The Speewack Watches

Film Review | Downhill (2020)

Wow, if there’s a Curb Your Enthusiasm for deep romantic trauma instead of quirky social trauma, this is it. This cast is A+++; Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell are the perfect toe-to-toe sides of the married couple coin to make this script work. The venom, the pathos, the seriousness, the parental energy... they’re the full package! Julia as Billie is pitch perfect though, her resistance to being gaslit after having to put up with a distant husband is applause-worthy.

The humor is few and far between, but there are some truly hilarious moments to break up the painful emotional scenes. Not painful in a way I’ve ever seen in a movie, but just tight and tense with looks and reaction shot energy. It’s solid and brutal.

Maybe not worth the theater watch, and definitely not a date watch - but maybe a solo late night half-drunk watch.

Film Review | To All The Boys P.S. I Still Love You (2020)

It’s kind of interesting how you see a realistic world like the one in the original kind of morph to make the story work on the sequel. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but the characters shift and that’s the focus of this film.

Lana Condor is still the Lara Jean we remember, and the biggest takeaway she brings to the table in this sequel is the relationship imposter syndrome that we sometimes feel with a new partner. All the questions of “Do I deserve this person? Am I enough for them? What if he/she/they come back and do end up being interested in me?” It’s remarkable how they capture that energy, just as they really nailed it with the young relationships in the first.

We should give credit to the writers for putting these flighty, confused, young characters on the page - because that’s what young love is like! You don’t know what you want and you mess things up learning those lessons. The aesthetics are beautiful and the cast is wonderful.

Film Review | Fantasy Island (2020)

I was worried this would be a film with not much intention behind it, but it turns out it had WAY TOO MUCH intention in here. It’s an over-convoluted mess with some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever heard in a movie. Every character has their share of lines that are so grating and so ingenuine... it’s insane.

The cast does their best (poor Michael Peña) but it’s a total mess. The plot unravels in the most confusing way possible and the foreshadowing falls completely flat (*blood (?) drips from the ceiling* “What’s that?” “Ignore everything, just go through the door to your fantasy.”). The logic leaps and bounds don’t get resolved in any kind of real way and it’s all just chocked up to ISLAND MAGIC, which feels problematic but I’m not sure why.

Jason Blum, get your house in order.

Film Review | The Photograph (2020)

I was curious what this film was going to do to bring something new to the romance genre, since it’s pretty straightforward. No really big comedy or anything, both characters are genuine in their dramatic roles.

It’s... OK? There’s this deceased mother letter that guides Issa Rae’s story of relating to her mom, but it drags throughout the entire movie like this huge weight and doesn’t resolve the story arc in much of a satisfying way. It provides some amazing scenes for Issa Rae to flex some drama, but the impact lessens as the film goes on. Lakeith Stanfield also just kind of drifts from scene to scene; his ability seems super underused as well.

The story is kind of poetic and interesting, but the dynamics of the dramatic action are pretty shallow.

Film Review | Sonic The Hedgehog (2020)

We’re all on pins and needles, aren’t we? Can a studio put out a video game movie that doesn’t blow chunks? Will this be another Super Mario Bros.: The Movie?? I’m happy to say; we’re good.

It’s not the best movie you’ve ever seen. But it’s got the energy of a solid run at doing this right. We should believe that letting fans push for a better character design was truly taken in and the filmmakers worked to get this movie where it needed to be.

The main cast does a solid job: Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey go tête-à-tête with some moments that really land and some that don’t. Everybody else is background to the leads. The action sequences are fun, and the poetry and story framing are there. The writing is super fun, there are a great mix of jokes for kids and adults. It’s pretty good!

Fingers crossed we get a sequel; I think there could be some real fun had to let this story keep going.

Film Review | Birds Of Prey And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn (2020)

Oh boy, FINALLY we get a DC movie that gets closer to getting some things right in terms of storytelling and creating a film that feels like it lives within an actual world. This is a pretty solid movie that did a lot of things really well!

The cast was extraordinary and investing in some quality people to bring these characters to life was a great move: Margot Robbie, of course, is perfect as Harley Quinn (both her insane and more grounded moments really shine throughout), Mary Elizabeth Winstead is plucked straight from Scott Pilgrim and play Huntress so so well, and the rest of the supporting Birds of Prey are also right at home in the ensemble. On top of that, Ewan McGregor plays Black Mask with so much joyful eclectic menace that you can’t help but give it up. There are some amazing action sequences that are composed perfectly: Harley’s assault on the police station, the funhouse fight scene, and the egg sandwich chase are all beautiful.

