lajwrites Reviews

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

Excellent adaptation

[9/10 · 10 August 2022]

This film is one of the best adaptations of a book I've seen, which is especially impressive because (IMO) this was going to be a tough book to do justice to without being maudlin or overly dramatic.

The movie nails the heartache and desperation of a little girl abandoned by her family without being saccharin or over-the-top. I'm still puzzling out how they managed to walk that fine line. The script is structured incredibly well and all the actors give strong performances. Daisy Edgar-Jones pulls off a wonderful rendition of a girl vacillating among fear, loneliness, courage, shyness, and hope, and JoJo Regina will break your heart as little Kya, giving a the rest of the movie a sure footing to branch from.

Additionally, the cinematography is outstanding. It's liking watching a piece of art that someone happened to drop a story into.

Is this the most original, fresh film you'll ever see, like Everything Everywhere All at Once? No, because it's based on a book and the story is set. However, for a classic drama, it's extremely well done and definitely worth a watch. I plan to see it again.

Bravo to the writer, director, actors and producers for a masterful production of this book.

The Oath (2018)

Clever dark comedy

[8/10 · 3 March 2020]

Poor marketing may be the reason for poor reviews. I went into this film expecting something like National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" set at Thanksgiving. This film is nothing like that. Rather, it is a small dark comic gem more akin to "War of the Roses" meets Jonathan Swift. (No, it's not satire, but there's something in the flavor of it that makes me think of Swift.)

The Oath lands squarely on the chest and makes you squirm with discomfort even as you're laughing. Set in the current, histrionic political atmosphere that is the U.S., both sides are deliciously represented. You'll boo the characters from whatever your opposing party is, but even as you cheer your own side you'll be made to see that they too are over-the-top and extreme. There are no winners in this cultural divide, and everyone contributes to the awkwardness and heat.

Plot-wise, the movie has good legs. It starts off with a scary yet plausible premise that the government is asking all citizens to sign an oath proclaiming their unquestioning, "patriotic" support of the government by Black Friday. Chris and Kai (Barinholtz and Haddish) are an interracial, liberal couple who oppose the oath. Chris's mostly conservative family is coming to stay with them for Thanksgiving. Cue the conflict.

Barinholtz (writer) has done a great job of providing the full spectrum of family conflict, everything from "the TV is too loud" to "how could you do something that threatens our child?" The animosity starts small and ramps its way up until the family finds themselves spewing hateful slurs at each other over the Thanksgiving table.

Just when the family is at its most fragile and splintered state, a couple of federal agents arrive to talk to Chris and Kai about the oath. This jacks up the complications and the comedy in a delightful, cringe-inducing way that will have you covering your eyes and wondering how the hell they're going to get out of this mess.

If you like smart, dark comedy, watch it. The script crackles and the acting is on point. (The casting of Haddish is one of the reasons I had expected a more bawdy, over the top comedy like Christmas Vacation, but here she plays it straight -- and does a great job.)

Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

OMG I hate this movie

[2/10 · 10 December 2010]

First let me say that I WANT to like this movie. I adore Reese Witherspoon, and I think she does a terrific job in this movie, and for that I want to like it. But OMG the storyline! It's infuriating! Truly, truly infuriating. I agree with another reviewer who wrote that this could only have been written by a man (and it was). Essentially, there's a girl who lives in a tiny town which would be best described as Dirthole, Alabama. She longs for a different life, so she leaves her husband (whom she married just out of high school because she was pregnant (lost the child, so no baby character to worry about)), she trots off to NY, makes a big name for herself as a fashion designer, and gets engaged to the mayor's son, who is not only sexy and hot but also exceedingly kind, generous, and nice. She has to journey back to AL to force her no good husband to sign the divorce papers she's been sending him for the past 7 years and which he has repeatedly refused to sign. While there, wouldn't you know it, she gets sucked back into the 'charm' of the crap hole that she left and the siren call of her ex's blue eyes. This movie totally ignores the fact that maybe this girl really does need something bigger and better than the miserable little town she came from, and it also totally ignores the fact that she managed to make something incredible of her dream. For that alone the authors should be punished. Furthermore, they imply that she's going to throw it all down the drain to return to Hillbilly land in order to reunite with her ex and his hound dog. WHY, is what I want to know. By writing this storyline, the authors suggest that Melanie's dream wasn't really a big deal, and they expect us to just accept their claim that her ex Mr. Blue-eyes is really the love of her life. Well, I never saw it, I don't accept it, and it just infuriates me that Melanie's character so lightly and easily tosses away everything she worked her butt off for over seven years. And don't get me started on the abominable way she treats her fiancé, who is probably the most decent character in the movie. Gaaahhhh! This Melanie character makes women look either idiotic or like big fat liars.