I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know.
This movie has no right to be as good as it is – as complex, as emotional, and as deep (Deep! A Barbie movie!) as it frickin’ is. I think most people suspected that with Greta Gerwig directing it would be more than just product placement or even a fun spoof. But not this. Not this candy colored almost entirely practical set that makes you want to step through the screen and have the time of your life. Not this movie that feels like a technicolor musical, even before the epic “I’m Just Ken” number. Not this celebration of womanhood where Barbies can code feminine and be powerful at the same time. Not this treatise on feminism that somehow manages not to be preachy (unless you’re a butthurt dude who thinks anything they don’t want to hear is preachy). This movie surpassed every expectation I had and became one of those movies where every time I think about it I’m suddenly sad that I’m not watching it right now.
Is it perfectly logical? Does it do everything imaginable to criticize Mattel and Barbie’s legacy? LOL of course not! But play has its own logic. And the movie pokes at Mattel a whole lot more than anyone had any reason to expect it to. (Whatever Mattel’s qualms, I’m sure they’ve been crying all the way to the bank for the last six months as sales have gone through the roof.) This movie is about the impossible expectations of women, it’s about mothers and daughters, and it’s about how feminism benefits everyone, not just women. It also has a closing line that is Billy Wilder-level brilliant. (Streaming on Max and available to rent on other platforms.)
Can you find the wolves in this picture?
Of all the historical epic movies that make me furious at the state of history education in America, this one takes the cake. And of course, this is exactly the kind of history that some people don’t *want* taught because it makes white people feel bad. You know what? We should feel bad because white people are The Worst. I wasn’t even aware that there were indigenous Americans who became seriously wealthy when they discovered oil on the land they were forced onto. It was predictable that white people would swarm the land and try to take what advantage they could by selling goods and providing services. And it shouldn’t really have been that surprising that some people – like the figures portrayed in this movie – were capable of much worse. Martin Scorsese is no stranger to crime stories, but this is definitely a new milieu for him and you can tell that every effort has been made to get all the historical details right. (The list of indigenous consultants in the credits is vast.)
This is a beautifully made movie that takes its time and immerses you in its world. Leonardo Dicaprio has played villainous characters before but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play someone so dim and weak; that you can still feel an inkling of pathos for this guy is kind of a miracle. Robert DeNiro is a much more clear villain and his character “King” is his own version of a mob boss – outwardly benign and helpful but capable of real evil. The heart of this movie, though, is Lily Gladstone, whose Molly goes through inconceivable amounts of grief and pain and still manages to convey the real love she had for her treacherous husband. The end of the movie has been much discussed, but I think it’s an essential lampshading of the nature of this movie – a retelling of a genuine tragedy that not only is being told chiefly by white men but is also packaged as a piece of entertainment. Having Scorsese himself utter the final words and accept responsibility for that is a fascinating note to end the film on. (Available to rent on AppleTV but will be streaming for free for AppleTV users starting Jan. 12.)
I liked you for who you are, and who you are is a person who leaves.
But for him, you’re the person who stays.
I’ve never really been a fan of love triangles, despite some of my favorite romantic movies containing that element. I was wary of PAST LIVES from the trailers, as it looked like exactly the kind of triangle that rubs me the wrong way – there’s this great love trying to manifest and no matter how much the third person loves and respects one of the parties, they are In The Way of destiny. I’m sure that might resemble someone’s love story in real life, but that’s not my idea of how love works. So imagine my surprise when this turned out to be incredibly, heartbreakingly real and mature, with no one as the bad guy and no one with an ulterior motive. We meet Na Young and Hae Sung as children and the two clearly have feelings for each other. They’re parted when Na Young’s family moves to Toronto, but 12 years later, after Na Young (now Nora) has moved to New York, they reconnect online. Wanting to focus on her life in New York and her career, she suggests that they not have contact for a while. She soon meets Arthur at a writer’s retreat and they fall in love. Another 12 years later, Hae Sung comes to see Nora in New York.
This is yet another incredible feature directorial debut – assured and confident and not desperate to impress you. There are some really cool editing choices that take us briefly to another time period to underscore something happening now. And the photography is incredible; I don’t think I’ve ever seen New York City look so warm and romantic. The performances from the three leads are all impeccable, and I want to especially heap praise on John Magaro, who plays Nora’s husband. He has such complicated feelings to convey and it would be so easy to make this character a villain. But he really is the hero in many ways, not only because he loves Nora and trusts her enough to not try and keep her from seeing Hae Sung, but also because he is there for her in a way that Hae Sung doesn’t have to be, which says so much about the nature of a long-term love versus the idealism of romantic possibility. This is one of the best romantic movies I’ve ever seen. (Available to rent on various streaming platforms.)
