Gen Z Frenzy

Movie: Bodies Bodies Bodies

Mild spoilers, but nothing big spoiled in this review

Directed by Halina Reijin, written by Sarah DeLappe, and based on the story by Kristen Roupenian (the woman who wrote the infamous "Cat Person" short story, and also wrote a delightfully fucked up short story collection You Know You Want This), Bodies Bodies Bodies is one of the best movies I've seen so far in 2022. It's hilarious, it's tense, it pokes fun of Gen Z but not in a cringey way. It also pokes fun at rich people (always a cool thing to do) and the human condition in general.

A group of friends in their early 20s gather at what can only be described as a "mansion" for a hurricane party. The mansion belongs to David's (Pete Davidson) father. In addition to David, there is David's girlfriend, Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), Jordan (Myha'la Herrold), Alice (Rachel Sennott), and 40-something Greg (Lee Pace), a guy Alice met on Tinder a few weeks ago. Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) also shows up with her girlfriend of 6 weeks, Bee (Maria Bakalova). Very quickly, we learn that Sophie is the "prodigal friend"--she went to rehab and dropped off the face of the earth. She did not tell anyone she planned to come to this party and certainly didn't tell anyone she was bringing a girlfriend.

Part of the fun of this film is figuring out the friend dynamics at play here. In addition to the drama around Sophie, David and Emma have serious drama since a friend who is not present, Max, confessed his love for Emma in front of David. David also doesn't like Greg and feels threatened by Greg's "coolness" (how cool is a guy in his 40s hanging out with a bunch of barely legal adults anyway?) and looks. Right from the get-go the audience is aware of seething resentments, ever-shifting rivalries, and snark dressed up as humor. 

After doing a million shots and recording some TikTok dances (Gen Z!), the group decides to play Bodies Bodies Bodies, more commonly known as Mafia or Werewolf. They draw slips of paper and the one who gets the paper with a marking on it is the killer. They turn off the lights and the killer touches people on the back to "kill" them, and every time someone finds a body, the group gathers together and tries to decide who the killer is. Within one round of the game, people are crying and accusing others of "gaslighting" them (Gen Z!).

I won't spoil who it is, but you can probably guess that during the course of events, someone actually dies. Unfortunately, the power has gone out, including the WiFi, so they can't call 911. The one car available to the group has a dead battery and, besides, they're in the middle of a damn hurricane. So they gather back inside, terrified that the killer might still be among them...and predictably descend into paranoia and accusations.

Bodies Bodies Bodies combines the classic "locked room mystery" genre with the age-old trope of "people in a desperate situation turn on each other instantly" and adds the more modern phenomenon of using the language of mental health and abuse to accuse others and to excuse one's own bad behavior. This is made obvious in the trailer for the movie with scenes of the friends accusing each other of "being toxic", "triggering me", "gaslighting me", etc. I saw this movie with a friend of mine (also a Millennial) who teaches college students and confirms that there is a bit of a trend of younger people using mental health as an excuse to refuse to hear constructive feedback.

I just want to pause for a moment and say that this is not just a Gen Z thing and, as we know, the idea of generations being solid, distinct groups of people who behave in distinct and similar ways is not accurate. The trend of using the language of mental illness and abuse as a way of avoiding owning one's own bullshit is really just the most recent trend in human beings being assholes. Humans have always been assholes just trying to weasel their way out of consequences and avoid anything that might deflate their egos the tiniest bit. 

So, Bodies Bodies Bodies is making a little bit of fun at Gen Z's expense, but really it's mostly making fun of selfish, self-centered people who have never had to face significant consequences for their actions, mostly because they're all very rich. The other thing I like about this movie is that they immediately call each other out when they do this. So Emma accuses David of "gaslighting" her and David responds by telling her that the term "gaslighting" is so overused as to be meaningless. Later, when someone calls someone else a "psychopath" and another person says "that's so ableist", the first person sharply retorts "fuck off and die", earning a belly laugh from me. The absurdity of (highly questionable) accusations of ableism in a life or death situation or using a term like "triggering" when one literally has a weapon in one's face is part of the humor of Bodies Bodies Bodies. 

And even though the first half of the movie is much funnier than the second half, the humor remains throughout the film and even in its darkest moments. Likewise, the film manages to be incredibly tense and high stakes, especially for a comedy. 

Bodies Bodies Bodies will be especially fun for people who don't mind "unlikeable" characters and very dark humor. This is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't want you to either. Perhaps it's the Millennial in me who enjoys finding the humor in nihilism--I mean, people are so absurd, you just gotta laugh sometimes, right?

Filled with really good acting, tons of laughs, and nail-biting tension, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a must-see. 

Grade: A-

Ranking All the A24 Films I've Seen

In anticipation of seeing Bodies Bodies Bodies tonight (review to come soon), I decided to rank all the A24 films I've seen! Instead of ranking them from best to worst, I'm ranking them by tier and there are five tiers: Best of the Best, Very Good/Enjoyable, Not Bad Not Great, Meh, and Worst of the Worst. Since I've seen 44 films and I don't want this blog post to be forever long, I'll just give a 2-3 sentence impression of my thoughts about each movie.

What are your favorites and least favorites from A24?

***

Best of the Best

Green Room--Tight, thrilling movie where a punk band faces off against Neo-Nazis after witnessing a murder. I could watch this one over and over.

The Lobster--If Wes Anderson directed a horror movie. People are not allowed to be single/unpartnered and will be changed into an animal if they fail to find a mate.

Lady Bird--Coming of age film set in 2002-2003, which means that I am basically the same age as Christine "Lady Bird" MacPherson. Very relatable, funny, and bittersweet.

First Reformed--An alcoholic pastor discovers a new fire in his belly after a troubling interaction with an environmental activist. Hauntingly beautiful.

Hereditary--Painfully intense horror movie with a shocking twist. This is the movie that made people start to pay attention to A24.

