Kat Takes: The Movie Blog

This was actually worse than I expected. Like, I thought it would be a similar level to My Secret Santa but slightly higher quality since it had more famous actors. (I was pumped to see Alicia Silverstone and Melissa Joan Hart together!) The first half or 3/4 is like this, like harmless dumb jokes, the best ones involving a hot dumb jack-of-all-trades named Chet. Then it pivots hard for depressing sexist Hallmark at the end. Like, the whole movie is about how the protagonist sacrificed a good career and all her dreams to live in a small town with her husband, who then neglects her and forces her to do all the childcare while working herself. So the husband is obviously a tool and his only excuse is like "I felt pressured by my dads are gay," but it was still clear that they'd get back together bc it's that kind of Christmas movie. What really crossed a line for me was how the happy ending is that she once again gives up her career and dreams for him. Like, what... Net...

Rouge by Mona Awad. The scenery is so lavish and it's twisty, emotional and absolutely crazy. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim. Amazing characters! And also all the tension and twists.

There are so few holiday romcoms I can take seriously this year, so I'm having to delve into the Netflix ones and hope I don't accidentally get one of their Hallmark imitations. Of course, sometimes one can be so hilariously bad it's fun to watch, like Hot Frosty last year. But anyway, My Secret Santa was fun to watch in a silly way. I was mostly in it for laughing-at once I heard that the female lead is not only disguised as Santa, but hardcore disguised with facial prosthetics, etc. Well, it's as silly as it seems but has its own little internal logic so you kind of get what you bargained for and it was in a way not as bad as I thought. I was a little put off by the male love interest being like in his 40s and never having had a job. But nothing giving a speech in front of a big Christmas tree can't fix, I guess.

So you might be disappointed if you're expecting this to be as funny as Bridesmaids bc the poster references it, but I just went in looking for a relaxing action comedy and I had fun. Needless to say, if you liked Shotgun Wedding, you'll probably like this. Also if you liked Commando but wished Arnold Schwarzenegger's role was played by Rebel Wilson. The fighting scenes sometimes have a silliness that reminds me of some Jackie Chan movies, in a good way. I also like the recent trend in action movies towards women not just doing sexy spin kicks in heels but sometimes just punching someone in the face. And there are definitely good jokes, it just isn't 100% focused on comedy. Not like movie of the year but enjoyable and good pacing, doesn't lag anywhere.

Can't believe this wasn't more popular, it's actually great! Like it's not Terminator 2, but it's clever and fun and has some twists. M3gan is still a dick, so that's consistent. I guess if you wanted it to be more of a horror movie, you'd be bummed bc it's like sci-fi/action/comedy, but I feel like it actually works better in this genre. Probably the same as with Happy Death Day and the sequel bc both of those are great, but people hated on the second one for not being horror anymore. Idk when I've seen a sci-fi movie with such a range of roles for women. Usually there's about one, who fights in heels and is someone's love interest. All the stuff about big tech felt really topical but more like you're laughing about it rather than making big statement or sth.

So I knew this was like a cult movie I'd never seen and what with graveyard/undertaker setting, I figured some kind of haunting. WRONG! The plot is totally batshit and you'd never guess what this movie is about. Entertaining, especially if you don't mind 13yos driving, drinking and shooting guns. The weak point is similar to in the original The Thing where somebody glances at something for half a second and then magically knows this whole big backstory. But this movie is really not about having a logical narrative. Quick and enjoyable if you don't ask too much of it.