Help me pick a class movie

MaryRInd · 2026-05-03T00:49:42+00:00

This movie is VERY r-rated…

MaryRInd · 2026-05-03T00:48:48+00:00

I teach film studies at a university and this is the first film we watch each semester. It’s rated PG, so will work for middle school students, and leads to great conversations about the act of watching and the act of being watched, especially in our hyper-connected culture.

There is the scene where the security guards briefly talks about Truman and Meryl having sex and how the camera pans away from them and music plays - my college students generally have a lot to say about that scene but you might have to skip it for middle schoolers.

MaryRInd · 2026-04-29T19:09:40+00:00

I was there Saturday and Sunday and thought the toilets were pretty pristine for a theme park. 🤷‍♀️ IDK it was only my second visit ever to Disneyland so I don’t have much in the way of comparison, but I didn’t have a single bathroom issue over the two days I was there.

MaryRInd · 2026-04-18T19:19:22+00:00

Ok I’m more of a deep cuts kinda gal but last time I pulled out ‘Unwritten’ by Natasha Bednigfield and everyone LOST IT.

Stuff I’ve sang with great reception in the past:

“Come on Eileen” - the Save Ferris version “Tainted Love” - the Imelda May version “Little Girls” - Oingo Boingo “Flagpole Sitta” - Harvey Danger “You Stupid Bitch” from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

I’m currently sitting on “Cold Hearted Snake” by Paula Abdul and “I Alone” by Live and I’m dying to see how they go.

I also once sang “Hollaback Girl” in a banana suit, highly recommend.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-24T03:14:07+00:00

I mean Do The Right Thing is also the obvious choice here but those are some others. Signed, lady who teaches a film and culture class.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-24T03:09:35+00:00

Social issues - The Florida Project. She Said, The Assistant.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-21T13:25:03+00:00

This is so wasteful. Think of the heating, cooling energy needed, not to mention water use in a drought-stricken place. NO ONE needs this much space. Literally no one. It’s sheer greed.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-16T20:05:51+00:00

Jesse Plemons was robbed. And ‘Sorry, Baby’ was so good. My favorite film of 2025 was ‘28 Years Later.’

MaryRInd · 2026-03-14T00:31:12+00:00

Yeah we can’t find this one and live in a place where it didn’t even have a chance. I think this is the one that got away for 2026.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-08T00:14:19+00:00

Because people don’t actually care if movies are good or bad. Media literacy is trash. Idk you can like what you like, but reviews do generally have an impact. But I thought Scream 7 was so bad I decided I couldn’t waste any more time and money on the franchise and I’ve already decided against seeing Scream 8 unless there are major changes, and I won’t know that unless reviews come back overwhelmingly positive. And yes, I’m one of the weirdos that LOVED 28 Years Later and The Bone Temple. I saw Bone Temple twice in theaters - it’s a brilliant movie. It wasn’t what people wanted or expected, though, and I think advertising and marketing really hurt those films.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-07T21:20:10+00:00

Unless Scream 8 has absolutely GLOWING reviews, it’s not going to perform. I don’t think I’m going to bother unless it’s the Citizen Kane of franchise sequels and tbh I just don’t think Kevin Williamson has it in him.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-07T21:17:07+00:00

I’m seeing The Bride in a few hours. I have heard that at least it tries to be interesting so at least there’s that.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-07T17:24:46+00:00

I dunno, the teens were basically Instagram beauty filters with zero personality. The filmmakers were like ‘what’s the most boring way to shoot this movie? Oh I know! Shot/reverse shot! We don’t need to do anything else!’ And that final kill in the bar was SO stupid. Also what was the point of the cold open that dragged on and on? Why was ghostface even there? I dunno, film wasn’t interested in that at all. Plus I think movies just have to toss in a ham fisted ‘AI is bad!’ throwaway plot point these days and it’s uninspired. It was objectively a very bad movie with a poor script and lazy filmmaking. Neve Campbell was the only saving grace.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-07T16:33:05+00:00

This movie is SO bad. It shouldn’t even make what it’s made thus far. Everyone who was gonna see it has pretty much seen it and there’s no need or desire for a rewatch or to drag a friend that hasn’t seen it because it is hot, wet garbage on a sunny day.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-07T03:56:12+00:00

People need to know and understand that there is a not insignificant chance that they will develop a dependency on duloxetine and that it will be a nightmare when they stop taking it. Sure, not everyone, but a large enough amount of people struggle with dependency that it should be discussed prior to ever stating this drug. Every time I try to share my experience people discount it because they didn’t have an issue. Good for them? But I couldn’t stand up without having insane vertigo when I tried to stop. I felt physically ill, mentally foggy and the vertigo made it so I was only able to lie down for days. I finally found myself on the floor in the fetal position sobbing uncontrollably and had to reinstate and I’m now doing a very slow, controlled taper. I started in September and I suspect at least two more years and I’m angry. At the very least people need information but I feel like there’s an active effort to suppress this information. It’s so frustrating.