Midsommar--My favorite A24 film, hands down. Impeccable film--beautifully shot, brilliantly acted, surprisingly funny, with a "good for her/uh-oh for her" ending. 

The Lighthouse--Two lighthouse keepers descend into insanity. The definition of folie a deux. 

***

Very Good/Enjoyable

Tusk--A man gets surgically altered into a walrus. Yeah, you read that right.

Room--No, not The Room! A woman is kidnapped and kept for years in her captor's soundproof shed. Can she escape for her young son's sake?

The VVitch--Set in 1630s New England, a Puritan family has a witch hunt of their own. Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?

Moonlight--Gorgeously shot coming of age film that follows a Black boy through three stages of his life. Heart-wrenching, beautiful.

The Disaster Artist--The story about the making of the film The Room (no, not Room!). What happens where a man with a mysterious past, zero taste, and seemingly endless funds decides to make his dream project come to life?

The Florida Project--Warts and all portrayal of the lives of children living in a motel in Florida. At times funny, at times cringey, it has been criticized for being "poverty porn", even though it evokes much empathy in viewers (or should).

The Blackcoat's Daughter--A young woman at a boarding school falls under the spell of something sinister. This is a deeply depressing movie.

Gloria Bell--One of those instances where a director remakes his own film, but in another language. Gloria Bell is a vibrant woman in her 50s who falls for a seemingly nice man. 

In Fabric--A dress magically fits everyone who wears it. But unlike the sisterhood of the traveling pants, this dress kills people. A funny, incredibly strange horror films by one of my favorite directors.

Uncut Gems--More like Uncut Anxiety. A jeweler with a gambling addiction attempts to pay his debts before they catch up to him.

Saint Maud--A young woman's religious fervor is her undoing. The final image will haunt you forever.

Zola--Based on a Twitter thread. A young woman travels with a new friend on a "hoe trip". Things don't go as planned.

The Green Knight--A medieval knight seeks a shortcut to honor and glory, but will he lose his head in the process?

X--An adult film crew attempt to secretly film a porno at the rural bed and breakfast they're staying at. Will the old farmer who owns the place and his wife fuck them up before they can get to the fucking?

Everything Everywhere All at Once--A woman mourns for all the lives she could have had, but realizes that she's right where she needs to be.

Men--Men...they're all the same, am I right ladies? 

***

Not Great, Not Bad

While We're Young--Gen Xers and Millennials fight. The Boomers win.

Slow West--It takes place in the American West, but I don't remember much else.

20th Century Women--Three generations of feminists and one teenage boy. Hijinks ensue.

It Comes at Night--You think it's going to be a zombie movie, but the real monster are the friends we made along the way.

Under the Silver Lake--A young man searches for a neighbor who goes missing and meets many, many strange people in this wacky neo-noir.

False Positive--Pregnancy brain makes you crazy...or maybe they really *are* out to get you?!

Lamb--A couple decides to raise an unusual lamb as their own child. But what happens when the lamb's parents want her back?

***

Meh

The Bling Ring--Rich chicks steal shit from other rich chicks.

Enemy--The ending of this one is just fuckin' weird.

Under the Skin--A beautiful alien seduces men. Like the alien, the movie is beautiful, cold, and empty.

Locke--A man has a conversation as he drives. That's it, that's the movie.

Obvious Child--A woman has a one-night stand that ends in abortion...and maybe love?

Ex Machina--A man is hired to have conversations with a sexy lady robot. Will he forget that she's not human?

Climax--Dancers dance, the punch gets spiked, people go crazy. Very frenetic film--don't watch if you get nauseous easily.

The Hole in the Ground--A young boy discovers an enormous hole in his backyard and comes back...different...after exploring it.

A Ghost Story--Casey Affleck is dead and he walks around with a sheet over his head the whole movie. I'm not even kidding. Also a woman eats a whole pie in one take.

High Life--Pretentious, boring. Criminals in space being used for tests. There's a room in the spaceship called the "Fuck Box". 

The Last Black Man in San Francisco--Didn't hate this one, just felt "meh" about it. A man tries to reclaim the house he grew up in.

***

The Worst of the Worst

Life After Beth--I don't remember anything about this movie except Aubrey Plaza is undead and it was boring.

Swiss Army Man--Daniel Radcliffe plays a farting corpse, which seems like something I'd be into, but this movie made me actively angry. Manic Pixie Dream Corpse.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer--More like the killing of two hours of my life I can't get back. INSANELY pretentious and awful. 

The Souvenir--There is a man in this movie who is the WORST and the only good part of the movie is when he dies.

***

That's all I got for you! There are still a ton more A24 movies I need to see. Feel free to recommend some to me!

Moments in Time

A few weeks ago, I watched a mini-series called The Good Lord Bird, which stars Ethan Hawke as abolitionist John Brown. Even though Hawke looks like a batshit insane old man in that show, it sparked an interest/horniness in me re: Ethan Hawke. I've seen a lot of his movies over the years, but never really appreciated him. Also, he was (is?) kind of a dick--he cheated on Uma Thurman and then apparently gossiped negatively about her afterward in some very public ways. So, I pretty much ignored his existence...until now. 

I decided to watch some of Hawke's other movies, and I found myself revisiting Richard Linklater's transcendent "Before Trilogy". These three films: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight follow the relationship between Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) over the course of 18 years. To say that the films are, collectively, one of the greatest love stories ever committed to film, is not quite right. There is something bigger, grander, and more existential than a "love story" here. These films are about the passage of time and about the struggle to not regret choices made and not made. But...it's a pretty great love story too.

The film is Before Sunrise, the time is the mid-1990s, the place is Vienna. Jesse and Celine, both in their early 20s, meet on a train traveling through Europe. They strike up a conversation and when Jesse reaches his stop in Vienna, he invites Celine (who is headed for Paris) to get off the train with him and spend the night walking around the city. Jesse has a plane to catch to take him back to America in the morning and since he doesn't have the money for a hotel room, his plan was to just wander around all night. Celine agrees and they spend all night talking and drinking and falling in love.

The chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy is B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Everything about it is so natural and unforced. They keep looking at each other when the other isn't looking. It's obvious that Jesse is smitten with Celine from the first moment he sees her, but Celine is more skeptical and cautious about Jesse (a dynamic that continues into the second and third films). Hawke plays Jesse as, like, 10-20% a creep. He sometimes tries to steer the conversation towards sex, he looks at Celine like he wants to eat her--that kind of thing. But because he's charming and, frankly, hot, it doesn't come off as too creepy. But it's just enough to help us understand why Celine would be a little skeptical. 

Director Linklater co-wrote Before Sunrise with a female screenwriter, Kim Krizan, in a conscious attempt to make sure the film felt equal between the sexes and it really is a very egalitarian film. Both Jesse and Celine have flaws and quirks. They come together in a beautiful way where neither one pushes the other too quickly. Linklater continued this approach with Before Sunset and Before Midnight, which are both co-written by Delpy and Hawke. Heck, the movies even incorporate some details about Hawke and Delpy's real lives, such as their star signs. This teamwork really gives each film a sense of intimacy and realism you don't often see in romance movies. 

After a night of possible lovemaking in a park (the movie is ambiguous about whether or not they have sex), Jesse and Celine part ways at the train station and promise to meet again at that very platform in 6 months...

...cut to 9 years later. The film is Before Sunset, the time period is early 2000s (post 9/11), the place is Paris. Jesse is married with a son and is a successful author. He is on tour for his bestselling novel This Time, which is inspired by his night with Celine. During his final book signing in Paris, literally an hour before he has to leave for the airport, he spots Celine watching him. She sought him out, knowing he would be in town. She, too, is in a relationship.

Since Jesse has an hour or so to kill before heading to the airport, the two walk to a cafe and talk about their lives. The film, which is 80 minutes long, takes place in real time. The more they talk, the more they open up to each other about how much they regret not meeting again at that train platform in Vienna six months after the night they met. Turns out, Celine's grandmother died and the funeral was on the very day they were supposed to meet. At first Jesse says it's not big deal because he didn't show up either...but soon confesses that he did indeed fly from America to Vienna to meet Celine...only for her to not show up. And since they didn't exchange phone numbers or even last names, there was no way to get in touch.

These confessions culminate in a scene in car where both Jesse and Celine reveal that they are not happy in their relationships. It's both cheesy how much they romanticize the other, but also gut-wrenching. The "Before" trilogy does an amazing job of capturing the ridiculous ideas we humans have about relationships (e.g. that soulmates exist, that in a happy relationship nothing will ever go wrong, etc), but also showing how those "ridiculous" ideas can tear us apart and cause genuine pain.

Before Sunset has an ending to make your knees weak: Celine and Jesse go up to Celine's apartment and she makes tea for him and he puts on a Nina Simone record. As she dances to the music, Celine says "Maybe you are gonna miss that plane" and Jesse says "I know"...

...cut to 9 years later. The film is Before Midnight, the time period is 2013, the place is southern Greece. Celine and Jesse have been together for years and have twin daughters. It's their last day of vacation in Greece before they travel back to Paris. Jesse puts Hank, his 13 year old son from his previous marriage, on a plane back to Chicago, where Hank lives with his mother. It's clear Jesse hates that he can't be closer to his son, especially since it will only be a few more years before Hank is grown up and at college. 

Jesse and Celine are living the life of a married couple--squabbling, reminding each other about small chores and daily life maintenance. Even on vacation, they find it hard to relax--Celine especially since she's considering a career change and feels that Jesse is subtly pressuring her to move the family to Chicago. After a meal with their friends, Celine and Jesse walk to a hotel--they've been gifted a room for the night away from the group they are vacationing with and, crucially, their kids. 

As things start to get sexy, Hank calls Celine (whom he opens up to more than his own father) just to let her know he's landed in Chicago, which leads to an argument between Jesse and Celine. The argument snowballs into a list of resentments the couple doesn't hesitate to air to one another. But unlike many movies in which couples argue, there is still a sense of love and respect between the two lovers. Again, it's obvious that Jesse is 100% crazy about Celine and always has been, where Celine seems resentful and angry at Jesse. However, her resentments are legitimate and understandable--especially to anyone who is a mother. It would be easy to see Celine as the "bad guy", but having watched these movies, we know that Jesse is no walk in the park either (even though they did, in fact, walk--and fuck--in a park). 

By the end of the film, the two make up tentatively. One wonders whether they'll "make it" or if they will be split up by the next time we check in on them (which, sadly, might not happen...especially since 2022 is 9 years since the last film. I feel like that window of opportunity is closed). I like to believe that they'll make it work, but that's the romantic in me. I have to wonder if the combination of their passionate first meeting and the agony of their years apart followed by their *extremely* passionate reuniting (they mention in Before Midnight that after Jesse missed the plane in Before Sunset, the two had sex for a week straight and never left the apartment) created enough momentum to push them together for a lifetime. Or, alternatively, if the passion and longing of the first 9 years only served to make the second 9 years pale in comparison. I guess it all depends on your perspective.

A review of the trilogy I watched said that Before Sunrise is about "what could be", Before Sunset is about "what should be/should have been" and Before Midnight is about "what actually is". At the climax of their fight in Before Midnight, Celine tells Jesse she doesn't love him anymore. But later, Jesse tells her "if you want true love, this is it. It's not perfect, but it's real." The mature among us know that love isn't just a feeling--it's an action. But the romantic among us know that the feeling of love is, well, kind of important. You can be completely devoted to someone, but if you feel nothing--or worse, feel contempt--for them, your relationship is dead in the water. Actions be damned. 

