Watched in 2024 #4: Dune part 2, Furiosa, lots of rom-coms and more

I’m still trying to catch up on reviewing everything I have watched this year because I have watched a lot of things. Hopefully, I’ll catch up soon now that I’m blogging consistently again.

btw, I would love to add more people on Letterboxd, if you have an account please share your username in the comments. My username is @sofiazuluaga

Dune Part 2 (5 stars): This movie was so incredible that no review can do it justice. The pacing of this was relentless, it didn’t let me catch my breath, and the way sound was used kept me focused, it made it impossible to look away. I was at the edge of my seat the entire runtime and this is not a short movie. The cinematography was breathtaking and the performances were outstanding. There were so many charismatic actors in this movie and they all did a fantastic job. This is my favorite role of Timothée Chalamet, I also loved Austin Butler, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson. To name just a few. Javier Bardem stole the show, he was hilarious, and by the end of the movie I wanted to slap him. There are some interesting themes explored in this movie about fanatism and the use of religion to control people, and I think that exploration was handled well. I can’t wait to see where the story goes in the next movie.

Asteroid City (3.5 stars): Visually this movie was so cool, the performances were great and, overall, it was an entertaining movie with a quirky humor that worked well. Unfortunately, thematically it went over my head. But as the movie says: “Don’t try to understand it. Just keep telling the story”, so I just kept watching and enjoying it even if I didn’t quite understand the point it was trying to make.

Top Gun: Maverick (4 stars): I usually don’t watch action movies, so I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did. This was very entertaining, the action scenes were mindblowing, the movie was so intense, and Tom Cruise did a fantastic job in his role. Also, the soundtrack was great. My one issue is that I wish there was more time spent on the relationships between the characters. I especially would have liked to see more of Maverick and Rooster, because the reconciliation felt a bit unearned; it seemed like there was an important conversation between them missing from the movie.

Players (3 stars): This wasn’t terrible from an entertainment point of view and I liked the performance of the two protagonists. But it slightly romanticizes stalking, and the movie spends too long focused on the wrong relationship. I love friends-to-lovers stories but not like this, not when it happens like an afterthought towards the end of the movie, there needed to be more time and scenes spent on the actual romance in this romantic comedy. It needed a lot more pinning and a bit more angst.

Upgraded (2.5 stars): I was stressed the entire time while watching this, the main character made terrible decisions, one after the other. Then at the end, everything gets magically fixed which was obviously going to happen because it’s a rom-com, but it was a bit frustrating how unrealistic the ending was. Also, the movie spends so much time focused on other aspects of her life that there were not enough scenes between the two protagonists for me to be invested in their relationship.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (3,5 stars): This movie is funny, the friend group is great and Gareth and Mathew’s story is devastating. There is a lot to like about it. My issue is that the main character Carrie is so poorly written, she has no personality beyond sleeping with a bunch of men and being manipulative. Also, the two main characters barely know each other. For those reasons, I couldn’t really be invested in the romance.

Book Club: The Next Chapter (3 stars): I appreciate that they are making more rom-coms with older women as protagonists. This wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible either. It had some funny moments but also a lot of the jokes didn’t land. Still, it had a beautiful setting and was a perfectly ok movie to pass the time.

Irish Wish (1.5 stars): This was terrible. Most of the performances, the script, everything was terrible. The one thing that made this bearable was Lindsay Lohan’s performance; she was the only not terrible thing in this terrible movie. If you think I said the word terrible too many times in this review, you don’t want to know how many times they said “Paul Kennedy” in the script of this movie.

Theater Camp (4 stars): This was a joyful, chaotic, heartfelt, funny movie. The performances were great, and especially the kids stole the show, they did such a fantastic job.

Pride and Prejudice (5 stars): This was a rewatch obviously. The cinematography in this movie is so lovely, as well as the costume design. The script adapts the book and captures its essence so well. The performances are all subtle but wonderful. And the love story, the chemistry between the characters, it just impossible to look away from them. The scene of the love confession and subsequent rejection under the rain is such a masterful scene and it perfectly encapsulates the theme of pride and prejudice of the story.

