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La visita del vicio (1978)
Maybe more cerebral then people expected?
I've been on some kind of journey through exploitation films lately, which I've never really watched, but because I love gothic horror, Ive been trying to get a sense of what the actual substance of the movement is. This was definitely marketed as softcore, but I saw a kind of potential for poetry, so I gave it a watch. I think this is a hidden gem.
Dreams about men on horses is associated with sexual awakening, so that's a pretty straightforward allusion. I loved the added element of Chico, the man in the horse, living in the reeds, emerging unexpectedly and fading away again. Triana both searches for him and avoids him. The reeds are her confusion about who she is and who she wants to be.
Every night she dreams of Chico. In her dreams she herself might be a horse, waiting for him to be her master. She's trapped in the expectations of what she has seen between men and women. If she admits to her feelings for Chico, will she lose herself and become just another victim of heteronormative societal norms? Will she be a person with a voice and agency? She wants freedom and her own choices, but she has no idea how to find that. Lorna even chides her for not wanting to learn how to read, because she knows that would help her in her self discovery, but she refuses to learn.
Chico and Tiana are both from the same band of Roma, so their culture and traditions play a part here as well. Tiana talks about how Chico just wants to take things, the implication being that she doesn't want to be one of those things.
Chico is uneducated and inarticulate, so instead of trying to talk to Tiana about his feelings, he keeps assaulting her. His relationship with his horse is the best one he has at that point, so he thinks if he can break Triana the way he did his horse, then once she trusts him, he can show her the same tenderness and trust in that relationship. On the one hand, yuck, but on the other, it's all he knows. Triana keeps searching him out and wanting to know where he is, but once finding him, fleeing from him.
She falls for Lorna as much because the idea of living the life of an independently wealthy woman who can spend her time enjoying and creating art is a beautiful dream as it is about her attraction to her. It seems to me like she thinks if she can keep Lorna happy, she can keep Chico away and escape her fate. She's essentially told this by a fortune teller she seeks out for guidance. She is determined to fight to stay with Lorna and be this new version of herself that's so enticing. But humans can't live in an ideal for long without it collapsing, and she doesn't realize that Lorna's life is an illusion based on its own power structure of master and the broken.
Lorna gets bored and is intrigued by Chico, and even after Tiana says that he has attempted to rape her on several occasions, she invites him into their home and dismisses Tiana's concerns as silly. It takes awhile for Tiana to realize that Lorna will always be bored and always look for people to fill that excitement for her. Chico and Tiana aren't people, they are pleasurable pass times. Lorna spends her days drinking and sun bathing while Tiana scrubs the floors. Their relationship is not at all equal and the more Lorna sees that she has successfully trapped Tiana, the more emotionally withholding and verbally cruel she becomes.
Tiana is able to touch Chico and kiss him between the buffer of a threesome. They both act like they are focused on Lorna, but are clearly focused on each other. This very much seems like an allusion to the mental gymnastics a lot of women do trying to sort out their sexual desires from their rational goals for their lives. Tiana says she hates Chico and wants to kill him, but in this scene we see how incredibly at ease she is around him. He sees this, and starts to focus on Lorna, who he enjoys having sex with, but is a conduit to showing Tiana his true feelings.
During a later tryst, Lorna seeks Chico out in the tall reeds where he has made a home. After the coitus having, she tells Chico he should tell Tiana his feelings instead of just trying to sexually dominate her as if she was a horse. He says this is stupid and talks about how he isn't a man of planning but of instinct. Ironically, in the next scene Tiana shoots Lorna dead, acting out of her own primal instinct. Lorna wondered into Tiana's territory without permission, and instinctually Tiana cannot allow this. The illusion of Lorna is shattered, but now she feels more lost.
Chico finds Tiana at the house, and heading Lorna's advice, finally tells Tiana his feelings for her, how he's loved her since he first saw her. At this confession, Tiana sees that Chico doesn't want to be her master, but her partner. He says he doesn't care about any of Lorna's trappings, he just wants to be with her. Together they hide the body. Tiana throws the necklace Lorna gave her into the marsh water at the edge of the reeds, and with her own agency, joins Chico on his horse as they go to the next part if their journey together and on equal terms.
If this had been made and marketed in a different way, I think it would be up there with the likes of Jane Campions The Piano, or even Remains of the Day, where you have all this unspoken tension between desire and obligation. How we hide our true selves in societal norms but somehow they peak out during sex because of how it necessitates connection with our prereflective self.
If you like existential kind of poetic journeys of self discovery, try this out. If you want some sexploitation, you'll be disappointed by its cerebral subtlety.
