Tag: Drama

Kicking and Screaming is More Like Napping and Mumbling

Kicking and Screaming

The review:

Noah Baumbach’s Kicking and Screaming is full of really low-energy, quasi-adult men dithering about things for ninety-six minutes that feel more like three hours; it has not aged well.* Now that it’s not the 90s, well-educated white guys who can’t figure out what to do after college are not quite the selling point they once were.** It was interesting to see actors in their younger years,*** and I really enjoyed looking at the details of the craftsman bungalow**** the post-college students lived in, but this is not a good film.

The verdict: Skip

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

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*It reminds me of Swingers in that regard, though this is if you took Swingers, extracted all the humor, the whirling friendships, dialed down the energy to 10%, and eliminated the fun swing dancing scene.
**This has a Metascore of 75, which is pretty high. The last boring movie I watched (One and Two)had a meta score of 47. I can only think that those reviews must have been from 1995, when the movie was released.
***Eric Stoltz is always fun. The big surprise that the main character, Josh Hamilton (Grover) is someone I’m familiar with as Clay’s dad in 13 Reasons Why and also Kayla’s dad in Eighth Grade. I would not have noticed, except I started looking up things on IMDB before I was finished watching it. The true sign of an uninteresting film.
****The floors needed redoing, but man, those built ins! To die for!

Questions:

  • Did you happen to watch this in the 90s? What did you think?
  • Can you think of an equivalent slacker movie with women as protagonists?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The film was almost accepted in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, but Noah Baumbach refused to cut 15 minutes as they requested, and the film was ultimately rejected.

Other reviews:

Kicking and Screaming

Insomnia is Worth Staying Awake For

Insomnia

The review:

Christopher Nolan’s 2002 remake of 1997’s Insomnia (also called Insomnia) is a slow thriller* where the point is not really who done it,** but how this is all going to play out.*** Much like what I’ve heard about 2019’s Midsommar, the endless light makes for a fun turnabout setting for the noir plot. Both Hilary Swank and Al Pachino were fun to watch: her turn from a fan to a questioner and him from calm and confident to shambling mess.

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Thus making it not actually thrilling, but interesting.
**A wikipedia article on the term whodunit/whodunnit.
**I liked this setup as the big name star who didn’t appear on screen until minute 58 was clearly the guy who done it.

Questions:

  • Do you think he meant to do it?
  • Are you more of a fan of serious Robin Williams, or funny Robin Willimas? Why?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Similar to the 1999 movie, Mystery, Alaska; all of Insomnia was shot in Canada. Only aerial photography of Alaska was used.

Other reviews:

Insomnia

Monster: Great Performances!

Monster

The review:

In Monster, Patty Jenkins directs Charlize Theron to an Oscar-winning performance, but also provides a nuanced portrait of a serial killer. Aside from Theron’s full command of the screen,* Christina Ricci turns in a masterful performance as Selby.** Many things disturbed me about this film,*** but in the good kind of way that means I’m not ignoring depressing things about real life.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free via Roku (with ads)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I loved her can-do spirit when she was feeling up and the contrasting low points. Theron’s physicality was great too, the way she captured Aileen’s reach out/pull back energy.
**The unsure ingenue-type who also was a bit whiny and I never really understood why SHE didn’t go and get a job. What a fun performance!
***The low prices for sex acts, for one. The number of men depicted who are willing to pay for sex. The casual discarding of women who are sex workers.

Questions:

  • What kind of world would we have to live in so none of the events of this movie would take place?
  • Did you find Aileen to be a likable character? Why or why not?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Charlize Theron said in an interview that she was confused when Patty Jenkins approached her for the role. “Why me?” she asked the director. “These are usually the [roles] that I have to go out there and sweat blood and kill somebody for.” Jenkins’ reply was “Honestly, I just looked at you, and I looked at everybody else, and I said to myself, ‘I could kick the other actors’ asses. You, I’m not so sure.'”

