The Tomorrow War
A guy goes to the future to fight monsters.
Is this movie dumb? Yes. Do I care? Not really.
Amongst the blindingly obvious plot points, there is some originality I was not expecting. When you’re dealing with aliens and time travel, you have problems that need addressing. Time travel being possible is glossed over, and given that it’s not about time travel, it’s a negligible problem I will let slide. But I think they did a pretty decent job regarding the aliens and where they came from. I didn’t watch it for deep ideas or epic world building; I just wanted a fun adventure that didn’t have too many aggravating story choices. And that’s what I got…?
The dialogue made me chuckle. The characters aren’t a complete success but I appreciate that they tried.
The action sequences are mostly forgettable, but this isn’t John Wick, so I’m not anticipating greatness. It’s a shame the music doesn’t stand out more.
My biggest gripe is the fact that the future doesn’t have better weapons. They’ve invented time travel but guns with more power or futuristic-ness are beyond them? Like, why? Are regular guns really the only option? Really?
It’s one of those movies where you find a loose thread and then suddenly the tapestry is gone. So that’s why I’m stopping now while I still see it as an enjoyable popcorn flick. Don’t think too long or hard about it.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
With the backdrop of WWII, a girl joins a book club and meets a farmer.
I read the book a couple years ago and wasn’t terribly impressed. The letter format didn’t work and the characters also failed to be likable.
The movie is…better, but not as good as it could be. It does fix some of the problems created by the letter format and it has a nice look to it, but it feels empty. The characters are once again boring and lackluster. The romance makes no sense and even though Dawsey is super cute, I didn’t see a reason to like him beyond that. It forces emotions without giving you a strong foundation for why you should feel anything.
This could be a really good story but the writing’s not good enough to make you like the characters. It has so many elements trying to get your attention that it makes it hard to latch on to anything or rustle up some lasting, positive feelings.
The Ottoman Lieutenant
A nurse goes to Turkey and meets a lieutenant.
This is another idea gone slightly sour. I like the setting—seeing WWI from a different angle—and the scenery looks great.
The story could’ve benefited from more romance or history. The romance could’ve been deepened via conversations and them spending more time together. Yes, the guy’s good looking (it’s the same guy from Guernsey) but they go from strangers to romance in too short a span.
Or the story should’ve included more about the war and Turkey’s involvement. There is some history and we do learn things in a voiceover, but it never felt like an important part of the character’s lives, just a footnote. All the struggles and dangers surrounding them and happening to them felt a bit inconsequential, like you could almost forget there’s a war on.
And then the ending…just…ugh. I know why it happened, but I’m pretty sure other ways could’ve happened too.
Nights in Rodanthe
Two sad people meet. For added drama, there’s a hurricane.
It’s official: Nicholas Sparks’ movies DO NOT WORK for me. A big issue is that the stories are all dramatic and depressing, never allowing the characters to be happy for a long time before the ceiling of their love life crumbles and burns. I don’t mind serious moments and imperfect endings, but when romance is the sole objective of a story, toying with happiness only to snatch it from me is a big no-no. Unless it’s La La Land. Then it’s fine.
I didn’t like any of the characters. Their problems and sorrows are not endearing or touching or anything. It comes down to bad writing and more false, shallow, cliché emotions, like in Guernsey.
The romance between them is 1) unbelievable, 2) I couldn’t care less because it’s just that boring, and 3) I still didn’t care but ended up crying at the end because I’m sappy like that. Don’t mistake my tears for sympathy though; I was fine five minutes later.
Why did I even watch it? The exterior of the house is fantastic. Horrible location, but it looks really cool. Saloon doors into the kitchen are a very interesting idea. And the blue shutters are pretty. So. There’s that.
If you want a romance movie, don’t watch anything based on Sparks’ books.
Life as We Know It
Two people who hate each other have to raise a baby after her parents die.
This is more like it. I always like the enemies to lovers trope and this is a pretty good depiction of that. Of course there’s nothing groundbreaking or surprising but it’s still heartfelt and funny. I would’ve liked more dialogue between them showing how their relationship was changing. It’s not fantastic by any romance means, but it’s a fine way to while away a bowl of popcorn.
Rebecca
A girl chooses the wrong person to marry.
Eh. This could’ve been really good but it’s kinda boring and lacks presence.
Having recently read the book I think the biggest loss is Pumpkin’s inner thoughts (that’s what I called the nameless protagonist in my review). In the book we get this really great part where Pumpkin is struggling to go back to the party after the dress incident; her spiraling thoughts are perfect and it’s my favorite scene in the book. It’s not in the film. All of what we learn in the book is filtered through Pumpkin’s mind and not having that connection takes away a lot of the substance.
The actress who plays Pumpkin is fine, but in all the roles I’ve seen her play, she’s basically the same type of person. I didn’t get that strong sense of who Pumpkin is because I’m still seeing the vivacious actress and not Pumpkin, the introverted doormat. A different actress could’ve given a more nuanced performance.
Maxim is somehow worse here than in the book. They close the age gap, which is good. But it’s also really bad because now his treatment of her comes across as mean, whereas if he was twice her age, him ignoring her and being frustrated with her naïveté might be more believable. Armie Hammer is too soft for this role and not sympathetic at all and…well, who can compete with Laurence Olivier? Also, his yellow suit is a bold choice that I do not support. Look it up; it’s so bad.
The rest of the characters are fine; Mrs. Danvers is the appropriate amount of creepy.
The house doesn’t have the crushing intensity and it doesn’t even look all that great. The sets and costumes are forgettable and not as captivating as they should’ve been given how the book painted everything.
And the ending…what was that? The revelations tumble out instead of slowly building in tension and, while I didn’t like the abrupt end of the book, this didn’t improve on it. The final scene MILD SPOILERS AHEAD is totally wrong. First, we see Pumpkin smoking, which doesn’t fit because five minutes earlier we saw her turn her head away when a guy puffed smoke in her face. There’s never any indication that she could/would become a chimney. And then the last second is Pumpkin looking directly into the camera; coupling that gaze with her voiceover left me deeply disturbed.
I was not a huge fan of the book but this makes me want to read it again to see the story in its true and better form.