The Fastathon Part 1: The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Why do we love these movies? The Fast and the Furious series has to be one of the most willfully stupid but enduringly fun franchises in all of cinema, and with the ninth (tenth?) entry speeding toward us quicker than big Vin can say the F word, I think it's time we go back to the beginning, and work our way right through the Fastverse on the road to F9. It's funny that a series about street racing turned into one that features some addictively cartoonish scrapes, but at its best, that's exactly what these films are, and I think that's worth exploring a little bit. So let's do it, and rewind the clock all the way back to 2001 to see where it all began...

The Fast and the Furious follows undercover cop Brian O'Connor in his attempts to infiltrate a gang of hijackers run by Dominic Toretto. As the mission goes on, O'Connor finds himself integrating further and further into the gang, bonding with Toretto and struggling to carry out his duty

For a series that garnered a reputation for huge, borderline sci-fi setpieces, it's funny how simple this film is. It's essentially Point Break with more DVD player theft, but not as good as Point Break and also not as delightfully homoerotic as Point Break. No, this is pure 2000s, all radical in-engine CGI effects and thumping hip-hop needledrops. To be fair, it holds up better than I thought it would, even if it does start a little rough. It only shows its age when compared to what followed it, although there's more than one line of dialogue that feels a little too 2001 for comfort. The plot's thin, even by this series' standard, and the Bigelow-riffing never feels anything more than lazy. The film never really expands on the cop-infiltration plot as much as Point Break does, and so it just feels kind of... underdeveloped

The same goes for the characters. Paul Walker was always the heart of the Fast films, but Brian had some rocky beginnings in this film. He's not even bad, he's just.... Johnny Utah, but with none of what made Keanu Reeves likable in that film. And no, I'm not going to fill this post with "pOiNt BrEaK DiD iT bEtTeR", but to be honest, there's a lot from this film that borrows from Point Break without ever really justifying that or doing anything interesting or different with it. Actually, that's a lie, because Dom in the first film is no Bodhi, I can tell you that much. I love Vin Diesel's gradual progression into a lovable chunk of biceps and good values but he's just so dull in this film, and it's hard to invest in his relationship with Brian when neither of them behave and speak like people. And that's a problem felt by the whole cast, unfortunately

It's not hard to see why most of these characters didn't become permanent fixtures in The Family, and with obnoxious turns and awful dialogue, I'm really happy that the road ended here for Jesse and Leon, and even happier that Vince came back less whiny in Fast Five. The super-charged magazine cover aesthetic comes at the cost of having characters we can actually care about. I mean even the most radical of 90s thrillers- which this weirdly insists on being despite the fact that it's from 2001- had characters that were at least memorable, but even the ones who'd go on to become fan favourites just come out of this looking painfully underwritten. And yeah, maybe you could argue that's not the point of an actioner like this, but isn't it? Think of what's great about this franchise and you inevitably come to characters like Han and Hobbs that have really become mainstays and taken on lives of their own as far as the series is concerned. It's an easy criticism to say that this film fails where its successors triumph but it's interesting to see what the Fastverse improved on as it progressed 

Alright, we've had our fun jabbing at this film's many central issues, but what's good here? Well, bizarrely, this film has a lot of really solid jokes. Yeah, bar the few that aged like milk, I was actually surprised at how often the film stopped to set up a gag, and even more surprised at how many of them landed. Something as simple as Letty absolutely ploughing a tough guy out of it in an impromptu race is obvious but hilarious, especially with how dreadfully seriously the rest of the film takes itself. Having said that, there's also a lot of lines that made me laugh for all of the wrong reasons ("NOBODY LIKES THE TUNA HERE!"). There's also something to be said for its beautifully dated aesthetic, which actually feels pretty endearing 20 years later. I don't know, there's something kind of charming about a film that's so invested in how cool and wild it is with zero self-awareness. It feels kind of... innocent? Yeah, weird to say I know but honestly it's the truth, and something that really made me smile

And even though most of the characters come up thin, I do think that Mia feels pretty decently established from the start. She's not the most well-rounded character but at least it feels like Jordana Brewster knows what she's doing, and the fact that the character stays pretty constant from here on out is something that I think this first outing can take credit for. The action is also pretty fun. Alright, maybe looking back now, it seems tame for a franchise that is 10000000% going to end with Dom and the gang travelling through time, but I do think the race sequences are thrilling, and the chases feature some pretty exciting action that holds up even now. It's both fast and furious- mindblowing I know- but the title really sums up director Rob Cohen's MO when it comes to putting this stuff to screen. Again, some of it feels a little basic, especially compared to 5's safe chase or 7's zombie cars but there's definitely something to be said about humble beginnings

And they don't get more humble than this. The Fast and the Furious is a weird one. It was a rough note for the mega-franchise to start on, and I'll say once more that it certainly ain't Point Break, but for what we did get, it could have been worse. It just feels like a very middle of the road car film, and I'm so happy that they ended up taking it in the direction they did because I really can't imagine this franchise being as successful or enjoyable as it is if it had continued on this path. Still, there's fast cars and guys being dudes, so thankfully some things haven't changed too much

