5 Recent-ish Movies I’ve Watched
– with Some Commentary!

Wicked: 8/10

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I know it came out a while ago, but I hadn’t done a review for it yet, and it still feels relevant! I had seen the musical a long time ago and remembered only parts of it—the pink and green witches, the wizard having some sort of problem, and of course “Popular! You’re gonna be popular!”. The internet (along with a few of my friends) was going crazy with the casting of Jonathan Bailey, which of course I was excited about, but I was more excited to see what the hype surrounding the release of this movie was about. I really liked it! It was kind of campy, which was unexpected, at least to me, and the bright colors and light sarcasm added an additional “wow” factor to the film. Cynthia Erivo was fantastic (of course I’m Team Elphaba) and Ariana Grande definitely was a great choice for Glinda. I thought the storyline was represented really well, but it felt as if there was some promise unfulfilled in terms of addressing the obvious analogy to racism and discrimination within the film. I know that part two has yet to be released, but I would’ve liked to see the characters (aside from Elphaba, she is perfect) spend more time on this theme. Though perhaps that was exactly the point—the characters did not address it well enough. 

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Gladiator II: 10/10

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History majors rise up (that’s me)! I was so excited for this sequel and I can firmly say: it did not disappoint. Aside from the stellar casting choices, the story felt familiar as an homage to Gladiator while also being timely for the 21st century. I liked how they made it digestible for those who did not see the original (although everyone should go watch the OG!), while also keeping up with the new storyline that included Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal. I have heard a lot of “well, it’s not historically accurate” which, while I understand where it is coming from, I think it just makes people feel bad for liking the movie! Many elements were overdone, but I think they just made the film more fantastical, which of course, there is nothing wrong with. I loved the connections made between the characters from the original movie and the unwinding of the original story that kept us all on the edge of our seats! The action, the drama, the intense familial dynamics… It all came together to be an epic film. (I don’t even need to say it, but Paul Mescal really shined in this movie. He alone made it a 10/10 if we are being honest).

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Queer: 8/10

I will preface this by saying, I truly enjoyed Queer, but A24 is (and has been for a while) marketing their movies falsely. The trailers and teasers for this movie made it seem like the story would be centered around Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig’s characters and the relationship they developed in Mexico. I had heard great things about the movie all around – the casting, the costume choices, and the cinematic elements that highlighted the internal struggle both characters dealt with. But when I actually saw it, it proved to be completely different than that expectation. The movie actually followed them to Ecuador where, for the second half of the movie, the theme of drug abuse was vividly explored through their journey taking Ayahuasca (a hallucinogen native to the Andes region and Amazon). Make no mistake, I think this was beautifully done and it left a lot to be contemplated afterward, but this was completely left out of any promos I had seen for the movie. It felt like the majority of the film was trying to symbolize drug addiction and its effects, not the emotional romance story the promos seemed to allude to. All in all, I really enjoyed it and I think it made really good points about self-awareness and realization. 

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Babygirl: 6/10

I was slightly unsatisfied with Babygirl (no pun intended). Again, A24 did not market the film well, in my opinion. I had no idea that the movie was mostly going to be about her conflict with cheating on her husband. I couldn’t even take solace in the new relationship between Romy and Sam, because Sam wasn’t even good to her! The entire relationship felt forced to be sexy while the audience saw how he treated her horribly. I understand why this might have been the intent of the film producers because it demonstrates the dangers of situations like these. But, I know I would’ve enjoyed it more if I felt like their connection was more passionate. Probably worst of all, the movie wasn’t even that sexy! There were just a few steamy scenes sandwiched between dramatic and drawn-out shots of Nicole Kidman questioning her entire life. To be clear, I did not hate the movie but I do think that it could’ve been better if we knew more about Romy and Sam’s relationship or at least felt more passion between them specifically.  

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Nosferatu: 5/10

I really have no basis for this review, the movie was… good… I guess? I haven’t seen the original and I’m semi-versed in Dracula lore, but the style of the movie was out of left field for me. I think I understood what they were trying to say about female sacrifice and the broader context of marital relations, but it was lost at some points due to the movie’s obscene length. It felt like it could’ve taken half of the time that it did and would’ve bored the audience less. I thought the acting was fantastic, the dramatic edge everyone brought to the screen was amazingly impressive. I will say, that while Count Orlok was supposed to be big, bad, and super scary, it felt like he was just such a central character that some of that fear dissipated. I honestly forgot some of the plot points in the movie between the beginning and end because the storyline was so convoluted and drawn out. That being said, the sweeping emotion of the film was its crowning jewel. The intense vibes brought out by each character created a stunning story that has a dramatic ending (I won’t ruin it). 

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