The Bikeriders (2024): Director-writer Jeff Nichols is always someone worth watching and he does not disappoint with the star-studded Bikeriders. My mind immediately goes to “Easy Rider” when I think of the motorcycle lifestyle, but I’d have to watch it (for the…first time?) in order to draw any comparisons. I enjoyed the vibe of this one, even if it doesn’t break much new ground in the story it tells – the origin story of what went on to become a violent group of criminals, here still a mostly chill group of people with just a modicum of criminal inclination. Jodie Comer’s character leads us through the ups and downs, to ultimately leave is with the unenviable question – can one live a normal life after one of pure freedom and adrenaline-pumping thrills? I think we are to believe it is possible. 7
Inside Out 2 (2024): I was not the hugest fan of the the first movie, even though it’s acclaimed as one of Pixar’s best. I still liked it though, so no need to let the anger button-masher mash the buttons. This one feels similarly to me, as we follow Riley in experiencing her first days as a teenager. There are moments of cuteness and well-articulated cleverness, but I rarely found that the movie had any big truths to offer. It plays as a very PG tale of friendship, topped with a moderately allegorical adventure within our character’s mind. I thought it was all to neat and clean, too binary, too structured, but still easy to enjoy for nothing more than what it is. 7
The Girl Next Door (2004): When I first saw this twenty years ago, it was quite fun. Present-day me was less excited, even though the very nifty cast still ensures that TGND is a fun ride. This means we get to watch Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant, Paul Dano and James Remar play around as/with teenagers, in a not-so-raunchy comedy about love and adult videos. Set at the beginning of the raunch-wave, I guess the movie is somewhere in between American Pie (1999) and Superbad (2007) or, more appropriately, Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008). It’s not as emblematic as some and hasn’t aged all that well (bet this applies to a lot of 2000 comedies), but overall still makes for a good time. 6
Sex and the City (2008): As a person alive in the 90s and 00s, there was no way that my life would not at least have been brushed by SatC. It was one of the most iconic shows of its era and though not targeted at my demographic, I always had an idea of what it was all about. So, two decades after the end of the original series was as good a time as any to do something different and get into a time capsule to simpler times. Naturally, I did not particularly enjoy this, though it has some moments of what I would expect made the show successful. The group dynamic has that quaint air of familiarity to it and the women do play a lot of lavish dress-up. By today’s standards, it is all very conservative, but that’s neither here nor there. The main problem with this movie is that it plays like three episodes tacked together, with very little plot, tension or character growth. At two and a half hours, it overstays its welcome and once everything was tied up, I was dreading to watch the next instalment. 4
Sex and the City 2 (2010): Whereas the first movie felt oddly, yet reassuringly familiar, this second one felt like it had absolutely nothing to work with. The most important difference was that people stopped using as many flip-phones and started using Blackberries. Our protagonists are invited to Abu Dhabi, “the new Middle East”, which, it turns out, is not quite progressive enough to accommodate Samantha’s desirous character. The whole thing is a series of cliches, scarcely funny or witty, so devoid of anything notable happening that it just conjures stuff out of thin air. The final act plays like a parody, insulting to everyone involved, as the movie focuses ever more on its veneer, rather than its substance. Somehow, though, it flowed a bit faster, or perhaps I was just less expectant of anything happening and eating some *insert egregious product placement here* helped pass the time. Again, at two and a half hours, it is an excruciating exploration of vapidness, making the first part feel almost watchable by comparison. 3
tributary stu 