Taken together, the Before trilogy is a beautiful meditation on time--how it's both short and long--and on how we change and don't change throughout our lives. It's also about relationships and both the power that love has, but also the power that love doesn't have. The films offer no easy answers about love or how to avoid having regrets...and I think that's what makes the trilogy so good. Time, change, and love are concepts that don't have easy answers. The Before trilogy is honest enough to face that fact, but gentle enough to show that maybe it doesn't matter if we ever figure out the answers. Maybe just embracing the moment and embracing love is enough. Perhaps, in the end, it doesn't matter if Jesse and Celine stay together or break up: the fact that they loved and were loved is all that matters.

Before Sunrise: A+

Before Sunset: A

Before Midnight: A

Stuff I watched in...July, 2022, pt. 2

Thor: Love and Thunder

I'm not a huge superhero movie person, and honestly, keeping up with Marvel is exhausting. I would have never seen Thor: Love and Thunder, if it wasn't for my friend who asked me and a bunch of other friends to see this movie with her for her birthday.

And you know what? It's wasn't bad.

The movie of course has a HUGE assist in director Taika Waititi, who is known for his excellent sense of humor and generous, optimistic outlook on life in his movies and TV shows. That humor and optimistic attitude are present in T:L&T which makes the film pretty enjoyable. It also has a good villain. Gorr, played by Christian Bale, loses his daughter after wandering in a desert, praying for rain. After his daughter dies, Gorr comes across an oasis where he meets his god, Rapu, who it turns out is a dismissive asshole and laughs at Gorr for thinking there will be an eternal reward for his loyalty. Driven into a rage, Gorr becomes the owner of the Necrosword--a sword that is capable of killing gods. Gorr then declares that he will kill all gods.

Dude, Gorr is rad as fuck! Of course, he must be stopped. Ugh. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) gathers a small team of superhumans and regular humans: King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and Thor's own ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman)--to go on a quest to seek the help of Zeus (Russell Crowe) and the other gods of Omnipotence City. But when Zeus and the others basically tell Thor to bugger off. Thor's group steals Zeus' lightning bolt and decide to stop Gorr themselves. 

While they survive? Or will Gorr make it to Eternity will he will be granted one wish (and will presumably wish that all gods die)?

Are you following? Because I sure as fuck wasn't! Look, there's a lot going on here and having not seen any other Thor movies and barely any Marvel movies, I was basically shrugging my shoulders the whole time going "why not?". Luckily, the movie explains everything that's going on. Like, a character will say, "I'm sure Gorr won't make it to Eternity" and another character will say, "what's Eternity?" and then someone will explain what it is and why it will be bad if Gorr makes it there. So even the dum-dums like me can follow along. 

Thor: Love and Thunder is very enjoyable even if you're not a Marvel fan. Chris Hemmy is hot, the movie is funny and pretty gay. There's a lot to love here. 

Grade: B

***

Elvis

Baz Luhrmann's frenetic biopic of Elvis Presley is another movie I wouldn't have watched if it weren't for someone else--in this case, my dad. He and I went to see Elvis and it turned out not to be as bad as I was expecting. Though I love Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet, Baz's later movies started to go down in quality. His adaptation of The Great Gatsby is forgettable, at least to me (and miscast, in my opinion). His style of filmmaking often overshadows the substance of the film.

Sure enough, Elvis is...a lot. Baz uses so many quick cuts, it's enough to give someone a seizure. It's a lot of razzle dazzle, but not a lot of depth. Austin Butler is excellent as Presley and Tom Hanks is just...weird as Presley's leech of a manager, Col. Tom Parker. Despite being buried under about one hundred pounds of makeup, you just can't not see Hanks. At times, Elvis felt more like a parody of a musical biopic than a musical biopic itself, and Hanks as the mysteriously accented, villainous Parker didn't help matters.

Additionally, Elvis indulges in hero-worship. Whenever Presley makes a bad choice, it's someone else's fault (usually Parker's). His descent into drug use is Parker's doing, the fact that he was wooing Priscilla Beaulieu when she was 14 years old is not commented on, poor and unsatisfying career choices are, again, the product of Parker's manipulations. While some of this is understandable, it can't possibly be fully honest. The film suggests that Elvis was a victim, pushed to and fro by the poor choices and forceful decisions of those around him. And I just can't believe that's the whole story.

Overall, Elvis is not the worst movie ever. Again, Butler is excellent. The music is obviously great. But it's not one I'm going to be rewatching anytime soon.

Grade: B-

***

The Black Phone

I was going to skip this horror film, based on a short story by Joe Hill, because it involves a lot of child actors and I'm not crazy about movies and shows with a lot of kids. However, I kept hearing good things about the movie so I went ahead and saw it and was pleasantly surprised. 

The Black Phone takes place in Denver in 1978. The film does not romanticize the late 70s at all. Kids walk to school by themselves. Refreshing, right? No helicopter parents in sight. Well...the kids also regularly beat the absolute shit out of each other. Bullies gang up on weak kids and beat them bloody. And it's not just kids beating up other kids. The main characters, Finney and Gwen Blake (Mason Thomas and Madeline McGraw, both very good child actors), suffer from the mood swings of their alcoholic single father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies). In one scene, Terrence beats Gwen with a belt as she screams and cries with such raw agony that it's enough the make yours guts get all twisted up. This is not a movie for people who can't stand to see children hurt or in danger.

If the stress of living in a world where bullies rule the playground wasn't enough, boys from the neighborhood regularly go missing. Someone known as "The Grabber" is snatching them, and authorities seem to be incompetent and unable to find clues beyond the remnants of black balloons left in locations where the boys were last seen.

