Since I was otherwise engaged last weekend, that means I had no time for movies! That seriously might not have happened in at least five years. While it distressed me a little, since there were some great new releases making their way to theaters, I knew I’d get a chance to squeeze some in before another busy weekend. That means last night, I made room for back-to-back viewings!
First up was the drama-comedy, Small Engine Repair. Truthfully, I never watched a trailer for this film, but I knew Jon Bernthal and Shea Whigham were in it, it was a drama-comedy, and based off of a play. All of that means it’s enough for me! Turns out this movie wasn’t really what I was expecting at all! I would say for the first fifty minutes or so, this was a drama about the lives of three childhood friends living in Manchester, New Hampshire. That means there were some heavy accents, but their bond was goofball meets aggression. Frankie, Swaino, and Packie have been friends for ever, and they have always been around for Frankie and his daughter Crystal. Getting ready for college, the three are proud of Crystal an her accomplishments, despite having a bit of a dead-beat mother, Karen. Of course Karen shows up around Christmas time to make things tense, but she’s only part of the problem when the three friends get into a fight at the bar.
For three months Frankie, Swaino, and Packie don’t speak to each other, until one night Frankie invites them to his repair shop to reunite. Truthfully, I don’t want to say any more for fear of spoiling this, because I had no clue what was going to happen, and it took some turns that shocked me, made me crack up, and then tear up a little bit. This film takes you through the whole gambit of emotions, and the ride to the end it truly a wild one. I would say go in watching this with as little knowledge as possible. But, if I had to compare it to anything, perhaps Fargo is the closest thing I can come up with. Take that information and do with it what you will, but I promise you will not be disappointed with this film. It just might be my favorite of the year so far!
Right after that film, I settled in to watch The Card Counter. Now, I had only heard of this Oscar Isaac led film a couple months ago as it made its debut at some prestigious film festivals. Up until it got watched though, it sort of sounded like it was going to be a dud, but after watching it the critics seemed to really like it. That made me happy, because I like seeing Oscar Isaac succeed, and I was thrilled to see him reunite with his X-Men costar, Tye Sheridan (also one of my favorites). Despite people liking the film, I am aware that the director is rather problematic as a person, but I chose to ignore that for now.
In his film, Isaac plays Bill Tell, a man who, after being incarcerated for eight and a half years, mimics the routines of prison life in the real world, but also spends a tremendous amount of time playing Black Jack. He learned how to count cards in prison, and since he’s not ostentatious about winning, people leave him well enough alone. That is until one day he runs into a young man named Cirk, who knows that Bill and his father used to work together with Major John Gordo to enact “alternative torture” methods on prisoners. It’s definitely a taboo subject and some scenes get a little graphic, but this stuff actually happened! Regardless, Bill decides to join the poker circuit to win enough money to get Cirk out of his debts and hopefully makes him forget his desire to get revenge on Gordo for his father’s suicide. Backing him in the poker circuit is La Linda, played by Tiffany Haddish. Her casting seemed strange to me, but she fit in better than I expected. While this film had me clenching in anticipation, it meanders without accomplishing much at times. I enjoyed this film, but it could be caught at home down the road for sure.
Both of these films were worthy viewings and it made my late night at the movies well worth it! Again, you’d be a fool to not go and see Small Engine Repair, while The Card Counter can wait a little while. However, both were very entertaining, so I just suppose it’s whatever you’re in the mood for. A successful double-feature indeed!