Ricky’s Movie Review Roundup

I am back with another Ricky’s Review Roundup, where I share some quick thoughts on some of the movies or shows I watched recently. As I mentioned before, I am in the thick of award season, so I’ve been diving into plenty of screeners to catch up or watch the latest to prepare my ballot for the upcoming voting deadlines. However, I also like to toss in some other titles that can remind me that I need a laugh (these award movies have been so depressing). So let’s dive into this week’s watches.

White Noise

So let me start by saying that Noah Baumbach is an incredible writer/director. When something of his is set to come out, it moves to the top of my must-watch list. I had heard mixed things about White Noise, including how hard the book would be to adapt to an actual movie. I never read the book, so my thoughts are based on the film alone.

The first hour and fifteen minutes of this movie are damn near perfect. There is one debate-style scene between Jack (Adam Driver) and Murray (Don Cheadle) that is hands down one of the best-acted/edited scenes of the year. The performances are excellent, with my personal favorite being Greta Gerwig. I loved the emotional depth she provided to the role of Babette. The ride is bumpy, and a third act causes it to lose all the steam it had, it makes this good but not great.

Brian Posehn: Posehna Non Grata

I mentioned that I love watching things in between these screeners to clear my head a little, and Brian Posehn’s latest special was perfectly timed for what I needed. I don’t think I’ve seen another special like this year. He has this relatable demeanor and storytelling that makes you feel like you are a part of the show. Not many comedians realize how you can really make an audience laugh by simply making it relatable.

Posehn might have hung around on the political scale for a little bit to start, but it served the purpose of his perfect transition into jokes about a wide range of pandemic-related things, including weight gain. He has such a “bro-like” delivery that makes you laugh so damn much.

Overall, I thought the special was a good time. It’s one of the stand-up specials you can throw on and sit back and enjoy. You can catch Posehna Non Grata over on Moment.

Triangle of Sadness

Much like White Noise, Triangle of Sadness has one incredible first hour and fifteen minutes, but once we are off the boat, it loses every bit of steam it had. I found myself starting to really grab ahold of these characters and invest in them, but the movie transition to off the boat made me not care about anything that was happening anymore.

The only thing that really worked for the film in the third act was Dolly de Leon’s performance which was as good as everyone said it was. I loved her character and the command she took being the captain. Also, Woody Harrelson was pretty darn good in his short time. Another thing I didn’t love was the ending, it was so abrupt for no reason at all. It is another solid but overall disappointing awards film.