Recently Seen Movie #13 - Page 5

I saw a portion of the Punjabi film Honeymoon. It was decent 

Rosaline

Everyone knows Romeo and Juliet as an epic and tragic romance. But people often forget that Romeo went to the masquerade ball to meet his lover, Rosaline, another Capulet. Romeo ghosts Rosaline completely after meeting Juliet.

Rosaline is a hilarious dramedy that tells the story of Romeo's spurned ex. At first, Rosaline is furious. She tries a series of tricks to break up the new romance and wins Romeo back. But eventually she realizes that she is being foolish pining for a fvckboi. 

She changes her mind and decides to help Romeo and Juliet. When Rosaline discovers Juliet has set her dumb plan of pretending to poison herself, she springs into action. Ultimately, Rosaline's wit and intellect ensure that Romeo and Juliet escape, while the Montagues and Capulets think they are dead and make peace in regret. 

It might seem a happier ending than the tragic death of star-crossed lovers. But as we see in the mid-credits scene Romeo and Juliet getting together is even more tragic than their death. As they struggle to find something in common or make basic conversation the movie ends with their resignation that they have committed to a lifetime of this boredom. 

Rosaline shatters the Romeo and Juliet myth with modern sensibilities. It pulls of the shiny veneer of true love and reveals the ugly truth beneath - two imbecilic teenagers who thought their hormonal infatuation and attraction was true love worth risking everything for.  

White Lotus S1

I think I must not be understanding White Lotus or something. I don't get why people are binging it. It's just a show about awful rich white people. There is no story—just a bunch of richies idling away.

I love some flawed or even awful characters. But there must be some substance to the story - humor, hijinks, mystery - something to entertain. Take Glass Onion, for example; awful rich people meet on an island - but it's funny, mysterious, and you're waiting to discover - whodunnit, what's next. 

We know from the very beginning someone dies. But I couldn't care less who it could be. What is the point of this show? Am I supposed to feel better about my life after seeing the shit show rich people live in? Am I supposed to take joy in the fakeness and misery they live in? 

The ending was so unsatisfying. Paula and Olivia are just leeches bloodsucking from each other, the Mossbachers, and society. When you think Rachel has come to her senses, she returns to her husband. You're heartbroken for Belinda, who was given false hopes and dreams only to have the carpet pulled from under her. I would feel sorry for Armando if he wasn't so intentionally malicious and dishonest. The only small satisfaction is Quinn growing out of his rich privilege and developing the desire to do something. 

Originally posted by: return_to_hades

White Lotus S1

I think I must not be understanding White Lotus or something. I don't get why people are binging it. It's just a show about awful rich white people. There is no story—just a bunch of richies idling away.

I love some flawed or even awful characters. But there must be some substance to the story - humor, hijinks, mystery - something to entertain. Take Glass Onion, for example; awful rich people meet on an island - but it's funny, mysterious, and you're waiting to discover - whodunnit, what's next. 

We know from the very beginning someone dies. But I couldn't care less who it could be. What is the point of this show? Am I supposed to feel better about my life after seeing the shit show rich people live in? Am I supposed to take joy in the fakeness and misery they live in? 

The ending was so unsatisfying. Paula and Olivia are just leeches bloodsucking from each other, the Mossbachers, and society. When you think Rachel has come to her senses, she returns to her husband. You're heartbroken for Belinda, who was given false hopes and dreams only to have the carpet pulled from under her. I would feel sorry for Armando if he wasn't so intentionally malicious and dishonest. The only small satisfaction is Quinn growing out of his rich privilege and developing the desire to do something. 

The characters are fked up and complex probably with the exception of Quinn. If you're expecting them to come out on a moral high having paid for their actions, they of course you'd be disappointed. It's a bunch of morally repugnant rich folks traipsing around the White Lotus doing questionable shit. Paula is woke teen who sympathises with the cause but doesn't work to make a difference. She'd rather run and hide in the cocoon she had built for herself around the rich (Olivia's family) than stand fir Kai as soon as shit hits the fan. She thinks she's different from the Mossbachers but she's not. Rachel sees the light but she goes back to Shane because although he's a mama's boy and a little twerp, she feels trapped and the privilege of it all pulls her back in. She rationalises his behaviour and the killing. Belinda thought Tanya was her messiah but for Tanya's neurotic hair brained self Belinda is just an afterthought. The most thought is put into the characters than the plot, almost like a character study. Sure, the show critiques class and privilege but that's all secondary. Mike White has the first season centered around money, and the second around s*x. I watched the first season as the conflict between the locals vs the tourists (the rich and privileged) and the tourists rip off the locals, the season does this in reverse. The tussle between Paula and Kai, is won by Paula, between Tanya and Belinda, it's won by Tanya, and Shane and Armondo have an equal fight but still Shane wins. For all tourists, the locals don't hold any value as long as they are not serving them. They forget and throw the reminders away (Paula discarding the bracelet) as it's no longer useful. 

Again, it's just purely character based and not much plot to it to advance the show. It's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. 

Street Food: America

I thought I knew all about American street food. But there is always something new to discover. I learned about two new foods I need to try now - Yakamein and Frita Cubana. Yakamein is a beef noodle soup from the marriage of Chinese cooking and Creole soul food. The Frita Cubana is a Cuban hamburger topped with fries. Overall an informative, entertaining, and sometimes emotional ride for foodies. 

