Haiku movie reviews, housesitting & Gossip Girl
It’s 11:11pm.
Please enjoy:
A) Movie reviews, except some of them are haikus
B) An entry from housesitting
C) Gossip Girl babble (with spoilers, so tread carefully)
1) Movies reviews
I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately, so here are my thoughts on them but with a twist! Every other review is in haiku form, because why not.
Sidelined: The QB and Me
Wattpad strikes again
Perhaps a future classic
Noah’s debut, cute!
La Chimera: In this beautiful film, Josh O’Conner plays Arthur: an aimless, lovestruck recently released criminal who returns to his boisterous comrades in the Italian countryside where he previously lived. The pacing, the music choices, the captivating nature of Italia, a woman Arthur encounters, all makes for a dreamy and enjoyable watch. I’m still unsure of how to interpret the ending, and I think I need to delve more into the lore of the Greek myth this is based on.
Sweethearts
Platonic romance
Watched for Nico and Caleb
Mid, won’t recommend
Almost Famous: This movie follows a young boy who, at the influence of his rebellious older sister, becomes a music journalist following an on-the-rise band Stillwater, and the groupies they have acquired, including Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane. Against the wishes of his extremely overprotective mother, William travels with the band across the country, learning more about the relationships between band and groupie in research for his article for Rolling Stone. Weird movie, and Kate’s Hudson’s character is kind of pointless, but entertaining.
Megamind
A childhood staple
Laughed out loud multiple times
Long live Megamind
2 or 3 Things I Know About Her: This French film is set in Paris in 1967 during the Vietnam War, which inherently shapes the context of the story. It’s about a mother who works as a prostitute during the day to make extra money. At times the actresses are speaking directly to the camera which makes the movie feel more like a documentary than a fictional story. Sometimes the sound is cut out, sometimes there won’t be subtitles- it’s more of a visual experience than anything. Sound and dialogue are chosen very carefully in painting womanhood during this time. The narrator guides the ruminations of the main character through whispered commentary. I wouldn’t say I necessarily enjoyed the film, but I appreciated what it was trying to accomplish!
See How They Run
Harris, my beloved
Classic murder mystery
Silly but not great
Heathers: A very strange movie, but I can understand the cult classic appeal. The reverse roles between JD and his dad were amusing and seeing Shannon Doherty was lovely. Winona was great as Veronica, classically angsty and expectedly remorseful when JD’s psychotic ambitions escalated. I would watch the musical! But wouldn’t watch this again. Also, why did I think Molly Ringwald was in this? I think I’m confusing it with Sixteen Candles.
B) An entry from housesitting
12/23. My clear view of the wild forestry just past the backyard gate is being illuminated by rain’s reflection. I’m not a fan of the rain, but there’s a beautiful peace that you feel when it’s pouring and the sun persists through the clouds. If this were a movie, I’d take off outside and run around like it was a warm outdoor shower, but this isn’t a movie, and I didn’t bring a change of clothes to the house today since I’m not spending the night. It would be nice to be impractical, and romp around like Luna and Minoux do in the backyard. Instead, I’ll return back to Gossip Girl and the fancy blood orange sparkling beverage I bought from World Market. I need to visit that store more often because their assortment of random beverages, my favorite category in the world, is exquisite.
C) Gossip Girl babble
I forgot how insanely terrible the decision making across the board is for characters in Gossip Girl. I’m towards the end of season 3, where Chuck’s mother has just left, Chuck’s lost the hotel, and Jenny just broke up with Damien but seems to be crushing on Nate. All the current couple pairings make sense, Vanessa & Dan, Chuck & Blair, Nate and Serena, and Rufus and Lily are trying to hold on to their tethering relationship while she continues to lie about seeing her ex-husband for Cece’s treatment. Season 3 is one of the best seasons of the show, if not the best, but this rewatch has really illuminated just how batshit stupid some of the decisions made are. I am truly curious to know if being this wealthy for these teenagers and growing up in a city like NYC led to heinous escapades in real life- just how much of this is exaggerated? I’m pretty sure the show is based on a book, or series, but I don’t know if that series is based around the author’s experiences or has a fictional flavor. Either way, it’s extremely entertaining and one of my comfort shows. I usually stop rewatching around the midway point of season 2, but I’m committed to making it all the way through this time!
I’ve been reminded of just how much I love Blair and Chuck’s character development. I’ve also been disappointed again with how little they utilize Nate and Eric’s characters. I also realized that it’s quite evident they didn’t know who their final Gossip Girl was going to be until around season 3 because Gossip Girl has taken a back burner thus far in the season and isn’t guiding the storyline the way she was in their high school years. In the first two seasons, you can tell that they hadn’t fully thought through the reveal. When the culprit was spoiled IRL, their end of show rework to Dan doesn’t align with many events that happened to Dan in the first two seasons, but I guess every show has to adapt and grow as things change.
