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!

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.

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?!

Till

Hello, hello!
Today I have a movie for you that brought pretty much everybody at the cinema to tears at least one point in the story. Let’s take a closer look at Till!

The Plot (according to Rotten Tomatoes):

Till is a profoundly emotional and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14 year old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was brutally lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi. In Mamie’s poignant journey of grief turned to action, we see the universal power of a mother’s ability to change the world.

Till on RT

The Rating:

I don’t think any movie has ever made me quite this angry. The story told is tragic to begin with and the injustice is enough to make my blood boil. You know how many movies inspired by real events have these info cards at the end? The kind that tells you what happens after the events in the film and what happened to the people in the story? Well, in this case, these informed that a law had been passed against lynch justice based on this case. That is great but wait. When was that law passed you might ask. 2022. Let me repeat that. 2022. Last year. Why did it take so many decades? Outrages. This made me almost angrier than the story itself.

Sorry, I had to vent for a second there. Let’s actually get talking about the movie. As you can tell, this film chose to adapt a very sensitive matter. Which means, this could have gone south really quickly if done the wrong way. I am happy to say that in this case, the story is told in a very respectful manner. I feel like another take on this would have been more sensational, more invasive, louder, just to make a point. While the film certainly is intense, there really are scenes where you can tell how different this is from the other type of adaptation I just mentioned because it almost seems toned down. Yes, the film doesn’t quite pack the super punch it could have under other circumstances. However, I honestly appreciate that it doesn’t. As it said it struck me as a very faithful and respectful take on the story and true to real life. Let me highlight that Till certainly is a film that will make you sick at the crime you witnessed, the injustice done. Whether or not it chooses to do so with bells and whistles or not. There is no shortage of gut-wrenching moments and intense scenes.

Causeway

Hello, hello!
Welcome to another movie review. Today we’re going to talk about Causeway, one of Jennifer Lawrence’s most recent releases…

The Plot (according to Rotten Tomatoes):

“Causeway” is an intimate portrait of a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans.

Causeway on RT

The Rating:

I unintentionally wound up watching quite a few films nominated for an Academy Award this year. So, I figured I might as well catch up on the couple of nominees that I’m still missing – which is how I ended up watching Causeway. This film had not been on my radar whatsoever. In fact, I hadn’t heard a single thing about it until I was going through the list of nominees. I opted to not watch a trailer or read up on it and instead just sat down to watch.

The thing is, this turned out to be a somewhat mediocre film that is elevated tremendously by the acting performances we get to see. There is nothing inherently wrong or bad about Causeway. It’s decently written. But it doesn’t feel special or new. Rather, you get the impression that it’s following a strict list of bullet points it wants to tick off. A blueprint of some sort which is precisely why it has this “I’ve seen a movie just like this before” kind of vibe. The idea isn’t new, and the feeling it conveys isn’t new. While there is no problem in working with ideas we’ve encountered before, you need to do a better job with it than other pictures did to make it worthwhile. And that’s what Causeway doesn’t do.

I didn’t have the impression that it was offering me anything new, anything unique. To be honest, if this didn’t have some great acting performances, if Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry wouldn’t be staring, nobody would talk about this film. They are both amazing and give vulnerable performances but at the same time, they could do so much more if they weren’t constricted by the confines the film imposes on them.

The Fabelmans

Hello, hello!
Today we’re going to talk about one of Steven Spielberg’s most recent pictures. The Fabelmans comes with an absolute A-list cast, so let’s see how the final project turned out!

The Plot (according to Rotten Tomatoes):

Young Sammy Fabelman falls in love with movies after his parents take him to see “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Armed with a camera, Sammy starts to make his own films at home, much to the delight of his supportive mother.

The Fabelmans on RT

The Rating:

Another day, another trip to the cinema. I had seen the trailer for The Fabelmans before and honestly, wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It looked like it might be a fun movie but at the same time a bit all over the place.

I wasn’t entirely wrong. Now having watched it, it feels like to a certain degree The Fabelmans is trying to capture a vibe. Kind of like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was more a snapshot of the time it’s set in, conveying the spirit more than anything else. The Fabelmans has a story to it, but I think the story is almost secondary. What The Fabelmans first and foremost is to me is a show of what it means to love the cinema, the power of films, and what can get poured into art by the artist.

The movie spans across quite some time, following one family but with the biggest focus on the eldest child. I love that we get to follow him as he makes his first movies, works on projects, etc. It’s honestly wonderful to watch. At the same time, it’s also heartbreaking. This film has some truly amazing acting performances, especially by Michelle Williams. There is so much layer, so much nuance to her character and what she does with it. It’s both subtle and loud at the same time. Paul Dano on the other hand gives us a more restrained performance that is absolutely fitting for his characters. Gabriel LaBelle portrays Sammy, who is the kid the movie mainly focuses on. If this was any indication of what he can do, I’m certain we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.