White Lotus S2

Despite not enjoying S1 as much, I labored through S2. A lot of it is the same - entitled rich people misbehaving. This time the White Lotus resort is in Taormina, Sicily. With the Ionian Sea on one side and Etna on the other, the landscape is breathtaking.  

I found the season more compelling than the previous one. Perhaps I find sexual dynamics and politics more interesting than class struggle. Lucia and Mia were just such fascinating characters and how they navigated sex made the show for me. I was curious about their next move. Valentina also comes of as initially bitchy but later sympathetic. I find it interesting that the resort manager in both seasons is gay. 

Jennifer Coolidge was a hot mess. She also reveled in her persona as fag hag - a nod to her gay fandom I suppose. And the deaths in this season were far more intriguing than last. I was actually curious what transpired on the yacht. I still have so many questions. 

White Noise

What a bizarre movie. From the trailer, I assumed the whole movie would be about the family escaping a toxic airborne incident. But that is just one part of the movie. The rest of the movie is just weird, surreal, and bizarre. I assume the "White Noise" is the existential fear of death. Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig are wasted in this movie, which never manages to make its "white noise" more compelling or engaging. 

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Ok. White Lotus S2 spoilers here - I have questions.

1. We know Quentin was shady. There are lots of clues pointing to Tanya's fate. But I am still wondering - what is the whole truth and what aspects are Tanya's paranoia? 

2. Did Ethan sleep with Daphne? Is Ethan and Harper's marriage salvaged?Are Daphne and Cameron beginning to crack apart? 

Originally posted by: return_to_hades

White Noise

What a bizarre movie. From the trailer, I assumed the whole movie would be about the family escaping a toxic airborne incident. But that is just one part of the movie. The rest of the movie is just weird, surreal, and bizarre. I assume the "White Noise" is the existential fear of death. Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig are wasted in this movie, which never manages to make its "white noise" more compelling or engaging. 

-------

Ok. White Lotus S2 spoilers here - I have questions.

1. We know Quentin was shady. There are lots of clues pointing to Tanya's fate. But I am still wondering - what is the whole truth and what aspects are Tanya's paranoia? 

2. Did Ethan sleep with Daphne? Is Ethan and Harper's marriage salvaged?Are Daphne and Cameron beginning to crack apart? 

I don't think Ethan slept with Daphne but she gave him advice. Daphne seemed to have accepted Cameron's philandering ways. About EH's marriage, I am not sure why he slept with her if he wasn't sure about her loyalty.

Tanya thinks they are after her wealth

Neighbors

I expected Neighbors to be a raunchy Seth Rogen comedy that doesn't have a substantial plot. While the plot is a bit silly and OTT, the movie is a lovely exploration of the existential angst of transition - college kid to young adult, young adult to parents, and homeowners. 

Everything Everywhere All At Once

An altogether bizarre and wacky film. It blends multiple genres like sci-fi, comedy, family drama, martial arts, and more with trippy entertaining results. It manages to be both hilarious and dark at the same time. This movie can perhaps be watched multiple times for wondrous results each time. It is a pleasure to see Michelle Yeoh lead a commercially successful mainstream film and kill the action sequences (every scene, really.) 

I can also see why some critics found it overrated and didn't care for it. For a long time, I wondered where the heck the movie was going with the multiverse. It was all so ridiculous; could it ever seem to tie together? But it comes together in the end. 

I think Encanto and EEAAO both present the impact of generational trauma in their unique narrative styles. I can see an average westerner looking at Evelyn and assuming she is an awful person. Evelyn appears cold and distant from her husband. She is cruel and rejecting toward her daughter. Her business is in shambles, and she may have evaded taxes.  

But as the movie unfolds, we discover that Evelyn carries the baggage of familial expectations. She has been pushed through life in a certain way and she does the same to her daughter - until they both decide to end the cycle of generational trauma. But I guess where many of us see Evelyn as a person who loves her family the only way she has been taught to, others may still see Evelyn as a bad parent and wife. 

I also interpret the multiverse as symbolic of the various splintered identities people of color, especially immigrants, have. What take did others have? 

Dopesick

I used to assume that opioid addiction was the addict's fault. After all, I had done dumb shit like double dosing or mixing alcohol and pain meds and never got addicted. Then I heard the news stories about Purdue Pharma and changed my mind. 

Dopesick tells the harrowing tale of the opioid crisis in the United States. The story is both heartbreaking and infuriating. It also has some of the most empathetic portrayals of Appalachia. Michael Keaton is excellent as Dr. Finnix, who goes through a personal addiction crisis before fighting for his patients. But Kaitlyn Dever as the lesbian miner Betsy, will gut you. How one mining accident sends a happy, healthy woman with a loving family and community spiraling into opioid addiction leading to heroin use and prostitution, is hard to stomach. 

Although most characters have been fictionalized, the Purdue pharma leadership is non-fiction. They misrepresented Oxycontin as a non-addictive pain medication. They spun a web of corruption and lies to push profits. You cannot help but rage at the screen when they scheme and continuously launch newer high-dosage Oxycontin. The most disgusting part was they specifically targeted poor rural communities like the coal mining regions of Appalachia - who were less informed and lacked resources. 

All pain medication is addictive. Pain medication is supposed to supplement the body's pain tolerance and healing, not replace it. I am grateful that my parents drilled this into me. Which is why - even when I did dumb shit - I always had a plan to wean off the pain meds. I feel so sorry for all the people who didn't know better and were misled into believing that they could safely have high-dosage pain meds without addiction risks. 

I watched Smile. Why the fcuk did I watch it? Now I won’t be able to sleep for days.