My Movie Reviews

Twin Peaks- Fire Walk With Me

Date Watched: 14th February 2023

God David Lynch films are so good.. Watched this after I finished binging s1 + 2 of twin peaks and I guess I wasnt really expecting it to be very good but honestly IMO this movie is probably better than the entirety of the first season which is pretty impressive. Builds up suspense and dread so well, you feel Laura's fear every second until her death. Somehow manages to still keep the viewer interested even when they know exactly how Laura's last day is going to go, which is not an easy thing to do. Only thing I'm confused about is how TF Lauras body floated from a tiny river in a forest to the shore of a beach overnight LMAO. Also, at first when watching the series I felt really bad for Leland but watching this kind of blurs the line between what Leland is doing and what Bob is doing? Its confusing but I still like the film LOL I'm probably just too dumb to fully get it.

High Life

Date Watched: 16th July 2023

Honestly I rlly didnt expect to enjoy this movie as much as i did! Its rare that I can watch a film on my phone and not feel like pausing it every 5 minutes (especially at the beginning) but this one just really sucked me in and I felt like I couldnt stop watching. The camera work is rlly visually interesting + the quiet, echo-y sound design just emphasizes the constant uncomfortable atmosphere that builds into a suffocating claustrophobia throughout each minute of the film. Also explores themes of human connection and cruelness and intimacy in a way that actually feels somewhat original and compelling, if a little disturbing at points (to say the least lmfao) - I never want to watch THAT scene ever again sorry jesus christ that was the only part of the film I hated. But anyway, maybe I do actually like sci fi films more than i thought- will definitely watch more of Claire Denis' films too!!

BlackBerry

Date Watched: 17th July 2023

I regret putting off watching this for so long because its probably one of the few genuinely interesting (to me) biopics released recently. It's comedic at the right moments but that doesnt downplay the serious shit that starts happening in the latter half of the movie, which I enjoyed because it can be hard to get a good, natural balance between comedy and drama (cough cough marvel movies..). I wouldnt say it's an artsy film but I like some of the camera work + colour grading, and the use of music is also pretty fun- however the first thing that stood out to me as something I disliked was all the tech and business speak that I didnt really understand which made certain plot points more confusing. But thats probably just because I'm dumb. Even so, I thought the way the corruption of what was originally an innocent innovation into a piece of shit glitchy sellout was portrayed is interesting + kinda mirrored through the likeable 'victim' eventually becoming the perpetrator. Maybe even people with the most pure of intentions can be turned into greedy opportunists if you give them enough money and tell them they're super smart enough times. NGL some of the costume design choices were.... interesting what with Doug just straight up never changing appearance or looking older throughout the whole movie while they put Mike in that ugly ass white wig that didnt look real for even a second lol. I found the costumes way more interesting and immersive in the first half of the film. But like overall the movie was pretty good and I enjoyed it LOL.

HUMAN HEART

Date Watched: 17th July 2023

Rewatching this in 2023 when Grimes is.... yknow... is kinda strangely sad because you get this portrait of someone who is unapologetically very unique and passionate and curious about the universe we live in but also extremely lonely. A lot of the ways she describes this loneliness rlly resonated with me and I think is kinda a universal thing for a lot of autistic women. You also kinda get an insight into how Elon pulled her into this weird nordic space elf concubine shit he's got her doing now- took the real passion she had for real space travel and turned it into this awful cringy sexual LARP that only exists in his narcissistic fantasy. I rlly do miss old Grimes LOL.

Barbie

Date Watched: 21st July 2023

I feel like "fun" is a pretty good descriptor for this film. Like, sure the dance scenes were rlly entertaining and the costume and set design was great and it was funny and there weren't really any moments where the plot bored me but. Thats about it. It does try to have this deep message but thats ultimately just kinda ruined by the obvious tones of capitalism and liberal feminism that permeate through the whole movie. None of the moments that were supposed to be emotional really got to me and in a way they just felt kind of flat and meaningless - like an advert where a dog dies or something. In that its clearly trying to elicit emotion from the viewer but in quite a 2 dimensional and unoriginal way while simultaneously trying to sell you something LMAO. Also it didnt rlly break down gender roles at all, or at least not in a way that would actually require serious critical thought about our society - like, why does Barbie (and by extension, women) have to care so much about being beautiful? She can have any job she wants but she has to look pretty while doing it. And thats never rlly explored in the film which irritated me a bit. Also hate how putting on makeup is portrayed as an empowering thing although I guess this movie was built on the premise of trying to sell you a bunch of stuff so that makes sense. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this movie and it was also a pretty cool experience to be in a cinema basically full of women and laughing at all the jokes at the expense of men without having to worry about some dudebro storming out. There was a real sense of community and togetherness with the women in that room in a way thats hard to describe. Its nice to have a film thats clearly made for us and doesnt try to appeal to men *too* much- except for that annoying message they kinda put in at the end of the feminist revolution somehow equally including men LMFAO. Also saw something on Twitter (lol) about this film that interested me where they pointed out that in the Kens' ideal world the Barbies were submissive to them but in the Barbies' ideal world the Kens are just kinda there - not objectified or put down in any way, just a bit useless and stupid. And Gerwig paints these 2 scenarios as equally sexist without like. Exploring this unique violence and contempt towards women that men have when theyre in any situation where they have dominance over us. It just feels like despite all of the amazing creativity that went into this film, there's something lying deeper in its premise that could have been explored in a really interesting way but wasnt.

The Taking of Deborah Logan

Date Watched: 29th July 2023

I have mixed thoughts about this film. Started off quite strong with just this general uncomfortable aura that built up when there was still a lot of mystery about what was happening to Deborah but after the overarching plot is revealed it just gets way less scary? This isnt helped by the fact they literally made the demon dudes name "Des Jardins" which makes me question how much knowledge the average American has of the French language to consider it spooky and mysterious because just that detail was way too on the nose for what was happening in the story and pulled me right out of it. All of the jumpscares (with the exception of *that* one at the end but idk if that counts) were very generic and predictable and the *boom* sound effects that would sometimes go off when something ~spooky~ happened were quite funny. Also, the whole "ooooh scary demon speaking another language!! growling!!" thing was way too cliche and just ended up being funny too. The saving grace of this movie was the end sequence which was a bit Blair Witchy but in this case that actually helped the film a lot because they did manage to build a rlly claustrophobic and tense feeling thats slightly reminiscent of that uncomfortable-ness at the beginning. Also loved the fact that only like 1 of the main characters is a somewhat likeable person. I feel like thats quite a brave move and TBH it paid off. But yeah in general this film wasnt very good which was disappointing.

Ghostbusters (Reboot)

Date Watched: 2nd August 2023

Gonna cut to the chase here... this movie is not great. Its not terrible! And it has definitely been underrated by misogynist filmbros who clearly are not the target audience. But its still really only as good as a 2016 reboot can be - that is to say, not very. I really only watched it because I think Kate McKinnon is hot. But regardless, theres a certain warmth to it that really resonates with me, and also makes me think- how many "classic" action movies that Ive brushed off as boring and soulless would I genuinely enjoy if they had female leads? I had a similar moment a couple months ago when I realised that even though my whole life Ive been saying that I hate football, what I really meant was that I hate MENS football- I actually find womens football rlly fun and exciting! But because I had only ever seen men and boys play football, I could never imagine myself playing it; I was subconsciously sent the message that it was not meant for the weaker sex. If womens football had been given an equal amount of attention as mens, perhaps this wouldnt have been the case. Im not saying that women cant relate to male characters at all but I think, cringy as they are, remakes like these serve quite an important purpose. Its hard growing up and loving all the ass kicking heroes like Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones but never seeing a female equivalent- even though I definitely grew an obsession with characters like Princess Leia, at the end of the day shes still a princess. So yeah LOL technically speaking this film wasnt amazing but emotionally it really spoke to me and I think if I'd watched it as a kid I wouldve loved it. And I dont trust any of the men who find the idea of an all female remake inherently humorous - theres an implication there that I really dont like. Also Kate McKinnon is so hot in this film sorry did I already say that.....

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Date Watched: 5th August 2023

I was put off by Waititi's work for a while for reasons unknown but this makes me want to watch more of his movies because I loved this!! I dont usually get through films all in 1 go when I watch them on my phone but this one just pulled me in. Beautiful and hilarious and poignant with wonderful, deep characters and amazing cinematography. A little repetitive in the middle section but I honestly didnt mind because I got so invested in the characters and their story that I remained interested wherever the film took them. In general really heartwarming and would recommend it to just about anyone. Family is where you find it :)

Barbie (REWATCH)

Date Watched: 7th August 2023

Watched this again with my mum and sister and my thoughts are pretty much the same R.E. not enough actual feminism + catered to men too much + emotional moments not rlly hitting, but even on a rewatch I still found the comedic moments hilarious and the dance scenes very fun. I dont think this movie will be forgotten even after the hype for it dies down.