Tag: EmmaStone

Kinds of Kindness

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

In Kinds of Kindness, three different stories are played out on screen. The first features a man who tries to make his own choices after having his whole life mapped out for him, the second follows a cop who can’t help but wonder if that is really his wife who has returned after being lost at sea and the third is about a woman who is in search of someone with a special ability.

Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his strange and unusual movies. After watching and loving Poor Things earlier this year, I was looking forward to seeing what he was going to do next. Unfortunately his newest venture didn’t quite hit the same marks that his predecessor did. One day later I’m still scratching my head over what it was that I watched.

What I did like was seeing some familiar faces in the film. Emma Stone, Jesse Plemmons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Hunter Schafer, Mamoudou Athie and Joe Alwyn are the key players here. They each take on a different character throughout the three stories. I thought the performances were well done which is unsurprising with a cast of this calibre. That didn’t mean that any of them were particularly likeable, nor did I want to see any of them succeed.

That’s about where the enjoyment ended for me. As time ticked by (and it did so slowly), I became more confused. There was no correlation between the fables that I could detect and I couldn’t help but wonder what the point was. I think I would have appreciated it more otherwise. Also, it was as if each story just got more strange and convoluted. I like to think I’m open minded, but some of the scenes that unfolded before me have been etched into my mind and not in a good way! It’s like Lanthimos just did it for shock value and not because it added anything to the plot.

Overall, Kinds of Kindness is one of those films that will certainly divide audiences. I wanted to like it so much, but I think it just went way over my head. At least the cast were great and the cinematography worked so there were some silver linings.

Rating: ♥️♥️.5

Poor Things

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In this Frankenstein like tale, we follow Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman who has been brought back to life by scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Yearning to learn more about the world and her purpose in it, Bella sets off on an adventure with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo).

I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like this before. Right from the very beginning, I knew I was about to be whisked away on the ride of my life. I just didn’t know how wild this ride was going to be. Let me tell you though, I loved every single second of it.

I am not familiar with Yargos Lanthimos’s previous works, but now I am curious to discover more. Everything was loud, bold and colorful. The sets were stunning to look at, from the psychedelic skies to the different title cards that separated each section of the film. The mixture of black and white with some fish lens scenes thrown in, I felt like I was watching a Dali or Picasso work of art.

The cast gave career best performances all around. The character of Bella was no easy feat to tackle, but Stone took it in stride. I’ve seen her in various roles in the past though nothing has come close to this. I really believe that she can snag her second Oscar as a result! This was one of Ruffalo’s best roles to date as well; I think I laughed the most whenever he was on screen. Dafoe helped hold it all together. I found his portrayal of the scientist to be somewhat poetic.

What I liked the most about Poor Things is the fact that while it was completely out there, there was a moral to the story. The evolution that Bella goes on is one that I really enjoyed watching unfold. She starts off, essentially, as a child who grows into a self assured and worldly woman. It was pretty empowering! It’s a peculiar film that may not be everyone’s cup of tea due to its extreme graphic scenes, but it is one that has certainly left an impression on me.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Cruella

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Estella (Emma Stone) has always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. A grifter, she meets Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) and the three of them build a life for themselves on the streets of London. When Estella lands a job working for Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), she believes that she has finally made it. Unfortunately for her, the Baroness is not who Estella was hoping she would be and desire to rivel the Baroness grows. Before she knows it, Estella is no more and Cruella has taken her place.

The newest addition to Disney’s live action remakes, Cruella has been taking the world by storm. A lot of build up and anticipation for fans of the original classic, I have to say that this was a solid movie at the end of the day. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely is one of the better films Disney has put out lately.

One of the things that worked best was the cast. They were all phenomenal and that says a lot because I wasn’t sure what to think of Emma Stone at first. I love her, but the idea of her as Cruella didn’t seem to fit. She proved me wrong though and I am so happy about that. Emma Thompson is a queen and she was fabulous in this. Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry were exactly how I pictured Horace and Jasper to be and the additions of Mark Strong as John, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Anita and Kayvan Novak as Roger were also well done.

I cannot get over the beautiful costumes that were created for this movie. Heavily influenced by punk rock, it was different and edgy. I coveted all the looks! I also appreciated the music choices and thought that they fit well into the various scenes.

The only thing that I didn’t like was the length of the film. It felt too long and could have certainly been cut down a bit, especially in the beginning. The story took some time to really lift off though I have to admit that once it did, it didn’t let up for a second.

Cruella was a movie that I had been looking forward to ever since it was announced. I remember loving 101 Dalmatians as a child and so I was excited to see the origin story for its villain. I’m really glad that it delivered. It kept me thoroughly entertained and yes, I am hoping for a sequel.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