Tag: 10s

Hostiles Does Go On

The review:

Scott Cooper’s Hostiles is full of good acting and is so very long it seemed as if a presidential administration had passed by the time I got to the last frame of the movie.* This was an interesting study of a quasi-kumbaya journey wherein an Army Captain comes to a deeper understanding of the treatment of American Indians and his part in it. I’m all for re-examining the many effects Westward Expansion/genocide had on the people who were already here, but I found this story to be mostly unbelievable.**

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Netflix subscription ($8.99/month)
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*Good acting is good and all, but when the story is dragging its feet, good acting isn’t enough.
**Plus, it’s another Native American story told via the white people’s experience. Plus the body count was very high, and guess who made it to the final frame and guess who ended up dead? Plus, I didn’t believe the final arrangement of people. Not gonna work. Pretending so overlooks a lot of history.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The book Captain Blocker (Christian Bale) is reading at the beginning of the movie is Julius Caesar’s Commentarii De Bello Gallico (The Gallic War) in the original Latin. The page shown is from Book V, describing the social and economic structure of first century B.C. ancient Kent. In 55 B.C., Caesar invaded briefly the south of the England.
(Thanks, IMDB commenter who can read Latin)

Hot Summer Nights Gave Me What I Was Looking For

This is not a good likeness of Timothée Chalamet

The review:

Elijah Bynum gave me what I wanted with Hot Summer Nights* and also included a bonus side of 1991-era Cape Cod summer.** This is supposedly about a normal teenager who becomes a drug dealer, but really, it’s about showing how much money he and Hunter Strawberry (that was the local drug dealer’s name!) made selling drugs,*** falling in love with a girl, and making some not-great (though age-appropriate) choices. The part where I was supposed to be getting amped up came across as boring, and it’s one of those movies that I spent the next day thinking about all the things that didn’t really make sense,**** but it hooked me up with what I needed on a Friday night and thus was just fine.

The verdict: Good

(barely)

Cost: free via Kanopy, Multnomah County Library’s streaming service
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching/watching instead:

Further sentences:

*I had a hankering for a Timothée Chalamet performance, and Call Me By Your Name wasn’t handy
**Plus, I’m betting they didn’t have much money for the soundtrack so it features lesser known (a.k.a. not cliched) music of the time.
***There is not one scene of Mr. Chalamet actually dealing the large amount of drugs they were supposedly dealing
****The narrator is just the omniscient town observer, for instance. Was that just lazy writing? What about main character motivation? Why was Chalamet’s character wanting to continue to expand the business? The questions went on and on.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Part of the movie takes place around The Perfect Storm of 1991. William Fichtner (Shep), also appeared in The Perfect Storm (2000), a movie based on the true story of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat that was lost at sea during the storm.

I see you, typo. But I’m not going to fix you. Never trust the grammar on the IMDB quotes page.

Annihilation Will Spark a Good Post-Movie Discussion

The review:

Alex Garland’s Annihilation is yet another quality flick, especially good for post-viewing discussion.* To say again what many are saying in all realms of life: representation does matter and I loved that women were the people doing the exploring in this movie.** It’s a visually stimulating movie with great performances; while Natalie Portman is her usual excellent self, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, Tessa Thompson and Jennifer Jason Leigh were all wonderful to watch as they explored the Shimmer.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free from the Multnomah County Library
Where watched, at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Annihilation is good for dates early in the relationship, Garland’s previous Ex Machina is good for a more established couple.
**Number of movies I can think of where an all-woman team bands together to get things done: One. Ocean’s Eight. Number of movies where an all-man team bands together to get things done: roughly 3000.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Oscar Isaac filmed this movie and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) on adjacent studio lots. He had the same trailer for both films and would often film scenes for both movies on the same day.

Yesterday Won Me Over Completely

The review:

I’d forgotten what a romantic Danny Boyle is, and his love of the absurd,* and those two things, combined with an interesting premise, elevated Yesterday far beyond my expectations. Himesh Patel’s varying levels of despair—even as he was gaining fame by “writing” songs by the Beatles—was fun to watch, as was Kate McKinnon as Debra Hammer—a money hungry manager. I also found myself surprised by the turns in the story, which always makes for a good film; as does good music, which the Beatles produced in quantity.**

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $4.00
Where watched: Academy Theater—nearly a full house.

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*The movie Millions has a special place in my heart
**There’s a moving turn near the end I didn’t see coming, which was also delightful.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Though it was not in the original script, director Danny Boyle was so taken with the discovery of a recording studio by a railway track that he had the text altered to incorporate the trains and utilize the location as Gavin’s studio.

The Sun is Also a Star is Not a Movie I Enjoyed (Because the Book is Better)

The review:

Ry Russo-Young’s The Sun is Also a Star is not going to get a fair review from me because I’m too close to the book.* I initially rejected the movie because the actors both look like they are well into their 20s;** when I did watch the movie the changes that were made from the book stripped a lot of what I loved from the story.*** I didn’t necessarily expect this to be amazing, but I did want it to be better than it was.****

The verdict: Skip

Cost: $1.75
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*Which is excellent, and I recommend you read it immediately. It’s short. It won’t take you long. Nicola Yoon is the author.
**I’ve since found out that Yara Shahidi is actually still a teenager
***I’m usually pretty good at separating the book from the movie—they are different mediums and need different things. But this movie was left with not much after so many things changed.
****Especially because Russo-Young directed Before I Fall, which I really enjoyed.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The lead characters Natasha and Daniel are loosely based on Nicola Yoon (the author of the book the movie is based on) and her husband who are Jamaican and Korean American respectively. Neither faced the immigration issues shown in the film.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is the First Movie You Should Watch this Month

The review:

With The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Joe Talbot creates a visually striking story studded with extraordinary performances. In this film, the city is Black people have been dispersed; the people who are still there aren’t out and about. This leaves the streets empty for contemplative skateboarding scenes* and Jimmie Fails’ upkeep of his family home which they have lost ownership of, but which he still takes care of.**

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $1.75 from Redbox
(that box has some quality stuff hidden among all the blockbusters)
Where watched: at home with Matt, who also loved it.

