New Movie Reviews (02.05.23)

New reviews, a recommendation and a general wrap-up on how things are going

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting back into writing again after an unintended hiatus. I can’t thank you enough for reading what I’ve written so far and I’ll try not to let you down with content. I used to have a LiveJournal, a notebook journal and would likely have a song/poem/scribbling every day for quite a long time. But between music, podcasts and film viewing I simply tucked my other passion away for safe keeping. Plus I wasn’t sure if I was up to snuff or very good at it compared to the type of film writing / reviewing I’ve been reading for a long time.

So part of me thinks podcasting will no longer be the passionate pursuit in 2024 the way it has been. There’s often too much on my plate to devote my time to it the way I can for writing. Granted I always seem to have a change of heart and would never give up yearly podcast traditions that I’ve already committed to.

I think what it comes down to is that when I hear a piece by Max Richter, I immediately feel so moved to tears that I want to be a part of that world and create instrumental compositions. When I watch an inspiring film, sometimes I still envision writing one of my own someday. First and foremost, I need to work on my health and securing a better future so I don’t end up stumbling severely.

In the meantime though, I’d like to keep at this 5 YEARS endeavor and not give up the way I have many other projects in the past. Even if there are only a dozen subscribers a year from now, it’ll still be meaningful to me knowing that I decided to still pursue writing in some form. Even around this time last year, I felt that podcasting capsule reviews of new releases was the way to go for me. What a difference a year can make because now I want to change course and write again. So here are two reviews of new releases and a podcast recommendation. Let my love open the cabin door and see what’s inside.

Knock At The Cabin (2023) (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)

Sometimes I walk out of a film by M. Night Shyamalan feeling very conflicted. I often like a lot of scenes and performances but usually, I feel let down by the endings. In the moment, I am mostly caught up in his skillful direction and ability to create suspense that is mostly effective, but afterwards I think more about the decisions he made and wondered why he decided to go in a certain direction.

Such is the case with his latest film Knock at the Cabin and his last film, Old. Both have to do with the endings that I’ll try not to spoil. Let’s just say he didn’t quite stick the landing with either setup. Old had a lot of questionable choices throughout that made me actively turn on it whereas at least he’s working with interesting source material this time. 

Knock at the Cabin is based on a book by Paul Tremblay called The Cabin At The End Of The World (a much better title). Having read it recently in preparation for seeing M. Night’s adaptation, two things occurred to me while reading it and thinking about the premise. This type of material has been done in different ways before. It combined some of the ideas in Bill Paxton’s fascinating horror thriller Frailty, Michael Tolkin’s brilliant apocalyptic drama The Rapture with some of the third act of The Killing of a Sacred Deer thrown in for good measure. But I couldn’t put the book down. I was hooked.

Watching M. Night take on this material, I felt that similar hook for a good long stretch. (Funnily enough, I saw shots of book shelves and one of the books shown was Scott Smith’s tremendous morality tale A Simple Plan - another novel I couldn’t put down and read in one night). I’ve always said that M. Night is a good director but his scripts fail him time and time again. The screenplays he writes just lose momentum or succumb to the dreaded gimmicky twist. He ends up taking stories in directions I wish they wouldn’t go.

In Knock at the Cabin, Eric and Andrew take their seven-year-old daughter Wen, to a remote cabin in the woods for some rest and relaxation. But shortly after they arrive, four strangers turn up at the cabin, demanding to be let inside. They’re all from different walks of life but have shared the same vision. The strangers – led by a hulking man named Leonard – inform Eric and Andrew they are here to discuss a very urgent matter. This matter is something which must be voiced now, because it is of the utmost importance.

Worried for their safety, as well as the safety of their daughter, Eric and Andrew refuse to let the strangers in. However, this does not deter the group, who force their way inside the cabin regardless. Once inside, Leonard and Co. tie up Eric and Andrew and inform them they’ve been chosen to make an important sacrifice. Within the next day, one of them must choose to die: Either Eric, Andrew, or Wen.  If they don’t make a choice, the fate of the world is at stake. Extinction level events may (or will) follow, and the human race will be wiped out. Not to mention that the strangers too will choose to do something to themselves as well. The suspense mainly comes in wondering how all of this will play out.

