Clouds of Sils Maria

The most misleading trailer in a long time. How many people went to see an affair between the two characters, as the trailer suggested? What we got instead, was reading lines. The only snippets of what we came for, were: the main character deciding to take on the role, after google-ing what her young co-star looks like, and words ‘I’m too vulnerable to do this’, which may be the definition of being afraid of falling for someone. Nevertheless, the film perfectly shows the work of an assistant. Not superficially like other films tend to. I was going to throw The Devil Wears Prada for an example, but I’m backing out, as this is personal assisting, not being a regular assistant at an office. The scenery was dazzling, all the scenes in the mountains were breathtaking. Juliette speaking French in front of Kristen was one of my personal favourite scenes. Despite the unsatisfying resolution of the film, the final scene itself was suiting. Kristen’s role will not beat her performance in Speak, but the again, nothing will.

7/10

Clockwatchers

Speaking of assistants, now a story of four office ladies. We all know what it is like to wait for that clock to finally reach a certain number. It just happens I have an office job, where I sit twelve hours a day, so I am familliar with staring at the clock. The characters, one drinks at work, one is a bulimic actress wanna-be, one makes personal phone calls, and the lead scripes it all down in her notebook. The story centers around a case of missing possessions of co-workers. It gets to a point where the girls’ desks are searched, and since the girls are the only temps at the office, they are the ones everyone suspects. The girls the temps suspect does turn out to be the cleptomaniac. One of a few highlights of the film, the lovely ending, when the main character tricks her boss into writing a recommendation letter for a friend, who’s just been let go off.

7/10

Manglehorn

The script is a mess, many scenes are superlous, everything in the bar with hip hop music, and the massage studio, the son plot felt redundant, two black people singing for no good reason, like we the producers confused the genres, and wanted to make it a musical, but then forgot about the scene and left it in the script. The cat’s surgery and the cat itself did not bring anything to the film. One single metaphor at the very end, when Manglehorn opens the car with an imaginary key. Why is the pseudo son guides the main character to the whorehouse. The accident, that is without a doubt the most interesting and well shot scene is very out of place and does not fit into the plot in any way. How often does an accident happen between a whole traffic jam? The writer and director, again, thought that would be a nice scene, let’s put it in. If all these haven’t scared you off, Holly Hunter’s character asks Al if he wants to take a bath with her after a very awkward first date, emphasais on word ‘date’, not sleepover. Points for the beehive under the mailbox, bring both easthetic and intriguing value to the picture. At least the way the character deals with loss is on point. Anyone else can see themselves being obsessed with someone to the point they hold on to them for years? If you have every been in a relationship in which you idolised your significant other, and kept idolising them after the break up? Then you get it. What else was relatable and made sense was Manglehorn comparing his son to everyone, like many parents tend to do. I have spent most time after seeing the film analising the accident I mentioned above. First of, the cars hit into a watermelon truck, then very importantly, the main character is carrying his soon to be sick cat, and that’s the only hint we get that would mean something. It symbolises fragility of life, and a prediction of the cat’s life and the future of Manglegorn’s son’s company. There is also an earthquake that does not bring anything except for a key to drop from the cabinet. If you sometimes try to find answers on imdb (I know it’s not just me, stop lying), the comments perfectly summed the film up. One and only, unpopular opinion said ‘I love the way it’s structered’, which got zero response. Another one says ‘What’s the rap song from the bar called?’ and if that does not encapsulates the film, nothing will do it better. I know, you think Al Pacino and Holly Hunter, it has to be good, it’s not trust me, I’ve made the same mistake. If only life gave you an imaginary key, so you could let go of whatever that’s holding you back, and find the answers you so desperately need in the process.

‘I am losing hope in tomorrow, it hurts.

4/10

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion

I absolutely adore reunion films. I bet I’m gonna be one of those people who get broken up with just a few weeks before the reunion and will have to show up by myself, my accomplishments will not add up and I’m gonna end up making something up and I’m gonna be one of those losers, oh well, right? Hasn’t this film thought me anything? Romy and Michele made up they invented post its, they pretended they were buisnesswomen, and the one guy who was the biggest loser ends up rich and they all perform one of the weirdest and most awkward (not for them) dances ever caught on film. Romy and Michele are these two Legally Blondes who in comparison to Elle Woods, don’t accomplish anything (but they do in the end). The film is light, and unrealistic to some point, but that’s how we like them.

4/10