Films watched in 2017
Here's my list of the films I watched in 2017!
Top 10 list (feature films only):
1. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
2. Sami Blood
3. Moonlight
4. The Big Sick
5. Moana
6. The Handmaiden
7. Kedi
8. Snowflake
9. God's Own Country
10. Saving Sally
Special mentions: Call Me By Your Name, Mystère à la Tour Eiffel, The Circus, Spider-Man Homecoming, The Salesman
For my diary of all the films (including short films), you can go to my letterboxd account. Or you can read the mini-reviews of each film below the cut, in chronological order as I watched them.
Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List (netflix)
Sweet and charming, if not entirely original, film about two best friends trying to deal with the ways friendship and romance clash. (The tagline is rather misleading, btw.) I liked that the two of them were rather unpleasant at times and make things more difficult for themselves than they need to, which makes them rather touching in all their fallibility.
The whole thing does feel a little pat at times, and all the side characters brought in from the novel don't necessarily bring much to the film, but all in all it's a likeable film, well worth seeing if you're in the mood for something fluffy.
(Matthew Daddario factor: 4/5. Not a leading role, but a solid, enjoyable one.)
The Handmaiden
The Handmaiden is every bit the dark delight I hoped it would be. I was a little worried that I'd be bored, since I already knew the plot of Fingersmith well, but I was still mesmerized by it. And it deviates quite a bit from the original anyway, especially in the third act. Not sure whether that's a good or bad thing - I always felt that the third act of Fingersmith was a bit far-fetched, but on the other hand, it got a bit gruesome in this version. So I'm not sure.
I've seen some reviewers claim the sex scenes were straight male fantasies, and all I can say about THAT is that in that case, I'm a straight man. (Okay, so the last one is admittedly pretty silly.)
La La Land
I saw La La Land yesterday, and as of this morning, I still haven't been able to sum up how I feel about it. I think the closest I can get is “uneven”.
The opening number made me laugh - it was like a delightful mix of Enchanted and Fame.
After that, there's an hour or so of Mia and Seb falling in love, with frequent musical numbers, and that part never quite lifts off. The songs halt the story rather than bringing it forward, and the scenes inbetween don't quite take the time and effort to fill out the characters.
For instance, there's a song early on where Mia's roommates try to convince her to join a party. We've already established that they want her to go and she doesn't, and the resulting song doesn't bring in any new arguments, doesn't explore their characterisation, and isn't memorable enough in lyrics or melody to be enjoyable as an interlude.
So the romance putters along without really engaging, and the next really good music number is when John Legend shows up with a Motown-esque piece. Which is then pooh-poohed in universe for not being pure jazz, which... doesn't really work when it's better than the other songs.
But then the relationship starts falling apart, and the movie forgets to be a musical for a while - and that's when it gets GOOD. I really got engaged in Mia's struggles in particular, and when Emma Stone returned to singing after a long stretch without, I teared up. She sells that song 100% and I was reminded of A Chorus Line (stage version, not that crappy movie), the way songs are wrought straight out of the heart.
The rest of the film works well, because now I'm properly involved in it, and while the last musical trip down memory lane might be a little self-indulgent, I don't mind so much.
So in general, I would say that this story works best when it forgets its own gimmick, and that it could have used another round in the scriptroom, music room, or both. It's a nice, likeable film, but last year had Sing Street, which was more heartfelt, and Hail Caesar, which was funnier, and it kind of suffers in comparison.
Jackie
As a story, it was a bit too drawn out, with not enough variation, but wow, what a powerhouse performance by Natalie Portman! So many nuances, and I cried buckets.
I haven't seen all the best actress nominees, but if she doesn't win, I'm going to rush straight to see the winner, because then that'll have to be something quite out of the ordinary.
I can't speak of the veracity of the film, but it's certainly both plausible and engaging as a character portrait.
Moana/Vaiana
One of the best films of the year! It made me repeatedly tear up, laugh out loud, cheer, and sing along. For a while when they were on the ocean, it got a bit episodic and action-y and not quite my thing, but that's all I can say against it. It's a triumph on all fronts. And little baby Moana was so cute I just wanted to take her home and keep her.
Moonlight
I'd been afraid that it would be too depressing, considering its subject matter, but it wasn't, at all. If anything, I would call it poetic. A lot of misery, yes, but also an undertone of empathy, and even hope, despite everything. Beautifully made, too. (The music not least.) A bit slower than I had expected, but that's my Friday night tiredness speaking too.
I have a feeling I'll have to think a lot more, maybe even rewatch, before I can say something sufficiently intelligent about it.
Hidden Figures
Highly engaging story, and with stellar performances from the three leading ladies! At times it got a little too Hollywood conventional (especially where Kevin Costner's character was concerned), and I wouldn't put it near Moonlight for best picture or script, but if Octavia Spencer gets best supporting actress, I'm fine with that.
I'm curious to read the book, now. If only my to-read list wasn't so long!
Sameblod / Sami Blood
Amazing and harrowing film about the treatment of the Sami people by the Swedes. I was reminded of the Maria Gripe quote, "Children are what you make them." I don't think I've ever seen a better portrayal of the self-hated brought on by constant prejudice. It was heartbreaking to see Elle Marja suffocated both by the expectations put upon her as a Sami girl, and by her own attempts to leave it all behind, never getting to be a whole person in her own right.
Go see this film.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
This film, about a troubled 13-year-old boy going on a semi-involuntary adventure with his foster father, was so funny and adorable and all-around wonderful that I grinned all the way to the train and then some.
This was just as hilarious as "What We Do in the Shadows", but had the added benefit of having enough story and heartfelt moments to carry through between the funny bits. Plus, I have a soft spot for stories where gruff adults are roped into parenting against their will, and end up loving that kid more than anything. Sam Neill is a treasure as the foster father, as is Julian Dennison as the kid, and Rima Te Wiata in her smaller role as the foster mother.
Being 17/Quand on a 17 ans
Damien and Thomas are classmates, but really don't get along. As in, Thomas trips Damien in class and Damien makes snide comments about Thomas's intelligence, don't get along. Which makes it rather complicated when Damien's mom meets Thomas and decides that this young man needs a helping hand.
This was well-acted and believable, but moved at such a glacial pace that I kept glancing at the clock. It has had some great reviews, but for me personally, it didn't rise above "good".
Rara
A Chilean film about a thirt girl dealing with adolescent life, including how a lot of people keep making comments about her two moms. This is a rather sweet film that shows small things having major repercussions. I felt it dragged a bit, but I realized that the festival catalogue had given away major plot points of both this and Being 17, plot points that don't happen until about two-thirds in. Which can make any story seem slow; I kept waiting for certain things to happen that wouldn't do so for more than an hour!
Wolf and Sheep
The story - using the phrase loosely - of a mountain village in Afghanistan, and of the shepherd children living there. The film has next to no plot, certain events are left unresolved, and there's a minor supernatural element that's never really explored or plays any sort of part in the larger narrative.
There was a large group of teenagers watching with me (I think they were a confirmation group), and both they and their accompanying adults went "WTF was THAT!?" Personally, I was quite amused by how the film utterly refused to follow any sort of rules about, you know, coherency or purpose, and I enjoyed most of the individual scenes quite a bit. Plus, those Afghan kids used fouler language than Tarantino characters, which is kind of funny.
But yeah, it probably won't make my top 10 of the year either. :-D
As You Are
The story of three teenagers in the 90s and their friendship, which leads to... something... that has them and their parents questioned by the police.
This one was pretty well acted and engaging, and plus points for casting Amandla Stenberg and my childhood crush Mary Stuart Masterson. The main narrative works and I did feel a surge of 90s nostalgia. (I miss girls in grunge outfits.) At the same time, there are some clichés, and I felt that Amandla Stenberg's character was a bit too much "the girl", just a springboard for the other characters to work out their issues.
Then there's the fact that this film is yet another installment in the "bury your gays" trope, which is rather tiresome at this point. So all in all, I'd call it a good film, but not a great one.
Kedi
A documentary about cats in Istanbul. Since cats are my favourite animal and Istanbul is my favourite city, it was basically pornography. For the most part, it was a gorgeous prolongued cat video, with stories about cats and their human friends short in beautiful cinematography. But it also briefly touched on a darker sides, as the vulnerable position of the cats is parallelled with human life in Istanbul, the uncertain future and the compassion needed to care for not just animals, but humans.
