Change Your Image
krazy_katherineg
Reviews
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Beautiful piece of art, Challenging watch
I really appreciate what's been done with this film. I personally haven't read the book, but I love that watching the film allowed me think and discuss my interpretation in the same way as if I'd read a book. (I personally feel this is less common with film where music, lighting, acting etc all results in a specific interpretation - a side note, but just to explain what I mean).
I'm thankful that I watched this with someone so that we could discuss it afterwards, adding each other's layers that we had noticed and interpreted. The acting is incredible, and visually the film is beautiful. Themes of time and thought are shared elegantly even when it comes to the movement of the camera, helping the whole film feel both like one moment and a series of moments. I could easily see this becoming a cult classic and of course one for film students to dissect.
The dialogue is fascinating and eloquent, although I expect this would be an influence of the original book. Regardless, there was a notion shared at the start of the film that stuck with me (paraphrasing): Our thoughts are who we truly are and show our intentions; anyone can act a certain way but it's our thoughts that are more important. This struck me as kind of unusual, and it actually helped me with interpreting the film once it was over too. I imagine other prose would stick out to other viewers and therefore layer their interpretation differently.
So with all of this praise, why did I only give six stars? I'm Thinking of Ending Things is a challenging watch. It's long, it's dialogue-heavy, it's "weird" (my husband's description), and while I feel as though I understood the story's ending and the film's sentiments (at least in some respects), the ending didn't feel satisfying given the length and depth of the journey the viewer is taken on. Although, perhaps that's the point...
Regardless, I think some people will love it. In a way, I kind of did too. Yet it's not something I would likely watch again or feel that I could recommend to many people, simply because it is challenging. As such, I respect this film as a piece of art. It's not for passive fun - it's a piece to be mulled over and engaged with.
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014)
"Solitude? It's just fancy loneliness."
Kumiko is depressed and isolated in busy Tokyo, but latches on to the idea of going on an adventure to find treasure as an escape from a world in which she can't find meaning, joy, or connection. Something I found myself asking throughout this film is how well Kumiko recognises that her treasure hunt is futile. This is ultimately a drama film where we follow Kumiko as she spirals until the film's bittersweet ending. This film is shot beautifully, especially with its use of colour. There is a lot of silence throughout the film, which means the viewer will need to feel settled to watch it. It's certainly left me interested in seeing more of what the creators have to offer. Kumiko the Treasure Hunter is wonderful, if sad; unusual, but enchanting.
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics (2020)
Fun but dodged some points
The structure of this documentary reminded me a bit of the zany "Sack Lunch Bunch," but of course it was about a topic more adult. The people and stories involved, and also some of "The More You Know" and other educational (?) segments, made for entertaining content that is unlike something I've seen before about drugs. It felt to me like a drug-positivity talk, akin to something you might see about safe sex - "If you're gonna do it anyway, you might as well learn more about it," type of thing.
However, "Have a Good Trip" seemed focused more on a narrative about drugs being fun, rather than necessarily educating its audience. This is despite multiple personalities interviewed having publicly known histories of drug abuse, and two having not long passed away prematurely. It also felt off to me that a story describing how somebody apparently died during a drug trip, was played by comedians in a goofy flashback montage. And of course, there were some stories about people driving or working while high, and sure, they gained amusing stories from these trips that they got out of safely, but there was no commentary on how they could have affected the people around them.
Overall, I enjoyed "Have a Good Trip." You should expect (mostly comedic) stories from it, though, rather than anything objective. I probably enjoyed A$AP Rocky's commentary the most, just because he seemed so chill, accepting, and totally aware of the ridiculousness of his experience. I also believe I learned from the show what I might have expected before going in (perhaps reflecting the trips all of these celebrities describe?):
I think if I had a psychedelic trip, I'd probably have an experience like Ben Stiller. So, really, I don't need to have one.
The Invitation (2015)
Not very convincing
Perhaps it didn't help that I was feeling tired before I started this movie, but I kept wondering when and how it was going to kick up a notch. I'm fine with slow burns, but even when the film climaxed, I didn't feel much of a burn. I think it's because none of the characters felt like real people, nor did any of the situations feel real. As far as the dialogue was concerned, plenty of the conversations felt clunky, and not just because someone was acting eerie. One thing that comes to mind is the leading character, Will, flip-flopping constantly about whether he wanted to stay or go. I could understand him being uncertain whether to trust his perceptions, but I never felt real depth or reasoning from him - it didn't feel like a dilemma so much as the script dictating, "This is Will's decision for now until the next thing happens." But I did give a few stars because I liked some themes (even if they was presented loosely), and I guess because it did keep me on until the end, because I wanted to try and understand the characters' bizarre motivations. I mean, the motivations turned out to not be convincing or believable, but the movie dragged me along to learn about them anyway.