The world is--arguably--a more progressive place than it was in the past. People feel safer to be their true selves--although again, that varies from place to place, so just imagine that every positive statement in this opening comes with a little asterisk next to it. And that openness is reflected in media, with queer characters appearing more and more frequently, even in stuff for kids. Enter Luca, a story about coming out and the hostility one may face in living their life.
sea monsters
Plankton (1994)
So there’s a sub-genre of movies–mostly horror–that are fascinating to me in how niche they are: they have an Italian director, usually with American/English actors, and all the filmed audio is thrown out the window in favor of re-recording it in the studio later. Why do this? Some say that because the film will have to be re-dubed into foreign languages anyway, why not, but it’s still… jarring. This movie is jarring and weird.
Underwater (2020)
My first review of a movie that released in 2020! Expect more as time goes on! Anyway, I’m not a fan of the Twilight series (the ending of Breaking Dawn Part 2 still makes me mad). I didn’t think Snow White and the Huntsman or Panic Room were very good. But I love Ms. Kristen Stewart as a person, so I was hoping this was a movie I’d enjoy. Turns out, it was! It’s no highbrow, Criterion quality film (I’ll get to you one day, Personal Shopper), but sometimes you just want to watch a fun and tense movie.
Chwineka Watches 