Two weekends worth of movies to talk about!
Nickel Boys – I sat on this Oscar nominee for far too long, though I will admit that its filming style took me some time to get used to. I don’t know that I’ve seen too many films done in the first person perspective, or one that switched those perspectives so often. I know the thought is meant to make you feel like you are immersed in that world, and I suppose it did in some ways, but really it felt like a disorienting ride for a story that’s quite serious. Though this story is not a “true” story, it is based on an actual place in history, so I’m sure most of what was put on screen did actually happen in real life. Which is horrifying. It’s the early 60s and future hopeful Elwood is in the wrong place at the wrong time. As he’s too young to go to prison, he’s instead sent to Nickel Academy. There he endures segregation, bullying, abuse, and his eventual death. The only solace he gets there is through new friend, Turner. Finally watching this definitely has me interested in reading the novel soon.
Hell of a Summer – Man, I wanted to really like this slasher comedy, but it ultimately just never found its comedic footing. A bunch of 20-something camp counselors return a few days ahead of the rest of the campers to get everything prepared, but then they start getting picked off one by one. The only one taking anything even remotely serious is Jason, a 24-year-old who seems to be stuck in the past looking for a little bit of glory that’s not really there. The rest of the counselors are your stereotypical types like jock, popular girl, nerdy guy, etc. You can tell none of them are really that close, which in turn does end up being funny rather than frustrating. The motive behind these killings doesn’t come as much of a shock, but there’s just enough gore to make it excusable. Overall, this film was a fine watch, but not something to ever revisit in the future.
The Amateur – One of my friends described this action thriller film as something that should have come out ten years ago. That’s probably why I liked it so much! Charlie is a CIA cryptographer who is seeking vengeance after his wife is taken hostage and murdered while on a business trip in London. The director of Special Activities in the CIA seems to be sluggishly moving through any sort of leads in the attack, so Charlie sets up a failsafe with damning information about politically unsanctioned drone strikes he’s ordered in the past and sets off with some new training and a vendetta against his wife’s killers. He takes them out one by one in increasingly crafty ways, all while dodging the CIA agents sent to take him out. What he lacks in physical strength, he makes up for with his intelligence, and he does in fact get to enact his revenge. The cast here is stellar and I had a great time seeing what he’d come up with next.
Warfare – Though I’ve seen my fair share of war films, I cannot say that they are my favorite thing to watch. And I will admit that the first thirty minutes of this brief film had me worried I’d walked into something I’d regret. What was neat about this film is that it chronicles events in real time from an encounter director Ray Mendoza and his platoon faced in Iraq as a Navy SEAL team in late 2006’s Iraq. While at first half of the group is observing what’s going on in a house they took over, events soon take a turn when one of the men are shot, but then takes an even bigger turn when their rescue tank is taken out with an IED. Now with two team members badly wounded, they work vigilantly to get the second half of their team to their location and get safely evacuated. It’s a tense, loud, and bloody memory, but thankfully all of the members of this team make it out alive. Definitely worth the watch!
Drop – Christopher Landon is one of my favorite directors, so I knew I was in good hands with Drop. Violet, a therapist and single mother who faced past domestic abuse, is finally wading out into the dating world. She’s meeting up with Henry, a too good to be true man who she’s been talking with for months, at a fancy high in the sky Chicago restaurant. Naturally, Violet is nervous to be leaving her young son for the first time, but her sister is there to calm her nerves. Admittedly, it’s not for long. Pretty much as soon as she gets to the restaurant she starts getting hounded with air drops that soon become more sinister and threatening than the last. While the mastermind behind her suffering didn’t come as much of shock to me, I did like how they were able to turn the tables. And it was also very nice to learn that her date actually was a good guy!