movies, some shows, and more movies
talking about the movies i've been watching
One of my goals for this year was that when I moved to New York, I wanted to go out and see a lot more stuff. And I have! Let’s talk about it.
I’ve been documenting the things I’ve watched ever so diligently on my Letterboxd which makes this a lot easier, actually. Note! Spoilers ahead.
Across the Spider-Verse
Incredible movie. Probably will be my favorite movie of the year (unless Barbie magically blows it out of the water). The music, the symbolism, the metaphors. Miles trying to have two cakes, but inevitably ends up ruining both of them, showing that he can’t balance both. Miles’ Prowler theme being the inverse of his hero theme. The way the different themes all come back at the end. The foreshadowing from the first movie. The overall message of the movie that directly addresses fans that were against Miles being Spider-Man (pushing back against what is ‘canon’ and what isn’t, what stories can be told, etc.). All so incredibly fantastic.
The Menu
I thought this movie was kind of just okay. I think they didn’t really take it as far as they could have. I thought Anya Taylor Joy delivered a fantastic performance. I thought the commentary on class was…also just okay? Everything felt so on the nose that it took away from the movie.
Paddington 2
I only watched this because of that scene in…God, what movie is it? There’s a movie where they talk about how Paddington 2 is the greatest movie of all time. I watched it. It was alright. I can see how it’s likable. I also didn’t watch the first Paddington. But yes, it was very cute and I thought it was really sweet. And I actually watched this directly after The Menu so it was a welcome distraction.
Asteroid City
I got the incredible opportunity to go to an early screening of Asteroid City with a live introduction done by Wes Anderson and cast. That was kind of wild.
This was my first Wes Anderson film. It was confusing, I don’t konw if it was confusing in a pleasant way. The cast was great. I liked the characters, a lot of them actually reminded me of MIT people (in particular, the really nerdy middle schoolers that take it upon themselves to contact Jeff Goldblum—I mean, the alien). It felt it was trying very hard to say something that isn’t that hard to say, which is that grief happens. But simultaneously, it felt like it was trying to say something but it didn’t quite know what it was saying. I learned from my evaluating movies and comics class I took last semester to always look for what agenda or what message a movie is trying to push, and I honestly couldn’t find a clear one in this movie.
The Little Mermaid
I originally had tickets for an early screening of Elemental but arrived too late in the theatre to capitalize on those so I opted instead to watch The Little Mermaid. As I watched it, I just was thinking about how magical this would’ve been if I were a little kid and grew up with this version of Disney movies (to be fair, the film was still magical, I just know it would’ve hit a lot harder if I was, like, eight instead). I was also kind of shocked at the violence in it? There’s blood (she rips off her own scale), there’s like near drowning, the eels get eviscerated, King Triton literally fucking DIES?
I also just loved the diversity in this movie. It didn’t feel forced at all, I loved seeing the different kinds of mermaids and people of the town. It was a beautiful movie! And God, wow, Halle Baliey’s voice. Stunning.
Sweeney Todd
I saw Sweeney Todd on Broadway with Josh Groban, Jordan Fisher, and Gaten Matarazzo on Saturday! I went in completely blind. Such a cool musical. Also very bloody. Great music. Loved it. Super, super cool.
Past Lives
Okay, I think this movie was overhyped for me. I was convinced it was going to be, like, the next Your Name or something so incredibly tragic. I think it’s a great movie, albeit maybe a little slow, but I don’t think I viewed it as something so tragic. A lot of people said this was going to be really sad, but I appreciated how realistic it was. Of course she’s not gonna leave her husband that she’s in love with for a guy who knew her once when she was 12 and maybe once again when she was 24. Short connections are short connections, and that’s that. Honestly seeing this movie actually healed me in some way because she just realizes that even though it would be great to be with him and it would be some beautiful love story, she ultimately knows that that’s not the story here.
And I really, really loved that. Especially as someone who has left a relationship feeling like I was ruining some epic love story. Also as someone who tends to romanticize so deeply those short connections that we have and wonder if it’s fate, if there’s some larger role for us to play.
So it’s a great movie, but I don’t view it as something sad or tragic. I actually kind of find it quite beautiful because here she was, tempted by something so beautiful, so movie-like, so wonderous, and she still finds it in herself to realize that she doesn’t need to chase after beautiful stories or movies. She is happy with choosing the life she’s carved for herself, even if it’s a bit more “boring” on paper. And I ultimately hope to find that for myself.
Movies Coming Up
Here’s a list of movies coming up that I really want to see:
Oppenheimer/Barbie double feature. C’mon now, you knew this was coming.
No Hard Feelings. Love a good fake dating romcom.
Joy Ride. Looks okay.
Problemista. I love the magical realism in the trailer and it just seems like it’s going to be great. I hope it is.
Challengers. Zendaya with two twinky looking men? Sign me up. I just really hope the two guys are secretly fucking and it’s not some incredibly straight movie where they’re fighting over her for the entire runtime. It looks like they are, but I might just be getting baited.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Just looks so funny, I love the ninja turtles :(
Red, White, and Royal Blue. UGH. UGHHHHH. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCh. AGHHHSLFDKJds
OldBoy. Anything by Park Chan-Wook I’m excited to see.
Bottoms. Gay teen comedy. Need I say more?
If you’re in NYC and want to see these with me, let me know!
i have not seen past lives yet and am super excited to! though maybe it's also been overhyped for me by erika who knows :eyes:
i feel like across the spiderverse was kinda meh plotwise, but the art and music and dialogue and everything else was awesome