Here is the last of six articles featuring movie reviews. Overall, 2021 was a tough year for movies, and going forward, the AMPAS, dominated by Leftists, is doomed.
Don’t Look Up — with five Oscar winners, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, and Mark Ryland, you would think that this satire would be a gem, but you’d be wrong. Satire works when it’s on the mark and somewhat subtle. Don’t Look Up is poorly written, with blatantly exaggerated roles, while stealing visual themes from Fail Safe, Doctor Strangelove, and Contact.
Mark Ryland as the weak voiced, mealy-mouth, billionaire, techno-twit steals the show. Meryl Streep overplays the self-serving, master-manipulator U.S. president, veinly impling that the past president was anti-science. With the current administration’s ending of covid restrictions based on politics, however, not science, the political swipe boomerrangs. I suppose you have to see this movie as a cultural ticket to punch, but it will soon fade from memory.
The 355 — starring Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, and Penélope Cruz is nearly a complete miss: An international crew of female spies, who can easily beat brawny men in any hand-to-hand combat, take it upon themselves to save the world with the clock ticking. Unfortunately, the quips aren’t that clever, one disjointed scene follows after another, and the parts don’t add up. You’ve been here before.
The Lost Daughter — with Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson, is a disappointment. Despite Colman’s yeoman effort in her role as a college professor on vacation, the story line itself, based on the novel of the same name, is sorely lacking. The character portrayals surrounding Colman do not ring true, and some of the action is herky-jerky and out of sync. The ending is an ambiguous let down. Skip this.
Red Rocket — Can you stand watching degenerates for two+ hours? I couldn’t. The movie is another in long line of plots about self-absorbed, self-glorifying, motor-mouthed con artists who skip through life on their looks or fleeting charms. Ignore the high ratings on RottenTomatos.
Nightmare Alley — How can a movie with Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Ron Perlman, Toni Collette, Mary Steenburgen, Willem Dafoe, David Strathairn, and Richard Jenkins not hit the mark? As a remake of the 1947 film noir, it’s not a bad flick, but it is too long, too slow, and in serious need of film editing. Watch it if you’re a big fan of Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, or Cate Blanchett. Otherwise, go elsewhere.
