2010s

The Sunlit Night (2019)

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The Sunlit Night (2019) – IMDB

On the whim, I stopped watching the trailer and started to watch The Sunlit Night on Hulu. I liked it enough I thought what could go wrong? I was in the mood for something light and a little funny, random. Something indie. What starts off well for a girl who is looking for a spark of life in her paintings travels to Norway to work for a renowned painter. This is an escape from her life in the States where she was dumped, parents divorcing, lifeless paintings, and her sister getting engaged. She needs a spark. As it progressed with beautiful scenery of the great, grassy sloped mountains holding clouds at their peaks, with crashing waves all around Norway was a treat to see. I was ready to get lost in this foreign land and see what lay ahead. Too bad the story wondered off and itself got lost.

The main protagonist was such a BRAT. She’s supposed to be working for this guy she thought highly of but decides to parade around by either not listening or deciding to flirt with some guy who sold her a sandwich back home. Frances, the one we’re following around, has a rough relationship with the Norway painter. He may not be the easiest person to work with due to the deadline the painting project needs to be completed by but this isn’t some vacation. Yet Frances holds little respect for a man who even admits his wrong doing. Get the project done, sooner the better, then jump around in your naked overalls to your heart’s desire. She is entirely misguided and a total disregard for the work she sought out. There was something she mentions to sandwich boy about painting was her focus and everything else was her escape (distraction). By the end, she still seemed like the same person, no change. What she said earlier made no sense to me, I tried to, but also didn’t care enough to sit around to understand.

The Sunlit Night has some interesting characters. The initial interaction with Frances and her family were comical. Zach Galifianakis is joyful to see but wasted. Gillian Anderson a shock to see but wasted. The whole side story with sandwich boy who can twist dough I thought was pointless. The grocery girl was interesting. The painter was interesting. I had interest in the landscape and the people in it. But I got nothing from it. I would have appreciated more of a transcendental story of a woman coming to Norway, learning of the people, herself, the land, HOW TO PAINT, and close with her being a better person who has new found respect, spark for life. Instead we got this brat.

I couldn’t bring myself to care for Frances. She had careless motivation and disregard for those helping her. It was hard to believe she changed in the end. Maybe I would have cared if she did. The whole time I was waiting for some revelation, like it was trying to say more than what it was offering. I didn’t get it. If you did, please tell me, might not care but I got open ears if I missed something.

The Sunlit Night was definitely missing a stroke of life.

Annihilation (2018)

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Annihilation (2018) – IMDB

Annihilation Archives - Home of the Alternative Movie Poster -AMP-

I feel Alex Garland, Director and Writer, reached a peak with this one. Something special emerged from the mind behind Ex Machina and Sunshine. He is very underrated in how he handles the content of film. Annihilation is the perfect example. Taken from the works of Jeff VanderMeer, Garland creates a mystical story with dreamlike quality. Collecting images of obscure focus, air full of rainbow hues against a backdrop of lush greens. The book itself is read like a dream, lost, but a dream that demands the reader to stretch their active membranes into a working cluster of incoherent images. That’s where Garland shines in creating a world that is alien but familiar and yet frightening. Adapting only from the first book of a trilogy, Annihilation is a challenge to adapt for viewers and transforming the material into the director’s own, making it the most logical sense and pays off. With an original vision and paying respects to the original material, this is some unique filmmaking.

Long after the credits roll, Annihilation sits with you. Simmers inside your gut. It’s discomforting and beautiful. Mesmerizing and terrifying. In all of my movie watching there is nothing like the images depicted onscreen. It is unique and challenging to witness. Nothing like it has been done before. Not everything is explained which leaves the viewer speechless and bewildered. When I first saw it in theater I had zero idea what to make of what I saw. There was horror and surreal imagery of beyond our comprehension. And that is what makes the film so dreadfully beautiful.

