#i honestly don’t think this movie is that good but holy shit anne hathaway and meryl streep were doing Something in it with each other

[quicktimeeventfull]

#the devil wears prada I am literally begging to know more

hello!!

i’m double-checking that this is about the “sometimes a story revolves around the gay sex that is not happening” post but please cmmiw because truly i could talk about every single aspect of this movie forever ljdf

ok personally think miranda priestly and andrea sachs had no romantic or sexual interest whatsoever in one another AND YET whatever is going on between the two of them is so profoundly charged with something akin to both those things that it would literally be less about gay sex if they actually had gay sex. they see each other and they want each other and they’re ruinous for each other. i don’t feel it’s sexual or romantic but it’s certainly not platonic. i’ve picked two specific moments:

ok so this is is the interview scene, which is miranda and andy’s first meeting. miranda has spent the entire interview barely acknowledging her, and then suddenly andrea spins around and demands that miranda treat her like a human being. and miranda does. she looks up and she sees her on purpose. miranda has constructed this whole delicate little universe for herself in which she can take anything she wants from anyone she wants but andrea is not a part of that. there’s nothing remarkable about andrea — she’s literally just a normal person who doesn’t know who miranda is — but miranda wants her so fucking bad. and she gets her! she hires her immediately after this and proceeds to treat her like a precious object who belongs completely and utterly to her. and then here’s their second-to-last scene together. this is when andrea has just left miranda (because miranda devestated her by being someone andrea did not want her to be.)

miranda turns around, already talking to andrea because she knows exactly where she’s supposed to be, right at her shoulder, but suddenly andrea isn’t there and she’s so completely lost and disoriented. which like. miranda is never lost. even after her husband left her, she knew exactly what to do. but she can’t move without andrea because she has made andrea a part of herself. and like!! this is long enough but there’s so much to say about them. like the fact that andrea enters her home & sees her weak and miranda almost ruins her life because of this, but then later miranda allows andrea to see her crying and falling apart. or that a huge portion of their relationship literally revolves around miranda ripping her clothes (coat, scarves and bag) off and whipping them at andrea to keep her in her place. or (imo most importantly) that andrea is enthralled by this remarkable person who has an entire empire at her fingertips but miranda is frankly deranged by andrea, who is completely normal. andrea is smart and interesting but she’s not really special to anyone except miranda. it’s like “you want to fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid” except they do not want to fuck each other. & platonic relationships can be exactly this intense but i don’t actually think that’s what’s going on in this particular situation, i think it’s sincerely like … this intense and obsessive situation which is about The Gay Sex That Is Not Happening.

[365days365movies]

February 14, 2021: Brokeback Mountain (Review)

SORRY! This one was never published. So, rewind to yesterday for me, and stay tuned for the Recap and Review of the next film tonight! Anyway, in terms of Brokeback Mountain...

This sums up my feelings exactly.

I tell you, I enjoyed this movie FAR more than I thought I would, and it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s heavy, it’s tough, it’s not afraid of moral ambiguity and complex characters, and it’s a VERY good character study, holy shit. And that actually has led to something...interesting in my analysis.

But I’ll get there. Overall, this has managed to further cement Ang Lee was one of my favorite directors. Seriously, he’s been fantastic for me this year, and I’ve now seen 4 of his films. Winning me over. Oh, and one more thing. Remember how I said my girlfriend was a huge fan of Jake Gyllenhaal? Here she is, by the way.

Well, I’m a big fan of Heath Ledger. And, yes, it’s partially for the obvious The Dark Knight reasons, but also...honestly, he’s great in 10 Things I Hate About You.

Takes some GODDAMN TALENT to make me like a character like Petrucio, who is maybe one of Shakespeare’s biggest pieces of shit in any play. Plus, I also remember him in The Brothers Grimm! That was a movie I liked when I was, like, 15. And it always greatly saddens me that he’s gone. Ugh. Guts me.