My Thoughts on the 93rd Academy Awards

So, that happened. Three-ish weeks on from the Oscars, the dust is starting to settle, so I think it's high time we have a look at this year's winners and losers and assess the situation. After such a weird year for movies, it's actually interesting to look at the lineup of nominees and realise that, for the most part anyway, it was actually a fairly solid selection. Before we start, I should say that, out of the best picture nominees, I didn't actually get a chance to see The Father or Judas and the Black Messiah, which kind of limits me a little in talking about some of the bigger wins those films netted. There's a few other blindspots for me here and there, but I did manage to see every other acting nominee and good amount of the other big awards films. Anyway, let's break it down, category by category. I'll be tackling all of them-apart from the shorts- but I'll be brief on each, but if you want to skip ahead to anything, I'll have the categories themselves in bold

Best Original Screenplay

If you've read my Promising Young Woman review, you might be able to gather that I kind of like that film a little bit and so I'm slightly absolutely over the moon that it won Original Screenplay. I preferred Minari and Sound of Metal as movies (more on that later), but I think Emerald Fennell's takedown of the quiet, venomous misogyny at work in society had one of the finest scripts of last year. Not a line was out of place, and the very precise deployment of the film's key insights lends it this wickedly smart and surprisingly emotional sting that I don't think any of the films it was up against could match. I'll also say this now: much as I actually quite liked Trial of the Chicago 7, it really wasn't on the level of any of its competitors, and actually felt like a compilation of the best and worst of Sorkin. When it was good it was really good, but when it missed, it felt embarrassing. Sorkin's a great writer but he needs to stop directing his own scripts because the dialogue suffers for how he presents it onscreen. Anyway, really happy for Emerald Fennell, and hopefully this means we get to see more gems from her in the future

Best Adapted Screenplay

As for adapted, it wasn't a bad lineup either. Can't comment on The Father but seeing Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm nominated was a thrill, and seeing Regina King read the full title without missing a beat was more deserving of an Oscar than her win for Beale Street. Speaking of, it's such a shame that One Night in Miami struck out in every category it was nominated for because it's a real gem, and serious props to Kemp Powers for translating his play to the screen while still managing to make it cinematic. Nomadland obviously went on to be the big winner of the night so I don't mind that it didn't win here, especially because it's not really a film that wants you to focus on its script. 

Best Visual Effects

Another year, another VFX category full of films only notable for their effects. Tenet was the obvious winner here, and it absolutely deserved its win, but it was actually a fairly stacked category across the board. Midnight Sky and The One and Only Ivan are solid nominees, and it's nice to remember that the Mulan remake actually did some things right, too. I do think Love and Monsters arguably had better effects than Tenet, but I'm not complaining, because Nolan's film does feature some mind-bending visuals, beautifully realised, and deservedly recognised.

Best Editing

Pretty formidable category here too. Sound of Metal is a great choice to win, but Nomadland was no slouch either, and Promising Young Woman deserved a nod for those incredible montages. Trial of the Chicago 7 actually doesn't feel out of place here. The montages that bridge the different takes on the protests were genuinely fantastic, and the quieter scenes were put together in such an effective way that really gives them time to breath. Make no mistake though: this was Mikkel E.G. Nielsen's category, and his win here highlights just how beautifully Sound of Metal was constructed. When a film this good looks absolutely effortless, that's when you know there's a good editor around.

Best Costume Design

Am I the only one who was really surprised at how well Ma Rainey's Black Bottom did? Alright, it only won two Oscars, but still, apart from Boseman for actor, it was never a film I had tipped to be a frontrunner in any category. I don't mind its win at all, but personally I thought Emma. was the clear frontrunner here with those beautifully intricate period dresses. The other nominees weren't quite as strong but still fairly notable. I do like the costumes of Mank and Mulan, and while I can't speak for Pinocchio, any of the images I can find from it confirm that it absolutely deserved its nomination

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Ma Rainey again, and again, it's a hard one to argue with. There's a lot of overlap between this and costume design, and I think that Ma Rainey was definitely the best of the bunch. I do think that Hillbilly Elegy is a random addition here. It's definitely one of the least awful things about that film but paired with the bizarre performances of the actors wearing it, it made for one of the weirdest makeup nominations in recent memory.

