mollrat101 Reviews

The Apartment (1960)

An Edward Hopper painting come to life

[10/10 · 26 October 2018]

The Apartment makes me think of a classic Edward Hopper painting, Automat, and it's easy to picture Fran as the girl in that painting. Feeling isolated and in desperate need of a friend she can share her troubles with. And that's the focus of this classic movie: loneliness. Many shots establish this feeling of isolation. The rows and rows of desks in the office, so many faces that you can't remember. Just like Baxter, you feel lost in the shuffle. As though you could disappear and the only response would be to put somebody else in your place and move on. Billy Wilder argues that the only true cure for loneliness is friendship. True, deep friendship that walks with us when we are at our lowest. So many characters in the film are only concerned about what they can take from others. The first example being the men who take over Baxter's apartment. Sheldrake being the most egregious of the bunch. The only person in the film who consistently gives is Baxter. And that is why he develops the most genuine relationship in the movie, with Fran. True connection can only exist when we share our sadness and accept each other at our worst. Love is about giving. Fran and Baxter may or may not end up in a romantic relationship together, but that's not the point of this movie. The point is that they both found true connection. It's a classic film about loneliness in the city by one of the greatest screenwriters of all time, Billy Wilder. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Aggretsuko (2018–2023)

A relatable show with a lovable cast of characters and a lot of heart

[9/10 · 2 May 2018]

I binged watched this series on Netflix as I was hooked on the first episode. It's both funny and sad to see the daily challenges in Retsuko's life. Retsuko is both overworked and isolated and the series shows her transform into a more confident and content person. The ensemble cast both adds to the craziness of Retsuko's life but sometimes also provides her refuge. One of the central themes in this show is how everyone is not what they first appear to be. Most of the characters get moments in Season 1 that show them as more than just caricatures in Retsuko's life and I found this to be one of the most endearing aspects of this show. Besides just being a good show, it's also a wonderful show that depicts modern life through a young woman's perspective and the specific challenges related to women in the workplace. If a funny, endearing, sincere and wonderfully feminist show is something you're interested in then I can't recommend "Aggretsuko" highly enough!

Dope (2015)

A fun, engaging coming-of-age flick, but the moral is a little too muddled for me

[7/10 · 24 June 2015]

