Tag Archives: Rashida Jones

Comedy, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

ON THE ROCKS (2020): The Things I Liked…

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On The Rocks (2020), Bill Murray, Apple TV+
On The Rocks (2020), Bill Murray, Apple TV+

On the Rocks is one of those pleasant and relatively easy viewing experiences you look for every now and then. It’s the story of Laura (Rashida Jones), a young mother who’s reconnecting with her larger-than-life playboy father (Bill Murray).

Written/directed by Sofia Coppola, I enjoyed the father-daughter relationship between Murray and Jone’s characters most. I also appreciated the New York setting, a place I’ve rarely hesitated to visit; plus Marlon Wayans’s performance in a non-comedy role.

Overall, I can’t say that I love On the Rocks completely. But it does have some very well written scenes you can enjoy. I found it most fun during the first two thirds. It’s just unfortunate that in the final third, I started to lose interest a little, in part because I just wanted the truth to be confirmed already and for the ending to have been more satisfying, dramatically speaking. Another lowlight of the final third is the non-committal attempts Jones and Murray’s characters made to turn off the ringing phone in Mexico.

Luckily, something did stand out in a good way towards the end. And that is the beautiful, well-lit shot of Jones’s character sporting a yellow dress while walking past a bonfire on the beach.

If you’re curious, save On the Rocks for when the mood for an entertaining and easy viewing experience hits.

Happy Film Loving

G

Adventure, Comedy, Drama

ON THE ROCKS (2020): New Trailer From Sofia Coppola, Starring Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Bill Murray…

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On The Rocks (2020), Bill Murray, Apple TV+
On The Rocks (2020), Bill Murray, Apple TV+

Read my spoiler-free movie review of  On the Rocks (2020).

Set in New York City, the latest comedy/adventure from director Sofia Coppola stars Bill Murray, Rashida Jones and Marlon Wayans.

On the Rocks follows Laura (Jones), a young mother as she reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father.

Looks like a perfect role for Murray. The humour, setting and director are the reasons I’m most interested. I’m also invested in the story and need to find out what Dean is really up to.

Jenny Slate, Jessica Henwick, Barbara Bain, Nadia Dajani, Musto Pelinkovicci, Jules Willcox, Alexandra Mary Reimer, Evangeline Young, Chase Sui Wonders, Mike Keller and Ximena Lamadrid also star.

On the Rocks Release Dates: October 23rd, 2020 (US)/ Apple TV+…

Happy Film Loving

G

Adventure, Animation, Christmas Movie, Comedy, No Spoiler Reviews

KLAUS (2019): The Thing I Liked…

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Klaus (2019), Netflix
Klaus (2019), Netflix

Klaus, Netflix’s 2D animated story about the origins of Santa Claus is a movie I wanted to love more than I did. 

I really like the above image because it reminds me of Christmas cards I’ve received in the past. I also definitely like the films central message: ‘A true selfless act always begets another.’ I just didn’t thoroughly enjoy the way it was all executed. 

Part of the issue for me is the lack of newness and surprise in the story. And when the story did unfold in the expected way – since almost everyone knows Santa’s story, the delivery wasn’t such that I was enthralled or delighted by much of it. I’ve now realised for better or worse that I’ve come to expect a certain level of delight when watching animated movies and Klaus just didn’t bring it for me.

Lastly, I found that the combination of the animation style, highly muted colours – most of the time, and the pace of the story just didn’t help matters. 

Give Klaus a chance if you’re really curious. Perhaps you’ll be more enthralled and even moved than I.

Happy Film Loving

G

Action, Adventure, Animation

SPIES IN DISGUISE (2019): New Trailer From Will Smith, Tom Holland, Rashida Jones, Karen Gillan…

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Spies In Disguise (2019), Will Smith
Spies In Disguise (2019), Will Smith

From directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, Spies In Disguise is the story of Lance and Walter. Lance is a super cool charming spy, and Walter invents the impressive gadgets Lance uses. When an event happens, they must learn to rely on each other like never before. Why? In order to save the world, of course.

Will Smith, Tom Holland, Rashida Jonesa and Karen Gillan make up the key cast…

I definitely noticed the unflappable confidence on Lance Sterling’s face throughout this trailer. I’ll see this one because of Smith and to find out if Sterling ever brakes a sweat, looks concerned or even a little scared.

DJ Khaled, Masi Oka and Ben Mendelsohn also star.

Spies In Disguise Release Dates: September 13th, 2019 (US & UK)…

Happy Film Loving

G

Biography, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010): The Dialogue & Jesse Eisenberg’s Performance Makes It

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The Social Network (2010), Jesse Eisenberg
The Social Network (2010), Jesse Eisenberg

The actual Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook had zero involvement in the making of The Social Network. Still, considering how well publicised the legal drama around Facebook was at the time, one can imagine that there’s likely more truth in the movie than  fabrication.

With reputable names like screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher attached to the project, as a fan of great writing, not seeing The Social Network would have been, to put it inoffensively, most ill-advised. Sorkin’s dialogue is absolutely my favourite thing about this film, particularly everything that Jesse Eisenberg gets to say in his role as Zuckerberg. The words, rhythm and pace are really a thing to experience.

A reason to watch is the example of what good screenwriting can look like. Another reason is curiosity about the movie version of the Facebook story. As I watched The Social Network, I found myself thinking about how much truth there is in the idea that often, many high achievers tend not to be the most likeable people, personality-wise. Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are two impressive people that come to mind.

The Social Network (2010), Rooney Mara
The Social Network (2010), Rooney Mara

Andrew Garfield, Max Minghella, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer and Rooney Mara feature as the more than competent supporting cast. Looking at the picture above, I can’t help but agree with the line in the movie that refers to the ‘niceness’ of the face of Erica Albright /Rooney Mara. It is quite the work of art.

Happy Film Loving 🙂

G