May 1 - May 7
Not Another Teen Movie, When They See Us, Backcountry, The Hunt, Two For Joy, Sisu
- Not Another Teen Movie [2001] - 77
Comedy is, somewhat famously, not my thing. This satirical raunch-com should have turned me off completely... Yet it didn't. 22-years later and it's commentary on a tired and, at times, problematic, genre are still poignant, smart, and, most importantly, funny. Genuinely surprised by this one.
- When They See Us [2019] - 95
A frightfully moving drama about the events surrounding the "Central Park 5" with a side-bar of commentary on how modern-day policing has changed... Or, more importantly, how it hasn't. Coming in 2019, there's no way the show could have predicted the repetition of events, feelings, and needs of people of color the way it did... Unless things are still majorly the same as they were and have been for decades. Highly recommend this one.
- Backcountry [2014] - 50
This is one of those movies that you'd be stoked for if your friend made it. Watching it as an outsider, however, it's terribly lackluster and forgettable. A backpacker veteran boyfriend takes his reluctant girlfriend on an advanced hike. Guess what happens... It's boring, it's slow, and it's been done before. Pass.
- The Hunt [2012] - 89
Mads Mikkelsen on full display in this 2012 drama about an elementary school teacher who is accused of sexual assault. Not exactly what you think by that description, The Hunt is smart, brutal, and well worth your time. Really enjoyed this one.
- Two For Joy [2018] - 93
Trauma takes different forms in different people and is not something you can run away from. It's something you have to face and hold and caress... And let go. When two families touched by different traumas meet at an oceanside escape, neither will leave the same. This is a truly fantastic drama by first-time writer/director, Tom Beard. This is a "sit through the credits and quietly soak in what you watched" type of film and I will watch absolutely anything this man creates next.
- Sisu [2023] - 58
Sisu feels like someone read the Wikipedia plot summaries of Mad Mad: Fury Road and John Wick then looked at screenshots of various Quentin Tarantino films and said, "I can do that." Unsurprisingly, they couldn't. Sisu is a fine movie if you just want something akin to, as my friend put it, a "modern B-movie" with a spaghetti-western aftertaste. If you've never seen either of the aforementioned films, watch Sisu first. If you have seen those, you're going to find this one wanting in some pretty serious ways.