Annihilation relates closely to the book of the same title. Both deserve recognition however, the big screen is what I prefer. For the book was even more hard to grasp. Full of imagery and little dialogue, constantly demanding my attention to form this otherworldly landscape. The writing seemed unsure of what it wanted to say at times. Although there seemed to be hints of transcendence, but I digress. Garland did a fantastic job in streamlining the material with a little more sense of focus. As one remained an unanswered nightmare, Garland’s seemed to be a subtle message of cells.

On a grander scale, a comet collides from the outer walls of our mother Earth into a Lighthouse. Thus springing forth a mysterious Shimmer. A glowing dome of rainbow luminescence becomes a fixation of scientists as it grows beyond it’s initial impact. Within this dome, life seems to copy, refract, and combine itself. This creates some beautiful creatures and some horrendous monstrosities. In a way, it’s a cancer. Manipulating it’s environment to mimic life. The comet sets off an ambiguous force that wants to create and make it’s own life. This could be seen as alien. A foreign lifeform taking control of another planet that deems to be the next suiter. Or perhaps mother Earth is a giant cell. The comet is a plummeting cancer or virus. We are merely smaller working cells for Earth. After collision, one cell begins to mimic another, thus bringing a new form of life. In a way, it’s terrifying, and another, beautiful because the foreign object, the Shimmer, replicates Earth life as one species. This tells me we are one with Earth, the same, and this is how the Alien life form perceives us as it tries to make something new.

However, this is open to interpretation. I do not believe the author of the original material meant for something deep. When you have Alex Garland behind the project, I would expect something that would require me to think. At least challenge my views.

With one selfish opinion to add, I could not help but distinguish Garland’s style for science fiction and horror to fit perfectly with a new installment in the Alien franchise. His approach to artificial life like his work on Ex Machina would leave Ridley Scott out of the director’s chair. Garland’s brand of horror is dark enough for the corners of space thanks to Annihilation and Sunshine. He contains an expansive exploration many filmmakers do not have the courage, not to mention the imagery to capture on screen. I’d like to mention another ideal project to lead is a Bioshock adaption from the videogame (or book). Contains similar genres to tackle like sci fi horror and an incredible story to embark on beneath the ocean.

Annihilation can turn away viewers for it’s ambiguous story and not explaining anything. I like the film for this reason. However, where there are changes to the adaptation some I thought worked while others I thought were down right stupid. Notably a scene which involves our protagonists to take patrol at night in a run down base but ends up disastrous and I simply can’t bear.

When I saw Annihilation in theaters I was mesmerized and horrified. It felt bigger than all of us but on such a small scale. The content is hard to digest and stays with you. I will always remember sitting there feeling low key terrified when an unwelcomed guest ventures into a house in ruin with the scientists tied to their chairs. A feeling of utter hopelessness and fear settles in. The lighthouse is an entire work of art of disturbance and fascination. Annihilation is a unique viewing experience that works as a standalone feature without the other stories in the trilogy being adapted.

Shin Godzilla (2016)

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Shin Godzilla (2016) – IDMB

Shin Godzilla (Film) - TV Tropes

Immediately from the fading Toho logo the action begins. We are introduced directly to a disturbance in the water, a small ripple of what is to come. Quick to short introductions, quick reactions to an abrupt danger, Shin Godzilla has us humans franticly clamoring about when this disturbance in the water causes some industrial damage. Not knowing what to make of it, political officials struggle throwing solutions around trying to control and remedy the situation before it worsens. That is until a creature manifests with ungodly destruction. It is then our politicians must decide the fate of the monster and of Tokyo, nonetheless, any vulnerable city ripe for ruin. And if they don’t decide quick, another foreign power house will and the results will be catastrophic.

Shin Godzilla let’s off heat early on, opening the majority of the movie for us to watch and listen to important figures make important decisions. How exactly would scientists and government officials react to handle a situation involving innocent lives that demand a response? Each individual represents a respective department but not so much a character, so they reflect a whole department serving as their character trait. Like how the chain of command is used or a Biologist worrying about his image before making an accusation or an interpreter speaking on the behalf of the President.