Música (3.5 stars): This was fun and creative and you can see Mancuso’s passion for this story. It’s visually interesting, the music scenes were cool, and the puppets were a surprisingly good addition. The representation of Brazilian culture gives this such a unique touch and Camila Mendes does a great job infusing her character with so much charm. Everyone is saying that this is a rom-com and parts of it are, a big part of the movie is focused on Rudy’s relationships, but I think it’s mainly a coming-of-age story. As such, I think the last part of the movie was a bit rushed and could have been more fleshed out, for the main character’s journey to be more satisfying. There’s a scene that lasts about 15 minutes towards the end of the movie, which is so stressful that I was distressed watching it. Mancuso did such a great job acting and directing that scene. And in general, the movie.

What movies or tv shows have you loved lately?

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Watched in 2024 #3: Oscar-nominated Animated movies, romcoms and so much more

I have not been reading as much as usual, but I have been watching SO MANY movies. In Watched in 2024 #2, I talked about 2024 Oscar nominees but I left out animated movies, so in this post, I’m talking about them and about some other random things I watched.

btw, I would love to add more people on Letterboxd, if you have an account please share your username in the comments. My username is @sofiazuluaga

The Worst Person in the World (4.5 stars): I don’t know what to say about this movie. It is relatable, unexpectedly sad, and captivating. I felt invested in the main character’s life, her constant existential crisis and her restlessness in the face of them, and her complicated and intense relationships. The script, cinematography, and performances are all incredible. It left me on the brink of tears.

Cha Cha Real Smooth (4.5 stars): This is such a wholesome movie and it has an awkward humor that it’s part of its charm. I love Dakota Johnson, she is so good in this, and her chemistry with Cooper Raiff is fantastic and makes this captivating. Also, this movie does a good job capturing that uncertain and in-between stage after college, but also for older people, the fear that comes with getting married, having children, and knowing that life will never be about just you again. I love the way this goes in a realistic but not entirely expected direction, and the bittersweet ending really hit me.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (4 stars): This is a fun and charming movie. It has witty dialogue and quirky humor. The color scheme and the cinematography in general were incredible. Ralph Fiennes’ performance is so engaging.

The Sound of Music (4 stars): Watching this for the first time in 2024 knowing nothing beyond the basic premise, I was completely surprised. This is such a charming movie, the songs, and the performances are great, and the ending is unexpected. My only minor critique of this is that some musical numbers go on a bit too long, but overall it’s a really good movie.

Quiz Lady (3.5 stars): This movie doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen before, but it is charming and entertaining and has funny moments. I love that we are getting more comedies with Asian women as protagonists. Sandra Oh and Awkwafina do a fantastic job with their parts, playing against type, and they have great chemistry.

Palm Springs (3.5 stars): This is funny and it has great performances. I especially enjoyed Cristin Milioti. Also, the chemistry between her and Andy Samberg is fantastic. This is a new take on the time loop concept, which was very well executed, and the movie’s fast pace kept it from becoming repetitive or boring. My one issue is that, because of the fast pace, there wasn’t as much time dedicated to exploring these characters and having the emotional depth that I wanted.

No Hard Feelings (2.5 stars): This has funny moments and the performances are solid. But the age gap gave me the ick and a lot of scenes that were supposed to be funny were just cringy.

ANIMATED MOVIES

Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse (4 stars): I enjoyed this more than expected as someone who doesn’t typically watch animated movies. The soundtrack is fantastic, the vibrant colors are captivating, and I really liked the mix of different animation styles. This was creative and fresh in many different ways, and the story kept me engaged the entire time.

Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse (4 stars): Surprisingly, I enjoyed this more than the first one, mainly because the emotional conflict was a lot more interesting to me in this one and because I appreciated the slower pace that let me be more invested in the characters and the story. This captures what was great about the first movie while expanding the world. There are so many new characters and new worlds and it’s all so interesting. The animation just like in the first movie was phenomenal. I didn’t mind the ending with its lack of resolution and I’m looking forward to the next movie.

