Sad to say I didn’t get to watch as many movies this weekend as I would have liked. But the two I did manage to see were both very solid.
Godzilla Minus Zero – I am really disappointed with the lack of advertising that was done for this highly anticipated sequel. In fact, I wasn’t even aware that it was coming out in November until a couple of months ago! I’m actually really impressed with how quickly they churned out this sequel. The film picks up two years after Godzilla’s defeat in Sagami Bay. Koichi and Norkia, now married, have settled into a normal life, despite them hiding a secret from everyone. While it feels like in some respects Japan is still picking up the pieces from Godzilla’s destruction, a new, likely alien species has come to wreck havoc on Japan, only it seems more dangerous because it’s able to adapt and mutate even stronger each time it’s attacked. There is a whole team now dedicated to defeating monsters lead by Noda. Koichi feels like he needs to play a bigger part in this plan despite everyone’s insistence that he not because of his family. But really, he has the best experience of anyone, and honestly, he just keeps getting braver. The things he is fearful and cowardly towards are things relating to Noriko and Akiko rather than himself. This film felt just as family oriented as the first, even though they are an official family now. And it was crazy to see myself rooting for Godzilla in that final fight. I’m sure it was also crazy for the Japanese to be feeling very silimarly. Of course, America plays a smaller, but extremely brutal part of this story, and I really liked how they didn’t shy away from it. There were some fun and shocking reveals, but I am thrilled to say this sequel delivers! As my only warning, to those who are going to experience this in IMAX, I wish I would have remembered my ear plugs, so maybe prepare yourselves accordingly.
Wild Horse Nine – I hadn’t heard anything about this film until my weekend at TIFF was just days away in September. This new Martin McDonagh film ended up being one of the mostly highly sought after tickets at the festival. I don’t believe there were any showings the time that I was going to be there, but once I learned that Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich were leading this black-comedy political-thriller film, I knew it would hit theaters near the end of the year. And for something as strong as this, of course it has major awards season potential! I’m surprised I haven’t heard more buzz around it yet. While The Banshees of Inisherin was spectacular, I definitely think this film could have a wider reach. At it’s core though, it’s still a buddy film. Two CIA friends head to Easter Island from Chile for a “vacation” that soon feels like more is at stake. Chris reveals early that he is dying, and we learn that Lee is helping him fullfil his wish of seeing the “big heads.” Chris’ memory may be going and maybe his mind is playing tricks on him a little bit, but he’s been with the CIA long enough to pick up on some fishy stuff. In an attempt to right his path to Heaven, he starts talking, and upper management is not having it. With Sam Rockwell, I expect the funny, and it definitely was, but I love how there was a taut undercurrent the entire film. I just knew there was another shoe waiting to drop, I just had no clue when or how it would. Highly recommend.