Do Revenge

Hello, hello!
Today we’re talking about a Netflix release that I added to my to-watch list the moment it was announced. And then I promptly forgot about it. No better time to remedy this than now!

The Plot (according to Rotten Tomatoes):

Drea (Camila Mendes) is at the peak of her high school powers as the Alpha it-girl on campus when her entire life goes up in flames after her sex tape gets leaked to the whole school, seemingly by her boyfriend and king of the school, Max (Austin Abrams). Eleanor (Maya Hawke) is an awkward new transfer student who is angered to find out that she now has to go to school with her old bully, Carissa (Ava Capri) who started a nasty rumor about her in summer camp when they were 13. After a clandestine run-in at tennis camp, Drea and Eleanor form an unlikely and secret friendship to get revenge on each other’s tormentors.

Do Revenge on RT

The Rating:

I’ll say right of the gate that this wasn’t the best revenge flick I’ve ever seen but it definitely was entertaining.

Let’s talk first about the positive things. I have no qualms with any of the acting performances. What is it about Maya Hawke that just makes her so perfect in the role of sad lesbian? And Camila Mendes was born to play a total bitch that somehow has a heart of gold. However, as good as the acting was, we need to talk about the casting a bit later. The aesthetic of this movie was to die for. I love the pastel color scheme! The soundtrack is just as good. There are so many songs that I already love or that I immediately had to Shazam.

The story was pretty decent for the most part – we’ll talk about what I didn’t like in a little bit. But for now, let me tell you that this is certainly a nod to a lot of famous revenge/high school flicks that came before Do Revenge. The film is definitely skirting the edge of paying homage and copying clichés but I think it was really well done for the most part. I, furthermore, appreciate that the movie managed to surprise me at times. It’s not just the big plot twists but just when I thought I had it all figured out, it went in a somewhat different direction. For example, for a while I was convinced, we’d get a full-on Heathers moment, but nope!

Quote of the Day #195

My Fate Brought Me To Iceland To Carry Out My Quest Of Vengeance. But, My Fate Did Not Ready Me For Finding You.

The Northman

Cruella

Hello, my darling readers!
I finally found the time to check out Cruella, which is a movie that had me curious from the first time I had laid eyes on the trailer. Let’s see if this is an origin story we needed…

The Plot (as found on Rotten Tomatoes):

Academy Award (R) winner Emma Stone (“La La Land”) stars in Disney’s “Cruella,” an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinemas most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. “Cruella,” which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by two-time Oscar (R) winner Emma Thompson (“Howards End,” “Sense & Sensibility”). But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella.

Cruella on RT

The Rating:

What a weird movie Cruella is. I mean, it was certainly interesting, but I think we can all agree that it is quite a ride. I enjoyed this movie tremendously, largely due to some details that other people probably won’t care about. Let’s get those bits out the way first, shall we?

One of my favorite things about Cruella is the fashion. I enjoy making things, sewing, knitting, etc. so I’m somewhat prone to liking movies or shows that feature designing. Cruella features some pretty epic dresses in that regard. I loved that we got to see the design come alive from the sketches made. The costume department really went all out for this film.

Next up, I want to highlight that for me Cruella has a 10/10 soundtrack. Pretty much every song played was something that I’d listen to anyways. But it also fits so perfectly with the vibe of the film. The craziness, the rebellion, it just hit the exact vibe.

TMP Television Edition: TV Score and/or Theme Song

Hey, guys!
Welcome to another entry for Thursday Movie Picks.
It’s a series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves, so if you want to join the party, head over to her blog! It’s pretty easy: check out each week’s topic and come up with 3 to 5 movies that fit the theme.
Today we’ll talk about television instead of film, to be precise, we’ll look at some pretty amazing theme songs and scores!

#1 Arcane

The entire soundtrack for Arcane is sooooooooooooo good!

#2 WandaVision

I loved how they went through so many different types of shows with WandaVision. Of course, the different little themes reflected that which was a very cool touch.

Top 5 Tuesday: books with air

Hey, guys!
It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for a bookish favorites post. Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Meeghan over on Meeghan Reads and is quite simple: check out the topic and write a post with your picks.
Today we’re finishing our mini-series of T5T topics related to the elements! We’ve already covered water, earth, and fire – so all we have left now is earth.

#1 Grishaverse

In Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels, Grisha have certain powers. There are a bunch of different abilities but one of those is manipulating air. I guess, technically these books also would have worked for all the other elements, but somehow I only thought of them for air.

Shadow and Bone on Goodreads

#2 A Court of Mist and Fury

Some of the things I associate with air are wings and flying. So, if you follow that line of thought, you will inevitably arrive at SJM’s ACOTAR series. I believe it was the second novel that prominently featured wings and flying for the first time, so I’m going with A Court of Mist and Fury!

A Court of Mist and Fury on Goodreads

Renfield

Hello, hello!
Today I have a movie that is *very* tonally different from what I talked about last Friday. With Renfield, we’re going to check out a horror comedy that – to be honest – I didn’t really have high hopes for…

The Plot (according to Rotten Tomatoes):

In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men franchise) stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Oscar® winner Nicolas Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.

Renfield on RT

The Rating:

I’m going to be honest with you. When I saw the poster for Renfield I fully expected this movie to be hot trash. It still looked like a fun time, so off I went to watch it. What can I say, the movie actually isn’t half bad! I am shooketh.

I was prepared for a very bad very cringy movie. Obviously, this isn’t some highbrow Oscar-winning film but it’s definitely to terrible either. Yes, it is somewhat stupid at times. But I had a lot of fun with it. The action scenes are delightfully over the top (that is to say batshit crazy at times) and well done.

The overall story is somewhat nuts but it does make sense (somewhat) in the whole Dracula framework. I really enjoyed the spin with the support group setting. Renfield recognizes that he is in an abusive relationship with a severe power imbalance and that that’s not good for him. As weird and ridiculous as the movie is at times, I think there’s a good message in there. And some actually helpful advice. Who’d have thought?!