Welcome one and all to a new section of the blog! Last year, I made it a goal to try and watch one new movie a week–I had been falling back into my old comfort watches, and I figured if I’m going to be making and writing movies in the future, watching The Blue Brothers for the millionth time probably wouldn’t be much help.
However, I quickly lost momentum with that goal, as work and then moving really got in the way. This year, I’m giving myself the goal again and planning to follow through with it. 52 weeks in the year, 52 movies. That’s a pretty good goal, yeah?
Without further ado, here are the first four movies I’ve watched this year!
The Farewell
I do love A24 movies, though I do prefer their more slice-of-life movies. Now, I will admit that I originally saw this movie a few years ago, but never finished it. I am glad I did. It made me tear up and I wanted to eagerly call my grandmother to ask her how she is and tell her how much I love her (unfortunately, it was near midnight when I finished, and there is a near three hour time difference between the two of us). Overall, a sweet, surprisingly funny movie, and the ending screen really had me choked up.
The Florida Project
Yup, still on the A24 binge. Let me tell you, Willem Dafoe is a fantastic actor, and this film really truly brings his acting chops forward. A heartbreaking film showcasing the struggles of life from the eyes of a child, sometimes quite literally from their point of view. Brooklynn Kimberly Prince and Bria Vinaite are a fantastic mother-daughter duo as Moonee and Halley. The cinematography throughout is beautiful, and the ending sequence with Moonee and her friend, Jancey (played by Valeria Cotto), is, honestly, kinda anxiety-inducing but also incredibly satisfying. The girls living in the shadow of Disney World are finally able to explore and be little kids.
Bottoms
What year does this movie take place? The 90’s? The early 2000’s? They talk like it’s 2023 but the tech rings before the millennium. And yet, I am obsessed. Personally, we need more movies with chaotic, unlikable, weird female protagonists. It’s also lovely to see a lesbian movie in a major movie theater (I sadly didn’t see it in theaters, but I was able to see it afterwards). Yeah, it’s violent, and raunchy, and I probably would not be showing it to my parents anytime soon, but I think this is what the queer girls deserve. Also, I love the use of symbolism in this film, from the friendship necklaces the two main characters, Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri as PJ and Josie respectively, wear, to the two always being in the same frame until their fight, where they are separate until they reconcile. Also, the music rocks.
Mistress America
The movie I am currently writing has a lot of Greta Gerwig vibes, and for research (and also to watch more Gerwig movies) I watched her 2015 film Mistress America. Right off the bat, Gerwig’s writing and dialogue style are very prevalent in this film, especially in Tracy, played by Lola Kirke. The stark loneliness that one feels early in their college life, how big New York is and all the stories and people filled in it, and the connections that we make and struggle to sustain when we only have one thing in common are only some of the themes in this film. Brooke and Tracy are both messy, complex characters, and the climax of the film was so stressful (at least for me) that I had to google to make sure everything ended okay. Also, I LOVED the Mickey Sumner (fake Brooke, aka Sophie in Frances Ha) cameo.
Mean Girls (2024)
I will admit, I never saw the original Mean Girls as a kid. My parents claimed it was “too mature” for me, and once I became older and more aware of my free will when it came to the media I consumed, I lost interest in it. I was very excited to see the new movie, however, as I have a sweet spot for musicals and even know a bit of the soundtrack.
I loved the cinematography and the musical numbers, and also a lot of the meta humor and easter eggs from both the original movie, the Broadway musical, and internet jokes (like Arianna Grande’s “Thank You, Next”). Also, the acting was phenomenal, and every actor in every scene was so engaging to watch.
That is to say, while I enjoyed the movie, I didn’t quite enjoy the movie going experience. It wasn’t the fact that I had worked in movie theaters for years and the joy had kind of been lost on me—it was the annoying 12-year-old boys stomping around and using their cameras, then called myself and the women I was sitting next to very cruel names when we reported them. Yay.
And there you have it! Those are the first four movies of the year! Hopefully posting these here will motivate me to keep it up!
E. A. Young Writes 