Speaking of being gutted, let’s talk about this movie! Recap’s here and here!

Review

Cast and Acting: 10/10

They’re perfect. Yeah, uh, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal COMPLETELY DISPPEAR in these roles, as Ennis and Jack. I was 100% involved and convinced by these two, and that’s one hell of a feat, considering that both of them are actors I know very well. I expected to see Mysterio and the Joker the entire film, and they both vanished into these roles, I CANNOT emphasize that enough. And their chemistry, while complex and nuanced as SHIT, is fantastic. Not necessarily my favorite couple (sorry, guys, Fonny and Tish still take it for me), but arguably the most fascinating. That might be because of the environment and setting of the film as a whole, but they expertly dance within those lines.

Oh, and the supporting cast? WHOO! Yeah, Michelle Williams knocks it out of the part, Anne Hathaway also vanished into her role, Linda Cardellini had a memorable scene or two, and Randy Quaid was also surprisingly good! Seriously, no slouches here. An all-around perfect cast for a near perfect film.

Plot and Writing: 10/10

...Near perfect. I will say, there will be a few negative points in here. But writing? Naah. Plot and writing are SUPER goddamn strong here. The original short story by Annie Proulx is definitely one to look out for, but its adaptation by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana is...well, it’s basically perfect. It’s not overly sappy, it’s very realistically romantic and heartbreaking, it’s surprising, it’s engaging...what else is there to say? This is some of the best writing and plot that I’ve ever seen. I can’t think of any prominent flaws.

Directing and Cinematography: 10/10

...Ang Lee is legit one of my favorite directors right now. Like...hot damn, this movie’s gorgeous. Oh, and don’t worry, I didn’t forget Rodrigo Prieto’s gorgeous cinematography; not sure how I could if I wanted to. This movie look amazing, the direction is spotless...look, this is a great movie, OK? If there anything that isn’t absolutely perfect about it? Well...

Production and Art Design: 7/10

Yeah, production design is kind of odd. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great, but it NEVER feels like the 1960s, ‘70s, or ‘80s. And while that might actually be the point to a certain degree...the film also somewhat relies on this taking place in those time periods. So, yeah, that is a legitimate weak point in the film for me, one of very few. And don’t get me wrong, this movie LOOKS fantastic! It’s just not quite as timely as I think it’s supposed to be.

Music and Editing: 9/10

Music likewise is fantastic, especially the sweeping orchestral ballad that I’ve 100% heard outside of this context. However, it’s not quite soundtrack worthy for me. Still beautiful, and Gustavo Santaolalla’s score is gorgeous, but not necessarily my favorite. And the editing is fantastic, and I have no complaints about that. Good job to you too, Geraldine Peroni and Dylan Tichenor!

92% feels good for this one!

This is a film I recommend to everybody. Unsurprisingly, it’s pretty big on Tumblr, but it’s also big...everywhere. Oh, and before I say anything else, in today’s edition of the classic show The Oscars are Bullshit, this film 100% deserved the Best Picture Win over Crash. Like...VERY much so. The Oscars suck.

Speaking of the Oscars, I was tempted to do Moonlight next, but that movie (from what I understand) is a bit broader than a romance in terms of genre. So instead, let’s continue the LGBT-rain with another romance between two men, but more recently this time. And hey, why not one that miiiiiiiiight have been snubbed for that coveted Best Picture award, huh?

February 15, 2021: Call Me By Your Name (2017)

[takaraphoenix]

It’s 9AM and I just finished Ocean’s Eight.

And it was... actually a really good movie. As in, I really love it?? Which was a mild surprise for me, because going in, I was more than just skeptical.

Now, the main reason I delayed watching it and why I was rather suspicious of it was that they already included the opening scene in the trailer - and it was just beat for beat the intro to Ocean’s Eleven and the idea of them just doing a cheap copy of one of my favorite movies was really, truly not appealing.