Godzilla is horrific and monstrous. Retaining his iconic screech, the new look offers new terror as he sluggishly stampedes through Tokyo. It is epic and devastating to see Godzilla leave destruction around his massive presence. There is something more costly to his devastation this time than other previous iterations. His effect on the city below his feet has more weight and severe consequences. This is reinforced by the awareness of costs of damage and images of innocent people scrambling about. The military goes to great lengths to rid the behemoth. But Godzilla is an intimidating, indestructible force. In contrast, it shows how humans can be monsters as well. To nature itself and to each other. From dumping waste in the ocean to dropping bombs on cities’ foreheads. Almost as if Godzilla is the waking life form for nature to retaliate.

To continue, Godzilla is a natural disaster in physical form. Japan suffered a massive earthquake in 2011 that also cause radiation leakage. In the midst of chaos, people needed to evacuate. Shin Godzilla focused on those who were in charge of regulating the population on information and what is required to do for safety without causing additional harm. But you can’t control chaos. Nor nature. It is then officials realize let go of the textbook, the regulations, protocols, and barriers and let the populace decide what is best to do to survive in a natural disaster.

It is unfortunate we will not be getting a sequel to Shin Godzilla. Thanks to a contract signed for Godzilla being part the MonsterVerse in America and not being allowed to work on any new material for that time period. With this movie being a reboot not sure how Toho will continue their Godzilla legacy especially after the mild cliffhanger at the end. Too bad, I would like to have seen it.

Overall, Shin Godzilla can be a bit overwhelming due to the fast paced story which requires you to read subtitles quickly. It’s better not worrying about who is who first time round as it would just aggravate the viewing experience. I think the movie could have been slimmed down a bit from it’s two hour run time. It seemed they were focusing on the government’s procedures in a moment of chaos to an immediate problem and makes Shin Godzilla a bit of satire. As intriguing as it was, I could have used less of it.

Still, Shin Godzilla remains a stand out in the long running kaiju series.

Midnight In Paris (2011)

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Midnight In Paris – IMDB

Prime Video: Midnight in Paris

Owen Wilson is fitting as the lost writer wondering the lit streets of Paris as Gil. There is a feeling of connectedness with and a sense of longing as he walks among the wet bricked roads stumbling upon artists of our memory. In a way, Midnight In Paris is Woody Allen having a conversation with himself and the audience. Allen writes about Gil who finds his passion expressing himself through the arts. Not for Hollywood and their scripts but for himself and the love of the arts of a past time. And that’s what Midnight In Paris is ultimately about, the love of the arts.

I am no way educated in all the historical names portrayed in the movie however with the information given I understood enough of each character/figure that was represented. Whether it was about the Fitzgeralds or the bride-to-be. Gil in short, is a simple man who is simply not fitting in his current era. His era belongs to a simpler time. A golden age of various art forms bursting on the scene in the 1920s. Gil does not feel fit in his engagement with beautiful Inez (Rachel McAdams) or his present time period. He finds solace in his nightly walks, slowly falling in love with a dreamlike memory of what used to be.

It can be difficult to cope with the present so dreaming of the past presents a simpler time. Gil is a dreamer. Midnight In Paris has a magical quality to it but without the wands and is light hearted fun. It has a rather trotting pace of storytelling which perhaps could have benefitted more from a pause or two to help sink in the dream. Like the opening, still shots of beautiful Paris sets the mood and setting. Again, some shots at night of the city glowing among the glossed bricks from recent rains and old buildings filled with stories to pause the moment would help slip into the dreamy city more.

I love how Gil comes to terms with his marriage to truly find himself. Sometimes you must lose yourself to find what you are looking for. And here, he finds interest for another woman, but one who personifies the city, Paris, where he is in love. If she is Paris then Inez is Hollywood, a place he wants nothing more to do with.

