Navalny (2022): There are many reasons to feel down when thinking of the current (geo)political climate, with the state of affairs in Russia near the top of the list. I only knew of Navalny by reputation before this and I’m not sure I really know a heck of a lot more after it. Sure, he’s quite the showman, a crazy patriot, but I guess that’s almost pleonastic. It takes something like that to stand up in a such an autocratic state, but even as the plot against his life and the accusation against the regime grow and are substantiated, the movie leaves me without hope. Navalny has just been sighted for the first time in many imprisonment months, Putin is acting with impunity and continues to force the hand of European nations, while the rest of the world rallies by what seems like arbitrary principles and minor interests. An interesting piece, with solid elements of an exciting spy thriller, so that’s nice as far as the cinema goes. But is it an important piece of filmmaking? Does it have to be? I’m not sure, but I’m still thinking about it days after watching, so that must mean something. Or not. 8
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018): I did write something on the second Mamma Mia when it came out, but this was before my high-volume instagram quotes days, so just for some of the witticisms it deserves another short take. As I mentioned in the MM entry, I think it mattered a lot to have Richard Curtis (writer of most British romcoms that have shaped your life) on board for this one – and even Ol Parker, who previously did The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (1+2). Nothing against Meryl Streep, who is a core part of our heritage as a species, but I felt MM2 worked better with her in a shorter, more impactful role. Seeing them one after the other, it’s obvious the sequel picks up a lot of the pieces after the first one, and by pieces I mean dead-end plot points that led to the dull finale MM1. So suddenly there’s context for why the characters acted the way they did and it works just so much better. The ensemble cast is strong and this time they did not forget about the two side-pieces to the lead (Alexa Davies, heart). The finale is an actual finale, both emotional and explosive, as you would expect of ABBA. What doesn’t make sense to me is how the two movies are rated .1 apart on IMDb, because they are considerably further apart in terms of execution. So far, that my general recommendation to ABBA normies is to just skip the first. 8
Swallow (2019): Judging on the poster and the title, I was under the impression this was going to be a spy-thriller. It’s really not. Hunter, a very middle-of-the-road kind of person we don’t ever really get to know, finds herself isolated in a “perfect marriage” with Richie…and his parents. She is treated lovelessly and after becoming pregnant, veers towards ingesting objects in order to draw attention to herself and feel in control. It’s a metaphor that hits harder than expected, even as the movie could have done with not spoon-feeding the viewer. Still, a visually memorable outing with a nice turn by Bennett in the leading role. 7
Mamma Mia! (2008): Some films, I just come back to every once in a while. I was pretty sure I had not rewatched MM since its release, but I actually did – and remembered little of it. Fact is, there’s little to remember and beyond what I wrote in my first entry on the film (the singing is not great, the star power is still nice to see) I would just add a couple of things: I think the movie doesn’t work so well because the plot is contrived to fit in as many songs as possible and at 104 minutes, that’s not really enough runtime to go around; there must have been an expectation-induced stiffness to how the whole thing was shot, because it just don’t flow very well. Comparatively, MM2 is just better on all fronts (first and foremost lacked a Richard Curtis) and maybe I’ll delve into that at some point. 6
#dogpoopgirl (2021): This unsuccessful satire wants to address dysfunctions of modern (Romanian) society, transfixed in its obsession with scandals and its deformed perception of justice and how these have been galvanized by internet culture. It turns out as an opaque x-ray of no real value, that at best is unfunny and at worst is tasteless. I’m being harsh – had the movie been a short, consisting of the intro/outro sequences, it would have almost worked; also, Andreea Gramosteanu’s performance offers some dignity even when her character has none. Altogether, though, even at a measly 78 minutes, this movie is an hour too long. 4
tributary stu 