MOVIE REVIEW: Y2K

 

On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Year's Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives when Y2K becomes a reality.

Director: Kyle Mooney

Cast: Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison, Rachel Zegler, Fred Durst, Alicia Silverstone, Kyle Mooney

Release Date: December 6, 2024

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

Rated R for bloody violence, strong sexual content/nudity, pervasive language, and teen drug and alcohol use.

Runtime: 1h 31m

Review:

Y2K has its moments as a Superbad meets This is the End meets Maximum Overdrive mash up but a shoddy script and inconsistent tone keep it from hitting the mark.  Writer, director and actor, Kyle Mooney, throws every late 90's cliché he can think of at the screen with some working better than others as he sets up the basic premise.  The nostalgia is fun for a bit but the story rush past basic characterization from the get go which leaves us with a cast of terribly generic characters that don't connect the way they are supposed to.  There's a herky-jerky feel to the whole thing as it hits a handful of inspired comedic bits before grinding to a halt with randomly emotional moments.  Its makes for a very strange flow that leaves you wishing Mooney had just gone all in on goofiness of the concept and fully embraced it.  It's a shame since his cast is game for assorted wackiness thrown at them led by Jaeden Martell and Rachel Zegler.  Martell brings a Crispin Glover's George McFly energy to his performance which is sort of fun but you wish the script had given him a bit more to work with.  Zegler deals with a similar situation since she's not asked to do much outside of look the part of your typical high school IT girl.  Martell and Zegler have some fun energy together onscreen too which the film never takes full advantage of.  Julian Dennison is also good fun as Martell's character longtime friend but he's inexplicably taken off screen fairly early on.  There is a rather fun sequence in the back end once a certain singer pops up onscreen which ends Y2K on a high note but that doesn't keep the whole thing from feeling like a missed opportunity.  

C

MOVIE REVIEW: I SAW THE TV GLOW

 

A classmate introduces teenage Owen to a mysterious late-night TV show -- a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen's view of reality begins to crack.

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

Cast: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler

Release Date: May 24, 2024

Genre: Drama, Horror

Rated PG-13 for violent content, some sexual material, thematic elements and teen smoking.

Runtime: 1h 40m

Review:

Jane Schoenbrun's latest feature, I Saw the TV Glow, is another challenging arthouse piece that’s sure to earn as many fans as it frustrates with its methodical approach.  Those familiar with Schoenbrun’s style will find this film slightly more accessible than their previous films, especially with its recreation of 90s young adult TV shows.  This story within the story is one of the more intriguing approaches Schoenbrun uses in service of the larger story at play which doesn’t come into full focus until the final act.  There are plenty of allusions and clues that Schoenbrun drops along the way about the message of the film, but it works on a more universal level as well.  It’s a challenging film that will test the patience of more than a few people who will disengage from the film well before the finale.   The visuals, fourth wall breaking and multi layered, time jump approach won’t be for everyone especially as it meanders in the third act making the whole thing far longer than its run time.  Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine serve as the center of the story with each working well off each other even with the hushed, monotone exchanges employed for most of the film.  Smith’s understated, almost anesthetized delivery fits perfectly for the character while Lundy-Paine is given more range to play with as a counterpoint.  They are fascinating performances in film that’s almost overly constructed to the point of exhaustion but I Saw the TV Glow is sure to leave a wide variety of impressions from confusion, annoyance or self-reflection.  

B-