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Reviews
Mrs. Davis (2023)
The ultimate MacGuffin
So Betty Gilpin is fantastic in this wild ride. Who knew her scowl could be so compelling? And Elizabeth Marvel is incredibly powerful as her mother, a steely eyed character study in power and force. And there's a secret society, the holy grail, and Jesus running a falafel restaurant. And Margo Martinsdale as Mother Superior. Have I missed anything? This serial was one of the most entertaining romps I've ever encountered of late.
Ostensibly the battle here is between Sister Simone and Mrs. Davis, the AI she blames for her father's death during a magic act. There are some plot holes, but who cares? It's just fun watching Betty Gilpin tear around, riding a horse to save a mark from Vegas con artists, or hanging with Jesus in a falafel shop, arguing with her mother, and getting swallowed by a whale. There are enough twists and turns and action to keep you perched on the edge of the seat, wondering what's going to happen next.
Perhaps the most surreal moment was the meeting with Mary, mother of Jesus. The holy grail turns out not to be a cup after all, and it's destruction will release Jesus from his time on earth. Okay, maybe not canonical, but it's just a TV series and this is entertainment. It all works out in the end, and Betty even gets her horse back. Gotta watch it again!
Silent Tongue (1993)
Brooding western ghost story
The main story is simple. A man (River Phoenix) is mad with grief over the passing of his wife. His madness leads him to cling to her desiccated body. His father (Richard Harris) who arranged the marriage and purchased the wife now plots to kidnap the deceased wife's sister to try and break the spell that his son is under. And then things get supernatural.
But there is a lot of backstory here as well: the traveling carnival show that sells the worthless alcoholic patent medicine is home to the man who fathered the two sisters by raping their mother, Silent Tongue (brilliantly played by Tantoo Cardinal). The younger sister is part of the show's entertainment, riding her horse and doing tricks for the audience. But the tour de force here is Sheila Tousey as the unquiet ghost of the dead wife Aubonnie, who reveals much in her conversations with her husband (Phoenix). The final denouement where the father throws the body of the dead wife into the fire, and she radiantly emerges, at peace, before disappearing, is powerful. And the patent medicine father finally faces his sins as he's captured by Silent Tongue's people; she watches at a distance as they take him away. The traveling show regroups and continues down the road, along with everyone else in the film.
It's a slow paced movie, but it's more likely that life out in the remote and rural west was slow paced, and nothing like the constant action in modern westerns. Beautifully shot in New Mexico, the broad landscapes and big skies add to the feeling and depth of the film. If you like your western tales on the slow, brooding, and thoughtful side, this is worth your time.
Mission Pakal to Mars (2016)
No spacecraft were abused in the making of this film
Okay, if you are expecting any action scenes involving spacecraft of any kind, or surreal views of the red planet, please depart the waiting room. But if you are intrigued by a sci fi story that is really more of a strange exploration of Spanish culture, this might be your gig.
An actress shows up at some anonymous waiting room, allegedly for a screen test. But the security guard doesn't seem to know much. He manages to reach someone. Another woman shows up dressed in a strange uniform - white beret, white shirt, short pencil skirt, black platform stiletto mary janes. I'm not sure what military might use this uniform, but the other woman should have headed for the exits at that point. But no, she goes with the uniformed woman and ends up in some dark office space where she's urged to sign a contract because she's late. She gives in, and is welcomed to Mission Pakal to Mars.
And it gets worse. Now wearing the strange uniform, she ends up in a black room (antithesis of the white room from THX 1138) with several similarly dressed women. There's some harsh banter about proper military protocol. Then the reveal: they are to travel to Mars in a device of oblique description, for a round trip that will take 24 hours.
The rest of the film is the back and forth between the actress who is there for the test, and the rest of the women who seem to really believe that they are on the way to Mars. At one point the actress is cuffed and laid out on the floor. Then an alleged collision with dark matter. The banter and conversation is very oblique and odd. I'm reminded of the Spanish Civil War and the "agreement of silence" where nobody talks about the war or the atrocities committed. Is this a densely coded way to discuss that tragedy, of how Spain was a complicit ally of the Third Reich? Is the severely sexual nature of the uniform (and all the clomping around in patent stiletto heels) a way to get Spanish men to endure the dialogue? Is it all about true believers, and those who like the actress at the end, use the exit door and slip away? You will have to decide for yourself.