Suffice to say this film does play out differently than the novel which is what left me more in the middle. A part of me went in thinking - if M. Night does go “all the way” sorta speak and embrace the kind of shock and bleak narrative of the source material, I might actually applaud his audacity and fearlessness to get that dark. However, without going into too much detail, he chickens out and changes things entirely in a way that leaves me rather unsatisfied. But everything leading up to the third act is actually some of the better film-making he’s done in awhile. I just wish he had faith in the original story rather than decide to make it his own.

Strangely enough, I kinda expected that to happen because it seems to happen a lot these days with his work. Maybe I want a story to go left and instead, it goes right. Or it simply just feels like it needed something a bit more surprising and shocking than what I got. True, if it had adhered entirely to the book, then I would know how it would all conclude. Though I wanted to see if M. Night could actually pull it off. Knock at the Cabin stumbles as it heads toward the finish line, delivering a passable finale with an interesting use of a familiar song but there was still something missing for me to fully recommend it.

The themes and ideas here, many of which were provoked while reading it on the page, are still resonant. Faith vs. science encased in a biblical framework may be eye-rollingly obvious for some. I still like the setup, the concept and at times, his deliberate choices behind the camera to include uncomfortable close-ups of faces or slow push-ins. A tracking shot of someone being dragged outside is an interesting choice. I always walk out thinking more about the craftsmanship than the story which says something about M. Night’s directorial skills.

Much credit goes to cinematographers Jarin Blaschke and Lowell A. Meyer for making us feel like we’re in the room with everyone involved. There are really only seven characters and most of the performances, particularly a beguiling Bautista, are all quite effective at capturing a real sense of fear and discomfort. I think M. Night once again takes himself far too seriously in a way that doesn’t compliment where the narrative ends up. He could’ve just decided that the book ends in a way that would leave the audience far more stunned so why not retain that final act instead? But I’m sure he sat in front of the script and thought, “well I gotta put my spin on this material instead.”

And he does so to a fault nearly every time out of the gate. Naturally, there are avid defenders and detractors leaning towards one extreme reaction or another. Some will be pleased with his choices while others will get their knives out as usual. Once again, I can see the film’s strengths, but also can’t ignore its glaring weaknesses and the overall sense of disappointment I experienced at the end. Though there’s no denying that this is a film (and book) that is tailor-made for discussions afterwards over dinner with those who experience it so mainly, I just say, explain the premise to someone and have a conversation about it. This exercise in talking it through might be far more interesting than watching the film. 

“What would you do?” is why stories like this exist. Knock at the Cabin is not a bad film (while Night’s last one made me groan out loud), it’s just unfortunate that he trapped himself in this story and never found the proper escape route. My bias in having read the book in advance may prove to have some influence in my reaction so those who haven’t will likely feel differently regardless. This is not a knock against the film, but it’s also a door that should’ve been opened to a better storyteller in the end for maximum effect and impact in the end.

Body Parts (2023) (dir. Kristy Guevara-Flanaga)

Around this time last year I had seen a film called Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power, based on director Nina Menkes's cinematic presentation, 'Sex and Power, the Visual Language of Cinema.’ As I was watching it, I had the feeling that it should’ve been a miniseries instead of a feature documentary but also done without the Ted Talk-style approach that Menkes adopted. Now for this year, another documentary covers similar territory but in a far more engaging way with Kristy Guevara-Flanaga’s Body Parts.

I grew up in an era where nudity was relatively accessible through late-night cable viewing. Of course when I was a teenager I always had curiosity about the opposite sex but even then, I often felt that seeing an actress naked on screen took me out of the experience of watching a film. It suddenly became all about that person’s body and the way the camera leered. It’s always been a source of conflict to this day and as someone with body image issues, I often ask questions about whether or not nudity adds to the overall story. 

