Phantom Thread, Birth/ Rebirth, I Am Not a Serial Killer, Alone, Love Lies Bleeding, Black Mirror S1

- Phantom Thread [2017] - 85

Nominated for 6 Oscars [winning for Costume Design], Phantom Thread is a film that’s been on my radar for quite a while. Finally getting around to it 7-years after its release, I’m glad I made the time. There’s a lot of films you look at and say “I see this story, I could probably write something similar.” Phantom Thread is not one of those films, and that’s what I find the most impressive about it. It’s not weird or off-putting simply to be strange, and it’s not “original” simply to be different. That’s not to say it isn’t off-putting or strange, because it is absolutely both of those things in spades. What sets this apart, however, is its intentionality, narrative flow, and lack of artificiality. Phantom Thread is a movie about people most of us can’t relate to and who could use some help relating to the real world themselves. It’s a film about power dynamics and living a life only you understand… A life that, in this case, is quite literally toxic, and it’s absolutely brilliant from start to finish.

- Birth/ Rebirth [2023] - 90

Birth/ Rebirth came across my plate after a couple of “Best of 2023 Horror” lists started popping up across the web. I’d seen a majority of the films they heralded and was largely unimpressed [Talk To Me, When Evil Lurks, and Scream VI being particularly noteworthy as “unimpressive” if we’re being nice about it], but I thought I’d give this one a shot because, I liked the weird title. Turns out… it’s quite good. The story is simple — a kind of new-age take on Frankenstein — and the film truly shines in its structure. Rarely are there moments the audience is free to disengage from the action on screen and the whole package is wrapped in a clever narrative loop that ends exactly when it should, leaving you with exactly as many questions as you already have answers. Looking back at my score of 90 to write this summary, I felt like maybe it was a little high, but the more I think about my time with this film and its great conclusion, the more I think I was correct at the time. I look forward to revisiting this one in the future to see how it holds up on a repeat watch.

- I Am Not a Serial Killer [2016] - 86

It’s not often that you catch a one-hit-wonder with film and wish there was more. More commonly in this space, a writer/ director makes a hit, milks it for all its worth, then fades into obscurity thereafter. Based on a novel of the same name by Dan Wells, I Am Not a Serial Killer more or less marks the beginning and end of Billy O'Brien and Christopher Hyde’s writing/ directing careers. Both had some minor projects before this, but neither have a single credit afterwards… and I think that’s a real damn shame. I Am Not a Serial Killer feels very much like a Goosebumps take on 1982’s The Thing in the best way possible. My biggest complaint with the film is that it’s a little too much at times. I almost never say this but, had the violence been toned down in a couple of scenes, this would have made the perfect introductory horror piece for teen audiences — an area of film largely devoid of meaningful inserts. Alongside something fun like 2021’s Nightbooks — despite it’s botched ending 3-seconds —, I Am Not a Serial Killer is a great ride, and one that I wish got more attention so that we could see the rest of the book series adapted into equally fun and energetic films.

- Alone [2020] - 68

Do you like “girl gets kidnapped and then escapes” movies? Well, assuming you answered “yes”, I’ve got a good one for you. Calling Alone “second best” in its genre is a kind of weird accolade, but the gap between 1 and 2 is half as large [at best] as between 2 and 3, so it makes sense when the relativity is understood [1st spot going to 2021’s Coming Home in the Dark… which is a little bit of a cheat, but I make the rules around here 🤠]. Alone is easily one of the most engaging “how is she going to get out of this situation, please don’t make me watch him sexually assault her” [he doesn’t] films of its like. It’s well shot, it’s well acted, and it has some interesting and deeper notes/ twists than many of its compatriots… but it’s still the same old stuff you’ve seen a hundred times before when viewed from a few feet away. If you like films where a character [usually a woman] gets trapped/ lost/ kidnapped in the woods/ abandoned industrial complex/ a basement, this is pretty top tier. If you don’t like that kind of stuff… this isn’t going to change your mind.

- Love Lies Bleeding [2024] - 74

The second film from Saint Maud writer/ director, Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding is an interesting — if a little lethargic — entry into her catalogue. Carried [unironically 💪] by supporting actress Katy O'Brian, Love Lies Bleeding is the queer action/ revenge/ drama sibling to Blood Conscious [or most any Coen brothers’ work], that doesn’t quite have the spunk it needs to land fully where it wants to. The narrative is a little loose, the characters are a little shallow, and the film never quite commits to either being weird and heavy — like Glass’ previous work —, or a true comedy-of-errors — like the aforementioned Blood Conscious or Fargo. That said, this is a great film from many technical standpoints and I hope that both Glass and O’Brian get the attention they deserve and are given more projects/ leeway in their careers. This was a really interesting world to live in, it just didn’t quite grow enough roots in any one direction to stick with me after the credits rolled.

- Black Mirror S1 [2011] - 77

Finally getting into this show, Black Mirror is effectively just a modern-day Twilight Zone… which is not a complaint. One of the strengths of short-form science fiction is its ability/ need to come up with creative ways to showcase its fanciful concepts onscreen while creating worlds that function within the boxes they have to. Only three episodes long, I think that season 1 of Black Mirror does a great job of this, with episode 2, “Fifteen Million Merits” being a clear and particular standout. There’s not a ton to say about this after only three episodes, but I definitely look forward to watching more of the show and seeing how it evolves as the years go on.