Nimona (4 stars): The animation style is lovely, the dynamic between the two main characters is fun to watch and the development of their relationship pulled at my heartstrings, the humor was solid, I loved the casual queerness, and the world-building which mixes elements from fantasy and sci-fi is very cool. While the story was fairly predictable and they made a lot of changes from the comic to make this more palatable, it was still an entertaining and captivating movie.

The Boy and the Heron (3 stars): Visually this is absolutely stunning and the world created in this movie is so whimsical, imaginative, and captivating. However, the pacing is inconsistent, there were points where a lot of things were happening and I was really engaged, but then the pace would slow down and I got bored for portions of this. Besides that, the emotional journey did not hit in the way I wanted. This tried to be an exploration of grief but I feel like it didn’t go deep enough and there isn’t enough build-up to sell the message of letting go that it tries to deliver. The main character’s emotional journey is not clear. Also, it often rushes through emotional moments, especially towards the end.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse (3 stars): The animation is stunning and it’s a really cute short. While the overall message is good, it’s delivered in very basic, commonplace phrases that are the entire dialogue of the film, which makes it lack depth.

What movies or tv shows have you loved lately?

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Watched in 2024: 2024 Oscar nominees

Hi everyone! A few weeks ago I posted about being back from a pretty big reading and blogging slump, unfortunately, I spoke too soon, which is why I haven’t posted anything since then and I haven’t been reading that much either (or at least in terms of what I usually read).

However, this year I have been watching SO MANY movies and TV shows and I’m excited to talk about them. This post is about the movies I watched in February and March when I was trying to watch as many Oscar nominees as possible. I didn’t want this post to be too long, so I didn’t include animated movies but they will be in another post.

Past Lives (5 stars): This is a quiet movie, that avoids every cliche. It explores what-ifs and the idea of fate versus choice, which is why it is so relatable for so many people, and beyond that, it explores identity and the way language and culture make such a big part of who we are. The performances are so good that you forget you are watching actors playing parts, it feels like you are listening to a conversation between two real people. The chemistry between the two main characters is incredible and makes their interaction so captivating. The screenplay is fantastic, some quotes are so poignant and beautiful that they take your breath away. Overall, it’s such a bittersweet and touching movie.

The Holdovers (5 stars): This is a charming and warm movie. The performances of Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are fantastic and the chemistry between them is what sells this movie. This is a quiet, touching movie about human connection and it could have easily ended up being sappy but it isn’t, the emotional scenes feel real and organic. It also has its funny moments. The cinematography is impressive, this actually feels like a movie from the 70s.

Anatomy of a Fall (4.5 stars): This was riveting from beginning to end. The performances were incredible and the writing was brilliant. I can’t believe a courtroom drama was that entertaining to watch. I loved the physiological aspect of it and the exploration of how complicated relationships can be.

Poor Things (4 stars): This movie is creative, bold, and hilarious. Emma Stone delivers a brilliant and fearless performance, and Mark Ruffalo matches her energy so well. Also, the world-building with its surreal elements is captivating.  I was a little nervous during the first part of the movie, I thought I wasn’t going to like it because Bella is so vulnerable and naive and surrounded by men who think they know what’s best for her and want her for themselves; it was incredibly uncomfortable to watch that. But once she leaves home, you understand why that was necessary and the journey she goes on to discover the world and herself is compelling and powerful.

Oppenheimer (4 stars): I was invested in the story and was entertained the entire time. The non-linear storytelling helps keep this movie from being boring; the performances were phenomenal; the score was incredible; and the ending was unexpectedly satisfying. This explores the moral and political decisions around dropping the bomb, which I appreciated. However, my issues with this movie are that the female characters are completely underdeveloped and they are reduced to their relationships with men. Also, this avoids showing the consequences of the bomb for the Japanese people beyond a couple of mentions and scenes where there are only white people, completely glossing over the victims, which didn’t sit well with me.

