Hacksaw Ridge- Gibson is the God of War and Blood. Every battle scene in this film (and all his films) is visceral and real and painful. What else is painful is the lead up to the eventual battle scenes where you have to watch a pretty stereotypical story play out of one man against the system. This is an amazing story about an amazing person but I couldn’t get past how Viriginia, South Carolina and Okinawa all look a lot like Australia. I won’t fault someone for shooting a film in their home country, but Gibson’s reluctance to go to different locations creates a color of sorts that permeates the film to where it never seems to go anywhere. On a side note, Hacksaw was basically his apology tour to get back into people’s good graces and it seems to have worked.  C5 A7

 

Don’t Breathe- The last scene ends with a cut so perfect I retroactively added a point to the score. The story up until then is meandering and I wanted to root for someone but they never give you a clear cut protagonist. That’s not a sin because life is confusing sometimes. There aren’t always heroes but that’s one of the things about movies: They are life plus. I don’t need a hero but show me a few reasons why one life in this movie matters more than the others and don’t waiver. Still, as at teacher once told me, movies are about choices and the makers of this film chose not to have a hero in the typical fashion. It has okay moments and decent scares but nothing worth exalting. C6 A7

 

 

 

 

Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs- There’s something about music in this that I found vaguely interesting at the time but now I can’t remember much about it. I don’t think he was ever abducted so I’m not sure what the curse was. It’s like saying I’m cursed my noticing Ford Tempos. Watch Instead: There’s not a lot of quality UFO documentaries out there so it’s difficult to recommend something similar but this movie is really about quirky individuals and possible conspiracy so watch Resurrect Dead-Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles. Weird title I know but very compelling.   C3 A4

 

 

 

 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK:

Entertainment- Yes. Yes to this fucking movie. I have traveled beyond common cinema to an ethereal plane of what-the-fuck-am-I-watching. Your average viewer is going to dislike this but for those who give it a shot, for those who are tired of the common film experience, there is a vast and beautiful demon in here. Ostensibly, this is about a traveling circuit comic who, to put it lightly, is not for everyone. As hypnotic as these performances can be, it’s his off stage adventures that prove the most mesmerizing. As my mom asked me last week, “I’m supposed to pay attention to the ‘A’ score, right?” Yes, mom and doubly so here.  C8 A2

 

 

 

Snow on the Bluff- I watch almost everything with subtitles. My wife hates it but I find that you actually get more out of a movie by reading the words as you watch (not to mention the input of the person writing the subtitles). Still, it’s typically optional but here the slang is so heavy it’s almost required. This movie is underrated and relatively unknown. It truly blurs the lines between documentary and real life and you are left in the lurch with how to feel about the character’s fates. This is found footage like it’s never been done. C8 A4

 

 

 

 

Indie Game: Life After- This is the follow up to the first Indie Game, a documentary about developers in the video game industry. Like the first movie, this one is well shot but maybe a bit long. It is essentially a sequel to the first but with a little less panache. If you enjoyed the first one, this will feel required but it’s not necessary. They are all fine and doing better than when they were first introduced. C6 A5

 

 

 

 

Beaver Trilogy Part IV- This is a fun, weird story to follow. It’s lore in Hollywood, with early-career appearances by Crispin Glover and Sean Penn, make it compelling if not the journey from inception to finale. It really is difficult to summarize so if you want to see an off-beat, well known in some circles kind of movie this could be it. C7 A4

 

 

 

 

 

On Golden Pond- Old people bickering. The tremolo in Hepburn’s voice is disconcerting. Have you ever wanted to eavesdrop on your grandparents? And not during interesting times they when they met in France fighting Hitler or in a speakeasy in Chicago. No, I mean like listen in when they talk about the most mundane retired person on vacation type shit. Throw in a precocious grandson and now we’re all On Golden Pond forever maybe this is hell.  The Loons, Norman. The Loons. C7 A6

 

 

 

 

Rats- One day, Morgan Spurlock will have documented everything and everyone. It will be its own channel. He’s probably behind you right now. Or behind me. Shit. C7 A5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circle– It’s like Cube but without the gruesome, inventive deaths and way more talky talk. There is a dialogue akin to  “who is the most valuable to society” conversation but it doesn’t amount to much. I learned that the most valuable people probably won’t watch this. One Good Thing: Clean and simple special effects. Watch Instead: Cube C4 A2