All the performances are wonderful. And I love movies about writing generally because the writing itself is well done. I find calm enjoyment in watching Midnight In Paris and I hope you do too.

Sound of Metal (2019)

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Sound of Metal – IMDB

Sound of Metal (2019) di Darius Marder - Recensione | Quinlan.it

It terrifies me to lose one of my senses. Films like Sound of Metal truly leaves a lasting impression on you, making you re-appreciate what you have not lost. I thank all of those involved. There are a couple family members in my family that are deaf and it pops in my mind every now and then what if I were deaf and had to read subtitles for everything? What if I had to place my hand on a speaker to hear music? Or how will I wake in the morning to my alarm?

Placing myself into shoes without hearing would cause a lot of shock to me. Perhaps a similar reaction to what was displayed by Academy Award Nominated Riz Ahmed as Ruben. He was full of shock and denial from the loss of his hearing. In the midst of a tour for the metal head duo to rapidly losing hearing is a scary thing to behold. For living like a gypsy in an RV with his one and only, Lou, I wanted the best for him, to pull through and make it big somehow. Ruben was looking for a way to reverse the symptoms and take back his old life. Anything was better than living as a drummer who couldn’t hear his own beats. He was determined to find every way imaginable to fix the lack of sound hitting his ear drum. It’s not easy though and there are troubles with finding acceptance. This story is about Ruben finding his peace. And once it is lost, is sound really worth getting back? If by means you force something unnatural to a natural occurrence in life. This could only distort and fragment what you thought you truly wanted. Going back to the life you knew is a dangerous game, especially thinking picking up where you left off will be a cinch. But life rolls on and holding on could be an addiction.

Ruben goes through a spiritual, not a religious, experience when church bells ring to a sound of metal. Serenity is held in absolute silence. And some can not experience that let alone they sacrifice a moment for soothing silence through the ear canal. It is this experience that brings Ruben to complete solace and understanding. To finally sit, no more fighting to the change brought into his life, and so welcomes a new future. A fully new appreciation to the offers of life. Life can still be beautiful. It’s up to how you’re willing to drum along. Rock on.

Her (2013)

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Her (2013) – IMDB

Image result for her film

An overwhelming feeling of love. Soft colors stitched into every frame like a quilted labor of love wrapping you with indefinite warmth. Her is an honest portrayal of an emotionally isolated man who finds solace in a computer programming software called OS. In the midst of a divorce, Theodore is having trouble with the confrontational reality of relationships. Promiscuous late night chats with strangers for a quick fix turn awkward and leave a hole Theodore so long desires to be filled. With a turn of chance, he meets a highly-intelligent OS aptly named Samantha. Her sultry voice is soothing to the ear, having me fall in love already.

What makes Her so intense is this finding of love and the excitement once we have found it; the passerby’s momentary interaction in life but seems they can’t fulfill the selfish needs and wants of our physical human box. Those close to us and keep at a distance perhaps of the fear of realizing how real it could be – or if it’s what we really want, and if it was, how it would hurt losing if we were so able to obtain it. Theodore finds ease with his computer counterpart. Samantha becomes this real person we begin to feel thanks to Spike Jonze’s honest and sensible writing. The two bond. Theodore loves the way Samantha brings this new excitement of life and curiosity to his personal life. His loneliness is conquered. Their pillow talks are free and full of humility. His walks, gratified by the pleasure of her voice in his ear and humorous point of views.

With videogames becoming more interactive and setting a broader detachment of this reality, only making things easier for Theodore to form an attachment with a computer. Both put in effort for their relationship, and to great lengths within their capabilities. From acquiring a body to a thing as little as a safety pin. An idea so ridiculous if made fifty years ago. That would just be scandalous and oppose the social norm. But now, Her shows the potential of what is to come and also the boundless form of love. Virtual reality is just another medium love will pour in to. However, everything is brief. We are momentary and encounter our own personal evolution. It’s all up to how you want to do it.

