Tag: Woman Writer

Last Christmas is Good Holiday Movie

Last Christmas

Last Christmas

Directed by Paul Feig
Written by Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings

The review:

Gosh darn if Emilia Clarke* isn’t the reason to watch this perfectly fine entry into the holiday movie glut.** It’s best to wander along with the movie, rather than to try to figure things out.*** This is a film that checks its boxes, doesn’t aspire to be more, and might be something to add to your regular holiday viewing.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $1.80 from Redbox****
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*She’s so darn charismatic! And she sings!
**Which I watched in June because in December and January I was too busy doing Oscar movie prep/catchup.
***Indeed, this is basically the same plot as a movie that also uses a pop song for its title. I will not reveal the name of said movie here, as people watching this film will have probably already seen that film.
****My Redbox DVD came with a TON of extras, all introduced by director Paul Feig, who seems to have inherited Garry Marshall’s nice-guy mantle.

Questions:

  • Should films centered around the winter holidays break from their pleasant nature?
  • What was your favorite placement of a George Michael song in this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Filmed on location in London. In order to avoid crowds interrupting filming, many scenes started filming around 2 a.m.

Other reviews of Last Christmas:

Last Christmas

The Photograph is a Good Slow

The Photograph

The review:

Stella Meghie’s The Photograph is a slow buffet of pleasure that is delightful for the person in the mood for not much happening, and probably tedious for everyone else.* It’s also a movie that hinges on the back and forth of conversations, rather than actions.** I’m here to champion love stories in two eras, Louisiana and New York City, the gorgeous faces of the leads, because if we can make the same action film forty-two times a year, surely we can find room for a languid romance.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $1.425 due to Redbox promos, but actually free because I used a gift card.
Where watched: at home
(When I first introduced it, who could have imagined this category would have a long period of redundancy.)

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I was quite happy: I’d had some wine, enjoy love stories, LaKeith Stanfield, and was interested to catch up with Issa Rae. (I don’t have HBO, so haven’t seen Insecure.)
**The other film directed by Meghie, The Weekend, was similarly slow and conversation based. Oh wait, she also did Everything Everything. That had a little more action, but it also was adapted from a novel.

Questions:

  • How well matched do you think Sara and Michael are?
  • What do you think the odds are of Lil Rel Howrey breaking out of his small-bit sidekick role. (I’ve seen him play this role in Get Out, Brittany Runs a Marathon, and this.)

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The one there isn’t good enough to be a favorite, so instead read this interview with director Stella Meghie.

Other reviews of The Photograph:

The Photograph

Beanie Feldstein Dazzles in How to Build a Girl

How to Build a Girl

The review:

Beanie Feldstein has been on my radar since her supporting work in Neighbors 2* and I don’t think any other actress could pull off the brash (and somewhat fantasy-based) confidence of Johanna Morrigan/Dolly Wilde in Coky Giedroyc’s How to Build a Girl. This is the rock star trajectory movie** but with a teenage girl as its center*** and with the job in question rock critic, not rock star.**** While the film itself is predictable (see: rock star trajectory) that doesn’t make it any less fun.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $6.99 (a VOD price point I can afford!)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Don’t think Neighbors 2 is for you? You might reconsider when you read my list.
**Humble beginnings; early failures; early success; wild success; drinking and drugs; moment of truth; better understanding of life and their place in it.
***And having a teenage girl at the center of a music-focused movie means this is an automatic Recommended movie. There aren’t enough portrayals of girls making music.
****This brings up inevitable comparisons to the other teenage rock critic movie: Almost Famous. This is smaller in scope and more focused on the rock critic herself and not the bands she reviews.

Questions:

  • Can we have a rock star movie without the rock star trajectory, or would there not be enough plot?
  • Was there a point when you weren’t on Dolly’s side anymore? If yes, when?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

There wasn’t anything good, so I’ll tell you that Caitlain Moran wrote the screenplay and the book on which this is based. Her book How to be a Woman is incredibly funny, especially for women born around 1975, when she was born.

