Movie Review: The End of Oak Street

Here it comes, the scathing movie review you didn't ask for about a movie I hope you didn't see.  Heads up, there will be "spoilers."  I have to put that in quotes because I don't think turds go bad, but here we go.

The End of Oak Street is a story about a bunch of selfish losers who live in suburbia in the 1970s.  One day their gross miserable lives are interrupted by dinosaurs.  Carnage ensues.  Mom does some really tiresome generic girl-bossing, sis too, brother is irrelevant and forgettable, dad gets eaten by a dinosaur just when mom thinks she might not totally loathe him, and mom tries to be protective of kids she was desperate to abandon only moments before.  Then...they make it home via time travel and mom decides to save old timeline dad, you know, the version of dad who has not experienced any personal growth.  She also decides to save a few neighbors, including one she despises, while somehow not finding time to save the other version of herself or her children.  There are now two copies of a random neighbor kid they rescued living on the same timeline, so it's not like it would cause some Back To The Future style implosion of time and space.  But, no, their own duplicates are sent into the dino-world time loop, this time sans-dad, to suffer horrible deaths while they assume their lives so mom can write a tell-all book and achieve a pathetic degree of fame.  I'll pause here if you need to throw up.

The acting was awful.  I don't believe Anne Hathaway really loved her children, despised her husband, or hated her neighbor; she was phoning in her emotions harder than she phoned all her neighbors to warn them of the time loop.  And for the love of sweet Orson Welles eating fishsticks, could Hollywood STOP CASTING EWAN MACGREGOR WITH AN AMERICAN ACCENT.  He can't do it!

The tiny segment of Jurassic world this neighborhood lands in is a sheer and totally unrealistic-constant-bloodbath-feeding-frenzy-hot-zone of predators.  Predators are territorial, there could never be so many in such a small space.  We do get a lengthy dino sex scene, an abundance of mounds of dinosaur excrement, and a good three minutes of the moody teen daughter singing a song in the car, which I was hoping would lead to her getting eaten, but did nothing but waste time.  And girl-bossing. Could we stop?  When it's organic, it's freaking awesome: Sarah Conner, Ellen Ripley, Zoey from Firefly, etc.   When it's forced, it's just grating, (Captain Marvel...I  just gagged from typing that) and this was forced and oh so grating.   

I'm convinced that if lumped together every single jumbo mound of dinosaur scat we see on the screen, and it is constant, this movie would still be the bigger pile of shit.  Don't waste your hard earned money or moments of your precious life on The End of Oak Street.

The Other Bennet Sister

It is a question universally asked by all Jane Austen lovers and the very first words out of my mouth at the end of the mini-series; What About Mary?  Well, wonder no more fellow Pride & Predj fans, the answer to whatever happened to The Other Bennet Sister is here and it is most satisfying.

While living in England during my university years, I was fortunate enough to befriend two darling English girls who insisted that we have a weekly get together to drink a glass of wine, catch up on the week's goings on and watch an episode of the BBC's 1995 iteration of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.  Having never read any Jane Austen and at that point only having seen Clueless and the Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma (widely panned by all my British friends as being "too American"), I agreed to go to this weekly meet up out of a desire for friendship more than a love for the subject matter, but that would soon change.  At the end of the series I was a fan for life and have now read practically everything Ms. Austen wrote and seen most of the television and film versions, but I always felt that Mary Bennet's story was...unfinished.

I can't say that I necessarily related to Mary Bennet, but after watching this continuing story starring Ella Bruccoleri as Mary, I found her experience to be not only relatable but entirely endearing.  Living her life in the shadow of her sparkling, vivacious sisters, Mary needs to be set apart, to find her own way in the world and her own way to shine.

Beyond telling her story with fairness this story humanizes even the most loathsome of villains (I'm looking at you Mr. Collins and Caroline Bingley).  Ok, so she can't be the pretty one, and she's not interested in being one of the flirts, Mary decides she'll be the smart one.  Reminds me of this post about my own youth.  And the best part of all, for Mary Bennet, is that unlike so many of the stories about girls coming of age, there is no glow-up.  Mary doesn't go from duckling to swan.  She goes from being herself, to being more herself, being confident in herself, and finding someone who values her just as she is.

Whether you are an Austen fan who has long wondered if Mary ever found love and happiness, or just someone who enjoys a charming story well told, The Other Bennet Sister is delightful and well worth a watch.

