I tried to pack as many movies as I could into this weekend, which was surprisingly un-busy one. Here’s what I managed to watch!
Vengeance – I was probably expecting this movie to be a little more action-packed than it was, but what it did manage to do was keep me hooked until the end. Ben gets essentially cornered into attending the funeral for an ex-hookup, whose family believed the relationship was more than it was. They keep him there by voicing their suspicions that she was murdered. Ben believes this is the perfect premise for a new podcast so he sticks around. Obviously, he’s going to change a bit in the process, but it was funny and awkward to see this hipster New Yorker try and make it in an obscenely small Texas town. There were some pretty hilarious jokes throughout this movie, and although it was entertaining, I thought the story could have been told a little tighter.
Benediction – Man oh man, I really wanted to like this! Ever since I heard about this during its festival run, I’ve been trying to see this film, but after finally sitting down for it, boy did it drag. The film detailed the life of Siegfried Sassoon, a famous British poet, who lived quite the life. After serving some time in the war, he was institutionalized for his ultimate anti-war stance. More interesting were his personal relationships with the mentally abusive Ivor Novello, and several other men before marrying and having a son. Even more strange was that later in his life, Sassoon converted to Catholicism! From a distance it’s a really interesting story, but the film was shot almost painfully slowly, with some frames lasting much too long before transitioning to the next. It didn’t make it that atmospheric really.
Persuasion – Of all the films I wanted to watch this weekend, I’m not totally sure why this one cropped up to the top. Ask anyone I know, I’m not one for period romances, and I’ve never read anything by Jane Austen. Perhaps though, this more modern adaptation is geared for people like me then. I can’t imagine my one friend who adores films like Pride and Predjudice taking a shine to this movie. It was just alright from my perspective. Back in the day, Anne was “persuaded” to give up on the love of her life, Frederick Wentworth, because he lacked wealth. Some many odd years later, he’s back in the picture and Anne is struggling to either move on or get back in with him. Dakota Johnson is charming, as is most of the rest of the cast, but this kind of film is just ultimately not for me.
The Forgiven – This middle eastern drama turned out to be quite a treat! And bunch of obnoxiously rich people meet at a swanky house in the middle of the desert to party for a few days, but one couple on the brink of collapse hits and kills a young boy on the way there. It’s clear at first that David is more put out by the whole thing, whereas his wife, Jo is horrified. The tables seem to turn when the boy’s father comes for David and takes him away to repent for several days. Jo becomes more indifferent about the whole accident while David actually manages to become more self aware. It was a quite mesmerizing film with an absolutely terrific cast. I recommend!