Mean Girls (2024)

You hear a lot lately about how high school kids are different these days, how all the cliques and stratification and such are no longer the norm in that milieu. Well, if that’s true, the people who make movies and musicals have not caught up to the current secondary school zeitgeist. There’s a remarkable amount of overlap between this story and that ultimate expression of the teenage dramascape, Heathers—which first came into being way back in 1987. True, this work is the derivative of a musical that was based on a movie of the same name from 2004, so perhaps it has a permission slip for being behind the times socially. Or, maybe just maybe, things have never really changed all that much. Whatever the case, this film offers a distinct and enjoyable take on the familiar story of a new girl who tangles with the local power base, here set to a musical score that mostly works, with several strong songs and only a few minor misses with a couple of numbers. The script offers a generous dose of genuine laughs, while the performances of the young ladies are generally first rate (not to mention that the Plastics are gorgeous, which certainly helps the viewer maintain interest). Ultimately, the tale ends with its heart in the right place, all while presenting just enough divergence from the original story to give the new version a sense of being at least a bit fresh. I don’t know if today’s teens really are more accepting and compassionate than they used to be, or if the meanness still reigns, but at least in cinema the genuine still trumps the plastic. 

Soul

Depending upon who you are, and how you feel about your life, some of this story may hit a little too close to home. In a more general view, a lot of this movie may be difficult for viewers to get traction with, as a sizable part of the concept here involves characters who are abstractions, and abstraction is notoriously difficult for many people to relate to. Or perhaps that’s just this viewer trying to grasp at reasons why this film stayed somewhat at arm’s length from him, despite there being plenty of relatable emotional content herein. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I personally have never really appreciated jazz that this flick fails to completely crack my exterior. What also doesn’t help is the ending—it reeks of falsity; it seems like a decision was made to tack on a final note that was added on in order to make the ending “happier,” even though the honest ending would not have been all that sad, and is even hinted at in the earlier dialogue. I don’t know; there’s a lot of plus and minus here, all mixed up—but I’m conscious enough of my own personal failings here that I will give this work a pass, count it as a guarded MEOW, and leave it at that. Other than that, you’ll have to find this work's purpose for yourself.

A Haunting in Venice

Is this a good mystery? I wouldn’t know—it’s really not my genre. But I do like extraordinary characters, and in Hercule Poirot, as portrayed by Kenneth Branagh, you do have an iconic presence who really draws in the viewer. The portrayal comes across as that much fresher given that the story in this outing is a relatively untouched property, rather than the well-trodden paths of the Nile and the Orient Express. Add to those appealing elements some keen direction and skillful cinematography—the movie is a visual treat all the way through—and the result is a film that mostly satisfies. Again, I’m not a mystery fan, so I will confess that I grew a tad bored with the roundabout trip to an ultimately unwieldy explication...but that may just have been me watching the movie while being tired, too. As for the implied-by-the-title supernatural aspect of the story, the movie ultimately supplies one or two jolts, but overall it's a rather tame dose of the spooky. In sum, this is a finely-crafted movie for adults, with just enough touches of intrigue, chills, and interesting and exotic setting to lift the overall work into something worth the viewer's time.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

It's not funny. That's not a negative criticism; I suspect this movie isn't supposed to be funny. Hence, the way it was sold--every blurb on the box mentions laughing--did this film a disservice. If viewers went in expecting to be rolling in the aisles while watching this one, they were sure to be disappointed; if that was the filmmakers' intention, then this effort failed and the Bad Cat's PURR should be a MEOW, at best. But, in this viewer's mind, this movie is much more complex than that. It's filled with droll humor, sure; sometimes it's even gallows humor, if you're into that sort of thing. (I am.) But it also contains a serious, almost contemplative look at the occupation of Afghanistan, at the role of media and the people who work in that world, and even the big question, just what are you doing with your life? As such, it's pretty interesting stuff--a good watch that is smart, absorbing from the start, and ultimately a rewarding viewing experience. Oh, yeah, and Tina Fey demonstrates that she can carry a movie mostly by herself; she's in almost every scene here, it's very much her movie, and she scores big time in the role. Not bad work if you can get it--and a good way to spend a couple hours of your time.

Date Night

I was all set not to like this movie, but the combination of appealing lead actors and a well-rounded supporting cast--with one or two pitch-perfect cameos--put an otherwise run of the mill movie over the top.

Mean Girls

Oh, Lindsay! This should have been an enjoyable comedy about teen/high-school culture. Instead, when viewed a few years after release, it must be seen as an exercise in 'what might have been.' You were good then, giving a real nice performance in a movie with strong supporting actors and a fine script. It should have been just left at that, but more recent facts inevitably intrude upon that early promise. I guess we'll always have this film to remind us of better days.