Perfect Days (4 stars): This is a slice-of-life movie, it doesn’t have a big plot, and not a lot happens, it’s just this guy’s day-to-day life as a toilet cleaner in Japan and it was never boring. It was captivating, especially seeing him appreciate and find joy in the little things that we sometimes forget to pay attention to. Kōji Yakusho’s performance was phenomenal and the music in this was so good. The whole movie is very contemplative and it sticks with you after you finish watching it.

The Zone of Interest (4 stars): While this film does not truly say anything new about what happened during WWII, it powerfully uses sound to show the reality of day-to-day life for German people, how desensitized to evil they were, and how even people who weren’t in the military participated in the genocide of Jews people. The choice to use sound to show this reality is so brilliant because most of the main characters in the movie never see what’s happening inside the internment camps but they hear it. The sound design is outstanding, the sound in this movie is haunting. I had some issues with the ending, I felt like there was a very abrupt change and it didn’t work for me. But overall, this was a good movie.

American Fiction (4 stars): This mixes insightful satire about the publishing industry/ Hollywood with the family drama so well. It made the story more complex. The script was good, it had its funny moments and the performances were solid. My main issue with this movie is that the main characters’ arguments against the publishing industry lacked nuance and while it was pointed out by another character, I wish that could have been explored more deeply because it would have made for a stronger film and a more well-rounded discussion.

Rustin (4 stars): This is a very conventional biopic, they played it safe and the main reason this is not boring is that Colman Domingo delivers a fantastic performance. He is captivating in this role, for his charisma and his ability to convey emotions. This is a very fast-paced movie, which kept me engaged in the story, and the purpose of the movie, highlighting a gay Black man who helped organize the March on Washington and who deserves more recognition, makes it worth watching.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (4 stars): This was entertaining, the breakneck pace kept me engaged, the performances were fantastic and it was visually stunning.

Nyad (3 stars): The performances are good but nothing extraordinary, the movie at points feels repetitive, and the hallucination sequences feel out of place. This avoids or handles poorly topics that could have given depth to the story, like the sexual abuse Diana Nyad experienced as a young girl and the controversy around her accomplishment. This is not a bad movie, it’s just not a particularly good movie either. Still, it managed to keep my attention.

The Color Purple (2 stars): As someone who loves musicals and really enjoyed the book this is based on, I thought I was going to love this. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I found so much of this movie boring; I didn’t like most of the songs, the lyrics were basic and a lot of the songs sounded the same, and everything felt so fake, the sets felt like sets and the costumes felt like costumes. Also, I didn’t really like Fantasia’s performance, which I know it’s an unpopular opinion. Danielle Brooks did a really good job in this and stole the show.

What movies or tv shows have you loved lately?

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Watched in 2024 #1: Anyone but You, The Bear, Daisy Jones and the Six and more

My movie and tv show reviews are back for another year and I’m already behind because while I haven’t been reading that much in 2024 so far, I have watched so many things. So, expect another of these posts soon.

For now, here are my thoughts on some of the things I watched at the beginning of the year:

Anyone But You (4.5 stars): I don’t care what anyone says, Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell have fantastic chemistry. The sexual tension, the flirting and the banter were all there. Also, this was really funny, I laughed multiple times, and overall this movie was such a blast to watch. More importantly, some solid song choices were made, I haven’t been able to get Unwritten out of my head since I watched this. The montage at the end with the entire cast signing that song made the movie even better.

There are a few very cringy scenes (they were supposed to be funny but weren’t) that happened while they were pretending to date but hated each other, and I wish that part of the movie was a little shorter. Also, some of the dialogue was really, really cheesy. But overall, a very fun romcom.

