Beatriz at Dinner

I'm not sure what to make of this film. I have to say at the outset that Salma Hayek was just phenomenal in this, and the rest of the cast turned in gold star performances as well. The direction was quite lovely with some truly beautiful photography. I'm just really stuck on the script. As the film develops, I found it harder and harder to understand what motives were driving the characters, and the ending left me truly baffled. I do freely admit that the point of this script is to force the viewer to question our beliefs about people and their behaviors, but I just felt I needed a bit more to go on to understand and appreciate the ending. I feel like there was some footage left on the cutting room floor that would have gone a long way to making this a more complete vision. As it is, I enjoyed it but felt it could be better. 3/5

Beatriz at Dinner on Netflix

T2: Trainspotting

I was pretty terrified to watch this if I'm honest. For me, "Trainspotting" was one of those rare films that got everything right. The acting, the writing, the directing, the music... it was all so perfect and I felt there could be no way in hell this sequel could ever live up to that. But, the whole original cast, Danny Boyle back, even the same writers... how could I not watch it? The first 40 minutes were rough. Meeting everyone again, slowly bringing everyone together... something was off. The music wasn't quite right, the direction felt odd, the tone was too serious, because, let's remember, the original is a comedy. And then, exactly 40 minutes in, suddenly, like someone flipped a switch... it was right. Everything was right. It felt like "Trainspotting". It looked and sounded like "Trainspotting". It was truly blessed. Now, even after that magical turn, there were problems. Some things never quite turned around, but, wow... they really did it. They made a worthy sequel, one I laughed and cried at. And, as the gods are my witness, some of Boyle's best shots in his whole career are in this film. If you are a fan of the original, sit through the not-great first 40 minutes, and enjoy most of the rest. 4/5

T2: Trainspotting on Netflix

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

I know I rented this movie when it was first released on DVD, and my review said I hated it. However, I couldn't remember why, so I thought I should rent it again and give it another chance. I'm glad I did. First, before I say anything further, I have to say there are moments in this film of utter brilliance, pieces that are so sublime in their execution that they are, quite simply, perfect. For a first time director, as Krasinski was, this is an incredible achievement. I think the first time I watched this film I allowed the surface layer of emotional shallowness and heartlessness to envelope my whole viewing. However, that's not what's really being said here. What is initially shown as disdain and contempt turns around to actually expose the real insecurity, fear, and self-doubt that men feel when confronted with strong women. I also think I read the lack of depth of the main character to be misogynistic, when it fact it was empowering to have her be the sole pillar of strength in the film. This is a complex film with a lot of layers, and I'm glad I went back to look at it again. I think this is a real triumph for Krasinski, and I hope that other who had similar first experiences like me will also give it another chance, because it really is worth it. 4/5

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men on Netflix

No Men Beyond This Point

This mockumentary is so good and so funny and rings so scarily true that it's a little frightening. The acting and script were excellent. I don't want to say much about the plot as the world of this film is really interesting, but it kept me completely glued to my screen. I highly recommend this, especially if you love mockumentaries like I do. 4.5/5

No Men Beyond This Point on Netflix

The Dressmaker

I guess I'm just not sure what film this wanted to be. It was, all at once, magical realism, western, black comedy, romantic drama, and absurdist. It's possible to successfully blur so many genres, but I don't feel this film pulled it off well. The acting was good for the most part, but, at times, the characters veered into such absurdity that I was quite confused as to their story arcs. The direction was sublime, and I was highly entertained for the most part, but I just couldn't settle into this film - it was too uneven for me. 3.5/5

The Dressmaker on Netflix

He Never Died

This was billed as a horror/drama, but I think it's really a very dark comedy. Rollins has a great dry wit throughout his performance that really intrigued me and kept me interested in the film. The rest of the acting was sadly weak and the direction bland, but the plot was weird and fascinating in a way that kept me guessing. The final resolution was satisfying, This is an interesting film that crosses a lot of genres. It's ambitious and fails at times, but I found it enjoyable all the same. 3/5

He Never Died on Netflix

Joshy

I thought I knew what type of movie I was getting when I read this Netflix description, but the first four minutes of the movie over the opening credits stunned me so much I had to rewind and watch them again. This is a black comedy ith a big dark underbelly, but it's also sweet and funny and really laugh-worthy. It's hard to straddle that kind of divide, but this film does it beautifully. Loved this. 4/5

Joshy on Netflix

A Perfect Day

This drama is actually pretty witty and clever - I'm not sure why the label "dark" is attached to it. Well, yes, there are dark elements, but I wouldn't call the film dark in tone. Del Toro and Robbins are both excellent, and the plot is interesting and concise. I liked this. 3.5/5

A Perfect Day on Netflix

Swiss Army Man

This film was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the absolute best films I have ever seen in my entire life. It is also the most wholly original film I have ever seen in my life. It's going to take a long time to fully wrap my head around what I just saw. It's so rare to see a film that is, at its heart, a comedy, but also a deeply tragic and poignant questioning of humanity and what we hold dear. The performances by Dano and Radcliffe were just astonishing. There is no doubt in my mind that Radcliffe deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination for this. And the music was just perfectly sublime and fit the film so well. This is such a good film, it's just beyond anything I had hoped for. If you do nothing else, please watch this. Just amazing. 5/5

