Brief opinions and not-so-brief opinions: Bonus

Spiderman: Across The Spider-verse, You, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, The Nest, The Bubble, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

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The 'brief and not-so-brief opinions' articles are my outlet to rant about or appreciate movies and shows as well as their elements. I will express my thoughts while watching and after or only after watching, it depends. I will not be rating. These are not spoiler free for the most part and no research will be made for or about them(unless curious or accidental which would be mentioned). They are in no particular order of recent watching as well. However, the opinions are in order of viewing the movie or show (for the most part). This wouldn't be as structured or detailed as well and there will be no set number of picks per article, it would be just as things go. It is intended to be casual. So think, conversations about movie plots, characters, topics-so something like that.

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The Bubble (2021)

I enjoyed it. It's a fun and satirical commentary movie which they state to just enjoy. The hunting was funny. Random James McAvoy. Their escape was hilarious. Their quarantining was relatable (obviously). I liked the ending. I liked Gavin, he really tried to help and he looked out for them. I liked seeing Guz Khan(I first knew of him from Army of Thieves), I was shocked that he left early. He appeared later on but still. The battle on live was hilarious. The commentary about industry politics, the hierarchy and the pressure in the video call scene was excellent. Also, the commentary on sequels being unnecessarily dragged on was interesting. I liked that they covered the impact of TikTok and influencers in every space and I liked the commentary on the "help", I liked them. The movie did a great job depicting the frustration and necessities (even though extreme at times) with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

The movie confronts cowards. I enjoyed it. It showcased Janelle Monae's skill(gave elegance, remorse, determination, and resentment in both characters). Loved her and Daniel working together, and I was glad they won. Miles' friends were horrible people and horrible friends to Andi. I was glad there was some change with them, even though it was extremely late. Interestingly, Miles is like Roger from Kaleidoscope (the article will be posted in September). Both feel like geniuses because of the people they hire to work for them. However, unlike Miles, Roger actually assisted instead of funding ideas he was not fully knowledgeable about. The movie portrayed the frustration with the Covid-19 pandemic as was discussed in the OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East podcast episode. This movie, The Bubble and Book Club: The Next Chapter (the article will be posted in December)include the Covid-19 pandemic in their movies resulting in varying reactions.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023)

So good! I was surprised by Bradley Cooper's involvement and the fact that Regé-Jean Page didn't stay long. I was happy for Justice's character finally believing in himself. For some reason, I found it hilarious that they utilized the fact that Chris could sing (à la Into The Woods). I also found it interesting that they utilized Regé's leading man perfectionist persona as well. I really wanted Xenk to show up after they gave the money away but the ending was good regardless. Michelle is a force, Sophia gave a stellar performance in this (and in Shadow and Bone) and Hugh Grant was Hugh Grant. Everyone did so well!

You (2023)

As the fourth season ended, we are left with a rather optimistic Joe accepting who and what he is with the help of his new love, Kate. I felt bad for Edward (as everyone did) and I also felt bad for Vic. I came to like Rhys after it was revealed that was Joe's other half personified. He became hilarious. I know people hated Nadia (on TikTok at least) for still following up on Joe because she should have minded her business after helping Marianne escape, especially since that relentless thirst for justice got Edward killed and got her imprisoned.

 Joe was impressively brutal this season. I'm eager to see how things go in the next season. I watched a video from Brain Pilot on YouTube about what happens to Joe in the You novels written by Caroline Kepnes and there are so many possibilities about how the ending might go. Joe has done A LOT. He's killed some people, helped some people, and let some people go. I was happy Nadia's assistance for Marianne ended well. Marianne was living in peace with her child like Hannah in Kaleidoscope as well. 

Sometimes it's hard for me with Joe because he's had a tough start. That scene of him seeing his mother with a new family after he left the boy's home (where he was bullied and saw the nurse get treated the same way as his mum) was tough. She said seeing him reminded her of the pain in her past and he saw her love her new child like he would've wanted and needed. It's sad. He has good aspects (as people do) but he's done a lot of bad to get that appreciation he desperately wants and believes he deserves.

Interestingly Joe craves love in the same way Dorian in The Perfumier did. They both go to extreme and murderous lengths to attain that love they've been deprived of. They were scarred at a tender age and saw what they believed love should be but never got it. They have certain notions of love and when it's not exact, they are upset. It's like unrealistic expectations matched with trauma and a desire for care and affection. It's quite sad.

The fifth and final season of You is in the works. How do you think things will end for Joe?

Video Credit: Netflix on YouTube

The Nest (2020)

After watching, I remember thinking that this is the most okay movie I've ever watched. I found it under thrillers, psychological thrillers to be exact, so I kept waiting for the thriller aspect to kick in but it never did. It's a calm movie about marriage, compromise, family, expectations, sacrifice, comparison, personal goals, and success. That's it.

Spiderman: Across The Spider-verse (2023)

So good! Visually and sonically beautiful. The story was great and I liked the links to the first movie. I thought the ending was rude but great. I think his mum might die since they're focused on protecting his dad but we'll see. I like that Miles has more strength and that they're going to save him. I liked that it was the bagel guy from the first movie that became the villain. I liked all the connections, jokes, references, art styles, and more. I thought it was interesting that we didn't see Miguel again after they split up to find Miles. I feel Jess might indirectly help them out again but we shall see how things go as we await Beyond The Spider-verse.

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