We've been catching up on some modern movies and shows this month at the Tape Freaks household, here are my opinions on some of those:
Good Time: This was a great movie no doubt, but, I can't say I loved watching this film. (And if I hadn't watched all the way to the end, I might not have liked it at all.) Maybe it was the wrong night for me to watch it but, it was too real for me and I had a hard time going along for the ride. My mind kept wandering to people and situations from my youth, wondering what happened to people I knew from those days, remembering what happened to those people, wondering if people who watched this flick would take away a new perspective about people like that (as it seemed was the intention) or if they would shrug it off like so many episodes of Cops. I'd be interested to hear from someone who's perspective was shifted as a result of watching this movie, particularly someone who didn't grow up submerged in those kinds of realities, because they're over the top in just the right ways that make it only a step away from things that happened to people I knew. Over all, this is a very well executed film; great performances by everyone on screen, interesting juxtapositions of perspective, and cinematography that actively adds to the narrative, just too triggering for me to enjoy personally.
Super Dark Times: Somehow this hyper realistic and dark coming-of-age movie was exactly my speed. At the start, the portrayals of teens/preteens being obnoxious dipshits was so spot on that I almost couldn't stand it, but that setup pays off pretty quickly, and the twist and turns the movie takes were organic and completely unexpected. It was the dark coming-of-age film I never knew I wanted, but I would like more now please.
Ingrid Goes West: Halfway through this movie I had an anxiety attack expressly caused by watching this film. Oddly, I still liked it a ton! This is a beyond fantastic exploration of imposter syndrome, mental illness and enabling, filled with excellent performances by Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, and Billy Magnussen. It was also pretty great to see two sons of stars illustrating they were more than their parent's children. Especially Jackson, he was able to match Plaza's genuine and grounded delivery of humor every step of the way. I will be watching this movie again... despite it having caused me to question every friendship I've ever had all at once...
Brigsby Bear: This movie made me want to run out and make a movie with my friends. I mean, I've done exactly that before, but this was especially inspiring both in that this is a great film, and watching the characters make their own film brought me life. This was also another in a trend I've been noticing of films and shows that fit my humor, get dark, and are great over all, but never get mean. It's very fucking refreshing.
The Villainess: Tim kept explaining this as South Korean John Wick, and it really was in all the best ways. If you've not been watching a bunch of modern South Korean genre movies (which you should fix by watching The Wailing, Train to Busan, The Host, and Okja), we've noticed this strange theme to them: each film winds through drastically different tones, and does so with mind-boggling ease. And it's not genre mashing like drama/action/horror or horror/comedy/coming of age, it's more like high-body-count zombie/heart-warming coming of age/serious family drama/societal-commentary film. (I was describing Train to Busan there if you were wondering.) The Villainess was a mix of spy/family drama/romantic comedy/bloody action/revenge flick; think Drive with heavy overtones of John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and The Raid 2. If you liked any of those, you will very likely enjoy this one as much as we did!
Mom and Dad: This one could have been better. It's not that it's wasn't entertaining, or that the performances were flat (Nicolas Cage is wonderfully batshit, but Selma Blair steals the damn show), it's just that it falls short in some areas where the Crank movies (yes, we
love the Crank movies) shine. It's stylized, but in a way that captures too well the drabness of living in suburbia, and it occasionally meanders in the plot and character development in ways that are distracting at best and needless at worst. But, there are a few delightful surprises throughout and it's far from terrible, just set your bar accordingly.
Good Time: This was a great movie no doubt, but, I can't say I loved watching this film. (And if I hadn't watched all the way to the end, I might not have liked it at all.) Maybe it was the wrong night for me to watch it but, it was too real for me and I had a hard time going along for the ride. My mind kept wandering to people and situations from my youth, wondering what happened to people I knew from those days, remembering what happened to those people, wondering if people who watched this flick would take away a new perspective about people like that (as it seemed was the intention) or if they would shrug it off like so many episodes of Cops. I'd be interested to hear from someone who's perspective was shifted as a result of watching this movie, particularly someone who didn't grow up submerged in those kinds of realities, because they're over the top in just the right ways that make it only a step away from things that happened to people I knew. Over all, this is a very well executed film; great performances by everyone on screen, interesting juxtapositions of perspective, and cinematography that actively adds to the narrative, just too triggering for me to enjoy personally.
Loved readinng this thanks
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