Bottoms (2023) Review

Title: Bottoms
Year: 2023
Director: Emma Seligman
Country: US
Language: English

Raunchy comedies have been dominated by boys behaving badly for decades; from Animal House (1978) to American Pie (1999) to Superbad (2008). Lately women have carried this sub-genre (Trainwreck), but have immediately felt dated due to how off-putting the leads are. Bottoms (2023) is a refreshing queer-focused film that is equal parts smart and horny.
 

Two unpopular queer high school students start a fight club to have sex before graduation.

Bottoms is Emma Seligman’s second feature after her impressive debut Shiva Baby (2020). Co-written by Seligman and star Rachel Sennott, this is an edgy yet hilarious film that pushes boundaries and tests our suspension of disbelief. 

Most comedies in the same vein as Bottoms use editing tricks to clumsily hit a punchline, but Seligman employs D.o.P Maria Rusche to punctuate humour through visual cues. She has a remarkable understanding of space; using fluid camera movement, blocking and focus to draw in the film's funniest moments. 

Production designer Nate Jones gives the picture a nostalgic appeal by using as little technology as possible and giving the picture a timeless quality. The year Bottoms takes place could be any year since 1980. I'm becoming a big fan of Seligman due to her clear dedication to making art out of film. I hope she continues making more great movies. 

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) Review

Title: Peggy Sue Got Married
Year: 1986
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Country: US
Language: English

In the 1970's Francis Ford Coppola became a household name with critical and commercial hits like The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1979). In the 1980's Coppola was met with mixed reception; his films The Outsider (1981) and Rumble Fish (1983) failed to become box office hits and his studio became bankrupt. In desperation he signed on as a director-for-hire to take over Jonathon Demme's directing duties in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).

Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) faints at a high school reunion. When she wakes up, she finds herself in her own past, just before she finished school.

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) is interesting because it's a time travel film that is completely devoid of science fiction elements. It has no interest in "why?" or "how?" such a phenomenon occurred; rather its entire interest is on exploring relationships and trying to find meaning out of the past. This is quite a small and restrained picture for Coppola. 

I felt myself very moved by Peggy Sue Got Married; particularly the scene where she visits her deceased grandparents. It's a sentimental, heartfelt picture that has remarkable set design and era-appropriate costumes. I felt very nostalgic for the time period set in this film - and I was born 30 years later! 

This picture is quite charming. Its humor is understated and overall it will be quite a heartwarming trip through time. Kathleen Turner does a tremendous job trying to understand the "what ifs" of Peggy Sue's life.

Mars Attacks! (1996) Review

Title: Mars Attacks
Year: 1996
Director: Tim Burton
Country: US
Language: English

My favorite alien design comes from Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! I just love their miniature stature, giant brains, cute alien suits, retro-inspired weaponry, screechy "ack-grack" voices and their downfall being terrible yodeling music. Industrial Light and Magic, led by Ellen Poe, were instrumental in the design of these iconic characters. 

It is a normal day for everyone, until President of the United States James Dale (Jack Nicholson) announces Martians have been spotted circling Earth. 

Mars Attacks! is a nihilistic film that has very cynical take on the Hollywood blockbuster. Recognizable star protagonists are blasted into dust - and there is no thrilling action sequence in which the aliens get their comeuppance. Nearly every scene features incompetent humans finding themselves in catastrophic situations due to their incompetence. Everybody in power is a complete buffoon and we find no heroism in them trying to defend corrupt institutions. 

While the film has a lot of pacing, writing and editing issues. Mars Attacks! proves to be a lot of fun because it goes against the grain. It is a chaotic picture; juvenile rebellion disguised as sci-fi horror. I commend the film for its incredible set design, spectacular effects and inspired art direction. 

A satire of low budget sci-fi movies of the 1950's, Burton was successful in recreating the Ed Wood Planet 9 From Outer Space type of picture. Upon release Mars Attacks! was not a commercial or critical success, but it is very rightfully a cult classic.