This Beautiful Fantastic (2017)

What is This?:  A young lady with OCD named Bella (Jessica Brown Findlay) starts to interact with her neighbors when she is told she has to clean up the garden or be evicted.  And she falls in love.

Gardening?  Really?:  Apparently the English take their gardens very seriously, and it was in her lease to keep the garden well tended.

Old School Librarian:  My favorite character is a severe librarian that is very strict with noise in the library.  She is very aggressive in her quest for quiet.  I found her hilarious!  She is played by Anna Chancellor, and the last time I remember seeing her she was being stood up at the altar by Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The Chef: Gay or Not Gay?:  Bella’s neighbor, played by Tom Wilkinson, has a personal chef that he treats like crap, played by Andrew Scott.  I had moments where I was positive he was in love with Bella, then switched to thinking he was gay.  It ultimately doesn’t matter, but I wonder if anyone else was questioning that.

Does This Woman Not Worry About Money At All?:  She wants to be a children’s book author, but works in a library.  But on a whim she decides to hire away the chef when he’s been particularly abused by the old neighbor.  She can afford a personal chef???

Scared of Nature:  Bella is hilariously scared of nature, and shows up to take care of the garden in an all-black Victorian ensemble.

Lovely:  Bella’s style is that quirky vaguely vintage style that very rarely works out in real life.  I think it has more to do with the actress being adorable, and will therefore look cute in whatever the costume designer decides.

The Inventor:  Jeremy Irvine is underused as the romantic interest.  He seems like he’d time traveled from another era when he enters the library.  His inventions are beautiful and whimsical and of course they’re just what Bella would find charming.  SPOILER:  But twins?  Really?  That’s the only bit of the film I rolled my eyes at.

Final Thoughts:  Jessica Brown Findlay is one of my favorites.  I find her charming, and she definitely has her niche.  Her interaction with the neighbor is supposed to be teaching her about the world, but I would have preferred more romance.  This is a cute, calm, pretty movie with a light sense of humor.  It’s harmless fun.  And there are creepy twins.

 

image credit:  gramunion.com

Basmati Blues (2017)

What is This?:  Brie Larson goes to India to get an inroad into the rice trade for her genetically modified rice.  It is a classic fish-out-of-water story.  With singing.

Culturally…:  This is by far not a deep dive into Indian culture.  I’m sure some people will be offended.  My only issue is that the farmers didn’t actually read the contracts.  She doesn’t think the farmers are backward, or stupid.  She focused on the science, because she’s a scientist.  She isn’t there to save them from themselves or anything silly like that.  There are no weird epiphanies about Indian culture, because she was never negative about it in the first place.  Her biggest thing was eating with her fingers.  If you’ve never really done it?  That definitely throws you off.

Science Songs:  I love that the songs have scientific facts throughout.  It gives them a little extra uniqueness.

Hidden Talents:  Did I know that Donald Sutherland could sing?  As can Brie Larson!  And I’m so glad she made something fun after making Room and The Glass Castle.  Kong: Skull Island was a spectacle, but it wasn’t nearly as fun as this.

Enthusiastic Dancing:  Brie Larson clearly took dance classes at some point in her life, but is so stiff, even when she’s having fun, that I cringed a bit.  Then she was at a club, and instead of “dancing” they were all hopping to the fast beat and she finally loosened.

Aren’t We Evil?:  Yes, American companies can be “evil,” but I feel using corporate America as the bad guy is starting to be overdone.

Donald?:  Utkarsh Ambudkar is the romantic lead, and I’ve been waiting to see him again since the original Pitch Perfect.  He was Donald, and he was adorable in his glasses with an a cappella swagger.

Dishearteningly Predictable:  Nothing unpredictable happens in the movie.  The only thing I found surprising was that the main character, Linda, was so naive that she fell for a practical joke early on.

They Fight Pretty Cute:  Don’t we all love it when the characters have tiffs?  Then make their way back to each other?  These two are really cute together.

The Indian Zack Morris:  It took me a while, but it kept bugging me so I couldn’t ignore it: Saahil Sehgal looks like Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

And…:  Scott Bakula.  Who only dances a little at the end, so don’t tune in for that.  However, it is worth the whole thing to hear him sing at the end.

