I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really bothered about a film this week. I just found went onto my various streaming services and found something quick. Although, I’d definitely have watched this at some point. I mean, it’s literary, there’s major teen comedy vibes and it stars Kaitlyn Dever in the title role. There’s so much to get me interested. Of course, we all know that Romeo and Juliet isn’t my favourite Shakespeare play but I guessed this film wouldn’t exactly celebrate it.
According to certain people, there wasn’t a great deal to like about the final season of Game of Thrones but one of the standouts was Bella Ramsey getting more screen time as Lyanna Mormont. She was an amazing character and a fantastic performer. When this film came up on Prime recently, she was the main reason I was drawn to it. Then I saw the rest of the cast and I had to give it a chance. Andrew Scott, Lesley Sharp and Sophie Okonedo to name but a few. So many great British actors in one place. I had high hopes for this one.
As a millennial, I have very strong feelings about the film Hocus Pocus. Especially as I’m not a fan of horror movies. It’s my ultimate Halloween film and I could watch it over and over again. I absolutely love Bette Midler and her performance of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ is iconic. It might not be the best film ever but I think it’s perfect. So, I was in two minds when the sequel was announced. I wanted more from Winnie and her sisters but I didn’t trust Disney to do it well. I had to find out one way or another.
I’ve never read Strangers on a Train but I’ve seen so many adaptations, references and parodies that it feels as though I have. One of the most memorable ones is in an episode of The Simpsons, which really only sticks in my mind because Barr keeps popping up saying “criss-cross”. The latest film to be inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s novel is Do Revenge. The Netflix original is what happens when you combine Alfred Hitchcock and Riverdale. I always suspected that I was beyond the intended age range but I figured it was worth a try. After all, I’m fairly obsessed with Maya Hawke at the moment. She’s by far the greatest thing about Stranger Things and was interested to see her do something a bit darker.
It isn’t surprising to find out that a certain group of people have turned against Pixar’s latest film release. Those idiots on the internet who don’t like people who look, act and speak differently to them. I’ve seen snippets from reviews say that it is only relevant to a small audience or that it’s unrealistic. Yeah, and I guess Wall-E, Up, and Cars were all super relatable and true to life. The word woke has been tossed around a lot as you would expect. Then there are those who think children shouldn’t be made aware that periods are a thing. I don’t know why I expected anything else but it’s getting boring now. It’s an animated movie for fuck’s sake. There are worse things going on in the world to worry about that.
In light of all of the Covid nonsense, I’ve really not been keeping track of awards season this year. I’ve barely watched any of the nominees. Or at least I’m pretty sure that I haven’t because I don’t even know who all of the nominees are. I’ve just lost my way with films and decided that there were other things to focus on this year. Plus, it isn’t really the same when you can’t head out to the cinema. Despite my Oscars blackout, I was still overjoyed to wake up to the news that this year’s ceremony had made history. Anthony Hopkins became the oldest person to ever win for acting. Daniel Kaluuya picked up the best supporting actor and became the first Black British actor to win an Oscar. Then there’s Chloé Zhao who became not only the second woman to win Best Director but also the first woman of colour. It’s quite the positive step for the Academy. Emerald Fennel was given recognition for her screenplay and became the first person since 2007 to win. This was only one that I was really invested in. I was desperate for Fennel to win. Why? Not only was the film important and original but I’m becoming obsessed with Fennel. She seems like a fantastic human being with a unique creativity. This was one film that I knew I had to see as soon as possible.
I don’t want to say that I had high expectations for Wonder Woman 1984 but the first film did make me cry in it’s opening sequence. Then there was the fact that the movie poster is absolutely astounding. It had everything we needed. Diana looked like an absolute powerhouse and the 80s vibes were incredible. I’m not a big DC fan but the first film was such a great celebration of female superheroes. Plus, it showed that women can be given the lead role in a comic book movie and make a shit ton of money. The fact that DC were sensible enough to bring Patty Jenkins back was comforting. Over the years, they’ve often put their trust in the wrong hands and its not something that’s really worked well for them. Not since The Winter Soldier has a second comic book film been better than the first. Would Jenkins and Gal Gadot be able to work movie magic again? Would it be worth the £15.99 rental fee? There was only one way to find out.
I’ve wanted to watch this film for ages now. I’d heard it was good. It sounded good. I know that I was going to love it. So, why did it take so long? My poor attention span. I’ve been watching films at home since March because of the pandemic which means I’m generally doing multiple things when I’m watching films. I might be writing another blog pot, tempted by my phone, or editing photos. It depends how much I have to do that day. It’s not that I mean to let my mind wander but it happens. I’m not like it in a cinema. Don’t go thinking that I’m one of those people who gets their phone out every few minutes. I concentrate in a cinema. Not at home. It’s difficult to find a two hour slot when I’m not also trying to do something else. So, a subtitled film isn’t exactly a good mix. So, when I found a window on Sunday, I knew what I had to do.
I have a copy of Caitlin Moran’s How To Be A Girl somewhere on my bookshelves. Obviously, I haven’t read it yet but I haven’t read a lot of the books on my bookshelves. A friend gave me a copy of How To Be A Woman for Christmas one year but I haven’t read that either. It’s not that I didn’t want to. It’s just that there are so many other books in the world. Being a reader is like having the worst case of FOMO imaginable. There are so many books that have already been published and plenty still to be published. Of course, you’re always going to be wondering if the book you’re currently reading is the best one that you can get. It’s understandable that certain books and authors are going to miss out and, unfortunately, Caitlin Moran was one of them. I had thought about waiting until I’d read the book but if I did that I’d never have watched the film. It probably goes against the bookish code but it had to be done.
We all know that very little positive stuff came out of 2016’s Suicide Squad. In fact, the only really memorable thing was Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn. She was exactly the character we needed and Robbie brought real heart to the Joker’s slightly mad paramour. Yes, she also gave basic white girls a new go-to sexy Halloween costume but hey ho. Who am I to judge? It was just great that Harley was getting the treatment she deserved. As a female comic book fan, I’m obviously a Harley fan. She’s been an interesting part of the Batman storylines, had some great team-ups with Ivy and co, and her own comic book is fantastic. She could easily have been ruined by the same people who allowed Zack fuckin Snyder to ruin Superman and almost ruin Batman. But she wasn’t and she was beloved enough to be given her own film… sort of. Female superheroes are slowly becoming more prominent so it’s refreshing to see a fully female comic book film that seems natural. You know, not like the embarrassing scene in Endgame that was awkward and smug. You may remember that this film was on my list of 2020 films I was looking forward to this year and it was finally time to see it.
Yipee ki-yay, motherbooker 