Hot Takes On Film

 Jojo Rabbit (2019 US) a lonely boy in WWII Germany discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in the attic. Oh and his imaginary friend is Hitler. Written and directed by Taiki Waititi, this dark and biting satire goes there. Waititi refers to it as an anti-hate satire. As I have discussed before, Hollywood is having a hard time putting up new and unique stories. Well if you are like me and would totally be OK with not having another remake or sequel in your lifetime, well here 'ya go. It’s weird and it's different. You get used to it then it gets weirder. Seriously though, the kids imaginary friend is Hitler. What do you expect? The theme is mainly blind allegiance. This poor boy has a lot rattling around in his head that he needs to come to terms with including Hitler. Waititi won the Oscar for the screenplay and now he makes Marvel sequels. Yay for the Oscars. Find it on Hulu or for rent in most streaming.  

 1917 (2019 US) A man must deliver an important message in WWI. I’m usually not a fan of war films unless it has something to say and not just gratuitous violence. I call it war porn. But this one does have something to say. It is the usual “the futility of war”. I mean, that’s a solid something to say but it does get said a lot. This one was a little different though. It’s simple in its message. I’m liking the trend lately of simpler plots. Less is more. Your man has a mission and he intends to deliver that message, at all costs. Boom! Mic drop! There is a Ulyssian vibe in that he has a journey and neither the audience nor the protagonist knows what comes next and sometimes when it does show up you’re not sure what “it” is. Now here’s the biggie for this film, the cinematography. The camera goes on the journey and takes you along with it. Sometimes the camera is just as dumbfounded as you as the protagonist. But here’s the thing: It looks simple but it is not in any way simple. It too

An American in Paris (1951 US) an ex GI (Gene Kelly) stays in Paris after the war to pursue painting. He meets a teenager (Leslie Karon) and falls in love. Not joking about the teenager thing. She was way too young for her love interests but oh how she could dance. Judy Garland’s husband directed this Best Picture Oscar winner. Much to the surprise of many this one won against some pretty stiff competition with films like A Place in the Sun and A Streetcar Named Desire. Some tweeted it was “rigged” and demanded a recount. I $*it you not. But the film is really good. Post WWII audiences were still reeling from a tough decade or two and just wanted to go back to happier times. MGM said “sure” with this lively jewel toned, flower infested, kaleidoscope of a film. The music was created by the Gershwin bros after MGM(?) bought the catalog. I could imagine seeing Paris all lively and not burning was a joy. Choreographer was done by Mr. hardass himself Gene Kelly. He had a reputation for bein

  You People (2023 US) a young Jewish man (Jonah Hill) falls in love with a young black woman (Lauren London). This was directed by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris. Barris co-wrote it with Hill. This romantic comedy was very uncomfortable to watch…by design. Much of the movie was about melding the two Jewish and Black families together so the couple could marry. The jokes revolved around Jewish and Black Americans and how they brought their own biases and ignorance when meeting the other. Ooof that was rough and went about as well as you would expect. Barris and Hill did a great job of making you feel that discomfort as if you were in the room. I loved that Hill personified the audience and was desperately trying to avoid the looming train wreck. Look over there, what’s that? That’s actually good directing and writing. There was an awful lot of acting and comedy talent in this which was fun to watch. Rotten Tomatoes scored it at 42% and I’m thinking they once again missed the point and

  Fire Island (2022 US) A group of queer friends meet at Fire Island for their annual romp. This film stars the incredibly talented comedian Bowen Yang from SNL. I’m a big Yang fan and although he’s much more subdued here than he is on SNL he still rocks his role as a gay man trying to sort out love. There was just something about this film that reminded me of summer as a kid. Freedom, Play, Love and of course drama but in a fun way. True story; I met a lesbian couple at a conference once who was trying to sell their LGBTQ script. I said something like, “that’s great! I loved Fire Island and and would love to see more like that”. OMG! They rolled their eyes and mumbled something and left. To this day I have no idea what their problem was. Maybe Fire Island wasn’t gay enough? IDK! All I know is they were gatekeeping. So in honor of the gatekeepers, here is me saying “It was fun. Go watch it.” And ffs don’t ever gatekeep. Find it on Hulu. Not seeing it for rent. Please Like Share and Sub

