There won't be another Camelot

Jackie (2016)

7.7/10 on IMDb
88% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: It's alright; Proceed at your own risk
Watch it if you: Want to see a movie related to JFK; Want to see Natalie Portman perfectly portraying Jackie Kennedy; Don't mind a slow-moving biopic
I am quite fascinated by the whole JFK assassination, from seeing video footage of Jackie Kennedy scrambling over the car boot immediately after the shot rang out, to the image of Jackie in her iconic blood-stained pink suit while Lyndon B. Johnson is being sworn in, and even to the event being one of the most climactic lines of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire.

So I was quite excited for this film, even nearly crying at the trailer.

I wanted to love it, but unfortunately I just have to disagree with the critics on this one... it wasn't that good...

The saving grace here is really Natalie Portman, and if you want to see her doing possibly her best piece of acting, go watch this film because that alone makes the film deserving of a watch.

She looks beautiful here, like royalty. Her outfits are amazing, she has so much grace, and I think she must have studied Jackie Kennedy so much since she seems to have nailed her accent and even small mannerisms and body language. I seriously think Natalie Portman should be Belle, because for some reason I don't think Emma Watson looks her best in Beauty and the Beast, but I digress.

Natalie Portman does a fantastic job bringing Jackie to life and fleshing out her character; she balances fragility, vulnerability, and heartbreak so well with strength, poise, and dignity.

In particular, the scene where she is wiping JFK's blood from her face in front of the mirror while sobbing, the scenes in the car, and LBJ's swearing in were so emotional, I think I teared up in all of those scenes.

Unfortunately though, even with Natalie Portman's fantastic acting, the film in general is quite a bit boring and leaves you wanting more.

The film lacks clear direction, with it showing snippets of scenes from different time events making it seem a bit all over the place, and also with long stretches of sequences that seem very irrelevant (e.g. the televised tour of The White House restoration project, plus many others). It feels quite slow-paced, and almost like an indie/arthouse type of film.

An interesting thing is that they had handheld cameras in some scenes, which made it look like a documentary, so it looked almost realistic. They also seemlessly blended in old actual footage they got relating to Jackie's appearances, the car ride, the tour, and other stuff, and I thought that was pretty cool.

The score I think sounds good on its own, but I'm not sure if it actually fit in with some of the scenes; it felt a bit jarring and out of place. I get that they wanted us to feel a bit unnerved by the ominous score, but I just don't think it worked out 100%.

I haven't seen other films about the JFK assassination, so I'm not sure how this fares comparatively. I have heard that this is the best film to portray Jackie Kennedy, but it's still quite boring. It looks stunning, with great costumes and a great looking White House that takes you back to the 60s, but despite how perfect Natalie Portman was, it was still a bit of a dull.

A few side notes:

That actor looks exactly like JFK!

We can do it in the Petland stockroom.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

7.9/10 on IMDb
95% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: Signed, sealed, and recommended by Chloe; Low energy entertainment
Watch it if you: Want a refreshing and fun teen movie; Just want to have an easy and chill time with friends; Want to laugh at quirky teenagers

Being seventeen years old is hard enough as is. So when Nadine's older brother starts to date her best friend, what else can she do but have a teenage meltdown?

Time and time again we've seen the story about awkward teenagers trying to find love, friendship, and their own identity, all while struggling with their own personal issues. So this film isn't anything original and different, but it still feels quite unique.

I'm not sure how else to describe this movie except to say that it's a really quirky and fun coming-of-age story, similar to Juno but not as quirky.

It has some great humour throughout, and I think that's due to the very realistic and believable script-writing, and I think that's what makes it seem quite refreshing and different to other coming-of-age films.

Hailee Steinfeld is great in this as our hard-to-deal-with protagonist. Being a teenager herself during filming I guess it's not that surprising, since most movies cast actors older than their characters, but her acting felt so organic and natural. Everything from what she says to her little mannerisms to her adolescent tone of voice felt so realistic. And she plays a very unlikeable protagonist, but it's believable and not totally detestable, so you can't help but sort of feel for her.

I think generally the entire cast did a great job, actually.