The panel discussion afterwards deepened that side of it, pointing out that while the film primarily had heartwarming tales about the love of cats, there is another side to it, with people who mistreat and hurt cats because they see them as pests. One panel member, who was from Istanbul herself, also pointed out that the love given to cats often isn't extended to humans, such as the homeless people of Istanbul. And that there are instances of homeless children torturing cats in a sort of jealous vengeance against this. So that brought a somber tone to the whole thing.
Seeing the film was a wonderful, joyful experience, and I do encourage you to see it if you have the chance. But I do think the panel discussion brought it to the next level.
The Salesman
A really good film. Simple enough premise and execution, yet you never quite knew where it would go, and the meaning of what happened on screen was largely left for the viewer to decide. In that way it felt very slice of life, and I really appreciated it.
Get Out
I don't know if it *quite* lived up to the hype, but it was still pretty good. I wish I'd known a little bit less about the plotline beforehand, but it was still suspenseful and enjoyable. And the topic of racism - specifically the more insidious kinds of racism in supposedly benign white people - was effective without getting preachy.
I've seen the film described as a "horror comedy", but that's not really accurate on either count. Bits of it is funny, and the last half hour gets fairly intense, but I'd say it's a satire with some horror elements.
Really grateful that the ending didn't go all Night of the Living Dead. I half feared it would, but I guess I should have known better.
Your Name
A cute anime about bodyswapping and the importance of making a connection. It was visually stunning and had a good story with just enough left turns to keep it interesting.
Frankenstein (2015)
Some clumsiness in the script, but I cried and cried and cried. When is Xavier Samuel going to be an A-list star already? Granted, the market for his signature role, "speechless, bleeding, terrified guy kills the crap out of people," may not be huge, but seeing how he's equally good with "sweet 19th century nobleman" and "gay emo teen watches surfers" he should be able to pull off most mainstream roles.
Wonder Woman
I made a full review of it here but that's in Swedish, so to summarize: delightful film, a little bit too familiar script-wise from time to time, but charming.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
It was adorable! Really funny, and with true suspense in the action scenes. If you know me, you know that I tend to get bored with action scenes. Funny how the stakes feel so much higher when it's a scrappy little clueless 15-year-old, super-powered or not, fighting grown-ass men who have alien high-tech weapons. And Tom Holland's Peter Parker is the very definition of a cinnamon roll, but I knew that from Civil War.
There's not much emotional content - the whole thing is highly fluffy. But that's not necessarily a downside. I'm rather charmed that you can make a superhero movie with such a low body count, and still make it work so well. Even the villains aren't all bad...
Another fun thing was all the people I recognized in minor roles. I kept going "Oh, hey, Tyne Daly!" and "Yay, Donald Glover!" and "Oh, there's that comedian who likes apple juice!" (Hannibal Buress. I didn't remember his name. *g*)
Btw, a note to Cap: You will never be disappointing to me. In fact, the most disappointing thing about Civil War was that you weren't in it more. Mwah.
So, yeah. Really liked it. May even have liked it better than Wonder Woman. (Sorry. Still rooting for WW at the box office.)
Latter Days (on GazeNet)
Sweet and touching gay romance movie, not entirely original and sometimes unsubtle, but likeable. Since I've actually had personal contact with Mormons, I always find it interesting when popular culture touches upon them, and I thought the film handled it well, showing the positive sides of Aaron's faith as well as the horrifyingly oppressive sides. Plus, one scene used Abide With Me in the soundtrack, and that's a shortcut to making me cry. (Thanks for that, Seven Little Australians!)
War for the Planet of the Apes
As usual, the motion capture technique and acting is so good I keep forgetting the apes aren't real.
The film as a whole was a bit too drab for my liking, and the first hour too slow, but it picked up the pace later on, and there were some touching scenes, so altogether I'd say it's an enjoyable viewing experience. Pretty solid 3/5.
Delivery Man
Not very funny, and too sentimental in a rather hokey way. No real surprises either. Cobie Smulders and Chris Pratt stops this from being a total bust.
(Matthew Daddario factor: 1/5. He's barely in it, and you can see his scenes on YouTube instead.)
When the Game Stands Tall
There's nothing in this film you haven't seen before. It manages to get in a whole lot of clichés, cramming in a whole lot of subplots to fit more in. Laura Dern in a thankless role is the closest thing this film has to a saving grace. It's not terrible, but dear God is it boring.
(Matthew Daddario factor: 2/5. More scenes than the previous films, but not particularly interesting ones.)
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Since I've read all the books and watched the TV show (which is very different), I was curious to see the film. It started out okay, and then gradually got worse until a rather boring trainwreck of an ending.
Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower are pretty good as the leads. Most of the supporting actors are dull, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a moustachio-twirling disaster. (And that's not even accounting for the fact that he's much too young to play Lily Collins' father!) I watched with a friend, and we could slag it off together and make comparisons to the other versions. For that purpose, I recommend it. Not for any other.
The Circus
Even after almost 90 years, Chaplin is still hilarious. I laughed out loud a lot more than I do with most modern comedies - and the one little kid in the audience laughed heartily too. Chaplin's a man for all ages!
The story's a bit thin, but that's to be expected. Not to be expected: I went out of there thinking, "They could have just had a nice ménage à trois..."
Mystère à la Tour Eiffel
Louise is a divorced young woman living in late 19th century France, who gets tangled up in a murder mystery when her friend is arrested. That same night, she visits a magic performance, where she meets the enchanting Henriette.
This is a fun, suspenseful story with plenty of twists. The plot is outlandish but ultimately does hold together (if you accept certain things that aren't entirely scientific). It's a lot like Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies, but with the added bonus of having an interracial lesbian romance at its center. And, without spoiling too much, a happy ending!
There are also some fun side characters, namely a sympathetic doctor, and two bickering policemen, who are brothers with very different methodologies, each touting their own as the superior.
The Beguiled
During the American Civil War, a Virginian school girl finds a wounded Northern soldier in the woods and brings him back to her all-girls school with her. The presence of an enemy, and a man, in their midst gives rise to a lot of complicated emotions.
I definitely liked this better than most of the audience, who were complaining loudly when we left the cinema. But then, I'd read some reviews and I've seen Sofia Coppola films before, so I knew more or less what to expect.
It does drag a bit, and tensions definitely aren't riding high. But in a way, taking something that could have been so dramatic and dialling it down makes it more interesting, just in a different way. Watching this, I could see the reason for everyone's actions. Nobody could be dismissed as a villain, or as insane or duplicitous. I could see the pieces of the puzzle being set into place, logical, even sensible, but leading to disaster. And in a low-key way, that was fascinating. Also, it's well-acted and the cinematography is beautiful, so points for that too.
IT
In general, I would say it was a good movie - well acted and fairly suspenseful, if not all that scary. Or rather, the scary bits were the mundane bits, rather than IT itself. Nothing against Pennywise or Skarsgård's portrayal of him, but he just can't measure up to a creepy dad and some high school bullies.
Of course, the girl sitting next to me was curled into a ball with her hands over her face, so maybe I'm just getting jaded. :-)
But I do think people are scarier to me than monsters are, these days, and the IT threat, for all that they tried to ground it in the childrens' fears, felt very external, not that super creepy stuff when the people you thought you could trust turn out to be... something else. Also, fear almost always has to do with the unknown, so when the monster is revealed within the first five minutes (even for those who don't already know of it), it does make things more comfortable. "Oh, okay, it's a clown with lots and lots of teeth. He's going to turn up again. What's that sound? Probably the clown with lots and lots of teeth."
Plus, I knew that Part 2 existed, so I figured most or all of the kids would survive, and NOTHING is more comforting than that!
But I did enjoy watching these kids take on the scary threat nevertheless. It became more of a really tense adventure film, and that's always fun. And now I'm kind of wondering if I should watch more Stranger Things. I never felt the urge after the pilot, but I'm thinking now maybe I do.
Random nitpicking:
I was wondering why Beverly saw all that blood - what's so scary about blood? - but then I realized, oh right, the Tampax. Menstrual blood, again. Which is such a dude thing to find frightening. (Periods aren't scary. They're painful and annoying.)
And that ties into round #23193271 of "I'm so fucking tired of films operating on the Smurfette principle." But I really liked Beverly, so I'm not complaining too hard. (Also, is it just me, or does she look a lot like a young Ellen Page?)
As a librarian, boy, that librarian was... librarian-y.
