Atomic Fangirl

“This is what they want. America’s sweetheart.”

Genre I’d put it in: Powerfully Compelling Biopics
Release Date: 2022
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the life and career defining moments of Whitney Houston

Story: Whitney Elizabeth “Nippy” Houston grew up in New Jersey, but became a worldwide music sensation thanks to the power of her incredible voice. But who was she really? And how did she deal with the pressures of fame and her demanding father? (Spoiler: as well as any normal person thrust into fame at an early age could)

Gotta say: Dance does exactly what it sets out to do; remind you of exactly how talented Houston was as a singer. Thanks to an electric performance by Naomi Ackie as Houston, the film pulls you get you pulled in to the beauty and power of her performances. To be completely honest, I wasn’t expecting much when I readied myself for this screening. But I was pleasantly surprised by the way the creators put in the time and effort to make a visually beautiful, compelling film.

“Alright! No tits!”

Story: 1920s Hollywood was absolutely crazy. Decadent, hedonistic, and straight-up lewd, those in the cinema system were all-out, every day. Work hard, play hard, amirite? But soon, audiences began to eschew silent films filled with “excess”, and wanted talkies with “morals”. What of the folks behind-the-scenes? Let a few actors, musicians, and other shot-callers walk you through it all.

Genre I’d put it in: Crazypants Debauched-to-Moralistic Film Histories
Release Date: 2022
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the history of Hollywood(land), especially how the “anything goes” vibe of the 1920s turned into the “Golden Age of Film” of the 1930s.

Gotta say: Holy cow, Babylon is insane. All the flavors of insane; gloriously insane, strangely insane, horrifyingly insane, and even heartbreakingly insane. You’ll probably either love it or hate it, but director Damien Chazelle left absolutely nothing on the table after making this film. And wow, it’s A Lot. I dig it.

“Hi honey – I’m cancer!”

Story: Michael Ausiello has things together y’all. He’s a writer at TVGuide, has a nice pad in Jersey, and figures The Guy is just something that’s not in the cards for him. But they Kit Cowan appears…and for fourteen years, they’re the Happy Couple Goals we all aspire to. But then one day Kit feels a bit off. And then things get bad. Really bad. Uh, cue title; it’s super bad.

Genre I’d put it in: Bittersweet Love Stories That Could Use More Heart
Release Date: 2022
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the book “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies” by Michael Ausiello

Gotta say: Alert is very much like those large chocolate Easter Bunnies or Santas (let’s get seasonal y’all.) Promising, fun to anticipate getting into, but ultimately hollow. It’s not to say that the film is bad – far from it I thought many a parts of it were quite good. But when you release a movie about an individual in a love story where one half happens to be dying of cancer during December’s award season onslaught? Let’s just say that at this time of year, I’m expecting a little bit more than good. With this story and cast, I was expecting great. Ah well.