Other reviews:

Monster

One and Two is a Story Missing a Story

One and Two

The review:

While Andrew Droz Palermo’s work as a cinematographer for A Ghost Story should be celebrated, the same cannot be said of the directing skills on display in One and Two which is a movie so boring that I couldn’t even find anything to hate about it.* This is a film that shouldn’t be bothered with as the unexplained stuff is never explained, or even hinted at,** the time period is unclear for much of the film, and the ending doesn’t give any clues about the future. The only possible reason to watch this film is to see what Kiernan Shipka and Timothée Chalamet make of their roles.***

The verdict: Skip

Cost: $3.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*I don’t remember the last time I’ve been so bored by a movie.
**We know the kids have powers, we know their father fears these powers, we don’t know where the powers come from, what causes the father to fear, how or if the mother’s illness is connected to the powers, or how that massive wall got built.
***Chalamet gets to emote a lot, which I think he enjoys. Shipka brings her ability to puzzle through and push against things. I quite like this vibe, which was present when she played Sally Draper in Mad Men and I’m curious if this is her thing, or if she does other things in other roles. Perhaps I will check out the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Questions:

  • Is it worth it to you to watch the movie just for the performances? Why or why not?
  • How do you think that wall got built?
  • How useful do you think the siblings’ powers would be?

Other reviews:

One and Two

Men, Women & Children is Worth Missing

Men, Women & Children

The review:

Men, Women & Children continues to prove that I love Jason Reitman when paired with Diablo Cody’s writing, and not so much any other time.* Which is not to say I didn’t enjoy watching this film; I spent my time trying to figure out why this was such a bad movie.** This movie is populated with actors I adore*** yet it was a terrible, terrible film.

The verdict: Skip

Cost: free via Hoopla, the library’s lesser streaming service. 13 Going on 30 is on there now. Watch that instead.
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

  • The Meyerowitz Stories (Serious Adam Sandler!)
  • Laggies (More Kaitlyn Dever!)
  • The Ice Storm (really brutal Ang Lee!)
  • Boogie Nights (Porn stars! But through Paul Thomas Anderson’s lens)

Further sentences:

*Juno I love. Young Adult I love. Tully I adore (and why haven’t you watched it yet?) Up in the Air left me cold. Granted, I still need to see Thank You for Smoking, Labor Day, and The Front Runner to have a clear picture, but so far non-Cody-written films aren’t winning.
**My verdict: it might be a book-to-movie problem. It’s certainly a too-many-characters problem. With about ten character arcs, people get flattened to one personality point. Because the movie is about sex and the internet, every single character interaction save one couple has to do with sex. Ansel Elgort and Kaitlyn Dever were my two favorite characters because their interactions had nuance. (And they had nothing to do with sex.) As someone who is interested in depictions of sex in film and books, this was fascinating. Update! I read the first section of the book on which the film was based to see if the characters were more well rounded. They were not and the dialogue was wooden. This was not a book-to-movie-problem, the story wins in no formats. (Though maybe interpretive dance?)
***Rosemarie DeWitt! Judy Greer! Emma Thompson! Jennifer Garner! Kaitlyn Dever! Serious Adam Sandler!

Questions:

  • Have you seen this? Did you find anything redeeming?
  • What do you think the key to a good ensemble cast movie is?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Writer, producer, and director Jason Reitman felt so much of the acting in this movie was based on reactions to texts, chats, and photos that using dummy screens with no text would not suffice. The production team had to create very realistic-looking versions of popular websites, all on their own tightly controlled software, with which the actors and actresses could interact in real time. According to Reitman, they spent “the same amount of budget on creating the digital world as we did creating the physical one. People know what Facebook looks like better than they do a hotel lobby, you stare at it all day, so it had to be convincing.”

I did think this was one aspect that the movie did well.

Men, Women & Children

Twenty Years on, Memento is Worth Watching

Memento

The review:

Twenty years later, Christopher Nolan’s Memento is just as good as it was in theaters.* Aside from the puzzle-piece nature of the film, Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano are the reason this film is still so good.** It was also made just in the nick of time as devices were on the horizon that would have eliminated the need for the tattoos and the Polaroids.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free via Kanopy the library’s streaming service
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I remembered the backward format and the spitting-in-the-drink scene and not much else. I think this has to do with so much of my brain being taken up with trying to piece together the story.
**Whereas Following had so-so acting, Nolan gets three people who are perfect for their roles.

Questions:

  • What do you think the story with Teddy was?
  • Would you ever watch this film in chronological order?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The book that Leonard’s wife is reading, which begins, “Two years have gone by since I finished the long story.”, is Claudius the God by Robert Graves.

Memento

Lady Macbeth: Great Acting; Good Scenery

Lady Macbeth

The review:

William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth is a great opportunity for Florence Pugh to dazzle you with her acting, and for Ari Wegner to dazzle you with his cinematography. It was one of those movies where early on I didn’t go for a plot turn,* and thus didn’t believe the rest of the movie was possible. It was also fairly unpleasant subject matter** which made for a tedious viewing experience punctuated with great sweeping views of the English landscape.

