REVIEW ROUND-UP

Well, it’s definitely been a minute since I’ve written one of these reviews, hasn’t it? Sorry about that, but what with getting my mini-concert together and all the other stuff I got going, haven’t really been able to write as much. But now that I’ve got some time freed up, I think it’s time for a round-up of reviews for all the film’s I have seen since I last talked about Dune, starting with:

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO: Edgar Wright’s first foray into something other than comedy shows that he’s got a lot more under his hood than we’ve probably given him credit for. The story of an aspiring fashion designer (Thomasin McKenzie) newly moved to London who finds herself constantly transported back to 60s Soho and taking on another persona (Anya Taylor-Joy) is packed to the brim with themes of domestic violence, the danger of looking at the past with rose-tinted glasses, and female empowerment while still managing to be a trippy, visually interesting psychological thriller filtered through the Edgar Wright prism, what with the constant needle-drops and such. Is juggling that many things in a film bit unwieldy? Possibly, but it stays standing thanks to the stellar performances from McKenzie and Taylor-Joy – plus a great swansong for Diana Rigg – and Wright and his crew’s more-than-competent filmmaking skills!

ETERNALS: Well, this was kind of a bust. Now, I don’t know if this film is necessarily bad, but it definitely feels like it’s biting off a bit more than it can chew. I mean, so many characters, so many plot threads, so many ideas…and none of them get the screentime they deserve because they have to fit that all into the constraints of a 157-minute film. Now, it’s not a total wash; Chloe Zhao’s direction is on point, Ramin Djawadi’s score is pretty cool, and Harish Patel’s turn as Karun is perhaps one of the best side character performances I’ve ever seen in the MCU. But aside from that, I’d say just wait for this film to come to Disney+.

HOUSE OF GUCCI: I’m sort of having trouble parsing out my feelings about this film. Ridley Scott’s epic, Macbeth-like tale of the decline of the Gucci family is definitely an entertaining watch, both for its Game of Thrones-esque scenes of business strategies and coordinated family betrayals, and the over-the-top, campy performances from Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, and especially Jared Leto. But this is where a lot of people are conflicted, as the film constantly vacillates between these two tones, making it hard for the audience to get a grasp on it. But honestly, that’s what I found to be the most entertaining about it because I didn’t know exactly what was gonna happen next and whether it was gonna be funny or tragic, and I like films that pull me back and forth like that. Plus Lady Gaga and Adam Driver’s performances are top-notch, and it’s Ridley Scott directing, so you know it’ll look great. Comes with a thumbs-up from me, provided you can get past the sillier parts.

Well, now that that's out of the way, scroll up for my review of C'mon C'mon!