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re: Enemies to Lovers
When will I give up on trying Wendy's breakfast sandwiches? I keep wanting to believe, but I need to stop. Their french toast sticks and seasoned potatoes are heaven on Earth, and everything else tastes like hockey pucks, and I simply need to accept that. This is my biggest concern on this quiet working Sunday.
Went to da movies, and even though I stayed up way too late as a result, it's truly one of the only things that gets me through the week, so.
I thought it was alright! I think the particularly scathing reviews it's getting are more a consequence of the sky-high expectations people had after going apeshit for The Invisible Man (which I thought was great, to be fair, but 90% of that was down to Moss' performance, the rest of it was more of a really neat testament to what can be done with a tiny budget; it still felt like Whannell was coming into his own as a director, and as we see here, he's simply not quite there yet). But there were a few things that I really liked here, in amongst the stuff that was confusing, or bland, or just plain bad, and I had a good time with it!
Just the whole general approach was a pretty novel and unexpected one, I thought, just one real bad day for this family, the curse manifesting as more of just a really grody illness, the dad never actually attacking his family in the end (and I'm sure there's something there in the parallels with his dad and breaking generational cycles of trauma or something, but it was all so half-baked, I simply cannot be bothered), all of it. I also thought it was really beautifully shot right up until they got to the house and it actually became a horror movie? The blandness didn't really kick in until then for me, weirdly. The slow transformation was great; even if the final monster design left a lot to be desired, I really enjoyed the journey. And of course there were all the times where it shifts between human world/wolf world, which I assume everyone is already mentioning, because it was cool as hell and I wish they'd done more with it. Good stuff!
But also there's a lot of little weird random things that feel like they might be artifacts from cut subplots and contribute to a general feeling of ??? that means the whole thing doesn't really resolve in any satisfying way. It's ultimately a very simple, melancholy little monster movie, but all those other little bits undermine that somewhat with questions that don't need answers and only serve to distract from the purity of it. Where did all of his dad's surveillance equipment in the basement go? Not to mention guns? Did his neighbours just take everything useful for manwolf-fighting purposes? The dishes weren't even put away, but the ham radio was? Why? Who did that? Did his dad just stop caring after Blake left and that's why he got got? The movie opens with a wolf man attacking during the day, so what was with the emphasis on just getting through the night? What about that hiker wolf, anyway, is he still out there? THESE QUESTIONS ARE ALL POINTLESS AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RAISED. Also, a fuckin' doggy door when all of the windows and doors are otherwise crazy secured, really?
Still, these things weren't enough to ruin it for me, and I honestly think that if it had bothered to include one single solitary character arc for any of these boners, it could have been something special. As it is, though: decent movie.
7. What Did You Once Hate but Now Like?
You know, I really didn't get Eddie Kingston when he first came to AEW. Hate is a strong word, but I found him kinda whiny and annoying. And then this promo happened and it was like a light suddenly turned on and everything just clicked into place for me. God, I miss Eddie Kingston, PLEASE COME BACK SOON, BOO.
Honourable mention to Kate Bush. I will always remember the first time I heard Wuthering Heights, I had this very visceral 'ugh no don't like that' wince of a reaction when it started, and when it ended, I immediately hit repeat. Just some of the best worst noises ever made.
Went to da movies, and even though I stayed up way too late as a result, it's truly one of the only things that gets me through the week, so.
I thought it was alright! I think the particularly scathing reviews it's getting are more a consequence of the sky-high expectations people had after going apeshit for The Invisible Man (which I thought was great, to be fair, but 90% of that was down to Moss' performance, the rest of it was more of a really neat testament to what can be done with a tiny budget; it still felt like Whannell was coming into his own as a director, and as we see here, he's simply not quite there yet). But there were a few things that I really liked here, in amongst the stuff that was confusing, or bland, or just plain bad, and I had a good time with it!
Just the whole general approach was a pretty novel and unexpected one, I thought, just one real bad day for this family, the curse manifesting as more of just a really grody illness, the dad never actually attacking his family in the end (and I'm sure there's something there in the parallels with his dad and breaking generational cycles of trauma or something, but it was all so half-baked, I simply cannot be bothered), all of it. I also thought it was really beautifully shot right up until they got to the house and it actually became a horror movie? The blandness didn't really kick in until then for me, weirdly. The slow transformation was great; even if the final monster design left a lot to be desired, I really enjoyed the journey. And of course there were all the times where it shifts between human world/wolf world, which I assume everyone is already mentioning, because it was cool as hell and I wish they'd done more with it. Good stuff!
But also there's a lot of little weird random things that feel like they might be artifacts from cut subplots and contribute to a general feeling of ??? that means the whole thing doesn't really resolve in any satisfying way. It's ultimately a very simple, melancholy little monster movie, but all those other little bits undermine that somewhat with questions that don't need answers and only serve to distract from the purity of it. Where did all of his dad's surveillance equipment in the basement go? Not to mention guns? Did his neighbours just take everything useful for manwolf-fighting purposes? The dishes weren't even put away, but the ham radio was? Why? Who did that? Did his dad just stop caring after Blake left and that's why he got got? The movie opens with a wolf man attacking during the day, so what was with the emphasis on just getting through the night? What about that hiker wolf, anyway, is he still out there? THESE QUESTIONS ARE ALL POINTLESS AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RAISED. Also, a fuckin' doggy door when all of the windows and doors are otherwise crazy secured, really?
Still, these things weren't enough to ruin it for me, and I honestly think that if it had bothered to include one single solitary character arc for any of these boners, it could have been something special. As it is, though: decent movie.
7. What Did You Once Hate but Now Like?
You know, I really didn't get Eddie Kingston when he first came to AEW. Hate is a strong word, but I found him kinda whiny and annoying. And then this promo happened and it was like a light suddenly turned on and everything just clicked into place for me. God, I miss Eddie Kingston, PLEASE COME BACK SOON, BOO.
Honourable mention to Kate Bush. I will always remember the first time I heard Wuthering Heights, I had this very visceral 'ugh no don't like that' wince of a reaction when it started, and when it ended, I immediately hit repeat. Just some of the best worst noises ever made.