I'm going to be honest I wanted to watch this film because I was excited about seeing a teen film that didn't just have the typical white, male protagonist. What I saw was really engaging film featuring a likable and sympathetic protagonist, played wonderfully by Shameik Moore, who reluctantly goes on the dangerous path his environment has always encouraged him to go on. The film had wonderful music and great performances particularly our three leads. Zoe Kravitz is also good as Moore's love interest, in fact I wish she was in the movie a little more. Famuyiwa does a great job of giving us a taste of Malcolm's environment and the neighborhood feels like an essential character. The movie makes light of a lot of the violence that happens (which can be a problem) but in my opinion the best scene is toward the end. After all the work Malcolm has to go through to get the money that he earned from selling drugs, he is confronted again by his school bullies and one of them takes his bag that contains the cash. Malcolm threatens them with a gun and pleads with them to give it back. The look on his face was powerful. This is the closest Malcolm ever comes to completely losing himself to this job and he knows it. But the narrative is also brilliant because it doesn't condemn him for doing that. It feels more like it's telling him he did what he had to do to keep what he earned. That's basically what most of the movie has been about: people constantly testing him to fight for his dignity. Malcolm has been content for so long to letting people step on him and his environment dictates that violence is how you achieve respect. I feel like this scene loses its meaning somewhat because the bully now decides he respects Malcom after he POINTED A GUN AT HIM. And Malcolm is okay with that?! I'm convinced this is not who Malcolm is but this starts to explain some of my problems with this movie. First problem, the moral "Dope" feels mixed to me. When Malcolm is trying to get rid of the drugs, he has to stop his journey to attend his Harvard college interview. He finds out that his interviewer is none other than the person Dom (the guy who planted the drugs on him) wants him to give the drugs too. Austin Jacoby (A.J.), played by Roger Guenveur Smith, refuses to take the drugs and tells Malcolm that because the delivery wasn't right it is now Malcolm's responsibility to get rid of it. And he threatens him and his loved ones in order to force him. Malcolm seeks help from an old friend Will in order to sell the drugs and not get caught. Using his ingenuity, Malcolm manages to sell all the drugs through the help of his friends and receive his profits without being detected. He meets Jacoby again and he reveals that he blackmailed him to not telling on Malcolm or his friends by tying the account he made to sell into Jacoby's personal accounts. Essentially Malcolm now has a guaranteed admission into Harvard through the use of blackmail. Um...what? We focus on Malcolm's admission essay. He states his reasons he should be accepted and then ends with asking if he were white would people even be asking why he wants to go to Harvard. That's a fair point but again the Jacoby thing makes this message look weaker to me. A white kid using his connections to get into Harvard is a privilege that Malcolm doesn't have but he evens the playing field through blackmail. Does that make it right? Is racism a justification for this? I'm not sure and the narrative doesn't give us an answer. Plus it also begs the question could Malcolm have gotten to Harvard through his own merit. We won't know now. I bring this up because I feel like "Dope" is supposed to send a positive message about achieving your dreams no matter your background but if Malcolm accomplishes this in such an unethical way is that still a hopeful message? I think it is supposed to be and that's where "Dope" loses me especially Malcolm is presented as a moral good character. I just wonder whether that could've been reworked. Some minor things: the n-word was said to death, that stupid debate about white people's chance to say the n-word (I get that they're idiots like this but the debate lasted way to long), the narration by Forrest Whittaker I didn't care much for (I wish Malcolm had said this stuff or didn't tell us at all, that small scene revealing Diggy's sexuality felt so pointless (Why did they have to narrate it? Just let it come up naturally in conversation. They act like they have to clear the air about it which makes it feel like a big deal even if the narrative claims otherwise) and I liked the fact that they tried to present this rough neighborhood in a more comedic fashion but sometimes it just made the tone of the film feel uneven (and some of just wasn't funny; like a horrible scene of a child being murdered in the beginning and making a joke with the blood splattered Gameboy). Despite the numerous problems I had, I had a lot of fun watching this film but I think it's good if people just take some of the messages the film offers. The comedic chemistry between the three leads was wonderful and there was some decent romantic chemistry between Moore and Kravitz. It's worth checking out for the likable and sympathetic characters, the great music, a few laughs and a mostly hopeful message.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Romantic in a realistic and genuine way

[10/10 · 26 August 2013]

Hands down what is going to stand out in this movie is the performances by Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey. These two breathe life into these two characters. I was really impressed with the chemistry between these two. Overall I think this a romantic movie due to the writing. These two rather different people genuine care and are intrigued by each other, but there are times where they are frustrated by each other. In the end, the two decide what they have is worth fighting for. As far as the sci-fi element I was a little skeptical because I'm not usually drawn to science fiction, but in the movie it's treated as a normal thing and its really only a plot device. Visually this movie is stunning and found myself getting lost in the memories. This is one of the best films I've ever seen and I highly recommend it.

Suicide Room (2011)

Heavy, intense film but worth a watch for the amazing acting

[8/10 · 29 March 2013]

I first heard about 'Suicide Room' through Rantasmo's web series "Needs More Gay" and immediately the concept seemed interesting. He stressed the gay aspects of it, but really this is not about Dominik exploring his sexuality rather its about an ordinary teenager falling into a deep depression and finding comfort and companionship through the Internet and I think that's what I liked most about the film.

The acting was superb especially from the main cast with Dominik, Dominik's parents, and Sylvia. Dominik's mother is especially heartbreaking as a mother who wants to help her child but doesn't know how and a successful woman who has to rethink what she thought she knew about what was 'best' for her child. I'm not saying Dominik's behavior wasn't destructive, but she made a considerable effort to understand why he needed it instead of just writing it off as psychotic thing.

The relationship between Dominik and Sylvia is intense and genuine and is probably one of the best parts of the film.

The actor who played Dominik had the difficult task of portraying a teenager who's angst is at the extreme end but also someone we can relate to and he succeeds. While Dominik's fall into depression can seem irrational, for a teenager it makes sense and I think this is one of the main points of the film.

The ending took me off guard and I did not expect it. The scene will break your heart when you see Dominik dying and all he wants in the end is his mother. It made me furious how those two idiots who were filming him didn't try to save him. My one complaint is I wish we had gotten some of kind of complete resolution with Sylvia's storyline. I mean after Dominik dies, does she decide to live or is she more determined than ever to end her suffering on Earth? Beyond that the movie is definitely worth a watch, but be warned it is intense and there is not a happy ending.