August was quite a long month, as per usual. I had so many things going on and such a little spare time to watch movies. I changed my job and started working with something I’m super excited about (and have been wishing to for quite a while). My whole routine changed and it lacks me as much free time and mind space as before to actually watch a bunch of movies. Therefore, august was as short in movies as it was in TV shows, if you think about it.
I started the month finally completing the limited TV series Scenes from a Marriage, starring the amazing duo Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, and I must say, I did not see that coming. The finale is devastating as much as it is hopeful, cause if the first three episodes span a small amount of time between each other, the last two jump like they got nothing to lose. When they enter the Airbnb rented house where they built their lives together it is quite a moment, and I can’t stress enough how good Jessica and Oscar are in this. You have to watch, but take your time. It must be consumed in small dosage.
The same can be said about Normal People, that has already resonated so much with me that I was only able to start it, and not yet move in to the rest of the episodes. These two high schoolers have so much going on in their minds that you can’t help but feel their anxiety, specially if you can relate with their personalities. I’ll talk more about it once I am able to finish it.
I also watched two PTA films, Punch Drunk Love (2002) and Boogie Nights (1997). The later is quite right the best of his early career and gifts the viewer with outstanding filmmaking and storytelling. Paul has complete control over his characters and the world they inhabit, and Mark Wallberg gives a lifetime performance in here. The other one is masterful in many of the PTA signature styles and choices, but is specially a tremendously well written character study around anger issues, depression and the pursuit of love way into adulthood. Adam Sandler is giving us his best yet and could not be a better cast to the character. The use of color and motifs around the album is such a wonder.
Half way into the month I went to the theater to a special showing of Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria (2018) and there’s not much to add here. The film is flawless. Now, I have not seen the original version so can’t compare, but this one is a masterpiece in itself and it’s all in Tilda’s soulful three performances. I mean, she is everything in this film, and believe me, that’s saying a lot, cause every single performance is on point. This is horror to a T and definitely one of the most heart wrenching experiences I’ve seen in 35mm.
Then I watched Mysterious Skin (2004) which is beautifully about queer teenage experience, sexual abuse and UFO abduction. The movie feels like a well written book at its best and builds together amazing momentum. Levitz is incredible in here, the best thing in the entire film. It is worth the watch, as it portrays with some accuracy the mindset of abused kids way into their teenage-pre-college years and how devastating the trauma can be. The narration drags it a little sometimes but is a well made choice to help you get into the characters minds.
Then a couple rewatches, 2011’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a movie I cry constantly while watching and that somehow scales my feelings to a very personal level, even though it is not my experience in the surface. Logan Lerman gives a lifetime performance, some he was not really able to recapture in his later projects. Ezra Miller is even better and sort hard to believe as being the same complicated Flash star. I read the book the movie was based off this month too and it is as good, but not better than the adaptation. It is quite a thing to think the same guy wrote the book, the movie and directed this, 2017’s blend family cozy drama Wonder and whatever it is the terrible Evan Hansen 2021 adaptation.
Richard Linklater’s 2014 Boyhood was the other rewatch, that I chose to watch one day after having the first adult-like conversation with my brother and realizing how his childhood is just fading even more into memory lane. This is always a sure watch to me and always resonates, even more now than when it came out eight years ago. That lead me to The Simpsons’ parody Barthood (Season 27 Episode 9), my favorite episode from the show, in which they follow the structure of Linklater’s twelve year film to tell Bart’s story, and that’s both funny and devastatingly beautiful at the same time.
Then I closed the month watching Nope, the new Jordan Peele film in theater with my best friend, and that was quite the experience. The film is thrilling and creative to the bone — I mean, you really have no idea what’s coming to get ya. Daniel Kaluuya is always a win. Keke Palmer steels the show and nails it. Steven Yeun is flawless. The sound design in this thing is the best thing I heard all year. The cinematography is amazing, Hoyte van Hoytema is basically a god by now. I can’t wait to rewatch this one.
In between films, I’ve also watched a few seasons of the Simpsons and reached the mark of 500 episodes, then 600 episodes, then Season 30, just for the sake of it, and have basically finished the marathon, since it’s only three seasons to go. I also watched a few new series like the new show by legendary genius Natan Fielder, HBO’s The Rehearsal and it is his best creation to date. And I tried to watch Netflix’s The Sandman which I did not finish yet, but am liking so far. It is rushed? Yes. Is it faithful? To the point some comic frames are the same as the ones they filmed. Is it good? Well, the effects are pretty bad at some key moments, and that’s a lot cause most of the series rely on the effects. Shopee’s Edward Cullen is not a good actor, but somehow the perfect Sandman. Boyd Holbrook’s Corinthian is keeping the show together, as he is the best new change and best performer so far in the season. I’ll say more once I finish it.
Apart from this, many many album listens, new books bought and read including Chico Buarque’s O Irmão Alemão (2014) and the Astronauta series for Graphic MSP and the amazing De: Tales by the twins Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba (the Daytripper guys). Those were worth the entire thing.
And yes, I did not watch Oslo August 31 on August 31. Was just not in the mood for Trier cinema. I’ll get to it soon and talk about it next month.
So this is it. Watch some of it and form your own opinion, and for the life of you, go watch Nope in the biggest screen possible.
