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thesmokeykorzeniowski
Reviews
Skinamarink (2022)
"Home Alone?"
"Home Alone?"
Since first appearing in 1984, the word, Lynchian; adjective, "characteristic, reminiscent, or imitative of the films or television work of David Lynch," has been something that experimental filmmakers have greatly aspired to.
And surely.
Very surely?
That's what first time feature film writer/director Kyle Edward Bell was himself hoping to emulate with his uneven debut, SKINAMARINK.
IMDb list this as the plot:
"Two children wake up in the middle of the night to find their father is missing, and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished."
There's not much more to it than that.
Made for $15,000 Canadian, the filmmakers are pretty limited in what they can achieve. Trick shots and darkened corners can only achieve so much. The can't convey a story in any traditional structure.
The two kids, four year old Kevin (Lucas Paul) and his big sister Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault) awaken in the middle of the night and are unable to find their father. This is after a brief scene where their parents talk about Kevin falling down the stairs and hurting himself, his sister says he was sleepwalking.
Anyway.
Middle of the night, no dad. (No mention of mom at first for some reason as well.) They decide to sleep downstairs and head that way. They watch old cartoons.
Camera tricks show that the doors and windows of their home are slowly disappearing. Toys are stuck to walls, belongings vanish.
At one point, back upstairs, Kaylee hears Dad's (Ross Paul) voice, he tells her to look under the bed. She does and finds nothing. Suddenly Mom (Jamie Hill) is sitting on the other side of the bed with her back to us. And then. She's gone.
It quickly becomes apparent that the children are not alone, something malevolent is there with them. And it (whatever it is) is in charge.
As I've said, camera tricks can only accomplish so much. And darkened corners, with nothing on screen for minutes at a time, do not, for good suspense make. At one hour and forty minutes, a good twenty-five minutes could've been (and should've been) cut.
I look forward to seeing what Bell can do with a budget, he'll likely get one after this promising debut.
That is all.
-SmokeyKorzeniowski.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)
"Eating Eeyore"
"Eating Eeyore"
I've been waiting for this one for awhile.
For those of you unaware, A. A. Milne's original Winnie The Pooh story recently entered the public domain. Basically, that means that anyone can do whatever they want with the story, and or characters.
Yes.
And writer/director Rhys Frake-Waterfield is the first filmmaker to take advantage of that.
It's something that we've seen before with books (and films) like Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, and ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER.
But with a much beloved children's book characters, yeah, not so much.
Until now.
WINNIE-THE-POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY changes all of that. Thankfully!
It begins with a wonderful animated segment done in the style of original Pooh artist E. H. Shepard, letting the audience know what is coming. After Christopher Robin leaves behind The Hundred Acre Wood (and his beloved anthropomorphic animal friends) for school. Pooh and the others are forced to fend for themselves and regress to a feral state. Early on, in desperation, they eat Eeyore. Luckily the animation for this bit isn't terribly detailed, because otherwise, major trauma. Now if you're saying to yourself (as my brother Bob did) that they wouldn't eat Eeyore no matter how desperate they were; then you don't remember how annoying, and what a downer Eeyore has always been.
Tigger still remains under copyright, if he wasn't, it would've been a bloodbath with Tigger eating everyone around him.
Cut to:
Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon) returning from school with his new wife (Wikipedia says fiancé, but they have the same last name in the credits) Mary (Paula Coiz). Mary assures him that the animals he remembers were just figments of a child's overactive imagination. Signs around (Eeyore's gravestone for one) indicate that the place just isn't safe. She begs him to go. He continues to call out for his friends. And they answer.
Just not in the way he wants.
Mary is quickly murdered by Piglet (Chris Cordell) and...
Cut to:
A group of girlfriends are headed to a cabin in The Hundred Acre Woods. Maria (Maria Taylor) is recovering after an incredibly traumatic stalking experience and her therapist suggests a getaway. Jess (Natasha Rose Mills) Alice (Amber Doig-Thorne) Zoe (Danielle Ronald) and Lara (Natasha Tosini) are the doomed friends that accompany her. In a nice touch, the filmmaker shows (in flashback) some of the more harrowing of the stalking incidents; and the stalker is played by the same actor that portrays Piglet.
From here the whole thing quickly dissolves into your typical slasher flick, with some fun kills. As the girls are terrorized and slowly murdered, we find that Christopher is still alive though he's been chained up and tortured.
I usually don't do spoilers.
But.
Christoper Robin is still alive at the end. As is Pooh.
Sequel anyone??
I'd be there.
That is all.
-SmokeyKorzeniowski.
Infinity Pool (2023)
"The Right Gene Pool"
"The Right Gene Pool"
A lot has been said of late about Hollywood's tendency towards nepotism. "America's Dad," Mr. Tom Hanks replied after his son Truman played a young version of his character in 2022s A MAN CALLED OTTO that Hollywood is a family business. And the two time (back to back!) best Actor Oscar winner is right! Douglas Fairbanks and his notable son come to mind. The Barrymores, the Bridges clan, Kirk and Michael, along with many others I could name, if I had the time.
