Tag Archives: Lee Pace

2022 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Horror, Horror-Comedy, Slasher

Bodies Bodies Bodies-2022

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Bodies Bodies Bodies-2022

Director Halina Reijn

Starring Amandla Sternberg, Maria Bakalova

Scott’s Review #1,321

Reviewed December 11, 2022

Grade: B

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) is an admirable attempt at merging straight-ahead slasher whodunit with a good dose of dark comedy and camp. It doesn’t always hit the mark, but it provides entertainment and is thought-provoking.

The film is never dull and will keep the viewer guessing. There is plenty of diversity with a twist at the end, which I’m still not sure is satisfying or not.

While watching the film, I wasn’t always sure if the dialogue was intended to be played for laughs (it’s sometimes terrible). I’m still uncertain whether the debut director, Halina Reijn, was poking fun at 1980s-style slasher flicks or paying homage to them.

The inclusion of Saturday Night Live alumnus Pete Davidson provides a bit of humor. He pushes the film toward comedy territory, though his character is more of an asshole than comic relief. It’s other characters who deliver the funny lines.

Having not heard of the film before, the premise was intriguing and made me watch it during a long international flight. I needed to spend about ninety minutes.

When a group of wealthy twenty-somethings plans a dubious hurricane party at a remote family mansion, they drink and use drugs. A party game goes awry.

I knew right away that an incident would occur, one that would see them knocked off unceremoniously, one by one.

A hefty dose of cattiness between both the male and female characters will make the viewer smirk with pleasure. The backstabbing and fake friends angle is as delicious as the offing of several characters.

I love that Sophie (Amandla Sternberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova), the central characters, are a lesbian couple. Bee is from Eastern Europe, while Sophie is of mixed race and affluent, and Bee is working class.

There are many differences to explore, which can lead to an insecure relationship.

It’s suggested that they are a new couple, early in their relationship, and one of the other girls, Jordan (Myha’la Herrold), has previously had a relationship with Sophie. On top of all that, Sophie is a recovering drug addict.

I’m not sure the myriad of drama elements is all that necessary, but it does reinforce the complexities of the characters. At the end of the day, what the audience wants to see is violence and dripping blood, and I felt a bit cheated in that department.

Don’t get me wrong, people do die, but nobody is shown squealing or running for their life. Because they are playing a game, aptly titled ‘bodies bodies bodies’, the victims pretend to die but then wind up dead.

Besides Bree and Sophie, the other characters are unlikable. I slowly realized that’s the fun of Bodies Bodies Bodies. Since the characters are whiny, rich, and spoiled rotten, we want them to get their just desserts.

My main criticism of Bodies Bodies Bodies is that its intention is not always clear, which can be confusing. Is it a message movie, a slasher flick, or an argument over a spoiled and clueless generation?

As the credits rolled, I wasn’t even sure who the killer was or why. Turns out, my immediate hunch was correct, but I second-guessed myself.

In hindsight, I like the ultimate twist, but there are so many aspects to Bodies Bodies Bodies. Generation Z hatred, societal clashes, love triangles, and a potential serial killer all rolled into one. That’s a bit much for a ninety-minute affair.

Comparisons to April Fool’s Day (1986) and Scream (1996) come to mind. And, Agatha Christie’s novels, in which a group of characters flocks to a remote locale for a good whodunit, also occur.

As I absorb Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) more and more, I realize that Reijn brings a fresh perspective to a sorely oversaturated genre, and that’s a good thing.

The film could have been fleshed out more.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Director-Halina Reijn, Best First Screenplay

2009 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Los Angeles, Romantic Drama

A Single Man-2009

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A Single Man-2009

Director Tom Ford

Starring Colin Firth

Scott’s Review #577

Reviewed January 1, 2017

Grade: B+

A Single Man (2009) is a dark film fraught with meaning and honesty-it is a very good movie.

It is a melancholy film and a bit surreal, but worth seeing.

The acting, especially from star Colin Firth, is first-rate.

The subject matter involves being gay in the 1950s and 1960s and the ramifications of living a forbidden and secretive life.

The intelligent film is based on the novel of the same name, written by Christopher Isherwood.

The film is written as a sad tale of a day in the life of a gay man living in the 1960s.

Firth portrays George Falconer, a British college professor living in liberal-minded Los Angeles. When his much younger lover (presumably a student) dies, George plans to commit suicide.

Moore plays his best friend and confidante, Charley, who is dealing with her own demons.

Through flashbacks, we learn about George and his lover Jim’s secret life together and the challenges that ensued. George also had a strange relationship with a male prostitute.

