It’s certainly an interesting story, & I liked the setup of how it was told, but the tone was all over the place. Some of the comedic moments felt a little glib & weird next to scenes that were meant to have emotional weight. Showing captions of the poems on screen didn’t really work for me, nor did the fourth wall breaking. Molly Shannon was wonderful as usual, but the younger versions of Emily & her sister in law weren’t very good at all. Unfortunately, the thing as a whole just didn’t work.
19 May 2019: Between Two Women
Nice enough little kitchen-sink drama that feels like it could’ve been made in the 70s. We’re dropped into an already developing relationship, which is a little odd. Not sure why the filmmaker went that route. The performances & the writing are all around good, though.
2 March 2019: Appropriate Behavior
Seeing yourself depicted on screen is a neat experience, & one I almost never get to have. Sure, I see a lot of myself in the male characters from some of my favorite films, some of Nicole Holofcener's women, & Frances Ha came pretty close, other than the straight part. But this movie! Man oh man, what a treat it was. So real, so warm, so hilarious. I love that Desiree Akhavan exists, that she was able to get this movie made, & that she got to go on to make Cameron Post. Can't wait to see what she does next.
24 December 2018: Dumplin'
I expected something precious & wholesome that I could safely watch with the in-laws, & that’s exactly what I got. Not surprising, considering the heavy Dolly influence. That woman is a goddamn saint. The lead here is charismatic & sweet. I knew I’d seen her in something very recently, then about halfway through I realized she plays Olympia in Bird Box, too.
19 December 2018: Crazy Rich Asians
Watched on a flight. A fine, inoffensive romantic comedy. If that’s your thing, you could do worse.
14 December 2018: The Favourite
This is my favorite of Lanthimos’s films so far, & I don’t usually care for period pieces. The performances are flawless, especially Olivia Colman. Damn, where’s she been hiding? Or am I just out of the loop? The humor worked waaaay better here than in his previous films. Because he didn’t write the screenplay this time? If so, let’s have him continue adapting other people’s words. Also, how lovely are those wide-angle shots inside the palace? I even got Barry Lyndon vibes at times with all those candles. In closing, if Rachel Weisz could kindly make out with me, that would be great. Thanks.
7 December 2018: Madeline's Madeline
This just solidifies for me that, as much as I love movies, I never want to be around actors. Too much, man! Very interesting story, creatively told. Great cast, great performances, excellent score. A teensy bit self indulgent, but hey, it is about actors, after all.
25 November 2018: At Eternity's Gate
Willem Defoe makes a perfect Van Gogh. He was born to play this part. The near constant handheld camerawork gets pretty tiresome, but otherwise the film is just gorgeous. All portraits of tortured artists tend to hit similar marks & follow a similar path, but I think the look of this one & the masterful lead performance elevate it above most.
9 September 2018: Scotty & the Secret History of Hollywood
Rather than a rehashing of the tell-all book, this doc is a profile of the author with all his quirks. I went in expecting a fun, dishy movie, & ended up being moved to tears by Scotty’s story. We younger gays may think we have it rough, but thankfully we’ll never have to experience the kind of discrimination Scotty’s generation did. I’d never thought about all the gay men who fought in WWII, which is incredibly ignorant of me, considering how many Americans went over there. I’m grateful to this movie for pointing out my ignorance.
21 August 2018: The Miseducation of Cameron Post
I like But I’m a Cheerleader, don’t get me wrong, but this is the type of movie we need about gay conversion camps. Poor Christian kids, man. I can attest that growing up queer in the 90s sucked, but how much worse must it have been for these Christian kids? I’m glad this movie exists, & I’m glad it ended on the note it did. I cared about these kids, & I wanted them to be alright. The boy from Super Dark Times was particularly affecting. The title character here is a bit tough to read, but I can’t ding the movie too much for that. She doesn’t know who she is yet, after all. I like Desiree Akhavan’s style - it’s smart but not glib, & she has empathy for all her characters.
Off-topic, but I want to have my own gay camp for little queers with religious parents, where they could be themselves & not worry about disappointing anyone. Listen up, shite Christian parents! If you won’t love your kids the way they are, then send them to me & I’ll love them for you. You don’t deserve them.
12 August 2018: BlacKkKlansman
I would’ve liked more insight into Ron, & the plot meandered a bit. Other than that, it was fabulous. Loved that dance sequence at the club, & loved the way the the three important monologues in the movie were presented. Also loved how uncomfortable my audience was when the upside down flag appeared on screen at the end. Even though they cheered as events unfolded in the movie, they still bristled at that. Shows how much power symbols have.
4 August 2018: Three Identical Strangers
I feel like it might be better if the results of the study were published & analyzed. That way at least something might be learned, & some good night come out of it. Is that the worst idea ever?
28 July 2018: Eighth Grade
Perfectly captures all the awkward highs & lows of being that age. It took me back to middle school so hard I could practically smell the flop sweat & gross cologne. It took me back so hard I had three new pimples when I walked out of the theater. Also, the character of Gabe is incredibly precious & needs his own movie.
22 July 2018: Blood Simple
Finally got around to the Criterion version I’d gotten for Xmas. Looks & sounds gorgeous. Tough to think of any American filmmakers who’ve made better twisty turny crime stories. I love that our two “heroes” here have close to no idea wtf is going on. Classic Coens.
15 July 2018: Leave No Trace
I was a little bit let down, & not just because a lady behind us was making strange noises throughout. This had a lot of the same things that made Winter’s Bone great, so it’s tough to say what was lacking. Maybe a better understanding of what Ben Foster’s character was struggling with would’ve helped. I can see not wanting to get too into that, since the movie is from the daughter’s perspective & she doesn’t understand his motives. But I was so frustrated for the poor girl that I had a hard time focusing on anything else. Her performance was absolutely the highlight of the film, btw.