Bros (2022 US). Billy Eichner stars in this gay rom com about a couple who have to get over themselves to get together. This was really well done and certainly an engaging story. Bowen Yang had a small but hilarious role. Worth the price of admission right there. Eichner had some very choice words for movie goers after the movie didn’t do so hot at the box office. Here’s what I think happened. First of all very few movies do well at the box office rn. Second is Eichners character came across as angry. He had a beautiful arc but you had to wade through a good chunk of the movie with him like that. With everything going on atm that’s a tough sell. I don’t know about you but I have muted or blocked so many people that every effing post is an angry rant. Don’t want to hear it. And third, there was definite homophobia involved. It’s on Peacock right now and for rent on most streaming. Please Like Share and Subscribe  

  Shotgun Wedding (2022 US) Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel star in this rom com action about a couple on a destination wedding on an island which is invaded by pirates. This is the perfect # SuperBowl counter point. Kinda dumb, a lot of fun and kinda funny. JLO and Duhamel work well together as the second time around bride and groom. Geez JLO is so fit. Duhamel plays an aging baseball player. Shotgun Wedding has a deep talent pool with the gorgeous Lenny Kavitz, Cheech Marin and Jennifer Collidge. Marin is a bit subdued but delivers the best line in the film with “Thanks Carol”. Hilarious !! Don’t worry you will get it when you see it. Jennifer Coolidge with a machine gun is worth the price of admission right there. Find it on Amazon but not seeing it for rent. Please Like Share and Subscribe

  Meet Cute (2022 US). This Rom Com SciFi stars Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson. Hot mess Cuoco discovers a nail salon which has a Time Machine disguised as a tanning bed. On a whim Cuoco travels back 24 hours and meets Davidson. Cuoco seems to be playing lovable messes lately. Her character is very similar to Cassie in Flight Attendant on HBO. If you liked that you will like this film. Although, I do feel like I want to hug her and ask her “Oh sweetie, are you ok?”. This had some really lovely shots in it from Director Alex Lehmann and Cuoco and Davidson had great chemistry. I found it to be quite endearing but just gloss over the tanning booth Time Machine and those pesky paradoxes. If you can do that this was a sweet, enjoyable film. PS if you are wondering if it’s similar to Hot Tub Time Machine, it is not. Find it on Peacock. I don’t see it for rent. Please Like Share and Subscribe

  Crazy Rich Asians (2018 US) this romantic comedy stars Constance Wu and Henry Golding. I really liked this film and more I loved the impact it made. I put this film in the same category as Black Panther which came out the same year. Huh? Asian centered films were a thing before this eg Joy Luck Club, but they like black centered films were considered niche. Like Black Panther this film made so much money they had to hall it away in a dump truck. Producers became, dare I say it, Crazy Rich. Other producers now want a piece of the action and make their own Asian centered films. 2018 was a pivotal year in America. The story follows a professor who accompanies her BF to Singapore to his cousins wedding only to find out that his family is absurdly rich. The pool of talent in this is very deep including Michelle Yeoh. What I liked about it most was that it depicted a healthy relationship, not without its problems. The problems were seen as something to work through with comedy of course. F

  Always Be My Maybe (2019 US) after Crazy Rich Asians Netflix had a hankering to get in on the action so they made this romantic Comedy. Starting Ali Wong and Randall Park and Keanu Reeves as himself, two longtime friends work through their romantic issues. I loved this one too especially the cameo by Reeves. He looked like he was having so much fun with it. Wong and Park have serious comedy chops and deliver some funny moments. Although, I would categorize the film as charming with flashes of funny. Find it on Netflix and should be available in all regions.

 Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentines Day Special (2023 US). The further we get away from the Hayes code the more fun things get. In this VDay special based on the series Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are dating. The agent of chaos that is Harley Quinn works to give Ivy the orgasm to end all orgasms. Things go awry. Crass, well written, sweet, fun and really NSFW; but enough about me. I really enjoyed this one. In fact I’m enjoying the whole series. The writers are really taking leaps and this special was off a cliff but in the best way. It has a horny Kaiju ffs. That’s reason enough to watch it right there. Warning though, it will make you blush.  Unfortunately, it’s only on HBO.

