We read this in class senior year of high school and I loved it so much. I remember being shown a few clips of the movie in class, but largely in the context of, “the movie really misunderstood what the book is going for.” I don’t necessarily think that’s fair - this leans into the magic realism and myth making far more than I expected, and the movie is at its best whenever it does so. I do think there’s…
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The Bostonians 1984
I just feel like a movie with this much gay yearning and manipulation shouldn’t be this boring. I imagine this is probably a fabulous book, but it felt like the three main characters were either flatly written or miscast as their motivations felt entirely unclear to me. I’m inclined to say it’s a script problem, because Redgrave is terrific in the last scene, but I don’t know - the pacing felt off and I never bought the characters’ actions scene-to-scene.…
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The Black Phone 2021
It’s not good when your B-plot reminds me of a South Park episode, but I enjoyed bits and pieces of this. A bit tonally jumbled, but Derrickson knows how to craft a popcorn horror movie. Hawke is giving a committed, really fleshed out performance that I think would work better with a tighter script. Solid child performances and a wonderful appearance from James Ransone.
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D.E.B.S. 2004
This feels like it was made for $5 and at times that makes it feel earnest and charming, but at other times it just makes the whole film feel off. It also feels like only some of the cast members are on the right wave length. But, as The Other Two fans know, Jordana Brewster can be very funny in a heightened comedy and she really sells the whole thing. And even at its worst moments, there is a camp appeal that makes it worth sitting through. Holland Taylor - always iconic.
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Elvis 2022
What an exhilarating rush. I swear people are gonna negatively compare this to Walk Hard like they always do with musical biopics but this has maybe one scene that called that masterpiece to mind, and I’m almost convinced Baz Luhrmann is doing that intentionally. He’s such a maximalist with a masterful knowledge of pop culture and this uncanny ability to see the connections across decades. I have such a huge space in my heart for Romeo + Juliet so I…
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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On 2021
We need to get Isabella Rossellini the first Oscar for voice acting.
It’s great. One joke made me laugh for like 5 full minutes, well after the film moved onto another scene. Jenny Slate remains a gifted voice actor and the film feels like an organic expansion of the original video, not a retread. Really impressive.
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Official Competition 2021
An absolute smash. Every joke lands and the trio of actors are just firing on all cylinders. The final act is so unexpected but perfectly dark and works so well with the themes I honestly can’t believe I didn’t see it coming. A terrific screenplay.
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Cha Cha Real Smooth 2022
A lovely movie that understands how compelling Dakota Johnson’s face is when she’s quietly emoting. That being said: is Leslie Mann the MVP of this thing or am I just going through an era where mother/son stories hit me hard?
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Black Widow 1987
Obsessed with her just changing her hair color slightly but still being a master of disguise.
Anyway, I found the men in this mostly to be charisma vacuums (perhaps by design?) but this is vibes otherwise. Love the outfits, love the twists, love the Lois Smith appearance. Who knew so much sexual tension could come from scuba diving?
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Mississippi Masala 1991
A compelling argument can be made that this is one of the most beautiful couples ever in a movie. And they have such natural chemistry too!