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*The movie isn’t as slow as I’m making it sound. Every scene is perfectly composed and builds to a tension-filled moment.
**As someone who also loves houses, even ones I don’t own, I felt every bit of Jimmy’s pain, and—as fortune’s wheel turns—his elation.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Mike Marshal, known for singing the chorus to “I Got 5 On It” and his time in the song “Rumors” with the Timex Social Club, makes a cameo appearance performing the song “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)”. The film also has a nod to his famous performance as he jokingly starts to sing “I Got 5 On It” at the end of the scene.

Falling Inn Love: Wait. Am I Watching a Hallmark Movie?

The review:

Falling Inn Love (directed by Roger Kumble) was a movie that had me asking early on, “Just how different is this from a Hallmark movie?”* and by the time it ended I had devised a strategy to mostly avoid pressing play on these types of films.** This was a perfectly adequate film, one that I couldn’t find many faults with aside from it hit every single romantic comedy beat without giving me anything extra. Christina Milian (Gabriela, the “winner” of the Inn) has got some chops and I’d love to see her in other things, and I was quite taken with Claire Chitham (the plant store owner) who apparently is a New Zealand television actress.***

The verdict: Good

(Though it’s more of an: it’s not a bad film.)

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

Consider also watching/watching instead:

Further sentences:

*I’ve not actually watched a Hallmark movie, but, from what I’ve read about them, this seemed to be checking all the boxes. (Although there were no sweaters, because: New Zealand.)
**Strategy revealed: On Thursday, sketch out my movie watching plan for the weekend. There were about 20 movies I could have watched on Kanopy that would have been better worth my time. I think going through the list of choices a day or two before watching will quell that nervous scroll-and-choose thing that has been going on for the last few months.
***Interestingly, most of the movie’s actors do not have an IMDB profile.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The high street of Beechwood Downs was filmed on location in a town called Thames, 1.5 hours from Auckland.
(It was a cute little town, maybe watch it for travel possibilities?)

Good Boys is a Profanity-Laden Best-Friends-For-Now Film

The review:

Gene Stupnitsky’s Good Boys is a hilarious capturing of sixth grade boys who know exactly how very young they are as they navigate the choppy waters of middle school.* All three leads are brilliant, and this is the kind of boy movie baked in the Apatow mold: boys have feelings, their lives and friendships are complex, and there are a lot of reasons to cry. I loved the adventure, but what made this movie incredibly funny was their nascent understanding of life.**

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $15.00
Where watched: Studio One Theaters (this is a new theater and my first time visiting. It’s very fancy and not that much more than a non-discount Regal admission.) (Although I rarely pay full price at Regal)

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*When we watched the preview, I thought it looked like a very funny movie. I also felt torn, because I think tweens should stay children for much longer than they do, and I think this R-rated film will propel that age group in the opposite direction of my preference.
**This carried out in a number of ways, but is most hilarious in the verbal realm, such as the use of the term “social piranha” and thinking that a misogynist has something to do with giving massages.

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

In the opening Point Grey logo, one of the things written on a school desk is “Thor=Sippy Cup,” which later becomes a film plot point.
(I noticed this!)

Blinded by the Light is a Perfectly Fine Film

(which is not to be confused with a “fine film”)

The review:

Gurinder Chadha creates a perfectly pleasant and predictable* Sunday Afternoon Movie* with Blinded by the Light. Springsteen’s music is ably used to further the plot—especially when Viveik Kalra’s character Javed is first introduced to the Boss during a terrible storm.** I had a lot of problems with this film, but enjoyed the lead performances, the depiction 80s-era discrimination, and period details.***

The verdict: Good

(just barely)

Cost: $11.00
Where watched: Baghdad Theater with an audience of Bruce fans who clapped at the end.

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Literally every scene played out in a way that was not at all surprising.
**A movie watched as the last pleasant gasp of weekend before the unpleasant chores to gear up for the week begin.
**That said, with the depth of the Springsteen catalog, I would have liked them to not have used “Born to Run” in two different parts of the film.
***Though it did the thing I hate: deploy outdated technology for no purpose except to make the audience laugh. In this movie there was a scene with an early mobile phone. The phone had no reason to be in that scene.

Favorite IMDB Trivia Item:

The movie is inspired by the life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor and his love of the works of Bruce Springsteen. It is based on Manzoor’s memoir Greetings from Bury Park

The New Romantic is a Different Take on an Old Story

The review:

Carly Stone’s The New Romantic isn’t a love story and it isn’t a screed. Instead, a college newspaper columnist (Jessica Barden) skips out on dating for a different kind of experience.* Hayley Law is great** in the best friend role and Brett Dier is an amusing fellow journalist.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home, having failed to make it all the way to the theater for the movie I was planning on watching. (There was traffic)

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*One that is filmed so it’s not as titillating as it might have been.
**Will we get to see her in a starring role?