The things that hold the film back are just choices that get lost in the shuffle, actually mostly moments that seemed engineered for the trailer: the gross “Harley hits rock bottom” sequence, the animated opening, and the squishy middle that feels like it’s just delaying the finale. These don’t ruin the film by any means, but they feel drawn out and throw off the pacing.

It’s a fun time at the movies, and a film enters the DCEU that can join Wonder Woman in finally feeling cohesive. Call Birds Of Prey the Harley to Zack Snyder’s Joker and they’re finally rid of him.

Film Review | Mickey & The Bear (2019)

This is a great rural drama. It really gets at the scary intimacy of living off the beaten path, suffering from the misfortune of growing up in a small town.

Camilla Morrone is this stoic anchor, with everyone whirling around her - just as her character, Mickey, in the film. You watch and wait for the next big emotion from her in the face of all the shitty men around her, and seeing her dismay at wanting to get out but feeling trapped by her father’s health. It’s really a character study in family trauma.

The film itself feels a little overlong; we don’t need nearly as much fodder for feeling negative for Hank, even as he struggles with lucidity. We get it. Annabelle Attanasio is a more-than-accomplished short filmmaker, so we can all expect her features to continue to get better and better. The bones of the film here are great, even if there’s a little fat to trim.

If you get a chance, catch this one - and be ready to weep a little.

Film Review | Gretel & Hansel (2020)

There are some really strong and interesting ideas here, especially in adapting Hansel & Gretel. The aesthetics and production design are really nice, a clear success of budget limitations and working with what they had.

The direction is buck wild though. The cinematography and story beats don’t seem that cohesive; the film has these touches of experimentation that just don’t quite work. But that’s ok, because it’s a new take. The film holds together well enough to be pretty captivating throughout, even if the weirdness seems kind of shallow and bizarre.

This’ll be worth a watch on streaming, but that’s probably about it.

Film Review | The Rhythm Section (2019)

Let’s get more Blake Lively, please! After she ROCKED IT in A Simple Favor in 2018, I think we all saw how she can own every moment - maybe more than she has in a while. And The Rhythm Section gives her the space to enter the upper echelon of other great action actresses. Her fight scenes with Jude Law (well, with everyone) here are sloppy and dangerous, much like the Bond fight scenes in Casino Royale.

The story gets to a point where you can start to guess where it’s going, which pulls the rug out from under the complex web of globetrotting on assassin missions. But it still works! There’s lots of intrigue and subterfuge that keeps the plot momentum rolling at a good clip.

I’d say catch this one in the theaters to make sure you get immersed in that action, baby!

Film Review | The Gentlemen (2020)

Ahh, Guy Ritchie finally returns to England for a minute. Back to the street-level gang stuff that his style lends itself to best.

The problem here was making the story just so damn complicated, with a meta angle and everything. I think the story would’ve worked much better with Hugh Grant’s arc - even though Hugh Grant did a great job. It just introduced this fakery wink at the camera that felt like it cheapened everything else.

Meanwhile, we have Matthew McConaughey reprising his role from the Lincoln ads. It’s super weird, but the gang activity bits with some action work pretty well. The film is just a little scattered, kind of a collection of disparate ideas - some bad, some good.

Film Review | Dolittle (2020)

There was so much in this movie’s favor: the cast are all-stars. RDJ, Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen... but damn, if the script wasn’t a hokey mess. Littered with really dumb humor aimed at cheap laughs from children (including a dragon fart joke), it seems like everyone was really phoning it in. 

There’s certainly nothing wrong with having RDJ as the lead here, he’s still got that great charisma. But whatever accent he was shoehorning in (Welsh?) wasn’t working; his whispered lines were often just bad. 

The plot was another thing altogether; every obstacle to the end of the movie was solved within 5 minutes almost exclusively by convenience or serendipity, not actions taken by the characters. It’s this hodge-podge chaotic jump from one problem to another. I literally forgot what the main plot was because new things were being introduced in every scene.

I, for the life of me, don’t understand why the entire movie wasn’t animated like the first 5 minute intro. It was delightful and a missed opportunity.

Film Review | Underwater (2020)

There’s always a couple gems that end up getting released in January, and Underwater is one of them. The trailer makes it look like schlocky sci-fi horror, but it’s actually got some great thrills and direction.

