Monthly Recap: November 2020

I'm surprised by how fast November went by considering how much I struggle to find things to do as I have plenty of free time these days. Even more so when November weather is peaking and going for a walk is not fun at all. 

If anything, I have more time to study German — I don't think I'm at A2 yet but I've made so much progress these past couple of months and I'm really proud of myself — and doodle. Although I haven't done much of the latter lately because my creativity is pretty much dead. I've been writing too but I have no idea where the story is going, nor if there's even a story. I have all these characters in mind and an idea but I don't know how to put it down into words and it's killing me. 

Goal-wise, I'm still desperately trying to make Daniel Ricciardo notice me, or at least notice the drawing I made for his first podium with Renault back in October. Which is never going to happen but a girl can keep dreaming, right? 

Other than drooling over him and plenty of others celebrity crushes — hello new crush on Kathryn Gallagher — I got something done for the blog as I joined Dell's Girl Week Blogathon and managed to write to posts, one about female villains and the other about monologues delivered by women. 

I didn't read a lot of books in November. I finished Ian Fleming's For You Eyes Only, which was dreadful, and Melanie Murphie's Fully Functioning Human (Almost) which I started back in April during the first lockdown but took me forever to finish because I kind of lost the habit of reading before bed and during the day I only read eBooks because they are more practical. I did, however, start Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot which I should finish soon and I'm really, really loving. Dostoevsky is so much better than Tolstoy. Don't even mention me. 

I finally watched season 3 of Killing Eve and it was just as compelling as the other two. And that ending, it made me cry so much. I also finished watching all the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episodes available on Italian Netflix and you can't even imagine how much I cried when Jake proposed to Amy. And it was even worse then they got married. Damn, that wedding was beautiful. And I'm not even in this kind of stuff. 

Thanks to all the free time I have, I managed to watch 16 films in November. Sure, most were mediocre to say the least but some were really good. 

The Crying Game (1992)

Plot: A sort of friendship develops between a kidnapped British soldier, Jody (Forest Whitaker), and one of his kidnappers, IRA volunteer Fergus (Stephen Rea), and when the kidnap ends up going terribly wrong, Fergus escapes to London and go seek out Jody's girlfriend, a hairdresser named Dil (Jaye Davidson). 

I had quite high expectations about this because of all the good things I've heard over the years. Unfortunately, the film didn't really work for me. I already knew the twist but I guess the main reason I didn't like is its portrayal of trans people. I get that the film was popular at the time because there weren't a lot of films about trans people but it has aged so poorly. And I know this is almost 30 years old but it really hurt to see Fergus so disgusted when he found out about Dil. I can't even imagine what it must feel like for a trans person to watch that scene. Rating: 2,5/5

Bridesmaids (2011) | Rewatch

Plot: Annie (Kristen Wiig) has hit rock bottom. After her bakery failed, she lost her boyfriend and all of her savings and is now forced to share an apartment with two socially inept siblings (Rebel Wilson and Matt Lucas) and work in a low paying job. Her relationship with her best friend since childhood, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), is pretty much the only thing keeping her afloat. But when Lillian gets engaged, Annie realises she has a rival, Helen (Rose Byrne), a bridesmaid who claims to be Lillian's BFF. 

I really wanted to write a full review for this comedy as I really, really like it and think it's very underrated, but eventually, my lazy ass got the best of me and I didn't. Anyway, this is such a funny, heartfelt and touching comedy, the character of Annie is likeable and kind of relatable — I'm not that big of a fuck up but I'm not much better either — and Byrne is terrific in the role of the bitch. Rating: 4/5

Loose Cannons [Mine vaganti] (2010)

Plot: The youngest of two sons of a pasta-making businessman (Ennio Fatastichini), Tommaso (Riccardo Scamarcio) leaves Rome, where he is studying business, to go back to his home town in Southern Italy. His family thinks he's finally ready to run the factory but the truth is that Tommaso is planning to come out. But when he is ready to do it in front of the entire family and a business partner, his older brother Antonio (Alessandro Preziosi) ruins his plans by coming out first. The family, especially the father, doesn't take it well.

I don't usually watch Italian films but Netflix's trailer made it sound so interesting, I just couldn't pass it. Plus, I've always wanted to watch Ozpetek's films so what a better film to start than the one starring my childhood crush, Riccardo Scamarcio? Well, it turned out to be yet another mediocre Italian film. And I really hate it because the premise was good but unfortunately it wasn't executed as well as it should have. Rating: 2/5

Donnie Brasco (1997)

Plot: Based on a true story, it follows FBI Agent Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) as he goes undercover and infiltrates the mob in New York City. As time goes by, Pistone begins to identify and care for his mafia friends. 