Add to that list writer/director Brandon Cronenberg, who is clearly a chip off the old block.
When nepotism is well deserved, well...
When it isn't, I'm thinking Ozzy's kids here, well, it just isn't.
The young (born in 1980) Cronenberg's new film, INFINITY POOL carries some of his father's best works to new heights in this creepy, moody body horror/science fiction film.
Before I get into the meat of it, consider this brief aside.
Here's how the meeting goes:
Casting Agent- We have a wonderful part for you Alexander Skarsgard!
AS - Do I get to have a naked fight scene?
CA - Well, yes, but there's so...
AS - I'm in!
To bring it back to Mr. Hanks, "That's all I have to say about that."
The aforementioned Mr. Skarsgard plays James Foster, a writer suffering that most dreaded state, "writers block." Along with his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) James is taking a vacation in the fictional seaside country of Li Tolqa. James in seeking inspiration, and yeah, he's gonna find it, in spades.
When James meets Gabi Bauer (Mia Goth) and her husband, Alban (Jalil Lespert) early on in the film, that's when things start to go horribly wrong. Gabi is a big fan of James' book, and as such her husband is too.
Gabi and Alban invite James and Em to join them on a trip to the beach. They've been warned not to leave the grounds of the resort and Em is reluctant. James convinces her, telling her that Gabi and Alban come to the resort every year and they wouldn't do it if it wasn't safe.
Indeed, as they drive off of the property, the high fences and barbed wire make it clear that things outside the compound aren't what one would call safe.
After much drinking and some drug use, they two couples prepare to return to the resort/compound, Alban comments on how drunk he is and James (claiming he's fine) offers to drive. While heading back, the headlights of the car keep flickering on and off. Yes, and as James struggles with them, during a moment of darkness, a local walks in front of the car. James doesn't see him in time and runs him down. He's not dead. Yet.
James and Em want to call the police, but Gabi tells Em that they'd be raped and murdered by the local constabulary. She convinces them to continue to the resort and she and Alban will deal with it in the morning.
They have a little trouble getting back in, but they do.
Cut to:
The next morning. Pounding, pounding on the hotel room door. Police. James and Em are taken into custody.
Once at the police station James and Em are separated.
James is given a hospital gown to change into.
After some waiting, Detective Thresh (Thomas Kretschmann) enters. He informs James that they already know that he was the driver and Em has confirmed this. The penalty for his crime is death. Specifically execution, to be performed by the victim's thirteen year old son.
But there's another option.
If James has the money (he does) they will clone him and execute the clone instead. James, of course agrees.
James awakens to Em after the procedure. They are informed that it's required for James to witness the execution. It's unclear why Em is made to attend as well. The victim's son violently stabs the clone to death.
Back at the resort, Em and James return to their room with an urn containing the clone's ashes. Em says they need to leave immediately, James agrees but can't find his passport. And while Em was horrified by the experience of the execution, James is intrigued and fascinated by it.
The next day James discovers that Alban and Gabi have also had the whole execution thing done to them. Multiple times. Gabi and Alban introduce James to a whole group of Americans who call themselves Zombies.
Em leaves soon thereafter, leaving James alone with his new "friends."
A crime spree ensues and the group (James included) are executed once again.
With just days left until the rainy season shuts the resort down, how far down this rabbit hole will James go? How much of his soul, his self, will be sacrificed in the process?
You'll have to watch to find out.
A great and powerful film about the consequences when there are no real consequences.
I can't wait to see what this "nepo baby" does next!
That is all.
-SmokeyKorzeniowski.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
"This, Is 90 Minutes"
"This, Is 90 Minutes"
What does it mean to be human? It's a question that we will likely explore as long as our species continues to exist. It is, perhaps, a quintessential part of being a human. We ask these questions and we explore possible answers in many ways. Writers write, painters paint, filmmakers, well, they make films. Writing and painting is, for the most part, a singular act, filmmaking, filmmaking is a communal effort. To say "it takes a village" is almost, almost an understatement. It starts (generally speaking) with the writer and is further developed by the director, who makes the film their own. The actors bring the words of the writer to life and the director helps them flesh out their roles. Behind the scenes are dozens (sometimes hundreds) of artists who contribute to the final film. According to imdb.com 131 people are credited with having worked on director Dean Fleischer-Camp's, MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON. That's a lot of humans asking those eternal questions.
But Marcel, he may have some answers for us.
Originally an award winning short film, the first Marcel film was released in 2010, it was followed by, MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON, TWO in 2011 and MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON, THREE in 2014. All three can be viewed on YouTube, the "fourth" Marcel film is feature length and is playing in cinemas nation wide.
Marcel (Jenny Slate) lives with his grandmother, Nana Connie, brilliantly voiced by the great Isabella Rossellini. Marcel and Nana Connie are anthropomorphic shells, with shoes, and one googly eye. Marcel informs us early on that it takes at least twenty shells to have a proper community. And while there was once a thriving family and community, now it's just the two of them.