I do see the copied parts as the movie’s greatest weakness. The intro instantly put me off because it really is just a cheap “Hey, remember how we did this in 11 already?” and like... why. Same goes for the “criminal best friend and second-in-command gives the ‘you don’t put romance into a job’“-speech part. I really think that just... not doing those two scenes would have improved the movie, because quite frankly it wasn’t necessary.

This movie didn’t need to lean into the original trilogy. It really genuinely didn’t need it, because the movie was great on its own; it did not need the crutch of “Look at all the nostalgia for the first trilogy!”.

I do love that it takes place in the same universe, that it’s a spin-off and not a dry-ass reboot because for fuck’s sake those are unnecessary when you can instead just broaden the world.

And they tied enough with visiting the “grave” (like fuck is Danny Ocean dead. I’m not buying it for a second) and having the Amazing Yen and Reuben give cameos was... honestly, already not even really necessary, like I said the movie carried itself rather well on its own without the crutches, but I do appreciate the acknowledgment and ties. Though I think it’d have been even cooler had one of the seven been able to fulfill Yen’s part in the heist.

Now, to get into the actual movie.

I really, truly liked it. I love heist movies, I love the Ocean’s series and this was most definitely a worthy entry into the franchise and I am hoping for a 9 and a 10 to give this a trilogy too.

Sandra Bullock was brilliant. I love this woman. I just love her. I think Sandra Bullock speaking German is now my newest kink, because holy shit. Granted, there were some minor errors in her German, but for the most part this was the most well-pronounced and gramatically correct German I have seen in yeeeaaars in an American film. So kudos for that too!

Cate Blanchett was hot as fuck and I am only mildly bitter that she and Sandra weren’t in a relationship in this movie, because that was genuinely what I thought Sandra was talking about in the opening scene in prison. That her partner was a criminal and got her into it. Was very put off by the forced heterosexuality in this movie - and oh yes, it really was forced because the way Cate and Sandra looked at each other and played off each other was amazing.

But this brings me to what was potentially my favorite part of the movie. The fact that while yes, heterosexuality, but they did not let this slip into rom-com. My biggest problem with Ocean’s Eleven is the horrendously bad romantic sub-plot and for a very hot second, I feared this too would go the ���and she uses the heist to get back the ex”-route, which would have definitely ruined the movie.

That it was a revenge movie? That she didn’t change her mind to the end? That there was no actual romance at all in this movie?

Fuck, I might be in love with what. I love when there is no romance in a movie. And I love that they are not invalidating these strong women with an unnecessary romantic sub-plot (and I am deliberately using the term “invalidating” here, because that is essentially what the Ocean’s movies do with female characters in relationships. The women turn more into convenient accessory once they’re in a romantic sub-plot and just no).

Mindy Kaling was an absolute delight, Awkwafina was funny, Rihanna actually impressed me a lot if I’m being honest and damn did she look hot, Helena Bonham Carter made me squee because I just absolutely love her in anything but this role was so much fun, Sarah Paulson played an interesting and different type of character in this and it was really nice.

Also, James Corden is always a nice bonus, like really, I had a big “LOOK! IT’S CRAIG!”-grin on my face when I saw him and his role was cool too.

Now, the crown jewel for me in this movie was definitely Anne Hathaway, who is absolutely a goddess. Like, literally because she has not aged since Princess Diary somehow but only became more beautiful? And she was great in this. Also really hot.

So, my lesbian ass was utterly pleased by this collection of gorgeous and cunning and talented women stealing jewelry.

Seriously, this was absolutely amazing. It was funny, it was cute, it had a great heist and great acting and strong, female characters and I am really so intensely happy that we now live in a time and age where movies finally start to be not just all white male leads and we actually get something fresh - and not just for the sake of representation, but because those kind of movies are in fact something fresh and new and good and it’s great to not always see the same old.

I really need this to turn into a trilogy too, pelase.