Weekend Mullings - Obsession

One of the oldest horror plots out there is a Monkey's Paw story; how a wish granted goes terribly wrong. It's the central conceit of Obsession, the feature film debut of 26-year old director and comedian Curry Barker, who got his start doing Internet sketch comedy with Cooper Tomlinson in a duo called "that's a bad idea." I bring up his age, and his background, because I think it informs a lot of Obsession, and the things that work in the movie, as well as the things that don't.

Bear (Michael Johnson) has long been in love with his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette), but is too afraid to confess his feelings. When purchasing a gift for Nikki at a new age crystal shop, he also buys what appears to be a novelty gift called a One Wish Willow, a stick that, when broken in half, is supposed to grant the user one wish. After another night of chickening out over confessing his love to Nikki, Bear breaks the One Wish Willow, wishing for Nikki to "love him above anything else in the world." 

He gets that wish, and the horror movie plot falls into place. Nikki does "love" Bear, but it's an obsessive and violent love that Bear, though freaked out by much of her behavior, goes along with - for way too long. From the beginning of their "relationship," Nikki has weird episodes, but they are tempered by cliched love story moments, like watching movies together on the couch, sharing breakfast, laughing over strangers at a diner...and sex. And that's where the film gets...icky.

Nikki has no free will, and this is proven definitively when one night. While Nikki is sleeping, the voice of the real Nikki comes out, begging Bear to put her out of her misery. The real Nikki is a prisoner, and that means all of their sexual encounters have been, essentially, rape, a fact the film just ignores completely.

The script tries to walk the line between portraying Bear as a villain and a victim, but by giving the real Nikki no agency, and no real establishment beyond "manic pixie dream girl" before her imprisonment, we aren't really able to feel sorry for her, because the things she does are so, so horrifying. Bear's victimhood is established from the very beginning: he's a sad sack, lovelorn loser and Nikki is a curse on his life.

And all of this is huge bummer because there is so much in this movie that is good. There is effective dark humor that runs throughout. Barker has a gift for tension, and keeping things just out of frame, or in partial darkness, leading to truly creepy moments. But the biggest highlight is Inde Navarrette's performance as Nikki. She holds nothing back, fully inhabiting this possessed character, balancing between funny and furious, in a performance that includes some jaw-dropping physicality.

I mentioned director Curry Barker's age earlier because I do believe, or at least hope, that someone with a little more life experience would be able to expand beyond the "bitches do be crazy!" cliches in the story, and move the audience's sympathy away from Bear. And maybe someone with a little more filmmaking experience would skip the animal death that opens the film, knowing that's going to turn off a large swath of the audience right off the bat. And perhaps someone with more developed tastes would veer away from the moment of nudity near the end that is so distasteful and unnecessary it took me completely out of the movie.

Obsession is good. I just wish it were better. 

Weekend Mullings - The Devil Wears Prada 2

Junk food is popular for a lot of reasons, but one that immediately came to mind after watching, and enjoying, The Devil Wears Prada 2, is that it is invariable; you know you're gonna get the same thing every time. And because of that, you know you're going to enjoy it, even though it's probably bad for you and may make you feel a little ill afterwards. I had fun while watching The Devil Wears Prada 2, even if a lot of it left a bad taste in my mouth.

It's been twenty years since these character last shared the screen, and credit to all of the cast's surgeons and dermatologists, because absolutely none of them looks any different. Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) is still running Vogue Runway magazine, though the print edition is a lot thinner these days, and Nigel (Stanley Tucci) is still at her side. Andy (Anne Hathaway) has had a successful journalism career, albeit winning an award and losing her job on the same day; she's victim to cuts that seem to hit newspapers on a weekly basis. And Emily (Emily Blunt) has remained in fashion, now an executive at Dior.

One of those contrived scenarios that can only happen in movies finds all of these characters back together again, revolving around Miranda, who has her hopes set on a big career move. Indeed, many of the plot points hearken back to the first film, as that's what we expect from our sequels. But I was pleased to see the film pivot a in a few ways that, while not exactly surprising, were at least not entirely predictable. 

Andy starts the film as a single gal, focused on her career, but about a third of the way into the film she has a meet-cute with an apartment flipper named Peter, played by Patrick Brammall. This romantic plot-line feels entirely forced and unnecessary, but at least he's a step above both of the shitty men Andy had to deal with in the first film, and this time she doesn't make career decisions based on how this random dude feels about them.

I'm not certain, but I think Streep has more screentime as Miranda this time around, but more is not necessarily better. She definitely has moments that are memorable, like how absolutely exhausted she looks after having to hang up her own coat. But I can't think of a single line that's as quotable as anything she says in the first film. Miranda as a character works better as a spice than a meal.

This sequel is obviously working with a much larger budget and reputation than the original, resulting in a lot of cameos and fashion flashing across the screen. And I do mean flashing, as director David Frankel never lets his camera linger on any of the couture long enough to really take the clothing in. But I guess that's what streaming and pause buttons are for.

While the story is filled with pretty clothes, fancy apartments, European landscapes, and beautiful people, ultimately, none of the characters stands on very steady ground, with careers and lifestyles that are not guaranteed. And that's because of one ugly truth the film hammers home: billionaires are both the cause of, and potential solution to, all of life's problems. (h/t: Homer Simpson.)

Weekend Mullings - Mother Mary

I wouldn't argue with anyone who thinks Mother Mary isn't a very good movie. It probably isn't. But sometimes a film is about things so specific to things you love, you can look past "quality" and just appreciate all the ways it succeeds and fails.

Anne Hathaway plays "Mother Mary," a pop star who is staging a comeback after an accident that may or not have been an accident. But she's reached a breaking point, and is convinced the perfect dress will be her only salvation, and her only savior will be her former stylist Sam Anselm (Michaela Cole). But there was a fracture in their partnership and friendship that Sam hasn't come to peace with, so she's more than a little reluctant to take on the project, especially since Mary needs the dress in three days.

