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It Comes at Night (2017)
Watch it two times, with different perspectives
If you watch this movie for the first time, your focus will be on Paul and his family, out in the woods surviving an apocalyptic outbreak that has plagued humanity. You will follow along and share his suspicion of Will, someone who stumbles into his house and eventually brings his family over to live with Paul's. You follow along Travis' apparent dreams and how things eventually end in tragedy, and then roll credits. You will be like everyone else in wondering why the movie ended so suddenly, and feeling disenchanted because the "it" that comes at night was never revealed.
However, watch the movie again, this time from Will's perspective. You stumble into a house looking for supplies for your family. After weighing your options, you decide to bring your family over, you follow all of Paul's rules and get a little comfortable living there. But at the back of your mind, you wonder...
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*SPOILERS*
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The "it" is literally what the movie shows you is happening every night. Travis is having some kind of hallucinatory fever dream. That is the It. The It is a symptom of the disease.
Although never explained, it is highly theorized that Travis was the one that actually infected Andrew. And Travis was infected by Stanley, who got it from Bud. One of the symptoms of the disease is hallucinations, like Travis's fever dreams or Stanley barking at something that is not there. All diseases can mutate so maybe Travis' symptoms progressed slowly, and Andrew's faster because he is younger.
Whether those theories are real, or not, this movie is not about a contagion. The main thing in this movie is: distrust. Paul is proven to react fast to ANY threat. He killed the two men who shot at him without any doubts. He similarly killed Will and his family without hesitation. This is what is most scary of all. Paul's inability to trust a little, is what ended so many lives. Why can't he just let Will and his family go? Instead he destroys someone else's family and his own.
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*END SPOILERS*
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The whole premise of the movie is a little gimmicky, and it makes sense for anyone to be turned off by it because the "it" is not particularly outlined, shown or explained. But overall, it is not a bad movie.
There is no monster, its not about the contagion, its about what lies not said between two men. And particularly a father's rigidity to handle what perhaps he most fears, until in the end it ends up happening anyway.
The Last Descent (2016)
Very respectful to John Jones
I'm not sure why this film is rated so low. It is not a Hollywood blockbuster, not a Citizen Kane, you can tell its low budget. Regardless, the acting is pretty good, the directing and cinematography are good. It IS difficult to tell a story when we all know the outcome, so it feels a little long at times, but it is otherwise watchable.
The film was made with the utmost respect for John Jones. Aside from the scenes of him in the cave, there are many flashback and dream sequences that make John Jones a real person, not just the "guy who got stuck in the cave."
I will say that I do NOT recommend this film to anyone who suffers from claustrophobia or anxiety. I do not think you will enjoy it, as it will only exacerbate those issues.
The Problem with Apu (2017)
Watch it if you're curious
If you're curious about this documentary because you've heard all the criticism, just watch it and form your own opinion. A lot of the criticism comes from people who haven't even watched it.
The meat and potatoes, the core argument the director is making, is that he feels that Apu's accent and that he's working in a convenience store is a mockery of the Indian American experience. He compares Apu's appearance on The Simpsons to a minstrel show, yes to black face.
I'm always willing to hear opinions and points of view of others - he interviews several Indian American actors who say they are tired of being required to have accents in their acting jobs and play the roles of the confused immigrant or convenience store worker. All valid arguments of Hollywood's lack of diversity and constant typecasting.
However, the reason I am rating this what I am is because I don't feel this documentary needed to be made, nor would I watch it again. Everything he did could have been condensed to maybe a 20 minute video clip on YouTube. He spends a significant portion of it trying to get a hold of Hank Azaria, and whining about not getting a response from him.
To be a more meaty documentary, he could have instead spent some time educating us on what exactly IS the Indian American experience. He never does this. He also never once says the word "satire" which is what The Simpsons is. Has he even seen the whole series? Does he know what satire even is?
All the whining and presentation doesn't make him a likeable guy. In fact, he's almost 40 and he comes off as bratty and immature.
I think he could have wrapped up his arguments better in a way to educate people, but he doesn't so thats why they come off as weak. I made myself watch all the way through and would never watch again.