It Comes at Night.

Review #1579: It Comes at Night.

Cast: 

Joel Edgerton (Paul), Christopher Abbott (Will), Carmen Ejogo (Sarah), Riley Keough (Kim), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Travis), Griffin Robert Faulkner (Andrew), David Pendleton (Bud), and Mickey (Stanley) Written and Directed by Trey Edward Shults.

Review: 

"With this one, I think I jumped into it as the audience would. The way it’s written is the way I jumped into it. I let it spew out of me. Also, it stemmed from something super personal, so it started from that and spewed out from there. I don’t build out this whole, huge world and start writing. It comes from this personal, little space and let it build out. And then I have my logical reasons for everything else, but I intentionally keep stuff out."

Never count out seeing a young voice find their place in resilient prominence in cinema, whether for drama for horror, particularly from a name that could prove quite useful to know in the future in Trey Edward Shults. The native Texan already had a love of films by the time he was a teenager, but his chance to move into the work of filmmaking came at the age of 19 when he was hired to work in the camera department on The Tree of Life (2011), directed by Terence Malick (a visionary director to discuss another time). The experience shaped his decision to drop out of Texas State University (having been at school for business management) and do work interning for Malick (which resulted in work on Voyage of Time (2016) and Song to Song (2017)). He made three short films as a director from 2010 to 2014, which includes Krisha - he would convert it into his feature debut the following year with members of his family participating in the film, which was a hit with the festival circuit. The basis for the film came from his reaction to his father's death, in which he tried to help his dad find some peace with the regrets he had, with the film being about the process of grief and regret that is torn by fear, reflecting his biggest fear - mortality. He found inspiration with films such as Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Shining (1980) alongside works from directors such as John Cassavetes and Paul Thomas Anderson.

I'm sure you have heard this before, but sometimes it is what you don't see that is more scary, which can be drawn right in the open from the prominent featuring of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting The Triumph of Death. If one is expecting a slow burn involving paranoia wreaking havoc over all as opposed to a monster movie, you might be in for quite a tense winner. It relies on pulling the strings in stress and doubt for the majority of 91 minutes, and the enjoyment is in exactly how one feels about seeing fear play out like this, seeing people trying to survive despite the threat of sickness while cooped up away from the world (or at the very least trying to escape the problems the world can bring), because fear is one thing, but death is another. Edgerton is dependable here, capable of reacting to his surroundings with the conviction required to move in fear without seeming brazen about it. Abbott does just as well here, expressing his own control on the situation as it grows, maintaining the other side of tentative balance of family just fine. On the other side of reflected families, Ejogo and Keough each do well in matching the surroundings needed that keeps the doubts in check. Harrison (having been in small roles of film since 2012 before having a breakthrough here) proves the key piece of the main group, capturing a yearning fear and growth that makes for a usefully different kind of youth horror story. It builds a carefully-planned atmosphere of quiet doubt to longer on who and what one knows and doesn't know that makes for delicate human nature drama that works best within the details (such as during its dream moments, for example), relying on one's patience to make an efficient time (with an equally appropriate ending to go with said buildup). It won't merit the best for everyone in delivering everything in horror, but it is a quietly effective film of family and fear to match the moment needed to ponder on its content after the screen goes to black and one goes back to their normal life behind the screen.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Midnight Special.

Review #1575: Midnight Special.

Cast:

Michael Shannon (Roy Tomlin), Joel Edgerton (Lucas), Kirsten Dunst (Sarah Tomlin), Adam Driver (Paul Sevier), Jaeden Lieberher (Alton), Sam Shepard (Pastor Calvin Meyer), Bill Camp (Doak), and Scott Haze (Levi) Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols.

Review:

“I never wanted to make movies just for me. I want to make movies that people watch.”

Whether through studio productions or independent ones, the director/writer can make their mark any which way they can, whether through story or aesthetic. Jeff Nichols, raised in Arkansas as the son of a furniture store owner, grew up with a love of films from directors like John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg. He studied at the University of North Carolina School of Arts, and it was a suggestion from his father to do a film about "a place you know that others don’t" that led to Shotgun Stories (2007), made on the cheap over the span of three years. Take Shelter (2011) raised attention for the director/writer, but it was Mud (2012) that fully put him on the map more in terms of notice. This was his fourth feature film alongside his first studio production, made on a budget of $18 million. Nichols was influenced by films such as Starman (1984) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) in terms of their structure and aesthetic when it comes to the sci-fi chase, one that aspires to have the viewer follow the mystery like his other films, even if it happens to have a bit more CGI than his other works. He had just become a father at the time of writing, and it certainly seemed to play an influence in his writing here.

