EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (2022)
A comical yet heartwarming film following the life of a busy working matriarch who has to save those around her from imminent danger. With a beautiful storyline, accompanied by stunning visuals and excellent pacing, this film lives up to its acclaimed status. 5/5
I was excited to watch this film when it first came out, but sadly didn't get a chance to. Since then, I've heard how highly this film was praised and renowned, and saw the amount of awards it received. So while a big chunk of me was very happy to finally watch this film, there was also a small portion of me that held doubt that the film would not live up to its expectations. Boy, was I wrong. This film was genuinely excellent in every way possible. The cast was phenomenal, the visuals were amazing, the story was astonishing. I'm running out of words to describe how well this film was put together. One of my favorite aspects of this film is its ability to balance riveting action and hilarious comedy, while still having genuinely emotional lows that hit. Not many films can do this, especially when they're action comedies with this much stylization. A lot of times, the emotional aspect of the story is lost within the rambunctiousness of its plot. However, this film is able to combat that by actually giving each character depth and personality, and making sure that the theme is always central to every scene. Although I am not an Asian immigrant, there was so much that I connected with in this film as a Black woman, especially the relationship between Joy and Evelyn. I think this film speaks a lot about how hardships and generational curses affect the relationships within a family, and eventually how it affects the world around us. I love how this film is able to portray that idea while taking us on a fun and absurd ride through fantasy. This is definitely the best film to come out of 2022, and should be an absolute must watch for everyone- but especially POCs and immigrant children.
CLIMAX (2018)
An anxiety filled, chaotic film about what happens when a group of dancers are spiked with LSD. Created with a plethora of long shots and an improvised story, this film does exactly what is intended without compromising story. If you are a lover of international cinema styles and the avant-garde film, then you will love this one. 5/5
I read reviews prior saying how anxiety filled this film was. They were not wrong. For half of the film, my face was stuck in a scrunched up expression, questioning if I myself had something spiked in my drink. This film was not only good at what it was intended, but it was also smart. There was not complete narrative or storyline moving this film further (There really wasn't. The director admitted they took it day by day and basically winged it with only a few pages of script.), instead we got to feel what it is truly like to be on and see others on hardcore drugs, with no way to stop it. Gasper Noé deserves praise alone for the way he approached this film. The cinematography was smart and also amazing. The majority of this film were long shots, meaning that there were rarely any times where action was cut or stopped. That in itself is incredible, both technically and story-wise. This feeling of prolonged agony is so apparent; we never stop hearing the loudness of voices, the screams of both pleasure and pain, the sounds of bodies against the floor. In tandem with the bright neon lights and cluster of events happening at once, it brings the audience into the actual scene. I also want to give praise to the actors for both being able to go along with the crazy parameters surrounding this film, and the amount of dedication I know this took to film. Everyone did an excellent job at remaining in character and amplifying their more "negative" aspects once they became high. The erratic dancing and jagged movements also added to this feeling of confusing and temporal discontinuity. This was a great film in really depicting the mind on drugs and the horror that is associated with that, and I think this is a good watch for people who are interested in that and are more into artsy films.
THE PHOTOGRAPH (2020)
This is a film that follows the slow, yet passionate story of a woman who has to choose between love and a dream, and how her choice affects the love life of her daughter. It is a beautiful film with a lovely story, gorgeous cinematography, and a smooth soundtrack. The chemistry between characters feels natural and real, and the story features meaningful motifs of lost love and the perils of wanting. 4/5
This is the type of romance that I think many films in this genre miss out on. The atmosphere is perfect: it's slow and peaceful, yet still filled with much emotion and passion. The chemistry between LaKeith and Issa is absolutely perfect. It doesn't feel fake or like their acting; it feels natural. The same can be said for Chanté and Y'lan, and I think they perfectly represented the story of Isaac and Christina. They were the best part about The Photograph - their relationship captures the raw feeling of longing for both a passion and for love, and how a lack of it can affect us and those around us. The cinematography is amazing and highlights the beauty in black people and black skin. The soundtrack is perfect for the vibes of the film and intensifies emotion when watching. I do wish this was a little bit longer in order to flesh out the relationship between Michael and Mae more. We got so much story from Christina and Isaac - which I love and think is very important to the quality of the story- however I do wish we saw more of the connection build up within Michael's relationship. In a way. it feels like the true protagonist of this film were not Michael and Mae, although that could be what the director was going for. Other than that, I think this is a wonderful film that is a perfect watch for those wanting a romance with substance.
PEARL (2022)
A dramatic horror that depicts the early life of the murderous old woman from X. Mia Goth was an absolute masterpiece to watch in this film, and she completely captured the tragic and insidious spirit of young Pearl in this film. It should be noted that this film is more character focused, and is not like X when it comes to gore and fear. 4.5/5
First off, let me just say this: Mia Goth was a powerhouse in this film and she alone racked this film up to 4 stars. She perfectly depicted this unstable and unsettling young woman whose desperate pleas for stardom lead to a murderous fate. She really shines in the last act for me, especially on the final shot of the film, which was magnificent. In terms of the film itself, I think that is was a much better showcase for Ti West than X. Now, this film is not really a slasher horror in the same way as X is; there are no killings until the end of the second act and there are no explicit sex scenes (technically). It is more focused on the complexities of the mind of Pearl in order to further expand on the themes of beauty and a desperation for fame. So, if you are looking for an X part 2, you will be disappointed in this film. However, I think that Pearl still achieves that same eerie feeling that X deploys. Watching Pearl slowly start to commit more and more heinous acts and actively seeing how her mind changes is a terrifying feat, and with knowledge of how life ended up for her, it becomes even more unsettling. The cinematography was great at capturing these long and silent shots that add to the eerie tension, and the amount of symbolism throughout this film intensifies the manic feeling that we believe Pearl is going through. To me, I think this film perfectly depicts a villain: it is able to garner some sympathy while not completely infantizing and lessening the severeness of their crimes. Once again, I will say that the star of this film is Mia Goth. I think she is the only person who could really bring this film alive, and she did not disappoint. If you want to watch something that is more an uneasy psychological horror rather than scary physical one, then Pearl should be your first choice.
