Juliet, Naked (2018)

I love Ethan Hawke —I'm pissed at him for what he said about comic book movies though— and because of it, I added Juliet, Naked on my watchlist without even knowing what it was about. And if it wasn't for Big Screen Small Words who picked it for a Thursday Movie Picks a couple of weeks ago, I probably would have never watch it.

Anyways, the film is set in England and follows Annie (Rose Byrne), a going on 40 woman who is stuck in a long-term relationship with Duncan (Chris O'Dowd), a college teacher who is obsessed with American rocker Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). One day, someone mails Duncan an album of acoustic demos of Tucker's hit album, he and Annie listen to it separately, they have an argument over its quality, Annie writes a negative review on Duncan's website and she gets an email reply from Crowe himself. He agrees with her, and they hit off real quick. 

Unlike what you may be thinking from that right now, it is not the typical and predictable boy meets girl story filled with clichés and unrealistic plot points romantic comedies love nowadays. Instead, it is a compelling, sweet and lighthearted story about love, relationships and parenting. It is about feeling and being stuck —a human condition I identify with—, and the attempts to deal with it. It is about second chances. It's about finding your own path in life. It is also about learning that there's a difference between the way a fan sees his/her idol and the harsh reality. Yes, it's a lot for an hour and a half long movie, but believe me when I say that the filmmakers managed to make it all fit in and nicely develop all of them. 

No matter how much I loved the story though, my favourite part of Juliet, Naked was the characters. They do seem a little ridiculous at times and the film pokes fun at them because of that —it works, by the way— but at the same time they are believable and feel like real human beings as they all are flawed individuals. They are interesting and compelling and ultimately we care about them.

Lionsgate & Roadside Attractions, Universal Pictures, Focus Features

Of course, it wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for the talented cast. Rose Byrne is very likeable as Annie, a woman who has spent fifteen years of her life with a man she is unhappy with. She is the kind of woman who's always worried, always afraid to let herself go and therefore always ends up doing the right thing, and Byrne portrays that very well. Ethan Hawke is terrific as Tucker, the faded rock star whose life turned out way different than he, and his fans, thought, and gives yet another of his charming performances as he captures the man's clumsy attempts at righting his wrongs and facing his responsibilities. At last, Chris O'Dowd gives a memorable perfomrnace as Duncan, a man who sees a lot in everyone but those very close to him. His character is kind of the villain of the story and yet he manages to make him sympathetic.

As for the comedy side, Juliet, Naked is not the type of film where you laugh like there's no tomorrow. It's the type of comedy with subtle and clever humour sneaked into the interesting, witty dialogue. As for the drama, it's not the type of drama that makes you cry or bores you, but the type of drama that is relatable. And the filmmakers did a wonderful job at balancing those two aspects.

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

I think we can all agree Insidious is no horror masterpiece. Despite this and the fact that sequels are usually disappointing, I was expecting Insidious: Chapter 2 to be a solid horror. You know, it's still directed by James Wan, the same guy, Upgrade's Leigh Whannell, wrote it,  and the cast is pretty much the same. And I couldn't have been more wrong. 

The film picks up where the previous left, with Renai (Rose Byrne) being interrogated by a police detective (Michael Beach) about the death of Elise (Lin Shaye). While the police continue their investigation, the Lamberts move in with Josh's (Patrick Wilson) mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), and try to put everything behind them. However, the spirit world isn't done with them yet. 

And we, the audience, have to sit through an incredibly painful film whose plot is complicated, filled with holes and completely ridiculous. In fact, it makes absolutely no sense (I'm still trying to swallow the whole time-travelling ghosts thing). There are some twists, one of which is quite interesting, but unfortunately, they raise more questions than they answer from the first film.

The characters are pretty much the same of the first film, and they are just as bad. They have no development, they say and do the dumbest things, and those two paranormal specialists, Leigh Whannell's Specs and Angus Sampson's Tucker, couldn't get any more annoying than this as they provide the perfect amount of comic relief to kill the atmosphere in any horror movie. 

Unlike in the first time, when the cast somehow managed to do a good job despite the poor script, here the actors are barely decent. While Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson still do a nice job as Renai and Josh Lambert, especially the latter as he does creepy/psycho very well, the rest of them is meh. 

FilmDistrict

At least the direction from James Wan is still good. Despite the annoying comedy I mentioned above, there's a creepy, eerie atmosphere for a nice amount of the running time and there's a decent amount of tension throughout the film; the camera work has improved; and the scares, although some are so cheesy and over the top, decently work. And the make-up is pretty good. The special effects, on the other hand, are kinda cheap. 

Insidious (2010)

I almost watched Insidious many years ago when I mistook it for Ingenious, a dramedy starring Jeremy Renner which was awful by the way. As soon as I realised it was the wrong movie, a horror moreover, I put it off. Today, since I enjoyed James Wan's Conjuring movies, I decided to check out this series. 

This first film follows the Lambert family, Josh (Patrick Wilson), his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) and their three children, two boys, Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and Foster (Andrew Astor), and a little girl, Cali, after they move into a new home. One night, while exploring the attic, Dalton falls from the ladder and hits the head on the floor. The next morning, he is in a comatose state. Three months later, horrible things start happening in the house, Renai believes the house is haunted and asks the help of Elise Rainer (Lin Shaye), a medium and paranormal investigator. 

It basically starts off as your typical haunted house story; actually, it's your typical, simple and rather predictable haunted house story there are several elements of it that don't quite make sense and yet it still manages to pull off some interesting twists and turns, specifically at the end, and keep you interested as the story unfolds the characters explain the plot to you.

As for the characters, they are quite a mess aka your typical horror movie characters. They lack development and personality, and couldn't possibly get any more generic than this: the possessed kid, the mother/wife who can see the demons, the clueless father/husband who stays away from home as much as possible for God only knows what reason --does he have an affair with a student? Or is he just fed up with it all?--, the creepy/menacing mother-in-law and the, of course, the medium.

The cast does exactly what one would expect them to do with such a poor script, they struggle but they somehow manage to stay afloat. Rose Byrne gives a sympathetic and believable performance as the mother, and Patrick Wilson expresses his character's feelings pretty well. Lin Shaye has a great screen presence which gets her the work done.

FilmDistrict

James Wan's direction is what elevates Insidious, what makes it a little bit better than your average horror. Although The Conjuring has a way more interesting and stylish camera work that did wonders for it, the atmosphere Wan has created here is still pretty creepy. The tension and suspense throughout the film are more than decent and they deliver genuine chills and scares. Also, there's absolutely no blood and gore, and there's very little violence.

Ultimately, Insidious is not as good as The Conjuring but at least this time having a sequel makes sense. Three sequels though? You'll know in the next few days.