#popcornflickstalks

[suckmyshlock]

THE GREEN KNIGHT (2021)

dir. David Lowery

King Arthur's headstrong nephew embarks on a daring quest to confront the Green Knight, a mysterious giant who appears at Camelot. Risking his head, he sets off on an epic adventure to prove himself before his family and court.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SCORE: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1/2

PERFORMANCES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

EFFECTS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WRITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honorable mention: COSTUMES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I must admit I've been waiting on this one for a while, a premiere ticket sitting in my inbox for weeks. And it did not disappoint.

I am normally a little wary of long movies adapted from written works, as I find they often have pacing issues, for the simple reason that a written story (whether it be a novel, a short, or an epic) is made to be consumed differently than a film, and to attempt a perfect filmic adaptation of a written work is a near impossible feat - by nature, the two mediums are structured differently. Perhaps The Green Knight succeeds due to its virtue of being based on legend, a story that was likely designed to be heard orally and not read. This film made me feel like an ancient peasant child sitting at the feet of a great storyteller, letting them weave something beautiful and unexpected in my mind. Not a high fantasy, not an action-adventure story, nor a great romance, like so many other Medieval period pieces, The Green Knight is a true, classically-told hero's journey, with stunning visuals and an incredible score. The film rests entirely on Dev Patel's shoulders, and he bears the weight like an honorable knight would; his performance had me entranced the entire time. Utterly captivating, I have honestly never seen anything quite like this one before.

[suckmyshlock]

The Matrix Resurrections, 2021

dir. Lana Wachowski

Plagued by strange memories, Neo’s life takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself back inside the Matrix.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

MUSIC: ⭐️⭐️

PERFORMANCES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

EFFECTS: ⭐️⭐️

WRITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honorable mention, EDITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow, hi. The Matrix is back and so am I.

Where to begin? How does a person talk about The Matrix? Do I start with a personal story, tell you how profoundly effected I was by the original film the first time I saw it, how I studied it for an entire month in a class called Philosophy of Science Fiction in college, how Neo is one of my favorite and most related to characters of all time? Probably there's no point; all this goes without saying. Too, enough has been said on what it's like to first see The Matrix as a small child and then come back for The Matrix Resurrections as an out transgender adult. I don't know if I need to talk about how deeply moved I was by this shlock, but just know: effected deeply, I was, and shlock, the film is.

The Matrix Resurrections is not what I expected out of a Matrix reboot, but it is just what I needed. This is not your typical big budget Hollywood franchise reboot - schmaltzy, glossy, safe. Instead Resurrections is capital-M Meta, self aware to its core, and so, so stupid. With a plot as thin as a sheet of paper and a runtime of 148 minutes, you know this film just has to be stuffed full of ridiculous fun stuff.

Neil Patrick Harris really shines as The Analyst, and I was overjoyed to see Jonathan Groff as Agent Smith (as I love his performance on Mindhunter). Though she has fairly limited screentime for most of the film, Carrie-Anne Moss makes up for it in the final act. She and Keanu Reeves continue to have great chemistry, and while he's far better as Neo than he is in most other roles, she brings something more out of him that starts to be genuinely great. There's a whole cast of new characters here, and everybody gets their little moment to shine. We don't ever quite edge into character study territory (which is a shame, with a plot as thin as this one), as Resurrections prefers to spend its time on worldbuilding, dialogue, poorly-choreographed shlockly action garbage, and heavy doses of nostalgia. Every scene is stretched to its limit here, and the film probably could have had that extra 30 minutes shaved off the runtime with no huge loss, but somehow, I love that about it: every scene is so fucking juicy, stuffed with so much love and joy and excitement, rich with jump cuts, sexy close ups, and solid performances. I really can't fault for wanting it all in there. I certainly enjoyed every second of it, even if I was a little too aware of how long it felt.

If I have one other thing to add, it's this: for me, a big part of the appeal of the Matrix franchise has always been body horror, rooted in ideas of commodity and autonomy, and this film is severely lacking in that. While we do get a few delicious moments (such as the human bombs, my personal favorite scene in the whole film, and of course Neo's resurgence from the pod), I would have liked to see a little more. However, like "bullet time", this lack could also be purposeful, a deliberate denial on Wachowski's part to give the audience what they want, and if this is the case, I respect it.