Songs of Love; Songs of Loss: Music Review

I have never done a music review on the blog, but a couple of new releases have me extremely impressed, so I wanted to share.  I'm not a fan of Taylor Swift, but I don't hate her either and it seems like (or at least the media wants us to believe) that all people must fall into one of those camps.   I loved Blank Space, video and song, still do.  And I wouldn't skip it if Style came up in the shuffle.  Shake It Off wasn't a favorite, but it was catchy and I did like the message.  My personal opinion of Swift is that she is beautiful, talented and she works very hard.  I'm happy she's happy and I hope it lasts.  I've heard people slam her for repeating lines across multiple songs, but that's what happens when you write your own music; You repeat yourself.   Have you ever watched some pop-whore like Katy Perry or Beyonce try to explain what a song means?  They stumble because, they didn't write it.  They just sang the words with no feeling behind the voice.  I admire that Swift did or does write much of her own material.  And, yes she's taken criticism for releasing albums directly after break-ups, but strong emotion tends to need an outlet. 

By strong contrast, her new album, Life of a Showgirl, has just released with a solid love song entitled The Fate of Ophelia, which I really liked.  It was lovely and intelligent, well written and well performed.  The videos for this album were really wonderful, well choreographed, employing a host of talented dancers and fellow singers like Sabrina Carpenter (again, not a fan of her music per say, but Please, Please, Please was smart, stylish, and catchy)  and each one is filled with beautiful scenes.  I can't say I enjoyed any of the other songs on the album as much, though I did like the fact that not all the songs are love songs.  The title song itself is a correspondence between an up and coming showgirl and one on the decline.  It wasn't world shattering, but it was a refreshing move away from all the love and hate songs out there.  It's like people have forgotten there are other things to sing about.  So, I'm giving kudos to Swift for a shift away from the break-up music, and truly, she's stepping down as the break-up queen just in time.

Lily Allen's new album, West End Girl, has just released and if it's not the most brutal work of (please pardon my language, nothing else would do) fuckoffery  in existence, I owe you a coke.  Growing up, I remember hearing Carly Simon's, You're So Vain, and thinking it was a rather scathing anti-tribute.  I even sang it in the mirror a few times to the junior high boy who broke my heart.  So, Taylor Swift didn't make this mold, but Lily Allen definitely broke it.  Simon's song doesn't even hold a candle to what Allen has created here.  West End Girl is a thorough walk through pain and loss: Allen's husband asking for an open marriage, lamentably in consenting, feeling that laying ground rules would help, and the utter implosion that followed after.  She doesn't hold back and it is achingly beautiful.  

Quite honestly, I wasn't a fan of Allen's either.  I only knew her as the woman who was with David Harbor after Alison Sudol (whom I am a fan of), and I used to love watching Architectural Digest, so had seen the tour of their home.  As the new season of Stranger Things is set to release (David Harbor plays Hopper in the show) I only looked into this album out of a shameful curiosity, like browsing through a People magazine.  What I found instead was something so raw, so viciously honest that I truly was moved by the work as a whole.  Even the accompanying videos portrayed a woman stuck in a slow-motion hell on repeat, and if you've ever experienced any sort of deep grief from the loss of a relationship to the death of a loved one, you know that's exactly how it feels as you struggle to cope. 

These amazing ladies are sharing their love and loss in such touching ways.  I recommend you at least give them a listen.  Their stories are worth hearing.

Movie Review: Frankenstein

A recent date night took us to the theater to watch Guillermo del Toro's new iteration of Mary Shelly's 1818 classic book, Frankenstein (or A Modern Prometheus).  I am a fan of the book and a fan of del Toro's, so I had reasonable hopes for their creative pairing.  Just when you think this story has been done to death, it gets resurrected (pun most definitely intended).  Shelley herself released a second version in 1831 and as far a visual productions, an generic internet search there are to date 423 movies, 204 short films, 78 tv series and 287 television episodes that mention or refer to Frankenstein, not to mention characters like Lurch from the Addams family that are obvious references.  Plus there are at least 60 film versions of the story itself.  

How was Guillermo del Toro going to breathe new life into this story?  Del Toro has an artistic and story telling style that have always stood out from the crowd, so I was interested to see his fresh cuts through a well worn path. The result?  A touching story about obsession, humanity, forgiveness and the redemptive power of a father's love.  Wow.  This is hands down the best version of this film I have ever seen.  Even among Del Toro's own body of work I would rank it near the top.  

The performances of one and all were superb, including from actor's I thought were just so-so in other works...about Star Wars.  Mia Goth is rapidly rising on my list of acting talent.  I've just enjoyed her in Marrowbone and she truly shines in the role of Elizabeth as a person who struggles with her own desires, integrity, purity, and humanity.  Instead of just being the beautiful, vapid doting female of the story, her character brings depth and intelligence to the story that is usually overlooked in this role.