Final Thoughts:  I felt I’d seen this before.  The musical numbers were fun and not too prevalent.  Everyone was having fun, and you could tell.  It gives the whole movie great emotion.  You should absolutely see it!  But don’t take it too seriously.

 

image credit:  entertainmentvoice.com

The Hero (2017), Lucky (2017), and The Last Movie Star (2018)

Wait.  What?:  Sam Elliott, Harry Dean Stanton, and Burt Reynolds play actors at the end of their careers.  Actually, I don’t remember what Harry Dean Stanton does other than be elderly in Lucky, so I’ll think of him as an old actor.  They are all crotchety in their waning years, and all taking many pills, and dealing with reality.

Who Had the Most Fun?:  Going with Burt Reynolds.  Two words: Hallucinating Hookers.  And calling people on their $#!+.  And some Smokey!

Best Singing Voice:  Harry Dean Stanton, in Spanish no less!  It was lovely.  But Burt Reynolds does a nice job, too.  All I can think of for Sam Elliott is “Barbecue Sauce.”  His speaking voice definitely wins.  (Though not in this movie, Sam Elliott does sing, as I found out on Youtube.  Not too bad.)

Nick Offerman, Chevy Chase, or…David Lynch?:  Wow.  Anyone but David Lynch who is an incredibly not good actor.  I happen to love both Nick Offerman and Chevy Chase.  Going with Offerman, as drug dealer/best friend to Sam Elliott.

As We’ve Never Seen Them Before:  Modern Family’s Ariel Winter as a promiscuous, well-drugged, unfortunate nose-ringed, scantily clad, sassy teen in The Last Movie Star.  She holds her own against Burt Reynolds!  Krysten Ritter as a daughter holding a grudge in The Hero when I’ve mostly seen her in vapid or vacuous roles.  I have not seen Jessica Jones yet, so I was really surprised.  And David Lynch as an “actor.”  Pfft.

Most Heartbreaking:  If Harry Dean Stanton hadn’t died this last year, I’d actually say The Last Movie Star.  But because Stanton did die you focus on his familiar face and his charm and you miss him.  On the flip side, seeing the constant reminders of Burt Reynolds in his prime as well as him conversing with his younger self actually had more of an impact on me.

On the Enjoyability Scale:  The Last Movie Star was made for a broader audience.  It wasn’t so serious, had no cancer, made me laugh, but still had a nostalgia factor that plucked the heartstrings.  All three are good, but I only enjoyed The Last Movie Star.  Lucky was charming, but it wasn’t fun.  And The Hero, while filled with wonderful performances, connected less.

Final Thoughts:  Triple feature!  Start with The Hero, end with The Last Movie Star.  You’ll be glad you saw all three.

 

image credit: girlwhowouldbeking.com  (Yes, I reversed the iconic picture.  I truly couldn’t help myself!  It’s the equivalent of side-boob!)

Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)

What is This?:  Sequel, obviously.  I found the first one mean spirited and not too funny.  I actually liked this one more!  At Christmas, both households decide to celebrate together, and unexpectedly Brad (Will Ferrell) and Dusty’s (Mark Wahlberg) fathers show up, played by John Lithgow and Mel Gibson.

I Swear I Saw Buddy the Elf!:  Will Ferrel can only act excited in so many ways, but when he sees his father for the first time I swear it was exactly like Buddy getting ready to see Santa in Elf.  Exactly the same.

Wow.  Kissing.:  SPOILER: Brad and his dad, named Don, kiss on the lips…and I’m not talking a peck.  More than once.  And the end I saw coming, but a cute kiss anyway.  I’d imagine other people may have been surprised….

Have We Forgiven Mel Gibson?:  I guess so.  I do think this is a good part to help solidify his “comeback.”  He actually looks like he’s having fun for the first time in decades.

Shades of National Lampoon:  One of my favorite Christmas movies is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and I kept picking out the similarities.  Then I though about it and realized they weren’t that similar, but now I just wanted to watch the other movie.