Swiss Army Man on Netflix

The Lobster

This is an utterly unique movie, which, in this day and age, is no mean feat. It's hyper-stylized, but in a way I found intriguing, not off-putting. The choice of dialogue delivery confused me for a little while, until the allegorical layer of *why* everyone spoke as they did occurred to me. When I began to realize that nearly everything in this movie was layered with meaning, I became ever more intrigued. I could spend a year analyzing this and probably still miss things, but I really was totally enthralled by it. Very daring. 4/5

The Lobster on Netflix

The Bothersome Man

I had a strange reaction to this dark and brooding Norwegian film. It's billed as a black comedy, but I actually found it to be profoundly disturbing in many ways. Given the very dark and violent movies I tend to really enjoy, I found my strong reaction rather odd. There's one particular set of scenes that felt so sadistic and viscerally disturbing that I really got knocked out of the plot while I digested what I had just seen. Having said all that, this is a tremendously interesting movie. People could argue for days about the ultimate meaning of it all and never come to a final conclusion. It's very dark, very dry, and visually impactful - everything you see has some level of meaning. I can't say I enjoyed this per se, but I was intrigued by it and I will think about this film a lot over the next few days. 4/5

The Bothersome Man on Netflix

Buddy

This Norwegian film purports to be a comedy, but it feels more like a dark-edged dramedy to me for the most part. The not-so-subtle themes of mental illness, teenage pregnancy, and infidelity make this a black comedy, but one with a heart and real characters that I believed in and rooted for. Great acting throughout, I'll be interested to see more from this group of actors and filmmakers. 3.5/5

Buddy on Netflix

Ted 2

The first "Ted" film was funny, had a plot-line that made sense, and characters that maintained an arc throughout the film. This sequel made little to no sense, had characters that fell apart, and no real cohesive plot to speak of. It was too much like "Freddy Got Fingered" for me. Not good. 2.5/5

Ted 2 on Netflix

Our Brand Is Crisis

I really enjoyed this dramedy, which I felt touched a dark nerve that gave it character. Very well done. 4/5

Our Brand Is Crisis on Netflix

Ted

Alright, I'm going long here, so bear with me. Faithful readers of this blog will know that I have no time for raunchy, absurdist humor that has no grounding to it. Don't get me wrong, I love adult humor, but, if it isn't balanced or grounded in some way it feels like a monkey desperately hurling shit at a wall just to see what kind of pattern it makes. It feels cloying and desperate to me, like someone trying to buy humor with mere shock value. I've taken films to task for this in the past, and I levied the same criticisms at "Deadpool", which I saw earlier today. "Ted" is not such a film. Yes, it has a very absurdist and very raunchy humor to it, but it worked so very well because MacFarlane spent so much time crafting his world. "Ted" takes it's absurd premise and makes it seem so real and delivers it's humor is such a beautifully deadpan way that it succeeds where so many before it have failed. The comic structure of the film is sheer perfection, as is the delivery of the material. The acting was amazing, which I never thought I'd say for Wahlberg. THIS IS HOW YOU DO THIS KIND OF HUMOR PEOPLE. Live it, learn it, love it. A perfect comedy, the best I've seen in a long time. 5/5

Ted on Netflix

What We Did on Our Holiday

This odd British comedy took a seriously dark turn half way through and lost me about then. However, the children's hilarious acting saved at least some of the film for me. Meh. 3/5

What We Did on Our Holiday on Netflix

Grandma

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this film, much in the same way I had about "The Diary of a Teenage Girl". In the case of the latter, I'm still digesting the film, and will write about it. For "Grandma", I think I can write tonight. First, Tomlin is exquisite, and I'm not surprised she was nominated for this role. It was a tough role in a tough movie, and I commend her for her work. Having said that, I feel like many of her granddaughter's emotional issues got short shrift, and it *was* her story, not Tomlin's. I wish the writer could have added 15 minute to explore Sage's story in greater depth. However, good film, and solid work by all. 3.5/5

Grandma on Netflix

Closer to the Moon

This black comedy has great action & acting butt plot that doesn't deliver the emotional depths needed. 3/5

Closer to the Moon on Netflix

Trainwreck

In many ways this dark-edged comedy is a big step forward for Apatow. I feel Apatow has been treading water for a time and tends to fall back too frequently on his raunchier words rather than relying on his actors to deliver the complex, dark, and yet wickedly funny adult stories he's so good at telling. I like Apatow best when he's dealing with real adults having real problems which can take absurd or raunchy turns. I feel as if he sat down and watched some of the more daring and successful black comedies of like like "Problem Child" and "The Skeleton Twins" before he made this, and I thought the realness matched the adult nature of the comedy well. On another note, this was my first experience with Amy Schumer, and I enjoyed her work immensely. However, the funniest thing in this whole film was John Cena. That.... that was pure comedic gold. All in all, great work from Apatow and Schumer. 4/5

Trainwreck on Netflix

Dope

This is almost a black "How I Got Into College" - very witty & engaging with great acting & a solid plot. I enjoyed this. 4/5

Dope on Netflix