The Outer Limits: Afterlife (1996)
Fantastic little sci fi tale with great twist at the end...
This is what good sci fi is all about. As Philip K. Dick once said, the big question is about what it means to be human, and by extension, what it means NOT to be human. This show perfectly encapsulates that thought. Sgt. Styles is faced with a grim choice, and decides to become the test subject. The doctor explains to him that he will be injected with alien DNA, with only moderate chances of survival. The good doctor is a calm technocrat, but begins to waver in her dedication to the mission as Sgt. Styles suffers the effects of his treatment.
But he does not die. His newfound powers allow him to escape containment. Of course, the real point of the lethal alien DNA experiment was to practice hunting aliens. Or so the military minds thought. The aliens show up at the end and rescue Sgt. Styles. It's then that the doctor realizes that the aliens were testing the humans, and the humans failed.
Perfectly executed story!
Thale (2012)
Terrifying and beautiful
This is a slow moving film that has plenty of horror, but not the usual variety of gore and mayhem. Two friends who run a crime scene cleaning business get a job cleaning up a remote cabin in the woods. They discover a hidden underground compound. The place has a creepy vibe to it, and Elvis can't contain his curiosity.
This leads to the biggest discovery: a strange young woman who emerges from a bathtub full of a milky liquid. She's been breathing using a tube, hidden there all this time. There's a bit of tension when she tries to strangle Elvis, but eventually Leo talks her down and the three face off uneasily. What to do? Leo calls and decides to wait for the rest of this team.
While they are waiting, more revelations about the young woman. Tape cassettes reveal some of the horror of her captivity and her name. One perfect scene is when Thale tries coffee for the first time. Her facial reactions are perfect and priceless. It's revealed that she's a type of woodland creature (a hulder) and she's been the subject of some gruesome research.
While waiting for the rest of the crew, Thale notices shadows and movement outside and gets very scared. Elvis and Leo hear movement, and then someone tries to force their way in. The men try to keep out the attackers, but are gassed.
They come to with their heads bagged and a guy in a tyvek suit asking Elvis questions about Thale. It's hinted that these are perhaps the researchers that Thale was originally captured by. There are cuts to the tyvek suited team picking through the underground rooms, trying to find her. When she finally reveals herself, things get grim.
The real horror is the slow and systemic revelation that well-meaning "people" could do such things to a fellow creature. Thale is not human, but also not deserving of the fate that has befallen her. Fortunately, she is able to outwit the paramilitary researchers and escape back to her kind.
The movie is not perfect, and the pacing is deliberate and slow, but the evolving of the story is effective and creepy in the classic way. Thale is the best kind of monster: first, she is to be feared, but then you realize in the end that she is the victim. Silje Reinamo does a fantastic job of conveying both the vulnerability and power of Thale. The nudity is not gratuitiious - as Thale goes into action during the denouement with the researchers, it's a little terrifying to see her at full power.
For fans of slow drip drip horror or Tarkovsky films, this will be a welcome treat. Don't miss it.
Meek's Cutoff (2010)
Perhaps too close to the reality of wagon train travel
Have you spent any time out in the desolate "old west" of wagon train trails and wide open spaces? Then this film will make complete sense. Imagine traveling west in the mid 1800s. There are no railroad trains. All you have is what's in that wagon. It was pristine and nice when you left Independence, Missouri, but now out in the parched high desert, everything is tattered, worn, and tired. Including you. Days are boring and scary: water is scarce, food is rationed, and the ever present fear of "Indians" rubs your psyche raw like the ropes burn your hands. Progress is slow - 10-15 miles a day is a good pace.