This is another of those movies I've been meaning to watch forever but always put off. I didn't even know what it was about honestly. I was expecting it to be great though because of all the praise and I was a little disappointed as it turned out to be just another gangster movie. It starts off very well and I was very engaged but at some point, I just stopped caring. Both Pacino and Depp do a good job though. Rating: 3/5

And Breathe Normally [Andið eðlilega] (2018) 

Plot: The lives of Lara (Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir), a struggling Icelandic single mother, and Adja (Babetida Sadjo), an asylum seeker from Guinea-Bissau, intersect as they are both trapped in unforeseen circumstances. They will form a bond as they try to get their lives back on track.

My first Icelandic film, it tells a very heartwarming story about solidarity and the human spirit, about humans being decent to other humans for once. But it was a little too slow-paced for me to really get into it, and, while I was rooting for Adja, I didn't care about Lara because she was constantly fucking up. Rating: 2,5/5

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Plot: Kazakh TV reporter Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) travels to the United States to report  on the greatest country in the world but soon falls in love with Pamela Anderson and makes it his mission to find and marry her. 

With the release of its sequel, I felt pretty bad for having avoided the original Borat for all these years so I checked it out. And everyone was right, this film is the bomb! It is such a funny film and I think it does a very good job at portraying American's culture. And Cohen is terrific. Rating: 4/5

The Life Ahead (2020) - Review

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)

Plot: After a failed attempt of self-induced abortion, teenage Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) travels from rural Pennsylvania to New York City with her best friend and cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) to seek out medical help.

Film Twitter wouldn't shut up about this film so I finally checked it out. I don't understand all the praises it got to be honest. It doesn't explore a new theme, it doesn't bring anything new to the table, and it's not as powerful as other films of the genre. I just found it to be quite bland and boring to be completely honest with you. Rating: 2/5

Point Break (1991) - Review

Basic Instinct (1992)

Plot: When a former rock star, Johnny Boz, is found murdered in his bed, killed after sex, detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) is assigned to the case. All the evidence points to Boz's girlfriend, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), an attractive and manipulative novelist.

I always knew (most) men are weak and this film is the ultimate proof. Yes, I'm talking about the infamous scene and pretty much every man in the world losing his mind watching it. Pull yourselves together, will you? As for the film, it's pretty predictable as the only twist turns out to not be a twist, as expected. Stone's character is quite a badass though. Rating: 2,5/5

Shirley (2020)

Plot: Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) is a horror fiction writer who is trying to craft yet another masterpiece when the arrival of newlyweds Fred (Logan Lerman) and Rose (Odessa Young) disrupt her creative process and marriage to literary critic and professor Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg).

I became fond of Elisabeth Moss's acting during the lockdown and checked this out only because I've been told she is great in it. And she truly is as she gives a terrific performance in the role of the troubled woman as she conveys her vulnerability. Stuhlbarg is also terrific. The problem is the film. It is bad in so many different ways. Rating: 2/5

The Disaster Artist (2017) - Review | Rewatch

The Room (2003) - Review | Rewatch

If Anything Happens I Love You (2020) - Review

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

Plot: A bright Yale Law student, J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), is forced to go back to his hometown in Ohio when his troubled mother (Amy Adams) overdoses.

I've disliked Ron Howard films before but Hillbilly Elegy tops them all for sure. The high expectations I had because of the cast were crashed even before starting the film as negative reviews were all over Twitter. I actually ended up watching the film because I wanted to see how bad it was. And now I'm struggling to find words to describe how bad the film is. It is an uncompelling, tedious and unintentionally hilarious film that wastes talented actors. My question is... why? Rating: 1,5/5

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) 

Plot: Months after the peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned into a violent clash with police, the organizers of the protest are charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the film follows their trial. 

I was pretty sure Netflix would ruin Aaron Sorkin for me hence the reason why it took me almost two months to watch it. Thankfully, while it's far from being Sorkin's best, this is a more than solid and compelling legal drama. I loved Sacha Baron Cohen's performance in the role of activist Abbie Hoffman, and Eddie Redmayne isn't utterly annoying which is such a big deal. Rating: 4/5