June continues to be a weak month for me, as it has been the past few. Here’s the roundup from the past two weeks.
Materialists – I don’t know if this was meant to sell as a rom-com, especially with the likes of Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans as co-leads. But given that this is Celine Song’s second feature, I was prepared for a drama. It ended up being a more quirky one, but still. I don’t know if a full-fledged comedy is in Song’s DNA yet. In this particular drama, Lucy is well into her career as a matchmaker. She’s used to finding success at pairing up the best of the best. Things take a turn when she ends up dating a potential client, a “unicorn,” as she dubs him, but then her long term ex-boyfriend unexpectedly shows back up in her life. She then questions all of her expertise after one client becomes the victim of sexual abuse. For me, this film pokes at how you can’t really know anyone based on surface level stuff, but also that you end up with people like your parents. I’m sure there’s more to it if I dug a little deeper, but from a high level, this was another win for me from Song.
Deep Cover – While the title of this film is apt for what went on in it, if you ask me in a few months what this was about, I would really have to wrack my brain. It’s a forgettable title. And while the premise isn’t necessarily new, it was led by an entertaining and eclectic cast. An improv teacher and two of her students are recruited by the local police to go undercover to bust a local smokes dealer. They get in over their heads when they’re brought into a more severe drug ring. Intent on making a big bust, the cops force the improvers to stay with the lie and help with the sting. Definitely an unlikely group who both manager to get in way over their heads, but also land some insane wins along the way. Light and fun.
Bride Hard – I knew this was going to be bad, but the makers of this film know their audience. Rebel Wilson and Anna Camp from Pitch Perfect reteaming for this action comedy? Sign me up! Camp’s character is getting married and Wilson’s character is shirking her duties because of her intense secret operations job. These two walk away from their friendship so many times throughout the film that it seems like it inadvertently became one of the jokes. The family that Camp’s character is marrying into is loaded, so of course a wedding on a private island is the perfect time to steal a small fortune. They do not suspect that her former maid of honor is used to danger and taking in bad guys. The continuity in this film is some of the worst I’ve ever seen. It was so noticeable that I’m almost flabbergasted as to how it got released to theaters. A true flop, though I did laugh enough that I wasn’t mad I spent the time on it.
The Wedding Banquet – A much better wedding related movie was the remake of the 1993 movie of the same name. Having never seen the original, I cannot compare how closely this updated version follows the original plot, but what I did see, I liked! In fact, in a rare occurrence, I would have loved if this was just a little bit longer! Angela and Lee are trying desperately for a kid, while Chris has just turned down Min’s marriage proposal. Everything changes when Min learns his grandmother is coming to town to see if she needs to take him back to Korea. In an effort to stay in the US and close to Min, he proposes that Angela “marries” him instead. This way, he can use he family’s wealth to help her and Lee continue to try for a child. Both Angela and Chris have a lot of unresolved emotional trauma living as queer Asian children, but things do eventually come together in a rather unconventional way. I like how the film took a look at several different minorities cultures and their views on the “normal” family, along with queerness. The cast here is stellar, as well!
The Life of Chuck – Missing out on this one at TIFF still makes me a little sad, but we got it in theaters sooner than I would have expected! Based off of one of Stephen King’s short stories, as well as being directed by Mike Flanagan, one would have expected this to be a really scary film. However, it fully embraces both drama and elements of fantasy to tell this story out of sequence. Act three of this film shows a small town in the near future that is likely experiencing its last day. This impending tragedy brings back several lost souls to one another, as well as mundane but meaningful ruminations. It’s hard to know what this portion of the film means until we meet the titular Chuck. First, in adulthood, and then finally, in his childhood. It’s an experience he has at that time that shapes the rest of his life, though he doesn’t let it completely define him. This was a truly beautiful film that I hope doesn’t get overlooked when it comes time for awards season talk.
First Reformed – Rewatching this for my company’s movie club was so rewarding! I think at the time when I first saw this film I wasn’t as inundated with the strange, nor was I well versed in Paul Schrader. Since then, my movie tastes have only become more bizarre, and I’ve got more of Schrader’s films under my belt. This story is a dark one, one that is so taut that it left me on the edge of my seat. This time, I followed the story a lot better, and I also forgot a lot of the details of the story. Reverend Ernst Toller preaches at a tiny church that was acquired by a mega-church. He and his congregation are left well enough alone, but his solitude seems fraught with pain. When expecting mother, Mary, voices her concerns about her husband and his radicalized views on the environment, Toller feels as though he has a purpose to distract himself with again. In the end, he realizes the planet is as hopeless as Mary’s husband found it to be, but can human connection make life worth living? Given the most recent current events taking place within this new government, it’s hard not to draw terrifying parallels. Schrader remains one of the best!