Saulnier’s Hold the Dark

It wasn’t dingoes that took Medora Slone’s child. It was wolves. At least, everyone believes her, because this thing has happened before. However, that will not placate her husband when he returns from serving in Fallujah. Although his wrath will surely fall on his wife, there is no telling who else might feel his rage. For someone as ferocious as Vernon Slone, the loss of his son could just be an excuse for a bloody rampage. Ultimately, there is no why. Vernon is just wild and violent. That could describe several characters in Jeremy Saulnier’s Hold the Dark (trailer here), which premieres on Netflix this Friday.

Medora has summoned broken down naturalist Dr. Russell Core, a noted wolf advocate, hoping he will track and kill the wolves that presumably carried off her young child to his death. Although he is a conservationist, he keenly empathizes with the grieving mother. He also senses something is a little off with her. That intuition is born out when she disappears right before her husband’s return. She has her reasons.

Instead of tracking wolves, Core helps local sheriff Donald Marium track Vernon and Medora. The former leaves a trail of dead bodies that are quite easy to follow. However, the more elusive Medora has set off into the dark heart of the Alaskan wilderness.

Hold the Dark has even more carnage than Saulnier’s previous films, Blue Ruin and Green Room, but it is loaded sinister spiritualism and heavy allegorical symbolism. Yes, people are wolves—and even worse. Still, it must be stipulated, Saulnier crafts an eerie mood that is hard to shake.

For better or worse, the film peaks about midway through when Cheeon, one of Vernon’s Native Alaska drinking buddies, ignites a massive shootout with Marium’s deputies, to provide a distraction. This might be the most intense and horrifyingly brutal gun fight ever staged on film.

Yet, there is also deeply humanistic element to the film, thanks to Jeffrey Wright’s performance as the profoundly world-weary Core. It is painful to watch him gasp, wheeze, and stew in his regret and remorse. Similarly, James Badge Dale’s Marium gives us a grounded, tragically decent everyman figure to identify with.

On the other side of the spectrum, Alexander Skarsgard is big, hulking, and quietly creepy, totally footing the bill of a villain who evokes the supernatural. The chameleon-like Riley Keogh is also quite unsettling as Medona, but Julian Black Antelope overshadows them both as the lethally resentful Cheeon.

Although Hold the Dark is clearly intended as a meditation on violence, it remains inscrutable on many levels. There is no satisfying explanation for the death Vernon leaves in his wake. He is meant to be something akin to a force of nature or a mythical beast. That is both frustrating and unnerving, much like the film itself. A little less portentousness would have made for a tighter, tauter ride, but it is still clearly the work of an assured stylist. Recommended for its intangible spookiness and its shocking centerpiece, Hold the Dark starts streaming tomorrow (9/28) on Netflix and also opens in New York, at the IFC Center.

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2018: Curtain Raiser

Those of us living in the City are often scared to go into Brooklyn. From October 11^th through October 18^th there will actually be good reason for that fear. This year’s Brooklyn Horror Film Festival will be on—and this year they are screening one of the most bizarrely deadly films ever.

If you looked at the slate a week ago, look again, because some changes have been made. Worry not, they are still screening Antrum, considered to be a truly cursed film. Whenever attempts have been made to screen it, bad things seem to happen, but this time is sure to be different.

There will also be two world premieres: Boo! And Welcome to Mercy, as well the world premiere of the freshly restored Tiny Tim slasher, Blood Harvest.

North American premieres include: Cannibal Club, Family, Inner Ghosts, Party Hard Die Young, and The Rusalka, directed by Perry Blackshear, who made quite an impression with They Look Like People.

Screening as a New York debut, Tilman Singer’s Luz proves a film can be ambitious and experimental while still getting its scares in. For nostalgia, there will also be the New York premiere of Wolfman’s Got Nards, the Monster Squad documentary and the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies will present a program on made-for-TV horror films. Plus, there will be several retro-retrospective slasher screenings, including My Bloody Valentine and Sleepaway Camp.

