After Ever Happy

 

After Ever Happy is the fourth film in the After franchise. It picks up right after the bombshell that ended After We Fell. It follows Tessa and Hardin as they deal with shocking revelations from their families that threaten to end their relationship once and for all.

The After franchise is a bit of a torturous, vicious cycle. Every movie focuses on the same themes around falling back into unhealthy relationships and trying to fix someone else vs them fixing themselves. The script was corny and was frustrating at times. The romanticizing of this unhealthy relationship is still front and center.

Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin have reprised their roles once again as Tessa Young and Hardin Scott. Their chemistry is infectious so I see why so many movies are made, even if the plots and the scripts are never very good. I still think that Josephine is the star, her role as Tessa is always so good. She gives so much range, she tries hard to evolve and be independent. Hero on the other hand as Hardin is still moody, destructive and annoying but I finally feel like this might be the last time I describe him this way, as I’m starting to see a lot more effort into the evolution of his character. They are only a handful of people who have made it through all four movies without a recast. Seven characters have had a change since the original. Even though the current cast is the same as After We Fell I still had to Google people to remember who they were. The new Carol Young played by Mira Sorvino is not my favorite. This is her second film and she just doesn’t have the maternal instinct or likeability that Selma Blair brought in the first two movies. The new Landon Gibson played by Chance Perdomo is just as good as Shane Paul McGhie so this recasting wasn’t as much of a shock. I’m getting more used to Stephen Moyer’s British accent since he was originally cast as an American when Charlie Weber played the part. The change was an odd one but it does fit the script a bit better now since Hero is also British.

Something that keeps me coming back to these coming of age romantic dramas is the catchy soundtracks. They do a great job of intertwining the best songs throughout.

With every film viewership has plummeted but there apparently are just enough fans to keep the party going. I was hoping this would be the final movie, but there has been a fifth movie greenlit. I have put so many hours into watching these films I feel obligated to finish it out. I am certain they will not get better but I am going to continue to subject myself to the torture, just like Tessa, in hopes that it gets better.

Don’t Worry Darling

 

Don't Worry Darling is a psychological thriller set in a 1950s world that is too good to be true. This is Olivia Wilde’s sophomore directorial debut, starring herself, Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine. The story follows Pugh, a housewife, who begins to suspect that not everything is at it seems in her town, built by the company her husband works for.

The choices in cinematography was interesting. At first it seems convoluted but after the villains are unmasked it becomes clearer. The sets, cars, costumes and hair were perfect for the 1950s, they were chic and beautiful pieces that really help to transport you to the era.

There has been criticism that the film is more “style over substance”. I could see a bit of that. The plot was a little too long winded with some holes that could have easily been filled. About an hour and a half in I started checking how much time was left. I could see the Stepford Wives and Black Swan inspiration in the filming technique and story. 

I liked the diversity in the casting but there was a lack of character development. Even with the lack of backstory Florence Pugh and Chris Pine had the best performances. Pugh was the star, she gave a wide range of emotions, and you felt her fear. I don’t normally see Chris Pine in an antagonist role so that was refreshing. He was cunning and manipulative. I also didn’t mind Harry Styles, though some said his performance was lackluster I thought he did just the right amount.

Don’t Worry Darling isn’t a movie that I would watch again but I didn’t feel like it was a waste of time. Even though this was an unoriginal idea, I still liked how everything played out. I didn’t find it has horrible as others have criticized it to be. There were great themes around control, gaslighting, and what perfection looks like. I also thought that the twist at the end was pretty good.

Bullet Train

Bullet Train is an action comedy that follows assassins as they board a train not knowing they all have a similar mission and story in common.

The plot for this movie didn’t really excite me when I watched the previews. It wasn’t quite clear what the intent was. So I was pleasantly surprised that the film kept my attention throughout. There were a lot of moving parts but the writers did a good job connecting everything in the end. It kept me on my toes with the good twists throughout.

The action sequences were creative but the stunts were unrealistic at times.

Regarding casting, Brad Pitt was entertaining as always; he did well leading this ensemble cast. Joey King was an unexpected but a surprisingly enjoyable addition. I'm more used to her in coming of age romantic dramas so it was nice to see her stretch a bit outside of that genera. I've seen Brian Tyree Henry in a couple of dramas but this was the first time I really saw him. He was one of the more interesting characters and even brought some of the comedy to the film. I was also quite impressed with his English accent. Overall, I appreciated the diverse casting but there lacked some necessary character development for me to fully care about any of the characters.

In the end the movie was okay. It wouldn’t have been one I would have wanted to see in theatres but it was okay to watch on a plane ride.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the sequel to 2018s Black Panther. Directed by Ryan Coogler, and bringing back stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett. In the film, the leaders of Wakanda fight to protect their country from underwater powers while mourning the death of their King T'Challa.

