Tag: 10s

Summarizing June 2021

Listen to hear me refer to the June summary as the May summary two-thirds of the time, find out why I think In the Heights was such a success, and learn why I have the same movie in both the Skip and the Good category.

Things mentioned in this post:

Created by women: In the Heights was written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, Life Partners was directed by Susanna Fogel and written by Susanna Fogel and Joni Lefkowitz, and Away We Go was written by Vendela Vida and Dave Eggers.

Summarizing May 2021

In this bit of audio, I run through the movies I watched in May 2021. Listen to find out what I think of ditzy women leads, how I knew that a movie wouldn’t have a bummer of an ending, and to get recommendations for several (!!!!) grownup comedies.

Things mentioned in this post:

The bummer of recording audio is that when I discover I’ve missed an entire move after I’m done recording and editing, I don’t go back and fix that.

In that vein, know that I also watched Mystery Date in May. It would have landed in the Skip category.

Created by women: Together Together (written and directed); Monster (2018) (co-written); The Forty-Year-Old Version (written & directed); Once Upon a Mattress (directed).

Kunis and Timberlake Sparkle in Friends with Benefits.

Justin Timberlake and Milia Kunis in Friends with Benefits
The two of them. So very likable.

Friends with Benefits

?Directed by Will Gluck?
?Written by Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, and Will Gluck?

The review:

This film worked for me because I was in the mood, I like both Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake,* and I was amused by the recurring joke.** However, this is one of those romantic comedies written for women by men and I can’t help but wonder how much better it would have been if a member of the audience it is aimed at was part of the team that created it.*** Ultimately, it’s good at what it does,**** but I want more.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee $8.99/month
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Plus ancillary performances by Richard Jenkins, Jenna Elfman, and Patricia Clarkson, also always delightful.
**It has to do with Capitan Sully’s historic landing.
***Or, gosh, all of the people who created it?
****And memorializes the flash mob thing, which is fun.

Questions:

  • Do planes more or less land themselves?
  • New York or Los Angeles?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Although Jason Segal and Rashida Jones are technically uncredited in the film, their real names can be seen on the cover of the DVD next to the TV when Dylan and Jamie are watching it.

Other reviews of Friends with Benefits:

Orange background with a white frame. Why don't they ever a make a movie about what happens after they kiss?—Friends with Benefits. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com
Psst. It’s called Revolutionary Road.

Ben Is Back: Julia Roberts Is The Mom You Want on Your Side

Courtney B. Vance, Lucas Hedges, and Julia Roberts in Ben Is Back.

Ben Is Back

?Directed by Peter Hedges?
?Written by Peter Hedges?

The review:

This is a great movie to add to your Christmas-But-Not-Feeling-It list* as Julia Roberts is a fabulous steely mom character and Lucas Hedges does well while withering under his family’s appraising eye.** It’s not a film that’s reinventing film as we know it, but it’s a solid story of one family drama. Courtney B. Vance is excellent as the stepfather trying to make the best decisions.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Disney+ Hulu bundle monthly charge ($12.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*You know, it’s Christmas time, but things aren’t exactly warm and cheery.
**They are sizing him up for good reason as this is the second 2018 movie to deal with the parent-child relationship when the child’s drug use has become drug abuse.

Questions:

  • Is there a point where you think Julia Roberts should have made a different decision?
  • What do you suppose happened after the final scene?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

When Peter Hedges was developing the film he had no intention of casting his son Lucas Hedges in the titular role, and had already created a shortlist of other actors he was considering. It was Julia Roberts who, after seeing the younger Hedges in Manchester by the Sea (2016), insisted he be cast.

Other reviews of Ben Is Back:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: You don't know what you're doing. I'm not worth it. —Ben is Back. Read the three sentence movie review at 3SMReviews.com

Playing It Cool: Stylized Stumbling Through Love

Michelle Monaghan and Chris Evans in Playing It Cool.

Playing It Cool

?Directed by Justin Reardon?
?Written by Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair?

The review:

Chris Evans plays “me” a man who has been burned by love so severely he’s sworn it off until the day he runs into “her” played by Michele Monaghan* and sparks fly. Only problem is, she’s in a relationship. Evans and his merry band of friends** stumble through love that doesn’t go quite right in this stylized romantic comedy that was much better than I expected.***

The verdict: Good

Cost: Disney+/Hulu bundle monthly cost $12.99
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*My main reason for watching this movie. She’s good in everything!
**Supporting cast = very good. Aubrey Plaza! Luke Wilson! Martin Starr! Topher Grace! Plus Anthony Mackie!
***I seem to be in the minority though. The Metacritic score is 30/100. Ah. I see the problem. Of ten reviews, only one was written by a woman. She didn’t like it either.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

At the end of the movie, Me (Chris Evans) is seen tap dancing. Evans’s mother owned a dance studio and taught him to tap. He has admitted in interviews that he does it when he is nervous.

(And here I thought they used a double)

Other reviews of Playing It Cool:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: I'm gonna tell you this one from my point of view so you can put yourself in there. —Playing It Cool. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Like Ike Barinholtz’s Chris, Swear off The Oath.

Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish in The Oath.

The Oath

★Directed by Ike Barinholtz★
★Written by Ike Barinholtz★

The review:

I forgot to write a review for this movie and now it’s more than three months later and things are hazy, but I can tell you that there are some funny parts of this, but also that tonally it’s off.* It may that it’s a Too Soon! movie** or that Barinholtz just wants to push buttons that I wasn’t in the mood to have pushed, but I could see people putting in their best effort, but it just didn’t come together. It was interesting to see Haddish play the straight man, so there was that.

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Monthly Disney+/Hulu charge ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*Like it’s a dark comedy, but I think a little too dark?
**We did watch it three days after the storming of the capital by domestic terrorists.