We are looking forward to The Night Shifter, Tumbbad, Field Guide to Evil, and Ghost Mask: Scar. So, basically there will be something for the entire family. Further coverage to come, when the Brooklyn Horror Film Fest runs 10/11-10/18. Website here.

King Lear: Modern and Quicker, on Prime Video

The pseudo-historical Leir of Celtic Britain actually regained his throne with the help of the French and his youngest daughter Cordelia, but that was no fun for Shakespeare. Everything about his Lear had to be tragic. That makes it a heck of a role to play. When Sir Anthony Hopkins played “Sir,” the actor preparing to portray King Lear in The Dresser a few years ago, it probably gave a lot of people ideas that he makes good on now. Hopkins stars in Richard Eyre’s modernized and somewhat abridged King Lear (trailer here), which premieres on Prime Video this Friday.

It is a slightly dystopian Britain, but the narrative is still Lear. You know, one king with three daughters. He tries to divide his kingdom among the triumvirate, but the youngest daughter, who loves him best, refuses to play that game. A cold war quickly develops between the two ambitious sisters, egged on by Edmund, the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. Right, that Lear.

For the most part, the stylized setting is rather effective. Eyre’s Lear often shares a kinship with Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus, in the way they depict modern warfare and a militaristic milieu. Plus, many scenes were shot in and around the imposing Dover Castle, which is quite a dramatic backdrop. However, the sequences of the mad Lear scuffling through an open-air shopping district feel like an ill-advised Beckett production.

Regardless, Hopkins is definitely a Lear to be reckoned with, encompassing all the bluster and tragedy that have made the character so iconic. Frankly, it is the Lear we would hope for and expect from him, but he also happens to be fronting an incredibly deep ensemble. You know it is a big cast when a knighted actor and a former Doctor Who appear rather late in the credits (Sir John Standing, memorably dignified as Gloucester’s Butler, and Christopher Eccleston as Oswald, Goneril’s steward).

Emma Thompson, Emily Watson, and Florence Pugh from Lady Macbeth are also arguably quite a dream team as the three daughters. Thompson is wonderfully Machiavellian as Goneril (a name that has fortunately fallen out of favor), while Pugh is quite poignant as Cordelia, but Watson’s Regan suffers when compared to Thompson. Andrew Scott continues to be one of the best character actors in the business with his intense turn as Edgar, Gloucester’s legitimate heir. However, the most likely award nominees should be the two Jims: Downtown Abbey’s Jim Carter as Kent and Jim Broadbent as Gloucester, both of whom give terrific, deeply absorbing performances.

Eyre’s adaptation is really quite faithful, shotgunning every notable plot point into one hour and fifty-five minutes. He also keeps the language and the general tone of Shakespeare’s play, while cinematographer Ben Smithard (whose classy credits include Viceroy’s House and I, Anna) gives it all a sinister sheen. It might be unusually svelte for a Shakespeare production, but it is still a very well-put-together package. Highly recommended, King Lear starts streaming this Friday (9/28), on Amazon Prime.

The Negotiation

We’ve all seen enough movies to make us think we could be hostage negotiators too. All you have to do is keep them on the phone talking, right? There’s probably a little more to it than that, like special psychological training for when a hostage is brutally murdered in front of you. Inspector Ha Chae-yoon could never get used to that part, so she tried to tender her resignation. Instead, she is assigned to hostage crisis with touchy political sensitivities in Lee Jong-suk’s The Negotiation (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

Cha was supposed to be on vacation during the tragic opening standoff, but she duly hurried back. She will take an extended leave afterward, but neither Captain Jung, or their Superintendent, Ahn Hyuk-soo is willing to accept her resignation. She therefore has little choice when summoned for another hostage crisis, but this time she will be dealing with the hostage taker remotely from the NIS operations center.

Notorious arm dealer Min Tae-gu has taken at least two hostages: Captain Jung and Lee Sang-mok, a muckraking reporter investigating Min’s operations—at least that is what Inspector Ha is told. However, it quickly become clear the NIS is covertly involved in Min’s drama, in ways that would embarrass the agency if made public. Even though the NIS and top government officials are clearly lying to her, the Inspector will try to keep Min talking for fourteen hours, until the strike force reaches his Southeast Asian hideout.

