A lot can happen in seven days…
Ugh… I really do let the days run away from me someday. I was hoping to do some blournalling earlier but alas, that didn’t amount to anything.
Didn’t really do much during Valentine’s Day aside from go out to the pub and watch Heart Eyes, which I thought was really entertaining. I’ll admit that I’m kind of a sucker for slashers and I especially have a huge soft spot for genre mashups when they’re done well, so seeing two subgenres that are infamously cliched and formulaic gives it a fun spin that has plenty of outrageously gory kills and a surprisingly sweet love story. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding are both great in the lead roles and they have solid chemistry with each other. I found their budding relationship to be believable, which is doubly impressive considering that most of the movie takes place over a single day. Make no mistake, this movie doesn’t reinvent the wheel as slashers and romcoms go. It has a lot of the standard tropes that you’ve come to expect from both sub-genres but it has fun with them in a knowing and playful way. I especially loved the bit towards the end where Olivia Holt’s BFF crowbars at least a dozen romcom titles into her big motivational speech. Easily one of my favourite parts of the film. Yeah, I know this movie’s not an all-timer but it’s so effortlessly charming and I can’t help but love it for that. After all, charm is a big part of what makes for a romcom. Am I right?
The day after Love Day, my brother and I went to see the Talking Sopranos tour in Belfast, which I also really enjoyed. I started listened to the Talking Sopranos podcast in 2021 when I was working my way through the show. It’s long since wrapped up but I like to revisit certain episodes from time to time and part of what makes those podcast episodes so enjoyable is the chemistry between Michael Imperioli and Steve Schrippa, as well as many of the insights into how the show was made or what certain things might mean. I loved following that podcast and I was happy to sit and watch the pair tell behind-the-scenes yarns… some of which I was already aware but some of them I genuinely wasn’t. Definitely worth checking this tour out if you’re a Sopranos fan.
I also finally got around to seeing Sam Raimi’s latest, Send Help, last night with my dad and I absolutely fucking loved it. Hell, I think it might possibly be my favourite movie of the year so far. It’s a delightfully gonzo survival thriller with a little bit of workplace satire and a nice helping of Raimi’s trademark style thrown in for good measure. This movie is bonkers in the best way possible and it helps that the two leads embrace the madness with great gusto. Rachel McAdams, in particular, is mesmerising in this. She’s always been great but this is easily one of her finest performances… it might be possibly one of the year so far. Her physical acting alone is reason enough to go see this movie. Not to put Dylan O’Brien down though. He’s also brilliant as McAdams’ slimy boss, but McAdams is this movie’s secret weapon. Pardon me if I’m a bit tight lipped but that’s only because it’s hard to review a movie like Send Help. It’s a movie that plays by its own rules and is best seen knowing only the basic outline, and I highly recommend it too. I fucking dug the hell out of this film and I was pleasantly surprised to see how much my dad enjoyed it as well. I didn’t think this would be a movie for him at all, but he liked it, which is a good sign.
So… yeah, that’s more or less what I’ve been doing these past few days. In other words, not very much. Oh, well. The weekend’s here and I’m ready to have a bit of craic and get myself hyped up for the week ahead.