Best Cinematography

Am I the only one who thought Mank was a worthy winner here? Beautiful crisp B+W imagery, strong shot composition, some incredible visual storytelling and a few cheeky nods to Citizen Kane, it's easily one of the best looking films of last year. Nomadland seemed like a lock for this category and Joshua James Richards delivers pure visual poetry and it's a shame these films didn't have better competition (although I haven't seen Judas and the Black Messiah), but they were easily two of the best shot films of the year. Minari seems like an odd omission here though, especially because it got good attention in the other categories, and I'd argue that it's much, much stronger than New of the World or Trial of the Chicago 7 in terms of its cinematography

Best Production Design

Another fairly unimpeachable win for Mank. It's interesting to see Tenet here, and that definitely speaks to Nolan's dedication to practical craftsmanship. Other than that? No real surprises here. The other three are pretty much what I expected from this category, although I would say that Saint Maud (which was eligible) seems like a bit of a snub here. One Night in Miami is another strange omission, especially as far as period pieces go. Still, nothing could have beaten Mank, which recreates 1940s Hollywood so faithfully that it's honestly slightly hard to believe it's not a lost film from that era

Best Sound

It still doesn't sit right with me that this was made into one category, but either way, nothing this year was beating Sound of Metal. And that's only right: so much of this film's story is told in its soundscape, and with sound this rich and packed with meaning, it's only right that it takes the gong here. Apart from that, it was a fairly strong category. I think Mank and Soul are great shouts here, and the latter is especially interesting considering how animated films are usually confined to their designated category

Best Original Score

Speaking of Soul, it had maybe my favourite score of this lineup out of context, although I am partial to Emile Mosseri's gorgeous soundtrack for Minari. Reznor and Ross team with Jon Batiste in such an effective way, resulting in another in a well-documented library of incredible Pixar scores. I do think that Terrence Blanchard's score for Da 5 Bloods is the one that complements its respective film the best. It matches his score for Blackkklansman, so huge and nuanced and perfectly melding with Newton Thomas Sigel's haunting images of the Vietnamese jungle. If I'm being honest, any of these scores could have won and I'd be happy, so Soul was a deserving winner, and more proof that Reznor and Ross are among the most exciting and effective composers working right now

Best Original Song

This is an odd one. I don't really love any of these songs over the others, they're all just pretty solid. I guess if I had to pick, I do like Speak Now. I don't know, this just wasn't an especially strong category this year. Even the songs on the shortlist- with the exceptions of Rain Song and Wuhan Flu- are all just alright at best. I won't say Jaja Ding Dong was snubbed but they definitely missed a trick by leaving it out, if only for the meme fodder it would have created. Fight For You is good and I do like H.E.R., but again, it doesn't really stand out over any of the other nominees. It was a decent category this year, but that's kind of it

Best Documentary Feature

Why was Dick Johnson is Dead left on the shortlist? Why was Boys State left on the shortlist? Where were Feels Good Man, Disclosure and American Utopia? It's not a bad lineup (although My Octopus Teacher was a bizarre choice to win), but it feels like with the exceptions of Time and Collective, the best stuff wasn't even in the final category. There were some good nominees but I don't think this category represented the best that documentary filmmaking had to offer in 2020. Some of the most creative and insightful docs this year didn't even make the cut, and the one that the Academy deemed better than all of them was just okay at best. Shoutout to the octopus I guess, but this was a real dud of a category this year

Best International Feature Film 

Yeah, of course it was Another Round, and rightfully so. In all honestly Thomas Vinterberg should have won this a lot sooner, but still, it was great to see him win, and his speech was easily my favourite of the night. This was an interesting category this year with how diverse and consistently good the nominees were. It's a shame most of these films didn't get a huge amount of buzz, and Another Round's status as an unbeatable frontrunner probably didn't do anything to help that. I'm always amazed by how strong this category is every year, and again there's a lot of films here that could match any of the BP nominees, like Quo Vadis, Aida? and Collective

Best Animated Film 

Another year, another easy win for Pixar that makes everyone pretend their nominated films weren't any good. Soul was my favourite film here, but I would have really liked to see Wolfwalkers get the gong too. Cartoon Saloon are now in as one of the most notorious Oscar-losers, and their latest is truly beautiful, and it would've been nice for it to win over something as obvious as Soul. For how obvious of a forgone conclusion this was though, it's hard to say that Soul didn't deserve its win. It's a lot easier to argue against Onward's nomination. I like the film an awful lot, but it's presence in this category over something like Weathering With You or even Trolls 2 kind of speaks to how bound to Pixar the Oscars are. Again, it's not a bad film, but it's hard not to feel like there should be a limit to the amount of films a studio can have nominated. On a completely unrelated note, it's great to be able to say the words "two-time Academy Award nominee Shaun the Sheep." If nothing else, that's the best takeaway from this category

Best Supporting Actress

This is an odd one. First off, Glenn Close was awful in Hillbilly Elegy, and she shouldn't have been nominated. I just hate how she's been reduced to being in this kind of trashy, pandering Oscar bait. Also, can we talk about her doing Da Butt at the ceremony? What a weird moment that was, the absolute lowpoint of an unnecessary, unfunny and overlong sequence. Apart from that, there's a pretty good Amanda Seyfried in Mank, and also Olivia Colman in The Father, which I still haven't seen. I'm so happy that Youn Yuh-jung won for her incredible performance in Minari, but honestly my pick to win was easily Maria Bakalova. She delivers a note-perfect comedic performance (something that the Oscars are perpetually unable to recognise), and she's the only one of these nominees who actively feels like she's risking something in her performance. She's playing this believably off-kilter character in some unbelievably dangerous circumstances, and most of the time she only had one take to do that in. Hell, she deserved it for the Giuliani scene alone, easily the most horrifyingly vital moment in any 2020 film, and the moments where's she's just riffing and Sacha Baron Cohen has to follow her lead make for some of the funniest gags in recent memory

