By: Henry J. Fromage –
As you will see, this was one hell of an eclectic mix of a week. Surviving Edged Weapons is something… incomparable.
104. Hotel Transylvania 3
This isn’t good, exactly, but it’s damn inoffensive for a franchise that has set a reputation of being fairly terrible. Genndy Tarkovsky writes as well as directs this time, and perhaps that was the key, but dare I say it… this was kinda fun. Four Beers.
105. Sorry to Bother You
While no doubt a bit uneven, you’re not going to see something as utterly original and unique as Boots Riley’s debut feature this year. A Gondry-esque fantasty/dystopia, an incisive social commentary, a… well, I’ll just say Cronenberg and leave it at that. It’s a damn fine surprise that you should run out and experience yourself in theaters while you can. Kudos to Lakeith Stanfield for finally getting that starring role he’s been so seriously overdue for as well (and knocking it out of the park). Two Beers.
106. Thoroughbreds
This is another assured, utterly unique, and beguiling debut, from Cory Finley. Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor Joy star as two disturbed high schoolers, one of them a sociopath, one of them possibly more dangerous than that, both considering murdering Joy’s stepfather. Finley does an amazing job of making you question what you think you know and who you might be rooting for as the plot locks into place. The shooting style and dialogue are equally as dry and disturbing- this is a film in which every intention of the director is realized fully. Two Beers.
107. Surviving Edged Weapons
It’s near impossible to describe this Milwaukee police training video, replete with cheesy reenactments, horrific true crime photos, and truly heartbreaking first person accounts, all about surviving- you guessed it- edged weapons. At the end of it you will be sure of two things: you’re never far enough away from a man with a knife, and everything is knives. An Absolute Toast.