SUNDANCE 2022
Film #15 (last one)
One of my favorite films out of Sundance. Except it made me so angry at times and filled me with anxiety. It was all worth it once I realized the insightful screenplay is more about friendship than anything else. The kind you have with someone you may argue with. They might even annoy the fuck out of you and actually be quite different from you. Yet you’re so connected that your love for one…
Absolutely chilling and the scariest film I've seen this year.
Ben is a terrifying villain. What makes him all the more disturbing is he's just a kid who hasn't even reached puberty. He's clearly a kid with emotional needs and really needs a hug. You want to take away his pain, which he cruelly and violently inflicts on others but you'd dye doing so.
The entire film is from the point of view of a quartet of lonely children with…
A bit obvious with its metaphors but stunning visuals and a strong performance from Jessie Buckley makes this worth watching. Just remember it’s A24 and almost a parody of their output of “elevated horrror”. I can only imagine the groans of those who may have been hoodwinked into thinking this is a ruckus edge of your seat, lunatic on the loose flick. With that said, this is definitely a horror film. It has some striking and terrifying imagery I won’t…
An odyssey of a man completely shook from the life he thought he knew, Paul Shrader's sophomore film takes us from wintery Grand Rapids, Michigan to a completely different world in sunny California. Rest assured there will be no beaches or beautiful sunsets. There are two subjects Schrader knows very well, faith or losing said faith and the underworld of porno theaters, pimps, johns and sex workers. Hardcore combines the two.
George C Scott in one of his most emotionally…
The Good:
As always LaKeith Stanfield. He's one of my favorite actors and looks great in cowboy getup. His line deliveries during an excellent train sequence made me smile and pay attention. Overall the cast is stellar. I wish the film matched their presence.
The Bad:
The story doesn't warrant a two hour plus running time. After being on board for the first 45 minutes or so I started to lose interest. There are scenes that might have hit more…
Very distasteful but not in a good or even offensive way rather an eye-rolling one.
There’s an apparently “meet-cute” at a grocery store that I found cringy. Then there’s the tired Black best friend trope (make her Lesbian for bonus points). While chatting with her needy white friend, who tells her she got laid, she yells “get that D” while at work. Oh how hilarious. I’m just not on this film’s wavelength. I found the humor, shall I say, hate…
