REVIEW: ARQ

Going into this movie blind, I came out invigorated by the constant tension generated by the blend of mystery and fast pace action scenes that both stimulated my senses and my mind. There are no lull points. This was one of those nice surprises and another win for Netfilx, who is making movies as well as television shows that make us put a pause on our lives as we binge for hours on end. Not sure if that’s a good thing, but it sure is entertaining!

“ARQ” is one of those time looping sci-fi movies. These types of films can be tricky when you have to repeat events, as in “Edge of Tomorrow”. It leaves itself open to redundancy. But like in Tom Cruise’s movie, “ARQ” stays fresh because the very nature of knowing what’s going to happen changes everything because you change events. And the key is to have the main character change quickly and not linger for multiple loops. I won’t go into it so as to not give it away how “ARQ” keeps things different and adds something different that deviates from “Edge of Tomorrow”.

The film centers on Renton (Robbie Amell) who wakes up next to his girlfriend Hannah (Rachael Taylor). And in a day that doesn’t seem to end, Renton is faced with a team of bad guys that invade his home almost as soon as he wakes up, not giving him or the audience much time to catch their collective breaths.

The frenetic pace keeps you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out who these guys are and what they want along with a confused Renton, while at the same time learning who Renton is and what he knows.

It’s set in a dystopian time when the environment is unhealthy and people have to wear air masks to go outside.

Robbie Amell does a good job as an action hero, who’s just an ordinary guy stuck in a crazy situation. There were several ways the ending could go and it was satisfying enough, but makes me wonder if “ARQ” is intended to be a television series. Though I can’t see it going past the first season unless they do something wild and take the looping to another location, which is possible. The two leads and plots are enjoyable enough to make we want to follow them on any future adventures.

Score: 8/10 

 

REVIEW: The Invitation

 

“The Invitation” to a dinner party that serves up a plateful of foreboding that has you at the edge of your seat, wondering ‘do I want to stay for dessert?’ and the answer is ‘yes’.

The premise itself offers uneasiness as the film centers around Will—a divorced man who gets an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife and her new husband. And if that’s not uncomfortable enough for our hero, throw in the fact that he hadn’t seen her in two years. So they clearly weren’t close after the break up. This is sure to be one interesting get together.

However, there is a small reprieve in all this. He won’t be alone with them. Several of his friends also got an invitation. So it was like a reunion of sorts. Except for the new husband and the two weird strangers that had befriended his ex-wife during the past two years. Of course, Will goes albeit reluctantly but brings his girlfriend with him for support.

This sets the stage for a compelling night as we watch Will emotionally break down from memories that permeate his mind, which are shown to us in flashbacks. He descends into some kind of neurosis worsened by the confines of that house.



Depression fills his mind and as the night goes on he has an internal sense that things aren’t right. His ex-wife is acting strangely to him. And her husband and those two strangers he just met seem questionable.

Paranoia and mistrust sets in. And director Karyn Kusama brilliantly used the color schemes of the house to feed into our own anxiety. The walls are muted shades of brown mixed with shadows and dim lighting that generate a haunting effect. And what began as a sense of calm and coziness morphed into uneasiness as the night went on.

There’s an unnerving contrast from Will’s suspicious nature to that of his friend’s joyfulness and with that of his ex-wife’s pleasantness. He can’t relate to any of this and turns himself into an outsider.

And we the viewer follow him unsure of what is really going on. Is something sinister going on? Or is Will an unreliable narrator? Either way there is a sense of dread festering in every scene.

And so the journey builds, creating a roller coaster ride of emotions. Though it does feel like it goes on a tad too long at one point but course corrects itself.

Sometimes a thriller like this leaves me unsatisfied, unable to close out. But that wasn’t the case here. “The Invitation” ended on a high note.


Score: 8/10

Review: The Witch

The Witch is more haunting than it is scary. It has an auteur style rooted in realism and so it plays out as if we’re watching a drama about a real family unfold before our very eyes. Albeit, this family is being supernaturally attacked.

I went into this film not knowing anything about it other than the title and a one time view of a trailer, I had since forgotten. So I didn’t have any expectations except that there could be a witch in this film.

I was pleasantly surprised that the film is unlike the typical horror movie. It’s set during the salem witch trials where paranoia infected communities and resulted in the unfortunate killings of innocent people, who were suspected of witchcraft.

But The Witch is a more personal story. Instead of a community, it centers on a family: a husband and wife, along with their 5 children, which includes an infant.

At the core is the father’s strict religious belief. He’s a Christian, who lives his live through God. The movie begins with a trial in which the family is banished because of the father’s religious views and his criticisms on how the community isn’t as holy as he feels they should be.