Frankly, The Negotiation makes The Negotiator (with Kevin Spacey) look downright Pollyannaish by comparison. Thanks to its unapologetically cynical portrayal of the national government and security services, it could practically pass for a sequel to Woo Min-ho’s Inside Men. Obviously, Koreans have little to absolute zero faith and confidence in their current government, because that is vividly reflected in their recent thrillers, most definitely including The Negotiation and Inside Men.

Regardless, the film is a grand slam showcase for Son Ye-jin, who is terrific as Inspector Ha. She brings out all of Ha’s insecurities, while still maintaining her intelligence and grit. Hyun-Bin also does some of his best work to date in what is being billed as his first portrayal of a villain. Of course, Min quickly becomes a rather ambiguous figure, but he is totally riveting nonetheless. Kim Sang-ho still has his crazy Einstein look going on, but he plays Superintendent Ahn mostly straight, with only a little bit of put-upon shtick. Lee Shi-A is also quite compelling as Yoo Yeon-joo, the tragic mystery woman, whose fate looms large over the burgeoning crisis.

Yes, there is a reason why dark thrillers are one of South Korea’s top exports, along with Hyundai cars and Samsung smart phones. They are nearly always tight and tense, but distinguished by strong characters and a fatalistic sensibility. In this case, Son and Hyun-bin really power it along. Enthusiastically recommended, The Negotiation opens this Friday (9/28) in New York and New Jersey.

LAFF ’18: The Wrong Todd

The stakes are usually astronomical in science fiction involving alternate universes. In contrast, the love of one woman might sound like small potatoes, but it means everything to Todd—and also to Other Todd. The alternate Todd never got over the death of their beloved Lucy, so he manages to switch places with the Todd of our world, so he can be with her again. Our Todd is more slackery, but love will motivate him in Rob Schulbaum’s The Wrong Todd (trailer here), which premiered at this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival.

Regular World Todd has rarely left Providence and never been outside New England, but that has always been his preference. Therefore, he reacts badly when his girlfriend Lucy tells him she wants to accept a promotion in Seattle. He will regret his churlishness, because Other Todd is about to bonk him over the head and send him back to his Other universe.

Of course, Lucy is quite surprised to find her supposed Todd is now super-attentive and eager to support her career decisions. In contrast, the displaced Todd is totally surprised to find his best friend, Lucy’s schlubby brother Dave is suddenly weirdly responsible and married to Lucy’s contemptuous bestie, Abby. They also keep telling him Lucy is dead, so he’d better finally come to terms with it.

Right, how do you cross over into different universes? A mad scientist has a portal in his RV. This is definitely lo-fi science fiction, but it is the relationships that matter, not the special effects. Even though Wrong Todd is being positioned as a sf rom-com, it is shockingly sweet and touching. Think Somewhere in Time with some physical comedy.

Jesse Rosen shows tremendous flexibility differentiating the two Todds, while still suggesting core commonalities. Sean Carmichael exhibits even greater extremes as Dave (the loafing loser everyone will want to slap) and Other Dave, who has some deeply poignant moments discussing his grief over Lucy’s death. Nicely playing opposite him, Erin Rose brings some wonderfully sly attitude to Abby and Other Abby. Anna Rizzo portrays Lucy as a smart, independent woman (even though she is involved with Todd), which is somewhat refreshing in both rom-coms and science fiction (but alas, there is only one of her).

It might take viewers five or ten minutes to acclimate themselves to the film’s idiosyncratic rhythm, but it is worth the effort. Don’t come for laughs, because this film delivers big emotional payoffs instead. Highly recommended for fans of character-driven science fiction, The Wrong Todd had its world premiere at the 2018 LAFF.

