The Resident Bitch Prepares for the MoFo 2010s Countdown

Aw

I think the ending kind of falls apart, but I still love the film and it's a lock for my ballot.

The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015)
(Recommended by @Thursday Next)

I'm not really sure how to go about reviewing this one. I definitely didn't love it and I'm not sure if I even liked it, but it was definitely strange and fascinating. I also can say with absolute certainty that I've never seen a movie quite like it and I definitely do think there is some potential for it to grow on me. It certainly won't be the next Being John Malkovich for me, but maybe the next Dead Man?

I don't know. This movie is weird AF and awkward AF, but it was interesting. It's going to require a rewatch or three at some point down the line for me to decide if I like it or not, so this rating doesn't mean a whole lot.

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Your first Lanthimos?

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Letterboxd

I had a similar reaction to Under the Skin and The Lobster, would like to see both again.

No, The Favourite was first. I watched it last month.

Cool, sorry didn’t remember that. I do think The Favorite is his least bizarre although it still is plenty weird.

The Lobster is a lock for my ballot.

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IMDb
Letterboxd

The Lure (Córki dancingu) (Agnieszka Smoczynska, 2015)

I fully expected to hate everything about this fantasy-horror-musical. To say that those three genres are not my favorite is a bit of an understatement. As it turned out, I didn’t hate everything about it but my prediction wasn’t too far off from the truth. It had some cool visuals and it kept me at least mildly entertained for a little while. However, the musical and fantasy elements quickly began to wear on my nerves and by the time the sisters started growling at each other I had mentally checked out.

Not terrible by any means but definitely not my kind of movie.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino, 2019)
(Rewatch)

I've seen a lot of reviews that accuse this movie of being slow, overly long, self-indulgent, and self-congratulatory and I don't disagree with any of that. But I also don't see those things as being faults. As its title suggests, this movie is a fairy tale. A sweet, blissful fairy tale - albeit one with a lot of profanity and drinking - that meanders through an atmospheric and mostly rose colored depiction of 1960s Hollywood while keeping its focus on a fictional washed up actor and his stunt double buddy. The majority of the film is far more soft and sedate than you expect from its director, but then it rewrites history in a big bloody, fiery, gruesome, and very Tarantino way.

I think this was my third or fourth time watching it and I wouldn't quite say I love it, but it is a lot of fun and I like it a lot. Not a lock for my ballot - though another Tarantino is - but it is a contender.

It's a lock for my ballot, loved how Tarantino captured the era.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will likely make my ballot. It's the kind of film which gets better the more you watch it.

12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
(Rewatch)

I've seen this movie several times and my feelings about it have pretty much remained the same with each viewing, so I'll just sort of echo what I wrote about it the last time I watched it, in 2018 for the Best Picture Hall of Fame.

I've seen a fair number of movies and programs on the subject of black slavery in the America, but none of them have quite succeeded in addressing it without sliding into exploitation, over-sentimentality, or preachiness. Nor have any given more than a two-dimensional view of both victim and perpetrator. McQueen makes a solid attempt at a more rounded view of things, but it's still not quite there.

It is the closest I've seen though and the combination of strong direction and mostly fantastic performances (Paul Dano and Brad Pitt, as much as I like him, not withstanding) make for a very moving and powerful film. That said though, I don't think it deserved the win for Best Picture that year and, as good as it is, its chances of making my ballot are pretty slim.

Your Name. (Kimi no na wa.) (Makoto Shinkai, 2016)
(Rewatch)

When I think of visually impressive animation, Makoto Shinkai's work leaps to mind. He consistently delivers absolutely stunning artistry, with vibrant colors and incredible detail that leave me in awe. Unfortunately, I've never found his storytelling to be at that same level, though Your Name. is pretty solid in that department. Granted, its time and body swapping premise isn't really my cup of tea but the sweet teenage romance works quite well and it's funny and engaging throughout. That said though, even if the romance didn't work for me I don't know that it would hinder my enjoyment that much. I don't watch Shinkai for the stories anyway. And on that note, I probably ought to check out Weathering With You before the deadline.

I watched Weathering With You recently and liked it pretty well. I should definitely check out Your Name.

Big Hero 6 (Don Hall and Chris Williams, 2014)
(Rewatch)

Every time I watch this movie, I come away feeling frustrated with it. It has a fair amount going for it - gorgeous animation, an interesting enough plot, and some genuinely funny scenes - but it always just feels to me like it's trying too damn hard to deliver an emotional punch that never really comes. Because, you know, it's not enough that the protagonist is an orphan, let's kill his brother too because that doesn't come off as a cheap tactic or anything, right? And let's make the villain's backstory one of grief and revenge. How original! Ultimately the only main character I felt anything for was the one that isn't human and that emotional punch it strives for feels more like a poke. A poke from a soft, inflatable, marshmallow-y robot.

Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi, 2019)
(Rewatch)

I know some people are probably put off by the idea of making a Holocaust comedy. Some people find it in bad taste to laugh at a situation that led to the murder of millions, but I don't think Jojo Rabbit is in any way disrespectful to the memory of those people. The butt of its jokes are always the Nazis and I actually find that all those laughs and silly moments work to make the more emotional scenes impactful. The scene where Jojo follows the butterfly hit me like a ton of bricks because even though it wasn't the first reminder of the danger its protagonists find themselves, I still found myself momentarily forgetting that danger until I was so suddenly confronted with it. I also think the film does a very good job of balancing the comedy and the tragedy and, even through all the silliness, it tells a story that doesn't feel artificial.

I think a lot of that is owed to some really outstanding performances. Newcomer Roman Griffin Davis is incredible as naive little Nazi boy Jojo and Thomasin McKenzie is also wonderful as Elsa. I'm not usually all that fond of Scarlett Johansson, but her turn as Rosie was really sweet. Also a standout was the always-solid Sam Rockwell who lends a lot of humanity to his Captain Klenzendorf.

But the movie is just wonderfully made overall. Great writing, color and light that pops, and a strong soundtrack also work to make for a very memorable and unique experience. Tonight was my third time watching this and I think it only improves with rewatches. I've not yet decided where on my ballot this will land, but it will absolutely get my vote.

Legend (Brian Helgeland, 2015)
(Rewatch)

This was my second time watching this movie and, like the previous time, I'm going to preface this by saying I don't know anything about the Kray twins and I don't really care.

As before, I watched this solely for the sake of getting a double dose of Tom Hardy. And what a pair of performances it is. As Ronnie Kray, he's a mesmerizing combination of comical, sad, and terrifying. As Reggie, he's suave, sexy, sophisticated, and equally frightening in his own way. Like Locke, this movie serves as an excellent showcase for Hardy's talent, but also like Locke I find the movie as a whole to be solid but not spectacular. I don't have any real complaints about it, but nor do I have much to praise beyond the central performances.

I initially rated it a 4 out of 5, but with this viewing I'm going to downgrade it just a bit. Still a worthwhile watch, but not one that will ever be a favorite nor one that stands any chance of getting my vote.

Irrational Man (Woody Allen, 2015)
(Rewatch)

I had a look at my previous write up for this movie before posting this and apparently Irrational Man was the third Woody Allen movie I've seen all the way through. I know one was Blue Jasmine, which I vaguely remember liking okay but remember absolutely nothing else and I have no clue whatsoever what the other one was. Manhattan maybe? I feel like maybe that was a Hall of Fame movie? I don't know. I know I've attempted a couple of others but shut them off. Point is: Woody Allen isn't my cup of tea.

Except for this movie. Yeah, I know people are gonna be like "Well that's just because you like Joaquin Phoenix" and I know that this movie is not generally well liked among critics or Allen fans, but I find it genuinely funny. Like laugh out loud funny and if another actor had played this role as strongly as Phoenix did, I think I would still like it.

And it's not just Phoenix that delivers the laughs for me. Emma Stone and Parker Posey are also really good in this and Stone's expression in the scene with the flashlight and the elevator is one of the highlights of the movie for me. But strangely for me, what I love most about this movie is the narration. I typically hate narration but I found the voiceover of Abe's excited thoughts while his world spirals out of control hilarious.

And despite that fact that I seriously doubt this stands any chance at all of making the countdown, it's pretty much a lock for my ballot.

Calvary (John Michael McDonagh, 2014)
(Recommended by @Takoma11)

This film did not work for me.

Which isn't to say that there weren't things about it that I liked. Brendan Gleeson gives a solid performance, as is usual for him, and the others did fine too with their characters. The film also has excellent cinematography. But that's about where my appreciation of it ends. I'm an atheist and have been most of my life, so movies that address matters of faith are a hard sell for me. I also really don't like the way the one atheist character was depicted, nor do I think that some of the "sins" of the parishioners are particularly immoral. The movie also felt rather uneven and like it didn't quite know what it wanted to be, especially in regards to its weird-ass humor that felt completely out of place.

The end result was that I was completely detached from the proceedings and utterly unmoved by it all.

ETA: One thing I neglected to mention in my review is that I was also bothered by how much time was spent on his reconciliation with his daughter after he abandoned her for the church only to have him do it again at the end.

Coco (Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, 2017)
(Rewatch)

This movie has a whole lot going for it. It's creative, it's original, it's funny, it's charming, and it's absolutely gorgeous to look at. From a purely objective perspective, this is definitely upper-tier Pixar. But I don't love it. I've seen it many times and each time I respect it. I even shed tears at certain scenes each time. But I don't love it. I don't know if it's the overabundance of music, the overabundance of fantasy elements, the overabundance of silliness, or a combination thereof, but I don't love it and I'm not going to vote for it.

Good movie, though.