Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
6.2
So… it’s a Hitchcock ripoff… kind of. A valiant effort. The ending shot was straight out of “Psycho.”
The twists you can see coming from a mile away. Overall, it frustrated me. It wasn’t that it was poorly executed in a technical sense. The shots are beautiful and there is some good tension building. And holy shit is Noah Schnapp creepy. But the story was too predictable for it to have its fullest impact. So, a few bright spots, but overall letdown.
6.8
Seemed very “Fatal Attraction,” but the genre wasn’t quite as refined yet.
He’s just a gigolo, and everywhere he goes… apparently people are trying to frame him for murder. Luckily, he’s also close friends with some of his clients, and in the world of underground crimes, it’s all about who you know.
A solid crime thriller with way more Richard Gere than I ever expected to see. At least he tries to not look as guilty as Ben Affleck in “Gone Girl.” A for effort.
The soundtrack is also a BANGER!
7.1
Another recommendation of the “Video Archives” podcast with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary. Lived up to the hype. The show continues to be a staple in my weekly listening rotation and leads me down some interesting cinematic rabbit holes such as this. A welcomed reprieve from the predictability that can run rampant in todays cinematic releases from time to time.
It’s a very strange film, and takes a while to get going, but once it gets where it’s going… holy crap.
Content warning: not for the faint of heart and beware to those sensitive to sexual assault.
The relationship between the main couple is so tenuous that it takes a while for the viewer to gain their bearing with what’s really going on between the pair. There’s so much subtextual happening the entire runtime that it keeps you in a state of fight or flight from beginning to end. The only clue that comes full circle is the bear trap. You don’t keep a fully operational bear trap on your wall just because…
7.9
Holy crap was this a surprise! A good one, too boot! Unlike “old,” Shyamalan lands the plane with the help of a fantastic cast and tight narrative in this one! Dave Bautista separates from the pack of WWE stars turned actors as my current favorite. The breadth and depth of roles he’s willing to take on is promising compared to The Rock’s one size fits all persona and whatever we want to call John Cena’s trajectory at the moment.
Kristen Cui nails it as Wen, and really gives a nice dose of innocence to the screen amongst all of the malevolence and chaos. The supporting cast also does a great job of carrying their weight, but not being overbearing. It’s really well executed, and not trying to be anything it’s not, which I greatly appreciated.
6.5
You’ll be questioning reality as the lines between fact and fiction blur… like the edges of an infinity pool. See what I did there?
If you can make it past the strobe light orgy scenes and make it to the most uncomfortable bus commandeering scene… congratulations! You’ll leave the theater befuddled and slightly pissed off at the abrupt ending. This film leaves you feeling like your all-inclusive vacation was filled with nothing but Montezuma’s revenge and rain, only to have someone kick you in the nuts at the airport just as you’re about to board the flight home to safety.
Mia Goth absolutely kills it, but I do sometimes worry about her being pigeon-holed as “unhinged female lead who creeps everyone out” moving forward. From “X” to “Pearl,” and now this… it’s a danger. But in the meantime, she’s got a knack for it.
I think there’s a social commentary about tourism to poverty-stricken nations and abuse of locals, but again, it’s hard to get past the strobe light orgies to get that deep into the story.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 