Reviews

Unfrosted is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long while. This movie was never meant to be an academy award winning picture. It was written and created in the vein many other movies we've come to cherish today were made. Think of Caddyshack, Animal House, Super Troopers, Wet Hot American Summer, and other movies we love just because they are stupidly funny. Here, the jokes come fast and in your face (that's what she said). There are many obvious jokes but several other jokes tucked into the surface of the obvious ones. You have to pay attention closely because so many jokes are being told at the same time. Between the puns, the background action, the intentional overacting, set design, costumes, and more, a rewatch is probably in order to catch all of what Jerry Seinfeld is doing as the writer and director of this movie. If you watch this movie thinking you'll see the next academy award winner, well, you will be disappointed. If you want to just spend some downtime giggling every minute or two, watch Unfrosted.

Favorite moments: The funeral scene. I mean, c'mon, you have to admit mascots singing Ave Maria and lowering a casket while pouring milk and cereal over it is damn hilarious.

The January 6 parody down to the name of the FDA administrator. Funny dialogue and visuals. If you're a trumper you may not get the joke. In fact, you may not get the entire movie because your brain is as soggy as a forgotten bowl of half eaten cornflakes.

Amy Shumer and Max Greenfield's scenes. Everyone in this movie is supposed to play it way over the top but these two look like they want to push it even higher. Their chemistry is good enough to make Amy seem funny in real life.

Set design, props, and costumes. It's like my eyes are kids in an eye candy store. So much to look at and appreciate here. I love the pop art look (that's not an accident here) from the early 60s. I didn't put together how it played into the story equation until the gratuitous end.

Hugh Grrrrant! I'll just end that discussion here. You'll see what I mean when you watch the movie.

There are several other moments but too many to list. I highly recommend Unfrosted for those who love silly, nonsensical, and light hearted movies. Who knows? It may become part of your cult classic library some day.

First and foremost, you won't see a more original movie this year, or many years following. The story is not straightforward and requires several viewings to pick up on all the nuances of what is being told here. It literally is Everything Everywhere All at Once. In no way is this film meant to be serious though it does touch upon existentialism. Ok, more than touch it. It's the theme of the whole movie. In a nutshell (from what I understood) the movie shows us that every choice we make in our life creates a new alternative universe we can choose to live. Therefore we have hundreds of "lives" we live with regrets. How we live those lives is up to us.

This is definitely a comedy more than science fiction. If you go into it with that in mind you can allow your mind to wrap around that concept. I give a ton of credit to the actors as this had to be a very hard script to put together. On top of the layers, movies are shot out of order so having to jump into the characters at random times would be a mind meld. The actors did an outstanding job with their portrayals of the layers of their life without being too much "in" on the joke. EEA doesn't assume we follow the plot anymore than the characters do. It doesn't insult our intelligence at the same time. Follow? Of course not. It's not meant to make complete sense. There are many stories within a story. So much of it is so outlandish that we cannot assume to take everything so seriously.

There are a lot of serious tones in the film as well. Divorce, parenting mistakes, tax problems, success or the lack of it, love, and death are all there. But so are bagels, butt plugs, dogs being swung around as a weapon, hot dog fingers (I hope Dwight Shrute takes credit for that gag), and googly eyes to name a few.

In the (real) end, (there is a false ending in the middle of the film) we are left wondering, " what the hell did I just watch?", feeling but we also can't stop thinking about "what the hell? Did I just just watch that?"

I recommend EEA based on the themes, the acting, and originality. When someone complains there are no original ideas in Hollywood any longer, turn them on to this movie.

If you like The Matrix, Kill Bill, Being John Malkovich, and Into the Spider-verse you will probably enjoy EEAAO. If you like romantic comedies and straight forward movies that walk you through every plot line then you will not get through this film.

Side note: Kudos to Jamie Lee Curtis for her outlandish comedic acting. She is hardly recognizable and very funny here. Michelle Yeoh channels her Crouching Tiger...role and that's fun to watch. I also didn't realize that Short Round played her husband. He's all grown up (like we do as we age). All of them did an excellent job and we should see their names on the Oscar nomination lists soon.

Formulaic isn't what I would call this movie. It's a musical thriller featuring a singing baby puppet. It took me two sittings to get through this movie. The second and third acts are better than the first so if you can get behind the premise and unique style of this movie then you should be able to watch it without too many pauses to say, "huh?".

Adam Driver once again shows us why he is the most versatile actor of today. He plays a blue comedian whose star falls quickly after a dark and ominous performance. He portrays this all while singing monotone lyrics about love, death, and depression. (What, that old trope?)

The songs are repetitive and drag on at times. They repeat their lyrics over and over without moving the story along. The cinematography is the true winner here. I haven't seen anything quite like this on the screen. I would recommend this movie to those who like to watch art house films or who are in need of watching something that would disgust their in-laws.

Ok, I have never read Jane Austin's Emma and I had never watched any version of the novel except for Clueless which is loosely based on Austin's book. It's not that I don't read but the book never interested me at all. When I saw the trailer for this, the most recent version, I was interested in finally learning why there are soooooo many adaptations of this story. Let me tell you, I wasn't impressed.

If I had never seen Clueless I would have a very hard time understanding the plot line. There are so many characters thrown at you during this 2 hour rom-com that I couldn't keep track of all the names. I felt like not one was fleshed out very well. I also had a hard time trying to see the attraction between Emma and Mr. Knightly for whom she ends up loving in the end. There were too many characters with similar names and styles that I never felt connected to any of them. The only reason I knew that Emma was in love with Mr. Knightly is because, again, I watched Clueless and I figured out that Knightly was the Paul Rudd character because they casually mention not being real brother and sister.

I found the actress playing Emma didn't embody the energy that I would assume Austin gave her to show why we care about Emma. I really didn't empathize with her at all. Her looks are a bit sallow to show charm. I love Miranda Hart as Miss Bates but that was about it. The other actors were just playing it for genteel laughs. I like the idea of this story as it was written during a time when women were expected to fill a certain role and nothing more. If the character of Emma found herself in 2020, she probably wouldn't find it hard to find her way but I digress. The visuals were wonderful and I love the costuming though I felt some of Emma's clothing choices were a bit underwhelming for someone who is supposed to display wealth. Also the music choices are very odd. I felt like the director wanted a little Wes Anderson vibe but didn't hit the mark.

So now I find myself wanting to do a deep dive and find a better version of this story as I am wondering why so many versions have been attempted. I'll start by rewatching Clueless then try to watch the Gwyneth Paltrow version but that may be impossible as I really can't stomach her. Or maybe I'll just do the old fashioned method and read a book.