Well, Finney is unlucky enough to be approached by The Grabber (Ethan Hawke, his face hidden behind a series of scary masks) and is snatched in broad daylight. He awakens to find himself in a soundproof basement with a disconnected black phone on the wall. As he waits and contemplates what his fate might be, he begins to receive calls from the ghosts of previous victims of The Grabber who give him clues as to how to escape and not fall prey to The Grabber's sick games. Will Finney be able to escape--or fight back--before The Grabber puts him in the ground with the rest of the lost boys?

There's a lot of implausible stuff in this movie, and I don't just mean ghosts calling on a disconnected phone. The Grabber's plans are somewhat messed up when his brother unexpectedly shows up to stay with him. But even with his brother living in the house, The Grabber still tries to play a game where he leaves the basement door unlocked and waits at the top of the stairs with a belt, prepared to beat the "naughty boy" when he comes up the stairs. Although Finney avoids this trap with the help of the ghosts, how would it be possible to beat a screaming child without your brother hearing? The supernatural stuff I can accept, because it's a partially supernatural horror story, but this plot hole with the brother is waaaay too big to be ignored.

But the acting in The Black Phone is so good and the suspense so...well, suspenseful...that I'm willing to overlook some silly shit. The Black Phone is nothing more than an entertaining horror movie (assuming you're entertained by children in danger, like me!), but that's all it needs to be. 

Grade: B+

***

In the Heart of the Sea

Based on the book by Nathaniel Philbrick, In the Heart of the Sea tells the story of the sinking of the whaling ship Essex in 1820. The tragedy of the Essex inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick. In Nantucket in the first half of the 19th century, whaling was big business. Whale oil was used for lighting and men could make their fortunes by hunting the gentle giants. Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) is given a position as First Mate on Essex and is mad about it, as he was promised by the owners of the whaling company that he would be given the position of Captain. But that honor goes to George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), the son of a prominent family in Nantucket. 

The two men clash immediately, especially when Pollard commands that the Essex sail right into a storm, rather than around it, mostly to make a point to Chase and also to "toughen up" the men. His decision nearly sinks the ship. After months at sea and only a few whale kills, the men stop at a port in Ecuador and hear some stories about "Offshore Grounds" 2,000 miles into the Pacific Ocean where whales are bountiful. But they're warned that an enormous white whale is responsible for killing whalers. This whale is described as "vengeful", suggesting that it is more than an animal--it is a monster. 

The men sail 2,000 miles west of Ecudaor and, sure enough, discover plentiful whales in the unhunted grounds. And then they meet the big guy. The huge white whale destroys their ship, forcing them to use small life boats to sail to safety. The men are at sea for three months and end up resorting to cannibalism before they are rescued. 

I watched In the Heart of the Sea on my not very big (and old af) TV. This is the kind of movie that you need to see on a big screen. It's a fine movie, but nothing I'm going to be thinking about or rewatching it. I'd rather watch a whale documentary. 

Grade: B-

***

The Good Lord Bird

This miniseries based on the book by James McBride stars Ethan Hawke as John Brown, a fiery abolitionist and evangelical Christian whose religious convictions encouraged him to kill slave owners and also lead the raid of Harpers Ferry. Hey, I shit on Christians a lot, but sometimes they get it right!

McBride's book is based in factual events, but he created a fictional character--Henry "Onion" Shackleford (played by Joshua Caleb Johnson)--to serve as a witness to the nearly unbelievable events that led to the slave revolt at Harpers Ferry, which in turn led to the beginning of the American Civil War. Onion is the son of a slave whom Brown frees and brings along with him and his loose "army" of abolitionists on their adventures. 

The Good Lord Bird is an interesting show because it's both really funny and deadly serious. Hawke gives the performance of his career as the wild-eyed, bushy-bearded John Brown who endlessly quotes the Bible and, when called insane, spits back that it is the United States that is, in fact, insane. It's easy to say that Brown was on the right side of history, looking back, however we are still fighting for Brown's ideals to this day and most of us will never fight 1/100th as much as Brown did. 

If you've read the history books, you will know that Brown's raid failed. His men overtook the armory at Harpers Ferry, but since they only had a couple dozen men, they were easily overtaken by the United States marines. Brown was arrested, tried for treason, and hanged on December 2nd, 1859. The Good Lord Bird imagines a scene between Brown and Onion in Brown's jail cell the night before his execution which had me tearing up. 

Frankly, I'm surprised there aren't more movies or shows about John Brown, a rare freedom fighter who didn't hesitate to put his life on the line for the freedom of others. Was John Brown insane? He must have been to some extent--how can someone show so little fear in the face of certain death? But as he points out in the series, in a country that sells human children for profit, perhaps he is "the sanest man you've ever met". I highly recommend this show, especially if you want a little fire put in your belly and a reminder that our bravery and our choices can long outlive us.

Grade: A

Out of this World

Movies: Nope

General spoiler warning for this blog entry

Jordan Peele may have shot himself in the foot by setting the bar so dang high with his first film, Get Out. Get Out is such a great, culturally important, nearly *impeccable* movie that whenever a new film of his comes out, much of the conversation is about how it stacks up to his first. 

At the same time, having seen Get Out, Us, and Nope...I gotta say...the man just keeps making EXCELLENT movies! Yes, I could rank them in order of my personal favorites, but even my least favorite Peele movie is leagues above the majority of movies I watch, period.

After months of waiting with bated breath, I finally saw Nope. And, although it has a few flaws, it's a beautifully shot, genuinely scary film. There were some scenes in Nope that made me feel a visceral terror I don't often feel in horror movies. Not a "jump scare" type horror, but an Eldritch horror. 

Nope follows siblings OJ and Em Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer), who inherit their family's ranch after their father, Otis Sr. (Keith David), dies when a coin falls out of the sky and through his eye socket. The Haywood Ranch specifically trains horses for Hollywood films and apparently the financials aren't doing so hot. OJ rents out horses to Ricky "Jupe" Park (Steven Yeun), a former childhood star who now runs a ranch-themed amusement park called "Jupiter's Claim". 

