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Delldee
Reviews
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Seeing Tom Waits Was A Kick, But Otherwise...
I found this film to be a cringey mish-mash. The cinematography was appealing and the period vibe - nicely supported by the soundtrack - was on-target, but the overall piece lacked coherence and some plot-lines (eg the Jon Peters and motorcycle bits) were bizarre. Props to the lead actors, but I could never get beyond the ick factor associated with the age difference between the ultimately-romantic leads. Ultimately, mood alone didn't carry the day, and I came away feeling disinterested in the characters and the loosely woven story. Hard to see it as a Best Picture or Best Screenplay contender. Definitely not on my best of 2022 list.
306 Hollywood (2018)
Well-Intended, but...
Although clearly rooted in deep affection and love, I found this to be an unfortunate, self-indulgent, ultimately disrespectful, and at times humiliating film. Like others, I was particularly disturbed by the filmmakers' decision to almost literally lay-bare their diminished, beloved grandmother on camera, despite her seeming discomfort. One hopes that Grandma's "atoms" were not able to tune in for a screening. Using a personal archaeological investigation of a home as a lens for understanding one's life is intriguing, but the approach was not fully realized. The end result is aesthetically slick but feels superficial.