I really wish people would just calm down about Emerald Fennell in general and her "Wuthering Heights" film in particular. I am not sure why Fennell seems to raise such ire in some cinephiles (personally, I liked both Promising Young Woman and Saltburn a lot), or why that hatred almost feels personal at times, but from the moment she announced she was adapting Emily Bronte's novel, a lot of people have been in their feelings about it.
She never claimed she was making a faithful adaptation of the novel, and if that's what you're after, there are plenty of other versions out there that adhere closely to the book. And if those don't satisfy because of their casting, then may I direct you to Andrea Arnold's 2011 version. Emerald Fennell's teenage fever dream of a version won't be for everyone, and that's OK!
This "Wuthering Heights" forgoes large portions of the story, and omits several characters, to better focus on Cathy (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi), two insanely hot, terrible people who, in all senses of the term, deserve each other.
The moors in this version are desolate and perpetually foggy. Wuthering Heights is a black, sunless estate situated, essentially, in a cavern. Cathy's father (Martin Clunes) is a drunk gambling addict, and aside from Heathcliff, Cathy's only other friend is her paid companion Nelly (Hong Chau). It's understandable that Cathy would be drawn to the rich Linton family that moves in close by, even if it means forsaking her soul.
But really what sticks in my mind is less about plot, and more about images and feelings. A mansion with shiny red floors, and a fireplace with a mantle of sculpted hands. Walls the color of Cathy's skin, complete with moles and blue veins. A snail crawling up a window. Hands in a fish's mouth, raw eggs, bread dough, and between legs. Anachronistic dresses made from materials that don't even look like they should exist now. A corset tied so so tight it draws blood. And the irrepressible desire for the one person in the world who is the worst person for you.
I cannot fault Emerald Fennell for wanting to make a movie where Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, two of the most beautiful people working in films today, are her own personal Barbie and Ken, acting out her teenage fantasy of Wuthering Heights, because that's something I immediately wanted to see. And I can't wait to see it again.
Crime 101 is an appropriate title because this tale of cops and robbers covers a lot of the same ground crime dramas that came before it have covered; it's definitely a throwback to movies like Heat, to which it owes a lot.
In this case, Mark Ruffalo is the cop, and Chris Hemsworth is the robber. A series of jewel heists that take place near the 101 freeway in Los Angeles, along with other similar MOs, have the cop convinced they're all the work of the same criminal. But the robber is meticulous in never leaving any prints or DNA at the scene - until one mishap changes that.
Nick Nolte also makes an appearance as the robber's grizzled old crime boss, Barry Keoghan is his usual weirdo self as the crime boss's twitchy and dangerous new protege, and Halle Berry is an insurance agent who has run ins with several of them. Everyone in the film is excellent, and at times the plot can get exciting, especially when all the characters begin to converge. But too often the story meanders into side plots that halt the momentum, bloating the running time to almost two and half hours it doesn't earn.
Director Gore Verbinski hasn't made a feature since 2016's A Cure for Wellness, which was his second flop in a row. He's been in proverbial "director's jail" since then, and I am not entirely sure Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is going to be the movie to set him free.
It starts out great. Sam Rockwell's nameless character enters a Los Angeles diner and announces he's come from the future on a mission to save humanity. Problem is he looks more like an eccentric homeless man than some kind of hero, though he insists his attire is the height of fashion in his timeline ("our homeless look dead!"). As he holds the diners hostage he reveals he has been through this scenario countless times before, failing every time, and keeps coming back to try and assemble the right combination of people to help him save the future.
These first 20 minutes or so are riveting, due in large part to Rockwell's performance. But once his team is assembled, and they leave the diner, the film begins to feel like a season of Black Mirror, as the back stories of his team members (who include Haley Lu Richardson, Juno Temple, Zazie Beetz, and Michael Pena) are revealed.
Where the story ends up is very chaotic, not entirely understandable (it involves A.I., because of course), and pretty predictable if you've ever seen a movie involving time travel. But the first third or so of the film is so strong I can narrowly recommend it solely on that. Good luck, have fun, tamper your expectations.
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