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Reviews
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Part 1 was really good. Part 2 is even better!
Blockbusters like this are rare to come by these days. The cinematography alone would make the movie worth it. But it goes farther than that in all aspects.
Casting is a bit unique in my opinion. Timothee Chalamet pegs me as a broody (Call Me By Your Name) or whimsical (Wonka) type, but somehow that works for him as an archetypal hero. Dave Bautista usually plays big tough guys, which is obvious because he is a former WWE superstar, but he brings an interesting tortured/least favorite son aspect to his character that I didn't except out of him. And Christopher Walken as the emperor, I was not expecting, but it WORKS!
Indeed this film adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune has solidified itself as an instant classic. This saga proves the space opera genre is still very much alive and well. Go see it in IMAX too. You won't regret it.
Fire of Love (2022)
Their love brought us closer to the Earth...
The documentary's narrator declares in the end of the film that "two scientists and their love (for volcanoes and each other) brought us closer to the Earth. Sara Dosa's proves as much in this hauntingly beautiful documentary that is equal parts quirky romcom and nature documentary.
In watching Fire of Love, we are spectators to a transcendent affair between volcanologists, the Kraffts, and the planet we call home. Their archival footage is nothing short of breathtaking.
Perhaps the only issue with the storytelling is that the subject of Katia and Maurice's marriage feels like more of an afterthought and did not get the full treatment it deserves. The Krafft's origin story read more like a newspaper article than a quirky love story. The saving grace that makes this film feel like an art house romance film were the inklings into the couple's personalities provided by the Kraffts' footage alone.
Sara Dosa's treatment of their footage makes you feel as though you are climbing up those volcanoes and dipping your toes into a molten river with the fascinating, and oft-hilarious couple. The narration from Miranda July felt like we were listening to an ASMR recording. Yet, the choice to speak in such a way, simply makes the film feel as though it were all a dream that you want to relive over and over again.
The Watcher (2022)
I feel as cheated as the Brannocks (Broadduses)
I feel as cheated as the a actual family that never got to move into 657 Boulevard. The acting was the only piece that really kept me interested. There were several plot lines that never got answered. The viewer is left with no clear answer as to the identity of the true Watcher. I guess you could say the show is an accurate portrayal of the true events. Whether or not that was Ryan Murphy's, and indeed the other show runners', intentions all along is perhaps the greatest mystery of them all. The ending could have made much more sense if there were more episodes to flesh out characters and plot lines.
Senior Year (2022)
Good, but could have been great.
First off, let me say that the "wokeness" and Rebel Wilson were two of the things I think worked the best in this movie. Maybe I am just a liberal snowflake, but inclusivity and progress only make a movie better.
Okay, I will get off of my soap box now.
Where I think this movie fell short was not the acting (despite numerous actors, such Justin Hartley, being ridiculously underutilized), and not that it was trying to be woke about being woke, it came down to the sheer number of plot holes overrunning the script. There were several points in the plot that were explored, but many of them did not reach their climax (*that's what she said*). And several others were simply abandoned all together in favor of easy laughs.
This movie was good, don't get me wrong! I was wildly entertained surfing the late 90s/early 2000s nostalgia waves. However, a little more care should have taken by the entire cast and crew to ensure that the script makes logical sense within itself before it can earn the right to also be a commentary on inclusivity. Then it would have been great!