Unsane (2018)

Unsane 2018

I didn't know much about Unsane going in, heck, I was telling people it was a new Ellen Page movie for weeks before it hit theaters.

Ellen Page is not in it.

Claire Foy is, and she plays a woman who ends up in a mental hospital, as the trailer tells you. But it doesn't tell you why she is in there, or if she should be in there. I'm not going to tell you that bit either. What I am going to tell you is Unsane is an unnerving film that is part twisty thriller and part commentary on the big business of insurance/private hospitals. Foy is excellent as Sawyer Valentini, keeping you guessing if she is unhinged or hinged. Is she delusional? Is she being stalked? Is all this just in her head?

Steven Soderbergh shot this film on an iPhone, and claims making films by smartphone to be the "future". I'm not sure about that, but it does work for Unsane, creating a frantic pace the way found footage films often can. It's fuzzy and kind of muddy at times, but for me, that created the anxiousness Foy was feeling in that hospital. And trust me, there's anxiety to spare. Worth seeing for Foy's performance and Kennedy-esque Boston accent, as well as the wild twists.

Weekend Triple

I saw a movie every night this weekend, and everything I saw was good! How often does that happen? It all started on Friday, when I went with a group of friends to see The Cured. Part of the Fantastik Friday series at Cinemapolis, The Cured is not your typical zombie movie. Set after 75% of infected zombies had been given a "cure", the film tells the story of a pack of former zombies reintegrating into life in northern Ireland. Naturally, it isn't easy, as the general populace is against them rejoining society, unable to get past the horrors of what these people had done while infected. And the cured can't forget it either, as they are still aware of what they did while infected. Senan (Sam Keeley) is plagued by nightmares of what he had done while infected, but is trying to get back to his normal life, living with his sister in law Abbie (Ellen Page) and young nephew. But there is no normal life anymore. An uprising is stirring among the former infected, and Senan is caught up in it while Abbie struggles with supporting Senan, and finding out about things he did while infected. Very intense, very original, and very, very good.

The Cured (2018)

On Saturday, I saw a film I have been anticipating for months. There is a reason A Fantastic Woman won the academy award for best picture- it is timely, harrowing at times, and completely riveting. The story of Marina (Daniela Vega) who loses her lover Orlando after he suffers an aneurysm, and dealing with the loss coupled with his family. Orlando's ex wife and adult son want nothing to do with Marina, someone they don't respect as she is much younger and also transgender. So, in addition to dealing with her grief, Marina is dealing with the bullshit that comes along with being persecuted for being different. But she is strong, and Vega is absolutely mesmerizing in the role, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. It is not an easy film, but it is an excellent film, so please see it if you can.

A Fantastic Woman (2017)

Today, I saw a movie I normally would never have bothered with, even thought it's gotten great reviews. Even with Movie Pass, I'm a bit of a snob, but I'll talk about that in a future blog. A friend suggested we see Tomb Raider or Love, Simon, and I said hell no to both. "I'm going to use and abuse my Movie Pass for as long as I can!" she said. "I've got to stop being such a snob" I replied. This morning, another friend asked if I would go See Love, Simon and I thought why not. And I am very glad I did. Love, Simon is based on the YA novel by Becky Albertalli and tells the story of Simon (Nick Reynolds), a high school senior with a big secret- he's gay. When someone in his school posts on a blog that they're gay, Simon reaches out and starts an online friendship, with neither knowing who the other is, and questioning whether he should come out to friends and family and stop hiding that part of who he is. This is a really good film featuring all the feels as Simon deals with being blackmailed by a classmate who stumbles upon his emails, and trying to solve the mystery of who he is emailing (and falling in love with). The cast is great, there are plenty of laughs to be had, and watching Simon deal with not only keeping his secret but also navigating high school life was very entertaining. Also, feels. This movie has so many feels! So. Many. Feels! 

Love, Simon (2018)

Here's hoping for plenty more lucky weekends of 3 great flicks in 2018.

Thoroughbreds (2018)

I didn't know what to make of Thoroughbreds when I first saw the trailer, but went last night and I am happy to report it is worth it. SO worth it!

Thoroughbreds (2018)

I don't want to bore you with a summary of what it is about. That's why I always include a link, silly. Instead I say this- buy a ticket and here's my short plug: Thoroughbreds is darkly comical, psychologically twisted, and clever from start to finish. It's layered with subtext on wealth, class, and privilege, wrapped in the always popular "things are never quite as they seem behind mansion doors".  The performances of the two leads, Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy is worth the ticket price. Director Corey Finley gives us a movie where he shows just what we need to see, letting our mind fill in some of the blanks and guess at what may or may not be happening. I won't get extra nerdy and talk too much about camera work but shot after shot I was marveling at some of the choices. Plus the score is unnerving and perfect for keeping you off balance the whole time you are piecing things together.

So, seriously, go see this!

Strangers 2: Prey At Night (2018)

The Strangers 2: Prey at Night (2018)

When I saw The Strangers back in 2008, I felt like I had seen something different, and something completely terrifying. In recent years there has been talk of a sequel or a remake, and I could never understand why.