Best Supporting Actor

Yeah, I should really see Judas and the Black Messiah. It looks like they made the right call though, and I'm so happy for Daniel Kaluuya. From Get Out to Widows, he's just been going from strength to strength, and I really wouldn't be surprised if he won again in the near future. I do think it's absolutely ludicrous that him and Lakeith Stanfield were both in supporting, and that definitely speaks to some of the Academy's more bothersome biases, but still, it's nice to see him get this honor. Apart from that, there's Leslie Odom Jr. and Sacha Baron Cohen, both really good but hardly standouts in this category. I actually would've put Kingsley Ben-Adir or Eli Goree ahead of Odom Jr. as far as the ONIM cast goes, and while Baron Cohen is good in Trial, he's much, much better in Borat 2, and I think that should've been the film he got recognised for. But the pick of the bunch for me was Paul Raci. I adored Sound of Metal, and while I'm not surprised that it only did well in the technical categories, Raci gave one of the most beautifully nuanced supporting turns from the last decade, and should have gotten recognised at more of the awards shows than he did

Best Director

How crazy is it that it's taken 93 years for more than one woman to be nominated for best director? God the Academy are so behind, but all the same, really happy to see Zhao and Fennell in this category. This is a cool one because much like a very proud teacher, I think everyone nominated in this category was a winner in their own right. Personally I think they made the right call on Zhao, but I do think that Lee Isaac Chung is worth a mention for Minari, and the way he very delicately brings childhood memories to the screen makes me quite emotional just thinking about it. But yeah, no wrong answers here, from Fennell's careful uncorking of PYW's tension to Fincher's brassy rush through 1940s Hollywood and Vinterberg's realising of his boozy epic. Oh well, at least we don't have to worry about Todd Philips getting it this year. Every cloud and all that

Best Picture

The Academy didn't leave it till last, so I won't either. And what a boneheaded decision that was. I'll rant about it more when we get to actor but Christ this was such a jarring move for the Academy to make for such a terrible reason. Thankfully, the lineup this year wasn't bad. The Father and Judas were always locks so not surprised to see them here. Trial of the Chicago 7 again shouldn't have been nominated for most of the awards it was up for, especially not Best Picture. I mean when festival big-hitters like Kajillionaire and One Night in Miami, big blockbusters like Tenet and especially something like Da 5 Bloods get passed over in favour of Aaron Sorkin's decent but hardly revolutionary social commentary, you know you have a problem. It just feels like a lot of things Sorkin has done, and in turn, it feels like a Frankensteinian hodge-podge of Oscar bait.

There's also Mank, which everyone decided to hate for some reason but I really love. It's Hollywood on Hollywood, Fincher adapting Fincher and Bill Nye the Science Guy playing Upton Sinclair: all the makings of an awards classic. All joking aside, I can't overstate how much I hate this trend of everyone being excited for a film, enjoying it when it comes out and then acting like it's absolute trash when it starts getting awards love. Obviously you don't have to love or even like Mank, but for so many people to shit on what is at the very least a well made film? I don't know about that one. So add Mank to the list, on top of Jojo Rabbit, Vice, Three Billboards, etc. etc. Should it have won? Honestly, not in my opinion, but it absolutely deserved to be in the category, and I hope we don't have to wait another 6 years for more Fincher

And then there's my top 4. Promising Young Woman was great, and I loved seeing it get Original Screenplay. Soon as that happened though, I kind of knew that it was out of the Best Picture race and that's okay. It's just nice for these really important genre films to get made and be recognised like this. As for Nomadland, I was really happy to see it win. Beautiful, very socially relevant visual poetry from Chloé Zhao that will hopefully mark a trend of the Academy going for quietly powerful films instead of big shouty issue movies. Was it my favourite nominee? No, but it's the one that honestly felt most necessary in 2020, and I have a feeling that what it's commenting on won't be going away anytime soon

But yeah, no two nominees came close to Minari and Sound of Metal for me this year. Minari is just gorgeous, a beautiful exploration of childhood memories and the trials of parenting, of assimilation and the pursuit of the American dream. Lee Isaac Chung's film is patient and poignant, bathing in this really powerful atmosphere and inviting the viewer to invest in this instantly lovable family. And although it's a period piece, few films last year felt this crucial to the discussion of what it is to be American. And then there's Sound of Metal, second only to Saint Maud as far as 2020 films go for me. An honest, empathetic and warm-hearted tale of a man looking for solutions and only finding more problems. It took what could have easily been a very dour, hard to watch subject matter and turned it into something so quietly poignant. Everything Sound of Metal did felt right, from the manic opening until the truly beautiful ending. If I had a vote, it would have gone to this film. One of the best films of the last few months by some distance

