The schemer is a classic film archetype. Whether it's "Honest" John from Pinocchio, Moses Pray from Paper Moon, Howard Ratner from Uncut Gems or any of the countless other examples, there's something beguiling about a con man, a character who you love to hate. Mikey, the protagonist of Red Rocket, undoubtedly belongs in that group. He's a despicable person, but he's magnetic and somehow still likeable. You're rooting for him to fail and rooting for him to succeed at the…
Murders in the Zoo reminded me of The Greatest Show on Earth in the sense that the setting is partly there for the story but partly there just to show fun stuff on screen. Though Murders in the Zoo isn't half infomercial, not set at a real, named zoo, sadly. It's a mildly diverting 60 minutes, though the opening scene is the best part by far.
Sort of a cross between Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and They Live, but with a colorful, low-budget aesthetic. I would probably have appreciated it more if I hadn't seen the former (along with Charlie Kaufman's other films), but I still appreciate it. The soundtrack is by friend of a friend Dan Deacon and and the lead actor looks like my friend Danny, so that's two more things going for it.
If you want me to sympathize with a Nazi, having her sleep with a 16-year-old in her 40s isn't the way to do it.
Very superficial, even for a short. And it makes light of a serious subject while furthering negative stereotypes.
