Matthew’s Letterboxd Watchlist
11 films this week, which is a new high I think. A definite mix of new movies, things I should have seen at some point, and random stuff that looked interesting. Which I think has helped stave off the burned out feeling despite watching so many – flitting between types like this might be the way to go!
Barbarella
I’m not sure that this is definitely a ‘film I should have seen’, since it was an important release in a time long before I started seeing movies. But it is one that gets referenced a lot so I feel like I should have seen it. It’s possible to look at this and consider it to be trash that just seeks to titillate, poorly. But there are kernels of good ideas in here, and it approaches sex and sexuality in a more liberal and open way than the majority of other films. So I don’t know if I’d recommend it but I got more than I expected to out of it.
Whale Rider
I remember when Moana came out there were lots of comparisons with Whale Rider, and I can completely see that. In a number of ways this is doing a similar story, but that it’s about Pai fighting for her place in a male dominated society makes this much stronger. The performances were really good and I don’t think there’s anyone in the film you didn’t feel for and understand their story, even when their goals and beliefs ran counter to our hero.
Annihilation
I was thoroughly confused when this cropped up on Netflix, as I’d been looking forward to it at the cinema. Turns out it’s not being distributed by Paramount outside of the US and China, which is a shame. I think this can sit on a list of great cerebral science fiction alongside 2001, Arrival, Inception, and Interstellar. Although this was even more sinister and almost disturbing at times than even 2001 gets to.
Admission
After Annihilation I wanted a palette cleanser, and this comedy with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd seemed the thing. But it’s not really a comedy, it would be much better if it had pitched at drama even more. The difficult thing is that it was making the application process to college the be all and end all, as though the studies and life at that college weren’t important. It also took a turn in the final act that it didn’t earn and again leaned much more towards drama than comedy.
Unstoppable
A runaway train and the only people who can stop it are veteran driver Denzel Washington and rookie conductor Chris Pine, directed by Tony Scott. This is the palette cleanser I needed. It was ridiculous in so many ways that I would normally scoff at as unbelievable in this kind of disaster movie… except it’s based on a true story. Good effects and some really tense moments weren’t enough to get past the plot holes, but the characters (including the controller played by the always-good Rosario Dawson) made this a likeable and exciting film.
Jabberwocky
There’s a podcast I enjoy called Movie Crush, and they did an episode last week on Brazil, which I’d never seen. It wasn’t available on Netflix though, so I watched this other Terry Gilliam film I hadn’t seen. I wish I hadn’t.
Brazil
Amazon Prime however did have Brazil so I watched this the next day. I’d tried once many years ago and hadn’t gotten into it, so I thought I’d try again. Still not good. Some interesting visual elements played as metaphor don’t help this film because I don’t think it actually has a message behind those visuals – it’s not trying to say anything about governmental surveillance and bureaucracy just say that they exist and are stupid. Bonus points for Michael Palin playing a superb mirror to Jonathan Pryce.
Nocturnal Animals
This was a recommendation from @laura_sberry on Twitter, a film she couldn’t say she’d enjoyed, but had engendered a lot of discussion and thought. I really enjoyed this in exactly the same way – it was stressful to watch and there’s a lot to process afterwards. It was beautifully shot, as only someone like Tom Ford could do. Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal do some superb work portraying their characters across two time periods, Jake then going on to portray a third fictional character in another unique way. Worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something deeper.
Transformers: The Last Knight
I bailed on Transformers movies after the second one. The action has never been good and the stories even worse. This one was on television and had a scene that made me laugh (including the transformer Hot Rod who I’ve always enjoyed), so I decided to watch the whole thing. I wish I hadn’t.
Interview with the Vampire
Another film I feel I should have seen at some point. I think I’ve never watched it because I like Buffy and Angel so much and I know this will either do some of those stories better or make me feel like one or the other was ripped off. I have an element of that feeling having watched it, but more so I was surprised by the story. It was more intense than I expected, and romanticised the vampires whilst at the same time showing how empty and horrid their lives could be. The ending let it down somewhat, but I feel like that’s a product of its time.
Guardians
I had been really looking forward to this after seeing the trailer. It seemed to be a Russian version of the X-Men or Avengers. And it is that, but it’s pretty bad. At times it’s almost so bad it’s good, but by and large it’s just bad.
Recommendation
Easily this week I enjoyed Annihilation the most. A terrific story, beautiful effects, quality direction, and gripping performances make this my recommendation of the week.