None of the dialogue these two women share in Sam's expansive studio (a converted barn on a country estate) is anything close to realistic. Their speech is filled with so much innuendo, vagueness, and symbolism that at one point Mary says "these metaphors are exhausting." But this dialogue - and I agree, it does become exhausting - fits the film's mood, which is gothic and ethereal, and includes a ghost. 

Horror movies centered on pop stars seem to be having a moment (Smile 2; Trap; hell, I'll even include KPop Demon Hunters here). Mother Mary takes a while to reveal its horror, but it's definitely there, if a little hard to define. Is that a real ghost? Or another exhausting metaphor?

There are two reasons Mother Mary doesn't fall into a black hole of pretension and that's Anne Hathaway and Michaela Cole. Hathaway makes a great pop star, singing very catchy songs by Charli xcx and Jack Antonoff. Writer and director David Lowery has said Taylor Swift was the primary influence for the character of Mother Mary, but Mary's way more goth, and reads much closer to Lady Gaga, at least aesthetically. Either way, the concert scenes are electric, and Hathaway's scenes in Sam's studio can often feel monotonous in comparison.

And I can't imagine any other actress being able to deliver a performance as haunted as Michaela Cole's. If you've seen her brilliant TV series I May Destroy You, you know she can balance moments of gut-busting comedy with gut-wrenching drama perfectly. She is able to do so much as Sam with just her amazing face alone, a face that definitely deserves to be seen on a big screen. I hope she gets a huge studio movie that allows her to be hilarious.

I'm not entirely sure what Mother Mary is ultimately trying to say about stardom, collaboration, friendship, or even ghosts. But I do know riveting performances, catchy music, beautiful gowns, and a gothic vibe can sometimes be enough to enrapture me.

Weekend Mullings - The Drama

Can you ever truly know someone? And would you ever really want to? That's one of the big questions at the center of the romantic anti-comedy The Drama, the new anti-romantic comedy from Norwegian writer and director Kristopher Borgli.

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are Emma and Charlie, one of those couples that seem to populate countless romantic comedies. They meet cute at a coffee shop, have seemingly interesting, if vaguely defined jobs that pay them enough to live in a beautiful, two-story New York flat, and they're about a week away from their wedding day.

During a wine and entree tasting with their best friends Rachel and Mike (Alana Haim and Mamoudou Athie), Rachel suggests they all confess the most horrible thing they've ever done, since she and Mike both did the same prior to their wedding. This is, of course, a terrible idea, but being slightly drunk, they all do detail their terrible past deeds, and laugh them off - until they get to Emma, who confesses something so horrible no one is able to get past it.

I think it's probably possible to go into the movie knowing what that terrible thing is and still have it be an effective experience. But there's also some fun to be had in being surprised and possibly shocked by her confession, so I'll be vague and just point out that what she confesses is merely something she planned to do, whereas her fiance and friends very clearly did horrible things.

That no one points out this difference is a little frustrating. Emma's being Black is also never taken into consideration by her fiance, or friends, or really, the film itself, in how that might have played a part in Emma's past actions. 

Zendaya continues to impress in every role she takes on; she's so vulnerable and lovable as Emma, it becomes really painful to watch those around her just lose their shit after her confession. Alana Haim's turn as Rachel reaches almost Karen levels of hysteria; she's effective, if a little shrill. And Pattinson is quickly turning into a master when it comes to milquetoast partner roles.

Director Borgli's non-linear approach to the story line, with its many flashbacks, and flashes of fantasy projections, keeps the film moving at a clip, but can also be frustrating as it does not allow time for the characters of Emma and Charlie to fully develop. Still, I found myself completely engaged with this frustrating film. Conversations about it are likely to be more complex and insightful than anything the movie has to say about the controversial topic at its center. But maybe that's the point? 

Weekend Mullings - Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is based on a book by Andy Weir, who also wrote the novel The Martian, which Ridley Scott adapted into a film in 2015. I liked The Martian a lot, and felt it owed a lot of its success to its lead, Matt Damon.

I read The Martian, and found it incredibly dull; just not my jam. I have not read Project Hail Mary, but I have a feeling the books are very similar, and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller may have learned an important lesson from the movie version of The Martian: in order to make a story filled with a lot of science talk interesting, you need to cast someone very charismatic to deliver all that science talk. And Project Hail Mary works almost entirely because of Ryan Gosling's performance as reluctant astronaut Ryland Grace. 

The Earth is dying because something is draining the sun of its power. And not only the sun, but several other stars in the universe. Middle school teacher and molecular biologist Grace is approached by a government agency, led by Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller, giving a wonderfully dry performance) to help figure out just what is happening, since his previous work in molecular biology...is somehow related. 

Like I said, the detailed science stuff isn't my bag, and I'm not as entertaining as Ryan Gosling is in explaining it, but trust me that within the film, it does make sense. Grace is happy to help with the research, but draws the line at going into space. Of course, he does end up in space, and while there, pairs up with an unusual life form that is also trying to prevent the death of a star.

This pairing is both the comedic and emotional hearts of the film, and at times, the sentimentality is a little heavy handed, but Gosling prevents it from ever falling into maudlin territory. At a little over two hours and thirty minutes, Project Hail Mary is way, way too long, especially for a story that treads some well worn science fiction tropes. Also, for a movie filmed for IMAX and set in space, there weren't a lot of moments where I felt truly in awe of what I was seeing, even though I know that was the intent. Ultimately, this huge movie succeeds in smaller ways, and primarily because Ryan Gosling proves he can have chemistry with the unlikeliest of costars, even a rock.