I don't know if Lana Wachowski wanted to do this movie; it's pretty clear that she agreed to make it to retain creative control over the series, as the reboot would have happened "with or without" her. But I'm so glad she did. Resurrections hints at the deeper philosophical and religious elements that the previous films had at the forefront, but here it strips all that away to leave us with - what else? - a love story. Love is what wakes us up, what gives us the strength to take risks and keep going. Love is what makes us fly. No, no, I'm not crying, I swear. I'm not crying over a fucking Matrix film. It's fine. I'm fine.

[suckmyshlock]

Malignant, 2021

dir. James Wan

Paralyzed by fear from shocking visions, a woman's torment worsens as she discovers her waking dreams are terrifying realities.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MUSIC: ⭐️⭐️

PERFORMANCES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

EFFECTS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WRITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honorable mention: LIGHTING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let's get this out of the way: Malignant is not a great movie, but it's also not supposed to be.

I'm going to try to be light on details in this review, since director James Wan has stated he'd prefer if early viewers kept the twists to ourselves. But I will say this: the ends justify the means. The first half of this film felt a little slow to me, but once the pieces start piling up, it all comes together.

Malignant is just about the James Wanniest James Wan movie that James Wan has ever made. The official trailer has a little piece of press from Wan (giving the trailer a real William Castle or Alfred Hitchcock vibe) in which he states two things that I carried with me into this film: he wanted to get back to his roots, while giving horror audiences something new. In both of these, he succeeds. Malignant is an original story couched in a tonal and stylistic throwback to early-to-mid 2000s horror shlock. For those of us familiar with Wan, it's a welcome return to our era. Wan's directorial debut, 2004's Saw, while generally more bleak than the majority of theatrical horror of the time, is probably the film that best exemplifies horror of that era - in visuals, sound design, acting style, camera movement, and structure. Those of us that grew up around this time and/or fans of 2000s horror know exactly what I mean - these stories are generally original (though the 2000s did see their fair share of sequels, it was before the remake craze really took off) and executed to extremity, with a sort of 1980s shlock comedy flair, quick 'n dirty cinematography, and obscene amounts of gore. And Malignant delivers on all of it. There's a lot more of Saw in this film than Wan's other, more recent works, and for me that's a strength. It's a wild ride, unlike anything that we've seen in about twenty years, and I'd be absolutely fucking ecstatic if it ushered in a resurgence of new-millennium-flavored filmmaking. But I have no idea if it will. Wan's status as one of the most successful horror directors of our time is solid, but I have a feeling that for most of the younger generation - and modern audiences in general who weren't very interested in horror at that time - this is gonna go right over their heads. This flick has more in common with something like The Midnight Meat Train than The Conjuring.

I don't want to review the technical aspects of the movie too closely and color anyone else's experience, since this is just released. I'll only say a few things: To me, a good actor isn't necessarily someone who feels "real", but someone who plays a character the way they need to be played and really gives it their all. The actors, especially our lead, Annabelle Wallis, do just that. I was particularly impressed by the camerawork and lighting in this movie, though the sound design bothered me in the same way it does for all of Wan's films - he loves to dampen the visual impact of his scares through the addition of loud noises, a common tactic in modern horror which I hate. The gore is great, the transformation sequences are wonderful, and it's like a breath of fresh air to see the vibes of my formative years have not been forgotten.

I have nothing but respect for James Wan. He has a clear vision, and it's radically different than any other of the more serious horror greats of our time. I only hope that Malignant will be a hit, and allow more of his projects to be made, because the landscape of 2020s horror is stronger with him in it.

[suckmyshlock]

DAD TAPES

Pink Floyd: The Wall, 1982

dir. Alan Parker

Hello and welcome to a special edition of popcornflicks talks known as Dad Tapes, where I talk about movies in my tape collection that I inherited from my dad. This is 1982's The Wall.

A troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MUSIC: obviously ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

PERFORMANCES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1/2

EFFECTS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

WRITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honorable mention: ANIMATION: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pink Floyd: The Wall is like i'm a horror film i'm surrealist video art i'm a character drama about generational trauma. i'm going through the five stages of grief i'm having feelings i'm shutting them out then i'm having feelings again. i'm a serious take on the cycle of war i'm depictions of police brutality and blind militarism i'm about wwii i'm about vietnam i'm about the fear of the bomb. i'm about my father and i am my father and i'll never be my father and my mother loves me she hates me she saves me she wants me dead. i'm about consumerism and searching searching searching for love and how often we watch things die. i'm about life. i'm uplifting i'm bleak i'm all the demons you see in your sleep. also, i have pacing issues.

