WLR #7

In a Violent Nature

Directed by Chris Nash

An atmospheric little spin on the slasher it was! Some gnarly kills. Felt like it was directed by Terrence Malick’s demented stepbrother

Two stars.

The Dead Don’t Hurt

Directed by Viggo Mortensen

This film is one of the best examples of non-linear storytelling I’ve seen recently. Viggo Mortensen, both as an actor and debut director, is a serious man. With a quiet precision his touch is evident not just in the portrayal of violence, which is used sparingly, but in the film’s commitment to slow burning character development.

Vicky Krieps, as usual, is a highlight. I love Vicky Krieps. Her turn is complex and restrained, a performance that harks back to the emotional rigor she first showed in Phantom Thread. Anyone who can hold the show with Daniel-Day is has a fan in Wendy Lee. It’s her tender presence here that really anchors this film. Mortensen, acutely aware of this gives her all she needs.

In a world where most films shout, this one whispers. Its deliberate pace will be alienating to some, but for me it was the film’s strongest asset. It’s a film that invites patience, demands attention, and in the end, rewards both. A diamond in the rough, one of the year’s quiet triumphs.

Three-and-a-half-stars

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Directed by …that wasn’t Michael Bay?

Hold the frame challenge level impossible!!

Wobbly cam! Wobbly cam! More kinetic wobbly cam! Edit edit! Faster faster! More fluorescent lights! This is Miami! Boats and explosions, more boats and explosions, God damnit! You have outdated sexism jokes? What are you waiting for, throw them in! Put them ALL in! This is Florida for fucks sake. Speaking of which, why hasn’t someone been eaten by an alligator yet? Throw it in there and wobble the camera and edit it fast!!!!!! WOOOOSH!!!!!!!

Martin made me laugh 3 and a half times, divide that with how bad the movie was and the final score is….

P.S. If news breaks that this movie was written strictly by AI with the help of no real people I will not be surprised.

 One-and-a-half-stars