Review Recap: December-January

The past few weeks have been crazy for me. From being on Winter Break, family developments, and starting a new semester, I have not gotten to write about some of my favorite watches. So, this is what I call Review Recap! This will be something I do every few months if I don’t keep up with writing reviews. These will all be more short form, as some of them I don’t have much to say that would warrant a whole review. Enjoy!

Babygirl (2024)

Oh boy is this movie a trip. This film would not be what it is without Nichole Kidman’s amazing performance. It is clear that she understood how Romy’s mind works; how she thinks, how she presents herself, her insecurities and desires. This also thanks to Halina Rejin’s direction, which is so clear and idealized in this. Babygirl visualizes many women’s inner desires, and I think that is why it is so captivating. We feel ashamed to actually admit what we want, yet we can live it by watching the film. Harris Dickinson also helps build this captivity. You want to despise him so bad, but something about his prowess and demeanor still draws you in and makes him attractive. This culminates in the “Father Figure” scene, which I think changed me for the rest of my life. My only issue with Babygirl is that I don’t think it went far enough. It went very, very far with this narrative, but I left still wanting something more. I wanted to know more about Romy’s past and more about why she has this urge. Maybe that’s just me. I still really enjoyed this though.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

I really enjoyed this one! It combined two of my favorite topics: Timothee Chalamet and folk music. I had been looking forward to it for quite some time, and my anticipation allowed me to get more into Bob Dylan as an artist and to understand who he is. And, I know understand the Bob Dylan mindset. I understand the desire to just create art and be left alone by the rest of the world. It’s a hard life to achieve, because when you make good art people want to know more about you. I think that is what makes Dylan so appealing to so many people, and why it was so easy for Chalamet to immerse himself in the role. He truly transforms into him and becomes unrecognizable on screen. His cadence and actions are just so perfectly Dylanesque, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez was amazing as well. She does so well at remaining engaging on screen, but remaining out of the “Bob Dylan” perspective (I hate to say that because that diminishes Joan’s whole experience with the man. Go listen to Diamonds and Rust). I wanted more of her though; maybe I just want a Joan Baez biopic with her in the role. Anyway, I am glad to see both of them nominated at the Academy Awards. Aside from the amazing performances, nothing else about the film really stands out, which I guess is good since it’s a biopic about a musician.

Nosferatu (2024)

This one blew me away. I was already going in with high expectations because I love Robert Eggers, but I was still impressed. There was just so much to love about this film. For one, it’s gorgeous. I love that it’s monochromatic but not all black and white. It gives it the same general aesthetic as the original, but allows for it to blossom into its own film. I also don’t think Lily Rose Depp is getting enough credit for her performance. She gives Ellen such depth even through the smallest of actions. You feel her loneliness and sorrow, and then you feel her pain as she lives with her irreversible actions. If she wasn’t a star already, she absolutely is one now. Along with her, Bill Skarsgard also gives an amazing performance. It’s so haunting yet endearing. Anytime he is on screen, you can’t look away. He gives a disgustingly entrancing rendition of Count Orlock, or maybe it’s because of the mustache. I digress, this film is just great. I wish I could put it in better words than “go watch it”, but just go watch it and you’ll understand.

The Last Showgirl (2024)

Ok, here’s where I get into some actual critiques. I was going into this thinking I was going to be blown away by everything about it, but I was so disappointed. Obviously, Pamela Anderson is wonderful and amazing in this. I wish she was getting more award buzz. Her performance feels so raw, so real. You can tell she understands Shelley deep down in her soul, and I love that. Aside from her, the rest of the supporting performances are fine. Brenda Song and Dave Bautista were good, but didn’t have much to do. I understand what they were trying to do with Kiernan Shipka’s character, but it felt a bit undercooked. Jamie Lee Curtis’ character was so unnecessary. Every time she was on screen I was so bored. My problem is that I wanted more of Pamela, even though she is the star. The ending felt so rushed and unfinished. This brings me into my more technical problems with the film. Some of the camera choices felt so weird. I don’t understand why everything had to be so close up and shaky. After a while the way it was filmed just became distracting. I will say, the film is very colorful, which adds to the setting. This just felt like it had no purpose and did not know what to do with the concept. If anything, go see it for Pamela Anderson.

Sing Sing (2024)

This was so perfect. I adored literally everything about this. I love how real it feels. I love that most of the actors played themselves and came from the RTA program. I love how Colmon Domingo showcases the feeling of always feeling like you’ve lost; going from a strong high to only be brought back down to reality. I love that everyone is there for each other no matter what, even in tragedy. I love how it demonstrates grief. I love how it demonstrates the power of art and how it can heal someone. If you can’t tell, I really love this film. I don’t want to say much else, because I think everyone should go see this film while it’s still in theaters. It deserves more attention.