Alright, forreal: I love this movie. Before tonight, I hadn't watched it in about 10 years, but I used to steal my dad's tape out of the high shelf in the family room closet and watch it over and over all through my teenage years. The tape I have now is still that copy, and it plays as beautifully as it did the first time I saw it, on my thirteenth birthday, when my dad very seriously sat me down and said, "You're old enough to watch this now." I wish I were making this up, but I'm really not. That's the kind of film stuff I was raised on. So, The Wall is sacred to me. I haven't watched the tape once since I left home in 2014, mostly out of superstition. Does it hold up as an adult with so much more experience (and an art degree) behind my back?

Short answer: yeah, it does. This movie kinda fucking rocks. It's a beautiful grotesque bundle of contradictions, a character study about the horrors of war and loss and social upheaval that becomes reflected in our personal lives as we live through it. The blend of live action and animation is perfect, the cinematography dynamic, the sound sharp and silent one moment then swelling to fill the room the next. Bob Geldorf is awesome in it, and he very well better be, since he's really the only actor with any serious screentime, apart from the child actor who plays little him (Kevin McKeon, apparently, who is also acceptable in the role). The film does drag in areas, lagging between each act instead of swiftly carrying us from one to another, perhaps due to the fact that music and film are different structures and attempting to pace a film the way you would an album doesn't work. The nonlinear timeline is sufficiently engaging without being annoying, and the gestalt effect of the plot you're rewarded with upon finishing is a joy. The moments of horror in this really stand out- after all this time, still gives me the shivers.

[suckmyshlock]

Venom: Let There Be Carnage, 2021

dir. Andy Serkis

After finding a host body in investigative reporter Eddie Brock, the alien symbiote must face a new enemy, Carnage, the alter ego of serial killer Cletus Kasady.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ⭐️⭐️ & 1/2

MUSIC: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

PERFORMANCES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1/2

EFFECTS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

WRITING: ⭐️⭐️

Honorable mention, WOODY HARRELSON: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here's my review: Not gay enough.

Wait, let me try that again: From a movie that's been called tentacle porn by critics, I was hoping for a little more penetration.

Wait, no, here: Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a bit of a sloppy mess. It's not as bad as all that, but it's never so-bad-it's-good either. Don't get me wrong: I loved this film, but in comparison to Venom 1, it's like the little brother of the duo - immature, hyperactive, and mostly unsuccessful, though fuck if it doesn't keep trying.

Woody Harrelson is the best part of this film; perfectly cast. His performance is deliciously scenery-chewing and an absolute joy to watch. Tom Hardy, by contrast, is not given a lot to work with here, which feels weird, considering he's not only our protagonist, but also helped conceive the story of the film... he appears to spend most of the movie wandering around and talking to people, and while he, as before, plays 'constantly bewildered and a bit of a failure' really well, he lacks the passionate edge that made Eddie Brock a sympathetic character in Venom 1. Michelle Williams is, similarly, not given much to do here, despite having what feels like more screen time this go around.

The driving force of Let There Be Carnage is relationship drama. As director Andy Serkis has stated, the love story is at the forefront here - but it's still buried beneath a bunch of Hollywood-action-movie-trash. Even so, these are the film's greatest assets, little nuggets of gold that almost make the movie shine - if only they weren't covered by a pile of shit. The relationship between Cletus and Carnage acts as a dark inverse of Eddie's relationship with Venom, while Cletus and Frances offer an oddly bright success story in comparison to Eddie and Anne. There is so much potential here, that to see it go mostly unrealized is honestly kind of depressing. Fuck what all the critics are saying - this is the true failure of the film.