Amelie (2001 FR) A woman who spends most of her day in her own head and making other peoples lives better, finds love for herself. This is such an endearing film. It was shot all over Paris with 80 different locations to make it feel like you are there. Director Jean Pierre Jeunet did a great job capturing Audrey Tautou’s whimsical side with camera work and production design. Jeunet also directed the much darker City of Lost Children. Unfortunately, it’s a little hard to find right now. Something to do with Miramax’s catalogue but I am hearing that it should be up and about tomorrow. If not just keep checking back and it will pop up again. 

 A Guy  Named  Joe (1943 US) a bomber pilot is killed in action and is assigned to be the guardian Angel of the man courting his “woman”. Btw she is also a pilot and a really good one. Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne star in this Oscar winning drama that was the basis of the film Aways (1989). TBH Spencer Tracy was an arse hat through most of the film but pulled it together in the third act which you will need your tissue box for. Don’t mess with WWII women. Oh this assignment is too dangerous? You just sit right my dear and I will bomb the German munitions dump for you. Tracy was there with her as a ghost trying to talk her out of it but kinda changed his tune after she pulled it off quite easily. Producers put some cash into this cuz the aerial photography was quite grand. Although, some of it is screen background quite a bit was cameras in the air.  The models they built to blow up were quite good too. Find it on HBO or to rent in most streaming. #LoveFestFebruary #Film #Films #FilmFa

 Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sage (2020 US) This deliciously stupid musical romcom stars Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as the singing duo Fire Saga. I've noticed that Farrell can put people off and sometimes rub you the wrong way. However, I do feel that this is some of his best work down the rung a bit from Elf. McAdams plays the foil to Ferrell's stupidity and he is quite stupid. It does mock Eurovision Song Contest and I hear that it did not piss off that many people. I didn't know that was a thing anymore. Ill have to get in on that "not hating stuff" action. It seems fun. The song at the end was really quite good and was nominated for an Oscar for best original song as well as a Grammy. The song was "lit". Am I allowed to say that being over 21 and all? Anyway, it came out just after Eurovision cancelled because Covid was wreaking havoc and we were all stuck inside. I loved some of the appearances of Eurovision contestants, not that

 Nappily Ever After (2018 US) Based on the novel of the same name. Technically billed as a RomCom I saw it more as a RomCharm. It was endearing and charming. A woman, Violet, with a stick up her butt does not get a marriage proposal from her boyfriend as she imagined so dumps him and goes on a tear. In doing so she slowly pulls the stick out of her behind and has an epiphany along the way. The theme in this was similar too so many Christmas movies; redemption reconciliation. Also, X character does Y and learns to chill the F out. This had no XMas themes but did talk a lot about Black Female beauty standards and how off the charts they are. In this picture actress Sanaa Lathan is just about to shave her head, like, for real. She really does it. Very powerful moment cuz you can tell its real. This film was very much about finding what's real and it was wonderful to join the character Violet on that journey. I really enjoyed it. Find it on Netflix exclusively but should be available i

  Naked (2017 US) For those that are new here I will let you in a secret. I love the time loop sub genre of scifi even the really goofy ones like this one. Marlon Wayons wakes up naked in an elevator the day of his wedding. Also starring Regina Hall and the Allstate "your in good hands" guy. He repeats the loop until he gets it right. Billed as a RomCom its actually Rom Com SciFi. OMG Rotten Tomatoes gave it a )% so this is a must see. BTW critics hate comedy but the truth is that comedy is effing hard to do. Directed by veteran comedy director Michael Tiddes who has a history of working with the Wayans Bros and getting the best out of them. I love how they discuss the rules of the time loop genre and even reference Groundhogs Day as if it was a documentary. This flick was all about Wayans. His timing is spot on and he loves physical comedy too which for the record is really hard. Its snowing in Los Angeles so this is the perfect movie to snuggle up on the couch with hot coco