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The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023)
Try to see this in person
This movie is sure to do well via streaming with it's genre mashup but if you can see it in person make an effort to do so. It's visually striking on the big scale and the lead actress has an amazingly expressive face. You want to see her push up her glasses while 100 feet high. You want to see her thinking.
It's a straight forward retelling of Frankenstein in a different setring. The context is the ordinary and challenging life of an exceptional young black woman surrounded by death. Great debut for virtually unknown director and I hope to see whatever he does going forward. But this is clearly straight from his heart. If you are interested in horror of any flavor, family stories, what it means to be gifted, or the impact of police brutality and drugs on communities this is something you'll want to see.
Briarpatch (2019)
For fans of Justified, Terriers, and Grosse Pointe Blank
Visually interesting with moments of beauty. Intricate plotting. Rosario Dawson looks amazing and plays a character drawn in a classic male archetype. She strides in her heels as firmly as Eastwood or Olyphant.
Tidily wrapped up although they left some room for more if someone has a great idea. Excellent cast including Stan from Mad Men doing a Texan Nathan Fillion and nailing it. You'll recognize almost everyone you see.
It doesn't reach the level of Justified at its best but it's in that vein. Nothing could top Terriers for character development and heart. But if you imagine that Cusack came back in town for revenge not just a reunion....you'll see the clear parallels. And add a dash of Lonestar while you're at it.
Well worth the watch for anyone who likes beautiful ass kicking women, dark humor, noir in the sunshine or tigers.
Élite (2018)
Spanish Gossip Girl Whodunit
Solidly entertaining for what it is. Think every tenn show you've ever seen and add a dash of the Affair or How To Get Away With Murder. It's melodrama through and through. Pretty teens. Uncaring families. Poor little rich girls and boys. Even poorer poor kids. Nobody is happy in this world. Somebody winds up dead. Somebody's going to jail. You find somebody to love you'd better hang on tooth and nail. The wolf is always at the door.
It deals with some real issues: notably Islamaphobia and the repressive nature of fundamentalism, coming out of the closet, open relationships and threesomes, HIV and the seeming impossibility of reinventing yourself in highschool. All hormones, no autonomy. Such is life.
Well worth a binge watch if you're stuck inside on a rainy day. You won't find yourself transfixed but you will want to know what happens next. The writing felt a little stale but of course translations and voiceovers don't always capture the rhythm of the original dialogue. Still something tells me the writer isn't Spain's answer to Shondre Rhimes or Aaron Sorkin.
The Badger Game (2014)
Solid Indie Thriller
I only seem to review indie films on here. This is a solid B thriller. Classic plot, vaguely predictable twists, but well done.
The script doesn't call attention to itself. The cast is unremarkable and unknown. These sound like criticisms but they're not. Usually this kind of low budget "horror" contains moments where the audience cringes in second hand embarrassment for the cast or writer, not here. A big budget version of this with a name cast and a polish to the dialogue is easy to imagine.
But while there are no lows, it also didn't have the occasional and surprising highs I associate with watchable mumblegore. The film quality leaves something to be desired. I know it's digital but some films overcome that. Many scenes were hard to see clearly. Some potentially striking imagery was too muddy to land effectively. The camera work is solid but there was just nothing distinctive about the look, in contrast to You're Next or House of Last Things or (to go old school and even more unfair) Halloween or Blood Simple.
A higher end version would also have a better soundtrack/score to create atmosphere. The sound design that is there is quite good, knowing when to let us hear only something truly unpleasant.
It's not uneven but I found myself occasionally wishing it was. If this director goes on to the big time I won't be surprised but I also won't expect flashes of brilliance based on this outing.
House of Last Things (2013)
An unbiased review
Clearly most of the people who wrote reviews are friends or family of the director. The flowery language alone is an obvious tell. A few people reviewed it very harshly as a response to the over the top praise. I'll do neither.
This movie has several interesting ideas, some lovely visuals, uneven acting, a mildly incoherent plot and low to middling production values. The best shots are in the first 2 minutes and the last several minutes. The use of classical music makes sense for the plot but at times the stature of the music just underscores the generic quality of most of the filming. It doesn't have the lush beauty required to sell this story.
It wants to be the Shining, the Omen, Blue Velvet or Don't Look Now. It's not. At minimum it would need 10 times the budget to look that good. I believe the director could do more if he had more to work with but the reviews comparing the movie to those things as if they are on the same footing are deeply dishonest. It aspires to those heights and can't begin to reach them. That said, for an unknown horror flick it's pretty good. You get the feeling the director could remake it with real money and a tighter script and knock it out of the park.