Genius Casting:  John Lithgow was perfect as Will Ferrell’s dad.  He had the schtick down pat, and he and Ferrell played off each other very well.  Either they were having great fun or Ferrell’s a better actor than I gave him credit for.

Temperature Rising:  I about died laughing.  All of the guys are awake because the house is swelteringly hot.  They realize the thermostat is set at 85 and they all start freaking out!  They set it lower, then watch Dusty’s stepdaughter come out and put it back up, because she likes to sleep with her window open. Their outrage was so real and common that I laughed out loud!  It was a weirdly beautiful bonding moment.

Maybe They Went a Little Far:  SPOILER: Small child with a shotgun gleefully killing turkeys.  I have more tolerance than others for morbid humor, but I kept grimacing.  It was a bit much.

Final Thoughts:  I may watch this again next Christmas, but it probably won’t make annual rotation.  It’s fun in some parts, mean in others.  Brad and Dusty’s relationship is solid throughout, and that kept the movie together.

 

image credit: yaleherald.com

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)

What Is This?:  An overlong snippet-style documentary by Frederick Wiseman with no narrator.  Each snippet is around 3 minutes.  Some are…or feel…much longer.  And if you don’t know who someone is, you’re out of luck.  No one is identified or introduced.

Is It Worth The Time Investment?:  At over 3 hours, this is long.  If you ever wanted to know what happens at the New York Public Library throughout the day, aside from reading and research, this could be fascinating.  For me, personally, it reminded me of working at a museum.  It highlights adapted use.  There are concerts, lectures, coding/robotics, public service programs, education, dancing, meetings, author events, and just about anything else!  People-watching is also fun in this documentary, though that may get old fast.

What Did I know?:  The last time I paid attention to the New York Public Library, Bill Murray was being shushed by a ghost.  It’s been a while.

Tech Age:  One of the most interesting themes running throughout is the idea of how to keep the library current with technology changes.  There are small chunks of meetings in which it is pointed out that any plans made today will be obsolete in just a year or two, and they will be back at square one.  Where will the funding come from?  What is feasible?

Homelessness:  Mentioned, and glossed over. Essentially, anyone caught sleeping gets kicked out, possibly banned.

What is Missing?:  History.  How was it created?  What are it’s stories?  Nope.  Not included.

Elvis Was in the Building:  Elvis Costello.  In the clip I felt like they were trying to be provocative, and maybe even get Costello pissed off.  (Patti Smith also makes an appearance.)

The Sorting Machines Are Awesome!:  Well, they are!

Fascinating:  Creating audiobooks and teaching Braille.

Libraries Are Not Storage Spaces For Books:  “Libraries are not about books.  Libraries are about knowledge and culture.” (paraphrased)  I think this is increasingly true in metropolitan areas. Where I am, this isn’t the case, so it’s just a different type of institution.  Hit a small town library in the Midwest and you’ll see it’s 70% about books and other media, 30% about culture and meeting space.  It’s about where the priorities need to be to best serve the community.

Weird but Memorable:  A young man stands onstage, awkwardly telling us that culture doesn’t have to be elitist or highbrow, then he breaks into prose, gains confidence, and starts coming off as pretentious.  So, what was the point of his lecture?

Everyone Looks Bored:  All audience members look like they are about to fall asleep.  Every single one.

Love in the Time of Cholera:  Book clubs.  Funny, this exact conversation has been had in book clubs across America for the past 20 or so odd years.  My weirdest question is: why that book?  There are literally thousands of books published every year.  How is it possible that that book was chosen?   Not saying it isn’t a classic, just saying, to me, that feels like an odd choice.

Annoying Intellectualism:  I need to add that I get annoyed by “intellectual” discussions with 50 cent words meant to elevate the speaker above their audience.  This really showed the dichotomy of who really uses the library: the poor that are there for the resources, and the intellectuals with the free time to take advantage of the culture.  (Like how I threw “dichotomy” in there like an a**hole?)

Is It Just Me, Or Did the Live Music Performances Kind of Suck?:  Yeah.  They did.  (Except the street performer on the saxophone.  But I don’t believe the library can take any credit for hosting that performance.)