Woody Harrelson plays Nadine's very sarcastic teacher who should definitely have been fired before he even got hired in the first place, and he did a great job. I love his sense of humour and he is the source of quite a lot of the movie's laughs. The bantering, platonic chemistry between him and Hailee Steinfeld was also really great.

Then there's Haley Lu Richardson who plays Nadine's best friend Krista, as well as Blake Jenner who plays Nadine's older brother Darian, both very good looking people whose characters also feel very natural and loveable.

Hayden Szeto plays Erwin, another awkward teenager in one of Nadine's classes, and he was hilarious, I laughed so much at some of his schticks. I was also very surprised to find out that he's actually 30 years old. Must be those young Asian genes...

Despite being full of laughs, it's also a really touching story about growing up, and I think it's quite relatable to everyone, even if you are not a White teenage girl in an American high school.

Also, not gonna lie, I cried. There was one scene towards the end that really got to me. Maybe because I found it all-too-relatable having an older brother with whom you have a strained relationship with because of your own personal issues, and then being able to try and look past that, but I seriously was weeping in that scene.

So yes, the film is predictable and it's not a very unique or new coming-of-age story, but it's done really well, with a great balance of humour and drama, so much so that it at least feels really original.

A few side notes:

I can't believe the guy who played Nick is NOT Dane DeHaan... they look so similar!

I am Moana of Motunui. You will board my boat and restore the heart to Te Fiti.

Moana (2016)

8.0/10 on IMDb
95% on Rotten Tomatoes

Chloe's thoughts: A must-see; Watch it in cinemas; I'm buying the DVD
Watch it if you: Are a fan of Disney; Don't want a typical Disney princess movie; Want a funny, adventurous, and exciting animated movie
Moana is a chief's daughter living on the island of Motunui. As she learns about her upcoming role as chief, she discovers that her island is dying. In an effort to save her people, she seeks out help from the demigod Maui to restore life in her island.

This movie is a really beautiful movie, in terms of characterisation, animation, and story.

It is visually breathtaking, with beautiful animation. I have never seen water animated so well like that before, and I especially loved the baby Moana scenes that were shown in initial trailers. It was phantastical, mesmerising, and so surreal.

I also really love the lore of this film. I was quite surprised at how much adventure and action there was in here, but it was a pleasant surprise. Throughout their adventures they come across a lot of different antagonists, realms, worlds, tribes, and so on. In particular, there is one Kakamora tribe that is essentially just Mad Max on water (I swear I could even hear the Fury Road soundtrack at some parts). I didn't realise how badly I needed that until now.

It also stood out from other Disney princess movies in that there was no love interest and no main villain. Just, as I said, only different minor antagonists.

I thought that was pretty interesting, because it allowed them to flesh out the characters a lot better. I really loved their portrayal of Moana as a really headstrong and determined child just looking out for her people.

One thing I loved about the storyline is that it had this great recurring theme of tragedy and trauma being able to destroy your potential and severely limit and hinder you. They show this in many different ways through different characters, and they also show the rewards of just pushing through and overcoming your fears to reach your maximum potential. I loved that and I loved how subtly they did this through the use of different characters and sources of trauma.

The humour was also pretty good in this. Sure, some jokes fell flat, but there are a lot more jokes that landed. I didn't feel like they were forced, and the writing was pretty solid in general.

Of course, being a Disney movie, most of the plot is pretty predictable, but it has some good heart and emotion in it that makes up for this.

The songs are amazing. They were composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and I'm very excited to see more of him working with Disney.

I loved the song "Shiny", and I also think The Rock did a great job as Maui, especially with his song "You're Welcome".

BUT. I was blown away by Auli'i Cravalho, the teenager who voices Moana. This is her debut film and she did a fantastic job. She is 16 now, but she was only 14 during production! Her voice is phenomenal and I am so looking forward to her in the future when her voice matures and she sounds even more amazing. I have been playing her songs "How Far I'll Go" and "I Am Moana" on repeat.

So all in all, this was a great film. The animation and soundtrack are beautiful, the storyline is impactful, and it's just an overall great time.

A few side notes:

The short "Inner Workings" ahead of this film is pretty cute, and reminds me of The Awkward Yeti comics

Getting strong "Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." vibes from Moana here