The Golden Job: The Young and Dangerous Cast Gets Fast and Furious

Just imagine if Vin Diesel were betrayed by a member of his “family” in the Fast and the Furious franchise. That is about what happens to the other four sworn brothers who make up an elite free-lance team of mercenaries with vaguely criminal roots. It also happens to be a reunion of cast-members from the Young and Dangerous HK films series in its prime, but this is an entirely unrelated narrative. A heist will go down really, really wrong in Chin Ka-lok’s The Golden Job (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

After an assignment for a big pharma company ends in disaster (possibly because the plan is utterly inexplicable), the Fab Five stop sub-contracting for the man and go back to their indie roots, answering only to Cho, their “Papa” in whatever it is they do. Their first operation on their own will be a pro-bono gig, knocking over a truckload newly developed super-medicine, so their leader Lion can deliver it to Dr. Chow, the NGO doctor working in Africa he has been intermittently romancing.

The job went off without a hitch, but when they look in the back of the truck, they find gold bullion instead of medicine. Clearly, leaving the intel and logistics to Bill, the roguish corner-cutting bro, was a mistake. Lion, Calm, Crater, and Mouse all express their disappointment. Inevitably, their confrontation turns into a slam-bang gun fight that seriously wounds Papa Cho. Bill absconds with the gold, which he uses to set himself up as a crime lord in Montenegro. Alas, the rest of his brothers are left holding the bag, but we know there is no way they will leave things that way.

One thing is undeniable, Chin likes to drive fast. Golden Job is not exactly a staggering work of originality, but it aims to please with plenty of energetically staged car chases, shootouts, and multiple old school fight sequences. The action is high octane all the way, with Chin choreographing a number of neat stunts.

As Crater, Jordan Chan broods with ferocious intensity, while Michael Tseng’s Bill chews the scenery with outsider relish. Jerry Lamb’s hacker Mouse is nearly as underwritten as Charmaine Sheh’s Dr. Chow, but who cares? Ekin Chan is still quite charismatic and has mucho action chops as Lion and Calm’s specialty (as played by Chin) is getaway driving, so what more do we need? Plus, Eric Tsang tones down the shtick as Papa Cho. As a bonus, veteran Japanese character actor Yasuaki Kurata gets an unlikely action showcase as Cho’s elderly but still steely Japanese neighbor.

You need no familiarity with the Y&D films to enjoy Golden Job, but you had better enjoy old school throw-downs. It might be an angsty time of betrayal for the “brothers,” but it is a lot of fun to watch. Recommended for fans of classic HK action films, The Golden Job opens this Friday (9/28) in New York, at the AMC Empire.

Fantastic Fest ’18: Werewolf

After the horror came a coda of terror for these painfully young survivors. They were liberated from a concentration camp by the Russians, only to be abandoned in a remote improvised orphanage. Unfortunately, they are still threatened by demons, both external and internal, in Adrian Panek’s Werewolf (trailer here), which had its international premiere at the 2018 Fantastic Fest.

Nobody turns feral when the full moon rises in this film. These werewolves are metaphorical, referring to the beasts we keep at bay inside. However, there really is a pack of vicious dogs. They are sort of like the canines in White God, but less allegorical and really in no way supernatural.

Ranging from five-ish to the twenty-year-old Hanka, the children have been deposited in a crumbling grand manor house, under the supervision of the bereaved Jadwiga. Alas, their sardonic protector will not last long, leaving them to face the pack of snarling dogs that surrounds their new home completely on their own. The children will be prisoners within the house, forgotten by the not-so compassionate Russians. With food and water running short, they will have to start improvising. Unfortunately, there is also dissension within, stemming from Janek and Wladek’s romantic interest in Hanka and resentment over the former’s German nationality.

This is a film that could have gone perilously wrong in so many ways, but Panek always keeps it on the right side and totally on solid ground. We see the various survival strategies that have been ingrained into the children, but even when Janek is at his worst, he still very clearly remains a traumatized little boy, whom we have sympathy for.

Sonia Mietielica, Nicolas Przgoda, and Kamil Polnisiak are all quite remarkable as Hanka, Janek, and Wladek, respectively. They each portray deeply wounded characters, in mature and challenging ways, but they also handle the business of being stuck in a Cujo-like situation quite convincingly.

