Spencer (2021)

I watched Spencer a few months back, and am just getting around to cleaning up my review now - whoops!

imdb.com

I'm going to start this off by saying right away that I have conflicting feelings regarding this movie. When I was asked if it "was good" I found that I couldn't answer it properly. However, did I like it? I would have to say no. It absolutely had some strong merits though, so I want to go over both sides. This is mildly spoiler-y, but considering it's based on the life of a real person...it's more just spoiling aspects of the filmmaking style.

Things I didn't enjoy:

The dinner soup scene. Honestly, I get that this was supposed to be artsy and a depiction of her feelings rather than accurate, but I disliked watching it, and don't think it added anything to the movie. It felt out of place and absurdist to me.

Rather than feel compassion or understanding for Diana, in general I just found that she seemed, well, unreasonable and overwhelming. That isn't to say that I felt this way through the whole movie (as there were "unreasonable" moments that made 100% sense as a viewer), but there were a lot of things where I just found her to be incredibly unlikeable because of her actions.

The self-destruction. And I don't mean specifically the emotional frustration or anything, but the self-inflicted injuries and such that happened. I couldn't tell because of how it was shot if these things were supposed to be taken as "real" or as artsy moments like the dinner scene.

What I liked:

Kristen Stewart did a great job. I think she got the look and essence right of Diana and absolutely think she deserves praise for it. Several of her mannerisms felt really right, and I was so impressed and surprised. I've liked Stewart in the past for several roles, so I knew she was a solid actress, but usually I find biopics (especially involving figures like Princess Diana) are more like caricatures than strong acting.

The costumes were fantastic, and they brought the whole thing to life perfectly. Every person was dressed in just the right way, from their more simplistic attire (like Diana's pink top and jeans) to their dinner finery.

I like that we didn't get a regurgitation of the exact same story. We got a snippet of a few days, and this allowed the story to focus on different aspects than we usually get on Diana's life. Because this shows a really emotionally tormenting portion of her life, we get to see both the good and the bad. Many depictions of Diana show her as entirely lovely and just insecure, but this allowed the audience to see a more multidimensional person.

I appreciated that the movie starts by saying that it is a "fable". It's always been a pet peeve of mine that biopics act as though they are completely factually accurate, when we don't know what most closed-door conversations were - we can only imagine.

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Have you seen Spencer? How did you feel about the more artistic take on this period in Diana's life? Do you tend to watch biopics, or avoid them?

Mini-Reviews: Call Me By Your Name, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Jane Austen Book Club

Welcome once again to the portion of the blog where I talk about some movies I've been watching! Some movies I simply don't feel motivated to write a full review on (or life gets busy!) but I still want to share my thoughts with you. So, here are a few things I've seen lately and how I felt about them!

tiff.net

Call Me By Your Name
Wow. I put off watching this one for a while because I thought it might have been popular because of the cast or subject matter rather than its own merit. Well, I was wrong. No, it's not perfect, but I definitely found it had a real impact on me to the point that I actually cried at one scene. My only previous experience with Timothée Chalamet had been in Lady Bird, and I hadn't watched anything with Armie Hammer in it, so this was a great way to get to know them better as actors. I would definitely recommend this one. It isn't overwhelmingly dramatic, and there isn't a lot going on in terms of action, but it's lovely nonetheless. I did have one or two moments where I wasn't really a fan of how they shot things/the content, but as far as I am aware they were true to the book for these things, so it's not really a fault of the film.

Mini-Reviews: The DUFF, Mortal Engines, The Impossible

More movies in my long list of things that need to be reviewed! I love watching movies, but I don't like to review all of them. Why not? Well, there can be a few reasons for this: 1) sometimes there just wasn't enough going on in it for me to feel inspired to write a full review/have enough material to write about, 2) because I often just want to watch a movie for enjoyment, and without analyzing it. So, here's how we both win: I watch it for fun, and then I write a mini-review. However, if you see that I have watched a movie and you desperately want a full review...tell me! I am more than happy to consider writing a full review if I know readers are interested.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are some of the things I've been watching!

sheknows.com

The DUFF
Do you like Easy A? Well, this movie has that kind of feel to it. It's a relaxed, but fun teen movie that still deals with some important issues and relationships. It's a little bit quirky, but still very relatable. If you are looking for a fun movie for the weekend, or for an evening to curl up and relax with, then I think this is perfect. It will leave you feeling happy, and without having to think too intensely to keep up.

Period Drama: Colette

Keira Knightley stars in this biographical drama about french novelist and icon Colette during her burgeoning years as a writer.

chicagotribune.com

What It's About:

Before she was famed Parisian writer Colette, she was simply Sidonie-Gabrielle. Upon her marriage to famous author "Willy," she moves from her quiet country life to the big city, and helps her husband with his correspondence. Eventually, amidst financial troubles, in order to increase Willy's literary output, Colette becomes one of of his numerous ghost writers. Yet no one could have predicted the magnitude of her invisible success. But there comes a time when Colette is no longer content being invisible.

Musicals: The Greatest Showman

With the return of the movie musical, The Greatest Showman blasts onto the screen as one to remember.

hollywoodreporter.com

What It's About:

The Greatest Showman journals the life of P.T. Barnum from where and how he got his start into his years as a collector of curiosities, and circus mogul. This musical re-imagines the courage, passion, and guts of Barnum's vision, his love for his family, and the incredible figures who were instrumental in his achievements. 

Period Dramas: Dark Angel

usatoday.com

What It's About:

Mary Ann Cotton is a wife and a mother - just like any other in the mid-1800s. She struggles with balancing the care of her children, the house, and putting food on the table while her husband William is away for work. When William stops bringing in enough money, Mary Ann decides that he's more trouble than he's worth, and takes things into her own hands.Well, maybe she's not quite like any other wife and mother. Dark Angel details the life and actions of the first female serial killer in Britain, from the events before her first crimes, until the brief months after her last.

Period Drama: Hidden Figures

Based on real events, and the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, this film was nominated for three academy awards.

hollywoodreporter.com

What It's About:

In 1961, before the public use of computers, men and women were employed at NASA to calculate by hand the delicate math required for space travel. Three of these "human computers", Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, struggle to be heard and treated fairly amongst their colleagues, as they are not only women in a men's world, but African American. Fighting gender inequality and racial prejudice, these three women pave the way for women in STEM, and are invaluable in NASA's success during the Space Race.

Maudie

If you don't know anything about Maud Lewis, know this: she had a heck of a life.

nytimes.com

What It's About:

Maud Lewis, when she is simply Maud Dowley, is considered a burden to her family. Plagued by juvenile arthritis, she is unable to do much to be self-sufficient and is not given a say in her own affairs. Upon seeing Everett Lewis, a fish peddler and odd job man, place an advertisement for a live-in housekeeper, Maud sees this as her chance to make her independence. However Everett is ill-mannered, sometimes cruel, and has little patience for Maud's eccentricities. Yet somehow these two find how well two misfits can coexist. Amidst doing her daily duties, Maud paints every surface she can find - the walls, shelves, postcards, etc. and when one day a customer of Everett's wishes to buy one of Maud's paintings, her life is changed forever.