by Numbers
This movie reminded me so much of both Kiss the Girls (which is pretty good) and Along Came a Spider (which is pretty bad), two films in a series based on James Patterson books (because duh). All three films are cheesy in a way that is specific to late '90s/early '00s procedural murder mysteries: gruesome murders with spooky clues, emotionally damaged cops, lots of choppy editing, tons of terrible music. Like Criminal Minds, Popcorn Movie Edition. All that being said? I still enjoyed Murder by Numbers. Sandra Bullock is good even when she's playing a deeply unlikable character, and it was interesting to see the humble beginnings of two major Ryan Gosling tropes (Arrogant Man™ and Calculated Psychopath™). Also can get behind the moral of "teen boys are terrifying."
Fargo
I don't know what took me so long to watch Fargo, but I loved it. The screenplay is crazy and wonderful, the performances are hilarious and it's only 98 minutes long. Short and likable, like a Midwestern "yeah."
The Terminal
I expected this movie to be heartwarming. I didn't expect it to be heartbreaking. But it was both, and I should've known from "Tom Hanks + Steven Spielberg." I liked it and was impressed (and depressed) by how timely it still is today, but I was taken aback by how deeply sad most of it was, even when it wasn't actively trying to be.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
I only watched this because it starting coming on after An American Werewolf in London and the credits said both Alan Rickman and Christian Slater were in it. But, ultimately, even they didn't making watching it totally worth it. It's not that it's bad, it's just that nothing really happens for the first two hours. It's just Kevin Coster with a mullet, hanging out in an Ewok forest. But, the last hour is interesting and I liked the jokes about Azeem knowing more than the white men (example: "How did your uneducated kind ever take Jerusalem?" when Robin can't use a telescope).
Celeste & Jesse Forever
In this film, Rashida Jones is an emotionally reserved know-it-all who, at different points, is romantically linked to both Andy Samberg AND Chris Messina. Truly living my best life. But, seriously: this is a very good, smart movie about how life is unpredictable and messy and we should feel lucky to get to love anyone at all.
The Iron Giant
Super cute! A sweet story with nice animation. Also, it was pretty powerful to see a "kids' movie" make the U.S. government its villain and put forth the messages "guns kill," "everything good has a soul" and "you can choose to be good."
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
The Rom-comissance™ continues! This movie is trope city, and I love it for it. It intentionally checks boxes in the rom-com and teen movie categories, but breathes new life into what we've come to expect. It's delightful. Plus: Peter Kavinsky, are you kidding me? He thanks waitresses and addresses them by name! He takes his role as designated driver seriously! He buys snacks he knows LJ likes! A dreamboat for the ages -- Jake Ryan who?
Crazy Rich Asians*
Ahhh, this movie was so cool! Shiny, sparkly, glamorous fun. To be honest, I got pretty emotional waiting for it to start, thinking about how important it is just for existing (plus, I had watched To All the Boys the day before -- what a great weekend for pop culture!). But the movie itself ended up being even more impactful than I expected. Not only does it feature an all-Asian cast, it's full of characters and situations we've rarely, if ever, gotten to see Asian actors take on: humor without racial overtones, intimacy, desirability, power. It's a film that faced huge expectations and it delivers. Bonus: the music is incredible.
Avengers: Infinity War
Do I like what happened at the end of Infinity War? No, not at all. But, I get why they did it. We've been watching MCU movies for 10 years now -- and superhero movies in general for much longer. We think we know what to expect, from the flashy fight scenes to the quippy one-liners (both of which Infinity War has in spades). So, to celebrate a decade of its franchise, Marvel decided to pull the rug out from under us. And it works. I have no idea what they're going to do next, and I haven't felt that way in a long time.
Atomic Blonde
My main takeaway from Atomic Blonde is that the plot didn't matter at all (though the ending is twisty!). What did matter? The pink-and-blue lighting. Charlize Theron looking too damn cool the entire time, violently taking out the bad guys to a soundtrack of '80s pop songs. James McAvoy's voice. The film felt cool, and sometimes that's all you need.
Also this month, I finished reading The Appetites of Girls by Pamela Moses (very tender and good), devoured Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (fantastic -- I thought it was going to be a casual read and was very wrong) in 24 hours, finished reading Final Girls by Riley Sager (a fun mystery with a big twist ending) and started reading The End of Everything by Megan Abbott (Dare Me was A Lot, and I expect the same from this). I discovered/rediscovered these songs, plus listened to Sweetener on repeat, duh. I also revamped my Halloween playlist and started listening to it because whatever, I'm tired of summer.
While I'm at it, here are some bonus links to articles I read and loved this month!
- As mentioned above I, like everyone else in America, apparently, thoroughly enjoyed To All the Boys I've Loved Before. This article gets at why we all loved it so fast; this one explains specifically why we're thirsting for Peter Kavinsky; and this one points out that all of the great rom-coms we've gotten recently play on fanfic tropes and suggests nine more Hollywood should consider trying.
- This great personal piece examines how Crazy Rich Asians isn't about money, it's about entitlement -- and why that's a good thing. And speaking of the importance of representation, don't miss Kelly Marie Tran speaking out against her haters. We need more people like her.
- Sadly, Sharp Objects is over now, but you should definitely check it out if you haven't! It's basically a perfect show -- with the exception of leaning into the trope of the unethical female journalist.
- The Destination Wedding press tour has been giving me life because I am now wholeheartedly convinced that my loves, Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, are deeply in love IRL.
- Love this piece about Kristin Chenoweth and her hardcore work ethic. The embodiment of dynamite coming in a small package.
- And finally, some small town pride! The head football coach at my high school (and also my "world history teacher") is closing in on 300 career wins -- an achievement only 11 Texas high school football coaches have reached. Texas Forever, y'all.
Let's hope it cools off soon, yeah?
No comments:
Post a Comment