I know Eddie's mom wasn't actually Amy Schumer in a fat suit (it was the actress who played Jeanine on Haven, as it turns out), but she looked so much like it that I got distracted. :-)
You can't keep a hamster in a cage with bars set so far apart. It will escape. I'm kind of wondering now if the hamster DID escape and cause all sorts of problems for the filmmakers. That'd make a good story. :-)
The Big Sick
Oh wow. Wow. That film stole my heart away.
I didn't expect it to. I tend to be wary of comedies, but this one had good reviews, and I figured I'd give it a shot. At first I thought, okay, this is funny, it's cute, I like it.
And then gradually I came to realize that I didn't just like it; I loved it.
I loved how it made me laugh, even in serious situations, and how it made me cry, and how it felt so genuine. Even the more obvious narrative tropes never felt clichéd; they felt welcome, like tentpoles in a story that spun its own unique thing around them.
It's a bit too foul-mouthed for my mom, unfortunately, but if I can find a clip of just the 9/11 conversation, I'll send that to my dad, because it was ace.
I don't know which of you like lowkey dramedies with lots of emotions but no maudlin sentimentality, romantic but not quite a romcom - but if that's you, go watch this.
Asura Girl
Japan at the brink of war, with a military that strikes hard against a group of villagers. When dead bodies start to turn up, both groups blame the other. But a strange young woman turns up, claiming it is all the work of demons, and that she's here to fight them.
When the film started, I thought, "Oh dear God, not another film that thinks comedy is saying clichés in the most pompous way possible." Then I slowly came to the conclusion that it wasn't a comedy. Nor was it a horror film, or a fantasy action flick in the Buffy vein. The story itself could have served as either of those things, done well. Rather, it's a bit meh at all of them. It did shape up a bit towards the end, though.
Scumbag
Phil starts a new job at a telemarketing company, and soon becomes entangled in the antics of the very weird crowd of people who work there.
A disclaimer before the review: I was very tired when I watched this film. Possibly I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been. It did have some really good laugh-out-loud moments, and there was a point where I would easily have given it a 3. But ultimately, there were too many characters and too little plot, and the whole thing treated water so long that even at its short running length, it overstayed its welcome.
When Demons Die (short film)
A man sternly tells his young boy to stay inside the house, or else the bad things lurking outside will get to him...
It was fairly easy to see where this film was going, and I could think of other endings that might have been more interesting. Still, it was highly atmospheric, well-acted and with good production values, and it drew me in instantly and didn't let go.
Recall (short film)
A young man finds a camera in an attic, and soon discovers that when he takes a picture, strange things happen.
This was a nice film with a cool concept, that perhaps drew out its idea for a few too many minutes, but was still a really good watch.
The Art of Not Appearing (short film)
A grumpy Norwegian ghost is just looking to finish his book, but is disturbed by the desk he haunts being moved around, the annoying living people who do things on it - and oh yeah, the ghost of a drowned girl haunting next door.
This was very cute, with lots of fun moments and a positive yet open ending.
Dreamlife (short film)
Olivia finds her little baby too much to handle and spends most of her time playing a Sims-like computer game. But game bleeds over into reality in the most unsettling way. This film won the Silver Méliès at LIFFF, and while it might not be my favourite of the group, it was still really good. Threats to babies are always effective, the computer game was suitably uncanny valley, and while the running time was perhaps a bit too long, there were plenty of creepy times leading up to the ending.
Cautionary Tales (short film)
A variation of Der Struwwelpeter, which deals with adults who were once disobedient children, and who have paid dearly for their crimes of making grimaces, eating apple pips, staying in the bath too long, and so on.
This was cute and funny, perhaps a simple concept, but well executed!
Metube 2: August Sings Carmina Burana (short film)
When a child puts a coin in a singer's box at the fair, weird, weird things happen.
I had already seen the first Metube, so I knew pretty much what to expect, which does take away some of the charm. Still, it's an amusing film!
Midnighters
When Jeff and Lindsey hit a man with their car on their way back from a New Years party, they panic, try to revive him, and when that fails, decide to stash him in the garage until they have sobered up enough not to get arrested. But this is only the beginning of their problems.
An enjoyable action thriller with some nice twists and turns to keep the audience engaged. At the end of it, blood, sweat and tears have been spilled, and justice of a sort has been served, making for a satisfying conclusion. Nothing too original perhaps, but good suspenseful fun nevertheless.
Death on Scenic Drive
Larissa travels to an isolated house in the wintry countryside to spend some time house-sitting and studying while the family is on vacation. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? Especially not with the occult symbols around the house, and the strange noises, and the creepy man appearing in her dreams.
This film is better than it has any right to be. The premise is simple, the music intrusive, the lead actress isn't very good (I would say that the dog is a better actress!) and it's not even all that scary. And yet something about it drew me in completely. Maybe it's the cinematography, or the way it balances kitchen-sink realism with dreamlike horror, or the way it reminded me of Twin Peaks (old seasons). Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Into the Forest
Tom and his older brother Benjamin are going on vacation to their father in Sweden. Tom has a feeling that something terrible will happen, and those premonitions only become worse when he starts seeing a scary figure that he suspects is the devil.
At its heart, this is a family drama from the eyes of a child. It's unclear whether the supernatural elements are real or imagined, and it doesn't really matter; Tom's experiences are the truth of the story. The young actors (as well as the older ones) are phenomenal, and the film really drives home the isolation of a Swedish cottage in the middle of nowhere, with no phone connection. The fraught relationship between father and children, as well as the father's increasingy erratic behaviour, keeps the suspense up - at least for the most part. Occasionally, the whole thing drags on a bit, which leaves me from giving an even higher score.
Schneeflöckchen/Snowflake
After Tan and Javid shoot up a kebab place, they steal a car and head off, only to find a screenplay that details everything they've just been doing - as well as everything that's GOING to happen, up to and including their gruesome deaths. Meanwhile, in another part of town, Eliana is looking for vengeance against the men who killed her parents. And that's not even touching on the serial killing cannibals, the guardian angel, the fascist leader, the superhero known as Hyper Electro Man... oh yeah, and God.
In short, this film is a bloody, action-packed, supernatural, genre-mixing meta comedy with a shitload of characters, and every single one of them is fun to watch. Does it all weave together as a coherent whole? Not 100% perhaps, but close enough for awed applause and a wide, pleased grin on your face as the film draws to a close. I had so much fun with this film. So. Much. Fun.
Flora
In the early 20th century, a group of young botanists head into a forest expedition, only to find that their professor is dead and nearly all the food has been destroyed. While they're trying to figure out was going on, one of them falls ill... and then another...
There are elements of horror to this tale, of course, and of scifi too, but if I'm to pick a genre, I might still call it a drama. The group's struggle to make it out alive is more tragic than scary. They're a likeable bunch, and you want them to succeed even as that seems increasingly unlikely.
There's some stiffness in the acting and period setting that does mar the film a bit, but altogether, it's an enjoyable watch.
Saving Sally
Marty, an aspiring comic book artist, has his own way of seeing the world. The city he lives in is a cartoon landscape, full of monsters just going about their day. And at the heart of it all is Sally, the girl he loves, kept in a gloomy castle by the jailers known as her parents. He doesn't know how to help her, and to make it all worse, he doesn't even know how to tell her how he feels.
The "boy loves girl who only sees him as a friend" story is an old one, and not often told well. The respect here shown to the characters and their journey does help quite a bit. The central pairing is adorable, and there are plenty of gems in the supporting cast as well. (Even Sally's boyfriend - often drawn as a literal dick - is given the benefit of a doubt.) But what really elevates the story is the stylistic universe where the whole thing is set, a quirky semi-realistic fantasy that brings to mind some of Bryan Fuller's early stuff. Simply put, this is a film that warms the heart and pleases the eye.
Maurice
Nice film, well-acted, and I'm particularly pleased that it has a happy ending. Still, it lacks a certain nerve in the execution, and the fate of the characters never quite stirs the heartstrings.
Thor: Ragnarök
This is an absolutely ridiculous film in mostly good ways.
It's camp and gaudy and frequently hilarious. The clashes between mundane and over the top works sometimes resembles Taika Waititi's earlier What We Do in the Shadows, and sometimes feels more Flash Gordon. Thor, The Hulk, The Valkyrie, and the ever treacherous Loki make for an engaging ensemble, and Waititi gives himself one of the film's best parts as a soft-spoken rock monster who tried to start a revolution but didn't hand out enough flyers. Add in Idris Elba's Heimdall taking on a rather Robin Hood role, and Thor has a team to be proud of. :-)
If the film has a major failing, it's that its tongue remains so firmly in cheek that the human side is somewhat lost. As funny as Thor is in this, I sort of miss the more genuine moments from his time on Earth in the first Thor movie.
