I don’t think there is a movie, that gained more of a cult status in the first decade of the 2000’s, than Napoleon Dynamite. I have not seen it until now and still I knew about the dry sense of humour this movie is famous for, how the main protagonist looks like and that there is a final dance number, that was supposed to be really funny. Well, let me take it step by step…

Any kind of really dry humour is really hit or miss with me. It either really works, or it doesn’t and I suffer through the movie/TV show. But this film is a rare exception confirming the rule, that was kind of in the middle…? I didn’t laugh nearly as much as I thought/wanted, but overall I had some decent chuckles here and there. And even the big final dance was… ok? It was nothing that would have me dying with laughter, maybe I’ve heard about it so much over the years I over-hyped it, or maybe I just don’t find any dancing funny, no matter how funny it should be…? And yet, in this instance, it didn’t bother me. The fact, I didn’t laugh as much didn’t really concern me as with other comedies.

My main thing about this film and why, even though I did not laugh as much as expected, I still rate it highly, I really liked the story. More importantly, how realistic it was, to the point it was almost too painful too watch at times, but at the same time, that’s what made this movie really special in my eyes. Let me give you an example with the ending of this movie. Now, it’s been out for 17+ years and it’s not exactly any twist/shocker, so I will just talk about it without the mandatory spoiler tag. Basically, Napoleon dances his ass off, “wins the day” (well, for his mate, who’s running for the class president) and receives a full on standing ovation. In that one moment, he’s the hero of this tiny, middle of the nowhere school, where nothing much really happens. And yet, the next week or so, where we see him playing with a ball, he’s all alone. He’s not surrounded by 10 new friends, he’s not the “hottest new thing” in his school… Because that’s not how people work and this movie understands it.

Behind this quirkiness, this weirdness of a movie, you will find a really simple story about a guy, who just wants something, but I don’t think he knows, what he wants. He’s really supportive of his friends, but he just wants to take it easy, chill and maybe play with a ball. Because he loves his simple, kind of strange life. And that one moment, a few minutes, even though it happened in front his entire high school, has not really changed that much for him or about him. I really liked that.

Napoleon Dynamite is truly one of the quirkiest, most straight forward movies you will ever see in your entire life. But in this simplicity lies the film’s biggest weapon – it’s honest. Behind everything, you are just seeing a film about a student, who lives in the middle of nowhere (literally) where nothing much happens and he likes it like that. I can kind of relate to this, as I also grew up in this tiny village (population around 3.000 people) where nothing much happened, but unlike Napoleon, that drove me insane, so I’ve changed it and moved.

Overall, if you are up for a movie, that just gives it to you straight, no hidden messages, that doesn’t want you to be a better person after finishing it, you know, just a really simple comedy, that based on your sense of dry humour you might find less or more funny, Napoleon Dynamite might be a film for you. Again, I have heard a lot about it, so maybe I might have overhyped myself, maybe this kind of humour is too dry for my liking, but I really appreciated the simplicity of the story and how natural those unnaturally acting people felt like 🙂

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Sound of Metal is one of those movies, that has everything going for them. Oscar winning performance (this review was written before 2021’s Oscar ceremony, but I’d be genuinely shocked if somebody else snatched that Oscar from Riz Ahmed, as he’s the one everyone keeps talking about), great story about something, that we haven’t seen a lot of prior, something unique (the best sound Oscars should be a formality) and most importantly, it’s an inspirational story. So how come, there was something that just didn’t click with me…?

Look, I am not going to say this film is a bad one, no. Quite the opposite, it’s a really great piece of cinema, that pulls you in, gives you a tour de soul of this young drummer, who only wants to do one thing and one thing only – be a drummer. That’s something I appreciated, we get how much this means to Riz’s character without having to see some sort of montage of how he used to drum ever since he was a little boy. The reason we don’t need that is because of his performance. The movie definitely is one man show, where he doesn’t have to say a lot for you to understand how much he’s freaking out, how much he hates, what’s happening to him, how much he’s hurt by it… On this front, the movie succeeded 100%.

