The Rest - January 29, 2023

Several of the women from Women Talking, noticeably not talking

A quick wrap up of everything else I watched this week.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - I'd only seen this once. We rented it from Redbox and watched it in a basement. The film ruled, but everything about that viewing experience felt wrong, so I vowed not to watch it again until I could see it in a theater... But then our Monday movie club decided to do Miller's filmography and my hand was forced (by me, I made the suggestion).It's still absolutely stunning. So fully realized, so hypnotic and raw. It could have been so silly, but there's not a false note in it. I'll make it to a cinema screening someday, where I will ride eternal, shiny and chrome.

SKINAMARINK - A Review

Lucas Paul as Kevin in a deceptively clear image from Skinamarink

Rating: ⭐⭐ 1/2

It's safe to say that Kyle Edward Ball's lo-fi, high-concept feature debut is unnerving. We can disagree on what else it is, but it will get under your skin one way or another. Because Skinamarink is, above all else, patient. And it demands patience of its audience. It is divisive by nature, succeeding or failing based on your level of participation. If you like those long, drawn out jump scare videos on YouTube, you're in the right place. If you don't, steer clear, because this is essentially 100 minutes of just that.

The plot is on the slow-burn path of most found footage horrors, a subgenre this emulates but doesn't technically belong to. Two children, 4-year-old Kevin (Lucas Paul) and 6-year-old Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault), awake in the middle of the night to find both their father and the doors to their home missing. The kids cope by watching cartoons in the living room, but things keep disappearing or rearranging and sometimes they venture into the dark, unsure of what exactly to do about the situation.

The Rest - January 22, 2023

Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal ripping my heart out in Aftersun

Every Sunday I plan to post short takes on the rest of the films and TV shows I watched during the week. Here are this week's:

Abbott Elementary (2023) - Caught back up this week. We are not talking enough about how absurdly funny every kid on this show is.

Aftersun (2022) - I am not emotionally intelligent enough to explain why this movie hits so hard. But this poetic, metatextual film about a father and daughter grappling with the overpowering nature of existence in their own quiet, desperate ways may well destroy you. Charlotte Wells is operating on a whole other level. Don't make plans after, because you're going to need time to process it all.

PLANE - A Review

Gerard Butler and Mike Colter showing off their squatting skills in Plane

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

"No need to worry, folks, these planes are pretty much indestructible."

If you've ever seen a movie, you know what this means. But even before Captain Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) utters these reassuring/cursed words to a nervous passenger, he's already told his daughter he'll see her soon, done family photo show-and-tell with his copilot, and been denied permission to fly around a massive storm. You know that plane is going down.

The good news is the movie knows you know this. And everyone involved wisely chooses the path of least resistance. The plot unfurls as expected. We meet the crew and their 14 passengers, including a U.S. Marshal and his prisoner, Louis Gaspare, a convicted murderer you know you can trust immediately because he's played by Mike Colter (Netflix's Luke Cage). Then the plane flies into the storm, is struck by lightning and is forced to land on what turns out to be an island in the Jolo Cluster, an area of the Philippines populated by violent separatists! Nearly everyone aboard the plane is taken hostage and it's up to Torrance and Gaspare to Splinter Cell their way into enemy territory to get them back.

An Imagined Conversation with You, the Stranger I Feel Obliged to Apologize to For Starting a Movie Blog in the Year 2023

Farley Granger and Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train

Me: Hi!

You: Hi...

Me: Welcome!

You: What is this?

Me: Honestly, I don't know. But I'm glad you're here. Do people still read blogs?

You: I'm not sure.

Me: Hmm...