Final Thoughts:  Because of my specific background I found it more interesting than most probably will.  Could have been half as long.  If you aren’t already interested based on the title, I doubt you’ll get very far.

 

image credit: AvaxHome

The Vietnam War (2017)

Not One of the Fun Ones:  This is an exhaustive look at the Vietnam War by Ken Burns, who has made some of my favorite documentaries.  Prohibition, Baseball, the National Parks, and Jazz were all engrossing, full of well-crafted historical stories, and watchable.  While I believe this is important as a historic resource, it was not entertainment for me.

Many, Many Hours of Depression:  This is what I appreciate: raw truth.  This is what why it took me forever to get through this: raw depressing truth with no lighter breaks.  Even when dealing with a serious, sensitive subject, a person’s psyche needs a break.  The Vietnam War had no lighter moments to discover, so this documentary dug in and dug farther in and just got sadder, more frustrating, and even though I really wanted to stay with it, I had to force myself to finish it.

Graphic Content:  From start to finish there is historic graphic content, so be prepared.  And this probably isn’t family time appropriate unless your kids are at least 16.

Comprehensive and Multi-faceted:  There were things happening that I didn’t know about.  I was surprised by some of the actions of the different governments involved.  I didn’t know about the POW wives “union,” and I didn’t know about anything from the North Vietnamese perspective.

Still Interesting?:  Absolutely.  It was just hard.

What Are the Odds?:  The next movie in my pile was Kong: Skull Island.  For those that have yet to see that, it is set at the end of the Vietnam War.   The interaction between the characters was politically charged, and I wonder how many people that saw Kong had any idea what the backstory was.  And the soldiers were mostly way too lighthearted to have been in the actual war.

Final Thoughts:  I never want to see it again.  However, it could be used as a “textbook” on the Vietnam War.  It misses nothing.  History buffs will love it.  People with empathy will be affected.

 

image credit:  vanityfair.com

Saturn Awards 2018: Best Science Fiction Film Release

Alien: Covenant:  There were too many sequels this year that didn’t bring anything new to the table.  Michael Fassbender’s performance was oddly boring to me.  One of my favorite actors, Jussie Smollett, was in it, but that’s all I can say for his character. I rolled my eyes whenever Danny McBride was on screen, as I kind of can’t stand him.  I tried, though, because he was part of the “heart” of the story.  It could have been about any other actor and I would have been more invested.  Katherine Waterston is always good, though I hate to admit that I was distracted by her hair cut.  I’m sorry, but for me the Alien movies are played out, and it barely held my attention.

Blade Runner 2049:  Harrison Ford is in it, but not enough.  The premise is great, but it took way too much time getting there.  It was weird to see Sean Young, and Robin Wright, and Jared Leto, of all people, in a weird role.  I’m not in love with Ryan Gosling like everyone else.  I find him weirdly expressionless as an actor.  The atmosphere felt like a retread of the original, but the casinoish place in the wasteland was cool.  I’m pretty ambivalent.  Half of the movie could have been cut and it would have been more cohesive.  Here’s my ultimate take: it could have been structured like an extended episode of CSI.  The medical mystery was the heart, which leans itself to a fascinating, entertaining, and fantastic movie.  They added a bunch of crap to be “atmospheric” and it unnecessarily pushed up the run time and tested my patience.

