By: Henry J. Fromage –
Another week of Quarantine, another eclectic mix of the newest films on offer by streaming, VOD, and other sundry sources.
127. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
The best reviewed film out of Sundance, our first (and last?) major film festival of 2020, is a simple story of a 17 year old who finds herself pregnant and with precious few options. Her and her cousin abscond to New York to get the abortion she’s dead set on getting. Eliza Hittman infuses the film with a procedural intensity and leaves the emotion to star Sidney Flanigan, from who’s hard then heartbreakingly vulnerable face she rarely draws the camera in the most intense scenes. Perhaps a touch partisan in intention, but unforgettable in its execution. Two Beers.
128. The Week Of
This is the umpteenth film presented as a return to comic form for Adam Sandler, but despite the presence of Chris Rock and Steve Buscemi and a late turn to family-loving mawkishness, I can’t say I saw that at all. It’s not nearly as bad as the Sandler oeuvre can get, but it’s still probably not worth your time. Four Beers.
129. Clemency
Alfre Woodard gives the performance of a career as an outwardly stoic prison warden navigating a failing marriage and the aftermath of a botched lethal injection and the run up to the next one (somebody cast Aldis Hodge as something besides an unjustly incarcerated man striving for justice, please). Masterfully acted and supported by director Chinonye Chukwu. Two Beers.
130. Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss
I watched this one solely on the recommendation of stills like the above, in which Taika Waititi is clearly up to some crazy shit. While he’s not in nearly enough of the film for my tastes, Kate Micucci and Sam Huntington are darkly amiable as new tenants to an apartment where cultists (played by an assortment of comedy ringers) keep showing up at all hours to kill themselves in their bathtub. Things get progressively bizarre from there. Three Beers.
131. Tigertail
Alan Yang (Aziz Ansari’s creative partner on Master of None and a creative force in his own right) crafts an ode to the sacrifices of first generation immigrant parents everywhere, and the emotional gulf that often exists between them and their children who literally grow up in a different world than they did. Beautifully shot in its cross-cutting between the Taiwan and New York City of the protagonist’s youth and the drab comfort of his present, and intimately observed in its small moments, Yang’s craft overcomes his over-reliance on obvious symbolism that is a common weakness of first-time films shooting high. Two Beers.
132. Wild Nights with Emily
I don’t know what it is about Emily Dickinson flicks starring unconventional lead actresses, but between Molly Shannon’s version here and Cynthia Nixon’s A Quiet Passion, I’m hoping nobody attempts a third. They’re trying for something both educational and dryly funny here, but the I hope Smoky the Bear is nearby- the comedy here is tinder-dry and desperately awaiting a spark. Five Beers.
133. The Death and Life of John F. Donovan
It’s hard to entirely hate a Xavier Dolan joint, who for my money remains one of our most exciting filmmakers (who has plenty of time to correct course at an age where many great filmmakers start getting the chance to helm their own productions- this is his 7th feature at 31 years old). Still, it’s hard to deny this is pretty much a bore with tonal issues galore and only a few bursts of that beautiful stylistic exuberance. Even the cheeky deployment of pop tracks feels a bit stale this time around. Four Beers.