I love the fact you only know the setting is in the near future without any specific dates, and the location appears to have a vague but collective fingerprint. And the high waisted clothing is like a knock off brand of 1950s nostalgia. With Theodore usually sporting a vivid red shirt displaying his vulnerable and sensible side. The music is dreamy and creates an ambience that compliments the diverse color palette, making the viewing a soft clutch of emotions. Her leaves you feeling blanketed and ready for spooning after a heavy fight.

Special mention to the coolest elevator.

One Cut of the Dead (2017)

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One Cut of the Dead (2017) – IMDB

One Cut of the Dead - PosterSpy

A very fresh take on a tried and heavily explored genre. One Cut of the Dead doesn’t just impress but enlightens us there is more to offer in this addition to the ever-hungry zombie filmography.

The plot is a simple one: a director wants to shoot a low budget zombie movie when real zombies appear on the scene. All fashionably done in one cheesy cut. I’m a modest man who begs you to stay past the thirty minute mark and endure the shabby introduction. One Cut of the Dead is one of the most rewarding movie experiences I’ve had. Sitting there with a slight grin on my face as the absurdity unfolded. The movie is funny, self aware, heartwarming, and creative. You can tell it was handled with care and from people who loves not only the genre, but movies in general. I can only imagine the crew having an enjoyable time off screen.

One-Cut-of-the-Dead | The Kim Newman Web Site

This one took me by surprise. Not at all what I was expecting and very glad I watched it. One of those movies you’d be hard pressed to search for. The last act is so humorous it gives a whole new meaning on a second viewing. I’m saying this with the little knowledge I had before going in, knowing only the straight forward synopsis. Take what you will from my words but have your own expectations. It’s a good time. One Cut of the Dead is a fresh and original take away from the mouth watering limpers that crowd our screen. POM!

Special note: It took 2 days and 6 takes to get the perfect cut and the film took $25,000 to be made!

Turbo (2013)

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Turbo (2013) – IMDB

I originally wrote this off as any other family movie to be released at the time: a filler to occupy time till something better comes along. What is interesting about a snail that goes fast? Sounds like a topic of conversion from the minds of stoners sitting poolside after a day of rain, watching slugs traverse aimlessly among the wet concrete. Well, it wasn’t until a few nights ago a mood struck me for something fun and I had to watch it.

Turbo opens up with your expected slug jokes and an introduction to the slow critters’ mundane but organized life within a homely garden. Which was fully realized and inventive, reminiscent of PIXAR’s A Bug’s Life in how they work together and function within an oversized realty of vegetation. One anti-salt mollusk has a dream of his own outside the limits of the adjacent sidewalk. And it doesn’t involve following in uniform with the rest of the gastropods, fiending for the next tomato or avoid being plucked by the next crow. This little guy wants to RACE. Be fast like his Italian race icon, Guy Gagne. Our little dreamer, Turbo, wants to reach past his limits, not be prisoned by his limited capacities.

Not without the help of a friendly substance called NOS.

The message of the movie is clear and not muddied by presentation. Challenge yourself to new abilities, reach new heights, but also know what is realistic and imaginary. If you have a dream, go for it, even if someone doesn’t believe in you. And Turbo does all this without being preachy. I wonder if this includes consuming substances to transcend your limitations and enhance your physical capabilities? Maybe I’m digging too much… Crawling forward, it’s rather entertaining and enjoyable to watch the absurdity of a snail racer and taco man team up to win the Indy 500.

A small mention to the voice acting which isn’t just an all star cast selling the movie, they all fit respectively, even Ken Jeong who made me laugh more than once.

I’m happy to find the music is not slimed by today’s music but brings back the old making Turbo feel right at home and more appealing.

