Film Log Jan-Mar 2022

New in 2022

-The Batman, 2022, PG-13

This was such a nostalgic experience because I have had so few movie theater experiences since pre-pandemic! It was just a joyous thing to watch a highly anticipated film in a crowd of other filmgoers who are just really excited to be there. And I forgot how immersive it is to have that high quality surround sound and the big screen. Beautiful shots (especially the warm coloring with the night shots!) and cinematography. Main complaint was that there was a lot and it was very long.

Older Films Watched for the First Time

-Ted, 2012, R

I watched this to turn my brain off because I heard it was stupid and inappropriate. Granted, it was, but it also had a lot of heart. I was not expecting to cry so much during this movie, nor think so philosophically about oppression and human (or bear) rights.

-Rubber, 2010, R

I thought this was supposed to be a dumb B-rated horror film about a killer tire that was "so bad it's good" kind of film. It was actually a very self-aware and meta film that I would love to write my deeper thoughts about someday. I do not think there is a singular interpretation, and I am dissatisfied with the interpretations that are out there. The film really had me thinking about the existence of fictional characters in their own universe. As long as we are watching, the fictional exists.

-I, Tonya, 2017, R

I loved this film because it manages to be a perfect blend of comedy, drama, history, and socioculture. You can look at the film through the lens of class, patriarchy, power, and violence, so my critical thinking hat was on while I was still being entertained and informed about true events.

-Vice, 2018, R

This film was angering. It's supposed to lighten the mood a bit with humor, and it was well done, but it is difficult to not feel the weight of what Dick Cheney is responsible for and not feel passionately angry. The film helped me respect him a bit as a human being, but despise him as a politician and a man in a position of power.

-Boy Erased, 2018, R

I watched this film for my LGBTQ+ class and wrote my final paper on it. Some of the themes in the paper were culpability and accountability for those involved in the conversion therapy practice, including parents who refer their children. Horrifying that this is still in practice.

-Persepolis, 2007, PG-13

I read the book several years ago as part of Our Shared Shelf and absolutely adored it! I also have my own copy, yet somehow it wasn't until recently that I looked at the cover and realized it said, "Now a Major Motion Picture." How would a graphic novel translate??? It turns out, in fact, wonderfully. The author of the book was the director, and the black and white animation style, humor, and expressiveness matched and even enhanced the emotions of the book. 

-American Psycho, 2000, R

I cannot get the image of Christian Bale running down a hotel completely butt naked covered in blood and carrying a chainsaw out of my head. That about sums up the film. It is a psychological thriller, for certain, but I did not find it all that profound. Perhaps it was more profound in the year 2000 when it came out. For me, I was just mostly entertained and fascinated by the pure narcissism of the character. It's cringy and uncomfortable and kind of pitiful at the end.

-Uncut Gems, 2019, R

I watched this with my boyfriend and we renamed it Anxiety: The Movie. Or perhaps Stress: The Movie. Cortisol: The Movie. I cannot recall the last time a film hit me so viscerally, it took hours afterwards to lower my cortisol levels. I could feel the stress literally pumping through my blood. From the talking over each other, to the never-stopping camera, to the plot where our main character just cannot have anything go right (or the second it does, he risks it all)... it's such a viscerally frustrating film. Our main character, and we as the audience, literally CANNOT catch a break. I loved it for how much it affected me.

Special Film Events

-Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, 2022, PG-13

I have had an incredibly emotional experience reconciling my love for the Harry Potter series given my disdain for its authors' sociopolitical (and frankly anti-human) beliefs. But my love remains - what I remembered in watching this reunion is how much I adore the film series, the contributions of the cast and crew, and the aesthetic. I love the characters and the stories. I'm obsessed to the point where I was genuinely shocked whenever there was new information shared in this reunion that I had not heard before in prior interviews (and there was a lot! Yay to this special for actually being profoundly new and interesting!) I cannot ever stop loving this universe for what its given me. And I'm glad they only used stock footage of She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.