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite kind of movie for Tiffany Haddish to star in?
  • Would you take the oath?

Other reviews of The Oath:

Orange background with a white frame. If it wasn't for people like me, people like you would be slaves to people like me.—The Oath. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Mad Max Fury Road Crackles. Plus, That Guitar Guy!

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in Mad Max Fury Road

Mad Max Fury Road

Directed by George Miller
Written by George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nico Lathouris

The review:

If you, like me, held off from watching this 2015 film because you hadn’t seen the other Mad Max movies, worry not because you’ll catch on right away.* What makes this better than a lot of films that try to be like this is that 1) it’s got a great story at its core with a lot of humanity and 2) the inventive set design combined with its never stop never stopping pace means this movie is a sensory treat. Populated with a lot of actors who are known for, you know, acting** and not just being action movie stars this is the one action film you should watch this year.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: HBOMax monthly fee ($12.99) (We’re still living off our month we signed up for due to WW84.)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It’s an action film, after all, so the nuance is not great.
**Charlize Theron! Tom Hardy! Nicolas Hoult! Zoe Kravitz! Riley Keough!
***Assuming you didn’t watch it back in 2015, like I should have.

Questions:

  • What was your favorite set detail?
  • Which of the bad guys do you think was the worst?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Editor Margaret Sixel, is married to director George Miller. When she asked why he thought she should take on this project, as she had never edited an action film before, Miller replied, “Because if a guy did it, it would look like every other action movie.” Sixel’s work paid off; she received an Academy Award for Best Editing.

Also this gem:

The cake-decorating company Wilton makes a decorative “Color Mist” in silver that is meant to be sprayed onto baked goods to give them a silver sheen. Before May 2015, the Amazon listing for this product contained a few pages of reviews only from bakers opining on the quality of the product when used as intended (on cakes). After the release of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), both the comments section and FAQ on the Amazon listing were filled with comments from users posting as though they were War Boys or Immortan Joe “reviewing” the product that the War Boys spray onto their mouths before going into battle. As of mid-June 2015, there were nineteen pages of Mad Max-related “reviews” of the Wilton product on Amazon.

Other reviews of Mad Max Fury Road:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die historic on the Fury Road! —Mad Max Fury Road. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com

Kurt Russell is Fun in The Christmas Chronicles

Darby Camp, Judah Lewis, and Kurt Russell in The Christmas Chronicles.

The Christmas Chronicles

Directed by Clay Kaytis
Written by Matt Lieberman

The review:

Like many Christmas films, this starts in the land of sad* so that we can find the true meaning of Christmas and get to the land of happy. The film brings Christmas magic by showing a brief glimpse of Santa caught on video which leads to an attempt to capture Santa** in action once again. There are hijinks, a ticking clock, some Santa magic, and even a blues performance in this very nice Christmas film.

The verdict: Good (-ish)

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*In this case, Teddy and Kate are sad because their fireman father has died.
**The always charming Kurt Russell. I could have done without his constant griping about being mistyped as fat.

Questions:

  • Why is Kurt Russell so damn charismatic?
  • What’s your favorite Christmas film with children as main characters?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Santa’s list includes several of Kurt Russell’s grandchildren.

Other reviews of The Christmas Chronicles:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: Trading in eight reindeer for 400 horses! —The Christmas Chronicles. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique Dazzle in Bessie

Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith in the film Bessie.

Bessie

Directed by Dee Rees
Written by Dee Rees, Christoper Cleveland, Bettina Gilois

The review:

The always remarkable Queen Latifah gives us a tutorial of blues singer Bessie Smith’s rise to fame and fortune including the usual downturn that comes with biopics of performers. First cast in this film in 1997, Latifah delivers a very physical performance* with a ton of nuance. Mo’Nique also is amazing as Ma Rainey, the singer who teaches Smith the value of performance, and alerts her to the many people who are standing by to cheat blues singers out of their money.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free. Borrowed the DVD from the Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

  • Ma Rainy’s Black Bottom
  • Ray
  • Dreamgirls
  • We are the Best (because I can’t not recommend this punk rock girl film every chance I get)

Further sentences:

*Aside from knock-down-drag-out fights, there is also enough enthusiastic sex to remind you that your generation wasn’t the first to invent sex.

Questions:

  • What was your favorite performance scene in Bessie?
  • Do you prefer Mo’nique or Viola Davies as Ma Rainey?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Charles S. Dutton, who plays Pa Rainey, made his Broadway debut in 1984 in August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Other reviews of Bessie:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: I ain't playing second to nobody! —Bessie. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

When the Starlight Ends Should Have Never Started

Arabella Oz and Sam Heughan in the film When the Starlight Ends

When the Starlight Ends

Directed by Adm Sigal
Written by Adam Sigal

The review:

Sometimes enjoying actors in TV series leads me to really great films made by the actors,* and sometimes they lead me to stinkers. The looping stories in this film made it hard to tell what was the story and what were side bits the author was writing so he could get over his failed marriage.** And Sam Heughan, who has been holding my attention in Outlander, failed to do so here.***

The verdict: Skip

Cost: $2.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*Steve Carell is a good example. He was great in the Office, but I’ve also enjoyed him in Dan in Real Life, Foxcatcher, The Big Short, Battle of the Sexes and Beautiful Boy.
**This film also featured terrible green screen stuff, and I couldn’t tell if that was due to budgetary constraints or an intentional feature.
***And, his performance here may have just diminished my enjoyment of him as Jamie Fraser in Outlander.

Questions:

  • Did you have a favorite scene in this film?
  • This movie was so lackluster I can’t come up with a second question.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Kane Knox is the cute baby in this picture.

(This was the only trivia item and I have no idea who Kane Knox is.)

Other reviews of When the Starlight Ends: