7. Loved These More Than I Probably Should
If I were the kind of person who used the phrase “guilty pleasure,” that might apply here.
Aquaman
This was pretty ridiculous, but I had such a good time with it and I wish more superhero movies would embrace the absurdity of their premises. It’s a fantastic-looking film, and I don’t just mean Jason Momoa and Amber Heard. The set design and character design are really beautiful. I like that Arthur is a reluctant hero. I wish that Mera wasn’t the typical super-capable woman who ends up being second banana and love interest to the Actual Hero, but she’s still amazing to watch. And OMG JULIE ANDREWS IS IN THIS. Or her voice, anyway. (Only available for rental through disc services; streaming options all require you to buy.)
Charlie’s Angels
It’s a real shame this hasn’t done better ticket wise, and I think this is clearly an example of a studio just not being behind it and not even really knowing how to market it without big name stars and a Destiny’s Child hit song tie-in. I *LOVE* the idea of a worldwide network of “Angels” instead of just the three, and Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska (and Elizabeth Banks) make a great team. I also love how they tie all the previous incarnations together with this movie into one big Charlie’s Angels canon. The plot doesn’t make a lick of sense, but as I recall the same usually could be said for the TV show. (No longer in theaters; not yet available on home video.)
The Good Liar
This is, objectively, not great. Not even good. For one thing, it takes place in 2009, not 2019, because the main characters are supposed to have been teenagers during WW2 and they’d be too old in 2019 for the events of this movie. Which just feels like they waited too late to make the movie. The story is ridiculous and I saw the reveal coming from a mile away. It’s always fun to see two titans of acting play off each other, though, and Mirren and McKellan make this watchable, even as silly as it is. (Still playing in a few theaters.)
Greta
Good lord, this is bazonkers but it’s so much fun! Isabelle Huppert seems to be the only one who knows exactly what kind of movie she is in and she sells every bit of this so hard it’s amazing to watch. Chloe Grace Moretz is … okay, but she’s still never been as interesting as she was a decade ago as Hit Girl (okay, she was pretty good in Clouds of Sils Maria). And she shouldn’t be less interesting than her sidekick BFF, who is the real hero of this movie. If anything is “wrong” with this, it’s that it takes a bit too long to get to the truly crazypants place. (Available on HBO.)
Richard Jewell
There are serious problems with this movie, from the depiction of Kathy Scruggs to the one-sided and decidedly negative view of both law enforcement and the media at a time in our history when that feels very dangerous. However, the incredible performances of Kathy Bates and Sam Rockwell, and especially the breakout performance of Paul Walter Hauser as Jewell himself, won me over. I know people exactly like them and they felt achingly real to me. Still, it would have been so much better to have had at least one character in either/both the FBI or the newspaper who displayed the tiniest bit of objection to what those characters were doing. (In theaters.)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Honestly, all of these post-Lucas era Star Wars films are (to me) fanfiction, of various flavors. That's not exactly a criticism, but it's not a compliment either, as these movies do what a lot of fanfic does (and you see it a lot in meta commentary as well, where people “why couldn’t” or “what if” a story to death), which is that much of it exists almost solely to give people what they think they want and make sure everyone is happy instead of creating something new or saying something. Which for fanfiction is fine; that's largely what it's for. But it shouldn't be the primary purpose of a storyteller. I love a lot of things about this movie, but it’s working so hard not to disappoint people that it can’t help being a little disappointing, despite some genuinely great moments. I can’t deny that it’s great to look at, though, with loads of great practical effects and puppetry. There are incredible performances, obviously from Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver whose characters are the heart of the story, but also the people playing more minor roles as well. I think a special shout-out has to go to Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, who is the only cast member who has been in all nine of these movies (plus Rogue One and Solo, though in Solo he played a different character), not to mention all the cameos and guest spots in adjacent media. He’s a true legend and he gets his greatest chance to shine in this movie. (In theaters.)
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