We must experience everything. Not just the good, but degradation, horror, sadness.
Then we can know the world. And when we know the world, the world is ours.
I’ve loved everything I’ve seen from Yorgos Lanthimos, but this is by far my favorite thing he’s done. Teaming up once again with Emma Stone (who gives one of the best performances of the year), he tells the tale of Bella Baxter, which is essentially a feminist version of Frankenstein. It also would make a fascinating conversation with BARBIE, both films being about women on a journey of self-discovery. There are some elements that some will probably strongly object to, among them being the way in which Bella is “born.” There is also a very frank sexuality in the film and in Bella’s character arc, and I found myself rather astonished at seeing a woman in a film talk about “needing” sex – a thing I’m almost positive I have never heard a woman say in a movie or on television EVER because women traditionally are not allowed to have those feelings (and for sure never to admit to them).
Bella’s growth as a person is rather brilliantly written and acted – from the way she moves to her manner of speaking and syntax. The look of the film is also quite distinctive. It’s not clear what time period this is supposed to be, but there’s a sort of pastel steampunk look to everything. The costumes are extraordinary and all of Bella’s outfits *look* very period while clearly not being period (lots of elaborate high collars and puffy sleeves paired with silk pajama-like shorts). Pretty much any shot in the film that’s not a close-up is skewed in some way (including a whole lot of fisheye shots), reflecting the unique way that Bella sees the world. It’s all incredibly specific and unique and stunningly beautiful to look at. The screenplay was written by Tony McNamara, who also wrote the screenplay for Lanthimos’s THE FAVOURITE (and created the TV series “The Great”) but while you can see a similar sense of humor at play in the writing, it’s much less biting and more humanistic (I mean, I love THE FAVOURITE, but damn it’s mean). I love everything about this movie. (In theaters.)
I knew we should have gone to Nacho Mama.
(There is not a whole lot to choose from yet when it comes to stills and quotes for this movie. Thank goodness one of the child actors reminded me of the quote above.)
This was by far my favorite thing I saw at Fantastic Fest. I have a strange relationship with movie kids and movies *about* kids. I didn’t get to see a lot of movies when I was an actual child and I ended up seeing a lot of movies that were formative for people my age when I was an adult and therefore had a much different perspective on them. And it’s incredibly rare that I see a movie that evokes what I remember about actually being a child. Which is one reason this movie is so special to me. A lot of people will compare this to THE GOONIES, and there’s definitely a sense of “kids on an adventure that’s a bit too big for them” here. The director Weston Razooli says his biggest inspiration for this was “The Little Rascals” and I definitely see that as well. But it’s also got a lot of eldritch vibes and mystical journey tropes (kind of like a redneck Lord of the Rings).
The basic story is that three children, on the last weekend of summer vacation, “acquire” a new video game system and hope to spend their last free weekend playing it to their hearts’ content. But they hit a snag when they realize the boys’ mother has put a password on the television and to get it from her they have to complete a task that grows increasingly complicated and potentially dangerous as the movie goes on. This is maybe my favorite kids adventure movie that I’ve ever seen and genuinely took me back to my own childhood, when the most mundane things could feel like an actual adventure. The children in this are all spectacular, and the plot heavily depends on the classic laissez-faire parenting that we know and love from all our favorite stories from childhood (and many of our own actual childhoods, let’s be real). And it has the most unexpected use of the “Cannibal Holocaust” theme you could imagine. (Coming to theaters in April the last I heard.)
Happiness is continuing to desire what we already have. But you, have I ever had you?
This snuck up on me at the end of the year, and I confess that a huge part of my curiosity about the film was due to its two leads, Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel, who were partners in the late 90s and early 2000s and have a child together but split about 20 years ago. I try not to “ship” real people, but seeing these two play a love story was too much to resist. And their real-life history definitely adds to the passion between their characters. Dodin and Eugenie have worked together in the same kitchen for 20 years and a romance has blossomed between them, though Eugenie continually says no to Dodin’s marriage proposals because she prefers her freedom. At the same time, the two of them are mentoring a young girl who shows all the signs of being a cooking prodigy.
The first roughly half-hour of the film is a mostly dialogue-free scene of the characters cooking an elaborate meal. We get to know them by how they wordlessly communicate with each other, how they move around the kitchen and how they handle the food. I always love watching competent people doing things competently, but to show emotion and passion through the act of cooking took my breath away. There’s another cooking scene later in the movie, where Dodin is cooking just for Eugenie, and it’s like his version of a proposal and his best way of expressing his love for and devotion to her. This is so beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted, and there’s something so incredible and tender about being able to convey deep emotion through an act of service. (Coming to theaters in February.)
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