Aside from the Monsterverse’s latest, there wasn’t really anything new that came out this past week. With all that freedom, I became a bit nostalgic and decided to give a couple titles a re-watch. One of those was a good idea, and the other really wasn’t, but I never claimed to make good decisions all the time! Anyway, this week’s slate was a pretty decent one all around.
Godzilla vs. Kong – I can’t really be the best person weighing in on this film mainly because I’ve only ever watched Kong: Skull Island previously. No other King Kong or Godzilla films have ever made their way into my life. Even though I enjoyed this battle of the giant monsters, I don’t think I’ll be going back to watch any of them. Basically, Kong is getting transported to find some energy source in “hollow earth” (yikes) and Godzilla is not pumped about that. It eventually becomes clear why, buy do I think it’s a good enough reason to kill King Kong? No. But I understand they are just a giant lizard and a giant monkey, so communication is not happening. Truthfully, and from my understanding I am basically alone in this, I felt really bad for Kong! He got his world rocked for two straight hours! The battles were compelling, team Kong was compelling, but team Godzilla (the humans) I could have done without. Anyway, I’ve got no clue if this is the last entry in the franchise, or at least this version of it, but if you’re looking for a smack-down that doesn’t really involve humans, then give this a go!
The Girl on the Train – Ugh, it took me a good half and hour into this re-watch to remember why I haven’t seen this film a second time since its release in 2016. It’s boring! It took a pretty darn good thriller novel from Paula Hawkins and then just made it boring. I don’t think they were unfaithful to the book, but perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be adapted to the screen. That was my major takeaway this time around. There were lots of good characters and really good actors playing those parts, but it just felt like it dragged on and on. Anyway, Rachel is a drunken mess, who keeps really close tabs on her ex-husband Tom and his new life, and now she’s also enamored with a seemingly perfect couple a few houses down. She inserts herself in way too many lives and it takes her a while, with a lot of missteps, to untangle this web she’s in. There is definitely a fun twist at the end, but its reveal is nowhere near as exciting as it was in the book. Come for the great cast, but stay at your own risk. Readers just read it instead!
Rush – With Daniel Bruhl becoming a part of the action in this week’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I was reminded about his marvelous performance as Niki Lauda in the Formula One action/drama, Rush. Really, that was when he first entered my radar, and I’ve loved him ever since (Inglorious Bastards was just before my obsession with actors really took off). This film also features a now fellow Marvel cast member in Chris Hemsworth. He plays Lauda’s rival, James Hunt. The two never really seem to get along, but you can tell that they thrive off of their competitiveness with each other and that’s a large part in what propels them to do better and reach for that top spot. That seemed to be an especially big motivator for Lauda’s recovery after a very nasty accident in a Nuremburg race. The film also incorporated a nice touch of each man’s personal lives and how that too motivated them to race. Both men had more in common then they may have realized at the time, but this movie captured it all to perfection. I’m not a racing fan, so you don’t have to be either! Just watch this to see some top-notch acting with a really compelling story.
Tyrel – As it is my life’s mission to watch all of Christopher Abbott’s work, it is only natural that I watched this 2018 flick yesterday. Now, in the trailer, it stated that it was “2018’s answer to Get Out,” and while I don’t totally agree with that, I do understand the sentiment. Tyrel is actually Tyler, who gets microaggression after microaggression thrown at him over a weekend celebrating a birthday. Tyler is the only black twenty-something in a house full of white liberal twenty-something. This means that throughout the film, everyone is really friendly towards Tyler, but they also don’t realize when they are making him feel out of place or uncomfortable. This movie didn’t pack a walloping punch with its message, but it was pretty obvious with what it was trying to say. Despite me understanding all of this, I also just couldn’t help but feel like Tyler was basically me at a out of control sleepover growing up – I just want to go to bed! Also, having at least ten dudes in a house is incredibly claustrophobic, but it lent itself well to the chaos of the film. Another good entry for Abbott in my book!