Feeling a little heartbroken? Fear not, for I have the cure that ails you: movies asking if love is truly worth it.
Companion
MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS!!! What if Ex Machina was focused on the dating scene in 2025. Then you would get Companion; a film about Iris, a girl who goes with her boyfriend to a weekend getaway. After an accident occurs, Iris learns she’s not human, but a companion robot and her boyfriend plans to pin the murder on her. It might seem like I gave away the whole movie, but much of this premise is established in the first twenty minutes. As someone who values their own peace and freedom over companionship, Iris’s struggles were a staunch reminder of how often people just use each other within dating culture. The movie is definitely holding a mirror up to the almost transactional nature that is dating; it certainly reaffirmed my commitment to focus on my own personal goals. If you have started to hate the dating apps on your phones, then Companion is a film for you.
Parasite (2019)
I am often asked, Doomsayer, what separates a good story from a bad one. While there are certainly many factors at play, I feel the one of the best ways to judge a story is asking if the film is able to show its message rather than tell it. Take Parasite as an example. The film never waxes poetically about Marxist theory, instead it depicts it through scenes. From the Kim family wrestling control of the Park house bunker away from the previous housekeeper to the Park family becoming visibly disgusted by the Kim family’s smell after their sewage floods their basement, we begin to see the divide between the haves and have-nots. Parasite excels because it shows class divide rather than lectures you about it.
MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS, I must confess. As I walked out of the theater, I was mildly disappointed with Parasite. NOT THROUGH ANY FAULT OF THE FILM; I must make that clear. As you can imagine, Parasite has been on my radar for nearly six years, and over those years, I did my best to avoid any discussion surrounding the film, so I could go in blind. Unfortunately, my imagination began to run wild, and I assume the film would have some supernatural elements involved. To my disappointment, I found the film to be more of a psychological thriller in the vain of Fincher’s Se7en and Fight Club, when I had my sights aligned for Poltergeist. There are two things you should take away from this soapbox rant: one, having your expectations aligned for a film is important, and two, everyone should see Parasite.
Heart Eyes
If someone captured Ghostface and made him watch nothing but romcoms, you would create Heart Eyes. PICTURE THIS, MY LOYAL FANS. The movie opens with the most obnoxious couple trying to get photos of their proposal. The woman is berating her future fiancée, claiming that the proposal needs to be “Instagram worthy.” The future fiancé, a typical finance bro, yells at the cameraman because he has to take out his frustration on someone. Just as the next attempt at the photos is about to take place, the cameraman is killed by a masked figure. The killer chases the couple through the winery and is able to dispose of them before the opening title scene. Heart Eyes is Scream mixed with modern day romcoms.
Despite mainly being there for gruesome murders, I did become invested in the relationship between Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt’s characters. They initially felt like horror movie fodder, but you learn that the two of them both have their guards up from their past relationship experiences. See horror movies, I am not asking for the world; I am just asking for you to take five minutes to establish some details about these characters. Overall, I would say Heart Eyes has stolen that slasher-film-that-references-other-movies crown from Scream and is certainly in position to hold onto it for a while. Bring on Heart Eyes 2.
Friday (1995)
Nice to know One of Them Days was working off a cheat sheet. Jokes aside, my loyal followers, Friday is another great 90s comedy film. Similar to One of Them Days, two friends, Craig and Smokey, need to come up with two hundred dollars before the end of the day. The two leads, Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, have great chemistry, leading to the film being a buddy comedy staple. Friday is a great way to celebrate the 90s buddy comedies that once ruled the roost.
Captain America: Brave New World
I’ll confess, my loyal followers, my expectations for Captain America: Brave New World were so low, the film reel could have combust into flames and I wouldn’t have been surprised. My grievance did not stem from Sam Wilson or him dawning the Captain America mantel. I more had little to no faith in the rest of the film. The MCU has been in free-fall with lackluster villains, obnoxious side characters and storylines that are a substitute for sleep aids.
Fortunately, the film is well paced as a fun, action-packed, political thriller. A Winter Soldier lite, as people have been calling it. The film definitely underutilized Giancarlo Esposito and the main villain; fans of animated The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will know what I am talking about. Outside of Sam, Red Hulk and the main villain, I struggle to remember other characters. I was only able to recall Esposito because he was mentioned in my notes. Thankfully, these issues will only be on-screen for a second before the film whisk the audience to another action set piece. AS I STAND ATOP THIS SOAPBOX, I WILL NOT CLAIM THE END IS NIGH FOR THE MCU. However, it is no where close to its phase 3 glory.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (1999)
It probably says a lot about me that I choose to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on the same week as Valentine’s Day. For those unaware of the film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a movie where Joel (played by Jim Carrey) undergoes a procedure to erase his memories of his previous relationship after discovering his ex did the same. There’s no doubt, I am drawn to the film, due to Carrey’s cynical opening line about Valentine’s Day being invented by companies who want to make us feel like crap. Yet, I always end up staying for the philosophic debate the movie has about love. Would erasing memories of our worst relationship improve our lives? Are we all destined to repeat the same mistakes in our relationships? Is it better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all? Even as I stand before you, on my soapbox, I am still unsure if myself nor the movie have the answers. Maybe that’s the ultimate point of the film: love will always be a mystery, and you’re better off following your gut. Between this philosophical thought exercise and the whimsical and quirky performances of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, I believe this film should be a staple for all during the month of February.
The Monkey
MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS, this film has a serious identity crisis. The Monkey is a film about a toy monkey that will cause a tragic accident that will kill someone after it finishes banging its drum. The film wants to be a serious movie about mortality and generational trauma, similar to films like Hereditary and Talk to Me. However, all the kills are over the top and bloody, similar to films like Dale and Tucker vs. Evil or the recent Destroy All Neighbors. Take the opening scene, for example, The Monkey bangs his drum and the owner of an antique store is shot with a harpoon. Seconds later, the harpoon is reeled in, leading to the shop owner’s intestines being strung along the store. In a horror comedy, this would work perfectly, but this film wants to sit at the adult horror table so it too can talk about trauma. Even the final scene, where father and son decide that death should not get in the way of each other’s lives, is immediately followed up by a bus full of cheerleaders being decapitated by a speeding semi-truck. The Monkey is completely at odds with itself, and you are better off watching a film that doesn’t try to do everything at once.
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Every once in a while, you need a good reminder to punch a Nazi. No additional notes. Go punch a Nazi.