After seeing Strangers 2: Prey at Night, I still don't understand. It was pretty terrible. They tried to take the original premise- terrorizing a family where they felt safe- and make it new, but instead they just made it feel so rushed, formulaic,and predictable.

The first film is still one that I think of first when considering horror films made in the 21st that truly scared me. I don't know if I have ever screamed more at a movie where I was genuinely afraid and not just reacting to gimmicky jump scares (I do love those gimmicky jump scares and its why I love seeing horror films in the theater). It wasn't filled with a lot of dialogue or a ton of plot. A couple was being terrorized in their home by a group of masked creeps, and no one knew why. The couple didn't know and the audience didn't know. It is a horrific cat and mouse game being played in a place where one feels the safest- their home. That resonated with everyone viewing it. It was a tense time sitting in that seat watching this couple being terrorized while we were being terrified.

So if you are considering Strangers 2, see it at your own risk. I'd urge you instead to revisit the first film. But double check your doors and windows and check every dark corner, closet, and hiding spot in your house first.

Oscars 2018

I'm just going to use a series of GIFs to sum up this years Oscar's.

Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph deserve all the awards.

Emma Stone got a zing in. I love you Emma Stone.

Timothee Chalamet I love you too.

             This dude on the right who made everyone I was with freak out over his outfit. 

I still say Get Out deserved Best Picture, but I am happy to see Jordan Peele win for his screenplay. I cannot wait to see what he does next.

This reaction shot of Michael Keegan-Key when Jordan Peele was announced as winner of best Original Screenplay is everything. Oh, friendship. 

Seeing this champion of genre films win for what is essentially a monster movie makes me happy. Whether you loved Shape of Water or didn't, it's a win for horror.

I think I'm still swooning over Miguel

I know I'm still swooning over Daniela Vega.

Another call out for women to band together against the boys club. Jeez, it's 2018, you'd think we would be past this. Perhaps I'm just being optimistic in thinking maybe, just maybe, this year has been a turning point for people of color, women, and LGBTQ folks in film. I want it to be true.

Helen Mirren and a Jetski

And that is about it. 

Fridays, right?

Nasty weather means I am blogging and doing some Oscar research before the big night. Here goes nothing!

Happy End (2017)

Happy End 2017

I first became familiar with Michael Haneke when I saw Funny Games, a film so disturbing, well crafted, original, and so chilling. I'll watch it in its entirety one day. His films are both provocative and disturbing to varying degrees, so knowing this I simply had to catch Happy End while it was at Cinemapolis. 

Haneke's latest focuses on the Laurents, an affluent french family trying to deal with trauma and change, while ignoring larger issues happening around them such as class, race, and immigration issues. 

Shown mostly through the lens of 13 year old Eve whose mother has taken pills and is in the hospital in critical condition, she is sent to live with her father and his side of the family. She is a very observant young teen, filming most everything with her phone, and studying YouTube videos. She discovers her father having an affair, which opens the door to the personal secrets and true feelings each member of the family is trying to keep at bay.

Haneke evokes so much distress with so little dialogue. So much in this film is said with glances, long looks and sighs. The social commentary on the economic and cultural divide is not subtle, nor is Haneke's use of modern technology to show how we connect and view just about everything- smartphones, Facebook messenger, live tweeting. In one scene the grandfather pulls out a photo album, an artifact of a very different time in these characters lives.

There is also no score, the only music featured being played at a karaoke bar (I'll never listen to Sia's Chandelier the same way again), and other music played by the characters at parties or in cars. Happy End is yet another Michael Haneke film that will make you squirm in your seat while making you think.

Annihilation (2018)

I was warned by a friend to not go into Annihilation expecting a faithful version of the book. So I knew this going in. I knew it as I bought a ticket and I knew this as I sat down and sat through Alex Garland's film based on his recollection of reading the book by Jeff VanderMeer.

 Annihilation 2018

The friend who warned me to not compare it to the book really enjoyed the film. I liked it ok. I just could not ignore the book. I tried, I did, but it didn't work. Because I absolutely loved that book and wasn't able to separate the two.

I enjoyed VanderMeer's book when I first read it back in 2014. At about 200 pages, Annihilation is like finding a long lost journal of someone on a trek into terror. A biologist, psychologist, anthropologist and surveyor have entered a place known as Area X. The team is the 12th expedition to search this strange area along the coast where all the other teams have either disappeared, returned changed, commit suicide, or have terminal illness. It's a weird, creepy place. I was hooked and blew through it, riveted.

I found the movie a bit less riveting. I don't, however, want to compare it to the book and say it didn't do this and they left out this and blah blah blah. Yesterday I read an article calling the film, a transformation, not an adaptation. I read that and thought "Yes. This has totally changed my perspective!"

Garland does a great job creating a world and explaining (sort of) what is causing this "shimmer" around Area X, where the book doesn't. It's an ambitious film where DNA is being manipulated and mutating right before the characters eyes. It has some good scares and a bit more gore than my companions were expecting. Plus a great cast. And while it is based on a book I think is totally worth your time, I do think this movie stands on its own as a pretty original piece of science fiction film, and is worth seeing if you can take those gory slices.

You know how I feel about slices.