I also loved all the sound choices, that might seem obvious, but they were not. For example, I think (and this is just my theory) that the way we hear the movie totally depends on Riz’s mind. What I mean by that – I’ve noticed that in scenes where he’s “getting better”, he’s trying to face his condition, the sound is clear, even though he still can’t hear anything. But when he “slips out”, when he makes some questionable decisions, that’s where we go back to the sound of the movie being distorted. Maybe the movie is telling us that deep down, he knows what he’s doing is wrong? Or maybe I am reading too much into this…? Who knows, but the second half of the movie (especially the scenes on the farm) seemed like that was definitely a purposeful choice. And I can only applaud to that.

But unfortunately the movie also starts to drag on a bit, towards the end. I think my main issue with it was (and this might sound really bizarre, but hear me out here) Riz’s performance was so great, you knew where this guy was going, before he made his move. You knew, how he thinks, what he will do. And once you understand him, that is when the movie needs to either give you something really entertaining (read different), as the “mystery” is gone, maybe for something unexpected to happen, but no. Everything that happens to him you could tell from about halfway through the movie, which speaks to his level of great performance, but also that means that the second hour of this film drags on, as nothing surprises you anymore, so the movie doesn’t feel as fresh, but slightly more like a chore to finish.

Also, I will say this – I understand this movie was supposed to be mainly about Riz’s character and his journey and I get that, but I still thought we could have used more scenes with him and Olivia Cooke. Their interactions felt real, raw, sincere and especially towards the end (which again, you see what will happen with him, so there is no surprise) that moment those two characters shared, felt earned. I feel like movie kind of undercut itself by having such a great actress and somebody, who could go toe-to-toe with Riz, only for her to be gone for most of it. Again, I understood why they did it, I just wish they would have given them more scenes together, as that couple dynamic really worked for me.

This is one of those movies I (already) can’t wait to re-visit couple of years from now, to see whether my perspective changes, as sometimes it happens. You watch a movie everybody seems to love and you “only like it”, and then, once you see it again, with a clear head couple of years from your first viewing, you find things you haven’t found the first time around. Because I need to say this again, Sound of Metal is not a bad movie. I was just waiting for something, that would punch me in the stomach, something that would deliver the final blow and it hasn’t… Ok, let me put it this way – before COVID-19, remember those magical places called restaurants? The establishments, that you would go into, you’d sit down, had some nice food…? Yeah, so now imagine, you go to one of those, you’ve heard a lot of great stuff about it, you order a starter, a main and a dessert. The starter is great, but you could’ve used a little bit more of it (in this metaphor, that would be his relationship with Olivia’s character), the main is excellent piece of food, where you have no complaints whatsoever (Riz and what the movie is trying to do, the story it’s telling) and then the dessert arrives. And you are looking for that fine looking dessert to give you that great, sweet finish, but instead of that, it leaves you kind of… indifferent. Sure, the starter and the main was still great, so the overall experience isn’t ruined by any means, but you can’t help but feeling like there was something missing from the perfect experience. And also, now I am hungry.

Overall, Sound of Metal is definitely a movie, you need to see. It’s different, it’s told from a unique point of view, it has great performances all around. Personally, there was just something that was missing for me to call this movie excellent. It’s still really, really great piece of film though, so do give it a chance.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

I love movies like this, where going in, I have some idea of what to expect, only for the movie to surprise me a few times along the way. Promising Young Woman is superb movie, that’s really hard to watch at times. It’s also a movie, that is difficult to discuss without spoiling most of it, as that’s where the brilliance lies. Every time I thought I knew where this movie was going, it went some way I didn’t expect and I honestly don’t want to spoil it for people, who haven’t watched it yet, so before I put the spoiler warning let me just say this.

Carey Mulligan is proving yet again she’s one of the best actresses of her generation, and this movie succeeds in making you feel uneasy for its entirety, which is the point – it manages to replicate how most women feel a lot of times. I know that from talking to lot of my friends, how aware they are when comes to things men don’t have to ever think about and I this movie will make you understand how it is to feel you are not being heard, you need to always watch out, always be on the lookout for what happens next, because you just never know. If this movie was no good (and trust me, it is) it 100% succeeds in replicating that feeling of anxiety, having to always be on the lookout, because then, if something happens to you, you were somehow “asking for it”. If you are in a mood for a movie, that’s pretty fucking brilliant, but quite hard to watch at times, and challenges plenty of ideas about what is right/wrong, this might just be a movie for you. So, without any delays…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