Jupe has an entire subplot which at first seems disconnected to the larger plot, but upon closer inspection fits right in with the themes of the film. When Jupe was a child actor, he starred on a TV show called Gordy's Home, which was about a family that adopts a pet chimpanzee, Gordy. One day while filming an episode, the chimp who played Gordy loses control when some balloons burst on set, causing the chimp to react violently and kill/maim several cast members. Jupe was unharmed and the chimp was shot. We see a flashback to this scene and it is absolutely terrifying. 

Meanwhile, in present day, OJ sees what appears to be a UFO hiding among the clouds above the Haywood Ranch. Once Em sees the mysterious object, she insists that they invest in a bunch of high-end cameras to get "the Oprah shot" so they can make a ton of money by proving that UFOs are real.

...But it's not a UFO. Turns out, the mysterious object is no object at all...it IS the alien. And it's hungry.

In one of the best scenes of the film, Jupe hosts a special event where he plans to sacrifice a horse to the alien in front of a crowd--a crowd that includes his wife and children. Instead of simply sucking up the horse, the alien sucks up the entire crowd and we even see the people trapped in the alien's gullet, shrieking with fear. This was the primal, Eldritch horror I was talking about. 

When Em and OJ realize that they are unable to use regular cameras to capture video of the alien because electricity shuts down when the alien is near, they hire an acclaimed cinematographer, Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott), who--sure enough--has a non-electrical camera. Additionally, Angel (Brandon Perea), the electronics salesman who sold them the cameras (which ended up not working) is along for the ride to try to film the alien. 

My biggest issue with Nope is that the final third of the movie drags quite a bit. Even with the excitement of these people trying to film the alien without being sucked up and eaten (OJ theorizes that if you don't look at the alien, it won't hurt you...but that's kind of hard to do when you're trying to take a picture of it), the last part of the movie feels slow and repetitive. Although I do plan to see Nope a second time in the theatre (it really does benefit from being seen on a big screen), I don't think I will rewatch it as often as I rewatch Get Out, which feels like a very "easy to rewatch" movie--the pacing is better, the acting is a little better, it's just "sharper". Nope definitely has some bloat.

What I loved about Nope was how scary it was on multiple levels. It has traditional "jump scares" that absolutely scared the shit out of everyone in the theatre, plus the "Eldritch horror" stuff. The alien itself is so utterly massive that you feel this sense of awe when the camera pans up. The being resembles a huge, terrifying sea creature--like a stingray--but in the sky. It feels so wrong. It gives me the willies just thinking about it! Plus there's the whole Gordy subplot which manages to be utterly terrifying without excessive gore. 

How does Gordy the chimp relate to Jean Jacket the alien (Em and OJ nickname the alien Jean Jacket after one of their horses growing up)? Well, Nope is about a lot of things, and one of those things is exploitation of animals for human entertainment. The Gordy incident is based on a real life incident where a chimp attacked a woman. Humans attempting to domesticate potentially violent non-human animals as pets, exploiting them for financial gain, or just generally using them is par for the course for most of human history. Peele seems to be making a statement about how Hollywood specifically exploits animals without giving those animals the proper respect they deserve. In one of the first scenes of the movie, OJ takes Lucky the horse to the set of a commercial and snobby Hollywood types ignore his warnings to give the horse space and it eventually rears up and kicks. Luckily (heh), no one is hurt--but OJ is blamed for not "controlling" the horse.

Likewise, OJ is the only person in the movie who makes any attempt to understand the alien and learn how to keep himself safe and alive in its presence. The rest of the characters--Jupe, Antlers, and Em in particular--are straight up foolish when it comes to the alien. All they care about is the money or fame to be gained and they don't even consider that the alien might fucking kill them. 

Nope is also about spectacle and how we, as a society, not only go to dangerous lengths to get that "perfect shot" or make a video that will go viral, we also turn other people's pain and tragedy into entertainment. Jupe's character is a truly interesting one. He was a child actor who experienced a life-changing tragic event first hand. Now he's basically washed up and lets people pay him money to be around memorabilia from Gordy's Home. Hollywood exploited him, too, and now he exploits his own painful memories for monetary gain. He also plans to exploit this alien being for money and fame without thinking about the deadly consequences. It's Gordy all over again.

To sum up: Nope is an ambitious, imperfect film. It's trying to squeeze a lot into one movie, and still feels overly long. But the cinematography is gorgeous, the monster is truly terrifying, and the movie just feels epic. It's also original, which given the never-ending churn of Marvel movies, remakes, reboots, etc, is something rare and special. Especially for a summer blockbuster. I definitely recommend it and am further convinced that Peele is one of the best and most original filmmakers working today.

Grade: A-

Multiverse of Gladness

Movies: Everything Everywhere All at Once

General spoiler warning for this blog post.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (a directing duo that goes by the name "Daniels") last directed a film I found pretentious and offensively silly, Swiss Army Man, which is more colloquially known as "that movie where Daniel Radcliffe plays a farting corpse". I REALLY didn't like Swiss Army Man, so when I heard that Daniels had another movie in production, I was skeptical.

However, Everything Everywhere All at Once (EEAAO) struck like a bolt of lightning. Both critics and audience members were praising this movie to the rafters. Too bad I broke my leg right when it came out! But I finally rented the film and am happy to report that EEAAO is as good as everyone says it is. The film is funny, yet heartbreaking, overwhelming, yet simple. It's definitely a movie that I'm going to have to see more than once because it is so jam-packed with details, I surely missed something the first time around.

Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a first generation Chinese-American who owns a laundromat. She has a loving, yet goofy husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan--returning to acting after 20 years!!), and a lesbian daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu) whom she alienates by, well, basically being a Chinese mom. Evelyn herself was alienated by her own severely critical father, Gong Gong (James Hong), who is visiting the Evelyn's family in America for the first time in years.

