Month of Movies: June 2018

Total Films Watched: 14. There Will Be Blood, The Little Hours, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol, The Watermelon Woman, Ocean's 8, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Breadwinner, Steamboat Bill Jr., Alps, Hereditary, Kicking and Screaming, Set It Up, Arrival, Pushing Hands.

Top Two Films: Arrival and Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol. Arrival was the only obvious front-runner for one of these top slots. I've been a big fan of Denis Villeneuve for several years, ever since I stumbled across Polytechnique during a free demo of a streaming site. Ever since I've had the pet theory that he was a more progressive version of Christopher Nolan and this solidified that idea. The time-breaking aspect of the film could definitely fit in with Nolan. But it's also very slow, more obsessed with language and negotiations than any sort of violence. That's all centered on a phenomenal Amy Adams performance and a stunning combination of CG effects and cinematography. I had high hopes for the movie and it met them- it could be the best film from a director that I already loved.

Now let's talk about my #2 choice. Spy movies have always been a genre of choice for me. I came to the Mission: Impossible franchise late but I've gotten deeply invested into it in a short span of time. With the new movie coming out soon and the Brad Bird mini-series on the Blank Check podcast, this seemed like the time to check it out. Do I think this movie is more important than The Watermelon Woman and more deliberate than There Will be Blood? Probably not. But it's just one of the most enjoyable series of setpieces that I've ever seen. The opening is cartoonish and light in a way that seems unique for the franchise. The Dubai sequence in the middle is 95% perfect, especially the tower climb and the dual negotiations. Like with Ghost Protocol, I could just watch scenes from this movie on YouTube forever and be happy. That pure joy gives it an edge over the other two, even if the story can be a little lacking.

Movie Death Match: Small Family Dramas from Future Marvel Directors- Hunt for the Wilderpeople or Pushing Hands? Like many of these death match options, this was reverse-engineered to let me talk about certain movies. But the career trajectory in the question is something I find fascinating. There is something interesting in looking at the films that earn directors the jump to a modern blockbuster. Pushing Hands is definitely a stretch in that regard- there was over a decade between Ang Lee's debut and his Hulk movie. It's a very slight, charming enough movie that did not need 105 minutes for it's story. I think Sihung Lung is pretty good as the old tai-chi master living with his son and slowly finding his place. It makes pretty good use of the language barrier in the script. There's a sequence in a restaurant that feels like it could have been in a Marvel Netflix show. That's the extent of the praise I can give it.

Now let's talk about the obvious winner between these two. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is more of what I mean; Taiki Waititi went directly from this small wilderness comedy to a Thor movie. Waititi is very good at mining humor out of darkness without letting it feel dark. This movie isn't as funny as What We Do in the Shadows, which is still my favorite from him, but the humor works similarly. Julian Dennison is great as Ricky Baker, letting the kid be sympathetic even when he's stubbornly in over his head. And the movie takes it's time letting him and Sam Neill become friends naturally. I have some issues with the use of time and the final plot developments, but I would still recommend checking this out for sure.

Longer Thoughts About: Ocean's 8. As previously mentioned, I like spy movies. I also love heist movies and shows. I re-watched the original Ocean's Eleven in the last few months and really loved it. So this was definitely one of my most anticipated movies of the year. And once I started watching it, a few more surprises tried to earn my good graces. There were the obvious, flashy visuals that were the only stylistic piece they took from the original Ocean's films. There was a cocky Sandra Bullock, a very funny Anne Hathaway, and Rihanna giving an actual performance. It ended with a sequence set to "Gold on the Ceiling," a song that I always thought would work well in a heist. Everything should have been good.

But overall, I'd say the movie was just okay. Definitely good enough. The performances are charming across the board but a lot of them lack a certain amount of depth. Mindy Kaling has an 'arc' that lasts exactly three scenes, one of which is a total aside that just exists to make Tinder jokes and support the two more fleshed-out scenes. Sarah Paulson doesn't even get that much to work with, even though her introduction as a secret criminal mother is the most interesting of that recruiting montage.

More importantly, there's a lack of tension during the actual heist. It never really seems like the Met Gala robbery is ever going to fail and the team is at risk of getting caught. The main problem that they need to improvise around happens right before the heist and is resolved within five minutes on-screen, just in time for the actual robbery. There are a few small hiccups during the heist, but it never feels tense. As soon as Bullock's plan to frame somebody else for the robbery becomes clear, there is never a doubt that they will get away with it. The biggest twist happens afterwards and only works for their benefit. There's nothing as dangerous as Yen getting his bandaged hand stuck and no reveal as satisfying as Terry Benedict realizing exactly how the robbery went down. Ocean's 8 is just a lot more straightforward in every way. (By the way, why did they switch from spelling out the number to just typing it? It's a petty complaint but still...)

And now, like I did on Letterboxd for the original film, I will rank the members of the heist team in Ocean's 8.

8. Mindy Kaling as Amita. Putting the jeweler this low on a heist team centered on jewelry is a bad sign.

7. Rihanna as Nine Ball. The look does a lot of the work, but it's a solid look.

6. Helena Bonham Carter as Rose Weil. Her accent is surprisingly shaky and more than anyone else, she dressed like her own parody.

5. Cate Blanchett as Lou. Could be lower for what she did during the heist, could be higher for natural charisma.

4. Awkwafina as Constance. Her being the comic relief instead of Scott Caan and Casey Affleck is the only pure upgrade from the original.

3. Anne Hathaway as Daphne Kluger. Comes to the team late but completely owns the space as an actress playing a slighly ditzier actress.

2. Sarah Paulson as Tammy. Yes, even with the dropped parental story. She is just this good. 1. Sandra Bullock as Debby Ocean. This is her movie and it absolutely should be.