First things first, I love the fact somebody finally got the balls to give Carey Mulligan role like this, where in some scenes, she’s more anti, than hero. See, to me, the brilliance of this movie is, it understands that even though everything Carey’s character is doing is “the correct thing to do”, sometimes you can definitely tell she’s beyond the line, in a way where “ends justify the means”. She’s on this war path, where nobody ever changes, because if you’ve done one bad thing years ago, you definitely still are a bad person in her book. So sometimes, she needs to push her victims several times, before they are in the situation she wanted them to be in, so it justifies her actions. She becomes the literal “judge, jury and the executioner”, which is not anything remotely new. There are/were plenty of (mostly men dominated) movies, where one man takes the situation into his own hands and deals with it. But in here, it’s a bad ass woman and it’s Carey Mulligan. And I am here for it. I always love, when somebody isn’t afraid to cast people against their type, for example somebody, who seems (from the movies and interviews I’ve seen her in) so gentle and quirky, to transform for a role like this, to go to this dark place. And Carey nailed it. Even if she doesn’t win the 2021 Oscars, where she is nominated, it’s only a question of when will she win, rather than if, because she will definitely get at least one of those golden boys to her name. You just watch.

Let’s talk about the the story and ending, shall we? Because this is where the movie shines. For the most part, I thought this was a pretty great movie, but I thought I could see where this is going. This is where the first major twist happens and we see Bo Burnham (who even though he’s the most likeable guy in this, still has his past) in “the video”, even though he’s not doing anything, he’s also, you know, not doing anything. He’s there, part of the problem. From then on, I yet again thought I can see where this is going, until Carey’s character dies. And that genuinely surprised me. I admired the balls (or “the ovaries”? ;-)) on this movie to go someplace like this. And then, when the ending is happening, I yet again thought I could see what the film is doing, just to be surprised one last time. And I can’t even remember the last time, when movie took me for a ride so often in such a short amount of time. When it was over, and all the pieces landed where they were supposed to land, that’s when I knew I’ve just seen something great. If there is one thing I really admire, is when movie surprises me, at least once. This one did it 3times in a span of 30 minutes and on top of that, all those twists actually made sense. You can tell everything was meticulously planned, and also how smart Carey’s character was.

I think Promising Young Woman is a miracle of a movie, that manages to discuss the topic of rape and sexual violence not only without ever using those terms in the entire movie, but also honestly and openly. It never feels preachy, it never feels like it’s stuck in its own way. It’s a really focused piece of film, that is keen on having an open, yet uncomfortable discussion on what’s happening, without trying to be pretend it has answers to everything. Because here’s the thing – it knows, if things are to change, it won’t be easy, it won’t happen overnight, and it will take a lot of work, lot of unpleasant conversations, that need to take place.

The movie also leaves the question “does she have the right to be the judge, jury and executioner”? to each viewer to answer. There are definitely moments, where you feel like she’s consumed too much by this “quest” (even Nina’s mum, who’s probably more affected by losing her daughter, is telling her at one point, that she needs to move on, to forgive herself) and then something happens, when you feel like she does need to what she does. It’s definitely well told story and the movie knows exactly what it wants to say by actually saying too little. Because it would rather show you, let you be in her shoes, make you feel how Carey’s character is feeling and does it very effectively.

Overall, Promising Young Woman is not an easy watch. But it’s definitely well worth of your time. It’s a clever movie, that (unfortunately) won’t become dated any time soon, as the main subjects of this movie (sexual violence, believing women, men being excused as being “just kids”) won’t just disappear. This movie took it, ran with it and did it in a really inventive way. Plus, and I can’t stress this enough, Carey Mulligan is one hell of an actress.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

When the first lockdown happened, there were solid two months of nothing but (below) average movies were coming out “on demand”, but nothing that would get any universal praise. And then I started to hear about Palm Springs and how for some people this was an early contender for a movie of the year, even though it’s “just a comedy”. So I was immediately intrigued and wanted to see it, as comedies nowadays are usually miss, rather than hit for me. Some time passed and I’ve noticed it was available to stream, so I immediately watched it and – loved it.

I knew the “twist” from the beginning and to be fair, I don’t think it’s that big of a spoiler, when even the official synopsis for the movie tells you straightaway what to expect – yes, it’s another of those movies, who take the Groundhog Day (1993) route, where character(s) is stuck in a loop of one day. There seems to be no way of getting out of it, so they just try to make it worth their while. But the reason I loved this movie, was it went places I didn’t expect, it did something slightly different with this concept.