Body Parts is a film that tackles that subject matter quite delicately but it also wants to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. Normally the talking-heads approach is tiresome but these are voices that deserve to have their stories heard. Jane Fonda, Rose McGowan, Joey Soloway and several others candidly share their experiences both on-set and off. Early on, Rosanna Arquette recounts that during a “different time and place,” it was acceptable for a woman to just suddenly be asked to take their top off without a nudity contract clause. 

We also get a sneak peek into the world of intimacy coordinators and consultants (something I first learned about when The Wachowski’s used one on the set of Bound). They openly discuss their work as liaisons between actors and filmmakers, and the documentary shows them consult in a meeting, then directing actors on how to touch appropriately. In these sequences, the film elucidates the practical side of filmmaking and personal stories demonstrate how clear agreed-upon practices can create a safer, more positive work environment for all involved.

Towards the end, we see that there are steps in the right direction partially due in part to what's taken place post Me Too. Work is being done to help but there is still plenty to be done and more conversations should be had. More and more women are getting seats at the table and being involved in the decision process of productions in the midst of what has been a male-dominated industry since the beginning while women are also taking charge and creating more and more of their own projects through their own production companies. Joey Soloway is an example of doing this in a thoughtful, proactive manner that it feels appropriate she is the last person we see on screen.

As enlightening and well-observed everything is throughout this documentary, there is a sense of wanting further examination. Certainly there is a segment that even I found questionable because they briefly show a scene from the film Shame in which Michael Fassbender’s full-frontal nudity is seen right from the get-go. I’d be curious to examine more on this subject and what makes it complex and complicated from all sexes. Not to dismiss the fact that women have been subjected to horrific abuse and objectification that they don’t deserve this entire story to be theirs, but a follow-up to this subject matter would be welcomed.

One could even see this being dissected further in the world of pornography (which last year’s film Pleasure does in an uncomfortable fictional manner). But this film, as focused as it is, still has some incredibly powerful revelations throughout that are thought-provoking in ways that in the past, were constantly swept under the rug by those in power. There is a recount from actress Sarah Scott that is definitely harrowing especially when you hear the abuser’s response. Body Parts is well-worth seeing even if in the end, it left me wanting more. This is a layered, difficult subject that should be given all the time and attention possible. It might in turn kick-start more conversations in ways that great and memorable art can achieve.

"What we see over and over again, women have to fight for ownership over their own body" says Rosanna Arquette during the introduction, and this film highlights that fact in a way that all of us should know more about. Sexual exploitation and how it relates to the work of making movies, including the trauma it can inflict, is presented here with a lot of compassion. It showcases the toxic workplace that we’re still learning a lot about and should know about the damage it creates. For that alone, you should experience this and continue listening to what women have to say so we can learn, grow and do better not just in the film industry, but in life.

Learn more about the film and upcoming screenings here: https://www.bodypartsfilm.com

Podcast Recommendation: Drifting Off With Joe Pera

Hello. Earlier I mentioned Max Richter’s work as being something that moves me in ways that I don’t understand. Well another enigma that I’m grateful for is my love of off-the-beaten path comedy. In case you don’t know, my sense of humor is very offbeat, absurd and peculiar. Some things that people find hilarious I sit there barely cracking a smile. Other things do the opposite: they make me howl with laughter even while alone. Enter in a few specific things - puns, David Wain (in particular the collection of Stella Shorts), Maria Bamford, Nathan Fielder’s work and probably the most recent addition: Joe Pera.

Joe Pera Talks With You had me sold early on from an episode about breakfast food, my favorite type of food. Again, I find everything he does to bring me joy. He doesn’t always make me howl but I do COL (chuckle out loud). The smile never leaves my lips when I watch his show, his short videos online and now he has a new podcast just released today. It’s only 15 minutes long and of course, I adore it. Not to mention another favorite comedian makes a cameo: Jo Firestone. You can make time to listen to it because he deserves all the ears and attention possible. Granted I’m biased, to me, he’s one of the funniest people alive. Since comedy is subjective (I know, right, shocking), you might just shrug it off. If that’s case, aw, sorry. I’m sure other things bring you joy in this life, at least I hope so. Have a wonderful week everyone and thank you for reading my words.