The family is forced into isolation, living on a small piece of land that is watched by a witch. When something bad happens, the family is left confused.

The characters didn’t automatically assume witchcraft. It was almost as if, this family knew of witches but it was more like something they had heard . They didn’t actively choose witchcraft as the go-to reason.

And so, it’s not until time and other events occur that the family becomes terrified and the paranoia sets in. The movie moves like a slow burn as we watch the seeds of fear creep in, and we come to understand the importance of God in their lives.

And it’s an interesting study to watch the father’s choices. His beliefs—or more exactly, his arrogance that only his lifestyle was Godly enough as compared to the of society—condemned his family to this situation and now what next? What decisions would he choose?

The conflict within him is compelling to watch. As well as, the pressure put upon the family as this once strong unit begins to crumble.

Now the ending is a bit wonky. But after reflection, I liked it better than when I originally saw it. The acting by everyone, including the children, is very good. And the dialect felt so real.

All in all, I liked it. It felt fresh and it wasn’t predictable.


Score: 8/10

 

Movie Review: Lost Highway (spoilers)

I just recently rented the "Lost Highway" directed by David Lynch. I didn’t know what to expect, and I ended up liking it. It’s not for everyone. It’s a confusing movie that makes you think, and doesn’t have a clear cut ending, or a clear cut plot leaving the audience wondering “what just happened?!”. I actually had to view it twice before sending this Netflix rental back in the mail.

So if you’re a person who likes your movies tied up in a need bow, this isn’t for you. And depending on your interpretation this movie is linear or non-linear. At the moment, I’m not sure. I tend to lean toward a linear interpretation, but I have two theories and the second is a non-linear one. In addition, there seems to be a supernatural element, possible Doppelgängers and physical transformations.

Premise as per Imdb: Fred Madison, a saxophonist, is accused under mysterious circumstances of murdering his wife Renee. On death row, he inexplicably morphs into a young man named Pete Dayton, leading a completely different life. When Pete is released, his and Fred's paths begin to cross in a surreal, suspenseful web of intrigue, orchestrated by a shady gangster boss named Dick Laurent.

This movie can be broken into two parts: before Fred goes to jail and what happens afterwards.

Spoilers ahead…

Part 1: Fred (Bill Pullman) is married to Renee (Patricia Arquette) and suspects she’s having an affair. They receive anonymous mailings of a video tape illustrating that someone is watching them. These video tapes turn scary from just a viewing of the outside of the home to watching them sleep in their bedroom. Until the final tape of Fred over Renee’s dead body. Fred is then convicted and sent to jail (death row)

This is when things get crazy. Fred goes through some physical transformation and when the guards check his cell Fred is gone replaced by Pete (Balthazar Getty).

Part 2: Pete goes home to biker parents. He seems to have no memory (which indicates a clue). He has an association with Mr Eddy (Robert Loggia) who has a girlfriend Alice (also played by Patricia Arquette). Alice is blonde where as Renee is a brunette. Pete ends up having an affair with Alice, putting him at odds with Mr. Eddy, which ends in Eddy’s death.

We learn that Mr. Eddy is also Dick Laurent, who was the man Renee was cheating on when married to Fred.

Interesting Clue: When Pete is with Alice he sees a picture with her and the brunette counterpart (Renee – Fred’s wife). Also in the picture is Mr. Eddy/Dick Laurent and another man. At this point, Pete gets emotional at seeing the brunette version as if recalling the event. Yet he never recognized the blonde counterpart on first meeting. Later the police see the same photo and the blonde is NOT in it. My conclusion is that the blonde doesn’t exist. She is really in Pete’s mind. Actually, I think Pete partially exists. It seems as though Fred can transform to Pete, but Pete is just the other half of Fred. He doesn’t seem to be a fully fleshed person. Even his parents seem odd. Do they really exist?

In the end: We see Pete… then Fred as if Pete transforms back into Fred.

Important note: Throughout this movie there is a Mystery Man who seems to be pulling the strings. Is he the devil? Is he just an evil man? Or is he all in Fred’s mind?

What leads me to believe that this film might be non-linear is the end and beginning of the movie. It opens with Fred hearing through the intercom that Laurent is dead. It ends with Fred leaving this message on his intercom. Could this just be in Fred’s head? Is Fred a Doppelgänger? There are some who feel that Alice is in fact a Doppelgänger?

All in all, it’s an interesting movie with so many possibilities. I think I need more viewings, though I suspect I’ll never really figure it out.

Score 8/10