In what I can only see as commentary on the gun problem in our country, the shell community has a safe space for when the humans who live in their house fight. They all hide in the sock drawer. When a fight leads to the man leaving and quickly packing a bag, the contents of the sock drawer are unceremoniously dumped into the suitcase, Marcel and Nana Connie are left behind as they didn't make it to the drawer as quickly as the others. Nana is getting up there in years, and isn't as spry as she once was.
Turns out their house is an Airbnb, and currently staying there is filmmaker Dean (Dean Flesicher-Camp) who recently separated from his wife, Dean turns to making a documentary about Marcel to fill time while looking for a new place to live.
As we get to know Marcel and Nana Connie, we find out about their passion for the long running news show, "60 Minutes," and in particular their absolute, adoration of Lesley Stahl. The community used to gather together every week to watch the show. As the film moves along, Dean posts clips of interviews with Marcel to the internet. And what starts as a handful of views turns into tens of millions of views. Of course this eventually leads to an email from a producer at "60 Minutes" telling Marcel that they'd like to do a story on him. Bet ya can't guess who's doing the interview! You probably figured out already that it's Lesley herself. Worried about what all the people and commotion would mean to Nana Connie's continually declining health, Marcel initially refuses the interview. Nana Connie and Dean persuade him to do otherwise.
To say anything about what happens next would spoil the journey.
Listen closely to what Marcel has to say, there's a lot to unpack. And those eternal questions? Turns out, for Marcel at least, that answer is community.
We could all learn a lot from Marcel.
That is all.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
We could've waited another 65 million years, this film would still be awful
To paraphrase the great Dr. Ian Malcolm: they were so concerned with whether they could make five Jurassic Park sequels that they didn't think about whether they should make five Jurassic Park sequels. What a piece of junk the latest one is!! It's plodding and predictable. It offers nothing new, just supposed "homages" and Easter eggs. Thankfully I have Regal Unlimited! Two hours and twenty six minutes long and it felt like four hours!! Sam Neill doesn't seem to realize he's supposed to be playing the same character that he did in the original. Chris Pratt is more annoying by the second. I sincerely hope that his MCU role is almost at an end. Didn't Bryce Dallas Howard have a promising career at one point? And she and Laura Dern's Ellie Sadler are total badasses! Until they have to walk over some bugs,...then the shrieking begins. What crap! What tripe! What an utter waste of time!!
Dune (2021)
Denis' Dune, Disappointing
Much can be said of Denis Villenueve's DUNE PART 1. It is stunningly beautiful to look at. The cinematography is compelling and deserves to be seen on the big screen. The cast. Some the best actors working today. Stellan Skarsgard's Baron Harkonen channels Brando's Colonel Kurtz quite well. Special effects. Top notch. Music, properly grandiose.
You know what can't be said about DUNE PART 1?
That it's any fun. Or that it's entertaining.
Timothy Chalemet has zero charisma and zero chemistry with Zendaya. I still don't get why he's such a big star at the moment. Maybe it's just me...
Some don't recall David Lynch's 1984 version with the fondness it deserves. And while a bit jumbled at times. Somewhat hard to understand at others. During its original theatrical run a glossary page was handed to movie goers before each screening. (Wish o had one of those!)
But it was tight. It was weird and wonderful in a way that the new version fails to be. Lynch took roughly the same amount of time to give us an adaptation of the whole novel. And it was an entertaining and engrossing cinematic ride.
By stretching the source material to two films, it creates boredom where there should be excitement. Scenes go on and on, when they clearly don't need to. I found myself expecting the credits to roll for the last twenty-five minutes or so of Villeneuve's film. And when Chani finally gave the (incredibly predictable) last line of the film, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I'm gonna go watch Lynch's version now.
That is all.
-SmokeyKorzeniowski.
Summertime (2020)
My "kind of" review of SUMMERTIME
It's been a rough few years. First Tangerine Palpatine, then COVID-19, then supporters of The Orange Traitor stormed the Capitol seeking to actually kill VP Pence, among others. Lies continue from the right. Our forests are burning and our cities are flooding.
I could go on and on. As you well know.
Wanna feel wonderful? Wanna forget your cares for a bit. Would you like to cry,...tears of joy? How about a smile that feels like it stretches from ear to ear?
You can rent Carlos Lopez Estrada's achingly beautiful, SUMMERTIME on Amazon for only $3.99!!!
I've seen it sixteen times.
It's Linklater's SLACKER meets Altman's SHORT CITS, with 21st century sensibilities. If you know those two films you'll understand that. It's a spoken word musical. It's a poetry jam. It's ninety or so minutes of pure joy! The actors perform their own poems as part of the "plot" of the film. There's a dream dance sequence. It's multicultural and so very, very real.
That is all.
-SmokeyKorzeniowski.