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misterspike
Reviews
The Strays (2023)
A horror movie where the monsters are POC
It's a horror story where the monsters are two abandoned black children who terrorize, torture, and murder their mum's new half-white family.
The only one who survives relatively intact is the mum Neve, who runs away. (Again.) The rest end up horribly traumatized, in prison, or dead.
The director made it very clear that the black characters are awful and dangerous. Carl, the abandoned son, is a brutal sadist and a murderer. Dione, his sister, is selfish and infantile. Neve, the mum, hates being black, and is an irresponsible coward with major issues.
Nothing is resolved. There is no character development. No growth. This film does not deal with any of the problems it presents. It just turns into a standard horror film instead.
The only two white characters of any significance (the dad, Ian, and the white bully) end up being tortured to death.
The biracial boy Sebastian is bullied into being a thug and probably a murderer by his half brother.
The white bully (no idea what his name is) didn't actually do anything other than taunt Sebastian. Rather than taunt him back, Sebastian is terrorized and bullied by his half-brother Carl into violence.
The scene where the white bully is attacked is shown from the bully's point of view. The director presents him as the innocent victim being stalked by monsters in the night. He is powerless, terrified, at the point of death by suffocation, completely unable to fight back, and that is when Sebastian attacks him. We have no idea whether or not the poor guy even survived. I wouldn't be surprised if the two half-brothers buried the body.
The biracial girl Mary is the only one who still seems like a nice, normal person at the end, tho after finding her father's corpse in the basement, I would expect her to be traumatized for life.
This wasn't a commentary on racism. To me, it felt like like racism.
Bros (2022)
I laughed and cried so much more than I expected!
Didn't know what to expect going in. Was afraid the trailer had already given away all the good jokes. And at first I just squirmed with the uncomfortable humour. And then I started chuckling. And then the uncomfortable laughs morphed into guffaws, esp with the other people in the audience laughing too.
And then it got more serious and I found myself really invested in and loving the characters. The romance and their problems all felt mostly real, with just enough dramatic and comedic distortion. I could remember similar experiences. I could relate to the characters.
I cried at the sad bits, and the very happy bits.
Contrary to my expectations, it did NOT become a "Hallheart" movie, tho it certainly had fun skirting the edges of it.
As a romcom, the film focuses on the two leads almost to the exclusion of everyone else. Hardly anyone else has a character arc, but that's not surprising. In a movie with a smaller cast, there is more time for the supporting characters to be developed, but this was a huge cast, with some brilliant character moments. I understand the choice they made.
The pacing was a little uneven, but that was because the filmmakers chose to give the characters time to express their issues in nuanced ways, so I am glad for that.
The diverse cast of supporting characters were all really good, and were really able to make the most of their brief screen time. I would love to see more of those characters, and those actors!
Fit (2010)
Loved it!
I loved this from start to finish, but I knew roughly what to expect, having already seen and loved Rikki Beadle-Blair's "Metrosexuality". So I knew that I HAD to watch it with sub-titles; this Canadian cannot follow the thick English slang at lightning-fast speed otherwise! Even with subtitles, I missed many of the references, but I got the gist clearly enough.
While some might find the movie a little too earnest and at times preachy, I thought it did a great job bringing these stories to life in powerful and entertaining way.
Divided into episodes, it approaches the overlapping stories from different viewpoints, and tries to show that some kind of resolution, even if not yet found, is possible.
The performances are powerful and believable. The angst and bravado felt very real, and the internal conflicts really came through.
Highly recommended. Rikki Beadle-Blair is a GOD!
Third Man Out (2005)
Not a bad effort; would be nice to see more of these
The story seemed somewhat hackneyed and predictable, filled with the staples of the genre, but that struck me as more intentional than accidental. The dialogue was awkward at times, but I enjoyed the performances. The production values are good, and the music helps carry the story during its weaker moments. Overall it seemed like a reasonably good pilot for a series. I'd enjoy seeing where they could take this, once the actors and writers had a chance to settle into their roles.
The biggest weakness I found was determining how seriously to take it. It seemed to ricochet between overly-earnest and tongue-in-cheek. But overall I enjoyed it and would look forward to seeing more.
(Keep your eyes open for interesting gas prices.)
The Trip (2002)
Funny, dramatic, with a backdrop of the gay rights movement in the 70s, this feature is like two films in one.
In some ways, this feature is two films in one. The first part is set in the late 70s and early 80s, with a backdrop of the gay rights movement. With great characters, a rich and entertaining story, and wonderful production values, the first half is romantic and funny.
The second part is a road trip through Mexico. Focusing only on the two principal characters going through a difficult time in a scary environment, this part is much heavier.
The two parts are good complements. I highly recommend this film.