We learn the path of life George leads following Jim’s tragic death; we also see them happy at one time.

A Single Man (2009) is a bit of a downer, containing a definite dream-like feel and is heavy on the flashbacks, but this is intriguing to the picture and not a complaint.

A very good, but not an uplifting film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor-Colin Firth

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Male Lead-Colin Firth, Best First Screenplay, Best First Feature

2012 Films, Biography, Drama, Historical Drama, Period Drama, Political Drama

Lincoln-2012

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Lincoln-2012

Director Steven Spielberg

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis

Scott’s Review #476

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Reviewed September 10, 2016

Grade: A

Lincoln is a 2012 film, which received a slew of Academy Award nominations. However, opinions about the film itself differ.

Lincoln has audiences divided over whether it’s a brilliant film or a snoozefest.

My opinion leans decisively toward the former.

I recognize that (especially the first half) the film is slow-moving, but I found it engrossing and well-made.

Even the subtle aspects (costumes, art direction, lighting) are masterfully done.

I found Daniel Day-Lewis’s (Abraham Lincoln) lengthy stories intriguing, not dull, and a wonderful history lesson.

Steven Spielberg does what he does best- he creates a Hollywood film done well. He’s also done controversial, shocking, or experimental films, but mainstream fare is his forte.

This film isn’t for everyone, but if you have the patience, it will be an enlightening experience. If nothing else, a thing or two may be learned.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Steven Spielberg, Best Actor-Daniel Day-Lewis (won), Best Supporting Actor-Tommy Lee Jones, Best Supporting Actress-Sally Field, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design (won), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing

2014 Films, Adventure, Super Hero

Guardians of the Galaxy-2014

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Guardians of the Galaxy-2014

Director James Gunn

Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña

Scott’s Review #281

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Reviewed October 9, 2015

Grade: C-

The summer blockbuster hit of 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy, a Marvel Comics film popular among fans and critics alike, disappointed this viewer.

Too many superhero films are overly conventional, by-the-numbers fare, and this one has those traits.

Presumably aimed at teens (I would think), the film has cute jokes and decent special effects, but a bland, mediocre screenplay that lacks edge.

Handsome Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, a space pilot from Earth, abducted by a pirate group named the Ravagers. Now a grown man, Peter tries to steal a mysterious, powerful Orb known for its special powers for monetary gain.

The Orb is desired by many, including the evil Ronan and his daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldaña).

Predictably, events turn into a battle of good vs. evil as Peter and Gamora (who turns good) team up with misfits Drax (a strongman), Groot (a tree), and Rocket (a raccoon) to thwart Ronan’s intentions to destroy a peaceful planet, the Nova Empire.

The meat of the story follows the team from imprisonment and escape to their efforts to save the world.

As is traditional with these types of films, there is inevitable romantic chemistry between Peter and Gamora, who are rivals at first but slowly develop a fondness for each other when it is revealed that she is plotting against Ronan and his valiant efforts.

The strengths are the 1970s soundtrack a cassette player and the Walkman, unheard of in today’s modern world, to the story.

I love that this isn’t simply background music; it’s referenced throughout the film in various situations.

For example, Peter comically explains to a clueless bad guy what his treasured cassette tape consists of and how he cannot bear to part with it.

The creative sets and bright colors are other positives of Guardians of the Galaxy. Xandar is portrayed as clean and progressive, which counterbalances the dark, dreary world Ronan and his entourage live in.

However, the film is too conventional and not edgy or out of the ordinary story-wise.

Let’s take the hero, for example. He is clean-cut, all-American, and is humorous. But why exactly is he the hero? He inevitably saves the world, but it turns him from a pirate who is a thief into a golden boy leading a team to save a relatively unknown planet.

There is, of course, a scene involving a backstory of his mother dying of cancer and his regret over not taking her hand one final time. This is assumed to make him kind-hearted and one of the good guys.

This feels forced to me, and it’s what we have seen time and again in superhero films. The message I got from the film was basic: the powerful, strong, masculine guy with a sense of humor mixed in for good measure saves the world from the bad guys while bringing along a bunch of tag-alongs.

This is fine, albeit predictable.

I was left with some questions. What were Ronan’s and Tharos’s motivations? They were simply evil, with not much explanation as to why. What led them down this path? Did they each want theirs to be the only planet remaining in the galaxy?

A tender moment towards the end of the film, when one of the team members dies, is done in a rushed way that was a missed opportunity for more emotion.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is a mediocre superhero/action film that might have been better if it had been fleshed out more. This film left me forgetting about it soon after the credits rolled.

Oscar Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects