The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a 2022 American comedy film directed by Tom Gormican. The film stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself. It also stars Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Neil Patrick Harris and Tiffany Haddish.
Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage is struggling with his career after being passed over for several big movie roles and is constantly annoyed by “Nicky” who appears as his youunger and more successful self. His relationship with his ex-wife Olivia and daughter Addy is also ruined by years of emotional neglect. Following a humiliating event at Addy’s sixteenth birthday party and losing another big film role, Cage plans to retire from acting. He decides to accept a hazy offer of $1 million from his agent Richard Fink that involves going to Majorca to meet billionaire womanizer Javi Gutierrez and to be the guest of honor at his birthday.
Upon meeting Javi, Cage is at first irritated by his neediness and insistance that they create an improv type movie based on a cript he wrote, but quickly inspired by Javi’s determination, and the two bond over their shared love the same movies. Shortly after, Cage is confronted by CIA agents Vivian and Martin. They suspect that Javi, who they claim made is fortune through dealing weapons, is behind the kidnapping of Maria the daughter of an anti-crime politician, with the hope that he will drop out of the upcoming election. Despite his insistance, Cage decides to help the CIA with the case.
After successfully rigging the cameras on Javi’s compound, Cage goes to a party where he announces his work with Javi on a new movie, an excuse to stay on the compound long enough to find Maria. After a disaster involving LSD, Cage discovers that Javi has a shrine room dedicated to all his movies, including a wax figure of his character Caster Troy from his movie, Face/Off, complete with identical golden guns. Cage finds it hard to work with Javi, but Vivian convinces him to work the kidnapping into their screenplay so the he could actually reveal where Maria is.
Cage explains tells his new idea to Javi, who believes that Cage is artistically bankrupt, and like has problems he needs to work out. Javi bring Olivia and Addy to his villa from Los Angeles; they are scared and angry over what is happening. Cage tries to make amends with them, but they reject his words and accuse of prioritizining his his film career over his family. Javi sneaks away and sees his cousin Lucas, who is revealed to be the real weapons dealer and the one who kidnapped Maria. Lucas warns him that Cage is working with the CIA and threatens him to kill cage, or else Lucas will kill Javi. Cage begins to rethink his friendship with Javi.
After a stand-off between Javi and Cage, where neither can bering themselves to kill each other, Lucas sends men to after both of them, and the run back to the house and dscover that Addy has been kidnapped.
This film has laugh out loud moments throughout. There are lots of references to other Cage films, which make this pretty enjoyable, but the one downfall is all the cheesiness and unoriginl part of the plot with the kidnapping and weapon dealing, which has been done to death. The entire thing about Cage, playing himself is just plain silly, but he does a very good job at it, making the film enjoyable, but still not great. Nothing against the acting, which is very good from all the main stars, but I couldn’t get past the terrible plot, also the beautiful scenery of Majorca, only helped much either. Being a Cage fan, I wanted to like this film more, but it was so hard to get past the negative aspects and I only enjoyed the film some, but not a lot.
At a run time of nearly two hours, I could hardly wait for the film to end by about the second half it. It jumps from funny and cheesy scenes to action secens so much and so fast, it’s not as entertaining as it should be. It’s definitely not Nicolas Cage’s best or worst work and definitely won’t kill his career given the rave reviews and upcoming projects his has. This film has the Cage his fans love, which make it an pretty entertaining film, but that still doesn’t make it great.
Yes this film is laugh out lod funny at times, but it is is also overly corny. It does however have a few heartwarming scenes, that make it a good bit better. This is not a movie that has to be seen in theater, in fact, it has the feel of a straight to streaming type. Would I watch it again? Maybe if it came on TV and there was nothing else on. Sorry plot, somewhat funny, but mostly dowdy humor and lots of action. 18+ 3/5
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a 2022 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves. It is the sequel to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), the third installment in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and the eleventh overall in the Wizarding World franchise. It stars Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Katherine Waterston and Mads Mikkelsen. Set several years after the events of its predecessor, the film follows Albus Dumbledore giving Newt Scamander and allies a mission that transports them to Dark Wizard Gillert Grindelwald’s army.
In Bhutan 1932, Newt Scamander helps a Qilin – a magical creature that can see into one’s soul and future – give birth. Gellert Grindelwald’s acolytes , led by Credence Barebone, attack and kill the mother, and kidnap the newborn. Grindelwald subsequently kills the creature to control its ability of precognition. However, unknown to them, the Qilin has given birth to twins, the younger of which Newt is able to save.
Unable to fight against Grindelwald, due to a blood pact, Albus Dumbledore enlists Newt, his brother Theseus, Ilvermony Charms professor Eulalie “Lally” Hicks, Senegalese-French wizard Yusuf Kama and American No-Maj Jacob Kowalkski to defeat Grindelwald’s plan for world domination. Yusuf is marked as a spy in Grindelwald’s inner circle while the rest of the grouo is sent to Berlin, Germany. There, they witness Grindelwald being acquitted of crimes by the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) and running for the office of Supreme Mugwump. The ICW believes arresting Grindelwald could get him more support, but beating him in an authorized election will lose him support.
Grindelwald’s acolytes; who have gone against the German Ministry of Magic, arrest Theseus and plan to assassinate one of Grindelwald’s enemies, the Brazilian candidate, Vicencia Santos. Dumbledore gives Newt and Lally their next assignments; to save Theseus and and ruin the assassination. While Newt rescues his brother from the secret German wizard jail, Lally and Jacob foil the assassination attempt ; however Jacob is eventually framed and for attempting to kill Grindelwald, and he and Lally barely escape, giving Grindelwa;d an incentive to turn the wizarding world against the Muggle world. Meanwhile, Grindelwald has sent Credence to kill Dumbledore. Dumbledore quickly defeats Credence and he is revealed to be the illegitimate son of Dumbledore’s younger brother, Aberforth Dumbledore. Learning who his father is and being forgiven by Albus, Credence start to question his loyalty to Grindelwald.
The leader of the wizarding world gather in Bhutan, where the new Supreme Mugwump is to be elected by the ancient tradition of being found worthy by a Qilin. who bows to those pure of heart.
Out of the three Fantastic Beasts films so far, this one is better than the second one, but not as good as the first one. It has the magic of the wizarding world Potter fans love, but we learn only a little bit about Dumbledore’s secrets and more time is spent on trying to defeat Grindelwald and save the Qilins. We do learn of Albus’s brother Aberforth, Credence being Aberforth’s son, and Albus’s sexuality, which has been speculated since the early stories in the Harry Potter series, but once all that’s revealed, it’s right back to the Grindelwald Show.
Changing Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald from Johnny Depp’s portrayal, was actually a good thing, not just for the deep water he is in right now, but also because Mads puts a less bizarre and more sinister spin on the character, unlike Depp. Johnny Depp will always be a great actor regardless, but Mads fits Rowling’s characteristics of the character far better. Depp is better at weird, but Mikkelsen is better at being frightening.
Some parts of this film are slow, some are disturbing , some are shocking and some are thrilling. There a several laugh out moments and some very heartwarming moments too. The creatures in Newt’s suitcase are both fascinating and adorable, making you say in your head, “I want one” to them all. Newt’s love and knowledge of the creatures is both sweet and captivating. His quirks can be seen as both strange and cute. Some attribute his quirks to having high functioning autism, Asperger’s syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder. J.K. Rowling has stated she created Newt as neurodivergent and Eddie Redmayne has said he thinks Newt has Aspergers, but since the movies take place in the 20’s and 30’s, there was no diagnosis. But ASD or not, his behavioral habits just make him more likable.
This film does tie-in with Harry Potter more than the other two Fantastic Beasts, being it about Dumbledore, but that doesn’t make it any more entertaining than the others. This one is far more slow and too much time is spent on Grindelwald and the Qilin. There is a big chunk of time spent on Dumbledore, but it takes a while before you learn his secrets. Still, not a completely boring film, just not as attention grabbing as the other two or any of the Harry Potter movies. With a run time just over two hours, it seemed this one was crammed with too many characters, too much plot and not enough magic.
This film is supposed to be about Dumbledore and though, a good percentage of it is, the rest seems to be more about rigging Grindelwald’s election and the rare creatures. Still the movie does have some very cute and hilarious scenes that make this one enjoyable, but not nearly as entertaining as its predecessors.
Some of the scenes seemed rushed, others seem too slow, but much of the movie doesn’t seem to flow. Many times the film jumps from one setting to another, never spending enough time in any place, making the story a bit confusing. The acting is superb, as well as the costuming, music and scenery, just like the other two, but at least those had more action and less jumping around. This is still a powerful, fantasy filled film that Potter fans will likely enjoy regardless. BTW: Dumbledore’s gay! 17+ 3/5
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a 2018 fantasy film directed by David Yates and written by J.K. Rowling. It is the second installment in the Fantastic Beasts series, and the tenth overall in the Wizarding World franchise and is the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). It stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoe Kravitz, Callum Tuner, Claudia Kim, Kevin Guthrie, Jude Law and Johnny Depp. Set in 1927, it follows Newt Scamander and Albus Dumbledore as they try to take down the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald while facing new threats in an even more divided wizarding world.
