We all go a little Cuckoo sometimes (CREDIT: NEON)
Starring: Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens, Jessica Henwick, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Greta Fernández, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Konrad Singer, Proschat Madani, Kalin Morrow
Director: Tilman Singer
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Rating: R for Language Bloody, Reality-Altering Violence
Release Date: August 9, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: 17-year-old American Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is summoned to the German Alps to live with her father Luis (Marton Csokas), stepmom Beth (Jessica Henwick) and little half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu), but she’s skeptical of the whole situation. And rightly so. She gets a job at the local hotel, which proves to be much less low-key than she was expecting when she’s chased home by a mysterious woman. (Or was it a woman?) Then there’s Herr König (Dan Stevens), who might just be running the town as his own personal experiment. Gretchen seems to be alone in recognizing how surreal everything is, besides a detective (Jan Bluthardt) who recruits her into an investigation into what König is really up to. And the truth probably isn’t what anybody is expecting.
What Made an Impression?: The Adults Aren’t Alright: Teenage angst and horror go hand-in-hand. But interestingly enough, none of the scares in Cuckoo are really derived from Gretchen’s internal disposition. There’s a running thread about her failing to get a hold of her Mom back in the U.S., which is plenty distressing on its own. But if Gretchen is the most tormented character in this movie, then that means that she’s also the most reasonable. Her father tells her to just knock it off and behave, but that’s not the sort of parenting she needs right now. Also, he might have been brainwashed by the machinations of Herr König, whom Stevens plays as the ultimate over-the-top mustache-twirling mad scientist. The detective is the most clear-eyed of all the adults about what’s actually happening, but even he is a little too erratic for Gretchen to get close to. We all learn eventually that grown-ups are more or less making it up as they go along, and Gretchen’s realization about that is exponentially starker than most.
Playing God vs. Finding Family: To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there is only one thing in this world more difficult than accurately describing Cuckoo while avoiding spoilers, and that is accurately describing Cuckoo while not avoiding spoilers. Maybe that’s a bit hyperbolic, but this is definitely a bizarre, unique vision that I’m still processing. For those eager to experience the thrills on display, I’ll offer some hints by asking you to think about the bird referenced in the title and then imagining what a humanoid hybrid of such a creature would be like. As it turns out, little Alma is the key to that endeavor. Gretchen isn’t exactly an ideal big sister at the beginning of the movie, but her life-threatening journey sure helps her discover what family really means. That proves to be decent enough motivation to deliver what Cuckoo is selling.
Cuckoo is Recommended If You Like: Rosemary’s Baby, Splice, Déjà vu (The sensation, not the movie)
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams
Director: Shawn Levy
Running Time: 128 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: July 26, 2024 (Theaters)
I’m going to review the super-duper self-aware blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine and the indie horror Oddity together right now. Isn’t that odd?! Maybe I’ll uncover some unexpected connection between them.
Starring: Izaac Wang, Shirley Chen, Joan Chen, Chang Li Hua, Raul Dial, Aaron Chang, Mahaela Park, Chiron Cilia Denk, Montay Boseman, Sunil Mukherjee Maurillo, Alaysia Simmons, Alysha Syed, Georgie August
Director: Sean Wang
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Rating: R for Teens Dabbling in Adult Language and Behavior
Release Date: July 26, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: It’s the summer of 2008 in California, and Chris Wang (Izaac Wang) is learning how to be who he’s going to be for the rest of his life. That’s just how it goes when you’re 13 years old. If you, like Chris and writer-director Sean Wang, grew up in the United States in the 90s and early 2000s, then you’ll instantly recognize a lot of the hallmarks of this period, particularly if you’re also of Taiwanese descent. Chris has a crew of close-knit buds, a crush on a cute girl, and a budding knack for skateboarding and amateur videography. But his home life is a little contentious, and he struggles with frequent feelings of aimlessness and uncertainty.
What Made an Impression?: Only Early Aughts Kids Will Understand:Dìdi doesn’t state outright what year it takes place in, but it doesn’t have to, so long as you notice that one of Chris’ Facebook friends posts an update about seeing The Dark Knight a half-dozen times. That was the era when adolescence was forming in the midst of nascent social media, with YouTube emerging alongside Facebook, and MySpace and AOL Instant Messenger letting out their last gasps. Chris and his friends are still using the latter regularly, which struck me as odd, because I seem to remember that form of communication being rendered obsolete by texting. And the kids in this movie do indeed have phones. Nevertheless, the interfaces and textures are recreated uncannily to capture this bygone digital life. I’m sure some viewers will find themselves wistful for this time, but Chris’ drawer full of Livestrong bracelets makes it clear that you can never go back. Are the Kids All Right?: Fair warning to anyone who can’t help but become emotionally invested in every movie you watch: Dìdi is liable to leave your stomach and heart in knots. Suffice to say, I’m worried about Chris. But is that just because he’s a 13-year-old going through something, or could there be a larger crisis looming? He struggles to say the right thing around his new and old friends, he’s inexplicably cruel to the girl that he has his eye on, and he’s pretty callous toward his mom (Joan Chen). Again, this isn’t terribly atypical behavior for someone Chris’ age. But whenever there’s a quiet moment on his face, you can’t help but wonder if there’s something darker boiling underneath the surface. The movie ends on a relatively hopeful note, but that reprieve might only be temporary. If Chris reminds you of anyone in your own life, please tell them that you love them.
TV
–Gods of Tennis Docuseries Premiere (July 23 on PBS) – Jimmy, Chrissie, Arthur, Björn, Johnny Mac, Billie Jean, Martina.
Music
–Childish Gambino, Bando Stone & the New World – Apparently his last album, at least as CG.
