Like most of Alex Garland's output, this is some frustratingly spotty shit. Aside from some benevolent racism, an underwritten protagonist, and a CGI-dependent climax, MEN
is fucking creeeeeeepy. The first 75% has that look-over-your-shoulder
and try-to-find-shapes-in-the-dark spook factor. Garland seems to be
having fun, too, with gleefully indulgent montages of cool imagery. Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear fucking bring it, too, with remarkable performances (Kinnear does what I thought was impossible: he rivals McAvoy in SPLIT). The last quarter would work better if the effects were flat-out practical and if the horror weren't deflated by stakes-killing 'metaphorror'. Less-is-more goes more-is-more, that's all I'll say for spoilers' sake. I tolerate its flaws, like with Candyman (2022), cuz when it works: it works. C+
Deep Water is knee-slappingly entertaining. Ben
Affleck and Ana De Armas have unbeatable chemistry and the script's
sense of humor is so persistent that the whole thing feels like a parody
of Erotic Thrillers. Adrian Lyne's first movie in 4,000 years probably came with certain expectations and Deep Water, intentionally or not, subverts them. It's catty, snippy, and--at times--blunt to
the point of eye-bugging, neck-jerking whiplash. Affleck gives a performance that's so sharply aware I wanted to buy the dude flowers. Hulu alleges that it's
a 'Psychological Thriller' but if that's true then Malignant is
terrifying. Both are misdiagnosed, but, who cares: it's good to be back at camp! B
Resurrection
has two stellar performances (Rebecca Hall continuing to be one of
my favorite working actors and Tim Roth unnecessarily proving he needs to
be in...everything) but it's hideous to look at and, I guess fittingly, we watch a woman have a meltdown for almost two hours. It's a pornographically miserable slog. The ending has been compared to Malignant, described as "insane" and "bonkers" but those claims are egregious lies. The ending is actually a cheap, predictable copout chasing the stale sensibilities of 2010s
horror, which makes the whole experience ultimately one-note. It's agonizing
watching her PTSD consume her and that's...all there is. I doubt this character would be as
interesting if Rebecca Hall didn't have the reins - I had similar issues
with MEN (which, these two movies share a lot of topical topography,
though MEN is much more visually and hilariously bold). There's some provocative shit here, just not enough of it. C/C-
WandaVision
is the MCU's best piece of work; it's nuanced, challenging, moving,
cathartic, creative, and uncharacteristically weird. Multiverse Of
Madness is the numbskull sequel that turns the colors pale. Wanda
is no longer an antiheroine who sparks debate and adoration in equal
measure, here they swing the pendulum to straight-up capital-V Villain. The
MCU has, rightfully, earned a reputation for its weak villains and, with her oil-soaked face amidst
her dreadful red eyes (and sometimes Raimi has her looking
like a sleep paralysis demon) and her perpetual body count, Wanda is a formidable baddie in spite of her thin and redundant characterization. Raimi makes sure that every death is fucking memorable, too, with
some dazzlingly ghoulish [PG-13] violence. Wanda rips
through everyone like an unholy combo of Carrie White and Jason
Voorhees. Seeing her massacre every notable cameo right after
their manufactured cheer moments was worth the price of admission. Raimi brings the kind of style and personality
(dissolves, match-cuts, POV shots, swirls of color and shadow, camp,
gags) that this studio has stamped out for its entire filmography. The script is too dumb
and too bland for Raimi but he and Danny Elfman make the best of a bad situation. I'm indifferent to literally every other aspect of this fucking movie. C
I've seen
NOPE 4 times; it's the movie of the summer and one of the best of this fresh decade. I have no hesitation in declaring it a new classic. It's across-the-board impressive; Peele is a real-deal bonafide filmmaking talent who's ambitious, values originality, and balances tones like a dab-hand juggler. This movie is so fucking enchanting, tense, scary, funny, and thematically dense. The cgi is seamless and reminds me of the pure movie magic of Spielberg's heyday with some of the most gargantuan visuals I've experienced in the theater; I don't wanna leave the AMC when it's over. I could keep going but it would either be an obsessive ADHD nightmare rabbit-hole or a repetitive collection of synonyms for "good movie, me love it forever." I'll spare you.
A+
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