In 1927, the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA) moves the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald to Europe to stand trial, but he escapes. Three months later, London, Newt Scamander, visits the Ministry of Magic to appeal his international travel ban, and runs into Leta Lestrange, his Hogwarts classmate and the fiance of his older brother Theseus. The Ministry agrees to accept Newt’s request if he helps Theseus find Credence Barebone, who is still alive in Paris, but Newt declines after learning he must work with the cruel bounty hunter Gunnar Grimmson. Albus Dumbledore asks Newt to track down Credence, believing that he is Leta’s long-lost half-brother, Corvus Lestrange V.
Newt is visited by American friends Queenie Goldstein and Jacob Kowalkski, a Muggle, who has regained his memories that were erased the previous year. Newt is disappointed to learn that Queenie’s sister Tina Goldstein is seeing someone after mistakenly believing Newt and Leta were engaged. After Newts lifts the spell, Jacob refuses to marry Queenie, fearing the consequences she would face. Queenie leaves to find Tina, who is looking for Tina in Paris, followed by Newt and Jacob.
In Paris Credence escapes the Circus Arcanus with captive entertainer Nagini, a Maledictus cursed to turn into a snake permanently. Searching for Credence’s birth mother, the find half-elf servant Irma Dugard, who brought him to America for adoption. Grimmson revealed to be a follower of Grindelwald, kills Irma before she can tell who sent her. Tina meets Yusuf Kama, who is also looking for Credence. Newt and Jacob follow Yusuf to Tina, only to find her being held hostage. Yusuf imprisons them, telling them that he made an Unbreakable Vow to kill his half-brother, whom he believes is Credence. Unable to find Tina, an upset Queenie is brought to Grindelwald; knowing her abilities, he lets her leave while brainwashing her into joining him through her desire to marry Jacob.
Newt and Tina invade the Ministry of Magic for documents to confirm Credence’s identity, but are found by Leta and Theseus. Tina and Newt make up after he explains that he was never engaged to Leta. Their search leads them to the Lestrange family tomb, where they find Yusuf confronting Credence and Nagini. Yusuf reveals that he is carrying out his father Mustafa’s wish to seek revenge towards his mother Laurena, who was kidnapped by Corvus Lestrange IV, using the Imperial Curse and died after giving birth to Leta.
The group follow a crowd to a rally for Grindelwald’s followers, where Queenie is attending and Jacob is looking for her. Grindelwald shows a vision of a future global war, and rallies against laws that prohibit them preventing such a tragedy.
This film has the magic that Potter fans enjoy, but the story isn’t nearly as strong as the other ones. The movie has plenty of plot twists, action and fantasy, but feels a lot like one character chasing after another. It is entertaining, but it seems like there is more time spent battling between good and evil than telling the actual story. The special effects, costumes, scenery and music are great. The acting is superb, but the story goes from one thing to the next far too fast, and there isn’t much about the background of the characters. It seems there is more rescuing of other characters than just slowing down and telling of the story.
At times the film seems rushed and some scenes are rather slow, but it is not boring by any means. It is still action packed, filled with thrills, fantasy, superb acting and a fantastic storyline. There are humorous, romantic, shocking and heartwarming scenes as well. Is it as good as the first Fantastic Beasts film or any in the Harry Potter series? No, but it’s not terrible. Perhaps if this movie relied less on its bizarre and wonderful creatures and more on giving audiences the feeling of being transported, it would have been a nearly perfect motion picture like its predecessors.
You have many of the same beloved and hated characters from the first Fantastic Beasts film, but they don’t really change much it seems in this one. Newt is still a smart, quirky magizoologist, Jacob is still in love with Queenie and Grindelwald is still the second of the “Most Dangerous Wizards of All Time.”
All the special effects, action and period costuming and scenery, doesn’t make this film outstanding, but wildly entertaining it still is. 13+ 3.5/5
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2016 fantasy film directed by David Yates and written by J.K. Rowling. It is the first installment in the Fantastic Beasts film series and the ninth overall in the Wizarding World franchise, being a spin-off and prequel to the Harry Potter film series, inspired by the 2001 book of the same name by Rowling. The film stars Eddie Redmanyne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Ron Perlman, Colin Ferrell and Jude Law.