The Bear – Season 1 and 2 (4.5 stars): I can’t believe that took me this long to watch this. I loved it, I enjoyed season 1 a little bit more than season 2 because the main cast spent more time together. But I loved all of it. The characters are these flawed, complex people and watching them develop this relationship between them and become a found family even when they dislike each other often was captivating and probably my favorite part of the show. The ups and downs in the development of the characters is incredible to watch and I can’t believe by the end of season 2 they made me like Ritchie, that was completely unexpected. I also love the rhythm of the show, how each episode is intense and there are points were it’s almost a frenzy. Episode 9 of season 1 is one of the most intense episodes of television I have ever watched.

Welcome to Samdalri (4.5 stars): I loved this from beginning to end. The performances of the entire cast are so good, the small town setting adds so much warm to the series and this quiet story of personal growth of the main character but also of people around her was so beautiful to watch. I was completely invested in the second chance romance, the two main characters have such a powerful connection and it’s so evident whenever they are together, the male lead is such a green flag, and there are some non-cringy, romantic scenes that I loved. Slowly getting to discover why they broke up was so engaging, the angst was real and there were some truly heartbreaking parts. The side characters were fantastic, especially the sisters, and their romances were also so adorable. Also, the relationship of one of the sisters with her daughter was incredible and one of my favorite parts of the show.

There was a plotline revolving unrequired love that didn’t add anything to the story and felt pretty unnecessary. Also, after having a pretty slow pace for most of the series, the last episode felt rushed and crammed. But overall, it was such a good show.

Daisy Jones and the Six (4 stars): The casting was perfect, everyone delivered amazing performances, the characters were flawed and complex, the music was fantastic, the leads have so much chemistry and they are captivating. Watching this you truly felt like it was set in the 70s in the music scene of the time. It was a thoroughly entertaining series. And the ending is so bittersweet.

Gyeongseong Creature (4 stars): This series has a slow start, but when it picks up the pace, it doesn’t let up. The performances of the entire cast were incredible and the setting was so realistic, it truly felt like Korea in 1945. It has a lot of memorable, complex characters and in particular the main characters goes through an incredible journey of character development. While the romance stars a little instalovey, the two protagonist have so much chemistry and the characters go through so much together than by the end I was sold on their romance.

This shades light on a very important topic, while I have heard about Japan’s occupation of Korea and about comfort women and the horrific things that were done to them, I had never heard about the medical experiments performed on people by the Japanese. These events were depicted with a lot of care and, while the speculative element that was added was very compelling, it never took away from the horror of the real life events. The ending was sad and very confusing, but I’m looking forward to season 2.

My Demon (4 stars): I have to state the obvious, the two leads in this drama are so good looking that it was distracting. Also, they had fantastic chemistry and they were so cute together, their relationship was my favorite part of the show. There were also some memorable side characters. I really enjoyed the fantasy plot and how the shows slowly unravels more and more of the secrets and mysteries around the connection between the two main characters. But the plotline that revolved around the power struggle within the female leads family’s company wasn’t that interesting to me.

My Man is Cupid (4 stars): I started to watch this without any expectations, I just wanted another romance kdrama to watch and I was pleasantly surprise. The chemistry of the two main characters was really good. The plot revolves around cupids, reincarnation and a serial killer, and it was pretty compelling. Also, the love story was really angsty and beautiful. The romance between the side characters didn’t made sense to me and felt unnecessary, those were my least favorite parts of the show, but it was just a small part of the story. There were a couple minor details that are spoilers that I didn’t love but nothing that truly affected my overall enjoyment of the series.

The Story of Park’s Contract Marriage (3.5 stars): I loved the first few episodes, I was so invested and it was really funny watching the main character, who time travel from the past, learning about how everything works in the present. The main characters had solid chemistry and both actors delivered good performances. The plot was focused on the power struggles in a company, which I found compelling at first but then lost interest, and since the characters get together early on in the show, there wasn’t much keeping me engage. They were cute together but that wasn’t enough. The resolution of the company/grandfather storyline was silly and not in a good way and the resolution to the time travelling plotline was unexpected and bittersweet, in a good way. Overall, I was happy with how it ending and this was a good enough show.

What movies or tv shows have you loved lately?

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