Best Actress

This was not a hard category to pick a favourite from. Andra Day is quite good in the very awful The United States vs. Billie Holiday, but she's consistently held back by how lumpen and awkward the script and storytelling are. I don't know, I'm excited to see where her career goes from here, but the film and performance just felt way too conventional as far as biopics go. I'm really happy for Vanessa Kirby, but her turn in Pieces of a Woman just felt way too keen to remind you that she's ACTING in all caps. Big, showy and ultimately a little dull. I did love what Viola Davis brought to Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, taking this huge character and channeling her into a film that maybe didn't deserve a performance this great. Still, great to see her firing on all cylinders. Carey Mulligan is amazing in Promising Young Woman, expertly juggling empathy, comedy and rage. She brings this very specific character to the screen perfectly, and honestly she gave maybe the best turn of the five. But I can't argue with Frances McDormand. I love Nomadland, and I love her in it. It's a very unshowy performance, and she strikes gold in how minimal she is, often putting the most important character beats in what she's leaving unsaid

Best Actor

Okay, let's talk about the worst thing that happened during the ceremony. For the whole night, it felt like they were building up to giving Chadwick Boseman Best Actor, and fair enough. I didn't love Ma Rainey, and I felt that he was much better in Da 5 Bloods, but it's a powerhouse performance that deserved all of the buzz it was getting. If that's the direction they wanted to go in, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. But rearranging the categories, making it seem like they were going to end on a big tribute and then just ducking out of that last minute was such a horrible, disrespectful decision. It just feels so tasteless, like they were using the huge current of love for Boseman in the wake of his death to drum up higher ratings for a tribute that didn't even happen. It's truly disgusting that they pulled this kind of stunt, and the fact that the ceremony just kind of stopped after this is really telling of how bad of a decision this really was

All the same, great to see Anthony Hopkins win again, and everything I've heard about The Father makes it sounds like he deserves it. It's a stacked category when Gary Oldman's the weakest one here, but amazing as he was in Mank, he just wasn't on the level of his competitors. Boseman gave a spirited, fiery performance that's maybe not as good as his spiritual turn in Da 5 Bloods but still rates up there as one of the many highlights of his tragically short career. Steven Yeun stuns in Minari, another very quiet performance that I'm so happy to see recognised. But again, I have to go for Sound of Metal and Riz Ahmed here. He is utterly transformational, truly becoming Reuben Stone and creating such an empathetic lead character. Pound for pound I don't think there was a better performance nominated in any of the categories this year. Ultimately I think the Best Actor lineup was an incredibly strong category with no wrong answers, but the Academy still managed to mess it up by turning it into a weird stunt and using Chadwick Boseman's death to get clout. And after a year like 2020, that was the last thing anyone needed

So that was my roundup of the 93rd Academy Awards. Overall it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Things are slowly getting more progressive, although right now most of the good stuff is in theory rather than practice. For everything the Academy got right in 2021, there was another harebrained risk that didn't pay off. They had a lineup that, while not perfect, represented a lot of the great cinema 2020 had to offer, before honoring it a ceremony that just felt kind of off for the entire duration before rapidly descending in its last half an hour. Still, if they're becoming more open to recognising women and people of colour, and not giving awards to obvious Oscar bait, then we can't be doing too bad. Things are getting better, and while nothing this year was as monumental as Parasite's win, there's still a lot of positives we can take away from this year's Oscars. Phew, this was a long one. I've been the Scoundrel of the Screen, and I'm going to have a lie down now

My Thoughts on Promising Young Woman

This feels like it's been a long time coming. Not Promising Young Woman's actual release, although it does feel like an eternity since the trailer dropped back in December of 2019, but the film itself, with its combination of topical subject matter and bold approach. Emerald Fennell's slick showrunning consistently one of the best things about Killing Eve's second season, and so her directorial debut has been hotly anticipated. It's a film that has proven divisive, and its subject matter will understandably be triggering for some, but its gung-ho approach and refusal to compromise has made it one of the talking points of the last few months. So let's talk about it

Cassie Thomas lives a fairly standard life as a medical school-dropout working in a coffee shop and living at home. At night however, she's something of a vigilante, luring in "nice guys" with a fake drunk act, after which they take her home and.... the less said about the plot, the better. This is a film that massively benefits from going in cold, so if it's not in the trailer, it won't be in this review. It's clear from quite early on that Cassie is fueled by rage and looking to right a past injustice, and this is the force that drives much of the film. Again, it's a film that very directly deals with a difficult subject matter, and although Fennell refrains from any graphic depictions, the frequent, open discussion of sexual assault might be tricky for some viewers and that's absolutely fine. This is a film that takes aim at a larger system, one that enables harmful behaviour through weak justifications, damning silence and a general lack of support. As Cassie gradually works her way through the list of people who perpetuate the cycle that caused her so much pain, the film is able to find its rhythm, building and releasing tension carefully as it doles out its hard-hitting insights

A huge part of that is the cast. Carey Mulligan is arguably the best she's ever been, filling Cassie with righteous anger and deep-seated sadness that comes out in every look, gesture and expertly delivered line. Fennell's decision to cast Cassie's cavalcade of nocturnal targets as fresh-faced actors with a natural likeability is a masterstroke as well. Adam Brody, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Max Greenfield perfectly perpetuate the idea that anyone could be a predator, no matter how many times they assure you they're a "nice guy". This casting is doubly effective when Bo Burnham turns up and sows doubt into both Cassie and the viewer. Can he be trusted, or will the film's carefully constructed pattern prove Cassie right and deny her actual happiness and fulfillment?

The tone is expertly handled, too. Fennell manages the white-hot fury under the candy-coated surface so masterfully, and the thrill of the film comes from how deftly it bounces between rom-com sweetness and something much darker. The two moods swap around so quickly and frequently that, by the hour mark, they're closely intertwined, and Fennell has managed to create a sense of genuine, palpable danger. The music plays a huge part in that, from disarmingly sugary pop like Paris Hilton's Stars are Blind to a bone-shakingly haunting rendition of Toxic in the much-discussed third act. That climax won't be spoiled here but when Fennell does show violence after holding back for so long, she lingers on it, forcing the viewer to look and fully consider what this means for the story and the culture it's commenting on. The reveals are shocking but never surprising, and that's where this film works best. The heaviest plot beats are ones that the viewer might be able to predict purely out of familiarity with the way society tends to treat such accusations, and the fact that we're at a place where that's possible is the thing that Fennell mourns most of all

And that's ultimately what the film is. For all of its stylish thrills, puncturing moments of comedy and white hot primal screams of rage against a world that seems incapable of improving, Promising Young Woman inevitably feels like an expression of grief. The ending uses Juice Newton's Angel of the Morning as an anthem for a justice steeped in remorse, going out on a supercharged high that feels absolutely true after everything that the film was building towards. It ends on a powerful note, not a definite conclusion or a catch-all solution, but a stinging social comment that lingers long after the credits roll

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My Thoughts on Palm Springs

The last 13 months have been exhausting. Any film capturing the zeitgeist now will have to do so for an audience that is so hyper-aware of everything going on in the world and craving an escape over any sort of direct address of the world's morale. But what if a film could do both? Enter Palm Springs, a frothy, sunny rom-com that offers delightful refuge to burnt-out filmgoers, while also deftly exploring how draining it is to live the same day again and again. It took a while to arrive on these shores, but it floated onto Amazon Prime earlier this month after building up a hefty amount of buzz. But was it earned? Let's find out

The film is set over the course of a wedding taking place on November 9th, as sister of the bride Sarah meets laidback cynic Nyles. From the start, Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg sell their chemistry, her ambiguous angst bouncing off of his relaxed world-weariness. It's all very meet-cute until she wakes up to find that it's November 9th again. And again. And again. If you're reading this and getting flashes of Punxsutawney, then it's to the great credit of writers Andy Siara and Max Barbakow that Palm Springs is able to find new ground in the time loop genre, and become its own small landmark in the process. It runs at a lean 90 minutes, and breezy as its pacing is, it never stops the film from charging head-first at a Groundhog-style plot beat before ducking and rolling into uncharted territory. It's not that the story points themselves are new- the film is a respectable mix of rom-com tropes, sci-fi concepts and broader gags- but the way Palm Springs arranges them does feels distinct, and is massively exciting as a result

Part of this comes from the duality of it all. Sarah and Nyles provide two entirely different perspectives on the concept, and watching how their experiences of the loop overlap and contrast and deepen their relationship is what forms the backbone of the film's charm. It keeps its more intricate plot beats stewing under the gags for most of its run, tiding the audience over with sharp lines ("You're cheating on me, ya goof") before blindsiding them with smart storytelling and genuinely poignant character turns. Without spoiling anything, the way the film explores Nyles' deep-seated cynicism is the ace up Palm Springs' sleeve. The growing apathy under his cool demeanor is bound to resonate with anyone who has found this past year especially draining, and although the film was completed and premiered before the pandemic started, the timing of its release feels on-point for that very reason

Palm Springs is a salve. It frames love as a cure for gnawing indifference without ever sacrificing its hilarious gags, surprisingly intelligent plot twists and deep reservoirs of charm. It's another triumph for producers The Lonely Island and a massive calling card for the bafflingly underrated Cristin Milioti. It's a delight, smart and fun enough to serve different purposes for different audiences. It nails an incredibly tricky balancing act as the rare crowd-pleaser that swings for the fences and absolutely delivers. It makes a passionate argument that just because a film is fun doesn't mean it should skimp on the substance. And folks, that's something that everyone could use right now

 ★ ★ ★ ★ 

My Thoughts on Minari

Lee Isaac Chung's Minari has been attracting heavy praise since its premiere at Sundance last year, and somewhat unsurprisingly, it's become a massive hit on the awards circuit. Most contentiously, it won Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Golden Globes, which is slightly ridiculous, because this is explicitly a film about an immigrant family's pursuit of the American dream, and goes on to suggest that the essence of America is the multitude of cultural specificities that the country is composed of. It is absolutely an American film, and the notion that stories about POC don't belong in that category is frankly ludicrous. Minari tells the story of the Yi family as they travel to rural Arkansas in the early 80s in search of a new life. From there, the film eases into the poetry of the everyday, as father Jacob tends to his land, kids David and Anne adjust to their new life, and grandmother Soon-ja is flown in to lighten the load

