films
The Farewell, 2019 - ★★★
The central relationship between grandma and granddaughter was enough to keep me engaged in this story. And I found myself on a similar journey to Billi, learning to appreciate the differences in familial, and particularly intergenerational, relationships between eastern and western cultures.
I’m a little bemused by references to the film as a comedy-drama. There’s humour in it for sure, but it’s bittersweet and I think to call it comedy is a stretch.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, 2022 - ★★★
Ridiculous and entertaining. I think I marginally preferred this second outing for Benoit Blanc to his debut.
There were moments however where I was pulled out of the story and reminded these "disruptors" with their endless pots of money and huge egos are out there causing havoc in the real world.
Wedding Season, 2022 - ★★
A friend recently introduced me to the concept of “fake date” films and this one certainly fits the bill. One of the better films I watched in my pre-Christmas, cold induced rom-com binge.
Falling for Christmas, 2022 - ★★
There should be a special star rating system for Christmas films. This one was actually better than I expected.
Beauty, 2022 - ★★
I liked the style of this film, including the decision not to let us hear Beauty sing. Ultimately it’s a tragedy and felt reminiscent of what I know about Whitney Houston’s life, which left me wondering whether the character of Beauty was based on her.
Overall, I felt the filmmaker was trying a bit too hard and failed to create any connection for me with either the characters or story.
Inside Out, 2015 - ★★★★
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Pixar at its best.
… slightly concerned the guiding emotions in my head behave a little like those in Dad’s head though.
Joker, 2019 - ★★★
I don’t know what to make of Joker. It made me feel supremely uncomfortable and I don’t know if that’s a result of its brilliance or because it vastly missed the mark. What I do know is Joaquin Phoenix is always intriguing.
This rating could have been a 2 and could have been a 4, so I split the difference.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, 2022 - ★★★★
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film and glad I left my judgments aside when invited to see it.
Hustle, 2022 - ★★★
Enjoyable enough. Bo and Stanley are certainly characters you can get behind. Probably would have appreciated it more if I knew who everyone was!
Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2022 - ★★★★
I'm glad I went in to see this without expectations. I'd seen the trailer months ago and then avoided everything else.
It took me a while to warm up to it. But when I let myself go, I thoroughly enjoyed this film for its ridiculousness and ambition. What I particularly liked was that underneath the fantastical at its heart this is a family drama.
My enjoyment was topped off when I returned home to find two googly eyes randomly placed on the mantelpiece.