Watching this movie after a lifetime of visiting such lonely places brings it all back. The dread, fear, and fatigue of the wagon train traveler was a real thing, never frequently captured by Hollywood because it's not what people really want. They want the heroic western with tidy endings and gallant gunfights, where the hero rides off with the girl and the music swells to a triumphant final overture. You aren't getting that here. Spend some time along the western routes in the howling emptiness of the Great Basin, or up in the deserts of Oregon, and you will appreciate the vision here.
Kelly Reichardt has created a true masterpiece in the tradition of slow film like Tarkovsky where she captures the totality of a particular experience. This film lets everyone reach their own conclusion. There's no triumph, no final tragedy. It's just tired, scared people trying to figure it all out along a lonely and desolate trail. And that makes it perfect.
7 from Etheria (2017)
Some powerful, provocative filmmaking here...
Outstanding series of strange tales. There are alien serums. There's a bit of time travel. There are humans being tragic and terrible. Suffering and madness. Some really terrifying gothic horror. Tragedies of misunderstanding. It's a fantastic collection of well done films and compelling stories. Not everyone will find something they truly like. But every single one of these short films is potent, powerful, and worth a watch. It's a perfect step along the path of strange tales and surreality pioneered by Rod Serling and others. Do yourself a favor and watch this collection.
Melody on Earth (2018)
Powerful, funny, wonderful story...
This is a wonderful little sci-fi. It's a great example of how sometimes less is more. There are no laser battles, no giant space cruisers exchanging fire over a burning alien planet. Instead, there's a great little story that chugs along at a good pace and wonderful acting by the cast.
The two leads are fantastic: Melody is so believable and lovable. The chunky detective with his hair and candy cigarettes really nails the low budget investigator who would take on such a case. The dated and retro office fixtures of his shop add to the "somewhere in time" feeling of the film.
Do yourself a favor and watch this movie if you want to see just how good sci fi can get when the focus is the story. Big budget effects can't cover up for the lack of a plausible and well constructed tale, and Melody on Earth has a great little myth to tell.
Marker (2005)
Fabulously unusual little movie
This is such an odd film, I'm surprised and gratified that it survived and was completed and released. It's obviously a bit low budget, but given that, the acting by all concerned is pretty decent for the most part. Iris Graham is radiant and energetic in her lead role, and Susan Hogan's Marguerite is fantastic.
There could have been more character and story development, but hey, limited budgets mean limited results. But the basic story hangs together reasonably well compared to some Hollywood blockbusters where the multiplex audience has no problem overlooking the plot holes and macguffins.
Young Sylvia is growing up in some remote town in the heavily wooded Pacific Northwest. She's going through the usual teen girl growing pains. But there's more: strange bumps emerging on her head. Her father takes her to see the reclusive Marguerite, a woman who lives alone in the woods. She dramatically reveals what's coming when she lets down her hair. I gotta say that Susan Hogan is stunning and powerful - her clipped and terse line delivery, restrained acting, and amazing looks come through even in a role that many would likely turn down.
Sylvia must come to terms with her "anomaly" and learns there are others. They are badly treated by the townsfolk, and shamed into hiding their situation. At one point, Sylvia and Kim, a similarly affected friend, go fishing and leave their anomalies uncovered. They nap in the afternoon, only to be spotted by a local family. Outrage ensues.
The young women flee, and find Kim's callow boyfriend driving up in his truck. He "rescues" them from the police, but takes them to a hunting lodge where they are captured and much is revealed. The men of the town prepare to punish the young women, but Sylvia escapes. There's a final showdown between Marguerite and the mayor, and Sylvia makes the decision to leave the town with her boyfriend and bids Kim and Marguerite farewell.
The filmmakers tried to do a little too much in such a short time, but again, the film is entertaining, unique, and like the best science fiction (it's really not a "horror" movie per se), uses a sci fi situation to address cultural issues of the moment. The women suffering from the "anomaly" could be stand ins for any persecuted group. At first, I thought that modern culture would never do something so cruel and harsh, but our news headlines remind us daily just how bad it is, how brutal the treatment of those considered "anomalies" can be. If you're looking for something a little different, you might enjoy this movie.