Movie: Notes From 2015 Movies

Found some of my old notes...

The Danish Girl ««
Not impressed with the how the story unfolded. I think they missed the mark by showing Einar/Lili revealing their nature by modeling their legs. It felt like there could have been a better way of leading the audience down that path. Consequently, I wasn’t able to suspend reality. Acting was pretty good, and I was happy to see Matthias Schoenaerts who’s name rarely makes it on the movie’s poster, but who always adds to a film.

Brooklyn «««
This was a please surprise. I thought it was going to be the story of a girl torn between two men, but there was much more to the depiction of an Irish girl who made her way to New Yor, finding empowerment along her way. Excellent costumes and personal styling!

The Martian «««
Was not expecting to laugh during this movie, even though it was nominated for Best Musical/Comedy by SAG. Felt like Castaway + Stark Trek.

The Revenant ««««
Iñárritu’s direction and cinematographer Emanuel Lubezki created a visually beautify film that backed up an interesting story acted out with great performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. An overall good movie with a very intense bear attack scene.

Far From the Madding Crowd «««««
Reminds me of Pride & Prejudice (2005) + Places In the Heart (1984). This year has given us several stories of women’s empowerment, and this is one of those. This one is about a woman with options, and she seems to choose the hardest option whenever faced with a decision, which isn’t necessarily bad since it makes for a good story on the screen. In my opinion, you must purposefully try to make the landscape look bad when filming in the English countryside. It is quite beautifully captured in this film and so was the on-screen chemistry between Carey Mulligan and Mattias Schoenaerts (Here he is, again!). I could watch this over and over and now have the DVD to make that happen!

Movie: Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021) *****

Talk about a piece of art speaking directly to you, to who you are and how you feel at a moment, or for the past few years even. 

Tick Tick Boom is a movie version of the play (rock monologue) written by Jonathan Larson, the focus character in both the play and the movie. In the movie, he is an aspiring musical theater writer and has an opportunity to show his play at a workshop. He spends most of the movie obsessively preparing for this workshop.

The movie takes the play where live theater can’t go: actualized flashbacks, toggling between two or more people on screen, on location. But still, in a way capturing the intimacy of a monologue show in an off-Broadway theater. Lin Manuel-Miranda did a great job of capturing the proverbial lightning, as well as thunder, rain and clouds parting to reveal hope… in a bottle.

I found this movie to be very sincere and touching all while using the best of film and musical theater techniques, featuring cameos from stars of theater. I loved the voices, and I loved the music. After Hamilton, In the Heights and Encanto, I’m recognizing Lin Manuel-Miranda style.

I still find Seasons of Love to be an annoying song, but I’m definitely open to giving the stage play, Rent, written by Jonathan Larson, another try. 

I enjoyed Tick Tick Boom. It by far was one of my favorite films of 2021. Five stars: Probably a favorite. I can see myself memorizing the soundtrack and watching the movie over and over. *****

2022 New Year's Movie Marathon Gone Wrong

I tried to have a Happy New Year movie marathon, but I gave up, after these three movies let me down... all in a row. 

Happy New Years (2014)

This was a Bollywood comedy-action-dance-competition flick. Yeah, I said it. What I find astounding about the random Bollywood movies I decide to watch, is that they all seem to star the same few guys: Shah Rukh Khan (✔ He’s in this movie, too), Sonu Sood (✔ He’s in this movie, too), Amitabh Bachchan (✘ He’s not in this movie).
There’s an excessively produced mud fight scene that is only there as a venue to show the audience that Shah Rukh Khan, 49 at the time this movie was made (lies!), has a ripped body and is a total badass. There’s another action scene to convince you Sonu Sood is also a badass.
Most Bollywood isn’t my thing. I’ve seen some epics that I thought were great. They were depicting tales from India’s history, mythology and folklore. When I venture into the comedy genre, I find that the humor and cheese just doesn’t please my palette.

• Production Co: Red Chilies Entertainment
• How’d you watch it: Netflix

New Year New You (2018)
This one is about a bunch of friends getting together for NYE that is supposed to be a thriller/horror, but it takes too long to tell the story. They’re trying to use Jordan Peele styling, but unfortunately, they got it wrong. Every second of the movie can’t be creepy or suspenseful, or you’ll never be surprised. I gave it a long painful 40-minute try, but I always tell others to just stop an uncomfortably bad movie, so I took my own advice.

• Production Co: Blumhouse Television
• How’d you watch it: Hulu

New Year, New Us (2021)
An urban fiction movie – but a bad one. A woman wants to have a baby with her reluctant husband, so she tried to engage in a lot of sex until he gets tired of it. Then, at work, he gets a sexy, flirty intern. I stopped it there, before it became any more like a cheesy porn flick.

• Production Co: Maverick Entertainment
• How’d you watch it: Hoopla

2021 Holiday Movie Marathon Part III: Re-Watching Past Faves

At a certain point, I got tired of looking for new movies, so I decided to revisit some of my old favorites to see if they held up.

