#2016 films

[dolorygloria]

MOONLIGHT (dir. Barry Jenkins, 2016)

[verecore]

[cressida-jayoungr]

One Dress a Day Challenge

August: Fantasy & Sci-Fi

Warcraft: The Beginning / Ruth Negga as Queen Taria Wrynn

This beautiful grey velvet dress appears in the epilogue, at the king's funeral. Queen Taria was a new character created for the movie, meaning there was no animated version to draw upon and they could design her look from scratch. It's hard to see in the actual film, but she has the lion of Stormwind worked into the back of the gown!

[meep-meep-richie]

Putting Owen in these boots but no cowboy hat is the real crime

[tumorousfilm]

SWISS ARMY MAN (2016)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (7/10)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Viral (2016)

Released only 7 years ago, the world has changed so much since Viral was made it practically feels like a period piece but that actually works in its favor.

The news is warning people of the “worm flu” as it spreads throughout the world. Caused by a parasite, those affected develop a voracious appetite before vomiting blood and collapsing from severe seizures. When the worm flu forces their town to quarantine, teenage sisters Stacey (Analeigh Tipton) and Emma (Sofia Black-D’Elia) are left alone. Their father, (Michael Kelly) was on his way to pick up their mother from the airport and the new security measures mean they have no idea when they'll be able to return.

You can see what I meant earlier about the film feeling like it comes from a different era. Viral, was made before the COVID-19 epidemic and one of its more interesting aspects is how accurately it predicted what would happen. The Drakefords have recently moved to the area. While Stacey has made plenty of friends and has a boyfriend, CJ (Colson Baker), Emma is only starting to feel at home in her new school. After the teens are left home alone and learn school is closed indefinitely, they go to a party with all of their classmates. Normally, Emma wouldn’t be interested, but Evan (Travis Tope), the handsome neighbor she’s befriended, will be there. They don’t see the imposed curfew or the government warnings as anything to take too seriously. There, a few people wear masks but most don’t and wouldn’t you know it, someone infected shows up, spreading a plague that could’ve been contained to who knows how many households. The sickness in this film is obviously more extreme and dangerous than the one we went through but several scenes in the film feel eerily familiar. Government vehicles pass through the streets, blasting warnings to everyone to stay indoors, respect the curfews and report infected individuals. When people die from the flu, everyone in the house is taken away by people in hazmat suits and their house is marked so the CDC knows how many people were taken. Food packets are distributed to each household so people don’t have to leave their homes for any reason.

Another of the film’s strengths is the relationship between the characters. Stacey and Emma feel like real sisters. The actresses have some nice little bits of dialogue to help us understand who they are even whether they’re talking about normal subjects like school and boys or they're contemplating the danger they now face. Stacey may be more outgoing, she may tease her little sister often but she’s looking out for her. The scenes of normal interactions make you understand why, when one becomes infected, the other refuses to leave her behind.

Once the worm flu comes home, some of the weaknesses in the story creep in. We're reminded that this is a horror film - not a dramatic thriller set in a frightening time - with a scare that turns out to be just a dream. Towards the end of the picture, the sisterly bond on display strains credibility. Remember, this worm flu is not like Covid-19, where it’s just infectious and potentially fatal. The disease in this movie is directly compared to Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that removes rodents’ fear of cats. It alters the way people act and can make them murderous. When your loved one manages to escape the room you’ve locked them in, it’s not so they can hang out with their friends or go buy that cheeseburger they’ve been craving; it’s so they can kill and/or spread the parasite. If they run into a dark, abandoned house, only an insane person would follow them and that's before we see the dead bodies and the open door leading towards the dark basement. It’s the ultimate “don’t go in there!” scene. In its defense, it leads to a great, final reveal about the worm flu. Except for one scene where we get to see it take control of a hostile neighbor, the details about the parasitic worm are kept vague, which keeps it scary. That final reveal raises all sorts of questions as it makes you realize how big of a nightmare these characters are living in.

Minus a couple of moments where the characters toss away their survival skills like a dirty face mask, Viral is an enjoyable horror thriller when it's not trying too hard to go for the typical scares. I'd rate it higher if it wasn't for another movie that "predicted" the pandemic more frighteningly and accurately, Contagion. Between the two, that's the better movie. (October 29, 2024)

[morganhopesmith1996]

The La La Land soundtrack and score is freakin beautiful!

[thejewofkansas]

O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA Review - ****

Hearing about the death of O.J. Simpson, I decided to go ahead and publish a fuller review of the brilliant documentary that sums up his life, his career, and the social context in which his trial occurred, leaving little room in my mind that he was, indeed, guilty. This was what I wrote in a capsule review in February 2017: 467 minutes, and it scarcely drags. A story most of us know far too…

[deputyrook]

“It is women who love horror. Gloat over it. Feed on it. Are nourished by it. Shudder and cling and cry out-and come back for more.” ― Bela Lugosi

[indigomood]

The Handmaiden (2016) dir. Park Chan-wook

[zanephillips]

BARRY KEOGHAN Mammal (2016)

[verecore]

Kubo, Monkey and Beetle.

