Movie Review: 'A Rainy Day in New York' Shows the Big Apple Wet and Underwhelming

Woody Allen's 'A Rainy Day in New York' would have been the perfect movie to introduce the ageing auteur to Laura and her friends - today's generation of kids whose world-view is infinitely wider than my generation, thanks to Google and the Internet.

It would also have been the movie that Vic, Laura, and I could've watched together since it all had the ingredients that interested each of us - me and Woody's writing, Vic and the Met and NY's wealthy people, and Timothee Chalamet and Selena Gomez kissing for Laura.

A movie that bridges generation.  

Unfortunately, as the movie unfolds, I wondered whether Chalamet and Fanning's character were just 'old souls' because they talk like 'old people' and dressed as such - especially Chalamet - whose character possesses a pseudo-sophistication which I have never seen from a college kid of TODAY's generation LOL.

Instead of dancing to inane Tiktok videos shirtless, he looks like a cool GQ model with no money worries.

Anyway, what I love about the movie, like other previous Woody Allen movies are some snippets of humor (this one has so few of them) which are Allen-esque - the gorgeous NY apartments - I got some decorating tips from them; and the flow of the story that just puts people together in places and events just because.  It's like getting a surprise everytime you pop into the neighborhood McDonald's.

I also loved watching Diego Luna and see how sexy he is, although gravely underutilized here.  A shirtless Timothee and Diego would've made this exciting and homoerotic LOL but Woody never ventures into this territory.

Anyhow, this is very lightweight Woody Allen.  I just hope he has not run out of ideas because this movie sure makes it looks like he has!

 

Movie Review: The Novelty Fades A Bit in 'Don't Breathe 2'

'Don't Breathe' had one of the most audacious premises of any horror movie in a long time when it came out years ago.  I thoroughly enjoyed it as I did not have an idea what the movie was about since I do not usually watch trailers.  All I knew was it was a horror movie.

And what I ride we all had!

Fast forward to 'Don't Breathe 2' and just like the first one, I did not watch the trailer for this but I already knew that the main protagonist had 'skillz'.

Anyhow, the whole movie was a disappointment, even though they put a young girl there to add some spice in the story.  Maybe because I knew the main protagonist was a bad-ass, I did not feel any tension or fear for them  against this squad of hooligans who were up to no good.

In other words, the premise which was so promising in the first, virtually destroyed the suspense, in this second outing.

By the time the last killings were made, I was just glad the movie was over.  Too much unnecessary deaths and no fear or horror at all.  What wasted time.

 

Movie Review: 'Mysterious Skin' A Wonderful Gay Movie Discovery

 

Today, I discovered a wonderful gay movie entitled 'Mysterious Skin' which starred a younger Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  I didn't expect much from the movie, thinking it was just another gay movie with wayward gay men looking for a quick fix.

It had a deeper story and a very disturbing first act which involved scenes of pedophilia.  It was very shocking to watch knowing that these grown men were abusing these boys.  Gordon-Levitt's character was played by a younger actor and he was around 10 years old and those scenes.  It was maddening that no one discovered that scum of a baseball coach so these two boys, Gordon-Levitt's character, and another main character actor, had to go through these horrible abuse growing up.

Gordon-Levitt is fearless in this movie and I am surprised he did not receive that much buzz from it.  He was very very good and you really root for him as he tries to fix his life, dealing with his homosexuality and his decision to be in the sex trade.

The story depicts how these two young men are dealing with a present which does not present too much promise to gay men like them and dealing with a dreadful past which possibly made them think their  bodies were up for sale and to be used like that by other predatory men.

I wish I would have seen this movie when I was younger since the emotions are very raw and the pain they were dealing with was making them feel numb and immobile - but still they move on and try to make the best of their situation.

It may seem like a depressing movie but it's a movie of empowerment, where the victim stops acting like a victim - and takes control of their future - and dealing with a past that has left their self-esteem in tatters.

TOP 10 ARTISTS OF 2021 (based on American charts)

Starting last August, I will be posting the top 10 artists of 2021 on that particular week.  I will update it every month, from September until the final list on December 2021.

Here are the top 10 artists for the week ending November 13, 2021 -  

1. DRAKE                  138

2. OLIVIA RODRIGO  131

3. THE WEEKND        112

4. ARIANA GRANDE   108

5. JUSTIN BIEBER     106

6. DOJA CAT               85

7. DUA LIPA                80

8. LIL NAS X               74

9. MORGAN WALLEN    69

10. BTS                      66

 

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2021 (based on American charts)

 

Starting this month, I will be updating this blog on the top 10 albums of 2021 (based on American charts), until we come up with the final list on December 15, 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Here are the top 10 albums in the American charts as of November 13, 2021

#1 Dangerous 64

      Morgan Wallen

#2 Sour 40

     Olivia Rodrigo

#3 Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon 34

      Pop Smoke

#4 Future Nostalgia 32

     Dua Lipa

#5 Planet Her 28

     Doja Cat

#6 Evermore 25

     Taylor Swift

#7 A Gangsta's Pain 25

     Moneybagg Yo

#8 After Hours 24

     The Weeknd

#9 Certified Lover Baby 24

     Drake 

#10 Positions 22

      Ariana Grande

TOP 10 SONGS OF 2021 (Based on American charts)

Starting this month, we will be posting the top 10 songs of 2021 based on American charts, until the final list is released in December of this year.  This is based on a point system created by yours truly.

So, as of November 13, 2021, here are the top 10 songs of 2021 -

#1  Levitating 48

      Dua Lipa / Dababy

#2 Save Your Tears 40

     The Weeknd / Ariana Grande

#3 Butter 35

     BTS

#4 Good 4 U 35

      Olivia Rodrigo

#5 Stay 34

     The Kid LAROI / Justin Bieber

#6 Driver's License 33

     Olivia Rodrigo

#7 Kiss Me More 33

     Doja Cat / SZA

#8 Montero (Call Me By Your Name) 31

      Lil Nas X

#9 Leave the Door Open 31

      Bruno Mars / Anderson Paak

#10 Mood 30

      24kGldn / Iann dior

 

Niall Horan

 

Niall Horan has ten top 10 hits in My Weekly Top 10 countdown, outside of One Direction. Four of them went all the way to #1.

2021 - Heartbreak Weather (#1) *1 week

2018 - Too Much to Ask (#1)* 1 week

2018 - You and Me (#1)*1 week

2018 - The Tide (#2)

2018 - Flicker (#7)

2018 - Paper Houses (#8)

2018 - So Long (#1) *1 week

2017 - This Town (#8)

2017 - On the Loose (#6)

2017 - Seeing Blind (#7)