Christmas Love Story 

A writer goes back to his hometown for Christmas almost every year and enjoys the company of family, close friends and a woman who essentially is his Christmas girlfriend. I like how in this HolRom they’re not swooning over each other, and you can see how they relationship builds-dissolves-rebuilds over time as they’re life changes and their dreams mature. 

• Originally watched: 2019
• Tropes: Belated Love Epiphany • Friends to Lovers
• Does it hold up: Yes. 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

Christmas Contract

What I still like: There is a misunderstanding, and the relationship is halted, but it is resolved in a logical and cute way. Everyone acted authentically no over-the-top cheesiness. 

• Originally watched: 2019
• Tropes: Fake Relationship • Best Friend’s Sibling • Shared Goal • Return to Hometown 
• Does it hold up: Yes. 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

Naughty or Nice

Re-watching this I caught so many story holes and nonsensicals, but it still was enjoyable as a cute, and cheesy holiday romance starring Haylie Duff. 

• Originally watched: 2017
• Tropes: Enemies-to-Lovers • Opposites Attract • Career vs. Love
• Does it hold up: Yes. 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

2021 Holiday Movie Marathon Part II: Good to Fave

What I noticed about this year's new HolRom movies: Ion channel featured a few crime-themed movies this year. There are more movies are featuring characters that are in their 30s on up. I like that. Representin' the 30+ crowd! 

These are the Good to Fave movies I discovered this year: 

A Christmas Witness (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄

A man with connections to the mafia gets placed in the witness protection program until he’s scheduled to testify at a trial the day after Christmas. A single, childless with a strained family dynamic (free for the holidays!) deputy US Marshal is assigned to protect him. The man turns out to be uncharacteristically Christmassy and the usually very focused deputy marshal starts to melt. This movie gets points for a storyline that strays away from the regular tropes. I haven’t seen a mafia-themed HolRom before this one. I knew it! I recognized this actress from somewhere and YES! She played one of Dwayne Johnson’s character’s love interests on Ballers. 

• Production: Authentic. Filmed in Chicago.
• Tropes: Enemies to Lovers · Workplace Based Romance · Scars of the Past • Criminal-Law Enforcer
• Diversity: One supporting POC
• Production Co: Thriller Films • Chicago Media Angels 
• How'd you watch it: Ion Holiday Romance Marathon

A Castle for Christmas (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄

The premise is similar to a book by one of my favorite authors (Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips). An American bestselling author has a fall-from-grace moment and decides to lick her wounds and find inspiration in the countryside of Scotland. When visiting a castle that her father told her about, she runs into a curmudgeonly aristocrat who is trying not to sell his ancestral estate, but failing. The author offers to buy, then ensues the push-an-pull of falling for each other while deciding the fate of the estate. This movie features Brook Shields and the guy from Princess Bride, Cary Elwes, and is another rom flick featuring mid-to-older adult characters. Albeit to long (The snow-playing scene should have been cut shorter and the post-fight-to-make-up events should have been tighter), this movie was still entertaining and fun. 

• Production: Ample budget. Filmed on location in Scotland at Tantallon Castle. 
• Tropes: Enemies to Lovers • Royalty/Nobility •  Save the  Business • Family History
• Diversity: POC!
• Production Co: MPCA • Netflix 
• How'd you watch it: Netflix

2021 Holiday Movie Marathon Part I: Alright & Not Good

Here it is! Better late than never! Another holiday season has come and gone and I managed to watch a few movies of the Holiday Romance (HolRom) variety. There's a mix of sincere, cheesy, and down-right awful in these three posts. This year, I'm using the 1-4 trees as my rating scale.

• 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Fave. 
• 🎄🎄🎄 Good.
• 🎄🎄 Alright.
• 🎄👎Not good. 

Let's start off with the alright and not good movies. 

The Nine Lives of Christmas (2014)  🎄👎

A firefighter adopts a stray cat and of course, keeps on running into an overwhelmed veterinary student. Too predictable and uninteresting story. Actors didn’t own their roles. Bad music. Stopped 30 minutes in. 

• How'd you watch it: DVD checked out from the library. 

New Lease on Christmas (2021) 🎄 🎄

A real estate agent who is having a tough time finding work gets a commission to sell the building where her favorite coffee shop is located and the shop is owned by the guy she has a crush on. 

This movie is alright. I stopped paying full attention about halfway through and finished it only because I multitasked while it played. At a certain point the main character, played by Claire Coffee who also played Adalind on Grimm, breaks the fourth wall and I don’t know why that was necessary. 

• How'd you watch it: Ion Holiday Romance Marathon

Miss Christmas (2017) 🎄 🎄 

Christmas event planner has to convince a semi-Grinch to donate a beloved family tree to be a city’s Christmas plaza centerpiece. Of course, her job is on the line to get this event planned, but there is a lot family rooted into that tree. Can she convince him? Will the branch be extended?!

• Production: Ample budget. Authentic.
• Tropes: Enemies to Lovers · Workplace Based Romance · Scars of the Past 
• Diversity: One supporting POC
• Production Co: Hallmark Channel · Crown Media Productions
• How'd you watch it: DVD checked out from the library.