Film Log Oct-Dec 2022

New in 2022

-Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, 2022, TV-14

Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al, wearing a fake permed wig but donning a real mustache. Enough said. I watch all things Daniel Radcliffe so this was no different. Much like his music, the biopic of Weird Al's life is complete parody. But it's played straight as if it's the true story of his life. It plays with every trope imaginable related to musical biopics, such as the troubled past, the overnight stardom, the inability to handle the fame, the turn to alcohol and drugs, and the untimely death. RIP Weird Al, you will be remembered as the greatest musician to defeat a drug overlord.

-Enola Holmes 2, 2022, PG-13

Millie Bobby Brown's on-screen charisma is contagious. She makes the camera fall in love with her. Many may consider her overrated given her success at such a young age - but to me its deserved. I watch these films just to watch Millie give it her all as a leading action-adventure heroine - every little facial expression and motion is filled with star power. This one is interesting because it strays from the books and tells a mystery through a true story! The true story of the matchstick girls very much reminds me of the Radium Girls. Scary how many times something like this has happened in history. I've written my thoughts on the first film here: https://narrativemultiverse.blogspot.com/2020/12/enola-holmes.html

-Elvis, 2022, PG-13

Watching this soon AFTER having seen Weird: The Al Yankovic Story was a bizarre juxtaposition. Both films used all the same overt tropes. However, Elvis's life genuinely was dramatic and legendary. I know that the film was overdramatized, but it was done in a self-aware way, as Baz Lurhmann does.  I LOVE Baz Lurhmann's directing because he takes cinema to its maximum potential - it's a headache of over-the-top cinematography and editing. Somehow its overdramatization helps ADD, rather than take away from, the accuracy of the storytelling, because it helps get across just how impactful Elvis's legacy was at the time that it happened.

-Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story, 2022, PG-13

I loved Knives Out (review here https://narrativemultiverse.blogspot.com/2020/03/knives-out.html). Considering how phenomenal of a film Knives Out is, I think it's unfair to make a comparison between the two about which is better. Knives Out is obviously better. But this film is also entertaining, humorous, and clever, while making a social justice statement. Rather than comparison, I'd rather point out the familiar themes that exist. Daniel Craig still has a ridiculous accent, there's a whodunnit mystery with a fun plot twist about halfway through, and a woman of color is still our hero, taking material possessions away from rich White people who claim to have earned their wealth, while that is objectively impossible given the historical exploitation of people of color. 

Older Films I Watched for the First Time

-Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, 2019, PG-13

This was a strange film because it was an imbalanced mix of childish and adult horror. It's based on children's horror short stories. Its PG-13 rating made it so that there were limitations on how scary it could be. None of the jump-scares landed just quite right, therefore evading an overall sense of R-rated horror. The main characters were children with average acting skills. However, there were a few shots here and there that were so freakin' disturbing that it scarred me more than other horror films. I left it with just a weird feeling in my stomach and no desire to watch a sequel if it happens.

-Beetlejuice, 1988, PG

Who knew the 1980's allowed PG films to have the F-word? I'm surprised by that, but not surprised by how much overt misogyny and rapey feels this film has. Kind of put a bad taste in my mouth for Tim Burton, if this was the type of humor he used back in the day. I know its a film of its time, and it is considered a classic. It was just... SO gross to women, it made it hard to focus on the cool parts of the ghost story.

-The Devil Below, 2021, R

I was half-watching this film. It was not my choice to watch. It seemed like standard B-horror without much depth, plot, or originality. No point in writing much more.

-National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 1989, R

What is it with 80's movies being so inherently misogynistic?? Why is the whole main character's personality based on him ogling at women and imagining them naked when he's already married and spending Christmas with his family? Also his character embodies toxic masculinity in his stubbornness and refusal to admit defeat, to the harm of others. But I guess that is '80s humor. 

Rewatches

-Horns, 2013, R

One of my favorites of all time!!! I was fortunate enough to be able to convince my boyfriend to give it a watch for the first time ever. I am so pleased that he enjoyed it and found the same excitement in looking for themes, motifs, and metaphors. He said it was a beautiful story and it makes me proud to have him as a partner. I've written my thoughts before on this film here: https://narrativemultiverse.blogspot.com/2020/04/horns.html