August 30, 2024
What’s that expression about best laid plans? I certainly didn’t intend to finalize this month’s blog post while being 3,000 miles from home in the great state of Washington, but my procrastination bad habit got the better of my planning skills this month. Normally, I’ve been posting my blog the last Friday of the month, but with my travel plans, I decided to finish it a week early. Alas, that didn’t happen and here we are on the last Friday again.
Now, it’s not like this is a paid gig and I have a firm deadline – this is just a silly hobby that keeps the creative side of my brain sharp – but I am a creature of habit, so I felt obligated to get this month’s post done and posted, even if I am pressing “post” while sitting in a vacation rental a few hours outside Seattle. What am I doing here? Well, that’s a story for another day, as this west coast adventure is just beginning. You are also getting a peek into my writing process in that I don’t always write these posts in the same order that you read them. It’s usually crafted together over the course of days and weeks, with a final edit before it goes on the website. But that’s more than you really want to know.
Ok, enough procrastinating – it’s on to this month’s look at some new releases, most of which I found quite entertaining, even if they aren’t perfect. These are the dog days of August, after all.
Preposterous but Fun – Trap
When your first major film is a box-office smash and earns multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, it’s kind of hard to live up to those high expectations with every movie you subsequently make. Just look at Orson Welles, whose long filmography never topped the brilliance of his debut picture Citizen Kane. Such is the case with M. Night Shyamalan, whose 1999 film The Sixth Sense put him (and his trademark “twist” endings) on the map. Although his next few movies didn’t live up to his debut’s popularity (an impossible hurdle to clear), they were still very good. Unbreakable, Signs and The Village still hold up today. But what followed was a forgettable decade where his failures were so massive that he had a hard time getting a studio to finance his next project. He took a chance on himself by personally funding the production of 2015’s The Visit and delivered a successful thriller. That film’s success began a nice run of very good movies, including Split, Old, and Knock at the Cabin, leading to this year’s thriller Trap.
You probably saw the trailer for this one, which seemed to give away a lot of the plot. Shyamalan described the premise as “What if The Silence of the Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?” When the film opens, firefighter Cooper (Josh Hartnett) is taking his teenage daughter to see her favorite singer, Lady Raven (played by Saleka Night Shyamalan, the director’s daughter). We quickly learn that he is actually a serial killer and the concert has been set up as an elaborate trap by the FBI to capture him. I’m not giving away any spoilers since you learn all of that in the trailer, which causes the first twenty minutes of the movie to feel a little slow, as we know the premise of the story. I was anxiously waiting to get past everything we saw in the trailer to see something I didn’t already know. Once we get past that point, the movie starts to take off.
Cooper spends time trying to figure out how he can get out of the arena, all while his oblivious daughter enjoys the show. The tactics he tries are ridiculous in nature, where you not only have to suspend your disbelief, you have to throw it into the ocean. If you want a realistic movie, look elsewhere. As Cooper navigates his way out of the arena, some of the character choices will make you scratch your head in disbelief. But the plot holes didn’t diminish my enjoyment of Trap.
Hartnett is fantastic in the lead role, effectively demonstrating a psychotic killer with many dimensions to his personality. Shyamalan’s daughter is serviceable in a role that appears secondary early in the film, but becomes more critical as the story evolves. I won’t spoil where the plot goes as Trap unfolds, because Shyamalan’s movies are best enjoyed without knowing too much. One more winking note about a casting choice the director made. The head of the FBI operation trying to take down Cooper is played by 78 year-old British actress Hayley Mills, who became a teenaged star in the 1961 film…..wait for it….The Parent Trap. Chef’s kiss. Trap is now available to rent on demand.
The Boston Boys Are Back – The Instigators
Whenever I watch a film, I log it in the movie-lover app Letterboxd. It’s a nice tool that lets you follow other members (famous or casual) and read their reviews, write your own reviews, make lists, and see all sorts of stats for your movie watching history. It’s like Goodreads for movies. For a nerd like me, it’s perfect, especially when I’m working through the filmography of a director or actor. I also give every film a rating (from one to five stars) and usually my first impression is in line with the average rating on the app. There are the rare occasions where I am very different from the average. I always think about 2021’s Belfast, a movie I despised for being too schmaltzy, but everyone else loved. Maybe I’m just bitter that Kenneth Branagh won the Oscar for Best Screenplay over Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza that year.
Anyway, I was very surprised when I read the early reviews and saw the Letterboxd ratings for The Instigators, which lowered my expectations when I went to see the film. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the movie, but that could have been influenced by the circumstances in which I saw it. My local Cinemark does a gimmick once a month. It’s a surprise screening for $5. They only tell you the genre, rating and length of the movie. For the first time, I decided to try it out, thinking that it was going to be one of a few movies I had on my list anyway. I was hoping it would be The Instigators, as the film did not get a wide release near me. The project is an Apple TV+ production and they have decided to scale back their theatrical releases, in favor of pushing viewers to their streaming service. The new George Clooney – Brad Pitt action-comedy Wolfs is getting a limited release in September, before it hits the service on September 27th. I figured $5 was a small gamble. Besides, if it was something that looked terrible, I could go down the hall and see Twisters again. But I knew I made the right decision when the Apple logo showed up on the screen.