But Let There Be Carnage isn't a failure - it just has failings. Tonally, it's all over the place. To me (as you all know, a horror guy first and foremost, and not really a superhero guy at all), the joy of the Venom story is that it's a monster movie dressed up in superhero's costume. Venom isn't a hero, he's an anti-hero, and these types of stories are, by necessity, dark ones. And Let There Be Carnage just doesn't go there. It's too funny. This would be fine, if it was played as a dark comedy, but instead the whole thing is riddled with safe, predictable humor. It's thankfully not offensively stupid, as the comedy in most big budget American films is these days, but it's not shocking, or sick, or weird. The action is played straight, while the more domestic moments are played for comedy - and I would have preferred to see this reversed, to help balance out the more bombastic elements of the film and allow more of the character drama to shine. The pacing, however, is flawless. This is a crazy, brisk, anarchic little flick.

I liked this movie. No, really, I did. Is it good? No. Is it a dumpster fire? No. What is it exactly? Dude, I have no idea. But Tom Hardy is hot, Venom comes out at a rave, and there's a love confession thrown in there, so all in all, it's a good way to spend two hours, for sure.

[suckmyshlock]

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021)

dir. James Gunn

The government sends the most dangerous supervillains in the world -- Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Harley Quinn and others -- to the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Armed with high-tech weapons, they trek through the dangerous jungle on a search-and-destroy mission, with only Col. Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1/2

MUSIC: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

PERFORMANCES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

EFFECTS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

WRITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honorable mention: WEIRDNESS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I should preface this review by admitting that I have only seen a handful of "hero" movies since they took off in popularity in the last decade, but almost all of those that I have seen and enjoyed had something to do with James Gunn. I've been fuckin' with his work since Slither was released when I was 12 - a perfect age for a film to spook you so bad you have to shut it off, only to immediately turn it back on again for more. There's a lot of Gunn's signature style left over from his horror days in The Suicide Squad. To me, Gunn's strength is in his truly original "shlock-seriousness." His films never pretend to be what they aren't - never aspiring to be art - but instead treat ridiculousness as a real part of the human experience. This is shlock with soul.

The Suicide Squad is a triumphant return to cinema for Gunn after his firing from Marvel, and the smartest move DC has made in a long time. The action scenes are well choreographed, actually play into the evolution of the story, and never overstay their welcome. The oddball cast of characters adds to the film's originality and is a breath of fresh air in modern cinema that's become oversaturated with sameness - and are all played by actors who are clearly having a great time doing it. With a standout soundtrack, an ending fit for a shlock epic, and just enough nastiness sprinkled in to keep us from getting too comfortable, The Suicide Squad feels like a weird little love letter to comic books. It was clearly made with heart, and honestly, what more could you want?

[suckmyshlock]

STILLWATER (2021)

dir. Tom McCarthy

An American oil-rig roughneck travels to Marseille, France, to visit his estranged daughter, in prison for a murder she claims she didn't commit. Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences and a complicated legal system, he soon builds a new life for himself as he makes it his personal mission to exonerate her.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ⭐️⭐️

SCORE: I struggle to remember, sooo... ⭐️

PERFORMANCES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1/2

EFFECTS: N/A

WRITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honorable mention: THE HUMAN CONDITION: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I saw Stillwater for one reason only: I was traveling, far away from home, and wanted to go to a historic theater in the area I was visiting. The cinema I went to had only two showing rooms, so it was either this or Jungle Cruise. I wish I could say I was pleasantly surprised by Stillwater, but it was about what I expected: your typical "true story" Hollywood adaptation, with acceptable but unremarkable visuals, camerawork, dialogue, and music, and pacing issues. Stillwater is not an engaging enough film to warrant its 140 minute runtime and, alone in the theater, I found myself pulling out my phone during the movie, searching for something more exciting to do next.

That isn't to say the film is a total failure. Matt Damon is absolutely perfect as our country boy protagonist, so wholly in his role that he disappears into it, nearly unrecognizable as himself. The rest of the cast also perfectly embody their characters - nobody ever goes too far in this, and there are no charicatures here. Everyone in this film feels like a real person going through real experiences. If there is one memorable thing about Stillwater, it's this: These people feel like people you know, their story is one that you could hear anywhere, and the difficulties they face are our own... the struggle to transcend the past, the fight for a better future for us and those we love, and the communication challenges that stand in our way of navigating a life with others who are different from ourselves.

So, despite not being drawn into this film, there was a part of me that was touched by it. Watching it alone in an unfamiliar place meant that I identified with Damon's character, as he too is a fish out of water here. Though it's now been a week since I saw the film, I'm still thinking about Bill Baker. If I had watched it at home? Probably not.

