This movie arrives as a sweating glass of iced lemonade on a sweltering afternoon. You’re instantly struck with the loveliest cinematography and the subtle tones of a piano. What ensues is well paced story which watches like a book softly read out loud. Ralph Feines and Kerry Mulligan are superb. Their chemistry feels genuine. Feines’ honed Old English accent is one rarely heard today, save for old audio recordings of those long dead. If computer animated movies where alien life forms battle robots is more your vibe, this film may be not for you. But if visual poetry and prose perfectly capturing a lost moment of time is more your preference, watch The Dig as soon as you can afford the time.
We Are What We Are
We Are What We Are is the 2013 US remake of the Mexican film Somos Lo Que Hay. I have not seen the original, but can attest that We Are What We Are is beautifully written, exquisitely shot, superbly acted, and is so horrific and disturbing in its content I would’t recommend you see it. A perfect American gothic horror film, which may be not for you.
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore. Who does? It stars Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey as misfit neighbors who form a heartwarming friendship based on a vengeance fueled vigilante spree against the individuals who robbed her home. With hints of comedy on the intro evolving into a heartbreaking thriller in the end, it leaves you with no bitter aftertaste, and a warm feeling all over. It’s unpredictable, kept me laughing at all the right moments, and on the edge of my seat throughout. Fun!
Lake Mungo
This is a horror movie posing as a documentary about the mystery of a haunting. Far different than the overdone handheld found-footage genre, it pays tribute to the addictive tv paranormal documentary. Bouncing back and forth from the emergence of spine tingling evidence of a haunting to the more grounded rational explanation, it carries suspension of disbelief so well you forget the film is in fact a work of fiction. There are no jump out at you scream-scares. The story is slow paced, intriguing, and the scares arrive with chills and involuntary self hugging. Yet if you don’t like fake documentary paranormal horror films, then this flick may be not for you.
The Lighthouse
THE LIGHTHOUSE is a cinematic feat of myth, metaphor, and exquisite filmmaking that reaches the height of legend. A complex and hallucinatory experience of a character looking forward at his life as well as back at it. Two men who are both lying to themselves as well as each other about who they are, where they come from, why they are there and where they are going. Two men who are one man. One looking back at himself at how he became the man he is, and the other annihilating himself to become the man he is doomed to be. Cursed by his future self, he’s doomed to agony in a cold, damp, windswept rock among the monsters of the sea. Both ultimately surrender to one another in self annihilation. This film is an absolute must for any cinephile. Yet if you don’t appreciate great art, or are impatient, or simply need something quick, dumb and disposable, then sadly, this exquisite film may be not for you.
Special
What makes someone special? What is a superhero? Perhaps someone who can overcome self doubt. This is the premise of Special, written and directed by Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore. Starring Michael Rapaport in the performance of a lifetime, this low budget film relies heavily on an excellent script, dynamite acting and spot on direction. This film is truly special, the kind of superhero film that makes you realize that a superhero doesn’t necessarily need over the top superpowers to be great, but simply the ability to repeatedly stand back up after being knocked down, and speak up for what is right. This film is funny at the right moments, tragic in others, and entertaining through and through. Yet if you are not in the mood for a grounded in reality/anti-bubblegum superhero movie, then maybe this movie may be not for you.
Band of Robbers
Do you like fun? What’s more fun than Mark Twain’s memorable characters, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn which in Band of Robbers are reimagined as grown men searching for hidden treasure. Cast with an incredible crew of comedians, this film brings quirk and laughs to the screen with such clean innocent humor you’ll find yourself laughing out loud and smiling from ear to ear by the end of the film. A must for all who like fun. If you don’t like fun however, well, sadly this may be not for you.
Life on Earth
For those who didn’t know, or those who don’t remember, on July 24th, 2010 brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott created a Youtube challenge for people across the globe to film their lives on that single day and answer a few simple questions. They received 4,500 hours of video from 192 countries. The end result is the beautiful film, Life In A Day. The fluid editing of how they portray the interconnectedness of lives from every corner of the world is masterful, considering much of the submitted material was filmed by untrained cinematographers. Often set to subtle music, you are offered a moving glimpse of hope, a reminder of what our lives looked like before this abrupt redefining of our world, and what it will likely look like again.
Forget about the disconnect you may get from watching movies or TV that feel suddenly out of touch with the sudden world changing event we are all submerged in, and immerse yourself in something more relevant than ten years ago. Part two has officially been released, and it is just as beautiful as the first installment, and touches on self isolation, where we are now, and our ever changing lives.
The Lodge
From the creators of “Goodnight Mommy“ comes another unprecedented horror film that surprises you and keeps you guessing. As the plot unravels so does your grip on reality as you question your own sanity and where the movie is taking you. Although some actors get more screen time than others, no performance outshines another… an outstanding ensemble. Perfectly executed, this is the kind of craftsmanship we rarely see in the genre. To the director, cinematographer, writers and cast, I say thank you.
For those that have an aversion to questionable parenting, claustrophobic settings, cults, isolation, and gristly topics, and the question of what life after death may look like then perhaps you shouldn’t be watching a horror film in the first place, in which case, this perfect film may be not for you.
Cash Only
Cash Only
Desperate times lead to the making of desperate decisions. Our anti-hero, Elvis Martini, makes one terrible choice after after another until he ends up in a situation so grim he will do anything to get out of it. The desperate measures he takes will keep you guessing, and maybe even blaspheming a few times along the way. You don’t have to like him, but you end up routing for him, regardless. Well shot, well acted, and well executed. You’ll feel an adrenaline rush you only get from high octane despair. You may wince and cringe. This excellent film is perfect for no occasion and likely may be not for you.
13th
13th is a gripping and informative documentary about the history of mass incarceration of black men in the United States. This expose on the industrialized prison system delves into the loophole of 13th Amendment which was written after the abolition of slavery, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
Interviewing dozens of scholars and politicians, this doc is layered with excellent graphics and archival footage. A dizzying account peeling back the layers of history all too often rewritten, piercing through the smoke and mirrors of a century and a half of propaganda that has crippled our country. An informative must see.
Escape
Anyone longing for a medieval action thriller look no further, this Norwegian film has you covered. Solid action sequences, outstanding cinematography, nice costume design, stunning locations, superb acting and well written script satisfies your guilty pleasures, guilt-free.
Not quite a fantasy film, it's set in historical Norway in 1363 after the plague ravaged the land and things fell into a lawless old-west kind of period. Anyway, I liked it, and so should you. If you have an aversion to subtitles, or things related to any other country, then perhaps Escape may be not for you.
Another Earth
Brit Marling holds a unique style in her writings and films where she successfully merges science fiction with philosophical metaphysics. Another Earth, one of Marling’s earlier works, centers around Rhoda who comes to face herself and the regrets which have broken her. An inevitable chance encounter further fuels her self-destructive compulsion to make right the wrongs which cannot be undone. One unforgivable act leads to another despite her well-intentioned motives. Yet her misguided attempts at healing her broken heart and that of another just may inadvertently lead to something resembling redemption, all while another Earth and Moon mirroring our own appears in the clear night sky.
A complicated and compelling film which keeps you glued to the screen, even though it feels as if you are watching a car wreck where you hope everyone might somehow miraculously come out unscathed. If you are not a fan of poetically beautiful tragedies about the unpredictability of life, the universe, and everything, then this film verily may be not for you.
The Bothersome Man
The Bothersome Man
Directed by Jens Lien, this masterpiece is reminiscent of the kind of discontent only a post-modern Shakespeare could conjure up. A comedy and tragedy, where the gruesome somehow is simultaneously as humorous as it is horrific. It feels like a more subdued, Scandinavian take on Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Our hero, played by the brilliant Trond Fausa, finds himself delivered to a new city where a new life waits for him while all its denizens seem perfectly content in their limbo. A place built for those as a homily for what a life should look like, rather than a life lived. It is Norwegian with subtitles, and captures in farce a facet of what it means to be Norwegian. This film is one of my personal favorites, despite its relatable feelings of isolation while being amongst others and despite its occasional, yet hardly gratuitous gore. Yet I have to admit that this film perchance may be not for you. If that’s the case, you are among the few.
We Have Always Lived In The Castle
Widely considered Shirley Jackson’s magnus opus, this beautiful rendition of her American Gothic book provokes and haunts you in all the right ways. Unlike her famous Haunting of Hill House, this is not a ghost story, nor a horror film per se, yet it is as disturbing and curious as a film of that genre can get. There are moments deliberately off-putting, yet Jackson challenges you to make it to the end. I was personally grateful for getting through the hard parts for the well-worth-it payoff.
However, if you need something happy and fun and whimsical, then you may find the only thing this film holds among those is whimsey, and that whimsey is pretty damn dark. So, if you are afraid of the dark, then clearly this movie may be not for you.
The Sisters Brothers
There are many westerns out there. Those that stand apart involve bittersweet journeys through the ruthless and cruel world of the Old West where the principle characters eventually ride off into the sunset of redemption. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, Dead Man, True Grit… The Sister Brothers is also such a film. Only two years old and often overlooked, its star studded cast includes, John C. Riley in perfect form, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed. You don’t know where the story is heading. The storyline is at no point predictable or cliché. Some of the scenes are action packed, while others hopeful, humorous or downright ugly. The ending is a beautiful and perfect escape. Yet, for whatever inexcusable reason that I cannot fathom, if this movie may be not for you, consider yourself wanted with a bounty on your head.
Black Death
Confronting the horrors of a pandemic in pre-modern science is horrific to imagine. As many people as there have been watching the film Contagion with a glimmer of what to expect and how to manage our current pestilence, Black Death is a perfect example of what not to do. This medieval sword swinging movie is set against the backdrop of the first bubonic plague in England. Sean Bean leads a group of the Bishop’s swordsmen in search of a mysterious village rumored to have avoided the effects of the Black Death where they suspect a necromancer resides. They recruit a monk for their guide played by Eddie Redmayne, and where their road leads them is most unexpected. Beautifully shot, flawlessly written, and well acted, this film is an easy recommendation, yet if the last thing you want to watch right now during our current pandemic is a film about a terribly handled pandemic, then this may be not for you.
Patterson
Written and directed by the brilliantly poetic Jim Jarmusch, is a movie about a bus driver played by Adam Driver whose name is Patterson who lives in Patterson, NJ. Patterson is a poet whose hero is William Carlos Williams, the most famous poet of Patterson, NJ. The theme… poetry is found in everything, even in the humdrum of day in and day. Prose and poetry is pervasive in every frame, accentuated by an incredible score. The relationship Patterson has with his girlfriend Laura, played by Golshifteh Farahani, and her funny dog is as charming as you can get. I love this movie tremendously, but can accept that a slow paced film looking in on the quirky amorphous life of a bus driver may be not for you.
The Hidden Face (La Cara Oculta)
This magnificent film is as if Edgar Allen Poe met Alfred Hitchcock and said, what if we did this… This story lures you in and then delivers a whopping sucker-punch. It lures you in again and twists the blade. From there on you are hooked. Where you end up, as the waves lap against the shore, will take your breath away. You’ll wonder, how did I get here? If you, however are averse to a film that may question the very tapestry of your moral construct, then perhaps this film may be not for you.
Singles
This one is a throwback that stands the test of time. Anyone in their twenties (or anyone who has been in their twenties) will find joy in this film of short stories of young singles who live in the same building (off of 19th and Thomas on the backside of Capitol Hill) in Seattle, WA. An all star cast before they were stars, includes the members of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and others as themselves. Keep a keen eye out and you may spot Paul Giamatti and Eric Stoltz in cameos. This Cameron Crowe film perfectly captures not only the horrors and tribulations of dating, as well as the spirit of Seattle in its purest form, it also encapsulates what it means to be a young adult finding your foot in the world with humor and reverie. Yet, as always, I’ll have to concede that if you are either a child or have no soul, then this movie may be not for you. Harsh? Yes. Not harsh enough?