THE LITTLE MERMAID (2023)
A reimagined Disney classic that brings a new level of talent and diversity to the big screen. Filled with beautiful visuals, amazing vocals, and great performances from the cast, this film is a must watch for anyone of all ages. 4/5
The Little Mermaid was my favorite film when I was a child, so when news of this film came out I was excited. What gave me even more excitement was seeing that one of my favorite artists- Halle Bailey - would be featured as Ariel. When I heard this news, I immediately went "I can see it." From her voice to her look to her personality, everything about her screams Disney princess and I thought others would think the same. However, what I saw on the internet was absolute unacceptable. The amount of racism and outrage at a young Black woman playing a fictional role about a mermaid falling in love was disgusting and ridiculous. I could go on a whole rant about that, but instead I want to talk about why this film is important and speak about more positive things. This film means so much to young Black and other POC girls. I've seen so many videos of melanated children being happy to see someone that looks like them on screen, especially since they're in a reality where positive representation is a dime a dozen. This is not only important for young girls, but also for older POC women as well. The feelings I had watching this film filled a part of my heart with nostalgia and made me wonder how scratched this disk would have been if this film came out in the 2000s. I thought about how this film would have made me feel about my skin, about my hair, about myself. Even though not intended, this film acts as a frame of reference for young girls- a film where they can find their confidence, see themselves as beautiful, and give them a princess they can resonate with.
Now to the technical stuff. This was a really good watch. The visuals and set design were absolutely stunning and perfectly captured a Caribbean styled setting. The soundtrack was amazing, as expected from the beautiful vocals from Halle Bailey. The "Under the Sea" sequence was so masterfully done and was so vibrant and fun; I loved everything about it and it was my favorite scene. Performances from everyone was well and a lot better than what I expected; there was a lot of chemistry between Jonah and Halle. I also loved the romance story and how touching it was. I think it was nicely paced and we really got to see a connection build between the characters. I have only a few gripes with the film: 3rd act storytelling and the CGI. There was a lot of exposition from Ursula, but we must remember the target audience for this film, so I just let that slide. The last act of the film - specifically the Ursula fight - definitely felt a little rushed. I think the fight with Ursula could have been elongated a little more and could have ended more dramatically, but I guess they chose to compromise on a longer Act 3 for a chance to build more of a relationship between Ariel and Eric in Act 2 (a choice well decided in my opinion). In terms of the CGI, I don't know if it was just me overanalyzing it but at times the there was a little distortion on Halle's face underwater. It wasn't too distracting, but something to take into account. All in all, this was still an incredible film with a meaning that goes deeper than the creators could have imagined. A must watch for all Disney and fantasy fans!
BRIEF: A campy and absolutely outrageous film based on popular children's book Dr. Suess. It has stood the test of time and is genuinely a hilarious film that doesn't deserve the hate it is given or the 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's stupid, nonsensical, and just bad in the best way possible. 5/5
FULL: This film is a cinematic masterpiece. I said it, and I stick by it. Just listen to me. If you couldn't tell this film was going to be a big parody joke from the first 30 minutes, then you might not be the brightest. Is it idiotic? Absolutely. Is it technically - in terms of writing, CGI, and acting - a terrible movie? Maybe. Was this film made for the audience it intended to bring? Arguably I would say yes, but the general critiques point to no. However, despite those shortcomings, I genuinely feel like this film receives a lot more flack than it should have. I watched this as a kid and absolutely loved it. It was hilarious then, mostly for the absurdity of the various styles of comedy (the cooking segment, the dancing, the horrifying man cat, etc.) Watching it as an adult, I loved it even more. I got all of the innuendos and humor, enjoyed the story, and most importantly had a good laugh with friends. While the CGI was not necessarily the best, it was pretty good for the time. The set design was actually amazing and very true to the book. I loved the color pallets, the costumes, and Mike Myers as the Cat was a genius choice. It is campy, ridiculous, and just a huge joke of a film (I mean that in the best way possible). For those who say this film is "too mature" or "not for kids," many popular children movies and shows have innuendos (SpongeBob for example) that we do not understand as children, since we are...children. Those jokes are made as a "slow burn," and meant to be like an "aha" moment when we're older and think back to the media. If you want to argue the nature of that, I can understand. But, like I said previously, I watched this film multiple times as a kid. I loved it, my parents didn't care that I was watching it, and the friends around me loved it as well. We didn't understand or internalized the crude humor. We loved the silliness of the story. We loved the visuals. We loved Mike Myers. We loved Thing 1 and Thing 2. We loved the same things in this film that people love in the original Dr. Suess book. Being absolutely serious, I think critiques on it being "too much" for children are too harsh and do not take into account what children actually like and understand. The comedy was not extremally inappropriate or explicit in the way people make it out to be, and sadly they have used that excuse as a means to tank this film's rating. If the critiques were genuinely about the film from a technical perspective, I would understand and absolutely agree. However, demonizing a fun film for being fun is unfair and as stupid as this film is. The Cat in the Hat is a fun time, a fun watch, and a film that I could play on repeat.