Quarantine Film Reviews: 5/9-5/16
Please excuse the nightmare fuel that is my face photoshopped onto an Oscar.
The King Rating: 8/10
Kicked off the search for best film of quarantine with the 2019 film The King, starring Timothee Chalamet and directed by David Michod. Chalamet’s acting is stelar in this film, like in most of his other films I’ve seen so far, and continues to add to his well-rounded abilities as an actor. The direction and cinematography though were not always the best in my opinion. I felt that the direction made the dialogue and plot incomprehensible at times and the cinematography lacked to carry the intensity of the actors and the writing in specific scenes. In conclusion, I’m a sucker for historical pieces and Timothee Chalamet so I might be a tad bit biased when I rate it. Do I think it’s the best? No. Do I think it’s worth the watch? Yes.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Rating: 8/10
A complete divergence from The King, the next film I watched was the 2012 coming of age film The Perks Of Being a Wallflower, starring Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, and Logan Lerman and directed by Stephen Chbosky. One of the main reasons I enjoyed this movie so much was because the movie knew what it was and didn’t try to overdo it nor push any complexity the book it’s based off of didn’t have. It was complex to a point where it was slightly on the surface and wasn’t shoved into the audience’s face, which I despise when any movie does that. It also made me have fun while I was watching it and I adore movies that can pull that off. Even though I liked it as much as I did, I don’t think it deserves a higher rating than an 8 because it’s not a stelar or even great movie, but still worth seeing. On a side note that has nothing to do with the rating, I find it so difficult to watch a movie with Emma Watson and not see Hermoine Granger (which was not my main problem with the live-action Beauty and the Beast film, because that movie was just all around terrible).
Booksmart Rating: 7.5/10
The most disappointing film of this review so far goes to the 2019 film Booksmart, starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever and directed by Olivia Wilde. I went into watching this movie wanting more than the average, cliche coming of age film that has been given to audiences over the past couple of years, but that’s what we got (with 1 exception that I’ll talk about later). I also just expected more from it since it comes up in my Tik Tok feed every day as a movie to see and people calling it an instant classic, but it just wasn’t worth the hype in my opinion. The one exception to my review and what made it go up a bit in ratings was the falling out scene between the two main characters because a) both Feldstein and Dever delivered with their performances and b) the music in the background and it swelling up during the fight was excellent. I also thought the representation in the film was refreshing to see and needed to further make Hollywood an inclusive place. I liked the soundtrack because, though it wasn’t all original, it carried the story along in a significant way and didn’t come across as someone picking a collection of songs from Billboard’s hot 100 and throwing them into the movie. Any who, just watch Clueless.
Pretty in Pink Rating: 7.5/10
The movie Pretty in Pink, starring Molly Ringwald and directed by Howard Deutch, is one of those classic John Hughes films that everyone loves. In comparison to Hughes’ other films such as Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, however, this film kind of falls flat. It’s not that it’s boring or the writing is bad, it’s just difficult to view it at the same level as the other Hughes’ movies mentioned above. Ringwald is always great to see on the screen and does the perfect job at being the character that the audience sees themselves as, regardless of the background and traits of the character. There isn’t too much to say about this film, but the nostalgia for the cast and the era really make it one worth seeing if you haven’t seen it yet.
Some Like It Hot Rating: 9.5/10
Up next was my favorite film so far of this hunt; Some Like It Hot starring the iconic Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon and directed by Billy Wilder. This movie, similar to the Perks of Being a Wallflower, made me have fun while I was watching it. I laughed hard at most of the jokes, which I think really shows the longevity this movie has since it came out in 1959. The movie is definitely not PC by today’s standards and should not be watched if things of that nature bother you because it will not be a good time. If you don’t mind the inherently offensive and bothersome nature of things and can look past it for a laugh, this movie is one worth watching and I’ll be watching it again soon with my family.
The Duchess Rating: 8/10
The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley and directed by Saul Dibb, was a dynamic and compelling story-line that was executed excellently through Knightley. Knightley made me feel for the character (and also real person) of Georgiana and was the main source of the movie’s likeableness. I will have it note that even though I enjoy historical films, I don’t watch too many based on romance so I don’t have that much to compare it to (but ones like Pride and Prejudice are on my list). One thing that bothers me a lot about the film is at the tail end it is almost as if the movie tries to redeem the Duke and bring unlikeableness to Charles Grey. It just felt so off putting because the entire movie the Duke is set up to be the antagonist and Charles Grey the love interest and then all of a sudden they pull out the uno reverse card and were like “sike!” which is annoying as (insert curse word here). I would recommend it for the viewer who enjoys these somewhat romantic historical films or someone who just wants to watch a tragic story of someone who looks like they have it all.