In 1926, British wizard and “magizoologist” Newton “Newt” Scamander lands in New York City. He notices Mary Lou Barebone, the non-magical (“No-Maj” or “Muggle”) head of the New Salem Philanthropic Society, preaching that witches and wizards are real and dangerous. Striving to retrieve a Niffler that escaped from his suitcase of magical creatures, Newt meets No-Maj Jacob Kowalski, an aspirant baker, and they unknowingly swap suitcases. Porpetina “Tina” Goldstein, a demoted Auror of the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA), arrests Newt for breaking magical law. Since the suitcase he has only has Jacob’s baked goods, Newt is released. At home, Jacob opens Newt’s suitcase, freeing several creatures into the city.
After Tina and Newt find Jacob and the suitcase, Tina takes them to her apartment and introduces them to Queenie, her Legillmens sister. Jacob and Queenie are both attracted to each other, though American wizards are forbidden to have any contact with No-Majs. Newt takes Jacob inside his suitcase, magically enlarged to keep various creatures.
After they retrieve two of the three escaped beasts, Tina returns the suitcase to the MACUSA, but they are arrested, as officials believe one of Newt’s creatures is responsible for killing Senator Henry Shaw Jr., who actually attacked by a different Obscurus. The Director of Magical Security, Percival Graves, accuses Newt of conspiring with the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, and decides to to demolish Newt’s suicase and obliviate Jacob’s recent memories. Newt and Tina are sentenced to death. Queenie senses this, rescues Jacob before his memory is taken and, then helps Newt and Tina escape and retrieve Newt’s suitcase. Advice from Tina’s goblin informant Gnarlack leads the four to getting the last of the escaped creatures.
Graves comes to Credence, Mary Lou’s adult adopted son, and offers to free him from his abusive mother in exchange for helping find the Obscurus causing destruction to the city. Credence finds a wand under his adopted sister Modesty’s bed, which Mary Lou assumes is his; when Credence is about to be punished, the Obscurus kills Mary Lou and her oldest daughter Chasity.
Newt finds Credence hiding in a subway tunnel, but is attacked by Graves. Tina who had tried to protect Credence from Mary Lou, tried to calm him, while Graves tried to convince Credence to listen to him. As Credence returns to human form, MACUSA President Seraphina Picquery and the Aurors counterattack, killing the Obscurus. However, not seen by anyone but Newt, a single piece of the creature flees the scene. Graves admits he planned to unleash the Obscurus to expose the magical community to the No-Majs and to frame Newt for the incident.
This movie is filled with superb special effects, fantastic costumes, makeup and scenery, perfect music and outstanding acting. It has the feel of a Potter film, though it is a sequel or prequel to the HP series. Some of the characters like Newt, Jacob, Queenie and Dumbledore are very likeable and others, of course, or not. Jacob is the funny, naive, No-Maj, Queenie is the sweet Auror, Newt is the awkward creature lover with a big heart and Dumbledore is the Hogwarts headmaster who is always willing to help others. Other characters like the abusive mother Mary Lou Barebone and Gellert Grindelwald are evil are meant of course, to be unliked.
This film has drama, thrills, romance, fantasy and heart. It goes from dark to light throughout the movie, so you find yourself going from “aww…” to “Oh no!” Not once is the film predictable or boring. It is pretty intense for a PG-13 rating. The film not only has darkness but also funny little parts here and there that make it much more entertaining than if it were just all sinister.
Rowling knows how to capture light, dark, humor and heart in all her stories, making her the best fantasy writer since J.R.R. Tolkien. Her stories are so captivating, you don’t want them to end and you keep going back to them time after time.
This film is the perfect distraction from the negativities of today’s real world. It takes you on journeys to other worlds, scary ones, fun ones, but equally fascinating. The film may not be quite as good as any in the Harry Potter series, but it is still wildly entertaining and deserving every award it wins.
The main character Newt Scamander is an odd one. His mannerisms, or quirks, make him weird, unique, special and overall, lovable. Newt seems to have characteristics of high functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome, though Rowling has yet to comment on that, Redmayne who plays Newt seems to think that Newt has Asperger’s, but being that the films take place in the 1920’s and 1930’s, there was no diagnosis, but the resemblance of the character to a person with ASD is pretty uncanny and it is nice to see characters that those kind of people can relate to.
Overall, a thrilling and heartwarming film that both fantasy and Potter fans will enjoy. It has every element of a great fantasy film. 13+ 4.5/5
The Lost City is a 2022 American action-adventure film directed by The Nee Brothers and starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Brad Pitt.
