Peppermint (2018)

I'm not a fan of Jennifer Garner at all as I find her acting bland and unconvincing. I'm not the biggest fan of action flicks either but every time I went to the movies since December they kept showing the trailer for Peppermint. I knew it was going to be bad, but I checked it out anyway to see how bad. Very bad, as it turned out. 

The story follows Riley North (Jennifer Garner), a mother and wife working as a banker who is struggling to make ends meet. Her husband, Chris (Jeff Hephner), who owns a failing mechanic shop, gets into some shady business which results on drug lord Diego Garcia (Juan Pablo Raba) ordering his men to kill him. Riley's daughter, Carly (Cailey Fleming), also gets killed and five years after the judicial system failed her, Riley sets out for revenge.

Saying that Peppermint lacks originality would be offensive for movies lacking originality as this is essentially The Punisher with a female lead —both Castle and North's families were killed in a crossfire of a mob shootout and both survived, and both took place at a carnival; they both live in a van loaded with arms; they both become vigilantes to punish criminals; they both feel like they want to die when they finally get their revenge— only it's way, way more predictable —a dirty cop subplot, seriously?— and ridiculous —when the judge dismissed the case, I literally dropped my jaw because I could not believe how stupid that was. It was beyond clear that Garcia had paid every single person in that courtroom.

The main character is also nothing new as Riley is the typical hurt turning into a vigilante kind of person. She is indestructible, no matter how many times she's shot or stabbed, she's like Nikolai, she never dies. Not to mention the fact that Riley goes all Frank Castle with no military background at all. One day she a regular woman, then she goes off the grid and comes back five years later as a killing machine. I mean, don't we even deserve to know how and where she trained? The blandness and ridiculousness of the leading character pales in comparison with the supporting characters though as they all are paper-thin and stereotyped, from the villain to the dirty detective —and by "dirty" I don't mean Dirty Harry dirty.

STXfilms

As expected, the acting is awful, especially from Jennifer Garner who gives yet another of her atrocious performances as she is anything but convincing in the role of a female vigilante who takes down a whole drug gang while outsmarting the police.

The only good thing about Peppermint? The action. While most sequences are generic at best and pretty bland, there are some interesting and almost thrilling sequences here and there.

Love, Simon (2018)

Though I haven't read Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, I was very excited about Love, Simon. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for LGBT movies or because I've heard so many good things about this film, but I just couldn't wait to see it.

The film is about Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a teenage boy who leads a pretty normal life, apart from the fact that he is secretly gay. When an anonymous boy who goes by Blue writes on the high school Tumblr-like page that he is gay, Simon decides to email him under the name of Jacques and they eventually bond. Unfortunately, Martin (Logan Miller), a quite unpopular kid, accidentally stumbles across Simon's emails, screenshots them and uses them to blackmail Simon into helping him get Abby (Alexandra Shipp), one of Simon's friends. While trying to handle his blackmailer, Simon also attempts to discover the true identity of Blue and come to terms with his identity.

The plot itself is rather predictable and clichéd, not to mention how dumb it is --the whole "mess" happens because Simon does a, not know how to log off of a computer and b, not know better than using a school computer to write those secret emails-- and the ending is far from being realistic and way too cheesy for me and yet the story works. It is touching, moving and heartwarming, and it is relatable whether you're straight or gay.

The characters aren't that deep either. While Simon is a better-rounded character with some depth and development --the inner struggle could have and should have been explored better though--, the supporting characters are nothing but one-dimensional stereotypes, not to mention that the relationship between them isn't that deep either --the only reason Simon, Leah, Nick and Abby seem to be friends is because they like iced coffee or whatever they are drinking. And yet they serve their purpose in the story, and they are all quite likeable. Even Martin who is just an outcast who wants to fit in. Sure, he tries in the wrong way but he isn't a cruel person.

20th Century Fox

The main reason the characters still manage to be likeable is probably the cast as most of the actors do a pretty good job. Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) gives a vulnerable and touching performance as Simon, and he really allows you to understand the character better. Also worthy of a mention is Katherine Langford, (Hanna from 13 Reasons Why). She plays Simon's friend Leah, and though the character is very thin and she doesn't have a lot of screen time to shine, she steals the show as she delivers one of the most powerful lines in the film.

Speaking of which, Love, Simon has pretty awesome dialogue too. I think this is the first time I see a teen movie where the characters/actors aren't forced to say dumb things. Most of the dialogue in here is clever and so well written that not even Jennifer Garner, who plays Simon's mother, manages to ruin the speech toward the end.

Sure, the film has its problems but it's the kind of film that makes you feel good while delivering a powerful message of love and acceptance. It is pretty much the clichéd be-who-you-are message but it's delivered in such a way that it feels refreshing.

New July Titles (2013)

This month brings a clutch of classic star-driven comedies and thrillers to Netflix Streaming, including a pair of Warren Beatty flicks, two movies with Julie Christie, and a couple of body-swapping romances. All that, and an overlooked oddity that teams writer Charlie Kaufman with Sam Rockwell and George Clooney (and is both comedy and thriller).

Don't Look Now (1973)

One of the prime examples of director Nicolas Roeg's amazing run of early greatness (including Walkabout, The Man Who Fell to Earth and Bad Timing), this Daphne de Maurier-based supernatural thriller is as well-known for its creeping aura of dread as its infamous sex scene--a scene that even today provokes leering discussions of "Did they or didn't they?" (FYI, they didn't.) But along with those tender, erotically charged moments, the film stands out for its disorienting, slow-building sense of menace, haunting Venice locations, and the utterly human heart of the bereaved married couple at its center. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie are riveting in that quiet 1970s way--casual, messy, unforced, their realistic intimacy almost unnerving compared to the more heightened, on-the-nose theatrics of today's Hollywood. It's refreshing and rare to see such unguarded (emotionally and physically) moments between major stars. You can't help caring for these wounded souls, worrying for their safety as a series of strange events and mysterious premonitions lead them (and us) to believe something terrible lurks within the city's twisty streets. Are dark forces at work? Fate? Or is it only coincidence?

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