Given how badly I slacked in May, June hasn’t been looking much better, so I made a real effort this past week to get caught up on some theatrical releases. And then some!
Masters of the Universe – I had some relatively low expectations for this movie, but I was surprised it did so well critically. That was push enough to finally go catch this in the theater after all of my recent travels. And it turns out, it was fun! Nicholas Galitzine totally nails the American accent, as well as comedy, so he played off the script well. I did laugh at some of the scenes pre-sword where he was wearing his normal clothes and he just look so huge in them. So kudos to him for getting so yoked for this role. There was comical dialogue at times, but I believe it was done so deliberately. And Jared Leto played Skelator in such a campy way that it was quite fun to watch. I certainly wouldn’t mind more from this franchise!
Pressure – On my way to see this World War II drama about the man responsible for meteorological predictions about the weather for D-Day, I had a trio of young people ask me what I was seeing. And as much as I knew I’d like this, I think I might have been murdered if I’d actually recommended this to them. So I suggested they wait a little longer for the He-Man movie instead. Anyway, this was a drama at its core, so it was played to perfection. And with a cast this good, I just knew they were going to pull off this seemingly very boring premise. James Stagg is an odd fellow who basically goes against the grain of everybody else making decisions about the upcoming D-Day. And even though he has a plethora of data backing up his predictions, getting them to listen is an uphill battle.
Tuner – It’s a bit of a shame this dramatic thriller didn’t really get any sort of promotion before its limited release. This is the kind of film that would appeal to my parents generation a lot, as well as anyone who likes films, really. In this, Niki is a young man who suffers from an allergy to loud noises. He’s constantly got earplugs in, as well as an added layer of protection many times. Ironically, he is a piano tuner. Perhaps this is because it’s the closest he will get to playing the instrument again. Apparently he was a bit of a prodigy before his allergy took over. With this ailment, he learns about a new skill: safecracking. He uses it to help out his mentor and boss, but of course the people who are usually trying to break into safes aren’t necesarrily people you want to get caught up with. I really had a fun time with this one!
Leviticus – I couldn’t help but think of It Follows immensely as I watched this horror film. Yes, this was ultimately different in many ways, but it seemed to be hearvily inspired by it. Naim is a teen who’s just moved to a small Australian town with his mother after the death of his father. He ends up finding solace and a romantic relationship with fellow classmate, Ryan. When he finds Ryan kissing the pastor’s son one day, he rats them out only to have a healer perform a gruesome ritual on them to rid them of their homosexuality. Ryan begins being attacked by an evil entity taking on Naim’s appearance. Trying to help Ryan before he’s killed by this entity, Naim is subjected to the same fate courtesy of his mother. This ritual was meant to keep them apart, but it seems to make them grow closer together, even with the threat of the entity never leaving them. It was a short and sweet film with some good commentary on religion, sexual orientation, and bigotry.
The Way Way Back – Selfishly, I was thrilled that this 2013 film squeaked out the win for this month’s movie club. I can’t wait to break it down with everyone! But, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve watched this film, so there were definitely a few parts that I don’t think aged that well. At its core though, it’s a coming of age film for an awkward teen whose life has been kind of turned upside down. Duncan heads to the shores of Massachusetts for the summer with his mom and her dick of a boyfriend and his daughter. Seriously, Steve Carell plays an asshole so well in this! He finds comfort and belonging at a local waterpark and with it’s owner, Owen. I believe this is the first time that Sam Rockwell really caught my attention, so naturally he was great. I really enjoyed watching this again.
The Childe – Instead of going to see another new movie this weekend, I decided to pop in my comfort movie again last night. Gosh, it’s always so good.