Loretta Sage is a moody middle-aged author who writes romance-adventure novels centered around a fictional hero named Dash McMahon, who is played by cover model Alan Caprison. Her publisher, Beth, insists that she must go on a book tour with Alan as an effort to soften Loretta of her secludedness.
After a messy start, mostly because of the popularity of Alan’s Dash image, Loretta is met by the outlandish billionaire Abigail Fairfax. Fairfax realizes that Loretta has based her books on actual historic research she did with her dead archaeologist husband. Fairfax has found a lost city on a remote island and is convinced that this is the location of ‘The Crown of Fire,’ a priceless treasure. When Loretta refuses to help decode an ancient map to the treasure, Fairfax who is scared the location will be destroyed by an an active valcano, kidnaps Loretta and takes her to the island. Alan, who is secretly crushing on Loretta, witnesses her kidnapping. He gets Jack Trainer, an ex-Navy SEAL turned CIA operative, to meet him at the island and map out a rescue mission. Beth finds out about Loretta’s abduction and also goes to the island to try to save her.
This is not just an action-adventure film, it is also a screwball romantic-comedy film. It doesn’t shine like so many classic treasure hunting or comedy movies, but the cast makes it very entertaining. Not once is this film boring. Lots of the humor is cheesy and awkward, but that just makes this movie more enjoyable. You find yourself laughing out loud at many times throughout the production.
You have an all-star cast, but this is far from their best work, which is probably one of the points of the movie and that does make it more humorous. It does prove that they are versatile actors and can do both serious and comedic roles. The acting is great. The storyline is beyond silly, but that’s the main point of the film. The soundtrack is perfect, except for Pat Benatar’s “Shadows of the Night,” which is about questioning how strong a relationship is, but some people don’t care about song meanings. The scenery of the Domenican Republic is absoutely breathtaking.
Some scenes can be hard to hard to watch for those with claustrophobia and there is a bit of violence and foul language, but nothing over the top. The plot of of this film is a lot like Romancing the Stone, but worse, in fact, it’s more like a parody of the movie. It won’t be winning any awards Lost City, but it is wildly entertaining. It’s not a movie that I was dying to see, but it is worth a watch for the cast, humor and scenery.
Overall, a very funny movie and I like the story with a story type plot. The film could’ve been less cheesy and awkward and less time could’ve been spent on trying to decipher the map’s code. In general, this is a very enjoyable film. It’s not awful, but far from being fantastic. It’s a good movie to see on a date or with friends. Would I watch it again? Probably not, unless it came on TV and there was nothing else on. 13+ 3.5/5
Gigi is a 1958 musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minelli and is based on the 1944 novella of the same name by Colette. At the 31st Academy Awards, the film won all nine of it’s nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Minnelli. It stars Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gringold, Evan Gabor, Isabel Jeans and John Abbott.
The film is set during the Belle Epoch at the turn of the 20th century. While in Bois de Boulogne, Honore Lachaille comments that in Paris, marriage is the main option for wealthy young bon vivants like his nephew Gaston, who is bored with his life. Gaston does enjoy spending time with Madame Alvarez and her granddaughter, the happy-go-lucky Gilberte, lovingly known as Gigi. Gigi’s mother (a singer who is heard but not at all seen) leaves her in the care of Madame Alvarez.
Following the traditions of their family, Madame Alvarez sends Gigi to her sister Alicia (Gigi’s great aunt) to be coached to be a courtesan, which is a fancy term for a wealthy man’s mistress. She learns proper etiquette and charm, but Gigi rejects the petty love between a man and his mistress. She prefers having fun with Gaston, who she sees as na older brother.
Like his uncle, Gaston is known as a rich womanizer in Parisian high society. When his current mistress has an affair, he publicly embarrasses her, resulting her fake suicide attempt. He decides to move to the country, but his uncle insists that he stay in Paris and go to more parties.
When Gaston goes to Monte Carlo, great aunt Alicia and Madame Alvarez plot to turn Gigi into Gaston’s mistress. Gigi accepts it as being predetermined. When Gaston returns, he is perturbed when Gigi shows off her new ladylike gown. He citicizes her dress, prefferring her childish fashions; she makes fun of his taste in clothes. Insulted, Gaston leaves, then swiftly realizes his foolishness and returns to apologize. He offers to take Gigi to tea on the Reservoir, but Madame Alvarez interrupts saying that seeing Gigi with him in public could ruin her reputation.
