Skip to main content

Assassination Nation (2018), R, ★★


It's easy to say that we are living in a divisive time in which any news or comment of sorts could easily perplex or offend someone. But, also, it's timely because of the news going on surrounding political figures and celebrities and other prominent figures getting caught in sexual assault/harassment allegations. However, I set aside politics and I focus on reviewing the movie but it's hard to get those disturbing realities out of your head as it supposedly relevant to the material. So, focusing on reviewing the movie, I had some hopes watching an original spin of how leaks can split the gender dynamics but it focuses more on the carnage and the craziness than the story and meaning. The movie is way too much style over substance.

High school senior Lily Coulson (Odessa Young) is a regular student who hangs out with her friends, Bex, Em and Sarah (Hair Nef, Abra and Suki Waterhouse, respectively). The girls later go out to a party where Bex hooks up with her boyfriend, Diamond (Danny Ramirez) and Lily is alone with her boyfriend, Mark (Bill Skarsgard). After sex, Diamond starts to cry after Bex leaves and texts "Daddy" behind Mark's back.

Later, at school, Lily gets called into the principal's office where Principal Turrell (Colman Domingo) scolds her for drawing nude women as pornographic poses. Lily argues that the drawings are empowering, where Turrell sees potential in her. Soon, Turrell's phone gets hacked with pictures of her underage daughter are shown, making people to believe he is a pedophile. Whereas, Reagan (Bella Thorne) spreads nude pictures of her friend, Grace (Maude Apatow) to a guy show liked, causing a riff between them, leading Grace into custody.


The movie has some good ideas underneath its style but the material gets too out of control. It is one of those movies where you either go with it or go against it, but it does not mean that if you do not like it, it does not accuse you of anything bad. I am being honest that the movie is executed well with the lessons of gender dynamics, etiquette, cyber-bullying and social media use but the movie points out too well that it is a satire, it is too noticeable of telling us it is a satire about how society treating women and girls today. However, the movie contradicts itself by getting to the message and the movie becomes angry just to match the style and not to match the plot. It is more of a chase movie, and without spoiling, turning into a "Purge" movie that I'd watch.

I'll give all the four girls who play the friends credit as they give solid performances, primarily Odessa Young. She captures that innocence and also that rage to committing actions that one may judge because her decision would definitely cause a riot and it would go haywire. Director and writer Sam Levinson has a keen eye by meshing a timely subject with a stylistic vision but it is mostly just that along with a good execution in the first half and good performances. But, a weak execution setting off the second half as to how and why the leaks were produced is what spirals the movie out of control likes its heroines and from there, I just did not care anymore. It's more of a punk-rock, violent, stylistic music video than a movie. Also, the ending is very frustrating as the movie cheats. So, the bottom line is that it is a well-intentioned cautionary tale that turns into a confusing satirical thriller that became more of a burden to suffer through.

**



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2015 Documentaries

I have only seen 6 documentaries this year which also includes Amy and I Am Chris Farley . But, I have to be honest, this has not been a particularly strong year for documentaries except for onethat got me emotionally and mentally as what I examine for when they uncover the truth or some facts from the people involved in these documentaries. But, here are the four I have seen this year: Listen To Me Marlon, Unrated, 4 stars This is the most insightful documentary of the year as we only hear Marlon Brando narrating his life and experiences what he has gone through regarding his family, his private life and his film experiences regarding The Godfather , Apocalypse Now , Last Tango in Paris , etc. It is like Marlon Brando came out of his grave to give us another profoundly moving movie only we hear his voice and scenery and nothing else. The Look of Silence, R, 3.5 stars Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up documentary is a light-hearted but still-disturbing film regarding a ...

Daddy's Home 2 (2017), PG-13, ★1/2

The first Daddy's Home was surprisingly a financial success as I thought it was not as bad as many people thought. I thought it was a solid cable watch because it had enough laughs for that sort of mixed recommendation. I was not craving for a sequel for this movie because again, comedy sequels have a very bad record, however, the only difference is that it is not too late since the first movie came out a few years ago. But, this sequel is a reminder as to why we do not need a sequel to a hit comedy because this is a pretty much forgettable comedy, especially a holiday comedy...which I hade a guilty pleasure for. This did not work for me. Brad and Dusty (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) have become friends after the events of the first film and they set up a co-dad system where their two children, Megan and Dylan, spending time at each father's home. Dusty has re-married to writer Karen (Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio) and he is step-dad to Adrianna, Karen...

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), R, 4 stars

The stockbrokers worshipping Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) like a god. Wall Street. The clients, the adrenaline, the stocks, the money, the power, and the decadence. The former three pertains to the man's job, but the latter three pertains what any stockbroker wants in order to have the freedom to do whatever they want with the client's money. As Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) would say, "The name of the game is: move the money from your client's pocket into your pocket." We basically spend three hours seeing all of these Wall-Street scumbags steal the clients' money into their own pockets and spend it on booze, drugs, women, and other insane things in more insane activities. I have witnessed here is a great movie that I would not watch repetitively. The movie starts with Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) blowing cocaine onto a hooker's butt and he and his brokers throwing a little person onto a board with a dollar sign in the center. It'...