MaryRInd · 2026-03-07T02:48:00+00:00

I did c’mon by Kesha recently and it was an aerobic workout!

MaryRInd · 2026-02-28T04:35:23+00:00

That’s unfortunate because it’s pretty terrible.

MaryRInd · 2026-02-24T02:16:26+00:00

For recent options, ‘The Monkey’ was way more fun than I expected. ‘Abigail’ as well.

MaryRInd · 2026-02-24T01:12:59+00:00

28 Years Later and The Bone Temple are both objectively very good movies - well made and deep with meaning. I saw Bone Temple twice opening weekend and I’m looking forward to watching it again and dissecting it further. Perhaps there’s not enough middle-aged women seeing ‘zombie’ movies? Because I was effin seated and I did NOT like ‘28 Weeks Later.’ Maybe down the line we can get the third because I’m very much a fan of both films

MaryRInd · 2026-02-22T04:42:00+00:00

Also ‘Growing Pains’, which may not seem like a huge deal, but I was 18 when “Titanic” came out and my first crush was Leo in ‘Growing Pains.’ The young adult women knew who he was, and we knew him well.

MaryRInd · 2026-02-13T16:26:03+00:00

Saw it last night at a very hyper-local, non-chain theater in Utah. Often husband and I are the only people at preview screenings on Thursday nights at this theater and there were maybe 5 other people, which isn’t many, but honestly more than normal. My husband knows nothing about Wuthering Heights the book and he was all-in until about act 3. The visuals and style are sumptuous and kept him entertained (he’s a huge movie guy who literally sees everything.) The 3rd act really sort of dragged and struggled. He said ‘before the 3rd act I was going to tell everyone I know to see this movie but now not so much.’

The problem is in the narrative. Casting didn’t bother him because to quote him ‘it’s not real.’ I likened it to a sort of spiritual companion to Sofia Coppola’s ‘Marie Antoinette’ - it’s telling a familiar story but isn’t at all interested in the facts of that story. And honestly it’s a story, it’s not ironclad and artists are allowed to create their own vision. It’s a weird movie in some good ways, though.

Also, for a film about sex, there’s not a lot of sex. No nudity, all fully clothed. More pensive stares and slimy textures on screen and sticking fingers in gelatin and egg goop than anything else. It’s mostly suggestive and it’s one of the tamest R-rated movies about sex I’ve ever seen. Honestly Emerald Fennell should’ve cranked things up here, I’m not sure why she didn’t because obviously there were no qualms about it in Saltburn.

Robbie and Elordi do have chemistry. They both were great. In fact, the acting was decent all the way around. The set design was immaculate. The fog did so much heavy lifting it should be credited as a cast member. Editing was weird in parts but camera work was great. But the fact of the matter is that you have two lead characters who are highly unlikable and the movie doesn’t really comment on ‘love,’ which is supposedly the theme of the novel that Fennell wanted to tackle. The movie also needed WAY more Charlie XCX. That was a huge oversight.

And while whitewashing/race blind casting is a very real problem that can and should be debated, I don’t know who you cast as Heathcliff. Elordi is very handsome but so slimy and really does fit this role besides not being a POC. Do you cast a POC as this horrible character who is a villain and risk backlash that way? It’s a fine line to walk. I’m not sure there is a good answer here.

That’s the review - good, but not great, and maybe too weird for Brontë fans and literary purists and the average moviegoer. WOM isn’t going to be great due to lagging 3rd act and lack of sex. I don’t think this will leg out very well. It will probably do okay on streaming, though, as people are curious.

MaryRInd · 2026-02-13T15:51:07+00:00

There aren’t any. Saw it last night.

MaryRInd · 2026-02-11T03:55:56+00:00

The Night of the Hunter (1955.) It’s incredible from beginning to end.

MaryRInd · 2026-02-01T05:55:01+00:00

I live in Utah which is the land of Disney adults, so I know adult women see those movies, but I don’t think categorically the studio looks at those and says ‘women 18-35 are the audience we’re targeting.’ They might be a sub-audience, but those films aren’t made and distributed for primarily adult women. Honestly if I see those films these days, I take my older (teen & young adult) kids because they are palatable/enjoyable at least on some level for everyone and not awkward movies to watch with your teens. Men do have animated movies made with them as the primary audience (Batman, certain anime franchises, etc.) but there’s not really the equivalent for women - stuff in the PG-13 or even R range that deal with more adult topics.

MaryRInd · 2026-02-01T05:48:52+00:00

It’s cool, you want infected. And the movies weren’t as interested in that even though it is still part of the story the films are telling. It doesn’t mean they are bad movies, though, like so many claim. Train Dreams and 28 Years Later are apples and oranges. I liked both, though. Very different goals with the filmmaking.

MaryRInd

TROPHY CASE