I keep scouring the web for more virtual film festivals and it’s done a great job in providing them to me! Thanks to a stranger on Twitter I found out about the Milwaukee Film Festival, which while it didn’t provide a lot of titles that caught my eye, it did crop up the gem that was I Used to Go Here. I was also equally excited to check out Apple TV+’s latest cinematic offer with Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks. So that’s what I did last night!
First I watched On the Rocks, which was a comedy-drama that followed Laura as she tries to investigate whether or not her husband is cheating on her with the help of her father. He’s a bit old-fashioned and perhaps a little misogynistic, but it is clear that he’ll always be there for his daughter. They get into some pretty serious snooping though when they follow Dean to Mexico to prove his infidelity. Turns out the two of them have it all wrong, but it was an entertaining ride to come to that conclusion. If you’ve got Apple TV+ then by all means queue this movie up, but otherwise it might not be worth your time. Although, all Bill Murray fans are welcome.
Next I watched the Milwaukee Film Festival entry called I Used to Go Here. This featured a pretty strong cast with Gillian Jacobs and Jemaine Clement at the helm. Jacobs plays a recently published author Kate, whose life sort of seems to be fraying apart. She’s recently separated from her fiancé and her book tour just got cancelled. Instead, she accepts an invite from a college professor to come back and read an excerpt of her novel to her alma mater. While at first Kate it excited to be back, it’s clear that her recent troubles have followed her there. You can tell she tries to remain hopeful about her book, although even she knows it’s not great. In an effort to find some enjoyment out of her trip, she connects with an odd trio of guys who live in her old college house. They get into a small bout of shenanigans, but some meaningful connections develop along the way. I found this film to be pretty funny and enjoyable to watch. Give it a go!
Overall, neither of these films were outstanding but enjoyable for what they were. Definitely not a waste of time and with pretty short run times and impressive casts, they could be solid additions to anyone’s watch list.