Life:  Alien knock-off.  The scene where the alien first escapes was great, though.  And the ending could be setting us up for a potentially awesome sequel.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi:  “Why?  I’ve seen your daily routine – you are not busy.”  My heart broke a little when Billie Lourd was in the opening scene.  This was right after I got my usual chill hearing John Williams’ iconic score and seeing the classic STAR WARS opener.  My, how I have been trained to derive pleasure from that from an early age.  I still don’t like Adam Driver (who mumbled all the way through), and not only because he did you know what.  Then Princess Leia…the first 20 minutes of the film had my emotions swinging all over the place.  And then I was laughing again at Chewbacca and those little creatures.  Then Luke and R2…are they trying to make me cry?  I still like Daisy Ridley (who still reminds me of Keira Knightley), but Rey essentially destroys this little island and doesn’t apologize to the little nun-like creatures.  That seems weirdly out of character.  And Luke Skywalker was too melodramatic until the end, where he mellowed back out.  Is it just me, or do Luke and Leia look a lot alike now?  Like, believably twins now?  Anyway.  Well, it was the Resistance versus the Empire…First Order, whatever…again.  For some reason that never gets old.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets:  Bad acting.  A male lead that didn’t have enough swagger, even though I like Dane DeHaan in other things.  Cartoonish special effects.  Half-baked romance.  Cara Delevingne’s dead eyes.  Nonsensical plot.  I wanted so badly to like this.  I liked Rihanna, that’s about it.

War for the Planet of the Apes:  These movies are also getting old.  I don’t like war movies in general.  Historical ones like to get too graphic, and ones like this no longer feel fresh.  At this point it’s mostly just war, even though I know we’re meant to be trying to bridge the “humanity” gap in ourselves.  They just don’t make me care, which is what you need to be a successful series.

 

So… Which is Best?:  I’m not happy with my choices.  But I’ll grudgingly go Star Wars.  It had spots of humor, good vs. evil, characters that feel like family members, and it was entertaining without trying to be a horror movie.

 

image credit: movieweb.com

Monsters at Large (2017)

What is This?:  A cross between Ghostbusters (admitted in movie), Monster Squad, (“That’s already taken.  My dad has it on bluray and watches it all the time.”), and either E.T. or Harry and the Hendersons, I haven’t decided which. Maybe a little Monsters Inc., too.  Three kids put together a “business” “taking care of” “imaginary” monsters that scare little kids.  That is a lot of quotation marks.

Marissa Cooper?:  Mischa Barton plays the mom.  Now I want to watch the O.C.  Which will make me want to watch Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody stuff again.  I had better nip this in the bud.

The Worst Kind:  Stephen Tobolowsky, as the teacher, is the kind of teacher that is often shown in kids’ movies – the jerk.  (The other type is the uber-cool guy/weirdly hot lady.)  The biggest difference in this instance is that the teacher is shown in the light of “no fair” from the perspective of a kid, but with the kid’s behavior I am a little offended that the teacher is being shown in that light.  Granted, he’s a jerky jerk at the end, but when the main kid, played  by Matthew Kosto, just spaces out instead of taking his test, the teacher is shown as being mean, when in reality it was the kid’s own damn fault.  I started liking the main character a little less because of it.

Golden Girl:  So, the main character has a crush.  And she is a little blonde girl named Tara McDonald.  When the crush in kids’ movies is a little blonde girl I uncontrollably roll my eyes.  I could forgive the boring casting choice if the actress was good, but she’s very bland.

Do I Like Anyone In This Movie?:  Yes, there is a great little spark plug of an actress that played one of the monster-busters, Alicia C. Del Aguila.  She is great fun to watch!  I foresee a Disney or Nickelodeon show of her own in the future.

Is It Too Scary for Little Kids?:  Nope.  If they were scared by Monsters, Inc., then there may be a problem, because that’s about where the design on the monster is.

Final Thoughts:  I’ve seen worse.  I’ve seen better.  Meh.

 

image credit:  pophorror.com

The Fairy (2011)

Are You Ready For Quirky?:  Have you seen it all?  Do you believe there is nothing original out there to see?  You need to see The Fairy ASAP!

Yes, It’s In French, and No, You Don’t Have to Read the Movie:  If you just read the subtitles you may miss too much of the movie.  One of the best things about this is that it is like…Buster Keaton meets that weird girl you went to high school with that everyone thought was freaky.  The Fairy is filled with physical comedy that made me laugh out loud.  I could intuit most of the dialogue.  I was so entertained that actual story development meant less to me than normal.

Crazy-Ass Love Story:  There are 2 basic characters: the fairy and the man she decides she loves.  Their crazy adventure is absurd and nonsensical and lovely.  She doesn’t play by society’s rules, and he reacts, then becomes complicit in her odd way of living.

