Now that we’re almost to the next weekend, I figured I might as well share what got watched last weekend. Oddly, a large number of them featured bizarre parents.
Speak No Evil – Lord have mercy, we will no longer be seeing this trailer in theaters! I go too often to endure this any longer. And you’d think that after being waterboarded with this trailer over and over again that I would not want to see it at all. And especially since it’s a remake on a Danish film that came out only two years ago. Alas, early reviews for the film were surprisingly positive, so I figured it was worth a go. The film is essentially about how people get themselves into some serious pickles because they worry about politeness. The thing that makes this film so tense is that you know what they should be doing, but they just stick around at this odd family’s house until it’s almost too late. Great fun, but I look forward to checking out the original someday in the near future.
Mother’s Instinct – I sat on this rental for far too long. A part of that reason was because despite its two Oscar-winning stars, this movie wasn’t talked about anywhere. I’m not even sure if it saw any time in theaters. Plus, reviews for it were middle of the road. Regardless, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain were enough to convince me to tune in. The film shows two sets of families. Not only are they neighbors, but they also are very close friends. That all changes when one of their young sons dies in a tragic accident that the grieving mother believes the other could have helped prevent. There’s plenty of paranoia throughout the film and then things got a little bit unhinged in a way that almost made my jaw drop. Forget what the haters say, this movie was really entertaining!
Janet Planet – My anticipation for this film was probably a little too high. A quirky drama from A24 just screams my name, but this just ended up being a little bit too boring for my taste. Lacy is an extremely nerdy, young girl who seems to only have her mother as her closest friend. Sometimes it seems like her carefree mother is being taken care of by the dry Lacy, but then we’re reminded with little interspersed scenes of her taking care of little figurines that she really is just a little kid. It’s interesting to see her relationship with her mother as she takes on different lovers throughout the film, but it just didn’t quite strike the right chord with me.
Veteran – After seeing I, the Executioner at TIFF a couple of weeks ago, I learned that there was an installment that came out first in 2015. I was so happy that it was available for me to watch somewhere! And I will agree with the woman who introduced that second film. This first one, though packed with action, did feel a bit sillier overall. Still, the action was violent and bloody, and the absolutely unhinged, uber rich bad guy in this film was just as unrelenting. Seriously, between these two films and The Childe, I’m convinced that the Koreans are aces at making handsome stars into unhinged sociopaths. I don’t want to spoil anything here, but just like the sequel, this film was a really entertaining time.
Logan Lucky – It’s been a few years since I’ve sat down to watch this brilliant heist comedy film, and I thank my fellow movie club members for letting me sit down and enjoy it again. Think of the Ocean’s trilogy, but for a family, and some accomplices, of hillbillies. For me, this film was near perfect, but I applaud my fellow movie club members for pointing out some inconsequential plot holes. I actually can’t believe this wasn’t as much of a hit as it was for me, my dad, and the critics. Still a solid watch that you should make time for whenever you get the chance.