Road Trips II: Inside Llewyn Davis 🪕
Also, a round of see it, stream it, or skip it: 'Last Christmas'
🍿 Happy Wednesday! Welcome back.
On Monday we traveled to Finland. For today’s entry in our road trip movies 🚘 series, we’re going to New York. Also, let’s play a round of see it, stream it, or skip it.
Okay, here’s day 2️⃣.
Today’s movie: Inside Llewyn Davis
STREAMING ON PRIME VIDEO
What it’s about: Starting in the Greenwich Village folk music scene in the 1960s before traveling to Chicago and back, Inside Llewyn Davis follows the titular character (a pre-Star Wars Oscar Isaac) — a failed folk singer — as he navigates money (he has none), relationships (he has none), his career (in the toilet), and a pesky cat (that’s always running away).
Why you should watch it: Inside Llewyn Davis is as funny as any of the Coen Brothers’ films and filled with their usual endearing characters. But there’s also a pervasive melancholy mood that’s refreshingly real — especially for any creative trying to make it in the big city. Watching Llewyn chase his dream (and the cat) around the city to Chicago and back is as affecting as it is entertaining. A lot of that is thanks to Oscar Isaac’s magnetic performance. It was truly a star-making performance. Get it? It’s funny because he’s in Star Wars.
Details: 🎬 Joel and Ethan Coen // ⏳ 105 minutes // 🗓 2013 // 📺 Trailer
Fun fact: Joel Coen remarked that "the film doesn't really have a plot. That concerned us at one point; that's why we threw the cat in."
Also available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
See it, stream it, or skip it: Last Christmas 🎄
Fun fact: I used to host a pop culture radio talk show called Indecent Disclosure. On that show we’d play a game called see it, stream it, or skip it. So, I’m reviving it here. I’ll talk about a movie in theaters right now and let you know whether you should see it in theaters, wait for it to be available on streaming, or skip it entirely.
What it’s about: Kate (Emilia Clarke) is your classic twentysomething mess. She’s working a job she hates (an Elf/store clerk at an all-year-round Christmas store), effectively homeless, and always makes the wrong life decision. That is until she meets Tom (Henry Golding). You know the story from there.
See it, stream it, or skip it? 🚫 SKIP IT. Despite the high caliber of talent behind it (director Paul Feig, screenwriter Emma Thompson) and a stellar cast (Henry Golding and legend Michelle Yeoh), Last Christmas has a flawed narrative that doesn’t give you any reason to care or root for any of the characters. Even as corny holiday schlock it fails. Sorry, George Michael.
Thank you for reading! I’ll be back on Friday with a double feature recommendation and more good stuff. Stick around.
Have a great night!
Karl (@karl_delo)