The sets and costumes are beyond gorgeous with stunning art concepts and direction.  Color symbolism abounds -Red for Victor and his mother; blue for his sweet brother and Elizabeth dons both blue and green.  Also note the details in Victor's vest are reflective of the pattern of the Lymphatic system.  Likewise, Elizabeth's clothing is vibrant with nature patterns similar to those of butterflies and beetles that she loves so much.  Lots of thought went into the clothing in this film and that's something I can definitely appreciate.

Although there were some changes to the story from the original, I would say they were well done and the story from start to finish is a delicious feast for the mind and the eyes.  

My Three Draculas: Movie Review

Another movie review?  Didn't she just do one of these two weeks ago?  Yes.  Yes, she did.  However, October is the month for great movies in my opinion, and I've just watched a new vampire movie that's inspired a post comparing some of the latest and the greatest.  So, feast your eyes on my movie reviews just as Dracula feasts on virginal neck meats.  

3.  Nosferatu (2024).  This movie is a remake of a 1922 rip off of Dracula written by Henrik Galeen.  The story is as vapid as the ether where Ellen (the Mena character) and Count Orlock (obviously Dracula) meet.   It's clear in the 1922 version that they weren't really concerned about good writing, as all of their edits to Bram Stoker's work only worsened the story.  Bram Stoker's widow wasn't fooled by the changes either and won a lawsuit for copyright infringement against the film makers.  As a result, the judge ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed and only a few copies survived.  I have watched the 1922 version and loved it as a beautiful work of early film making.  However, there were a few cheap draws in it, namely the infamous boob grabbing scene, but this was pre-censorship and they were pushing the envelope. 

Flash forward 100 years and all of the changes in the 2024 release were big improvements!  This film has superb performances delivered by an all-star cast including Aaron Johnson and Lily Rose Depp.  Bill Skarsgard has established himself as one of the best creature/monster actors of all time, rivaling greats such as Doug Jones.  The cinematography also exceeds all expectations with truly breathtaking scenes from brilliant director Robert Eggers.  Heavy on gore and the creep factor, also there are a number of envelope pushing scenes as well.  This film has so much going for it and is in many ways superior to the others in my list, sadly there's only so much all this talent can do with such a flimsy story, and not every envelope needs pushing, which is why I ranked it last.

2.  Dracula: A Love Story. 2025. Directed & written by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element), I truly did not expect a fresh take on a story written nearly 130 years ago, but Besson delivered a touching and elegant retelling of the classic story.  Unlike other iterations, this story is fairly low on the sex and gore aspects so frequently overused in vampire flicks, instead focusing on the devotion of a husband for his wife.  I always found it hypocritical that Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula claims to love Elisabeta more than any other while simultaneously keeping a harem and though making the journey to London specifically to find Mina, he shamelessly pursues and violates Lucy (which Mina walks in on).  Seems like he moved on from Elisabeta pretty well.  In Besson's version however, Vlad remains faithful to his wife, waiting for her reincarnation, creating female vampires only as agents of access to the closed off female world to help him search for Elisabeta.  Now this is a man who has crossed oceans of time (unfortunately, that lovely phrase never gets used) to find his beloved and redeem them both.  

The Van Helsing character, played by Christoph Waltz, is truer to Bram Stoker's original character in that he is a perfect blend of faith and science.  At one point he tells Count Vlad that God has not damned him to immortality,  but rather has extended his life in order that he may repent and reconcile with God.  Waltz is well established for his acting chops, but the rest of the cast, though relatively unknown, also deliver solid performances and the film is true to Besson's directing style.

1. Bram Stoker's Dracula. 1992. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This movie in my opinion remains the best.  What would drive a man to become a monster?  Betrayal, plain and simple.  Count Vlad loved his wife, but his love for God drove him to war. While he is fighting in the name of God, his enemies send false news of his death causing his wife, Elisabeta to take her own life.  Victorious in battle he returns to find his beloved is dead.  In his deepest moment of despair the priest (Van Helsing is an earlier life) tells him that her soul is damned because she took her life.  His devotion to God is rewarded by being separated from his true love in life and the afterlife? This gives rise to the bitterest feelings of betrayal.  He rejects God, curses him, and well, you know the rest.

This film uses only practical effects and has aged well.  The acting?  Gary Oldman always brings it, in fact I would say he carries this film.  Anthony Hopkins is solid though as the priest and the vampire hunter he always seems mad compared to Waltz's stoic steadiness.  The rest of the cast is just decent, and I truly question Keanu Reeves being cast as a Victorian dandy. The costume design was revolutionary and overall that combined with a higher creep factor is why this film narrowly beat out Besson and Eggers newer releases.