This weekend’s picks were completely random and very different from one another. I hope you give some of them a chance someday!
Renfield – This latest Nicolas Cage installment is just further proof that he is living his best life! I’ve heard before that Dracula is one of the top three dream roles for him, so I hope this horror comedy checked that box for him. What fun! I can’t say that I was ever truly scared watching this film, but expect to see an insane amount of blood and gore. At one point, Nicholas Hoult’s Renfield rips off someone’s arms and uses them as num-chuks. I’ll let you picture that on your own. Basically, the story boils down to the “toxic relationship” that Renfield finds himself trapped in with Dracula. He boarders the natural and supernatural world and after so many centuries together, Renfield wants to live a different life that doesn’t involve bringing someone food. Great fun that I highly recommend you check out.
Close – Well this movie went in a direction I was not expecting! I had heard about this drama during Oscar season but missed the chance to see it before the ceremonies. It was my understanding that these two extremely close thirteen-year-old friends, Remi and Leo, kind of get ripped apart when Leo gives in to the teasing and name calling that gets thrown at them. That’s all I thought this was going to be. Two best friends falling out and then likely reuniting. I was wrong. This film took a tragic turn for Remi who ended up taking his own life at the loss of his friendship. Woah. And that was only 45 minutes in! The rest of the film is spent watching Leo work through this tragedy that he was likely the root of. Incredible performances all around, but truly sad subject matter. Not for everyone.
Smoking Causes Coughing – This French comedy was on my radar for the Cleveland International Film Festival, but the dates didn’t end up working out. I also managed to miss it the weekend it was at my local indie theater. Lucky for me, it was made available to rent the very next weekend! What I got was one of the most random films I may have ever seen. In doing some light research, the director, Quentin Dupieux, is not stranger to film, and I actually know quite a lot of people who have seen his film, Rubber. I’ll let you do your own research there. In this one though, we are introduced to five Power-Ranger-esque individuals who together make up the Tobacco Force. Despite their names and powers (they can give you cancer with the elements of cigarettes), the clan does not smoke. Their boss has noticed their cohesiveness is lacking so mandates a retreat to get back on the same wavelength. From there it is sheer absurdity and strangeness. That’s all I’m going to say in case you want to check this weirdness out. Not for me, but interesting.