Also, my streak of not enjoying Cate Blanchett in anything remains unbroken. She wasn't BAD in this, as such, but her Hela is frightfully one-note and pretty much the least engaging of the film's antagonists. Jeff Goldblum's Game Master is more fun and scenery-chewing, Karl Urban's Skurge has at least somewhat more emotional complexity, and Rachel House's Topaz exudes more sheer bitter resentment (in a part echoing her social worker in Hunt for the Wilderpeople).
In total, though. I enjoyed it. It's a little long, the silliness sometimes takes over too much, and they could have used a better Hela, but it's altogether a fun ride, well worth watching.
Oh, and keep your eyes open for cameos by Sam Neill and Matt Damon. :-)
Love Eternal
Ian feels disconnected from life, and instead develops an unhealthy obsession with death. When he finds the corpse of a dead woman, he brings her home as a companion, but when she starts to rot he realizes that this can't last forever, and that he has to find someone new. Thus, he starts looking for suicidal women.
The film is well-acted and strangely compelling, and the plot takes some unexpected turns. So I'd say, in a way, that it's a good movie. But at the same time I can't get past the sheer revulsion I feel at the premise (and, frequently, its execution).
God's Own Country
BLESS this movie!
Sorry to spoil, but this is important: Not only is it a gay romance with a happy ending, but there isn't a single scene displaying homophobia, which is such a welcome change of pace. Even when you think something homophobic is going to happen, it doesn't. (Though there is some racism.)
The central conflicts have more to do with:
1. Farm life is tough as fuck and doesn't pay well.
2. It's even tougher when a family member gets sick.
3. The protagonist is (initially) an emotionally constipated, miserable drunk who resents the hell out of his life on the farm, but also resents the hell out of any suggestion that he's not up to the task.
(There have been reviews seeing his misery and joyless quick fucks as signs of internalized homophobia, but that's up for interpretation, and I don't personally see much evidence for it. He's got plenty of other grievances.)
Enter rival/love interest - hired Romanian farm hand who is grounded in both his work and his personality, and who, quite frankly, could probably do better in terms of boyfriends, but we'll oversee that for the sake of the romance. :-)
Now, this is a VERY kitchen sink realist kind of story. Within five minutes, we have vomit, piss and spit. Within ten, an arm up a cow. Within fifteen, an anonymous sex scene in an animal transport van. At that point I was starting to wonder if this was serious, or the director was taking the mickey. I'm still not quite sure! Do not watch if you can't stand the sight of dead animals. (Although the most graphic of those scenes is also surprisingly sweet.)
The acting is spot on in every instance, making you root for this surly little family every step of the way. The cinematography is amazing - I kept marvelling at how much meaning was layered into every shot. (I probably missed some) Granted, frequently it was also layered with manure, but that's fine. :-) And there's so much symbolism you could untangle. Like the lamb. (The lamb is John.)
There have been a lot of comparisons to Brokeback Mountain. A LOT. But I would say that in a sense, it's rather an anti-Brokeback, as if the director had watched that film and gone, "A: That's not what farm life is like. B: Fuck that ending."
For the first part of the film, I would have given it a 3, maybe 3,5. Then it moved solidly into 4. Rewatch may put it higher - I'm sure there's plenty more to untangle.
The Marathon Man
Listen, apologies to William Goldman here. I love The Princess Bride, I really enjoyed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and I think his adapted screenplay for Misery is great too. But this film was just so boring to me. I didn't care about the characters, or the plot, or anything that happened. It took me three tries to get past the first half hour, and even on the third I kept losing concentration.
Possibly I would have felt differently if I'd seen it in the cinema, or back in the 70s when these ideas were relatively fresh, or if Nazi conspiracy thrillers were even remotely my genre in the first place. As it is, I'll be putting the DVD in my giveaway pile, and I hope whoever gets it next enjoys this film more than I did.
Thelma
I saw Thelma a couple of days ago, and I still haven't decided what I think about it. It's a Norwegian paranormal thriller about a young university student who starts getting seizures during which strange things happen.
I found it definitely effective - the acting is convincing, the storytelling mesmerizing, and I was easily drawn into the story.
And of course, the comparisons to Carrie come unbidden. Now, I've only read the book version of Carrie, which is good, but I do consider this film more nuanced, more down to earth in its characterisation despite its subject matter and its sometimes hallucinogenic qualities.
It may be a bit odd to say that a film in this genre hits too close to home, but it did, at times, hit a little too close to home. Which may be part of both what I like about it and what makes me push back against it.
I'm not entirely sure it holds up to fridge logic. There are some scenes that are suspenseful while they happen, but that don't fit with the way Thelma's powers are explained later on, and rather seem to have been added as general horror effects.
I loved that the film had a lesbian romance, but it does get complicated when sexuality gets symbolically conflated with supernatural powers. Homophobia is essentially baseless; people being gay isn't going to harm you. In contrast, Thelma's powers are in fact dangerous, and it leaves me uncertain what to think about the ending. IF she has learned to control them, and IF everything we see is genuine, then it's a happy ending. If she hasn't, or it isn't... then that's pretty unsettling.
Then again, that might be a feature, not a bug. So, yeah. Not sure how to feel. The fact that I'm still thinking about it two days later is a mark in this film's favour.
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
It was a sweet, charming film with an engaging central trio, which provided a nice extra layer to Wonder Woman's story.
The secondary characters were rather flat, and not all scenes were entirely believable. Nor am I sure I buy the psychological reasoning. But it all fit well together into the style of the movie, so I don't complain too much.
Plus, it's refreshing to see a queer themed film where (spoilers!) the straight man is the one to die. I mean, I cried. It was sad. But still refreshing.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Normally when I don't enjoy a film much, I have a pretty good idea why. With TLJ, I can't find any fatal flaws. It just didn't grip me, at all. I didn't feel happy, sad, worried, angry, or anything else - for all intents and purposes, I could have read the summary on wikipedia and got the same effect. And I have no idea if that's on the film, or on me. Maybe I was just in a weird mood. But I always rank films according to enjoyment, so there you have it.
There are some bits that I do give a plus or a minus, though.
Plus:
Minus:
Crooked House
This family drama with its delightfully dark ending is one of my favourite Christie novels, and the film almost lives up to it. The stifling, claustrophobic atmosphere comes through in the beautiful sets and music, and the performances are enjoyable. Sure, the characterisation is sometimes a bit thin, but that's hard to avoid with Christie, where there usually aren't that many nuances to work with in the first place, and those that exist are mostly in narration.
The Road Within
This film is entirely predictable. By ten minutes, you know most of what will happen for the rest of the story; by half an hour, the rest is equally obvious. It's maudlin and phony, and as is often the case when non-disabled actors play disabled roles, more energy is spent playing the disability than the character.
Still. It's to Robert Sheehan's credit that he's got enough energy left afterwards to hand in a gripping performance. Dev Patel and Zoe Kravitz are almost as good, and the three of them have some nice chemistry that made me want to see them interact after all. If they do another film together, I'd want to see that too - just preferably with a different script writer and director.
Call Me By Your Name
This is aesthetically very pleasing, a film of atmosphere rather than plot, slow, but too fascinating for that to matter much.
It's unusual in that so little is conveyed through the dialogue. Rather, volumes are being told visually while the characters often prattle on about insignificant things, which means I had to pay close attention to the screen.
As gay romances of 2017 go, I think God's Own Country still has the edge, but it's a close call - and not really fair, since they're so stylistically different.
Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time
Doctor Who didn't quite charm my socks off to the same degree that it did last year, but that's a personal preference, and it was certainly charming enough! I laughed a lot, and teared up in a couple of places, though I didn't full-on cry.
I loved the return to the old Moffat trope of villains that aren't villains, and I loved seeing a bunch of old friends again, as well as some new ones. It was a worthy sendoff for Capaldi and Moffat both, to be sure.
This entry was originally posted at https://katta.dreamwidth.org/642389.html and has
comments there.
Top 10 list (feature films only):
1. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Click to view2. Sami Blood
3. Moonlight
4. The Big Sick
5. Moana
6. The Handmaiden
7. Kedi
8. Snowflake
9. God's Own Country
10. Saving Sally
Special mentions: Call Me By Your Name, Mystère à la Tour Eiffel, The Circus, Spider-Man Homecoming, The Salesman
For my diary of all the films (including short films), you can go to my letterboxd account. Or you can read the mini-reviews of each film below the cut, in chronological order as I watched them.
Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List (netflix)
Sweet and charming, if not entirely original, film about two best friends trying to deal with the ways friendship and romance clash. (The tagline is rather misleading, btw.) I liked that the two of them were rather unpleasant at times and make things more difficult for themselves than they need to, which makes them rather touching in all their fallibility.
The whole thing does feel a little pat at times, and all the side characters brought in from the novel don't necessarily bring much to the film, but all in all it's a likeable film, well worth seeing if you're in the mood for something fluffy.
(Matthew Daddario factor: 4/5. Not a leading role, but a solid, enjoyable one.)
The Handmaiden
The Handmaiden is every bit the dark delight I hoped it would be. I was a little worried that I'd be bored, since I already knew the plot of Fingersmith well, but I was still mesmerized by it. And it deviates quite a bit from the original anyway, especially in the third act. Not sure whether that's a good or bad thing - I always felt that the third act of Fingersmith was a bit far-fetched, but on the other hand, it got a bit gruesome in this version. So I'm not sure.
I've seen some reviewers claim the sex scenes were straight male fantasies, and all I can say about THAT is that in that case, I'm a straight man. (Okay, so the last one is admittedly pretty silly.)
La La Land
I saw La La Land yesterday, and as of this morning, I still haven't been able to sum up how I feel about it. I think the closest I can get is “uneven”.
The opening number made me laugh - it was like a delightful mix of Enchanted and Fame.
After that, there's an hour or so of Mia and Seb falling in love, with frequent musical numbers, and that part never quite lifts off. The songs halt the story rather than bringing it forward, and the scenes inbetween don't quite take the time and effort to fill out the characters.
For instance, there's a song early on where Mia's roommates try to convince her to join a party. We've already established that they want her to go and she doesn't, and the resulting song doesn't bring in any new arguments, doesn't explore their characterisation, and isn't memorable enough in lyrics or melody to be enjoyable as an interlude.
So the romance putters along without really engaging, and the next really good music number is when John Legend shows up with a Motown-esque piece. Which is then pooh-poohed in universe for not being pure jazz, which... doesn't really work when it's better than the other songs.
But then the relationship starts falling apart, and the movie forgets to be a musical for a while - and that's when it gets GOOD. I really got engaged in Mia's struggles in particular, and when Emma Stone returned to singing after a long stretch without, I teared up. She sells that song 100% and I was reminded of A Chorus Line (stage version, not that crappy movie), the way songs are wrought straight out of the heart.
The rest of the film works well, because now I'm properly involved in it, and while the last musical trip down memory lane might be a little self-indulgent, I don't mind so much.
So in general, I would say that this story works best when it forgets its own gimmick, and that it could have used another round in the scriptroom, music room, or both. It's a nice, likeable film, but last year had Sing Street, which was more heartfelt, and Hail Caesar, which was funnier, and it kind of suffers in comparison.
Jackie
As a story, it was a bit too drawn out, with not enough variation, but wow, what a powerhouse performance by Natalie Portman! So many nuances, and I cried buckets.
I haven't seen all the best actress nominees, but if she doesn't win, I'm going to rush straight to see the winner, because then that'll have to be something quite out of the ordinary.
I can't speak of the veracity of the film, but it's certainly both plausible and engaging as a character portrait.
Moana/Vaiana
One of the best films of the year! It made me repeatedly tear up, laugh out loud, cheer, and sing along. For a while when they were on the ocean, it got a bit episodic and action-y and not quite my thing, but that's all I can say against it. It's a triumph on all fronts. And little baby Moana was so cute I just wanted to take her home and keep her.
Moonlight
I'd been afraid that it would be too depressing, considering its subject matter, but it wasn't, at all. If anything, I would call it poetic. A lot of misery, yes, but also an undertone of empathy, and even hope, despite everything. Beautifully made, too. (The music not least.) A bit slower than I had expected, but that's my Friday night tiredness speaking too.
I have a feeling I'll have to think a lot more, maybe even rewatch, before I can say something sufficiently intelligent about it.
Hidden Figures
Highly engaging story, and with stellar performances from the three leading ladies! At times it got a little too Hollywood conventional (especially where Kevin Costner's character was concerned), and I wouldn't put it near Moonlight for best picture or script, but if Octavia Spencer gets best supporting actress, I'm fine with that.
I'm curious to read the book, now. If only my to-read list wasn't so long!
Sameblod / Sami Blood
Amazing and harrowing film about the treatment of the Sami people by the Swedes. I was reminded of the Maria Gripe quote, "Children are what you make them." I don't think I've ever seen a better portrayal of the self-hated brought on by constant prejudice. It was heartbreaking to see Elle Marja suffocated both by the expectations put upon her as a Sami girl, and by her own attempts to leave it all behind, never getting to be a whole person in her own right.
Go see this film.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
This film, about a troubled 13-year-old boy going on a semi-involuntary adventure with his foster father, was so funny and adorable and all-around wonderful that I grinned all the way to the train and then some.
This was just as hilarious as "What We Do in the Shadows", but had the added benefit of having enough story and heartfelt moments to carry through between the funny bits. Plus, I have a soft spot for stories where gruff adults are roped into parenting against their will, and end up loving that kid more than anything. Sam Neill is a treasure as the foster father, as is Julian Dennison as the kid, and Rima Te Wiata in her smaller role as the foster mother.
Being 17/Quand on a 17 ans
Damien and Thomas are classmates, but really don't get along. As in, Thomas trips Damien in class and Damien makes snide comments about Thomas's intelligence, don't get along. Which makes it rather complicated when Damien's mom meets Thomas and decides that this young man needs a helping hand.
This was well-acted and believable, but moved at such a glacial pace that I kept glancing at the clock. It has had some great reviews, but for me personally, it didn't rise above "good".
Rara
A Chilean film about a thirt girl dealing with adolescent life, including how a lot of people keep making comments about her two moms. This is a rather sweet film that shows small things having major repercussions. I felt it dragged a bit, but I realized that the festival catalogue had given away major plot points of both this and Being 17, plot points that don't happen until about two-thirds in. Which can make any story seem slow; I kept waiting for certain things to happen that wouldn't do so for more than an hour!
Wolf and Sheep
The story - using the phrase loosely - of a mountain village in Afghanistan, and of the shepherd children living there. The film has next to no plot, certain events are left unresolved, and there's a minor supernatural element that's never really explored or plays any sort of part in the larger narrative.
There was a large group of teenagers watching with me (I think they were a confirmation group), and both they and their accompanying adults went "WTF was THAT!?" Personally, I was quite amused by how the film utterly refused to follow any sort of rules about, you know, coherency or purpose, and I enjoyed most of the individual scenes quite a bit. Plus, those Afghan kids used fouler language than Tarantino characters, which is kind of funny.
But yeah, it probably won't make my top 10 of the year either. :-D
As You Are
The story of three teenagers in the 90s and their friendship, which leads to... something... that has them and their parents questioned by the police.
This one was pretty well acted and engaging, and plus points for casting Amandla Stenberg and my childhood crush Mary Stuart Masterson. The main narrative works and I did feel a surge of 90s nostalgia. (I miss girls in grunge outfits.) At the same time, there are some clichés, and I felt that Amandla Stenberg's character was a bit too much "the girl", just a springboard for the other characters to work out their issues.
Then there's the fact that this film is yet another installment in the "bury your gays" trope, which is rather tiresome at this point. So all in all, I'd call it a good film, but not a great one.
Kedi
A documentary about cats in Istanbul. Since cats are my favourite animal and Istanbul is my favourite city, it was basically pornography. For the most part, it was a gorgeous prolongued cat video, with stories about cats and their human friends short in beautiful cinematography. But it also briefly touched on a darker sides, as the vulnerable position of the cats is parallelled with human life in Istanbul, the uncertain future and the compassion needed to care for not just animals, but humans.
The panel discussion afterwards deepened that side of it, pointing out that while the film primarily had heartwarming tales about the love of cats, there is another side to it, with people who mistreat and hurt cats because they see them as pests. One panel member, who was from Istanbul herself, also pointed out that the love given to cats often isn't extended to humans, such as the homeless people of Istanbul. And that there are instances of homeless children torturing cats in a sort of jealous vengeance against this. So that brought a somber tone to the whole thing.