Black Panther always does a great job of bringing unique cultures to the forefront. Visually the sequel was no different. The costumes, hair and makeup for the Wakandans and the Atlanteans were beautiful and full of unique cultural touches. As with every Marvel movie the action sequences and CGI were also superb.

This movie did a great job focusing on the power of women. With women in the lead roles, proving they don’t need a male savior was impactful. There were great themes around Black women in STEM, what it looks like when marginalized communities are pitted against each other vs working together, and how grief can be all consuming if you don't channel it properly. The stories pace however, was a little too slow moving for the first hour. There was too much build up and not enough drive of the plot for me.

I liked that they brought a lot of the original cast back. Obviously there was a large gaping hole with Chadwick having passed away in 2020 but they did try to fill it with more Winston Duke and Danai Gurira. I like both of their characters and thought that they did a great job with their leadership, likeability and comedic timing. The anti-hearo Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, was very similar to Killmonger in his backstory, so I felt that was a little bit lazy, but I did still enjoy the complexity and intelligence of his character. I also appreciated that Ryan Coogler casted a wide range of Afro-Latinos, as the Atlanteans giving shine to a group of people who often are not seen respectfully on film.

Compared to the original, I wasn’t as impressed with the soundtrack. It didn't give me the same excitement and the songs were not as memorable. Regarding the story itself, it obviously had a more serious tone so it could not provide the light hearted comedic genius that the original had. And the missing some of the key pieces that made the first one so special was also an impossible feat. Overall this was a valiant and heartfelt effort at paying tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman but not quite the life altering impact that the original gave me.

Love in the Villa

 

Love in the Villa is a Netflix distributed romantic comedy starring Kat Graham and Tom Hopper. It follows Julie Hutton, a newly single woman who takes a solo trip to Verona, Italy, after her boyfriend dumps her. When she arrives she discovers that her villa has been double-booked, and she'll have to share her love nest with a cynical British man.

I appreciated the themes around letting go of structure, living in the moment and enjoying oneself but the plot was predictable and also unrealistic. Some of the actions taken by Julie in the plot were also rather extreme and unbelievable.

I did like that they actually filmed in Italy. You really get a feel for the history and beauty of the architecture and landscapes. 

The costumes in the film, especially the ones worn by Graham’s character Julie, were fashion forward, chic and classy. Overall, Graham did a great job in this leading role. Her character Julie was likeable, optimistic, and quirky. I was looking forward to seeing Tom Hopper in this movie. His role as Billy Bones in Black Sails was really great but unfortunately he was not the right fit for the role of Charlie Fletcher. He was corny and his feelings weren’t genuine. The chemistry between him and Julie was lacking and awkward at times. There was also a lack of character development  for the majority of the cast, so I wasn't fully invested.

Love in the Villa did have its moments but in the end, it was a typical unoriginal, straight to video rom-com that Netflix is known for. 

Black Adam

 

Black Adam is a superhero action drama starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan and Noah Centineo. It is the story of an Egyptian man who was enslaved and after being gifted God-like powers, was imprisoned for 5,000 years. Upon his release he must decide how he will impose justice in this new modern version of what used to be his home.

The plot had potential but I struggled to feel engaged with the story to the point where I almost fell asleep at the end. There were parts that were predicable, including the villain, which was unfortunate. Even though this movie was full of action and had well put together CGI, the script was corny and when they tried to be funny it didn’t hit.

I appreciated the diversity of casting however, all of the characters lacked the necessary development for me to care and on top of that they were carbon copies of Marvel characters. I had an issue with the Rock playing the anti-hero Black Adam, an Egyptian. I feel like casting dropped the ball with not finding someone Egyptian or at the very least, Middle Eastern or North African, to play this role. I also felt that his acting was very one dimensional and I didn’t feel invested in his character. I was surprised to see an actor as respected as Pierce Brosnan in this film. He played Dr. Fate and I thought he did well in the role. He was likeable and played someone who was esteemed and knowledgeable. Aldis Hodge is a fantastic and seasoned actor as well. I thought he did a good job with the script that he had, unfortunately, his character, Hawkman, wasn’t very unique. It was extremely similar in personality and costume of Falcon from the Marvel comics. Quintessa Swindell also did well in her role. She was confident and brought a good amount of athleticism to the hero, but like everyone else played a character, Cyclone, which was too similar to Storm from the Marvel comics. Noah Centineo’s character wasn’t very well developed. Atom Smasher was basically a young, inexperienced Ant-Man from the Marvel comics.

Overall Black Adam wasn’t very good. It lacked the necessary execution and polish that its competitor, Marvel, has done well with for almost every movie they put out. This film is not one that I would watch again and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else waste their time either.