Minari is a film about small routines, little gestures that build into larger payoffs. Farming, parenting and assimilation are all large commitments that take effort and patience to yield successful results, and Chung revels in these processes. The film is light enough to weave tones together in a way that never risks losing consistency; it flirts with natural comedy, deeper drama and the earnest rhythms of life that translate perfectly onscreen. It's a careful blend established early on, something that allows the film to ease closer and closer into the huge emotional insights it doles out in the third act. Like a great farmer, Chung knows that good things take time

The film has an organic, observational structure, almost like the audience has stumbled across this story by accident. This is bolstered by the cast, who present themselves in such an organic, natural way. It's like watching a real family onscreen, but standing back and looking beyond the illusion proves valuable as a way of seeing just how much effort each member of the cast has put into making it look so seamless. It's a perfect recreation of life, and it's on top of such a believable foundation that they're able to construct a portrait of the American dream that never feels anything less than true. Special mention to Alan Kim, whose performance conveys a level of depth and eloquence that marks the arrival of a hugely exciting screen presence that I can't wait to see more of

The film excels in moments of specificity, and the huge notes of truth and emotion in the third act just wouldn't be possible if Chung hadn't sowed the seeds early on. So much of Minari is rooted in his own upbringing, and he translates so many little nuggets of everyday magic that feel specifically his. The result of this is pure cinema, not diluted or compromised by an attempt to capture anything other than his own experience. It finds great universality in doing this, and the film ensures that the viewer is absolutely invested from the start. Stories like this matter, in society and in cinema. Especially after a year where so much of the conversation has been about blockbusters, about when No Time to Die is going to be released, or if Black Widow is going to drop on Disney+. Those films have their place but Minari strikes gold by skewing smaller, by delivering earnest, intelligent cinema at a time where it couldn't feel more needed. It's warm, lovingly crafted and massively valuable. It becomes a masterpiece through its quiet moments, and although its insights are delicate, they're no less impactful for it, and their effect is bound to be felt in the decades to come

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rewrites, Cancellations and Least Favourite Genres (Q&A)

So a little while ago I asked for questions for a potential Q&A. I love the idea, and it's been something I had been tinkering with for a while, and thanks to some very lovely people on Twitter, I now have a slew of questions just waiting to be answered. So let's dive in!

Quick note before we get started: since I got these from Twitter, I'll be crediting people by their @s

@NoTea_NoShade asks two questions: If you could write an episode for one tv show, whether it's a TV show that's finished or one that's still on air, what one would you choose and why??

This is a really interesting question, and I think there's a lot of ways to take this. I did think about shows that would benefit from having a new episode come out in these weird post-pandemic times- which I'd probably answer Barry for if only to see Gene Cousineau teach a class over Zoom- but ultimately I tried to think of a show that I'm on a similar wavelength with creatively. Maybe Arrested Development, not just because it fits nicely into my sense of humour but also to numb the crushing disappointment of the last two seasons and give it at least one more episode that wasn't a total dud. I'd also like to take on The I.T. Crowd, especially with everything that's been happening with its creator. It's become a harder and harder show to enjoy and I wouldn't mind the chance to add an episode that could pinpoint what's great about the show that also wrestles it away from Graham Linehan's hateful hands

In terms of what that episode could be, I'd like to check in with Reynholm industries ten years later, where Jen has bluffed her way into some really successful life, Roy's still exactly where he is, and Moss has become some sort of all-powerful world leader, only to give it up to back to the I.T. department. Throw in some Richmond and Douglas cameos and I think we're good to go

Are there any shows that you think have been unjustly cancelled?? If so what?? And if they had of continued was there any particular characters or plot you would have been interested in seeing ??

So I'm actually working on a list kind of shows I love that were cancelled after one season, but I do love this question because we've all been there. We've all fallen in love for a show only for it to get take out way too soon. A year ago my answer would've been The Knick but that's set to make a comeback so I'm gonna have to go with the old favourite and say Hannibal. Obviously if it continued, we would have gotten a Silence of the Lambs storyline which would've been insane. To be fair I haven't seen Clarice yet, but it doesn't look half as interesting as Bryan Fuller's show

I guess slightly less obvious would be Glow, which understandably had a production shutdown due to Covid. I really would've loved to have seen where that show would have gone next, especially because there's still more of the actual story of the show left to tell. I also really like Love, maybe the most frustrating casualty of Netflix's cancellations, and even though the ending is really sweet, I'd still love to see more of Gus and Mickey's now married life together 

@elliott_salmon also asks two questions: If you could rewrite any ending to any television show... how would you do it?