Seeing the film was a wonderful, joyful experience, and I do encourage you to see it if you have the chance. But I do think the panel discussion brought it to the next level.
The Salesman
A really good film. Simple enough premise and execution, yet you never quite knew where it would go, and the meaning of what happened on screen was largely left for the viewer to decide. In that way it felt very slice of life, and I really appreciated it.
Get Out
I don't know if it *quite* lived up to the hype, but it was still pretty good. I wish I'd known a little bit less about the plotline beforehand, but it was still suspenseful and enjoyable. And the topic of racism - specifically the more insidious kinds of racism in supposedly benign white people - was effective without getting preachy.
I've seen the film described as a "horror comedy", but that's not really accurate on either count. Bits of it is funny, and the last half hour gets fairly intense, but I'd say it's a satire with some horror elements.
Really grateful that the ending didn't go all Night of the Living Dead. I half feared it would, but I guess I should have known better.
Your Name
A cute anime about bodyswapping and the importance of making a connection. It was visually stunning and had a good story with just enough left turns to keep it interesting.
Frankenstein (2015)
Some clumsiness in the script, but I cried and cried and cried. When is Xavier Samuel going to be an A-list star already? Granted, the market for his signature role, "speechless, bleeding, terrified guy kills the crap out of people," may not be huge, but seeing how he's equally good with "sweet 19th century nobleman" and "gay emo teen watches surfers" he should be able to pull off most mainstream roles.
Wonder Woman
I made a full review of it here but that's in Swedish, so to summarize: delightful film, a little bit too familiar script-wise from time to time, but charming.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
It was adorable! Really funny, and with true suspense in the action scenes. If you know me, you know that I tend to get bored with action scenes. Funny how the stakes feel so much higher when it's a scrappy little clueless 15-year-old, super-powered or not, fighting grown-ass men who have alien high-tech weapons. And Tom Holland's Peter Parker is the very definition of a cinnamon roll, but I knew that from Civil War.
There's not much emotional content - the whole thing is highly fluffy. But that's not necessarily a downside. I'm rather charmed that you can make a superhero movie with such a low body count, and still make it work so well. Even the villains aren't all bad...
Another fun thing was all the people I recognized in minor roles. I kept going "Oh, hey, Tyne Daly!" and "Yay, Donald Glover!" and "Oh, there's that comedian who likes apple juice!" (Hannibal Buress. I didn't remember his name. *g*)
Btw, a note to Cap: You will never be disappointing to me. In fact, the most disappointing thing about Civil War was that you weren't in it more. Mwah.
So, yeah. Really liked it. May even have liked it better than Wonder Woman. (Sorry. Still rooting for WW at the box office.)
Latter Days (on GazeNet)
Sweet and touching gay romance movie, not entirely original and sometimes unsubtle, but likeable. Since I've actually had personal contact with Mormons, I always find it interesting when popular culture touches upon them, and I thought the film handled it well, showing the positive sides of Aaron's faith as well as the horrifyingly oppressive sides. Plus, one scene used Abide With Me in the soundtrack, and that's a shortcut to making me cry. (Thanks for that, Seven Little Australians!)
War for the Planet of the Apes
As usual, the motion capture technique and acting is so good I keep forgetting the apes aren't real.
The film as a whole was a bit too drab for my liking, and the first hour too slow, but it picked up the pace later on, and there were some touching scenes, so altogether I'd say it's an enjoyable viewing experience. Pretty solid 3/5.
Delivery Man
Not very funny, and too sentimental in a rather hokey way. No real surprises either. Cobie Smulders and Chris Pratt stops this from being a total bust.
(Matthew Daddario factor: 1/5. He's barely in it, and you can see his scenes on YouTube instead.)
When the Game Stands Tall
There's nothing in this film you haven't seen before. It manages to get in a whole lot of clichés, cramming in a whole lot of subplots to fit more in. Laura Dern in a thankless role is the closest thing this film has to a saving grace. It's not terrible, but dear God is it boring.
(Matthew Daddario factor: 2/5. More scenes than the previous films, but not particularly interesting ones.)
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Since I've read all the books and watched the TV show (which is very different), I was curious to see the film. It started out okay, and then gradually got worse until a rather boring trainwreck of an ending.
Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower are pretty good as the leads. Most of the supporting actors are dull, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a moustachio-twirling disaster. (And that's not even accounting for the fact that he's much too young to play Lily Collins' father!) I watched with a friend, and we could slag it off together and make comparisons to the other versions. For that purpose, I recommend it. Not for any other.
The Circus
Even after almost 90 years, Chaplin is still hilarious. I laughed out loud a lot more than I do with most modern comedies - and the one little kid in the audience laughed heartily too. Chaplin's a man for all ages!
The story's a bit thin, but that's to be expected. Not to be expected: I went out of there thinking, "They could have just had a nice ménage à trois..."
Mystère à la Tour Eiffel
Louise is a divorced young woman living in late 19th century France, who gets tangled up in a murder mystery when her friend is arrested. That same night, she visits a magic performance, where she meets the enchanting Henriette.
This is a fun, suspenseful story with plenty of twists. The plot is outlandish but ultimately does hold together (if you accept certain things that aren't entirely scientific). It's a lot like Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies, but with the added bonus of having an interracial lesbian romance at its center. And, without spoiling too much, a happy ending!
There are also some fun side characters, namely a sympathetic doctor, and two bickering policemen, who are brothers with very different methodologies, each touting their own as the superior.
The Beguiled
During the American Civil War, a Virginian school girl finds a wounded Northern soldier in the woods and brings him back to her all-girls school with her. The presence of an enemy, and a man, in their midst gives rise to a lot of complicated emotions.
I definitely liked this better than most of the audience, who were complaining loudly when we left the cinema. But then, I'd read some reviews and I've seen Sofia Coppola films before, so I knew more or less what to expect.
It does drag a bit, and tensions definitely aren't riding high. But in a way, taking something that could have been so dramatic and dialling it down makes it more interesting, just in a different way. Watching this, I could see the reason for everyone's actions. Nobody could be dismissed as a villain, or as insane or duplicitous. I could see the pieces of the puzzle being set into place, logical, even sensible, but leading to disaster. And in a low-key way, that was fascinating. Also, it's well-acted and the cinematography is beautiful, so points for that too.
IT
In general, I would say it was a good movie - well acted and fairly suspenseful, if not all that scary. Or rather, the scary bits were the mundane bits, rather than IT itself. Nothing against Pennywise or Skarsgård's portrayal of him, but he just can't measure up to a creepy dad and some high school bullies.
Of course, the girl sitting next to me was curled into a ball with her hands over her face, so maybe I'm just getting jaded. :-)
But I do think people are scarier to me than monsters are, these days, and the IT threat, for all that they tried to ground it in the childrens' fears, felt very external, not that super creepy stuff when the people you thought you could trust turn out to be... something else. Also, fear almost always has to do with the unknown, so when the monster is revealed within the first five minutes (even for those who don't already know of it), it does make things more comfortable. "Oh, okay, it's a clown with lots and lots of teeth. He's going to turn up again. What's that sound? Probably the clown with lots and lots of teeth."
Plus, I knew that Part 2 existed, so I figured most or all of the kids would survive, and NOTHING is more comforting than that!
But I did enjoy watching these kids take on the scary threat nevertheless. It became more of a really tense adventure film, and that's always fun. And now I'm kind of wondering if I should watch more Stranger Things. I never felt the urge after the pilot, but I'm thinking now maybe I do.
Random nitpicking:
I was wondering why Beverly saw all that blood - what's so scary about blood? - but then I realized, oh right, the Tampax. Menstrual blood, again. Which is such a dude thing to find frightening. (Periods aren't scary. They're painful and annoying.)
And that ties into round #23193271 of "I'm so fucking tired of films operating on the Smurfette principle." But I really liked Beverly, so I'm not complaining too hard. (Also, is it just me, or does she look a lot like a young Ellen Page?)
As a librarian, boy, that librarian was... librarian-y.
I know Eddie's mom wasn't actually Amy Schumer in a fat suit (it was the actress who played Jeanine on Haven, as it turns out), but she looked so much like it that I got distracted. :-)
You can't keep a hamster in a cage with bars set so far apart. It will escape. I'm kind of wondering now if the hamster DID escape and cause all sorts of problems for the filmmakers. That'd make a good story. :-)
The Big Sick
Oh wow. Wow. That film stole my heart away.
I didn't expect it to. I tend to be wary of comedies, but this one had good reviews, and I figured I'd give it a shot. At first I thought, okay, this is funny, it's cute, I like it.