'Kubo and the two strings'

Laika 2016

[cressida-jayoungr]

One Dress a Day Challenge

January: Red Redux

Love and Friendship / Kate Beckinsale as Lady Susan Vernon

In the country, Lady Susan continues to wear demure mourning gowns, but on a trip to London, she lets loose with this spectacular ruby-red satin.

Costume Designer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh had this to say about the costumes for this film, which were apparently done on quite a tight budget:

"So this is a little novella that she [Jane Austen] wrote, one of the first things that she wrote, so it’s set earlier than most of her big novels like Pride and Prejudice and all of those. So we decided to set the film a little bit earlier also, like late 1780s or 1790s, so the fashion between 1790 or even the mid 1790s really changed quite dramatically. A lot of it was influenced by the French revolution, historical events that were happening at the time.... I really kind of pushed for setting it in the late 1780s. It’s a comedy as well, these big dresses, these really lend themselves to--there’s such a drama about those costumes. I just felt  that it would really add to the performance, the door would open and she went swoosh into the room (laugh) and this huge dress, o my gosh, these dresses are built for something like this, for drama and comedy and fun."

[bibluebutterfly]

I’m sorry but it’s absolutely hilarious and yet adorable how the series handles Broppy’s relationship. First we get them traveling together as rivals (which was a bit more one- sided on Branch’s part) before slowing learning how to work together and to change for the other. Also it’s heavily implied Branch has an underline crush on Poppy. Then we get True Colors, and everyone thinks “okay they’re in love now”.

Some people/audience members are on board, others not so much. BUT THEN it turns out that the “I love you” they say to each other was a PLATONIC love confession. Like “you’re my friend, and I value you.” Which is still sweet, but was unexpected. (Though it does explain why the writers decided to put another platonic love confession scene between Bridget and Poppy. Yeah, I get it now)

So they just go through the journey as bffs who have feelings for each other but won’t say anything. And again, they learn how to work and grow together as a team and make the necessary changes to benefit the other. And then FINALLY we get the romantic love confession.

But it doesn’t stop there, oh no. Now we get adventure #3, this time with them as a full on couple. And they are actually really cute. Actually the film doesn’t focus that much on their relationship but we see hints of how they are as a couple.

Poppy is still all over the place but she’s much less in her own head and far more open to listening and being a good girlfriend.

Branch on the other hand is still occasionally getting exasperated by her energy but this time also has an appreciation for it. Also he learns to open up to her a little more and she’s there to listen and accept him with open arms. (Bonus points to their flirty dynamic because wow. They were adorable here.)

And it’s ONLY THEN (7 years after the first film) when they get their first on screen kiss.

Anyway. In conclusion: Trolls is the slowest slow burn I have ever seen in a Dreamworks trilogy.

[seasonofhorror]

THE LOVE WITCH

2016, dir. Anna Biller

[adamwatchesmovies]

Swiss Army Man (2016)

There’s no other movie quite like Swiss Army Man but the film isn’t merely weird for weirdness’ sake. Beneath all the farts, the absurd dark comedy and the plot points that make you question whether what you’re seeing is really happening or not, there’s an emotional, introspective story. It’s surprising in the most unexpected ways.

Marooned on a deserted island, Hank Thompson (Paul Dano) is about to commit suicide when he notices a body (Daniel Radcliffe) wash up on the beach. His attempts to resuscitate him fail but whether “Manny” is alive or dead… isn’t easily discernable. For instance, he farts A LOT. After a spark of inspiration, Hank uses Manny's flatulence to propel them both through the water back toward civilization. It turns out Manny is full of surprises and unusual skills.

Part of the fun of Swiss Army Man is that it constantly bowls you over with the seemingly endless array of absurd skills Manny brings to the table. You'd think the joke would get old, but it doesn’t because you’re continuously surprised. I can’t even imagine what sort of reaction you’d get showing isolated clips of Swiss Army Man to an unsuspecting viewer because even once you've acclimated yourself to this film, it still stuns you.

Maybe the joke doesn’t get old because this movie’s not about the body that can do whatever the situation calls for it to do. As Hank readies himself for his return to civilization, he teaches Manny about everything that's waiting for them. By doing this, he's forced to look back on himself. We don’t know what circumstances brought Hank to that deserted island but we assume he was about to hang himself because he saw no escape and figured he was going to die of starvation/thirst sooner rather than later. Knowing now what I do about him… I’m not so sure. As he explains to Manny everything there is to know about movies, love, food and his big crush (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), we learn that Hank was lonely, very sad and kind of pathetic. This adventure might be the best thing that ever happened to him.

A movie like Swiss Army Man defies the conventions we’re used to, which means you really can’t see where the story is going. As we approach the conclusion, you’re glued to the screen because reality is coming your way like a truck full of bricks and you’re chained to the radiator. There’s no getting out of the way. What’s the impact going to be like? Will it be as devastating as you suspect? All I can say is that the ending is perfect. It reinforces everything we saw before and yet somehow, you don’t see it coming. Written and directed by Daniel Sceinert and Daniel Kwan, this is a movie you won’t forget. It’s so bizarre it threatens to alienate the audience but it’s also so well acted and unexpectedly emotional! I know you might be apprehensive, but at least give it a try and see if this roll of the dice is your cup of tea. (August 9, 2022)