![\"Let's](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/clipper-4223871_1280-e1767811769328.jpg\")
<\/a>Let’s get started on these mini movie reviews for 2016!<\/p><\/div>\n
So here is my first batch of mini reviews. (I have sooo many more, but I wanted to get this crop out before the Golden Globes<\/em> this coming Sunday, without over-burdening you.)<\/p>\n And let me tell you\u2014I wasted waaaay too many hours on these. I\u2019m so glad that I\u2019ve chosen to watch most films at home this year, rather than at industry screenings. It\u2019s bad enough taking those hours to see<\/em> the films, (most are very<\/em> long this season, though I can\u2019t figure out why,) but since the pandemic lockdown, I can\u2019t abide spending those extra hours surrounding<\/em> the screenings\u2014getting ready, having to arrive at least one hour early, (and standing in line for the privilege of doing so!,) listening to some of the actors talk after, (I\u2019ve even turned-down ones with Hugh Jackman, my now-only celebrity crush, speaking!,) and then traveling home. And most importantly, we have closed captions at home, which trust me, we need for most of the mumbling actors these days!<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t seen even one performance that\u2019s worthy of even a nomination<\/em> for anything so far! And I had not one drop of interest in seeing any<\/em> of these. (I was<\/em> a tad curious to see the new Knives Out<\/em>, which has no nods that I know of, but even that<\/em> was a big disappointment, which I\u2019ll tell you about next week in Part II.)<\/p>\n I\u2019ll begin with giving each one a one-word review, and then follow that up with a few more thoughts. But my word for them overall<\/em> is definitely \u201cuninspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n One Battle After Another<\/strong><\/em>\u2014Unwatchable.<\/p>\n Leonardo DiCaprio.<\/p><\/div>\n As much as I adore Leonardo DiCaprio, I couldn\u2019t get past the first fifteen minutes of this nauseating dud. When Teyana Taylor\u2019s character insisted that Sean Penn\u2019s character get a boner for no reason, with no one touching him, not even himself, I almost threw-up. And gave up.<\/p>\n I learned later that it\u2019s directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, whose work I usually detest, (especially his most recent, the inane Licorice Pizza<\/em>,) and this one is no different. (But I will<\/em> have to force<\/em> myself to see the rest of it before voting for the Actor Awards<\/em>\u00a0because the actors in it received nods in all five of those categories! And you know how into fairness I am. So I won\u2019t allow myself to vote until I see all<\/em> the nominated performances, no matter how nauseating the films.)<\/p>\n Jay Kelly<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Cliche-city.<\/p>\n Or \u201cdraining\u201d; it\u2019s your choice for which one word describes this one the most.<\/p>\n And there are so many continuity issues. For example, at one point George Clooney has a blue gift box with a new sweater in it, and he takes it with him when he leaves a dinner party. But in the very next contiguous scene, he\u2019s instead carrying some form of big, flat, artwork container instead of the gift box! And then\u2014poof, it totally disappears altogether!<\/p>\n Jay Kelly in the Italian forest.<\/p><\/div>\n There\u2019s also some weird craziness, such as the character choosing to walk through not only a forest<\/em>, but an unfamiliar<\/em> one, at that, by himself at night, which is crazy to begin with, but he also got cell phone reception in it!<\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t known before I saw it that it was directed by another man whose work I\u2019m not a fan of\u2014Noah Baumbach. Ugh. I should have realized it as soon as I realized that his wife, Great Gerwig, plays Jay’s manager’s\u00a0wife in it.<\/p>\n After the Hunt<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Confusing.<\/p>\n Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield in this utter depress-fest.<\/p><\/div>\n This was my fourth dud in a row, which made me decide that I\u2019d probably do better with *KPop<\/em> Demon Hunters<\/em>!!! And once again, I didn\u2019t realize that this was directed by yet another<\/em> one I\u2019m not a fan of\u2014Luca Guadiagnino, who previously helmed the very creepy Call Me By My Name<\/em>. Another critic, Peter Bradshaw, wrote of it, “Luca Guadagnino misfires with this bafflingly overlong, overwrought #MeToo campus accusation drama,\u201d and labeled the screenwriting “worryingly muddled and contrived,\u201d and the characterizations “unfocused.\u201d I wish I had thought of those perfect descriptors!<\/p>\n *[Note: I could not get through the animated KPop Demon Hunters<\/em>, either. Mr. X begged to stop about ten minutes in, just as I was trying to understand it. I wanted to at least hear its song, Golden<\/em>, which I have a feeling will win some awards. I actually love it!]<\/p>\n Frankenstein<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Stunning.<\/p>\n But, to continue on an \u201cs\u201d theme, sort-of studied and surely slow.<\/p>\n However, I still see several Oscars coming their way.<\/p>\n Jacob Elordi as the Monster. Shocking, isn’t it?<\/p><\/div>\n And I must say that I was almost astounded by the fabulous physicality of Jacob Elordi. Who would have thought that that cute, young guy was capable of that performance??? Well, I guess that Guillermo del Toro did! You go, boys!<\/p>\n I could tell the score was composed by Alexandre Desplat because the music was so beautiful and distinguished.<\/p>\n Outside of those pluses, and the gorgeous sets and cinematography, The story itself is pretty muddled and hard to follow at times. I had never seen any version of\u00a0Frankenstein<\/em>, outside of \u201cYoung<\/em>,\u201d so I actually had to research it later that night.<\/p>\n Sorry, Baby<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Creepy.<\/p>\n This is supposed to be a comedy<\/em>, yet I had to watch a Dateline<\/em> after it to cheer myself up! There\u2019s not one laugh, nor even a chuckle<\/em>, in it. It\u2019s just totally depressing.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>