Technically, Werewolf is also quite an assured, well-put-together package. Cinematographer Dominik Danilczyk gives it the look of an ominous fable, while the design team (production designer Anna Wunderlich, art director Marcin Aziukiewicz) really make the mansion-turned-orphanage look like a shabby monument to faded days of glory. In many ways, it is a heartbreaking film, but it also allows for the possibility of hope—and maybe even forgiveness. Very highly recommended, Werewolf screens again Wednesday (9/26), as part of this year’s Fantastic Fest.

Fantastic Fest ’18: Piercing

This should be the last shade of grey you will ever need to see in the movies. To get rid of his murderous impulses, a new father plans to do a quickie murder out of town, but God and his intended victim laugh at his meticulous planning in Nicolas Pesce’s Piercing, which screens as a selection of this year’s Fantastic Fest.

Reed has been successfully fighting the urge to stab his newborn infant with an icepick, so good for him for being so responsible. Logically, he decides to get it all out of his system by murdering a S&M prostitute in an upscale but still seedy what-happens-here-stays-here hotel. His wife and baby seem to approve of this scheme, at least according to his highly suspect perception. As he awaits her arrival, Reed his envisioned crime in obsessive detail. However, the plan starts to when the unhinged Jackie is sent as a sub for the sub.

Technically, Jackie is still a submissive, but her thing seems to be deliberately riling up clients, so they will hurt her. She could very well be more than Reed can handle. She might also be unto him. If so, it is because it takes one to know one.

Piercing has some merit, but even though it is based on a Ryû Murakami novel, the whole premise of the loving father who is really a twisted psychopath feels really old hat by now. The assorted reversals are well played by Mia Wasikowska, but they are as predictable as the rhythm of metronome. Christopher Abbot also has such a weak presence as Reed, it is hard to believe he could overcome an infant with an icepick, let alone a full grown, potentially psychotic woman.

The scale model exterior shots and giallo homage flourishes are cool, but the film never surprises us. Instead, it leaves wondering was it really worth going through so much, just to reach this point? Still, it completely alters what mostly of us think of Wasikowska. Her performance is so electrically fierce, it nearly redeems the entire picture.

Pesce is also quite the stylist, but the voyeuristic experience he tries instills makes you feel slightly dirty for watching. Not recommended despite Pesce’ command of mood and style, Piercing screens again tomorrow night (9/24), as part of this year’s Fantastic Fest.

Fantastic Fest ’18: Luz

Normally, a crummy German police station with all the original 1970s décor would be a depressing place to visit. In this case, it will be disorienting and terrifying. Frankly, the cops and faux wood paneling are the least of this young woman’s worries. Her concerns are more demonic in nature during the strange course of Tilman Singer’s Luz (trailer here), which screens as a selection of this year’s Fantastic Fest.

The title character enters the station and starts acting oddly. All will sort of be explained, but first we cut across town to where Chilean expat Nora Vanderkurt is seducing a police head-shrinker. It seems Luz is a long-lost friend of hers going back to their boarding school days in Chile, who is now working as a cabbie in Germany. Yet, for some reason, Luz jumped out of her own moving cab to get away from Vanderkurt.

That much seems to be true, but be skeptical of everything else you see or hear. Regardless, it soon becomes apparent that Vanderkurt is acting under some sort of infernal influence. Of course, she will also bring the drunk and aroused Dr. Rossini under its control as well. That will make things interesting when Rossini is called in to examine Luz.

Initially, Rossini still seems to have it together, but when he puts Luz under hypnosis all bets are off. Suddenly, the film veers into experimental territory as Luz starts to act out scenes from her past like Marcel Marceau. Her perception blends into our perception, but perception in general goes all kablooey when the supernatural fog rolls in.

Luz is probably about as experimental as a horror movie can get while still being an effective horror movie. Clearly, Singer knows the work of Robbe-Grillet and other post-modernists, but he has also studied Halloween and The Exorcist¸ because he creates visceral tension through the use of creepy soundscapes.

