Move Monday: Playing Catch Up, Part II
Thor: Love and Thunder
The first thing I wrote down was “Thank goodness I’d already read the run of Jane Foster as The Mighty Thor. Otherwise I would have been pissed about the cancer storyline.”
This movie, other than the cancer storyline, was pretty much made for me. It is often downright silly. Korg narrates the story for us adding levity to the very serious subject of Jane Foster’s cancer. I think the idea was to give us something to laugh about while we waited to cry.
There were several parts of the movie that I liked: Korg, Tessa Thompson—always, screaming goats, the extensive use of Guns ‘n’ Roses, and the perfect placement of Enya’s “Only Time.” Russell Crowe as Zeus was also an inspired choice.
I did not care for Christian Bale’s character. I would’ve HATED the ending if I hadn’t know what was going to happen.
I did love our immature Thor kinda grows up at the end.
This movie is for people who
like Taika Waititi’s brand of silly
will watch Chris Hemsworth and/or Tessa Thompson in anything they do
want to see Natalie Portman as a badass
were intrigued by the idea of screaming goats
This movie isn’t for people who
do not want or are not ready for a cancer storyline
are irritated by screaming goats
have trouble with movies that aren’t tonally consistent
cannot abide the sillly
Persuasion
I was prepared to hate this. I’d heard that it was a bastardization of Jane Austen’s novel. I mean, if you’re an Austen purist, maybe. As for me, I’ll allow it.
Dakota Johnson is really good in this movie. She breaks the fourth wall well. I think both the screenplay and her delivery really capture the dry wit of Austen even if it tonally is more like the recent Emma than past productions of Persuasion.
In addition to breaking the fourth wall, there are also some modern phrases so you gotta allow some anachronisms.
I felt the screenplay was pretty tight. As I originally wrote, “Johnson shows up and shows out playing humor, angst, concern, and everything in between.” Henry Golding was great, but I kinda wanted him as the male lead. Mia McKenna-Bruce almost stole the show as the narcissistic Mary. There were a few delightful running gags such as how Mary could never keep track of her kids and how Anne couldn’t speak Italian.
My final thoughts back in August? “Well done, I say. Of course, I do prefer extra humor over extra angst.”
This move is for people who
are looking for accessible Austen
want dry wit with a side of romantic longing
get excited about movies that are under 2 hours long (Praise the Lord!)
This movie isn’t for people who
are Austen purists
don’t truck with breaking the fourth wall
want more angst than humor (Personally, I think there was plenty of both)
See How They Run
I doubt very seriously that this film will get any Oscar nods, but I’m going to include it anyway. Some folks are always looking for something that’s not Marvel. Well, here you go. When I saw it, I wrote that Adrien Brody was “actually the standout performance for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a Best Supporting Nod” and “I wouldn’t be mad at a nod for Best Screenplay” because it was intricate and well done.
I summed it up as “a perfectly serviceable movie with a Christie-esque twist.” I’ll stand by that.
Perhaps the reason I was underwhelmed is that I went in with such high expectations. I adore Agatha Christie, Saoirse Ronan, and Sam Rockwell. Not a one of them were exactly as I’d imagined, but the plot’s proximity to Christie was the closest.
Ronan plays against type as an enthusiastic detective trainee. She’s smart, but she’s often stymied. Rockwell plays a beaten down alcoholic police detective. I prefer him to be over-top, honestly. Dame Agatha Christie was played by Shirley Henderson aka Moaning Myrtle. Once you’ve played Moaning Myrtle, it’s hard for me to see you as the Queen of Mystery, but that’s probably my hang up. Well, that and I’m mad because she was washing dishes to figure out a plot point, and that was the third time that week the universe told me to wash dishes to figure out my own plot point, so I was a little miffed.
Here’s what I really liked: the plot. The movie centers on a performance of Christie’s The Mousetrap and there are Easter Eggs galore as a nod to both Christie and the theater. It’s really, really hard to come up with any story that matches the fast pace and quick character development of Christie in her prime, but this screenplay succeeds. That said, Ryan and Her Majesty were a little lost at times since they don’t read as much Christie as I do—keep that in mind.
I have a feeling I may revisit this review and reverse it one day. After all, I didn’t like Clue as much as I thought I would when I first saw it. In my defense, I was ten. A lot of those jokes went over my head.
This movie is for people who
love mysteries in general and Agatha Christie in particular
like plot and word play
like twists
are all about those movies that are under 2 hours long (I know I am)
This movie isn’t for people who
don’t like mysteries
prefer movies where lots of things explode (see The Gray Man, in that case)
don’t like period pieces (set in the 1950s)
want romance or more ribald humor