This weekend’s film selections were quite frankly all over the place. In fact, one of them I think has knocked Being John Malkovich off the top of my weird list. Let’s take a look.
Crimes of the Future – This. This is so far the weirded movie I’ve ever seen in my life. I had every intention of checking out this body horror film by David Cronenberg last week, but then got nervous about it. Firstly, I’m not a huge horror fan, and secondly, I’ve never seen another David Cronenberg film. Regardless, it made the cut for the weekend, but I’m wishing that it hadn’t. I mean the phrase “surgery is the new sex” was thrown around a few times, and based off of what happened in the film, yeah, I guess so. I couldn’t take much away from this film other than we’ll likely be eating plastic somewhere down the road, but this film was so weird at points that it was comical. Kudos to Kristen Stewart for giving me the biggest laugh. I’m not swearing off older Cronenberg films, but it was a strange introduction to his filmography.
Hustle – Did I have hope that Adam Sandler would one day be a part of something as epic as Uncut Gems again? No. But you know what, this sports drama came pretty close! Sandler plays NBA recruiter for the Philadelphia 76ers, Stanley Sugarman, who finds a completely unknown beast on the court, Bo Cruz. The rest of the film is spent watching Sugarman dedicate everything he’s got to this player and he ends up getting a lot back in return. The drama is taut, and the action is engrossing, and even if you don’t know much about basketball (me, at least NBA-wise), you should definitely give this movie your time.
Great Freedom – I was mad at myself for missing out on a opportunity to see this highly praised German drama a couple of months ago, but I’ve been keeping my eye out for it to rent ever since. In this, Hans is a man who we see get sent to prison in 1968, but learn he’s been many times over the years, for homosexual activity – an act that is illegal in Germany. Aside from the horrible treatment Hans faces both in the yard and solitary confinement, we also learn that he spent time in a concentration camp. This fact is what Hans’ continual cellmate, Viktor, warms to. These men have a strong bond, and Hans can’t help himself for falling for other men in prison for committing a similar crime to his own. Sadly, whatever short-lived freedoms Hans experiences, it’s almost like he wants himself to get caught and sent back to prison. Hans knows only suffering, which makes this movie tough to swallow, though beautifully shot.
Blessed Boys – The Tribeca Film Festival is back! While the festival is mainly in person, they did still continue on with a parred back at home component, and really, I’ll take what I can get. After some roadblocks on some films, I was able to stream this well-praised Italian comedy-drama. I would say most of the film was dramatic, though I can see where some of the comedic elements come from. The story is of Mario and Lino, two best friends who have spent their whole lives in a small town in Naples. One day, Lino’s sister is thought to be a saint after “saving” a bird and then her own mother. After this, Lino’s world is in flux. The same can be said for Mario, who’s developed a sexual attraction to his best friend. Honestly, this film was more erotic than I was expecting, and the ending was definitely unsatisfying from my perspective. I’ll definitely be prowling the internet for interviews about this film!