While the film wasn't exactly a great success upon release, it is easy to see where it could spring interest as a hidden favorite. Sometimes you need a slow burn kind of mystery film, particularly one that takes itself on the road for science fiction within a family setting. It aspires for a bit of transcendence with quiet styling that keeps us in the dark to our own imagination. Sure, it is the story of a kid and other folks on the run, but it is the responsibility taken by Nichols to generate a curious story to come around to its own path that makes it at least good enough to glance across the aisle of interest. It might not be as great as its influences, but it certainly works just fine in expressing itself as a film about belief, whether that means one of a prophet, or of logic, or the most important one in family. The 112 minutes come out with fascination over what comes out to us closely without needing each detail spelled out to us, where a few effects can come along with their own interest and not blur the line of subtlety. One starts with Shannon (who has featured in every film directed by Nichols), who does quite well here in expressing parental devotion with worthwhile intensity. Edgerton doesn't say too much, but he still proves useful in rolling along with the mystery in quiet edge. Dunst appears on her own time as the last crucial piece of the main five, but she does worthwhile in showing reasoned grace with a part that utilizes her with effective quiet power in the climax. Driver does just fine with inquisitive curiosity, while Lieberher makes for a useful youthful presence to tie it all together with mystery that never seems to play to whims for the camera, while Shepard and Camp make useful support for brief scenes together. As a whole, it winds itself in mystery for involvement when it comes to a story about parents and belief within sci-fi trappings that ultimately will prove rewarding for those willing to come along for the ride for a careful adventure with interest that may inspire a sense of wonder, packing an ending that will at least inspire some discussion to it. In the end, that should prove more than enough for a good time and a worthy experience for a director striving to make a mark in storytelling.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

The Gift.

Review #1573: The Gift.

Cast:

Jason Bateman (Simon Callem), Rebecca Hall (Robyn Callem), Joel Edgerton (Gordon "Gordo" Mosley), Tim Griffin (Kevin "KK" Keelor), Allison Tolman (Lucy), Beau Knapp (Detective Walker), P.J. Byrne (Danny McDonald), David Denman (Greg Pierson), Busy Philipps (Duffy), and Wendell Pierce (Detective Mills) Written and Directed by Joel Edgerton.

Review:

"I wanted to take those triangle thrillers that we’re all so familiar with and hold the audience’s hand going down that road for the first third of the movie, and then just start messing with those conventions."

Like I said, the director can come from anywhere. Sometimes he can even serve as the star of the picture, and this proves doubly true with Joel Edgerton, making his debut as a director alongside serving as star, writer, and co-producer. The son of a solicitor, he developed a passion for home moviemaking, doing so first with 8mm while growing up in Sydney, Australia. After studying drama at the University of Western Sydney, Edgerton entered acting with the Sydney Theatre Company before adding appearances in television and film in his native country, most notably with The Secret Life of Us (2001-02). This was the fourth film he had wrote for, having done so with The Square (2008, which had his brother Nash as director), Felony (2013), and The Rover (2014, co-written with David Michôd).

This is a decent little movie, certainly befitting someone making the rounds in terms of acting and directing as a moderately entertaining experience, one that uses its small cast to create a few moments of worthy tension. It definitely seems a bit familiar for those who know what it is trying to pull with psychological thrills (with influences noted such as Caché and Fatal Attraction), but Edgerton does a fine job with weaving a tense atmosphere that leaves doubt in one's mind with the nature of its plot before eventually getting to its sleight of hand ending, which will either work for what is needed in terms of lasting impact, or it will seem a bit hollow for all that it built to that point. One starts with Bateman, mostly known for his work equally as a teen idol on television before moving into straight man roles in comedy (such as with Arrested Development (incidentally, he also had gotten himself into directing with Bad Words a few years prior to this). He does quite well here, balancing himself in reserved tension that keeps you on your toes each time you see him. Nothing is quite as it seems, and he does well in maintaining the illusion of charming stability without collapsing into condescending cliché, because he can move between logic and ruthless fairly well - such as whenever Edgerton steps out of sight and Bateman introduces the seeds of doubt about this man to his wife (whether that means name-calling or something else). Hall does pretty well as the key piece between the two of them, handling her doubts and fears with reason and useful conviction that we gravitate to because of her position that sees the lines of who and what we know blur a bit in a way we shudder to think about. Edgerton makes for quiet tension, doing so with an act that seems just a little off-key from when we first see him (essentially equal to a person you met long ago that didn't quite understand when it's time to go) that only grows from there, building the seeds of doubt without needing any overblown theatrics. Sure, a dog could be kidnapped or so, but we never take our eyes off the doubt that comes from the building tension that comes from more than just a supposed weirdo, and by the end it's possible to not really even have a clear definition of who fits the role as "monster". On the whole, it is the build in quiet tension for what we know/don't know about someone that ultimately makes the difference in how effective the film works itself out, one that doesn't lead to any big moments of blood or even an overamped jump scare for its 108 minute run-time. If the idea of someone you know from long ago coming back with a few gifts of their own seems like it could be an interesting little thriller, I would suggest this one (while saying the less one knows the better), as it is a useful effort accomplished by Edgerton in terms of moving one's expectations about the thriller with creeping execution and conviction.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.