The Instigators stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, two childhood friends from greater Boston, as strangers who get paired up to rob a fundraiser for Boston’s corrupt mayor. When things go haywire, they go on the run and hijinks ensue. There are head-scratching storylines and questionable character decisions in this story, but I thought it was a fun time at the movies, mostly because Damon and Affleck are so good together, busting each other’s chops while trying to avoid the police and criminals who are after them.
The film was directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, Swingers) and was co-written by Affleck. It also features a top-notch supporting cast, particularly Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Ving Rhames. The Instigators is also a very “Boston movie” as you can tell it was filmed in the city and features some great scenery. Given my love of Boston sports and being a big fan of Damon’s work, perhaps that’s why I was a natural target for this movie. The Instigators is not going to be on the list of best films of 2024 and is not going to be in contention for any Oscars, but it’s a good movie to watch from your sofa on a Friday night with a bowl of popcorn. The Instigators is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Want a Hug? – Alien: Romulus
Forty-five years ago, the world was introduced to the xenomorph, the extraterrestrial creature Ridley Scott unleashed on the crew of a spaceship in the 1979 masterpiece Alien. They are also sometimes called face huggers. If you’ve seen any of the movies, you know why. It’s fitting that I was able to see Alien in the theater a few months ago, as the newest installment in the franchise is set in the time period between the original film and James Cameron’s sequel, 1986’s Aliens, also a masterpiece. Alien: Romulus was directed by Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe), who consulted with Scott on the story. Like most people, I’ve been up and down on this series over the years and while I wouldn’t put the new film up with the first two movies (they are five-star classics, after all), it’s still a very good horror movie, with plenty of jump scares and gnarly scenes that you can expected from any Alien film.
When Alien: Romulus opens up, we are introduced to Rain and Andy. She works in a mining colony for an evil company that keeps their workers in perpetual servitude. He’s an android that was adopted by Rain’s parents when she was younger. She cares for him and is looking for a way off of their desolate planet and a way out of their miserable life. Enter her ex-boyfriend and his friends who have a plan to access some equipment and technology on an abandoned ship up in space not too far from their planet. This plan will allow them all to escape and start a new life. Once they are up there, we learn that they have stumbled upon a ship that was hunting the xenomorph that Ellen Ripley jettisoned from her ship at the end of Alien. Wouldn’t you know that the crew of this ship has been wiped out and the ship has been infested by a new generation of aliens looking for trouble?
That’s the basic premise of most Alien movies. A crew goes on a mission. They encounter an alien, not knowing what it is. They do something most of us wouldn’t do (stick their head into something, poke a pulsing blob, etc.) instead of just getting the hell away from the icky nasty stuff. So, in one sense, Alien: Romulus may feel repetitive to other Alien films, especially the first few movies. Ridley Scott’s prequel stories (Prometheus and Alien: Covenant) were more focused on the origin story of the species, with themes of religion, albeit with some scary shit happening to the characters. This new film is not like that. It’s an action story that delivers on what you’d expect from a movie like this, and it’s got a younger cast, which breathes some new life into the story. Cailee Spaeny is excellent as Rain, and with her third straight excellent performance (after Priscilla and Civil War) shows that she will be a household name in no time. I was also impressed with David Jonsson as Andy, especially since he plays a different character for part of the movie, when he is reprogrammed into a more sinister android.
Sometimes when a long-toothed franchise tries to hang on for another installment, it feels tired and old. I didn’t get that impression with Alien: Romulus, as I think Álvarez showed his talents as a filmmaker, while paying homage to the original film. Since it takes place in the same time period, a lot of the sets have the same look and feel as the first movie. A few action sequences, in particular, demonstrated new aspects of filmmaking that I can’t say I’ve seen before.
There have been criticisms of Álvarez’s decision to use CGI to have an android look and sound like Ian Holm, the British actor from the first movie who passed away in 2020. I wasn’t bothered by the decision, and the director said that Holm’s family was thrilled that he would be honored in the movie by this depiction. There have also been some criticisms of some blatant fan service (one line in particular may make you cheer or groan depending on your mood) but I think subtle nods to past films are not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it’s not a crutch supporting the entire plot. Alien: Romulus is not like that at all. Overall, it’s a worthy installment into the franchise and a sign that we may continue to have xenomorphs in our lives for years to come. There is a television series coming next year to Hulu from Noah Hawley, the showrunner for the excellent Fargo television series, and with the early box-office success of Alien: Romulus, I’m sure we’ll see these creatures back on the big screen as well. Alien: Romulus is now playing in theaters.
Some Quick Hits
There were a few other smaller films I saw recently that are worth mentioning, especially this first one.
