By: Henry J. Fromage –
I’m not even going to try and tease a pattern out of this week’s watching smorgasbord. They’re all movies, maybe?
333. The Last Stop in Yuma County
Director Francis Galluppi’s feature debut has been drawing a lot of comparisons to the Coen Bros., and it’s not hard to see the verbose heavily-accented slice-of-Americana characters, best laid criminal plans going wryly to hell, and abrupt bursts of violence leading one to think that direction. If anything, he’s even more nihilistic, though, which will be a feature for some and a bug for others. I dug it, and any forum for Jim Cummings to play another ineffectual male out of his depth is a good thing in my book. Two Beers.
334. The First Omen
Another feature directorial debut, this time from Arkasha Stevenson, who takes a recognizable property and freaky-deakies it up a bit A24-style. It takes a minute to get going, but once it does there’s a devilish plan that locks into place with a terrible precision, and Nell Tiger Free, whose parents must know the Phoenix clan with that kind of moniker, does an excellent job of keeping us emotionally invested as the walls cave in around her. Three Beers.
335. Sleeping Giant
This documentary examines a group of FARC guerillas after they made a deal with the Colombian government and laid down their arms, instead taking up sport and education to try and reenter a society that most no longer have any meaningful ties to. Economic prospects are not as good as at first hoped, though, and their circumstances remain dependent on political headwinds that may change at any moment. It’s a precarious peace, but these men have seen the alternative. Three Beers.
336. For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign
IDA’s Spring Docs slate was super weaksauce this year, with this portrait of ALS activists, in particular Brian & Sandra Wallach, the big find to come out of it (not that there were many features competing for that accolade). Anyway, when Brian is diagnosed with ALS and realizes how few resources are devoted to finding a cure, he and Sandra move full-time into an advocacy that has helped prolong the lives of thousands, and hopefully will one day lead to that elusive cure. Three Beers.
337. Race to the Summit
You may just be at the bleeding edge of danger in a sport when Free Solo‘s Alex Honnold is good leaving you to it. Such are Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold, who don’t just climb the Alps’ most fearsome peaks without the aid of safety gear, but also do it as quickly as they can (and set sight on the orders of magnitude more dangerous Himalayas after that). Those that are fascinated by mountains and the men (and women!) who climb them like myself will find much to be intrigued by, while those who can’t understand this dangerous insanity will find even less cause to here. Two Beers.
338. Petrov’s Flu
This finally released Cannes 2021 pick from director Kirill Serebrennikov is a high-energy, non-linear descent into a very particular form of Russian hell, following a certain Petrov, who definitely is sick with something, and his wife, a librarian who may be an avenging angel, as they navigate it. In the end all of the randomness comes together into an odd kind of sense, and it’s a hell of a ride getting there, but to say this won’t be to everyone’s taste is perhaps understating it. Three Beers.
339. The Karman Line
No, I totally didn’t find out about this from the comments section of a post about the controversial and shocking ending of a particular arthouse TV series this year. Anyway, this 2014 short film stars our Olivia Colman as a woman who’s begun to slip the surly bonds of gravity, just a lot slower than that person from that unknown TV series. As a metaphor for letting go a loved one who is dying or disappearing, it’s a potent one, beautifully shot and acted by Colman. Two Beers.