Turbo was a nice little movie I could watch again. The message is important without it being overstated about reaching your goals and going past the limit. A fun movie I think will slip by as more movies race to the screen. Not a necessary watch but an entertaining one especially if this is what you’re looking for.

Overlord (2018)

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Overlord (2018) – IMDB

Overlord is an interesting hybrid of war and horror genres. It’s nothing entirely new, the idea of Nazi experiments being hellishly realized. Call of Duty Zombies and Frankenstein’s Army have toyed with this idea among others. Can’t say any are classics with possibly Dead Snow being close candidate. (COD Zombie could be great if transitioned from video game to the moving pictures screen. Even better, Wolfenstein. Yes, please.)

The first 10-15 minutes when the troops had to jump from the burning, airborne plane soaked my attention. It was intense and had a great start for our heroes’ journey to destroy a tower. I forgot I was watching a zombie horror until an unnatural discovery in the woods reminded me it was not just a WWII film. I’m not going to say it was a problem, the tonal shifts, movies have accomplished this before, thanks From Dusk Till Dawn. Overlord feels more grounded and has a sense of a realistic approach to war. Not what I was expecting, thinking I was in for something that had some camp/less seriousness or a more self aware identity; a more traditional B-movie. Meaning they played more with the topic of the movie, experimented more with the “Thousand Year Reich” idea. Like don’t just show me how nasty Nazis were, show how nasty their creations were; guess I’m saying I was looking for various types of monstrosities on screen. But what is on screen is fun, that is, once we clock in enough time to see it. It does feel like it took awhile to get to why we all pressed play in the first place. Even then I’m not sure if the payload was satisfactory. With that said, and without spoiling, there is a moment when a neck is dislocated and thrust backyards. Very unexpected and satisfyingly grotesque!

The french madame who befriends our fellow soldiers is a real BADASS. She is confronted by a pesky annoyance late in the movie and she handles it like an exterminator fed up with eradicating vermin.

Some moments like the one above impressed me, others left me bored or wondered the characters’ decisions if they actually had to go that route.

To sum up, I had mixed feelings about the latest trek down Hitler’s dream of his invincible army of darkness. Don’t expect this to be anything like Kung Fury or any of the above mentioned titles, this outing is a little more serious in tone. Perhaps I will enjoy the movie more a second time viewing sometime in the future knowing now what happens. Maybe Overlord will gain a cult following, time will tell.

The Canal (2014)

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The Canal (2014) – IMDb

The Canal is one of those effective mood pieces. It’s stuck between horror and thriller about a man uncovering a ghostly mystery from a century ago. I would like to keep this review short for I feel this is a movie I don’t want to give too much away. I overlooked this movie countless times since the original cover on Netflix suggests a B movie that was unsatisfactory and boring. Although, some reviews claimed this was rather good, so i took a risk in playing this film and sacrificing 90 minutes of my time. The Canal is deviously unexpected.

The story is somewhat a cliche in the horror/thriller department but it definitely makes up for brood atmosphere and a terrifying conclusion. Without trying to give too much away, this movie is in close relation with the movie Sinister. I found horror movies to either end not well and obscure or really well but either tragically or with contentment. This is the latter, but it left me jaw dropped and I had my hand over my mouth. This is not common in my movie watching, believe me. The movie is slow but the unexpected graphic scenes and the mystery will keep you hooked. There are no real jump scares but this is where the atmosphere and eeriness creeps in. Towards the second half, it just becomes increasingly unnerving.

Like I said, I did not expect this Irish film to be as effective as it was. When you think you have it all figured out, you get hit with a curve ball. The Canal is subtle, even in the writing. I enjoy finding movies like this, from which ever continent it’s from. The film’s ending, it left my hairs sticking up, and if a movie has that kind of power then I recommend this to be viewed, by horror fans, thrill seekers, mystery hunters, or loners looking for a good scare sitting in the dark like I was tonight.