- Horror Continues to Rule – Strange Darling The big horror story of 2024 is Longlegs, the creepy serial killer movie starring Nicolas Cage, that I liked a lot. But, to be honest, there were two other horror pictures I liked just as much, if not more. Oddity, which I covered last month is now available to rent on demand. Strange Darling, a new release in theaters, is best seen without reading any reviews. It’s the story of a serial killer that is part crime-thriller, part horror movie. It’s not particularly gory, but there are some disturbing scenes. The great aspect of Strange Darling that makes it so interesting to watch is the nonlinear storytelling device used by writer-director JT Mollner, who chose to have the plot unfold over six chapters, but not in order. If you like this kind of genre, it’s worth checking out, but go in blind so you don’t learn any spoilers. Strange Darling is now in theaters and should be on demand soon.
- A Coming of Age Tale – Didi For something a little more light-hearted, Didi is a semi-autobiographical tale of a teenage boy growing up in Northern California. Sean Wang wrote and directed this picture, which had a strong premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Izaac Wang portrays Chris, a 13 year-old trying to navigate the awkwardness of making friends and meeting girls while getting ready to start high school. He lives with his older sister, single mother (played by Joan Chen from Twin Peaks in a wonderful performance) and domineering grandmother. The film is a great depiction of life as a teenager in 2008, during the early days of Facebook, Myspace and YouTube, and is a welcome addition to coming-of-age stories for the next generation. Didi should be available to rent on demand in September.
- Wasted Potential – Blink Twice I was dubious going into this one and it turns out, my instinct was right. Actress Zoë Kravitz makes her directorial debut with a thriller about a mysterious billionaire (played by Channing Tatum) who spends his time on a private island partying it up with his buddies and special invited guests. Naomi Ackie plays one of those guests, who goes along with her friend for some fun in the sun. Naturally, things are not what they seem, and they start to fear for their safety. A few problems I had with the movie. First, the plot seemed entirely predictable early on and second, the characters make ridiculous decisions throughout the movie. Every few minutes, you are wondering why they aren’t more curious about whether this experience is too good to be true. It had a decent premise to start, and I think Kravitz has some talents as a director, but the story execution left me wanting more. Blink Twice is now in theaters and should be available to rent on demand in September.
- Ridiculously Fun – Kneecap This picture premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, but I didn’t watch it because when I read the description (a story about Irish rappers who get political with their music), I thought, “That looks stupid.” Boy, was I wrong. This was a riot. Kneecap is an irreverent comedy that takes a look at the formation of a real trio of rappers (who play themselves in the movie) and how their passion for keeping the Gaelic language alive in the schools and communities of Ireland sparked a political movement in the country. Michael Fassbender has a supporting role and is the only one you will recognize, but the rest of the actors, especially the three leads, are great. Now, if rap is not your thing, don’t worry. It’s not mine and I still enjoyed this story of lovable idiots. Kneecap should be available to rent on demand in September.
One More Thing
If there’s one thing you can be sure of when reading my movie ramblings, it’s that I love going to the theater. Sure, the convenience of watching a film from the comfort of my home is nice, but I’ll take the big screen experience any day. I always prioritize new releases while they are in the theaters, which has become tougher in recent years with the advent of streaming services. But I also love to see older classics in a theater, which I’ve written about many times before. The latest treasure I was fortunate to see? Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 suspense thriller Rear Window.
I’ve seen this movie countless times over the years. Hitchcock’s films were a staple in our house when I was growing up, including Rear Window, but this was my first time seeing it on the big screen and I had an epiphany about 10 minutes in. No, it wasn’t about the plot – I know the plot backwards and forwards. It was the silence. The scenes where there was very little dialogue and we were just observing the neighbors in James Stewart’s apartment complex, just like he was doing. We get to know each of the neighbors by watching their actions and hearing their conversations with each other, which of course informs the main plot about a man who may or may not have murdered his wife.
I don’t need to rehash why Rear Window is a classic movie and one of Hitchcock’s best, mostly because I wrote about it four years ago in one of my comfort movie posts here. But I thought I would bring up the point about the quiet moments in films that we sometimes miss out on when we get distracted while watching them at home and get sucked into looking at our phone. The best movies in history feature a director and writer letting the picture breathe throughout the story by balancing quiet moments of reflection of a character with action sequences or dialogue-filled exposition. I just rewatched The Godfather, which is a brilliant example of this technique. In our fast-paced world, we get used to constant answers and push notifications. But sometimes, it’s nice to sit in the comfort of a chair (preferably in a movie theater) and absorb beautiful images on the screen without being bombarded with instant gratification. And my screening of Rear Window reminded me of that.
That’s all for this month. I hope you found some interesting movies to check out or add to your watchlist. I’ll be back next month with thoughts on some more new releases and news from the movie world, and a few words about my adventure out west. Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe below.
This was a great blog and so bummed I couldn’t see Rear Window with you!