EIGHTH GRADE, BLINDSPOTTING, SKYSCRAPER and THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS musings
EIGHTH GRADE
It’s been a great time for first-time directors lately, with Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig knocking it out of the park last year, and now we can add comedian Bo Burnham to the list. EIGHTH GRADE focuses on Kayla, wonderfully played by Elsie Fisher, in the last few weeks of the last grade of middle school. It’s a beautifully earnest and honest movie that isn’t afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. The eighth grade is a crazy and shaping time for everyone, as we’re learning more about ourselves, our bodies, and how we interact with people. The movie harshly reflects the titular grade in its pre-teen angst and insecurity that hits us during this time in our lives.
It’s a slice of life movie that goes to some dark places, and I was surprised to find myself connecting to Kayla’s story even though I didn’t experience those same things. Much like how I felt in LADY BIRD, I’m not a teenage white girl, but stories that focus in on one person’s story can be wholly universal. When things become extremely specific, I can find some way to connect to it and relate it to my experiences or a friend’s. EIGHTH GRADE excels with its mostly unknown cast, passionate filmmaking and brave storytelling.
RATING: BEST OF THE BEST
(Refer to my rating system HERE!)
THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS
Life truly is stranger than fiction. Three separated identical twins are reunited in the 1980’s, and their story becomes a national sensation. That main thread takes up the first half of the documentary, and I’m happy to experience the turns that it takes. It’s a very engaging documentary that has no trouble losing your attention.
To be honest, I haven’t seen a lot of documentaries, so I don’t really know what constitutes a great entry in the genre. I guess I was just expecting an interesting story, and that’s exactly what I got.
RATING: DIDN’T WASTE MY TIME
(Refer to my rating system HERE!)
SKYSCRAPER
We don’t get many original action blockbusters like SKYSCRAPER anymore. It’s just a pure, adrenaline-filled good time in the theater that accomplishes what it sets out to do: be Dwayne Johnson’s DIE HARD-like action movie. The family dynamics are actually well played, and Johnson has no trouble selling his love and care for his family, since he’s probably the most charismatic human being on the planet. The skyscraper itself is pretty ridiculous but incredible to look at, and the action set pieces are pretty silly 90’s style sequences, yet still make your palms sweaty.
SKYSCRAPER has a super strong first act with great set ups that made me look forward to the rest of the movie, but couldn’t execute what they set up as gracefully. (*Minor spoiler alert* Like, The Rock picking up the gun for the first time should have been a huge moment, yet that payoff was kinda shunned to the side. *End minor spoiler alert*) (But a random thing I liked was that the police officers actually spoke in Chinese to each other, signaling that this movie actually thought about that aspect, or, more likely, this is so fiercely marketed at the Asian markets.) Otherwise, it’s a solid action movie with a great emotional core, a weird story, a great performance from the rarely-seen Neve Campbell, but doesn’t reach its potential.
RATING: DIDN’T WASTE MY TIME
(Refer to my rating system HERE!)
BLINDSPOTTING
Set in Oakland and from writers Daveed Diggs (of the original cast of ‘Hamilton’ fame) and Rafael Casal, BLINDSPOTTING takes place during the last 3 days of probation for Diggs’ character, Collin. It takes a while to find its footing, but once it does, it becomes a transcendent study of gentrification and cultural appropriation. I had a lot of problems with the first act, mainly because its tone was all over the place. It tried to be a fun, silly comedy at times as it skewered the culture in the Bay Area, but threw in some dramatic beats that became very jarring during those changes. Diggs, mainly a theater actor, plays his scenes so big, as if he’s trying to reach the people in the cheap seats, and it doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the performances with the other actors. Casal’s character is also larger than life, but his character is inherently that way. As the movie moves into its second act, they focus less on comedic bits and integrate the drama and character work smoothly. Some threads set up don’t seem very interesting, but writers Diggs and Casal tie them up so well.
The social commentary becomes even more biting in these parts. They examine the gentrification of Oakland, how the new transplants appropriate the culture without respect, the difficulty of being a black man in the city, etc. Yes, the script can be extremely on the nose and doesn’t trust its audience enough to catch the subtext all the time, but it’s cultural study is so smartly written. It’s definitely one of the best scripts of the year so far, for me.
There are a few scenes that will probably make it into my “Favorite Scenes” category at the end of the year, either because of the tension of the writing or the imagery. BLINDSPOTTING is a beautifully immediate, intimate story and extremely powerful, and I hope I’ve convinced you to see this movie, flaws and all.
RATING: BEST OF THE BEST
(Refer to my rating system HERE!)