The verdict: Skip

Unless watching for Florence Pugh’s acting.

Cost: Free via Kanopy, the library streaming service
Where watched: at home.

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*And worse, the turn in plot had me asking, “Did a man direct this film?” He did, as it turned out, but a woman wrote it.
**To be fair, they gave me fair warning with the title. It’s not like Mr. Macbeth was a cheery cruise ship director-type. And I read a synopsis of the 1865 novella the movie is based on,*** and this seems to be a much briefer portrait.
***Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov.

Questions:

  • Did I miss a switch from revulsion to attraction? Did you see it?
  • What do you think happened after the film ended?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

iFeatures is a joint collaboration between the BBC and the BFI. Every year, they produce three feature films for £350,000 as a springboard for first-time directors. Lady Macbeth (2016) was chosen out of over 300 applicants.

It looks like Oldroyd hasn’t directed anything since, which is too bad. I would be willing to watch something else he directed.

Lady Macbeth

Dark Victory is a 1939 Weepie

Dark Victory

The review:

Edmund Goulding provides a great canvas to show off Bette Davis’s range in Dark Victory.* Davis, aside from cycling through the stages of grief, makes a wealthy socialite a sympathetic character while wooing George Brent, a reserved and quiet doctor who knows he doesn’t know enough about brain tumors to be of any help.** This is a solid capsule of its time from the lack of information given to the patient, to the copious amounts of cigarette smoking.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free via TV Land Feature Films (which didn’t have ads for the first film I watched, but now does. Tricky!)
Where watched: at home.

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It’s a weepie, though removed enough from its time and place that I did not weep.
**This is the first time I’ve seen Ronald Reagan in a movie. I didn’t recognize him when he faced the camera, he was only identifiable in profile. Also of note. Humphrey Bogart is hardly in this .

Questions:

  • If you had a terminal brain tumor, would you want to know? Why or why not?
  • Did it seem like there was a big age difference between Bette Davis (Judith) and George Brent (Dr. Steele)? IMDB tells me they are only four years apart.
  • Does the name Dr. Frederick Steele sound kind of bodice-rippery?

Favorite IMDB Trivia Items:

The scene in Dr. Steele’s office where Judith can’t light her cigarette, and then a few minutes later she can’t light Dr. Steele’s, was devised by Edmund Goulding. He explained, “When Bette Davis can’t light her own cigarette, you know something is seriously wrong with her.”

When the band is packing up and Judith tips them to play a song, she gives the singer a $50 bill and they immediately jump to it. Adjusting for inflation, this is the equivalent of about $900.

Dark Victory

Jezebel is Full of Range (and an Epidemic)

Jezebel

The review:

William Wyler’s Jezebel is an excellent movie for showing off Bette Davis’s range. Aside from Davis, it’s fun to watch Fay Bainter as the ever worried, silent-suffering Aunt Belle Massey as well as to see 1850s New Orleans society mores.* I wasn’t fully convinced by the transformation,*** but was all in on the journey to get there.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free via TV Time Feature Films which is a Roku Channel that has TONS of old movies!
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences

*I thought I was headed in for a film full of shaming and was delighted to discover a more nuanced narrative.**
**Less delightful: the many “happy slaves” portrayed in this movie. That element has not aged well.
***I also wasn’t convinced that I was supposed to be convinced.

Questions:

  • Was Julie’s transformation complete, or was she still working an angle?
  • What other 1930s films do you enjoy? Filmspotting recently did a starter pack.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Fay Bainter became the first actor to receive nominations in the Lead and Supporting acting categories, being nominated for Best Actress for White Banners (1938) and for Best Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938).

(I also enjoyed her as the mom in State Fair!)

Jezebel

Amy Ryan Shines in Lost Girls

Lost Girls

The review:

Liz Garbus’s Lost Girls provides a good vehicle for Amy Ryan to be steely,* Thomasin McKenzie to do some accent work, and Lola Kirke to be sparkly.** This is one of those films where nothing is really wrong with the narrative but it also doesn’t lend itself to gushing accolades. I appreciate it for calling out the disposable nature of women*** and the afterword caused me to gasp.

The verdict: Good

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Always enjoyable!
**I last saw her in the excellent Mistress America, where she was tight-laced and tentative.
***Especially ones who work in jobs that can be morally judged.

Questions:

  • What do you think drives Mari Gilbert, even before her daughter turns up missing?
  • How did you feel about the ending to this film?

Favorite IMDB Trivia Item:

The photos shown of the victims, are the actual real life victims.

Other reviews:

Lost Girls