And then gradually I came to realize that I didn't just like it; I loved it.
I loved how it made me laugh, even in serious situations, and how it made me cry, and how it felt so genuine. Even the more obvious narrative tropes never felt clichéd; they felt welcome, like tentpoles in a story that spun its own unique thing around them.
It's a bit too foul-mouthed for my mom, unfortunately, but if I can find a clip of just the 9/11 conversation, I'll send that to my dad, because it was ace.
I don't know which of you like lowkey dramedies with lots of emotions but no maudlin sentimentality, romantic but not quite a romcom - but if that's you, go watch this.
Asura Girl
Japan at the brink of war, with a military that strikes hard against a group of villagers. When dead bodies start to turn up, both groups blame the other. But a strange young woman turns up, claiming it is all the work of demons, and that she's here to fight them.
When the film started, I thought, "Oh dear God, not another film that thinks comedy is saying clichés in the most pompous way possible." Then I slowly came to the conclusion that it wasn't a comedy. Nor was it a horror film, or a fantasy action flick in the Buffy vein. The story itself could have served as either of those things, done well. Rather, it's a bit meh at all of them. It did shape up a bit towards the end, though.
Scumbag
Phil starts a new job at a telemarketing company, and soon becomes entangled in the antics of the very weird crowd of people who work there.
A disclaimer before the review: I was very tired when I watched this film. Possibly I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been. It did have some really good laugh-out-loud moments, and there was a point where I would easily have given it a 3. But ultimately, there were too many characters and too little plot, and the whole thing treated water so long that even at its short running length, it overstayed its welcome.
When Demons Die (short film)
A man sternly tells his young boy to stay inside the house, or else the bad things lurking outside will get to him...
It was fairly easy to see where this film was going, and I could think of other endings that might have been more interesting. Still, it was highly atmospheric, well-acted and with good production values, and it drew me in instantly and didn't let go.
Recall (short film)
A young man finds a camera in an attic, and soon discovers that when he takes a picture, strange things happen.
This was a nice film with a cool concept, that perhaps drew out its idea for a few too many minutes, but was still a really good watch.
The Art of Not Appearing (short film)
A grumpy Norwegian ghost is just looking to finish his book, but is disturbed by the desk he haunts being moved around, the annoying living people who do things on it - and oh yeah, the ghost of a drowned girl haunting next door.
This was very cute, with lots of fun moments and a positive yet open ending.
Dreamlife (short film)
Olivia finds her little baby too much to handle and spends most of her time playing a Sims-like computer game. But game bleeds over into reality in the most unsettling way. This film won the Silver Méliès at LIFFF, and while it might not be my favourite of the group, it was still really good. Threats to babies are always effective, the computer game was suitably uncanny valley, and while the running time was perhaps a bit too long, there were plenty of creepy times leading up to the ending.
Cautionary Tales (short film)
A variation of Der Struwwelpeter, which deals with adults who were once disobedient children, and who have paid dearly for their crimes of making grimaces, eating apple pips, staying in the bath too long, and so on.
This was cute and funny, perhaps a simple concept, but well executed!
Metube 2: August Sings Carmina Burana (short film)
When a child puts a coin in a singer's box at the fair, weird, weird things happen.
I had already seen the first Metube, so I knew pretty much what to expect, which does take away some of the charm. Still, it's an amusing film!
Midnighters
When Jeff and Lindsey hit a man with their car on their way back from a New Years party, they panic, try to revive him, and when that fails, decide to stash him in the garage until they have sobered up enough not to get arrested. But this is only the beginning of their problems.
An enjoyable action thriller with some nice twists and turns to keep the audience engaged. At the end of it, blood, sweat and tears have been spilled, and justice of a sort has been served, making for a satisfying conclusion. Nothing too original perhaps, but good suspenseful fun nevertheless.
Death on Scenic Drive
Larissa travels to an isolated house in the wintry countryside to spend some time house-sitting and studying while the family is on vacation. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? Especially not with the occult symbols around the house, and the strange noises, and the creepy man appearing in her dreams.
This film is better than it has any right to be. The premise is simple, the music intrusive, the lead actress isn't very good (I would say that the dog is a better actress!) and it's not even all that scary. And yet something about it drew me in completely. Maybe it's the cinematography, or the way it balances kitchen-sink realism with dreamlike horror, or the way it reminded me of Twin Peaks (old seasons). Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Into the Forest
Tom and his older brother Benjamin are going on vacation to their father in Sweden. Tom has a feeling that something terrible will happen, and those premonitions only become worse when he starts seeing a scary figure that he suspects is the devil.
At its heart, this is a family drama from the eyes of a child. It's unclear whether the supernatural elements are real or imagined, and it doesn't really matter; Tom's experiences are the truth of the story. The young actors (as well as the older ones) are phenomenal, and the film really drives home the isolation of a Swedish cottage in the middle of nowhere, with no phone connection. The fraught relationship between father and children, as well as the father's increasingy erratic behaviour, keeps the suspense up - at least for the most part. Occasionally, the whole thing drags on a bit, which leaves me from giving an even higher score.
Schneeflöckchen/Snowflake
After Tan and Javid shoot up a kebab place, they steal a car and head off, only to find a screenplay that details everything they've just been doing - as well as everything that's GOING to happen, up to and including their gruesome deaths. Meanwhile, in another part of town, Eliana is looking for vengeance against the men who killed her parents. And that's not even touching on the serial killing cannibals, the guardian angel, the fascist leader, the superhero known as Hyper Electro Man... oh yeah, and God.
In short, this film is a bloody, action-packed, supernatural, genre-mixing meta comedy with a shitload of characters, and every single one of them is fun to watch. Does it all weave together as a coherent whole? Not 100% perhaps, but close enough for awed applause and a wide, pleased grin on your face as the film draws to a close. I had so much fun with this film. So. Much. Fun.
Flora
In the early 20th century, a group of young botanists head into a forest expedition, only to find that their professor is dead and nearly all the food has been destroyed. While they're trying to figure out was going on, one of them falls ill... and then another...
There are elements of horror to this tale, of course, and of scifi too, but if I'm to pick a genre, I might still call it a drama. The group's struggle to make it out alive is more tragic than scary. They're a likeable bunch, and you want them to succeed even as that seems increasingly unlikely.
There's some stiffness in the acting and period setting that does mar the film a bit, but altogether, it's an enjoyable watch.
Saving Sally
Marty, an aspiring comic book artist, has his own way of seeing the world. The city he lives in is a cartoon landscape, full of monsters just going about their day. And at the heart of it all is Sally, the girl he loves, kept in a gloomy castle by the jailers known as her parents. He doesn't know how to help her, and to make it all worse, he doesn't even know how to tell her how he feels.
The "boy loves girl who only sees him as a friend" story is an old one, and not often told well. The respect here shown to the characters and their journey does help quite a bit. The central pairing is adorable, and there are plenty of gems in the supporting cast as well. (Even Sally's boyfriend - often drawn as a literal dick - is given the benefit of a doubt.) But what really elevates the story is the stylistic universe where the whole thing is set, a quirky semi-realistic fantasy that brings to mind some of Bryan Fuller's early stuff. Simply put, this is a film that warms the heart and pleases the eye.
Maurice
Nice film, well-acted, and I'm particularly pleased that it has a happy ending. Still, it lacks a certain nerve in the execution, and the fate of the characters never quite stirs the heartstrings.
Thor: Ragnarök
This is an absolutely ridiculous film in mostly good ways.
It's camp and gaudy and frequently hilarious. The clashes between mundane and over the top works sometimes resembles Taika Waititi's earlier What We Do in the Shadows, and sometimes feels more Flash Gordon. Thor, The Hulk, The Valkyrie, and the ever treacherous Loki make for an engaging ensemble, and Waititi gives himself one of the film's best parts as a soft-spoken rock monster who tried to start a revolution but didn't hand out enough flyers. Add in Idris Elba's Heimdall taking on a rather Robin Hood role, and Thor has a team to be proud of. :-)
If the film has a major failing, it's that its tongue remains so firmly in cheek that the human side is somewhat lost. As funny as Thor is in this, I sort of miss the more genuine moments from his time on Earth in the first Thor movie.
Also, my streak of not enjoying Cate Blanchett in anything remains unbroken. She wasn't BAD in this, as such, but her Hela is frightfully one-note and pretty much the least engaging of the film's antagonists. Jeff Goldblum's Game Master is more fun and scenery-chewing, Karl Urban's Skurge has at least somewhat more emotional complexity, and Rachel House's Topaz exudes more sheer bitter resentment (in a part echoing her social worker in Hunt for the Wilderpeople).