Since I want people to see this movie, but also I don’t want to rob potential viewers from those few clever ways how this movie plays with the “stuck in the loop” idea, I need to place a spoiler tag here, so before that, let me just assure you that yes, Palm Springs is a great comedy, great film and definitely one of the highlights that came from 2020. It’s funny, it surprises you couple of times and it has a great story/metaphor that ties everything together really nicely. So without further ado…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

First things first, I really loved the pairing of Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti – if those two wouldn’t work as well as they do together, the entire movie would have fallen apart. They are the heart and soul of this entire thing. Both are amazing in this, but I do need to mention that I don’t think Andy Samberg gets the credit he deserves – he’s been consistently funny, he’s been involved with a lot of great, successful things, he’s had a big part in Saturday Night Live (1975 – ) and he did a lot for them to stay relevant. When the “shift” towards the Internet started to happen, here he was with The Lonely Island (if you don’t know them, just click on the link and enjoy yourself)… and I am sure I am missing out on 20 more things. The point here is, I really hope he starts to get recognized not just as an awesome comedian, who he undoubtedly is, but for being really “master of all trades”. To me, his goofiness, his sincereness, is the heart of this movie.

And if Andy is the heart of this film, then Cristin definitely is the soul. She’s the one, who’s pulled into the loop by him, even though by accident and he told her not to follow him, but she’s the one, who has the extra motivation of getting out of that loop, because every morning she wakes up, she wakes up to a biggest mistake she’s ever made. For me, that reveal wasn’t really a reveal, as it’s hinted at throughout the movie (very well, might I add) but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it, on the contrary. Since I’ve guessed it prior, I could focus on the little hints scattered throughout and understood even more of her motivation of getting out of that damn loop. And her spirit, her journey throughout this film, is definitely great one, where she arguably has the biggest growth towards the end of the movie. Plus, there is something enchanting about Cristin. You just can’t help and fall for her instantly.

Another thing I really liked, was the fact the film just goes right into it, as it (rightly) presumes this isn’t first movie about this topic you have seen, so yeah, we get the “explain the rules” montage, but nothing too long. It didn’t seem tedious, the movie gives us just enough information to let us know where we stand, confirms what we suspect (even if you try to commit suicide or die, you wake up and the day resets, or no matter how far you drive, once you fall asleep, you wake up at exactly the same place) and moves on. And has fun with it. Those were my favourite moments, where our two main protagonists were just having fun with the time loop. The scene, where they plant a bomb into a wedding cake, I genuinely laughed out loud, and that hasn’t happened to me in a while.

And that’s another thing – this movie is actually funny! Which is great, if you are watching a comedy, as if you have seen any comedies lately, you’d know that laughter isn’t always guaranteed. Usually, it’s mild chuckle at most. But in here, because of those two main protagonist, clever writing, a new spin on a well known and explored premise, this movie grabs you from the very start and doesn’t let go until the very last scene. But the movie also knows when the slow down, and has some genuine touching moments. The main idea behind this movie (and what Andy’s character finally understands at the end) that marriage is kind of like a being a stuck in a time loop and it’s only up to you, what you will do with it and who you bring along.

What I also loved very the mini-twists along the way – some less expected (inclusion of J.K. Simmons in the loop, his entire story and the great final scene in the middle of the credits) some more expected (the already mentioned reveal about Cristin’s reason, as to why she is so desperate to get out of the loop) and what surprised me the most, that this might be the first movie of this specific genre (would it be considered its own genre at this point?) that takes The Martian‘s (2015) route and “science the shit out of this loop”. Well, Cristin is. I really loved the scenes, where you can see her character’s determination of learning quantum psychics, educating herself, to the point she understands what she needs to do to escape it.

Overall, Palm Springs is definitely the surprise movie of 2020 for me – comedy, that came out of nowhere for me, made me laugh, made me think and surprised me with new ideas on the “same old” concept we’ve all seen done a few times. This could have easily been another average movie with some funny(ish) scenes, but Palm Springs wanted to be more. And because of the witty writing, great casting and the fact we all needed something uplifting during this weird time, it hits you differently. This is definitely a movie I will be more than happy to re-visit.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Every time I am writing a review, I try really hard to stay as objective as possible (but is there a such thing as being truly objective…?) where I try to put aside everything and focus on whether the movie/TV show/book is fulfilling it’s purpose. But when comes to Scoob!, I can’t do it. Because I have a very special connection with the original animated TV show and that is the main reason this film didn’t click with me at all.

