TEST If I could, I'd thank you in person.

Dec 29, 2021

"You're asking me how a watch works.
For now, we'll just keep an eye on the time."

PINNED: this newsletter started as a way to highlight movies coming to theaters (see: the name). Then, "the bullshit" happened. And I started featuring movies in theaters, VOD or streaming (see: the +). Point is, if there's a movie worth checking out, you'll probably find it here.

If I were to get everybody who reads this newsletter in room right now it'd, well, it'd probably be a pretty bad fucking idea. Which is a good thing, because it means there's enough of you that it would be a bad idea. So thank you; for allowing me to contemplate irresponsible ideas, and for reading the thoughts that transfer from neurons in my brain, to the fingers on my hand, to the keys on my computer, to the waves(?) in the internet, to the receptors in your eyeballs - and maybe, sometimes, to the smiles on your lips. Enjoy 2022.

Extra Credit Movie(s): The aren't any EC movies to highlight this week. But it is the end of the year and friend / reader asked if I was going to do a "best of" list. Which I thought was good idea! Thank you friend! But then I realized it was also kind of a bad idea, for me in particular. Cuz I haven't watched all these movies! So how can I even begin to rank them all. But wait, I remembered lost of other places do them too - thanks other places!

So instead, I thought, hey, maybe I can call back to a few movies that were somehow different, weird, or I'm just glad they existed. I went through all of this year's WIT editions and picked a few movies that made me go "oh yeah! that one! aw man, I'm glad that came out this year" And if you haven't seen 'em, maybe nows the time. Cuz next year? Just like those books on paranoia in the library, is right behind you.

Red Rocket - I know it just came out, but come on. It's a movie titled after a dog wiener, and it's good? Maybe even great? Sign me up.

8-Bit Xmas - cuz I literally was that kid.

The Harder They Fall - cuz expansion of the the stories being told is always a good thing.

Finch - saw it. Not even sure I liked it a ton. But it's its own weird little movie where not even that much happens, has an almost unlikeable lead. And I'm still glad it was made.

LAMB - we need more weird in our world. And LAMB, looks weird.

Free Guy - sure, I'm a whore for Ryan Reynolds, but it was better than I was expecting.

The Green Knight - it's slow. So what? It's also quite fun to look at.

The Fear Street Trilogy - were they the best horror movies ever? Not even close. But they were fun! And they tried something different in this new era of movie watching, and I like that.

The Suicide Squad - remaking a recent hit and it's way better, and funny as hell? Yeah dude. Plus, James Gunn rules.

Riders of Justice - honestly, it's mostly for more Mads Mikkelsen.

The World to Come - it's sad. And that's ok.

Pig - Nic Cage potentially getting nominated for an Oscar for vengeance on a stolen Pig? And you thought 2021 was a failure.

Gunda - just makes me want to sit and breath.

The Mitchells vs The Machines - animated movies can be inventive too!

Some Kind of Heaven - a documentary about old people that's not about just disease or dying? Cool.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar - yet another reason they need a "best comedy" category at the Oscars.

THE LOST DAUGHTER

"I've spent so much of my life reading books, hearing songs and seeing movies where women are represented in a way that is actually more a fantasy of what we're like," Gyllenhaal says. "There's so few representations that feel real, that you start to think, 'Maybe there's something wrong with me?'"

The Gyllenhaal quoted above is of the Maggie variety, who handles directorial duties on The Lost Daughter. And while this is the first time she's directed, by all accounts, she's birthed a doozy. Doozy, clearly being a technical term, will need some explanation, so let me break it down a bit further.

First thing to make clear is that reviews say the movie is good. Very good. And as you can see from Gyllenhaal's statement, it pertains to being a woman. Well, aspects of being a woman. Specifically, motherhood. And to be clear, not all women do, will, or want to, experience it. But this story, based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, who also wrote My Brilliant Friend - which was very popular and also turned into a HBO show - illuminates often unexplored aspects of something so many have gone through, but yet is experienced individually. Olivia Coleman plays the central character, Leda, who is the vessel for this exploration, but she shares responsibilities with Jessie Buckley (I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Wild Rose) who plays younger Leda.

Now, you might not expect me to tell you next that the movie comes across as almost a psychological horror movie. But I am. And if you watch the trailer, you'll see what I mean. The shots, the music, the skittish vibe from Coleman, all present a "what the hell is going to happen next" sort of tone. There's also a vibe of obsession, which you see Leda have in her fascination with young mother Nina (played by Dakota Johnson). Leda and Nina are both on holiday on a Greek Island and the former's focus on Nina and her child becomes the plot driver, allowing us to experience Leda's history and decisions she made that still resonant in her mind. But her present day actions will also be cause for deliberation - both for other characters and the audience.

Reviews say that beyond an extremely good, sure to be Oscar nominated, performance by Coleman (as well as the rest of the cast), it explores notions that are often untouched in "polite" conversation, or even in any conversation. And presents them without judgement. But all the better for it, because if it can help people see themselves, or at least thoughts they've had, on screen. And it's an exciting, great movie at the same time?

Yahtzee.

Vibe: elucidating a secret so many people share

Out Friday
Watch Netflix & Theaters (Limited)
The Trailer | 2 hrs 2 mins | R | 🍅: 96%

(called out from top, left to right)

If you don't like movies based on comics or video games, this week of trailers ain't for you...

...cuz first you got Doctor Strange 2, or rather, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (mainstream movie title of the year, decade?)...

...then another The Batman trailer, which basically exists to say, "this movie also starts Catwoman, she is a big part of the story! They might even kiss!"...

...and finally, Mark Wahlberg with a mustache. Which, I know feels weird, wrong even?, but is kind of intrinsic to the character he plays, but only really matters if you played the video games Uncharted is based on. So I get it if you're just like nope, all sorta of nope.

What's In Theaters +

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