On top of family stress, Evelyn is being audited for possible tax fraud. Her papers and receipts are a total mess and she has a history of writing off her hobbies as business expenses. But as she and Waymond are headed to see Deidre (Jamie Lee Curtis), an IRS inspector, something happens. Waymond appears to completely change personalities and tells Evelyn to do a series of strange things (put her shoes on the wrong feet, imagine being in a janitor's closest) and then press the button on a headset he gives her. Even though Evelyn is confused, she follows Waymond's instructions and finds herself transported into a parallel universe. 

In this universe, Waymond--who is actually Waymond from another universe--explains to Evelyn that there are an infinite number of universes. Every time we make a decision, no matter how small, an alternate universe is created. In the universe this version of Waymond is from, people have learned how to jump from universe to universe (it requires doing something strange and unexpected to create a "jumping pad"--hence, putting the shoes on the wrong feet). This version of Waymond--Alpha Waymond--has been searching for a version of Evelyn who can defeat Jobu Tupaki, a young woman whose mind was broken after universe-jumping too much and became able to see, well, everything everywhere all at once. Because of this, Jobu can no longer experience a single moment of peace and quiet. So she wants to destroy all the universes. Also, Jobu is a version of Joy, Evelyn's daughter.

At first, Evelyn is incredulous. When she begins to experience different possible versions of herself, she realizes that in each version she has a special skill: in one version, she is much like the real Michelle Yeoh--a marital arts expert and movie star. In another version, she is a hibachi chef. But in the "regular" version of her life, she has nothing but unfulfilled potential. Something that she blames Waymond for, since in most universes where she doesn't marry him, she achieves great things. 

But Waymond convinces her that the "worst" version of herself is the only version that can stop Jobu Tupaki from destroying the multiverse. Because she has unfulfilled potential, she has *unlimited* potential. And with the tools from Alpha Waymond's universe, she can slip into the skin of any other version of Evelyn and use that version's skills to fight Jobu.

Hahaha, are you still following? Even though EEAAO is admittedly chaotic, I found it pretty easy to understand the basics. The film, to me at least, is less about the scientific aspects of how all of this is possible, and more about the philosophy and spiritually behind the idea of multiverses. Who among us hasn't wondered "What if I had gone to a different college? Married a different person? Had kids? Never had kids? Moved to Albuquerque? Taken up the oboe?" Our decisions in life, especially when we're young, feel endless. And as we get older, we become more aware that our choices are drying up. Our time is running out. It's enough to make some people suicidal. I'm serious. There was an author named Mark Fisher who wrote a book called The Ghosts of Myself, which delves into the concept of "hauntology"--the idea that our own poor choices and unfulfilled potential will haunt us until we die. And in Fisher's case, death came by his own hand.

This is some serious shit. Being haunted by what "could have been" is a real thing. Especially if you can clearly see mistakes you made along the way. But the Daniels take this idea and mold it into something beautiful. By the end of the movie, Evelyn comes to see things differently. Because of the love and optimism of her husband, Evelyn gathers the courage to accept her daughter just as she is. In doing so, she breaks the chain of critical parent-child relationships passed down to her from her father. She tells Gong Gong, "I no longer care whether or not you are proud of me, because I am proud of myself." And she tells Joy that even though she could be anywhere else, she will choose to be "right here with you" every time. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once is a movie about choosing life, warts and all. It's about mindfulness and being present in the moment with the ones you love because, whether you like it or not, you're here. The option is to keep moving, keep loving, or die. EEAAO is deliriously optimistic, yet not at all saccharine. It's an especially timely film given that we're "living in the worst timeline" (or so it seems sometimes!). 

Is it a little cliche for a movie's thesis to be "love conquers all"? Sure. But the idea that love is the most important thing in life, though cliche, is true. The fact is, love can't save us from cancer. It can't save us from a military takeover. It can't save us from heartbreak. But still, there is something about the human desire and capacity to connect that persists even in the absolute worst times. Love fuels hope, and hope fuels love. And even if--well, when--we die...if we've loved, then we've lived well. 

There's a lot more I could say on that topic, but I'll hold off for now and just say--go see Everything Everywhere All at Once. It lives up to the hype, and is an important movie for these hard times.

Grade: A-

Stuff I watched in...July 2022, pt. 1

We're All Going to the World's Fair

Jane Schoenbrun's slow burn horror film is a little too slow burning. The film follows teenager Casey (Anna Cobb in her film debut) as she records and uploads videos of herself after taking "The World's Fair Challenge"--an internet phenomena where people, after ritualistically declaring their intention to take the challenge, document changes happening to their bodies. 

We're All Going to the World's Fair is not scary, nor is it gross. It's actually quite boring. It's a movie that's more about loneliness and isolation in an age when we're (supposedly) more connected than ever, given how big of an audience we can reach via the internet. But despite that larger message, I didn't find it particularly profound or deep either. 

Casey begins communicating with a man who goes by the name JLB and expresses concern for her, but never shows his face. The scariest part of this film was wondering if this guy is a predator. But ultimately, he's just a very lonely man who assuages his loneliness by becoming invested in strangers' lives. 

Despite the very naturalistic performance by Anna Cobb, who looks like and acts like a real teenager (because she is!), We're All Going to the World's Fair was just too slow with too little plot for me. 

Grade: C+

***

Flux Gourmet

Peter Strickland is one of my favorite directors. His films feel like adult fairytales--filled with sex, violence, and a general sense of otherworldliness. His latest is Flux Gourmet, which follows a group of "sonic caterers"--basically, an art collective whose art comes from making sounds by using food. The collective is composed of Elle di Elle (Fatma Mohamed), Lamina Propria (Ariane Labed), and Billy Rubin (Asa Butterfield). They accept a residency at an artistic institute where they are expected to create art and perform on a regular basis. They are followed by a journalist, Stones (Makis Papadimitriou), who documents everything they do and even sleeps in their quarters.

