Valentine’s Day Double Feature
(Good Luck with “Wuthering Heights” this weekend… Don’t Die)
Article by Mark Woodring
Well, Valentine’s Day is here again, and with it, in addition to what I am sure are at least a dozen “new” Hallmark Channel movies, we get a couple Hollywood entries at the box office.
One of them might try to pass itself off as a date movie or couple’s film, and the other one is actually a good time.
Read some of my brief thoughts on these two films, then use the links at the bottom to listen or watch as we discuss the films in more depth.
**NOTE: Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
First up, it’s
“Wuthering Heights”
136 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Emerald Fennell, Emily Bronte
Directed by Emerald Fennell
Synopsis:
A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.
Pretty pretentious to declare that the title of your movie includes the quotation marks, isn’t it?
I mean, I got it when F1 (the Movie) maintained that it had to be written as F1: The Movie, because there were some copyright/trademark-type things with F1 racing, but this?
All this does is accentuate the idea that this is a movie of the beloved (by some) novel the same way The Flintstones was a movie of the beloved (by everyone with a soul) cartoon series.
The fact Margot Robbie is in this movie makes it very easy to compare this jacked up Gothic romance to that of the Joker and Harley Quinn.
Reminder: THAT IS NOT A LOVE STORY.
And neither is Heathcliff and Cathy.
Sumptuous to look at? You bet. The Production design team earned their money on this one.
Music? Sure. It’s okay.
But the rest…?
“Wuthering Heights” is in theaters Friday, February 13, and stars Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, and Isabella Oliver.
Next, let’s consider the movie that is actually enjoyable coming out this weekend:
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
134 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Matthew Robinson
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Synopsis:
A “Man From the Future” arrives at a diner in Los Angeles where he must recruit the precise combination of disgruntled patrons to join him on a one-night quest to save the world from the terminal threat of a rogue artificial intelligence.
Finally… a time travel movie where time travel is basically irrelevant.
Instead, we get a Sam Rockwell-driven, biting bit of social commentary that is spot on with regards to every topic it addresses.
It’s manic, funny, serious, gentle, violent, and 100% rewatchable.
I can’t wait to watch this one again.
The supporting cast is stellar, each admirably embodying their roles as unwilling participants in the effort to avoid the impending Singularity leading to an AI apocalypse.
I dream out movies like this, coming out of nowhere and making the entire runtime enjoyable.
In “poster quote” terms, this is a gleeful romp through the impending AI apocalypse. It deftly analyzes the causes and casts appropriate blame for humanity’s (hopefully not) inevitable downfall: humanity’s apathy.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die appears in theaters Friday, February 13, and stars Sam Rockwell, Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Zazie Beetz, Michael Pena, and Asim Chaudrey.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
Please don’t forget to LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW us on:
- Facebook (@vsmoviepodcast)
- X (@vsmoviepodcast)
- Instagram (@visuallystunningmoviepodcast)
- Threads (@visuallystunningmoviepodcast)
- YouTube (@visuallystunningmoviepodcast)
- Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to our audio wherever you listen to podcasts (https://shows.acast.com/vsmoviepodcast)
And please, if you like what we do, consider helping us keep on entertaining you. You can use this handy link:
Or, you could check out the merch in Our Store:
Not only will you be helping us out if you pick up some merch, you get cool stuff to wear around (including the coveted WTFWT? logo!)
