The Notorious Guns Akimbo

Formalist critics would argue the tempest in a teapot this film stirred up in rather neurotic circles should be irrelevant to our consideration of the work itself. To some extent, they are always correct, because the most elemental critical question for any film is whether it is worth watching. However, the small, self-important echo chamber known as “Film Twitter” is unhealthily obsessed with this film. The irony is rich: it is a film about an online troll who is forced to compete in a dark web death tournament, directed by Jason Lei Howden, who started trolling the Film Twitter trolls who cyber-shamed another film critic into reportedly attempting suicide, reducing her life to one racially insensitive joke. The whole business is pretty ugly, but now the original trolls are claiming victim status for themselves. The consequences for trolling are much more severe for the hero of Howden’s Guns Akimbo, which is still opening today in New York, so let's try to address it in a calm, business-like manner.

Miles Lee Harris is a meek coder, who only feels in control of his life when he trolling, but he prides himself in only using his power for good. The dark web death-match site Skizm is just the sort of exploitative outfit that deserves his caustic dressings-down. Unfortunately, they have considerable technical resources and absolutely no sense of humor. Before he knows what hit him, Harris has been tracked and abducted, so their tech support could graft big honking guns on his hands. Much to his shock, Harris must fight to the death on Skizm, facing the ragingly psychotic Nix.

At first, Akimbo seems like another clone of the gaming-gone-deadly sub-sub-sub-genre represented by the so-so likes of Level Up and Beta Test, but the film really perks up when Harris starts to man-up, roughly halfway through. Frankly, the last twenty or thirty minutes are massively violent, but also a whole lot of fun.

Sundance ’16: Swiss Army Man

It was the year of the fart joke at this year’s Sundance and the stinkiest ones came from Daniel Radcliffe. That is because he finally played the role he and every other actor was born to play: a gaseous corpse. It is a somewhat passive part, but he has more dialogue than you might expect in the Daniels’ Swiss Army Man, which screens today as the winner of the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Seriously, that’s not a joke.

Hank is a castaway on the brink of suicide. We never really understand how he got there, but the truth is, this discouraging turn of events is not that worse than his normally crummy life. Just as he is about to end it all, he sees a body wash up on shore. Unfortunately, the body really is a body, but in his addled state, Hank starts talking to the deceased, whom he comes to know as “Manny.”

Despite his lifeless state, Manny is a handy dude to have around. There is plenty of fresh water to be squeezed out of his gut and his voluminous gas allows him to power through the water like a motorboat. In fact, he will fart Hank to within reach of civilization. As the castaway talks to his lifeless companion, Manny starts to answer back. Is it all in Hank’s sun-baked head? Yes probably, but Manny still might be able to help him work through his issues, just by being such a good listener.

Swiss Army is sort of a love-it-or-hate-it film, yet a handful of us still managed to find ourselves /mixed on it. On some level, you have to respect the tandem known as “The Daniels” (a.k.a. Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert) for their willingness to follow their weird scatalogical vision through to its logical extremes (especially if you happen to be a Sundance juror). Nevertheless, as the film stands, it is an uneasy mix of slapstick and sentiment. Frankly, the things get wildly overwrought in the third act—at which points the Daniels only have their tongues partly embedded in their cheeks. That heartstring tugging just feels cheap and unearned.

Still, you have to marvel at Paul Dano’s commitment to the often tasteless material. As Hank, the Daniels leave him out there on a limb, but he manages to create a somewhat poignant sad clown persona. Although Manny has more to do than most corpses, Radcliffe still demonstrates a good sense of humor (and a fierce determination to overcome his Harry Potter image) by taking on the rather stiff role. All things considered, their chemistry together isn’t that bad.

Although Swiss Army sounds deliriously unhinged, it sort of tries to have it both ways, which is a mistake. Yet, a film with this many big set piece sequences built around fart gags deserves some sort of acknowledgement. Evidently, that would be the directors’ award. If you are still intrigued, then judge for yourself when Swiss Army Man screens tonight (1/31) in Park City, as an award-winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Horns: Supernatural Growths

Ig Perrish is in for some Kafkaesque body horror, but at least there will be productive side effects. Those horns he finds growing from his temples are like paranormal sodium pentothal when it comes to getting people to reveal their hidden secrets—the darker and more shocking the better. Sadly, he will employ his grim new talent to find the murder of his lifelong girlfriend in Alexandre Aja’s Horns (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

Perrish was a pariah in his Twin Peaks-ish Pacific Northwest town, even before the horns. Nearly everyone assumes he murdered Merrin Williams, the love of his life, who had just thrown him over. Unfortunately, he does not have one of those alibi thingamajigs, but there is no direct evidence tying him to the murder. The situation just continues fester until his wakes up with the mother of all scarlet letters sprouting from his head.

Strangely, most people hardly notice the horns and promptly forget them shortly thereafter. Nonetheless, when talking to Perrish in-the-moment, everyone develops a wicked case of TMI, answering his questions with brutally revealing honesty. Weaker characters can also be somewhat susceptible to suggestion. Only a handful of people appear immune to Perrish’s power, including Merrin Williams’ utterly bereft father and their mutual childhood friend, Lee Tourneau, who now represents Perrish as the local public defender.

Based on a novel by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son), Horns is definitely a genre film, featuring plenty of macabre and outlandish scenes. However, it is surprisingly engaging on an emotional level, especially for a horror film, but even by the standards of conventionally square drama. Viewers will really care what happens to Perrish and mourn the pure-hearted romance that was violently cut short.

Given the horns and all, it is not surprising to find so much religious symbolism and subtext, but the film’s deep moral center comes as another pleasant surprise. While Perrish’s uncanny growths erupt after he spurns God (following an encounter with a highly judgmental clergyman) his salvation will come (if indeed it does) through the honest fate of Williams and her father Dale.

That’s all great, but Horns genre mechanics are also quite strong. Perrish’s supernaturally enhanced interrogations are quite cleverly written and often darkly comic. Yet, Aja still takes care of horror movie business, steadily building the sense of foreboding and genuine suspense.

Daniel Radcliffe, who used to make kiddie movies, is terrific as Perrish, convincingly getting at his deep-as-the-marrow pain and angst, rather than hiding behind hipster bravado. David Morse manages to be even rawer, providing the film’s moral touchstone as Dale Williams. Juno Temple is almost too spritely for Merrin Williams, but Max Minghella’s Tourneau has some memorable moments too complicated to explain here.

It is debatable whether Horns is really a horror film or a dark urban fantasy, but it should thoroughly satisfy fans of both. It is a strangely powerful film that hits a heck of a lot of bases. Highly recommended, Horns opens Halloween Friday (10/31) in New York at the Village East.