I Don’t Know What Else To Say!:  The more I talk about it the worse it sounds.  I don’t want anyone to not watch it because they think it’ll be too stupid.  It’s not!  It feels more like an “experience” to me than a movie.  And I loved it!

image credit: eyeforfilm.co.uk

 

Nerve (2016)

I Am Going To Try To Explain Why I Love This Movie:  It’s not perfect.  Yet I was sucked in.  The premise is fun: a high school girl signs up for an online dare game because she wants to do something a little out of her comfort zone.  Was it to prove something to herself or to her friends?  A little of both, I think.  We follow her through a night of excitement.

The Silliness:  I freely admit the end goes off the rails a bit.  It tries to get all serious and I was a little sad at that point.  But the ending ending was good, so I was all right with it.

Seeing Stars:  Emma Roberts stars as Vee, with Dave Franco as Ian, the fellow player she teams up with.  After the meet cute, which I will not spoil here, these two spend the night running around New York City completing dares and making money.  I previously liked both actors, but now am slightly obsessed with them.

How Daring:  At first the dares are tame, but quickly turn wilder.  This is when a grown up watching this starts to wonder how stupid these kids are.  Put away your cynicism and play along, people!

BFF’s:  A side story is Vee’s relationships with her friends.  Emily Meade and Miles Heizer play her two closest friends.  Emily comes off as a bit of a bully/rival/narcissist and Miles is clearly in love with Vee.  He spends the night watching Vee through his phone and chastising her choices.  He just liked her as she was!

Social Commentary On Social Media: Celebrity means something new now, and a lot of Nerve players are looking for fame.  Neither Vee nor Ian are playing for that reason, but the more watchers you have the better dares you get.  Vee and Ian get a lot of watchers very quickly.  So many that one of the characters tells them that they are “so famous right now” as though that were the goal in life.  The game itself also uses the players’ social media accounts to gather information to entice them and to use against them.  This whole movie is a roundabout way of saying that’s not real.  It’s not life.

Unabashedly Romantic…In a Way:  From the beginning, in my opinion, Ian seemed too slick for Vee, even though of course she’s beautiful.  He seemed to enjoy messing with her, and I kept waiting for him to turn on her in some way.  The fact that the watchers, including Vee’s friends, are watching Ian and Vee have their little romance doesn’t seem to phase Vee, who before that seemed embarrassed to be the center of attention.  The possibility of being humiliated was real, and that she made those choices both surprised me and filled me with dread.  Ultimately, their interaction was cute and by the end I was a believer.

There’s a Book Right?:  Yes.  And I only kind of liked the first half.  I read it wanting to get more into the heads of the characters.  The dares are different, the relationship is different, and halfway through the book goes in a completely different direction.  It turned into that type of movie I hate: terrorizing people.  Gone was any bit of fun.  It felt more like a light version of Saw or something.  This is the first time I am going to suggest NOT EVER reading the book if you love the movie.

The Music is Fantastic:  The soundtrack, which I have not found anywhere, is addictive. I ended up piecing a lot of it together on iTunes.  Roy Orbison aside (I’ve always loved that song), I am obsessed with Electric Love by Borns.  Add in Lowell and Halsey and a host of other fun tracks, and you have set the atmosphere to fun!  Seriously, the tone is very set by the music.  Love it!

Is This the Hackers For This Generation?:  Anyone tried watching Hackers lately?  Over the top and silly!  Not that it wasn’t from the start, but it was cool.  Maybe in 20 years this will be a nostalgia piece for the Me Generation.  As a GenXer myself it will be interesting to see.

Juliet Lewis is In This:  For some reason.  And she has some of the stupidest dialogue ever.  I hope she was paid handsomely.

So Why Do I Love It?:  It. Was. Fun.  It included a romance, which isn’t common in adventures anymore, and it just clicked with me.  I’ve rewatched it multiple times now.  I kind of want to watch it right now.  That is not normal for me.  I’m a love-it-and-leave-it kind of movie watcher.  This is a special.  I hope you can look past the silly bits and love it, too.

 

image credit:  variety.com