There are way more twists than I was expecting and the movie hits the gas pedal right away. It’s pretty exciting all throughout and doesn’t really let up. Not the beautiful character study that Gravity was, but it took good notes on using depth and darkness to great effect.

The film falls into some common horror traps, and breaks some of its own rules late in the movie for plot convenience. But I felt inclined to allow it a little bit for the sake of spectacle. On top of that, I’m terrified of the ocean depths and just wanted the characters to be able to escape. CALL ME CRAZY.

It’s worth the theater for sure (but try not to get one with people mumbling behind you the whole time). 

Film Review | Just Mercy (2019)

Really, an incredible story; there were audible sniffles in my theater when the film was wrapping up before the credits.

More movies with Jamie Foxx, please! He’s got some magic about him when onscreen that just sucks the air out of every scene, you can’t help but focus on him. I wish we would’ve gotten more of him here, he’s stuck on death row for the majority of the movie. And there was just something about the rest of the leads performances here that felt like they were out of a different movie, weirdly stiff and stoic scenes from Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson. Maybe it was the editing? Or maybe the script didn’t give them much to go off? But yeah, just strangely not vibing well. 

It’s worth a watch once it gets streaming. This was a clear Oscar play that just missed the mark, I think. It’s a shame because the story is powerful, but the execution was just a little disjointed.

Film Review | Bad Boys For Life (2020)

I really wasn’t sure what to expect here; the Bad Boys movies are very popcorn-friendly action movies, no huge stakes or craziness. But this return with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence really did it for me.

Being in a fairly full theater that was ready to be rowdy really helped. This was a ton of fun! I thought the script teed Martin Lawrence up perfectly to steal the show, but Will Smith’s struggles throughout were the heart - it was the great balance that played to both’s strengths. 

The demonization of Mexican characters really put me off, not gonna lie. It’s so hot right now to make Latinx characters scary and villainous and uhhh we should STOP DOING THAT. White people as villains for the rest of time plz.

It’s got the Michael Bay aesthetic down, but with a little more thought put into the script, action, and fight choreography. A rowdy time out at the movies for sure.

Film Review | 1917 (2019)

I don’t know if I’ve seen a more evocative exploration of the intimacy, the filth, the low-to-the-ground trauma of war firsthand. 1917 is an incredible character study for the two leads, particularly William Schofield. His eyes convey so much as he races the sunrise to deliver the attack call-of letter to Col. McKenzie.

The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. We must protect Roger Deakins and continue to reward him with awards, get him that Oscar AGAIN. The night-to-day changes are jawdropping, the camera moves are incredibly varied for a “one-shot”. 

Sam Mendes has outdone himself. I don’t think this is better than Skyfall necessarily, but damn, if this movie is heartbreaking and exciting. This one’s worth the theater, 100% for sure.

Film Review | Uncut Gems (2019)

I think it’s interesting that so many people are praising this Adam Sandler performance as a revelation, like he’s reinvented himself in some grand way. But the whole time I was watching it, he’s just playing his ramped up Sonny Colfax from Big Daddy or some other role, but dramatically instead of wholly for comedy. It still read very much like Adam Sandler to me. I’m not saying that’s bad, it’s just his same energy focused differently - so I’d encourage y’all to watch again and realize that this is still very much the Adam Sandler we’ve always known.

The Safdies know exactly what they’re doing. They’re getting better at managing their tension, especially after Good Time. Uncut Gems knows how to utilize comedy to relax the audience from time to time, without pulling the rug out from under their feet. The third act of this movie is some incredibly exciting dramatic action, it just builds and builds. Placing this in the real world, with Kevin Garnett playing himself too, just makes this movie some good good stuff.

I wouldn’t say you need to see this in the theater, but it’s definitely a goodie.

Film Review | They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead (2018)

It really is tragic the way Orson Welles was treated as his career progressed. I’m not totally surprised though, for an independent filmmaker who rejected the studio system and just wanted to make big budget art movies.

It bizarrely mirrors the treatment we see for a lot of directors that don’t gel well with the superhero machine that is Hollywood today (Josh Trank comes to mind, but he’s no Orson Welles obviously). This is a lovingly made documentary, and it’s great that they got so many of Welles’s close friends and collaborators to tell the story for the doc. It’s a fascinating character study of a man who wanted his attention to be about his art.

I’m definitely intrigued to check out the “finished” film soon; one last hurrah for an aged wunderkind.