It also helps to have an absolutely fearless ensemble playing the terrified characters. Luana Velis is absolutely riveting and massively freaky as Luz. Likewise, it is hard to even describe Jan Bluthardt’s performance as Rossini, freely combining low comedy and bizarro evil. Julia Riedler is also one heck of a showstopping femme fatale as Vanderkurt. Her extended seduction of Rossini goes from wtf to “holy cats, Batman” right before our eyes.

This film is bound to be divisive, but there is a there there and its scary as heck. Singer deserves a lot of credit, because he proves you can be ambitious in the horror genre and still get your scares. It keeps company with a select group of films informed by poststructuralism but still all kinds of frightening, like Tombville, Impossible Horror, and that’s about all. Very highly recommended adventurous viewers, Luz screens again this Tuesday (9/25) during Fantastic Fest (and it also plays 10/13 during the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival).

Sway: It’s a Small World After All

Sometimes travel is necessary to achieve a better life. This is often the immigrant experience. For others, travel is just another way of standing still. This is not so uncommonly the expat experience. It is frequently unclear which kind of travel applies to the three international couples in Rooth Tang’s Sway (trailer here), which is now available on digital VOD platforms.

Arthur, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Hong Kong, has been fired off the crew of a Hollywood movie. At loose ends, he visits his lover in Paris, but his visa expires soon. Vivian was once a famous teenage TV star in HK, but she has opted for the relative obscurity of print journalism. She clearly has a serious case of Garbo syndrome, but she is maybe starting to open up to Arthur, just a bit. Regardless, convincing to return to HK with him will take some talking.

Meanwhile, Amanda is struggling to be a good stepmother in America to her Japanese step-daughter, but Grace makes it difficult. Of course, her expat Japanese husband is instinctively strict, but Grace really has yet to come to terms with her mother’s death. Amanda would like to help her with that, but she keeps getting frozen out. The gossipy expat community is not much help either, but at least she and her husband really do love each other.

Initially, Thai couple June and Palm also look like they are deeply in love. However, soon after their marriage, Palm’s entrepreneurial schemes go up in smoke. Both are college educated, so June would be happy to settle for an average life as salary earners, but Palm has a notion to start over in America, even though it would mean living a subsistence existence as off-the-books workers.

Sway is an absolutely gorgeous film thanks to the richly evocative cinematography of Lyn Moncrief and Vasco Lucas Nunes. Arguably, the Parisian storyline is best served by its romantic look. It also happens to be the strongest of the three and also the one most responsible for earning Sway comparisons to Wong Kar-wai. Lu Huang, known for serious films like Blind Massage and Blind Mountain, gives another challenging and disciplined performance, but she also shows a romantic side we have not seen enough of. Matt Chung-tien Wu is perhaps even more affecting as Arthur, struggling with his rootlessness. Together, they develop chemistry in the tradition Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman, but they might be even more cosmopolitan.

Even though the Los Angeles segments do not quite have the same dreamy vibe, Kris Wood Bell, Kazuhiko Nishimura, and Miki Ishikawa all do some remarkably sensitive and assured work as the step-mother, old dad, and daughter Grace, respectively. Thanks to this central trio, their storyline also probably ends with the strongest payoff. Eyes might get a little misty even.

That leaves the Bangkok arc as the film’s weak link, but to be fair, Sajee Apiwong is arrestingly poignant, but her best work comes without Ananda Everingham’s Palm. It is too intangible to pin down why, but somehow their rapport just does not come together. Still, like the rest of the film, Pang capitalizes on the picturesque Thai locations.

During Sway, we feel how the world just isn’t big enough to lose yourself in anymore. That is especially true for Arthur, who is rather shocked when his mother joins him in Paris, but she quite charms us in the audience. You can certainly compare it to other films, but Sway really transports you in the moment and stays with you long after viewing. Highly recommended, especially for anyone who has been involved in an international relationship, Sway is now available on VOD, including iTunes.

Assassination Nation: Privacy is Dead and You’re Next

Even if privacy really is dead, do we really have to chuck away personal responsibility with it? This film seems to think so. Set in a modern-day town named Salem, it becomes the sight of a new kind of witch hunt when nearly every resident has their dirty, hypocritical social media hacked. Right, subtlety is obviously long gone as well. Anger is the prime motivation and defining emotion of Sam Levinson’s Assassination Nation (trailer here), which opens tomorrow in New York.