-Deep Purple, =1
-Glass Animals, I Love You So F***ing Much
(from left) Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones), Javi (Anthony Ramos) and Tyler (Glen Powell) in Twisters, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Harry Hadden-Patton, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack, Kiernan Shipka, Nik Dodani, David Corenswet, Tunde Adebimpe, Katy O’Brian
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Running Time: 122 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Windborne Injuries
Release Date: July 19, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?:Twisters, the legacyquel to 1996’s Twister, is the movie that dares to ask the question: what if there were MORE than one tornado? Honestly, though, wasn’t there already more than one in the first edition? Maybe I’m misremembering, but I’m pretty sure that tornadoes are generally not something that happens in total isolation. Regardless, Twisters is basically positing a once-in-a-generation confluence of as many tornadoes as have ever been observed. Hot on their tail are meteorologist Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), her storm chasing colleague Javi (Anthony Ramos), and peacocking YouTube storm chaser Tyler Owens (Glen Powell). Along the way, there might just be some romance, and maybe even a bit of humanitarian aid.
What Made an Impression?: You’ve Climate Changed, Man: After a bravura opening sequence that ends with the loss of a few of Kate and Javi’s fellow chasers, the fallout cuts ahead five years, with Kate working an office job in New York City and Javi tracking her down for a new and exciting opportunity. These moments have a vibe that suggest that they’re outside of harm’s way in the city, but anyone who’s lived in the mid-Atlantic U.S. in the past few years is all too aware of how tornado territory has been expanding more and more lately. Any ecological disaster movie can easily be read as a warning about climate change, but Twisters doesn’t have to take it to extremes. The storms may be deadly, but they’re too believable to feel like a roller coaster. With that in mind, this is more like a speculative documentary than a work of fiction. Don’t Forget the People: Is Twisters ashamed of itself? Or is it just feeling a little guilty? That’s the sense I gather from scenes of the chasers offering food and water to the people who have been in harm’s way in the paths of the tornadoes. I don’t think it would have been irresponsible to leave these moments out, but Joseph Kosinski’s script apparently disagrees. Maybe it could have gone even further and transformed the entire movie into a Tornado Relief Telethon halfway through. That certainly would have been more predictable than what we got, which is competent, but also kind of quotidian.
Twisters is Recommended If You Like: Finding a soul beneath the YEEHAW!
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Lauren Acala, Michelle Choi-Lee, Dakota Daulby, Kiernan Shipka, Maila Hosie, Jason Day, Lisa Chandler, Ava Kelders, Rryla McIntosh, Carmel Amit, Peter James Bryant
Director: Osgood Perkins
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Rating: R for Psychologically Disturbing Violence and Gore
Release Date: July 12, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: There’s a serial killer out there confounding the FBI in the mid-90s. Known as “Longlegs” (Nicolas Cage), he appears to be responsible for a series of gruesome massacres in the last 20 years without ever actually being physically present for any of them. But the pattern is undeniable, as fathers are brainwashed into brutally killing themselves and their families within six days of their daughters’ birthdays. Also, creepy lifelike dolls keep appearing at the crime scenes. But a breakthrough emerges via the efforts of young agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), who is really, really intuitive, or maybe even a little bit psychic. Her investigation is occasionally interrupted by cryptic phone calls from her mother Ruth (Alicia Witt). It looks like Longlegs is going to strike again very soon, and the key to stopping him may just be Lee understanding the deep connection that she has with this boogeyman.
What Made an Impression?: Caught in a Haze: The reality of Longlegs exists somewhere between the earthbound and the mystical. Occasionally there appear to be rational explanations for all the deviant behavior on display, but a more compelling explanation is that the devil is behind it all. Accordingly, Monroe, Cage, and Witt all offer performances that are different versions of possessed. Blair Underwood (as Lee’s FBI mentor) offers a more straitlaced grounding presence, but even he can’t resist the lure of the surreal eventually. Little details (a dark object here, a puff of smoke there) pop up that promise to be the skeleton key to revealing the truth, only to be flummoxed by profound uncertainty. The crimes are solved, and yet an infinite number of questions remain. Pack Up That Gong: It’s possible that Longlegs could be read as a metaphor for repressed trauma, and I’m sure there’s something to that reading. But this is a movie that resists any straightforward interpretation, despite the easy-to-follow plot and clear resolution. However, what I can say without any doubt is that you will never listen to T. Rex’s glam rock classic “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” the same way ever again. In fact, I suspect that Longlegs may have somehow henceforth assumed ownership of that entire genre. If you’re planning on seeing this movie even though you love that song – or others like it – then consider this your first and only warning.
Longlegs is Recommended If You Like: The Silence of the Lambs, Prisoners, Using presidential portraits to establish the time period
Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 7/12/24
July 12, 2024
jmunney Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Podcasts, Sports, Television British Open, Directors Commentary with Mike Flanagan, Eminem, Fly Me to the Moon, Longlegs, Lucky 13, Podcasts, Press Your Luck, Sing Sing, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), The Open, The Open Championship Leave a comment
Today, they consider themselves the luckiest game show hosts on the face of the Earth (CREDIT: Disney)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Fly Me to the Moon (Theaters)
–Longlegs (Theaters)
–Sing Sing (Theaters)
TV
–Lucky 13 Series Premiere (July 18 on ABC) – New game show hosted by Gina Rodriguez and Shaq.
–Press Your Luck Season Premiere (July 18 on ABC)
Music
-Eminem, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
Sports
-2024 Open Championship (July 18-21 on USA, Peacock, and NBC) – They’re golfing at Royal Troon in Scotland this year.
Podcasts
–Directors Commentary with Mike Flanagan – Horror maestro Flanagan watches movies with various directors and offers some commentary.