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In case you haven’t seen the intro from my entry dated
1/26/19 (it’s in my archives whenever you want to read it), I’m no longer going
to review every single movie I see. I’m
going to review one, with the occasional bonus, and just give ratings for the
rest from now on (unless I decide to pick it up again in the future). You can always ask me why I gave the ratings
for the films without reviews though (via comments or the e-mail addresses
under the ‘About Me’ section).
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Eileen OK/G
Noir thriller taking place in Massachusetts (filmed in New
Jersey) during a bygone era (I found out it was the Sixties, but I would’ve
surmised that or the Fifties). It also
takes place during Christmastime, therefore it is a Christmas movie (don’t even
start the whole ‘Die Hard’ debate
with me either; if it takes place during or around the holiday, it is a
Christmas movie!). Eileen is a single
woman in her early twenties (played by Thomasin McKenzie) that works at a
prison and lives at home with her alcoholic, retired-policeman father (played
by Shea Whigham). One day, a female
psychologist begins working at the prison, played by Anne Hathaway (embodying
the femme fatale trope rather well), and the two gradually build a
relationship. The film is a bit of a
slow burn, but there is also something to be desired about it. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, which is
usually a good thing, but it was kind of a bad thing here because I didn’t want
it to be over when it was (I felt a little cheated). I had my own theory about the conclusion, but
reading Anne Hathaway’s interpretation opened up my mind to one I didn’t even
contemplate, making me want to watch the film again thinking back to parts
where her postulations make a little sense (I might even like her conclusion a
bit better than mine, however clichéd it may be). I’m curious about the book now too by Ottessa
Moshfegh in which it is based (she co-wrote the screenplay as well). Expect to have discussions with those you may
watch this with, or others that have also seen it. 12/12/2023
Bonus reviews:
Shaky Shivers EH/OK
Here’s an example of a film marred by the effects/creature
designs. The kicker? They were all practical! I always emphasize how much I abhor digital
effects, but here’s proof that practical doesn’t always work. I know, I know, there have always been crappy
practical effects throughout the history of cinema long before the use of
digital, even though I will always prefer them.
The story here takes place in Washington State during the early Nineties
and is intended to be a throwback to the practical effects-laden
horror-comedies of that time. The
directorial debut of Sung Kang (an actor from films like Better Luck Tomorrow, The
Motel, and several of the Fast and
the Furious movies), it follows two girls in their twenties that work at an
ice cream shop and travel to an abandoned camp since one of them fears they’re
about to turn into a werewolf after an encounter with a strange woman. There are zombies and a certain cryptid as
well. The cryptid in question is one of
the worst designs I’ve ever seen for it, and I personally just wasn’t a fan of
the other effects (the zombie designs were too offbeat for me). I know this was intended to be a fun throwback,
but it often came across as too parodical, a type of comedy I was never truly a
fan of, and I didn’t think I was going to watch a parody. I actually thought it was more fun following
the two girls work at the ice cream shop and converse about life, thinking I
was going to love this movie at first.
Plus, the story ultimately falls short since not much is done with all
the elements. Sung, if you plan on
directing more features, better luck tomorrow!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. With a
rewrite and better effects, this could’ve been the fun throwback it was
intended to be. 12/10/2023
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget EH/OK
Chicken Run was a
decent stop-motion film from 2000 about chickens plotting an escape from a farm
whose owners planned on turning them into pies.
This recent Netflix sequel doesn’t take place much later than it
(obviously not 23 years). Whereas the
chickens wanted to escape a farm in the first one, this one they try breaking
into one (for a reason, of course). This
farm may be much more of a colorful paradise than the previously drab one in
the countryside, but the chickens this time are intended to end up as fast food
nuggets. Rotten Tomatoes states “there’s
a general feeling of diminishing returns,” which is exactly the right
description I was looking for (that site currently has a 79% rating out of 86
critics though); it is largely a remake of its predecessor that really offers
nothing new aside from a few characters. It may have been harmless, but it wasn’t
exactly necessary…12/15/2023
Other movies I've seen and their ratings (see above):
Birth/Rebirth >>>OK
(Shudder)
Christmas Cruelty! >>>EH
(In Norwegian
with subtitles)
Family Switch >>>B/EH
(Netflix)
From Black >>>OK
(Shudder)
Leave the World
Behind >>>OK/G
(Netflix)
Lockdown Tower >>>EH
(In French with
subtitles)
Naga >>>EH
(In Arabic with
subtitles)
The Puppetman >>>EH
(Shudder)
The Sacrifice Game >>>OK
(Shudder)
Time’s Up >>>EH
---Sean O.12/16/2023