Lily Colman and her BFFs Sarah, Em, and the transgender Bex do not believe in privacy, so they just try to look their best half-naked on social media platforms. In fact, they devote quite a bit of time to maintaining their images. Yet, they are still blindsided when the mother of all e-mail/social media/phone hacks hits Salem. First it is the mayor and then the high school principal who fall victim to the Savonarola-like hacker, but he soon turns his attention on the students.

Even though Colman and her pals are hit harder than anyone by the hack, the town soon gets the notion that she must be the hacker, so just about everyone forms into a lynch mob and heads towards her house. Seriously, Colman may have her flaws, but she hardly seems to have the technical wherewithal for this kind of cyber mischief. However, she can handle a gun and will do so to defend herself, as is her right.

Aside from its huge logical issues, ANation also suffers from the hypocrisies it so easily ascribes to others. In its world, any Evangelical Christian is secretly picking up rent boys on the side. Frankly, this film is symptomatic of the divisiveness plaguing our country. If Levinson actually went out into Red States to meet Evangelicals they would find most of them love their children and worry about their online exposure (by the way, Trump slightly under-performed with this demographic and they turned against Roy Moore). Whereas, in ANation, there is less parenting going on than in a typical John Hughes movie.

Most of the cast is playing broadly drawn “us” or “them” characters, but Colman Domingo is quite exceptional as Principal Turrell. He stands out as the voice of reason and a figure of dignity. Frankly, his example serves as an indictment of both our current polarized society and the film it appears in.

ANation is sort of like an even more politicized installment of The Purge, but Levinson never allows us to just enjoy the carnage. Instead, he keeps interrupting the mayhem to make sure we are getting the message—like we could miss it. This is just a simplistic film that will further divide us, by stoking half the population’s fear and resentment of the other half. Not recommended as cinema or inciting propaganda, Assassination Nation opens tomorrow (9/21) in theaters throughout the City, including the AMC Empire.

NOLA Horror ’18: Framed

A group of friends think they are gathering for a going away party. Boy, is that the truth. Thanks to the internet, the goodbyes will be permanent in Marc Martínez’s Framed (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 NOLA Horror Film Fest.

In Spain, they are just starting to realize the internet can host of lot of twisted, dangerous stuff. Our latest luddite morality lesson revolves around the live-streaming platform “Framed.” It started out with cooking lessons and the like, but quickly gained infamy for the more extreme videos streamed there. However, nothing tops the violence instigated by the three nameless killers seen in the prologue driving a wronged wife to bludgeon her faithless husband. This time, they plan to get their hands dirty crashing the party thrown for poor, luckless Álex. He was hoping he would finally get somewhere with Bea, but that obviously will not be happening when she shows up with her NGO do-gooder boyfriend Maurice. Then the live-casting killers start to strike.

Frankly, it really feels like this film is late to the demonize-the-internet party. We have been down this road with the Unfriended movies before. By now, we understand our voyeurism is part of the problem. The whole live-casting angle really isn’t new. It’s even happened in real life, horrifyingly. So, that just leaves Framed as a rather routine slasher film, albeit with somewhat above average brutality.

Still, it has to be stipulated, Framed has considerably higher production values than most exploitative slashers. Cinematographer Yuse Riera really gives it a polished but ominous look. Joe Manjón and Claudia Pons are quite competent as Álex and his platonic roommate, the two primary rooting interests, but their characters are quite thinly sketched. Álex Maruny is also undeniably creepy as the lead home invader, but his two accomplices are such problematic stereotypes, it really gives you an icky feeling watching the film.

At least, Framed has the merit of brevity, clocking in at eighty minutes. Martínez does not dawdle with the gore either. It is a well-made film, but it is not nearly as edgy or topical as it thinks it is. Considering the strength of Spanish horror in general, Framed is rather a disappointment. It screens this Sunday night (9/23), as part of the NOLA Horror Film Fest.