After babbling so much about the Hugo Awards last time, my mental state this month has really taken me off track. I've barely been reading enough to keep up with book clubs, but I have been watching an above average number of movies! I waited to post because I thought I could do a May movie wrap-up all at once (7 movies total❗), but I have so many regrets and too many movies to tell you a little bit about.
Beginning to write this post with Michael Jackson stuck in my head. Take a wild guess as to why that might be (hint: just watched my first movie of June).
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I'm not sure what possessed me to watch The Devil Wears Prada finally. Some combination of: I've always intended to watch more Anne Hathaway movies, I thought it was a rom-com (it's not), the sequel came out recently (will I even watch?), and Ryland Grace speaking very highly of Meryl (PHM reference).
I thought it was fun but not super memorable, especially for a movie that's kind of become a classic at this point.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006) - directed by David Frankel
Movie about Anne Hathaway developing the work ethic and shitty
work-life balance that my parents wish I had. All it took was one
makeover for her to be good at her job!
Blond journalist guy gave me the creeps the whole time. Leave her alone sir.
Meryl Streep can do anything 😌
Watched: May 1, 2026
Rating: ★★★½ / 5
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Emma (1996) - directed by Douglas McGrath
Admittedly it’s hard to critique a movie and hard to fully enjoy it
when I spend the whole 2 hours yapping (and fighting a war for MY spot
on the couch). Tbf every time 26-year-old Mr. Elton calls himself an old
man, I am obligated to either take offense or commiserate.
The
comedy is good, very vibrant characters (thank u Jane Austen). I think
the romance is the weakest part honestly; it just feels like an
afterthought.
Why doesn’t the movie want me to know Mr. Knightly’s first name 😭 it’s George btw.
Watched: May 8, 2026
Rating: ★★★½ / 5
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I can't call myself a Jane Austen expert yet; have only read one book so far, but I have seen a bunch of (modern day) adaptations. I was familiar with Emma up until a point: she's a matchmaker and the romance is kind of almost incestuous, but the details of the story were a big blur. Um, it's still a blur. The movie features Jane Austen's signature large cast of characters, and I had only a tepid grasp of who all of them were. Would have been even less of a grasp if not for Diane (MVP). Evidently, I watched this one with a big group of people and only half paid attention, but goddammit my opinion still deserves to be known.
I thought Gwyneth Paltrow was pretty good in this along with the rest of the cast. I comment on the romance being the weakest link, but I think that might be a feature of Emma specifically and not a flaw of the movie. The story feels much more focused on Emma growing up and becoming a good person than any romance with Mr. Knightly.
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More reviews to come eventually maybe perhaps one day. Bye for now.
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