This is a great, great question. I think it's more fun to talk about the endings that missed the mark rather than the ones that delivered, so ignoring the Felinas and the Meanwhiles and the Person to Persons of this world, there's an awful lot to choose from. I mean obviously I'd keep Bran off the Iron Throne but for a less obvious choice, I'd probably erase the interactive special and keep Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's last episode as is

 In terms of a more in depth rewrite, I'd broaden out the last half of Gravity Falls' second season and take away the neat ending for Stan, using a timeskip to show how he's starting again and forging a new, slightly more honest life. It's funny because I loved Weirdmaggedon, but I thought the very last story beats felt a little too... clean. Which is especially strange in a show that was built not just on questions, but unexpected answers, too. Even five years later, it still doesn't really sit right with me. So yeah, I'd keep a lot of it the same, but I'd definitely put more emphasis on his sacrifice, and not have it glossed over as quickly as it is

If you could be in any sitcom, which would it be and why?

So one thing I love about sitcoms is the way they create interesting, dynamic worlds, full of distinct characters, but I don't think any show has done it better than Parks and Rec. Pawnee is more than a place, it's is own character. I know that sounds like a cliché but so much of why I love the show comes from how special the town feels. It's also the show with the most loveable cast, which is a big plus for being in that world. It's just such a real, well-constructed place, so full of details and brimming with life, and I think that's a huge factor in why the show is so great. Plus, the problems in that show are always pretty small-scale and zany, which definitely beats the moral hellscape of something like It's Always Sunny. It's a delight, and being in any town run by a ray of sunshine like Leslie Knope is bound to be an absolute joy

@kellyane_evans asks: What's your least favourite genre of film/tv and why?

This is a tough one. In terms of film, I'm generally pretty open, although I've had to learn to love documentaries, which I've really come around on. I guess certain kinds of blockbusters put me to sleep, in particular ones that I know were only made for money and lack any sort of creative presence, like the Jurassic World movies or your average Gerard Butler vehicle . Same goes for anything overly experimental (in particular Andrew Kötting's work), or anything where I can tell it's only being made to stroke the creators' ego, like pretty much anything from Charlie Kaufman. So I guess it's not so much the genre as it is the intention behind the film. Oh, and I also really hate films that only exist to shock and provoke and don't actually use that to say anything (we get it Gaspar Noé, you used real sex in your film, you're very clever)

It's slightly easier to do this for TV. As much as I love sitcoms, I really can't deal with a lot of cringe comedies or shows that derive humour from how awful their characters are. Same goes for anything overly cynical, or emotionally distant. Weirdly this doesn't massively bother me when it comes to movies, but I think if I'm investing a ton of time in this world, I want some sort of hook to keep me invested, and if a show feels weirdly insincere, it puts me right off. Rick and Morty is the prime example here, where the message of "everyone's awful and nothing means anything" just really annoys me. Not sure why, it just feels to easy of a conclusion to land on, and I'm definitely more drawn to shows that try harder to find some sort of positive resolution

Oh, I also really don't get 99% of teen dramas, although I'll concede that I'm probably not the target audience there

My Thoughts on Jumbo

Cinema is full of unlikely love stories, from Harold and Maude's sixty year age gap to Lars and the Real Girl's touching tale of one man's love for his life-size sex doll. Jumbo proudly joins this lineup as a real curio of the festival circuit, as the always amazing Noémie Merlant falls for a handsome stranger at a funfair. The stranger in question? A 20-foot tall pendulum ride called Jumbo. And yet, in the hands of director Zoé Wittrock, this proves to be the start of a beautiful relationship. Right off the bat, Jumbo is working with a bizarre premise, one that will turn a lot of people off but will also attract the kind of film fan who lives for the weird and the wonderful, who gleefully explores the annals of cult cinema in search of the wildest films they can find. If you fit that description, then read on, because Jumbo is very much the film for you. Just maybe not for the reasons you might think

Yes, Jumbo is an incredibly strange film with an attention grabbing premise, but that's not all it is. Actually, the whole point of the film is proving that just because something's weird, that doesn't mean it's not genuine. All the same, if you're coming to Jumbo solely out of curiosity, or even if you just want something different, you won't be disappointed. Wittrock's approach to the relationship is so admirable in how committed it is to taking this story seriously. There's a sex scene between Merlant's Jeanne and the titular ride, and without spoiling it, it's the thematic centerpiece of the film for all the right reasons. Jumbo is attention-grabbing and hypnotically weird, but it never makes a spectacle of its central relationship. The film actively rejects any sort of voyeurism or judgement. It's not an ironic film at all, instead relishing in the sincerity of an unorthodox romance that's no less genuine

It's a must-watch for fans of strange cinema, not because it's so surreal, but because it's explicitly about how it feels to love something even when nobody else can understand it. The film isn't a strange love story, but a story about strange love, and takes glee in sticking two fingers up at the powers that be and celebrating its heroine's passion for fairground rides. By the end, it marks itself as an unlikely feelgood hit, with real joy and love and heart. It's an oddity for sure but if you make it to the end, the film makes it very clear that it understands passion, even when it's targeted at something incredibly niche. Jumbo is a surprisingly wonderful film that takes its odd premise and spins it into something truly wonderful, and when it's done, you'll immediately want to rejoin the queue and get ready to ride all over again 

★ ★ ★ ★