I must say, I have done an abysmal job watching movies this month. We’ll see if I can make up for it this coming Friday and Saturday, but I don’t know why I let my list down so much this month! Here’s the haul from the past two weekends. It is worth mentioning that I had the opportunity to attend a screening as part of the Seattle International Film Festival this past weekend, so that at least ups the cool factor for the month!
Young Hearts – This was a title that came through one of my feeds after BIFF last year, which I promptly forgot about. Thank goodness Google Play thought to bring it back to my attention now that it’s available to rent! The film focuses on two fourteen years old boys living in the Belgium countryside. Alexander is Elias’ new neighbor and classmate. Being at an age where relationships are new, Elias reevaluates his own interests after learning that Alexander’s last relationship was with a boy. Elias doesn’t think he’s ever experienced love before, but he’s starting to think what he feels towards Alexander is it. And that scares him. A lot. So much so that you can see the defensive walls start to rise in him as he lashes out at friends, family, and even Alexander. The reconciliation is the sweetest thing ever, so you better be giving this a watch someday.
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning – I’ll admit, I don’t remember much of what went on in the first part of this “double-feature.” All I really remembered was Vanessa Kirby. But, a nice narrated recap reminded me that some evil AI is threatening to destroy the planet if it gets its wishes granted, but then Ethan and his gang also have to worry about some creep named Gabriel trying to get control of it for himself to do bad things. Ethan gains an ally and looses and dear friend this time around, but I would say this film franchise is far from over if nobody involved wants it to be. I saw someone online say “so the mission isn’t quite that impossible,” and I would agree. Though I really like this franchise, something about this one was a bit dragging for me. The action scenes felt almost ridiculously long, and the bad guy’s death was so sudden and comical that I kind of couldn’t believe it. All that being said, if you’re a fan of the franchise, still totally go see it. I will also still be seeing any future installments whenever they come.
Fear Street: Prom Queen – I really had no clue that more Fear Street films were coming until I heard about this one only a few weeks ago! Given how much I enjoyed that initial trilogy, I didn’t even bother watching the trailer for this one. And with Prom Queen as the subtitle, I knew I didn’t need to. Critically, this one didn’t do great, but for me it was a classic slasher with a delightful cast. Lori Granger is the subject of much bullying because back in the day her mother’s prom date, and her dad, was killed before the event could even take place. Though Lori and plenty others believe in her mother’s innocence, there are plenty of those who do not. In order to try and change her luck around, Lori decides to run for prom queen against the likes of her main bullies, a group of girls who go by the name, the “Wolfpack.” When prom rolls around, all of Lori’s competition is taken out one by one until it’s only her and Tiffany left standing. There is some quality gore in this one, so I hope it’s low critics’ scores don’t prevent future films from being made.
Dead Lover – This past weekend I was in Seattle for a concert, but just the week before I learned that I would be in town for the final weekend of the Seattle International Film Festival! While there were a ton of great films being shown at the fest, with everything else I had planned to do, I was only able to fit in one film. Lucky for me, all of the theaters participating in the festival were pretty centrally located to where I was staying, so getting to the venue and securing a ticket were a breeze. I was able to make it to the afternoon showing of Sundance entry, Dead Lover. Was it a full theater? No. But there were plenty more people there than I was expecting in the middle of the afternoon on a perfect weather day. This film was such an oddball, but unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The quality of the film came across both super low-budget, but also had some really nice production quality on it. The announcer at the showing described this as punk filmmaking, and I am totally inclined to agree. There are only four main cast members who play a multitude of characters, but they all work hilariously. Equally as hilarious is the film’s version of Frankenstein, more or less. There’s also a great deal of romanticism in this film, as well. Absolutely not for everyone, but I was pleased that the crowd I got to see it with thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope it makes its way to a wider audience someday.