My special connection is, I grew up watching the original animated show, that was my jam Above all the other animated shows, I loved Scooby Doo the most. I know what you are thinking – hey, that’s not that special, millions of kids grew up on that! Yes, but how many of them didn’t understand the language…? See, when I was growing up in Czech Republic, my grandma had a “satellite package” (good old 90’s, no Internet, had to pay plenty of money to get bunch of channels on your TV and most of them would be in English, language most Czechs don’t understand, especially older generation back in 90’s) so every time I would go to visit her, or to stay at her place for the weekend, that was the only place for me to watch Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969 – 1970) on Cartoon Network, as we didn’t have it back home. So there I was, really little Czech kid, watching something I was really, really loving, but not understanding a single word of what they were saying. But the power of animation and the straightforwardness of those stories were so great, I didn’t need to understand, because I’d always get what was happening (and I still have a theory that it’s because I grew up watching this show in English, I took to this language quite quickly, when I started to learn it properly in 2007) and loved it. And because of it, I had this TV show not only connected with my childhood, but also with my time spending at my grandma’s flat, you know, really happy times.

So that is where I am coming from, let’s go back to present, where I am watching the latest theatrical (or what was supposed to be a theatrical run before COVID-19 made a surprise appearance in everyone’s life) effort and truth to be told, the first 15 minutes or so weren’t bad! I was intrigued by how they managed to replicate the “opening credits” to give a nod/homage to the original cartoon, and even them as kids and how they all got together was fun for me. But then, we skip to the present and this is where the movie lost me. As they were trying to make this set in today’s day and time, so of course, we get plenty of smartphones, Instagram jokes, plenty of modern day lingo and I know I am going to sound like a purist, but that just doesn’t fit with the world of Scooby Doo and “vibe” of trying to solve mysteries.

I honestly would have preferred (and I strongly believe this would have made for a much better movie) had the film been set in “undefined” era, where the are no smartphones/technology we have today, but there might have been hints throughout to “when we are” (like cassette tapes, etc). Because I don’t think the comedy element works well for our gang to be in today’s day and age. What made Scooby Doo always so endearing to me was the fact they are just bunch of young people, who are trying to tell you to use your head and if there is something “supernatural”, usually there is a human behind it, who wants to fool you. From this, I really didn’t get the feeling like this movie went for it, as some plot lines here are simply resolved by “oh, I’ve just googled this” or “they just posted a picture on Instagram and this is where they are” and that just felt lazy and out of place.

To me, putting Scooby Doo into “our” current time period, is the same mistake as re-making The Flintstones and putting them in old Egypt, or medieval times. Sure, you can do that, but it changes the heart of the show so much, it ultimately becomes something else entirely. At that point, why not just name it something else…? Oh yeah, because then you wouldn’t have the name recognition of beloved cartoon…

Another reason Scoob! didn’t really click with me was simple – it just wasn’t funny. And again, big part of that is the story being set today, so most of the jokes don’t feel unique, they just feel like your old, tired “random equals funny” comedy formula, we often see in B animated movies, there are created purely for kids and there is nothing in them for adults. Most of the jokes here were not coming from the situation, so you could literally re-use them in a different animated movie and nobody would recognize it, that’s how little they in common with Scooby Doo. And I swear I can’t even see your average kid nowadays enjoying this, because believe it or not, kids nowadays are smarter than kids 20 years ago.

The only good thing I can say about this film, is the first 15 minutes were decent and the voice casting was pretty good, especially Mark Wahlberg as Blue Falcon surprised me, as it seemed like he was trying for something else. Also I really liked the choice of Daphne being voiced by Amanda Seyfried, I thought it fit very well and she’s also done a great job.

Overall, Scoob! is just below average animated movie, that’s trying to make you believe (based on the first 15 minutes) that the TV show you so fondly remember from your childhood is back, just with updated graphics. But it’s not, it’s just your “paint-by-the-numbers” animated movie, that I still can’t comprehend who it was made for. As fans of the original show won’t be happy with this and what is worse, I honestly believe most children will be bored by this too! As especially today, they have so many great animated movies to choose from, I would seriously wonder whether kids of certain age would want to watch Scoob! again, and again. But hey, maybe I am wrong.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke