That’s right, all new movies this weekend! I paid a visit to a theater, checked some out video on demand, and even got to watch a couple from the Milwaukee Film Festival! All were very unique in their own way, and I consider that quite a success!
Wrath of Man – A month or so ago when I saw the trailer for this film by Guy Richie, I knew I was going to see it immediately. In fact, all I did was see Richie’s name attached and decided it automatically. That’s how good The Gentlemen was! I think going forward there is no reason for me to question whether or not I’ll like his films. Anyway, in this outing, Jason Statham plays a man working the long game to get revenge for the murder of his son. Now, he’s not playing a good guy, but he’s out to kill some other bad guys, so I suppose that’s keeping the thieves at bay? He plays a man by the nickname of “H” who starts working at a smaller security firm responsible for moving millions of dollars a day. While there, he’s certainly not making any friends, and definitely throwing some surprises his co-workers’ way. Just like The Gentlemen, this film has a nice dose of humor peppered throughout, and even when the timeline gets toyed with a little bit, it’s very easy to follow along, and very clever on Richie’s part. If you’re a fan of his other films, then put this on your list!
Potato Dreams of America – One of my two Milwaukee Film Festival selections, this tale is a crazy one, but the film itself was rather amateurish. Unless a play-like vibe is what they were shooting for, because then, success! Regardless, Potato is the name of our lead, who we first follow as a young boy in the USSR. He and his mother live a rather sad life, but escape their doom and gloom with a very fuzzy station where they watch American television and films. Eventually, Potato’s mother wants to escape the ruins of her life in the USSR and decides to be a mail order bride to an older man in America. The two move and face struggles adapting to their new country. Potato’s mother fears for divorce and possibly deportation, while Potato fears what will happen when people figure out he is gay. There are few other surprises in this film, which makes it crazy to me that this is based off of the filmmaker’s real life! However, it’s nothing I could find myself recommending to anyone really.
Cowboys – I’ve seen this movie get hyped about at other film festivals in recent months, so I decided to jump on it when I saw it was available at the Milwaukee Film Festival. The story follows Troy on a journey in the woods to Canada with his transgender son, Joe. Almost immediately, Troy’s ex-wife Sally reports to the police that her daughter was kidnapped by her ex. Obviously, this is a conflicting viewpoint, one which we see time and time again through flashbacks. We see an earlier version of Joe living as a girl but clearly uncomfortable with it. When Joe eventually confides in Troy, he is nothing but supportive, much to Sally’s dismay. Eventually, Sally’s unrelenting insistence that Joe is just confused prompts him to beg Troy to escape with him. Unfortunately, Troy’s got some mental problems, and is soon unfit to take Joe to Canada. I love how much Troy loves his son, and it’s a shame that it took a scare like kidnapping for his mother to come around. This film will certainly tug at your heartstrings, and making this film extra special is the always delightful Ann Dowd.
Shiva Baby – Who knew another film could make me even a fraction as anxious as Uncut Gems made me? That’s right, this “comedy” had me decompressing the same time Danielle walked out of that crowded house. We open with Danielle and her sugar daddy, Mark, before she heads off to meet her family at a shiva. While there, she’s getting constantly compared to her ex-girlfriend Maya, who’s also in attendance. Not long after some awkward encounters, Mark shows up with his wife and kid and it’s revealed that he is an old colleague of Danielle’s father. All of this comes as a big shock to Danielle who tries to take control of the situation through sexuality. That’s the main point the film is trying to make, that just because you’re in control of your sexuality doesn’t mean it can fix all your problems. Again, this movie gave me anxiety as it moves along. There are so many people in this house for this shiva, and the camera cleverly starts zeroing in on Danielle as the film progresses, making it all feel that much more claustrophobic. Not my favorite, but pretty well entertaining.
Eat Wheaties! – The title alone was strange enough to intrigue me, so the trailer was the real sell. Tony Hale plays Sid Straw, a man who just sort of blurts things out in an effort to make connections with people. Obviously this comes across as bizarre to other people and he really just becomes the butt of jokes. The bulk of the film is spent watching Sid post messages on Elizabeth Banks’ Facebook page as they went to college together and he claims to people they were friends. No one believes this, but it’s endearing to see the virtual connection Sid makes to Banks’ fan page, while at the same time it is heartbreaking. Sid’s life really goes from bad to worse throughout the film but he eventually turns it all around for himself. I especially loved that even though almost everyone seems to detest Sid in a way, that his brother loves him deeply and it there for him. All I really want to know is if Elizabeth Banks actually yelled “eat Wheaties!” to people. But a big surprise in this film for me was seeing Paul Walter Hauser! Love that guy!
Mainstream – This was a short movie, but a drag to get through honestly. Frankie is just passing through life until she convinces a street performer named Link to be the star of her videos. Not long after he does, he has an almost meteoric rise to YouTube stardom. Only thing is, Link is hella unstable, and for whatever reason Frankie just can’t seem to see that. Her friend Jake does, although he stays along for the ride for a while. Truly, Link is a detestable person, which the very start of the film pretty much warns you about. All of his chaotic antics made my head spin and also wonder why in the hell anyone would want to spend time with a person like that. Anyway, the big message of the film, for me, was that people are too attached to their phones and the internet, which ironically enough, you have people posting videos or social media posts about this exact same sentiment all the time. It’s very hypocritical and very eye-roll worthy. People are going to kill time doing whatever they want, so just get down off your soapbox and save yourself some time. Only character not annoying was the pining Nat Wolff, but he’s been in some better things that you could watch instead.