In total, though. I enjoyed it. It's a little long, the silliness sometimes takes over too much, and they could have used a better Hela, but it's altogether a fun ride, well worth watching.
Oh, and keep your eyes open for cameos by Sam Neill and Matt Damon. :-)
Love Eternal
Ian feels disconnected from life, and instead develops an unhealthy obsession with death. When he finds the corpse of a dead woman, he brings her home as a companion, but when she starts to rot he realizes that this can't last forever, and that he has to find someone new. Thus, he starts looking for suicidal women.
The film is well-acted and strangely compelling, and the plot takes some unexpected turns. So I'd say, in a way, that it's a good movie. But at the same time I can't get past the sheer revulsion I feel at the premise (and, frequently, its execution).
God's Own Country
BLESS this movie!
Sorry to spoil, but this is important: Not only is it a gay romance with a happy ending, but there isn't a single scene displaying homophobia, which is such a welcome change of pace. Even when you think something homophobic is going to happen, it doesn't. (Though there is some racism.)
The central conflicts have more to do with:
1. Farm life is tough as fuck and doesn't pay well.
2. It's even tougher when a family member gets sick.
3. The protagonist is (initially) an emotionally constipated, miserable drunk who resents the hell out of his life on the farm, but also resents the hell out of any suggestion that he's not up to the task.
(There have been reviews seeing his misery and joyless quick fucks as signs of internalized homophobia, but that's up for interpretation, and I don't personally see much evidence for it. He's got plenty of other grievances.)
Enter rival/love interest - hired Romanian farm hand who is grounded in both his work and his personality, and who, quite frankly, could probably do better in terms of boyfriends, but we'll oversee that for the sake of the romance. :-)
Now, this is a VERY kitchen sink realist kind of story. Within five minutes, we have vomit, piss and spit. Within ten, an arm up a cow. Within fifteen, an anonymous sex scene in an animal transport van. At that point I was starting to wonder if this was serious, or the director was taking the mickey. I'm still not quite sure! Do not watch if you can't stand the sight of dead animals. (Although the most graphic of those scenes is also surprisingly sweet.)
The acting is spot on in every instance, making you root for this surly little family every step of the way. The cinematography is amazing - I kept marvelling at how much meaning was layered into every shot. (I probably missed some) Granted, frequently it was also layered with manure, but that's fine. :-) And there's so much symbolism you could untangle. Like the lamb. (The lamb is John.)
There have been a lot of comparisons to Brokeback Mountain. A LOT. But I would say that in a sense, it's rather an anti-Brokeback, as if the director had watched that film and gone, "A: That's not what farm life is like. B: Fuck that ending."
For the first part of the film, I would have given it a 3, maybe 3,5. Then it moved solidly into 4. Rewatch may put it higher - I'm sure there's plenty more to untangle.
The Marathon Man
Listen, apologies to William Goldman here. I love The Princess Bride, I really enjoyed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and I think his adapted screenplay for Misery is great too. But this film was just so boring to me. I didn't care about the characters, or the plot, or anything that happened. It took me three tries to get past the first half hour, and even on the third I kept losing concentration.
Possibly I would have felt differently if I'd seen it in the cinema, or back in the 70s when these ideas were relatively fresh, or if Nazi conspiracy thrillers were even remotely my genre in the first place. As it is, I'll be putting the DVD in my giveaway pile, and I hope whoever gets it next enjoys this film more than I did.
Thelma
I saw Thelma a couple of days ago, and I still haven't decided what I think about it. It's a Norwegian paranormal thriller about a young university student who starts getting seizures during which strange things happen.
I found it definitely effective - the acting is convincing, the storytelling mesmerizing, and I was easily drawn into the story.
And of course, the comparisons to Carrie come unbidden. Now, I've only read the book version of Carrie, which is good, but I do consider this film more nuanced, more down to earth in its characterisation despite its subject matter and its sometimes hallucinogenic qualities.
It may be a bit odd to say that a film in this genre hits too close to home, but it did, at times, hit a little too close to home. Which may be part of both what I like about it and what makes me push back against it.
I'm not entirely sure it holds up to fridge logic. There are some scenes that are suspenseful while they happen, but that don't fit with the way Thelma's powers are explained later on, and rather seem to have been added as general horror effects.
I loved that the film had a lesbian romance, but it does get complicated when sexuality gets symbolically conflated with supernatural powers. Homophobia is essentially baseless; people being gay isn't going to harm you. In contrast, Thelma's powers are in fact dangerous, and it leaves me uncertain what to think about the ending. IF she has learned to control them, and IF everything we see is genuine, then it's a happy ending. If she hasn't, or it isn't... then that's pretty unsettling.
Then again, that might be a feature, not a bug. So, yeah. Not sure how to feel. The fact that I'm still thinking about it two days later is a mark in this film's favour.
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
It was a sweet, charming film with an engaging central trio, which provided a nice extra layer to Wonder Woman's story.
The secondary characters were rather flat, and not all scenes were entirely believable. Nor am I sure I buy the psychological reasoning. But it all fit well together into the style of the movie, so I don't complain too much.
Plus, it's refreshing to see a queer themed film where (spoilers!) the straight man is the one to die. I mean, I cried. It was sad. But still refreshing.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Normally when I don't enjoy a film much, I have a pretty good idea why. With TLJ, I can't find any fatal flaws. It just didn't grip me, at all. I didn't feel happy, sad, worried, angry, or anything else - for all intents and purposes, I could have read the summary on wikipedia and got the same effect. And I have no idea if that's on the film, or on me. Maybe I was just in a weird mood. But I always rank films according to enjoyment, so there you have it.
There are some bits that I do give a plus or a minus, though.
Plus:
- More good parts for women.
- Thwarting expectations on Rey's parentage.
- Adding some nuances to the Jedi (even if they were nuances the fans had found long before).
- The discussion of war profiteers.
- Rose is a nice addition to the cast (even if I don't buy that romance).
Minus:
- Separating the main trio for almost the entire film.
- Rey's and Luke's scenes largely felt like treading water until they could make it back at the last minute.
- Poe's and Holdo's scenes made them both look like fools who should just sit down over some caf and talk this out.
- The porgs were completely pointless outside their ability to sell toys. (The ewoks are wonders of narrative necessity in comparison.)
- Pretty much all the jokes.
- After the wonderful clarity of the retro action scenes in The Force Awakens, we're back to the standard “lots of explosions and killing random extras” that bore me in every modern adventure movie.
Crooked House
This family drama with its delightfully dark ending is one of my favourite Christie novels, and the film almost lives up to it. The stifling, claustrophobic atmosphere comes through in the beautiful sets and music, and the performances are enjoyable. Sure, the characterisation is sometimes a bit thin, but that's hard to avoid with Christie, where there usually aren't that many nuances to work with in the first place, and those that exist are mostly in narration.
The Road Within
This film is entirely predictable. By ten minutes, you know most of what will happen for the rest of the story; by half an hour, the rest is equally obvious. It's maudlin and phony, and as is often the case when non-disabled actors play disabled roles, more energy is spent playing the disability than the character.
Still. It's to Robert Sheehan's credit that he's got enough energy left afterwards to hand in a gripping performance. Dev Patel and Zoe Kravitz are almost as good, and the three of them have some nice chemistry that made me want to see them interact after all. If they do another film together, I'd want to see that too - just preferably with a different script writer and director.
Call Me By Your Name
This is aesthetically very pleasing, a film of atmosphere rather than plot, slow, but too fascinating for that to matter much.
It's unusual in that so little is conveyed through the dialogue. Rather, volumes are being told visually while the characters often prattle on about insignificant things, which means I had to pay close attention to the screen.
As gay romances of 2017 go, I think God's Own Country still has the edge, but it's a close call - and not really fair, since they're so stylistically different.
Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time
Doctor Who didn't quite charm my socks off to the same degree that it did last year, but that's a personal preference, and it was certainly charming enough! I laughed a lot, and teared up in a couple of places, though I didn't full-on cry.
I loved the return to the old Moffat trope of villains that aren't villains, and I loved seeing a bunch of old friends again, as well as some new ones. It was a worthy sendoff for Capaldi and Moffat both, to be sure.
This entry was originally posted at https://katta.dreamwidth.org/642389.html and has
comments there.