Lots of new movies this weekend, although only the bonkers Cocaine Bear in theaters. Still, lots of great options out there to rent, since not everything is treated to the theatrical experience.
Cocaine Bear – People hear this title and go “wow, they will literally make up anything.” In fact, I just had a friend say this to me yesterday, but in fact, some time ago there was an actual bear who did ingest some found cocaine. Of course, I would have to assume the comparisons stop there, as the rest of this fictionalized version of that story goes completely insane. In a great way though! This bear goes ripping through the woods in search of more cocaine and it won’t stop ripping through people to get it. Trust me, you will never feel sorry for this bear because it never gives anyone a chance to. It was equal parts bloody and hilarious. A must watch.
Alice, Darling – I don’t believe it’s happened enough in film or television. Watching the effects of emotional abuse from a relationship that on the surface looks perfect. Most of the time, Alice looks completely fine and seems perfectly in love with her boyfriend Simon. Ripping bits of her hair out over the course of the film seems to suggest otherwise. We also see further what lengths she has to resort to just to spend a week with her friends in a lakeside cabin. Tess and Sophie at first just feel like Alice has changed, but then she starts displaying increasingly erratic behavior and repeating abuses Simon has hurled her way. It’s tough to watch in bits, but I assure you this movie has a satisfying ending. The power of the female friendship is so, so real here. Another great watch for sure.
Baby Ruby – I know! Me1? Watching a movie about a baby? Well, that’s kind of what this is about. It’s more about the psychological breakdown of a woman whose life has been perfectly curated and all over the internet until she gives birth to her daughter, Ruby. The rest of the film is given to us in falsities, so it’s hard to know by the end if anything that we’ve seen at all is true. Jo is convinced her baby hates her, that her husband and mother in law are up to no good, and that the neighbors are sinister. I’m sure the big picture here is that motherhood is presented as a bunch of unattainable standards and that postpartum depression and psychosis are real, but the horror bits made it a bit more of an intriguing view. Nothing I’d ever watch again, but an interesting and modern take on Rosemary’s Baby, but not necessarily with a decent payoff.
Significant Other – When this movie started, it reminded me that I did not watch the trailer. I think I saw Maika Monroe and Jake Lacey and horror-thriller and that was enough for me. To my surprise, there was a sci-fi element braided in there, too! When that bit first popped up I was nervous this was going to be bad, but it remained intriguing and had me wondering what the hell the outcome was going to be. Spoiler: not good, but in a number of ways. They certainly fooled me at turns and then it had the added benefits of being a little bit gory and a little bit funny, and that’s what makes horror films good nowadays! I can promise you’ve never seen anything like this before and at just 84 minutes long, why not give it a chance!? Also, if it helps, the directors said they pitched it as Under the Skin meets The One I Love.