Other reviews:

The Half of It is a Fully Great Movie

The Half of It

The review:

Alice Wu’s charming and moving The Half of It is a 100% fully great movie, and it’s very good-ness has me wondering why it’s been 16 years since her first feature.* Things this film does well: captures the environment in “Squahamish,” Washington;** catching the small feelings of longing that aren’t quite kept hidden; being funny and poignant; starting with a situation that wasn’t a good idea, and kept getting worse, all the while not turning me away from choices made by characters. If you like subtle performances, movies about teenagers, movies about small towns, or movies with Becky Ann Baker,*** cue this movie up tonight!

The verdict: Recommended

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

Consider also watching:

Further sentences

*Saving Face was released in 2004. The time between movies directed by women can be maddening.
**Good job, New York State! You pulled off Washington’s overcast and green environment like a pro.
***Mrs. Weir in Freaks and Geeks and also Lena Dunham’s mom in Girls. She plays a high school teacher in this film.

Questions:

  • What other films can you think of that involve beginning voice-over narration tell us that things aren’t going to work out?
  • What’s your favorite small-town movie?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The opening monologue is the story told by Aristophanes in Plato’s Symposium. Aristophanes was a comedic playwright at the time of Socrates and Plato and is considered the greatest Greek comedic writer. The Symposium is a dialogue about a dinner that Socrates attends. During dinner Socrates, in typical fashion, begins to ask questions of his host and the other guests. The dialogue centers on the topic of love, each interlocutor attempts to answer the question what is love? Aristophanes’ story tells of how humans use to be whole and the gods got jealous and split us apart. We spend our lives searching for that other half. According to Aristophanes, our other half could be someone of the same or opposite gender.

Other reviews:

The Half of It

Crooklyn Captures a Place and Time

Crooklyn

The review:

Spike Lee’s Crooklyn is a solid family drama* with an excellent soundtrack and a charming montage of games urban kids used to play in the early 70s. It’s also got a trio of stellar leads in Alfre Woodard & Delroy Lindo as the parents and Zelda Harris as Troy, the only girl among the five siblings. It’s not the most plot-driven of films, but the energy running through the characters is enough to keep things moving forward.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $3.99 via Google Play (The subtitles were bad. A bit behind and trying to do too much)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

  • This is apparently the only movie about black families
  • I’ve just googled for 10 minutes and I get:
  • *Movies for families to watch
  • *Movies about white families (sort of)
  • *Spike Lee movies
  • Gah!

Further sentences:

*With a lot of yelling (you have to be okay with yelling families, which I am) and an attitude toward animals I couldn’t stomach.**
**One scene with a cat, and two scenes with a small dog. Both are played as funny.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The “disorienting” view when the family is in the country was created by shooting in widescreen without anamorphically adjusting the image.

(I include this trivia item as a public service because I wasn’t sure if it was a glitch on my TV)

Other reviews:

Crooklyn

This Isn’t a Girlhood You Would Wish on Anyone

Girlhood

The review:

Céline Sciamma’s Girlhood* has a similar pace to Portrait of a Lady on Fire** but with a completely different subject matter.*** And the girls in this were just great, especially Karidja Touré as Marieme/Vic. It’s the kind of film where it’s apparent from the first scene that things aren’t going to go well, but the journey is an interesting one.

The verdict: Good

Cost: free via Kanopy (also on Hoopla)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Interestingly, the translated name of both this and Portrait have been revised a bit to better draw English-speaking audiences. The title of this film, Bande de filles, Google translates as “bunch of girls.” I’m guessing the title was changed to Girlhood to draw the interest of people interested in Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. The original name of Portrait of a Lady on Fire is Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, Portait of a young girl on fire. The English translation is more evocative of Henry James’s novel The Portrait of a Lady which is a title people are familiar with, even if they haven’t read it.
**Languid
***Contemporary French teenage girls who are either the children of immigrants or immigrants themselves.

Questions:

  • What did you think of the opening scene?
  • What decision do you think Vic made after the final scene ended?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The most daunting task for the film was to obtain the rights to the Rihanna song “Diamonds.” She gave them the authorization once she had seen the sequence dedicated to the song.

(It’s a great sequence.)

Other reviews:

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

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