Technically, I am combining last week’s viewings because I didn’t have time to recap them here, but you should definitely still be informed of all the greatness out there.
Triangle of Sadness – In looking back at all the films I’ve flagged as “the best” for this year, Triangle of Sadness may have just topped the list. This odd, completely original gem is pretty perfect. It’s presented in three parts, but all are mocking the 1% and the results are really hilarious. First we meet a young couple, models Carl and Yaya. For being in such an exclusive world, the two just continually argue about money. We next see them on a luxury yacht along with a bunch of other snooty 1%ers. This was the section that had me cackling, although was happens is not for the weak-stomached. The ending of this film is fitting and almost equally as hilarious as its second part, but I don’t want to spoil all the fun. A must-watch for 2022.
The Good Nurse – Downright chilling. While not as disturbing as the Peacock series, Dr. Death, this story is still as unbelievable. And true! RN Charlie Cullen had skipped around to ten or more hospitals where he’s been estimated to have killed about 400 people. If they ever manage to prove that, he would be the most prolific serial killer in the United States. That’s freaking insane. He did it so simply, and he never really tipped off those close to him until he was gone. A true psychopath. What’s almost as disturbing is how the hospitals just moved him along because they didn’t want to deal with the repercussions of his actions. The same thing happened in Dr. Death…terrifying.
The Banshees of Inisherin – This is a really special, very Irish film about friendship, that is both a little sad and very funny. That’s quite a combination of emotions to capture! Unsurprisingly though, Martin McDonagh was able to capture that perfect blend with some well-seasoned actors he’s already had the pleasure of working with in the past. It also helps that the cast has worked with each other before. That chemistry was already there. But really, the premise is this. One day, Padraic goes to fetch his friend Colm for a pint, but Colm has decided he doesn’t want to be friends with Padraic anymore. That’s all I’m willing to give away, but trust me when I say that you will be laughing really hard during a lot of this film. Everyone was fabulous in this film, but Barry Keoghan was definitely my favorite.
Tár – Whooo boy. Lydia Tár is something else. Firstly, I didn’t really like her that much because she definitely gave off the air of “too good for you” to everyone she interacted with. Even her wife! She’s a well-decorated composer and is set to record one final number in a set, but in the lead-up to the performance, things start to unravel at a pretty alarming pace. What was so interesting about this film is that it took the abuse that we’ve seen from the likes of Harvey Weinstein but put it in the hands of a woman of power. She definitely has a tougher go of trying to cover her tracks, and luckily for the victims, those closest to her won’t really let her get away with it. It was a mesmerizing performance to watch, but not a story that everyone will find interesting enough to watch, sadly.
Confess, Fletch – I had never heard of this film until it randomly showed up at my local theater, and I certainly never knew that it was based on a series of novels that two prior films were based on. Jon Hamm is a pretty good replacement for Chevy Chase with his natural charm, and I found this movie quite charming. In a way, it reminded me of The Kid Detective with its interlaced humor. Of course, that film went to some pretty dark places, but this film certainly had its fair share of fun twists and turns! Anyways, in this film, Fletch gets to his rented townhouse in Boston where he discovers a dead woman downstairs. He’s immediately thought of as the primary suspect, so of course Fletch makes it his mission to find out who really did it. It definitely helps that he used to be an investigative reporter. I was about halfway through when I thought I knew who the culprit was, but the actual killer was quite fun to discover. Worth checking out if you’ve got Showtime at the moment.