Short reviews of shows and films I watched this month. A Girls rewatch, Capote vs The Swans, Griselda, Saltburn & High Life.
Girls Rewatch
Girls is trending on TikTok as Gen Z discovers the tragi-comedy. I watched it when it came out 12 years ago. I always felt the brutal criticisms were poisoned by misogyny and fat phobia. I lived in their same Brooklyn and it was pretty accurate. Of course it was too white, most white people only hang out with white people. Of course the cast was mostly rich, beautiful nepo-babies with no interest in diversity. That’s who tends to “make it” in NYC. But unlike Friends or Sex and the City, it was not aspirational. The show knew these were awful, insufferable narcissists and skewered their naivete, toxic relationships and addictions. It also held a tender focus on female sexuality, desires and even Queerness. Its success opened the doors for other naturally diverse shows like Insecure, Sex Lives of College Girls and Sort Of. And Girls is fucking hilarious. So many meme-able zingers and tiny scenes perfect for TikTok’s algorithm. It was also a swan song for a Brooklyn finally done in by hyper-gentrification, the last $700/month rent and a split second before influencers chewed up the rest. Girls comes from privilege but it’s about disappointment, the moment a generation realized it was going it to be much, much worse off than its parents.
2012-2017, streaming on HBO MAX
Feud: Capote VS The Swans
We’re halfway through the season, here’s my initial impression: Immaculate vibes from the art, costume and music departments and gorgeous direction by Gus Van Sant. The A-listers are A-C-T-I-N-G without chewing the scenery and a damn good Capote impression by professional Gay villain Tom Hollander (White Lotus). But at the half-way point, the series feels joy-averse with a severe disdain for Capote. I wish we could see more of his art and why it was so lauded. Instead of a tortured genius, he comes across as a bitter, drunk queen with a sharp tongue. But the love between Gay men and straight women (especially as we get older) deserves an expensive exploration like this. I’m hoping the show can move towards the light in its second half and away from just betrayal. Ryan Murphy productions have a penchant for self-loathing homosexuals and falling apart in their final acts, so I’m not holding my breath. In the meantime, it’s a fascinating slice of history from one of our most troubled forefathers.
2024, streaming on FX/Hulu
Griselda
When a white person scams a bunch of people, they get a glossy miniseries, an A-lister in a wig and an Emmy campaign (Elizabeth Holmes, Anna Delvey, Bernie Madoff). When Brown people scam, we rarely hear about it…unless it’s drugs. Americans prefers Brown people be dangerous but not clever. Tons of media on cartels and nothing on immigration or social security fraud. I was ready to hate Griselda but it’s a binge that works when it shows how clever she was.
I’ve seen Sofia Vergara do the “loud spicy Latina” bit way before Modern Family, on Mexican TV. Americans don’t realize how damaging that stereotype is and I have no patience for it. But Sofia knows how to temper it here. They “ugly” her up with fake teeth and eyebrows. Strangely, the prosthetics work with her real-life cosmetic procedures, creating a surreal, menacing mask. It’s a forceful Emmy-bait performance and everyone does the most with a script that’s loose on history and convenient scenes. I didn’t learn anything new about the drug trade and it’s a by-the-numbers antihero story. But it’s a violent, slick guilty pleasure…as long as you know exactly what you’re feeling guilty about.
2024, streaming on Netflix
Saltburn
I finally caved and watched this after the meme hype died down. It’s giving Euphoria vibes: visual pyrotechnics, a cast who knows their strengths, good zingers but an uneven tone, too proud of its “scandals,” a Frankenstein of familiar tropes and scenes. At its core, it’s a “love that dare not speak its name” film + a Gay serial killer movie. Talented Mr. Ripley for TikTok. And it’s huge on TikTok. Built for virality: a shirtless Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike’s one-liners, “the bathtub scene,” early 2000s nostalgia. I’m missing the cultural context about British class warfare but what’s interesting to me is how American audiences responded. So easily scandalized! It’s telling the bathwater became the meme and not the necrophilic graveyard scene or the menstruation sex scene. Says a lot about American (lack of) conversations on grief or women’s sexuality. Felt like outdated Gay storytelling aimed at younger Queers, moms and straight boyfriends (the “crazy reaction!” TikToks focus on those groups). But I suppose a younger Queer generation needs their own Talented Mr. Ripley. As a Baby Queer, the bathtub scene in that 1999 film wrecked me but taught me about myself. Saltburn’s theme song, 2006’s Murder on the Dancefloor went mega-viral. I remember dancing to it at The Stud in SF when it came out, when I saw and did way crazier things than in this film. Not all nostalgia is meant for everyone but Saltburn is worth a visit for the eye-candy and conversation.
2023, streaming on Amazon Prime
High Life
I can't stop thinking about this film! Never seen a space movie like it. It's all about sex taboos, body fluids and what's at the edge of being "human." A group of prisoners floats toward a black hole while a mad scientist (Juliette Binoche!) does sex experiments on them. It's eerie, with sudden bursts of sex and violence. I can't tell if it's a great movie yet? But there's a masturbation box, Andre 3000, Mia Goth, Robert Pattinson, a scene-stealing baby, a spaghettification scene, a set by Olafur Eliasson, and a bunch of really uncomfortable questions. What happens when we're left alone in space with only desires, feral instincts and nothing to lose?
2018, streaming on HBO Max
I have to disagree with your take on Capote vs The Swans. Its based on a specific episode in his life. He was a lot like he is being portrayed by Tom Hollander, who has his voice and mannerisms down to a tee. If you haven't seen it, I recommend "Capote" with the late, great Philip Seymor Hoffman.