This month has featured a real hodgepodge of films so here's an update on two films in theaters, and three you can catch on streaming if it's too cold to leave the house.
Lisa Frankenstein: I saw this film and I promptly forgot all about it until I sat down to write this review. So that is certainly not a ringing endorsement Directed by Zelda Williams and written by Diablo Cody, this film is a genre mash-up set in the 1980s, that tells the story of Lisa (Kathryn Newton), a teenage girl who suffered a personal trauma when her mother was murdered and now is having a hard time getting along with her father's new wife (played to catty perfection by Carla Gugino). Her new stepsister, Taffy (Liza Soberano), is very kind, but is also a very cheerful cheerleader, which doesn't quite gel with Lisa's whole silent gothic vibe. Of course, Lisa loves hanging out at the local cemetery, and one day, during a storm, a lightning strikes animates the corpse of a Victorian-era man who was buried there (played by Cole Sprouse). He shows up at Lisa's house and she must hide him away in her bedroom. What follows is a bit of a high school tale, a bit of a romcom, a bit of gothic horror, and a whole lot of 80's tropes.
The story is quite the hodgepodge and is all a bit aimless and forgettable. Everything seems very comic until it all gets very murderous towards the end. The most notable thing about this film is the aesthetic - it's definitely an homage to Lisa Frank, and every frame is suffused in vibrant fun colors that make this film always a pleasure to look at, even if it isn't always a pleasure to watch. I wouldn't recommend watching it in theaters, but if you need a bit of a diversion, or if teen gothic comedy horror is your jam, your mileage may vary.
Drive-Away Dolls: Directed by Ethan Coen, who also co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Tricia Cooke, this movie is set in 1999 and stars the spectacular duo of Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two lesbians who unwittingly steal a valuable briefcase and are now on the run from all the unsavory folk who are trying to retrieve it. Many hijinks ensue, including various delightful cameos from award-winning actors.
This movie is exactly what you would expect from a Coen brother. It's a little raunchy, a little bloody, and a whole lot silly. You are not going to be able to predict what is in that suitcase and why. Ultimately, that's not even very important, because the point of this film is to watch these two women on a road trip, learning to navigate their different approaches to getting laid at lesbian bars, and teaming up to defeat some incompetent gangsters. This is such a spectacularly queer movie, and all it cares about is exploring how women fall in love and/or lust, while the men are just a bunch of buffoons causing unnecessary violence. It's a diverting and fun two hours at the movies and certainly is the most unique experience you can hope to have this month. Down with the patriarchy!
Next Goal Wins: Directed by Taika Waititi who also co-wrote the screenplay with Iain Morris, this movie is everything you may have expected from the trailer. It's an underdog sports story, based on the true story of the American Samoa football team, who were the worst football team in the world. They had never scored a goal in international competition, so the President of the country's Football Association, Tavita (played here by the incredible Oscar Kightley), decided to advertise for a coach from the US. He got Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), a man who had coached several US MLS teams but was currently being banished to American Samoa for increasingly volatile behavior. So now we have a mean coach with a chip on his shoulder, and a team of lovable misfits who have never scored a single goal. Can you see where this is all going?
You're going to get training montages, heartbreak, inspirational monologues, disappointments, triumphs, and a lot of personal growth. There's a whole journey in the coach's relationship with Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana), a non-binary fa'afafine member of the team, who ended up being the first trans player in international soccer. There's a lot of cultural adjustment that needs to happen and plenty of mockery of this white man and his preconceived notions of Samoans. This is not a surprising or revolutionary movie by any means, but it is certainly a fun treat if you love this particular film genre and need a great team of underdogs to root for.
Bank of Dave: Speaking of rooting for the underdog, here's another wonderful tale of a man who went up against unscrupulous British bankers after the 2008 global financial crisis. This movie tells the true-ish story (and that "ish" is doing a LOT of work here, because this movie is heavily fictionalized) of Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear), a successful businessman from Burnley who started lending money to friends and members of the local community when they were getting turned down for bank loans. He loaned out nearly a million pounds and every single person returned his money back to him. So he comes up with the idea of setting up a local bank that would serve the community and give all profits back to local charities. However, in order to set up a bank, you need a banking license, so he hires a lawyer named Hugh (Joel Fry) to help with all the paperwork. Together, the two of them embark on a real David vs Goliath quest against the London regulators, who haven't approved a new banking license in over 150 years.
Written by Piers Ashworth and directed by Chris Foggin, this is a great story about taking down the establishment, tearing down the banking boy's club, and arguing for more socialism and less late-stage capitalism. It has a lot of "eat the rich" energy, and as someone who works for a British bank, you know I enjoyed all the sections talking about capital requirements and compliance. But overall, this is just a sweet, fun, typically British film about fighting for what's right, and having a small town in the North go up against greedy rich men in London. It's charming, there's a romance subplot with Phoebe Dynevor from Bridgerton, and Hugh Bonneville gets to swan about as an evil villain called Sir Charles. I ate it up with a big ol' spoon - how could you not?!
Nai Nai and Wai Po: Don't have hours to spare to watch a movie? How about 17 minutes to watch a thoroughly charming Oscar-nominated short film? Directed by Sean Wang, this is a movie about his two grandmothers, who live together in a house in California. They may have started out as in-laws, but over the years, these two women have developed a deep and abiding friendship, and now they regard each other as sisters, even sleeping in the same bed. They are 83 and 94 years old, and they look out for each other, ensuring that they still feel cared for and loved in their old age. With their grandson at home, making this film, their silliest and wisest selves are unleashed, and over the course of 17 minutes, you will be treated to two old ladies who have really cracked the code of aging with grace and humor. You simply must watch this film. It will make you laugh, help you embrace your mortality, and give you a whole new idea of how to plan out your retirement.
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