Elle is the dominant and narcissistic leader of the group, and whatever she says goes. She clashes with Jan Stevens (Gwendoline Christie), the director of the residency. Meanwhile, Stones is dealing with severe stomach problems that make him incredibly gassy and terrified of farting in front of all these glamorous art people and embarrassing himself. 

Despite the bizarre premise, Flux Gourmet is Strickland's funniest and most accessible film to date. It lampoons the art world while also showcasing the genuine beauty of the art itself. Strickland clearly has a thing for strange sounds, as one of his earlier films, Berberian Sound Studio, is about a foley artist who often uses--you guessed it--food to create sounds for films. In fact, Flux Gourmet may be lampooning Strickland's own art. His films are bizarre, could be considered pretentious, and often have ridiculous premises...yet, they are filmed with gorgeous cinematography, have striking soundtracks, and are very interesting and appealing in spite of (or maybe because of) their weirdness. 

If you haven't seen anything by Peter Strickland, I recommend starting with my favorite of his films, The Duke of Burgundy. But really all of his movies are worth checking out. 

Grade: B+

***

The Hunt

Ah, the infamous The Hunt. This is the movie where liberals hunt down conservatives and the marketing tried to milk the supposed "controversy" surrounding it. It turns out there is nothing particularly controversial about this movie except for the fact that it tries to "both sides" it where it should have fully embraced the concept of liberals murdering conservatives (not a new idea, by the way: 1995's The Last Supper had a similar conceit). I guess if I want to watch a film that says "it's fully ok to punch Nazis", I'll watch a WWII movie. 

Despite the very silly "liberals and conservatives are equally bad" whataboutism of the film, The Hunt is actually pretty fun and entertaining film. A group of very rich, privileged liberals (to be clear: NEOliberals...these assholes are all for sucking capitalism's dick) lose their jobs when a joke they make about hunting conservatives in a private group chat is leaked. So they decide to...actually hunt conservatives.

But one of the people they kidnap fights back, and fights back hard. Where most of the MAGAts die pretty quickly after they wake up from the cocktail of drugs they're given, Crystal (Betty Gilpin, excellent) has survival skills that bring her face-to-face (and knife-to-knife) with the rich bitch leader of the murderous liberals, Athena Stone (Hillary Swank). And guess what? It turns out that Athena doesn't really "care about the facts" either. She just wants to take her frustration out on other people. 

Acolytes of Horror, a YouTube channel I love, did a great video essay on horror that resists politics, and The Hunt is heavily featured in it. But even though The Hunt's take on politics is milquetoast at best, it's still a funny, entertaining movie with a few surprises. 

Grade: B

***

God's Own Country

Call it Brokeback Mountain, only set in the UK. In modern times. And no one dies.

God's Own Country follows Johnny (Josh O'Connor), a very lonely Yorkshire sheep farmer who lives with his grandmother and disabled father. His grandma and dad are up his ass all day, constantly berating him and condescending to him, even though he does most of the work on the farm. He takes out his aggression through binge-drinking and anonymous sex with men.

When Johnny's father hires Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu), a Romanian migrant worker, to help temporarily with the farm, Johnny is at first quite hostile to the young man, calling him a "g*psy" over and over again. The two men are tasked with camping out in the pasture for a few nights to be closer to the flock since it's lambing season and sheep are giving birth left and right. Just like in Brokeback, those lonely, cold nights inspire some interesting ways of keeping warm.

When Johnny and Alec first have sex, it's rough and Johnny refuses to kiss Alec. But Alec encourages more tender intimacy the second time they do it. It's clear that Johnny desperately needs some warmth and intimacy in his life, and when he gets it he becomes a different person. He's less likely to turn to binge-drinking and is gentler with his father and grandmother. He wants Alec to stay on and even move in with him. When Alec expresses skepticism, Johnny slips back into old habits and nearly destroys their relationship. I won't reveal the ending, but like I said above--no one dies! This is not a #BuryYourGays movie. 

God's Own Country was good, though not the most memorable of all time. Definitely recommended as a tender, gay romance. 

Grade: B

***

Summer of 85

(Spoilers in this review)

I really wanted to like Francois Ozon's film about two teenage boys who engage in a passionate--and doomed--love affair in Normandy, France during the (you guessed it!) summer of '85, but there was something incredibly shallow about this movie. 

Alex (Felix Lefebvre) meets David (Benjamin Voisin) when David saves Alex after Alex takes his friend's boat out and a storm causes him to capsize. David is incredibly charismatic and by the end of the day asks Alex to work in his family's store with him and his mother. The two teenagers (Alex is 16 and David 18) engage in an intense relationship for about 6 weeks before David gets bored and ends it. 

Immediately after David breaks up with Alex by telling him he's boring, a tragedy occurs and David dies in a motorcycle accident. Alex is not able to properly mourn because David's mother blames him for David's death and doesn't allow him to attend the funeral. But Alex finds David's grave and--honoring a pact he and David made--dances on the grave. Only to be arrested. He then has to explain why he was dancing on a grave to the court.

Summer of 85 is just not good. It *sounds* like a movie with a lot of depth--I mean, it has young love, tragedy, crime! But everything in the movie happens so rapidly. Alex and David fall into a relationship so quickly, and then after just a couple scenes of them together, they have a blowout fight. And then David dies. And the rest of the movie is Alex trying to process what happened. Nothing in this movie--not a single emotion--is given time to breathe. No character is allowed to truly develop, but David is an especially thin character. He comes off as capricious asshole, which is par for the course for an 18 year old, I guess. But it doesn't really help the movie, in which you're suppose to sympathize with a 16 year old losing his first love. If the first love is a dickhead, it makes it a little harder to connect. 

I checked this movie out because I like movies about gay men, but I'd say skip this one. What a better gay movie, like the one I reviewed above!

Grade: C-