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Reviews
Hiso hiso boshi (2015)
The ASMR Sci-Fi B&W epic
A remarkably low key sci-fi film about a galaxy wide delivery service that take literally years and years to deliver each package. The ship, which looks like a flying Japanese house, is manned by a single person, who spends her time doing the little things - sweeping, mopping, making tea and even recording her musings. Periodically, the ship lands and she delivers a single solitary package, with varying degrees reactions by the receivers. The final delivery in the film is particularly poignant.
As many have said, kind of a Tarkovsky-like film. Very minimalist, with the days literally listed out as she does her chores. Think the beginning of the original *Solaris*. Truly a slow paced film, which generally isn't my style, but this was almost the movie equivalent of an ASMR video. I felt totally wrapped up in every little sound, from the drip of the faucet to the hiss of the teapot.
And each of the "worlds" that were landed on was filmed in the hellscape that is the Fukushima nuclear disaster site, positing a universe nearly devoid of people after some kind of post-apocalyptic war.
But you really have to be in the mood to be wrapped around the simple joy of the sound a can stuck to the bottom of your shoe makes as one walk thru a deserted landscape. Wind down on a late Friday night with this black and white meditation and it will really hit home.
Ready or Not (2019)
Dark Violence, Dark Humor in a nearly perfect blend
In "Ready or Not", Samara Weaving plays a woman marrying into a very rich family. But that family has a very strange ritual when a new member joins the family. They have to pick a card and play a game. And one card in particular means a serious turn for the worst. And you know what card comes up, right?
So this is one of my favorite genres - a thriller with lots of gory violence and plenty of humor, both just funny but mostly very very dark. Plenty of fun one liners and plenty of gory endings. Weaving does an amazing job of showing how this otherwise normal person rises to the occasion, despite being put through one of the most grueling wringers I think anyone has ever had to do, at least since Chris in *Get Out*! She has a great transformation and her expressive face conveys everything. I imagine it was probably a pretty grueling filming even.
And the rest of the cast, led by Andie McDowell and Henry Czerny, were great and it was full of all kinds of actors that you go "Now where I have seen that actor before?" And a special shoutout to Brian Tyler for the amazing soundtrack. There were light touches when needed and some serious percussion when that was needed. Bravo all the way around!