Angry, he leaves again. He walks around and thinks about Gigi, realizing that he has developed romantic feelings for her. Although he is hesitant because of her young age, he realizes that he is in love with her. He wishes to be near her- a behavior unheard of between a man and his mistress.
Although this film takes place is 1900 in Paris where it was common at that time for teenage girls to be groomed to be mistresses and brides to older, somtimes MUCH older men, it is still very creepy. If this sort of thing happened today, it would not only be considered immoral, but it would be illegal in many countries. The song that Hornore Lachaille sings in the begining of the film, “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” sounds like the pedophile’s anthom, especially the way he walks around smiling, chuckling and tipping his hat at girls. Also in the scene, he talks about charming girls and how they become even more charming when they become ladies. The song also is creepy for the line “Without them, what would little boys do?”
This movie glosses over the fact that she is being coached into being courtesan, much like Break at Tiffany’s glosses over the fact that Holly Golightly is a escort. Despite this, it is still both charming and creepy. Gigi is a lovely girl of just sixteen and far too young to be a doxy. She is a typical teenage girl and not a super girly one, until her grandmother and great aunt change that and make her ready for the arms of a man. Yes, she is beautiful and delightful, but that shouldn’t have meant she was ready for courting or marrying a much older man, a boy in her age range is much more appropriate. But you have to realize that times were different then in France and females had little rights.
This film resembles My Fair Lady, so the story is not very original. Despite that, the acting superb from all the main cast. The costumes are spectacular. The songs, all good, except for the theme song “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” although you can tell a few stars are lip syncing.
Overall, a well done film. With the unoriginal story and uncomfortableness, this movie did not deserve Best Picture or even Best Director. The entire film is about turning a sixteen year old girl into a rich man’s mistress and for what reason other than reputation for both? I can’t believe such a movie with this subject matter was so appraised and won so many awards. It is one of the creepiest Oscar Best Picture and Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners ever. The loveliness doesn’t take away the awkwardness, but does make it somewhat enjoyble to watch. 13+ 2.5/5
Deep Water is a 2022 erotic psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne, based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. The film stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, with Tracy letts, Lil Rel Howery, Dash Mihok , Finn Wittrock, Kristen Connolly, Jacob Elordi, and Rachel Blanchard. It marks Lyne’s return to filmmaking after a 20-year hiatus since his last film Unfaithful (2002). It is Disney’s first erotic film in 28 years since Color of Night (not counting any from Miramax Films before 2010, nor those recieved from 20th Century Fox catalog0 and is Hasbro’s first erotic film after the acquisition of Entertainment One in 2019.
Vic and Melinda Van Allen are a couple with a daughter living in the small town of Wesley, Louisiana. Their loveless marriage is bonded together only by a dangerous arrangement whereby, in order to avoid the mess of getting divorced, Melinda is alloed to have any amount of lovers as long as she does not abandon her family. Vic tells her one of her lovers that he murdered is her previous boyfriend. The story goes around their social group, causing the lover to move away raising questions as to the truth of the story. Melinda;s next lover is drowns at a party they are attending; and the next boyfriend, Tony is killed by Vic who throws the body in a creek.
Viewers, after watching the trailer for this film, may think Deep Water is worth a plunge, but this film is far from being great and is definitely not Adrian Lyne’s best work. His return to filmmaking, makes film lovers excited, but after watching this movie, he should probably just go back to not working in the film industry, as this film is quite a disappointment and focuses far too much on Melinda’s multiple affairs and Vic’s murdering and doesn’t go into much detail about why that happens, how it started, how they met, etc, unlike Patricia Highsmith’s book, which is the source material.
The film continually makes you angry at both of the main characters, particurally Melinda, who many times in the movie, cheats on her husband, right in front of him. The woman is a major adultress and only her husband and her lovers know this, she hides it from their daughter and friends. Eventually, their friends find out about her promiscuous ways and their daughter believes that her dad drowned her mom’s friend at the party.
This film is far from realistic, because a normal husband would’ve divorced her after the first or second affair. There is also a lot of sex (of course), drinking, violence and foul language. The acting is supreb from both Affleck and de Armas and the sound is great as well. But the film is far too dark, sexual and disturbing to be remotely entertaining or even a little bit enjoyable. I don’t mind sensual films, but this one took it too far, making me so angry, I wanted to take a baseball bat to my TV.
I wanted to enjoy this movie, but I did not at all. It was too dirty, too violent, too discomforting and too slow. I don’t understand how such a film like this ever got greenlit. Don’t waste your time with this movie. Adults only. 2.5/5