Blow the Man Down (2019)
How does this not have a higher rating?
This blew all my expectations out of the water! Female politics is often overlooked in its scope and just barely alluded to in most bechtal test passing films. One example, Woman Talking, was a fresh take on something intangible most women are extremely aware of because of an a proiri understanding of their own circumstances and power. This film is similar, but also more fun because it's kind of also a Cozy New England Murder Mystery.
The cinematography was gorgeous, music fantastic, acting superb, plot both fun and subtly philosophical in a way rarely articulated about the female experience. Also, sea shanties.
The Irishman (2019)
How was De Niro not nominated for this?
I was so overwhelmed by the mastery of Robert De Niro's performance that when I double checked to see if he was nominated and saw that he wasn't, I teared up a bit. Pacino and Pesci are of course also brilliant, honestly every performance is fantastic, but the subtlety and breadth of De Niro blew me away. I think film scholars will have plenty to say about his brilliance in years to come.
Marty clearly enjoyed being able to pace this film exactly the way he wanted. It almost hums with his delight. I just sat back and enjoyed the way it unfolded and slowly revealed itself. I did break it up over three nights because life and falling asleep because I'm apparently middle aged now, but that didn't detract from the reveling in this masterpiece.
White Men Can't Jump (2023)
Give it a chance.
I was sad to see the super low score this got, but decided to watch anyway, and genuinely enjoyed it. I get a lot of the feedback, but also, like, we need to give young artists time to find their footing and whatever comes next for Calmatic, I for sure want to see it.
I didn't realize I was middle aged until I had to look up Jack Harlow and Post Malone because I was confused about why there where "suddenly" (ie since 2009 when popular culture started fading into the background) two different seemingly Hasidic rappers doing SNL music spots. Turns out, I really enjoyed them both. And even though I'm a 40 year old Mom, I relate to Jack Harlow's passion and hustle, and have been awkwardly rooting for his success. Thankfully, I'm comfortable being awkward.
Jack Harlow is certainly not the best actor on the screen here, but what he lacks in experience actually fits the roll well and he lets his costars shine. He did a solid job and I hope he tries this again despite all the negative feedback. He clearly had chemistry with all his costars and knows how to be a solid support and team player. I bet it was a really fun set to work on.
Sinqua Walls performance felt like it was bleeding through the screen. I need to see everything he's done now. I think, if nothing else, watch this movie for the gorgeous cinematography and his performance. His chemistry with Teyana Taylor was fantastic. It was so good to see a solid couple work through their issues and stick together. That was probably my favorite part.
Myles Bullock and Vince Staples running commentary was a delight and I enjoyed their arch with Jack Harlow's character. Lance Reddick was as amazing here as in everything else he's ever done. RIP
So no, it's not as good as the original. But it's something else and that something is worth watching. Especially if you are a fan of watching people strive for goals through sports. It reminded me a bit of Hoosiers, which is weird, but the vibe felt similar somehow. I will totally be recommending this to my other middle age mom friends.
The Goldfinch (2019)
Almost makes it, but doesn't land the ending.
This probably should have been a mini series. The jumping back and forth in time makes things more confusing instead of conveying how much time has passed, like it seems is intended. But the performances and right out of the book dialogue was so well done, especially Ansel Elgort's portrayal, I almost was okay with it. Then they took one liberty with the plot near the end and rushed it in a way that makes the whole thing a vague fog. The half of Boris' thoughts near they left in was good, but the full monologue would have helped with clarity. I feel bad for the director, trying to fit all this meat into into a reasonable timeframe for a movie, but even 20 more minutes would have saved the endings pacing. The book comes together and makes everything clear at the end and things getting less clear in the film is just very blarg.
The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
So close!
The acting was great, gorgeous cinematography, worthy and inventive plot. The pacing was just horrible. If someone could reedit and tighten up the pacing, and change the score maybe adding in more of the tremendous Congolese singing, it could be so good. Cut down Christophe Waltz bad guy to a more minor role, remove the rosary nonsense. Amplify Samual L Jackson as the narrator showing us what we might overlook and take for granted. Show us more or Tarzan and Jane connecting so we are more invested in their story. Bringing awareness of the actions of the Belgians is so interesting and worthy. More people should know what colonialism did to each specific area of Africa and well told stories help us see more and spark a desire to learn. So close!
Masterminds (2015)
Didn't expect much, but really loved it!
I genuinely do not get the bad reviews. It's a solid plot, good pacing and editing, and hilarious antics! If you love anyone staring in it or love the last 20 years of SNL, you'll enjoy this as much as I did.