The Shining (1980) Hannibal (2013-2015)

Frasier (1993-2004) / Hannibal (2013-2015)

Carmy vs Syd The Bear, Season 1-3

Perfect Days (2023) dir. Wim Wenders

My Thoughts About Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Fantastic. Mr Fox is my FAVORITE film, ever. There is so much I could say about it… I don’t even think I can cram it into one post, so I’m not going to.

There’s so many relationships that I could analyze and give my opinions on.. but for this post, I’m going to focus on the relationships between Ash, Felicity (Mrs. Fox), and Foxy (Mr. Fox).

I believe that Mr. Fox never wanted a serious relationship with Felicity. At the very least, he wasn’t ready for one.

Mr. Fox gets an honest job to provide for them (writing newspaper articles), their home is fine, and they seem to be making enough to get by… but it’s clear to me that he never wanted to settle down and take the responsibility of being a husband or a father in the first place. (This was forced onto him with the unexpected pregnancy). Felicity makes him promise her to stop doing what he loves (stealing birds), because it's too dangerous for the situation that they're in now.

I think Mr. Fox knew from the start that he’d never be satisfied living this "simple life". He needs the approval of others to feel good about himself, and he didn’t feel like he deserved any praise for what he was doing. He needed to be doing something "fantastic". This is what pushes him to not listen to his lawyer and buy a house that they can’t even afford.

When they move to the bigger house, it never seems like Felicity has strong feelings about the change. She was happy with the simple life they had, and she thought he was too.

Mr. Fox is one of the most selfish main character’s I’ve ever seen portrayed in film. Even when their home is shot at, all he can think about is himself. He takes no accountability for bringing trouble to their door, he doesn’t apologize, and he doesn’t listen to anyone. Even Kylie told him it was a bad idea to start stealing birds.. and he completely dismissed him.

In my opinion, Felicity put up with his nonsense for far too long.

When they’re forced to dig underground, Felicity is furious (rightfully so). Mr. Fox, once again, takes no responsibility for what he’s done, and he says it’s just how he is (he’s just a “wild animal”). I know there’s a lot of symbolism behind them referring to themselves as wild animals, but this just proves that he is unbelievably self-centered.

Throughout the film, his son, Ash, has spent his time trying to live up to the image that he has of his father (someone fantastic, someone to be proud of). Which is ironic, of course, since Mr. Fox isn’t even proud of himself.

Ash’s view of his father has destroyed his self-esteem. His father is dismissive and distant; not appearing to think highly of him, or paying much attention to him. This is especially clear when Kristofferson starts staying with them. Mr. Fox praises Kristofferson and pays more attention to him than Ash. He invites Kristofferson on their heists and is angry at Ash for trying to go too. This causes Ash to treat Kristofferson with little to no respect, because he’s jealous.

In my opinion, the way Mr. Fox thinks of his son is clear. Ash is why he had to stop doing what he loved, and he resents him for this. He can’t be proud of Ash, because he isn’t proud of himself.

The turning point in this film, (not only for all of their relationships with one another, but also for Mr. Fox’s development), was when Kristofferson was taken hostage by the farmers.

Mr. Fox finally apologizes to Felicity for what he has done.. he realizes that he has caused so much harm to not only his family, but the entire forest. He questions why he is the way that he is, and he understands that he needs to change. Felicity loves Mr. Fox so much, but the damage has already been done. She realizes that she never should have married him, and she regrets doing so.

Instead of blaming Ash for Kristofferson getting caught, Mr. Fox realizes how his distant behavior has affected Ash. He tells Ash that it’s not his fault and that he is proud that he’s his son. Ash is so happy to hear those words from his father that he starts crying.

This film is such a heart-wrenching painting of a dysfunctional family. Mr. Fox makes amends with his wife and son, and accepts that he needs to do better. He may be selfish and stubborn, but he is trying to change. He has the ability to change! This is what I love so much about this film. Mr. Fox is a realistic character and this is the story of a real family, full of flaws and mistakes.

The film ends with Mr. Fox making a toast about change and hope. Things are going to be very different, but he doesn’t think that’s a bad thing. He’s apologized to Felicity and Ash. He knows that he needs to be a better husband and a more supportive father, (especially now that he has another child on the way). He knows that he needs to learn to be happy with what he has. Most importantly, he’s learned that he already has something fantastic, a family that loves and cares about him.

The casual intimacy of being single, living by yourself, and drinking in the bath. Unparalleled.

If you watched and loved The Bear and feel like crying some more you should watch Boiling Point (2021)

I miss Jude.

Sometimes I don’t know what I really mean by that. At least right now what I mean is that I miss reading his dialogue. A good amount of the book is about his thoughts and actions. But his conversations —his innocent questions, his sarcastic humor, his petulant stubbornness, his lengthy discussions about law and math — are precious to me. I miss reading him speak.

Some days I miss his routines, other days I miss his introspection. Today I miss his voice, even though I’ve never heard it before.

Barbie (2023) dir. Greta Gerwig

Say what you want about Saltburn but the color aesthetics are amazing. Some of the cinematography is almost ethereal. The movie is 50 shades of fucked up but the setting was beautiful!

Also.... Everyone is talking about the bathtub scene and the grave scene, but the menstruation vampire scene had me crossing my legs and scrunching my face into a knot.