(hoopla/VOD/vudu) Overpacked thriller about the cruelty of the US health care system, mental illness, and family. The script and performances are bit clunky here and there, and it doesn’t quite come together in the end, but its big swings are to be applauded.
Film
STAY TUNED (1992)
(Prime/tubi/VOD) A surprisingly sweet script that’s basically an excuse for a bunch of blipvert parodies.
POINT BLANK (1967)
(VOD) Surprisingly experimental, not just with its visuals, but with its handling of passage of time and use of silence (especially the lack of ambient sound in the elevator sequence). I really didn’t expect it to be ‘arthouse action’.
A DREAM OF KINGS (1969)
(VOD) Recently watched A DREAM OF KINGS which I found notable for its use of Chicago. There’s a short scene where Anthony Quinn (playing a Greek again) riproars away from the old Lakeview Treasure Island — my local market when I moved to my Roscoe apt in Chicago — which absolutely delighted me. Quinn here feels like a proto-Tony Soprano, partially because of his bullying and selfishness, but also because of how Quinn carries himself, breathily lumbering through scenes.
ALL OF ME (1984)
(hoopla/kanopy/tubi) Winsome mostly because of Reiner’s light touch and Tomlin’s cagey performance. Even for a male/female body-swap(-ish) film, the end is pretty messed up.
THE CLEANSE (2016)
(VOD) A surprisingly thoughtful take on the ‘things aren’t what they seem like at this therapeutic retreat’ horror film, always managing to zig when you think it’ll zag. I identified with the leads far more than I’d like to admit. While there’s a link to the trailer below, I recommend going into the film blind.
STARFISH (2019)
I’ve been watching STARFISH (2019, AMC+/fubu/VOD) in intervals over the past week; it’s visually intense, with a haunting soundtrack, yet still hard to grasp. Has a melancholy that’s like catnip to me, and so goddamn relevant right now. “I wonder if the world still exists if I choose to ignore it.”
LIKE ME (2018)
(AMC+/kanopy/Shudder) Far more intriguing than the description — ‘A reckless loner sets out on a crime spree that she broadcasts on social media.’ — makes it to be. Visually inventive, and it’s nice to see Fessenden in a meaty role again.
STRAY DOLLS (2020)
Kind of a mess, a bit like THE FLORIDA PROJECT if it were a thriller, but it has style, the lead is fantastic, and (small spoiler) Cynthia Nixon shredding the lead’s passport is one of the most violent scenes I’ve seen in some time.
FAREWELL, MY LOVELY (1975)
(fubu/hoopla/peacock) A bit too late in life for Mitchum to play the role, but better late than never. Rampling makes a great femme fatale.