By: Henry J. Fromage –
This week was another random assortment of fairly recent theatrical releases and whatever the hell else came to mind.
188. Scream
While I’m still not sure how I feel about a Wes Craven-less Scream film, it’s not like tongue un-cheeked reverence was ever what this franchise was about, and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett and writers James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick do a good job keeping the spirit of the franchise alive. The target this time are the Requels that are all the rage in horror these days, and they make hay with the new rules and tropes these films have started to establish (even if it’s already starting to feel like their time is near passing). Three Beers.
189. Apocalypse ’45
This documentary is built off of little seen full color footage of the endgame of WWII’s Pacific Theatre, in some ways keying off of the uncanny reality Peter Jackson was able to conjure up from old footage of the WWI battlefields via colorization and modern film repair techniques in his seminal They Shall Not Grow Old. Not nearly as much polish was applied to this film, which suffers a bit from inelegant written interstitials and editing, but the footage is still something to behold. Three Beers.
190. Ted K
Sharlto Copley gets a showcase role playing Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, in this challenging, probably overlong, but plenty interesting focus on what made this loner, survivalist, mathematical prodigy, and stone cold murderer tick. It’s not pretty, but a movie about a man like this shouldn’t be. Three Beers.
191. Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors
One of Hong Sang-soo’s earliest films was this 2000 drama that at the time was seen as a radical departure from his established style, but which looks a lot more familiar now, what with the black and white cinematography, retelling of the same story from multiple perspectives, artists getting sozzled on soju, and focus on the complicated, inelegant, and painful war of the sexes. Just a lot more polished. Three Beers.
192. Dancin’ – It’s On
BabyRuth (who else?) clued me in on this ecstatically cheap dance film that may have been funded, written, and directed entirely by the Panama City, Florida city council and John Chu’s second cousin, twice removed. Somehow this movie was made in 2015 despite film stock, fashion, music, dancing, and overall mien seeming more contemporary to the decade before’s From Justin to Kelly. But maybe that’s just a Palm Beach, Florida thing. Six Pack.
193. Sweetheart
This Netflix horror stars Kiersey Clemons as a boat or plane wreck survivor who washes up on an island only to find that simply surviving the elements is not her only concern- she also has to worry about whatever is emerging at night to feed on the corpses of the others involved in the accident. J.D. Dillard directs a lean, mean thriller and Clemons does a great job commanding the screen in nearly every scene. Three Beers.
194. A Journal for Jordan
Denzel Washington directs an old-fashioned weepie in this based on a true story tale of the romance between a perhaps impossibly suave, honorable, and romantic soldier (played by the impossibly suave Michael B. Jordan) and a prickly New York Times reporter (Chanté Adams, who acquits herself well). Not a lot happens you wouldn’t expect from this movie existing set in this time period in the first place, but with actors this charismatic it’s all good. Three Beers.
195. The Polka King
This Jack Black crime dramedy from a few years back tells the true story of the Polka King of central Pennsylvania, a Polish immigrant who at first accidentally, then with greater relish as it becomes clear the only path is forward enacts a pyramid scheme targeted mostly at his elderly Polka Music clientele. One of those stranger than fiction tales with a lot of arch acting from a cast that includes Jenny Slate, Jason Schwartzman, Jacki Weaver, and J.B. Smoove among others. Three Beers.
196. The Fallout
My second Jenna Ortega film by happenstance is this HBO drama about a few high school kids who survive a school shooting and react in a variety of different ways. Megan Park directs with sensitivity and empathy, keeping things focused on these kids’ points of view and the sometimes surprising ways in which they react (or don’t) to this unimaginable thing they experienced. Two Beers.