[suckmyshlock]

THRIFT STORE HIGHLIGHT

Dead & Breakfast, 2004

dir. Matthew Leutwyler

Hello and welcome to a special edition Thrift Store Highlight review, where I talk about a film I'd never heard of until I happened across it in a thrift store, thought "what the fuck?", and had to buy it. This is 2004's Dead & Breakfast.

On their way to a wedding, a group of friends take a wrong turn and end up in the small town of Lovelock. There, they check in to a bed-and-breakfast run by strange Mr. Wise (David Carradine). The next morning, the group, along with a mysterious man called the Drifter (Brent David Fraser), is detained by the sheriff regarding some suspicious deaths. During questioning, one of the friends, Johnny (Oz Perkins), inadvertently unleashes a demonic force that transforms the townspeople into zombies.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MUSIC: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

PERFORMANCES: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

EFFECTS: ⭐️⭐️ with an extra 1/2 for being all practical, no CGI

WRITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Honorable mention, EDITING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Matthew Leutwyler's directorial debut, 2004's Dead & Breakfast, is the exact kind of film that gets me really excited - unapologetically shlocky, violence played to extreme hilarity, and unexpected moments of visual flair and originality that take a viewer completely off guard. I say this so that you know: though I had never heard of Leutwyler or this film, this review definitely comes from a place of bias.

Dead & Breakfast's opening credit sequence (released in 2004, the film actually has one - an aspect of movie viewing that I miss dearly in our contemporary world) features hand-drawn comic-ish panels that ease us into the type of story we can expect - thick black inks, stark whites, and pops of red - set to original music, and from the first few seconds, I was sucked right in. It becomes obvious right away that this film was a labor of love, made by a creative team. Drawings continue to be featured in the rest of the film as the scene we are watching fades into one of these panels, and then we hop into another scene, just like reading a comic book. This is one of the reasons I have chosen editing as my honorable mention for Dead & Breakfast. The drawings are well executed and fun, and create a rounded experience as the story progresses. Drawings aren't the only editing trick used in scene transitions, however - when discussing this film, it's important that we talk music.

Dead & Breakfast features a hapless cast of characters, all acting as horror movie stereotypes with an original twist - the pretty blonde girl is also a badass who can build a shotgun from pipes, the smart brunette is a linguistic expert, the asshole boyfriend works well under pressure while also providing most of the slapstick, the shy nerd becomes the villain. This opening ensemble of outsiders works well to balance each other out, but the good characterization doesn't end there. Once they reach the small country town of Lovelock, we begin to be introduced to a large group of townsfolk, and the movie starts to feel very Twin Peaks. From the moment they enter Lovelock, coming to a gas station, they find a band practicing outdoors by the pumps (also providing my favorite moment of cinematography in the entire film), even though they have no audience. It's a perfect "what the fuck?" moment, deliciously weird, and moments like this happen every time we are introduced to another character in Lovelock. The gas station attendant and the vocalist/lead guitarist of the band provide our original soundtrack, often tuning in between scenes to deliver songs of varying genres that illustrate the story so far - another reason I have chosen to highlight the editing. The guy is actually a good musician (the actor who plays him really wrote the songs) and instead of feeling childish and overdone, they are paced well enough and played well enough that I found myself heaving up in excitement whenever he came onscreen.

Let me be clear: Dead & Breakfast is not a good movie. It's shlock garbage, no doubt. With cast members like David Carradine (who has appeared in so many terrible b-movies, he has his own square on bad movie bingo) and his granddaughter Ever Carradine, plus the one and only Oz Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins and lately director of brooding, mysterious horror films such as The Blackcoat's Daughter), we really can't kid ourselves here. The performances are played to maximum effect, not human reality. The special effects, while admirably all done practically, are cheap. The comedy is reliant on random moments of slapstick that drag on so long you choose to believe that's part of the joke rather than be faced with the disappointing reality of these actors giving their all for something that just doesn't quite land. But, Dead & Breakfast is a film that's aware of its flaws, and embraces them - you can see that right up there on the tagline. It's charming as hell for someone like me, who revels in low budget, passion project horror. Is Dead & Breakfast "good"? No. But it's pretty fucking great.