Cindy Prascik's Review of The Woman in the Window

 

My dear reader(s), for the first time in what seems like a very long time, I have two reviews to share this weekend. My second film of the weekend was Netflix' the Woman in the Window.

An agoraphobic woman's credibility comes into question when she claims to have witnessed a terrible crime.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Regular reader(s) will know for certain: I am not a movie snob. I'm addicted to the Expendables movies. I actually own that dreadful remake of Lost in Space. My annual top-ten list once included Gnomeo & Juliet *and* one of the Hotel Transylvania sequels (same year, don't judge). I do not believe the cinema is the only credible way to see new movies. I want Netflix, Amazon, and all the other streaming services to do well with their original films. BUT...the Woman in the Window definitely won't help Netflix be taken seriously as a purveyor of quality content.

I have not read the Woman in the Window. I understand filmmakers took some creative liberties with the book, but I can't say if that's what's to blame for this sad waste of a brilliant cast. Even putting my obsession with Gary Oldman aside, how can a movie go so wrong when it has Amy Adams? Julianne Moore? Brian Tyree Henry? Jennifer Jason Leigh? Anthony Mackie, for flip's sake?? I can't say exactly how, but it definitely does go very, very wrong indeed. Dialogue is so wooden that even this company of decorated, gifted actors might as well be reading from cards. The story itself skips around and fails to maintain any tension or mystery; the characters couldn't be more obvious if they were twirling cartoon moustaches. By the time it limps to its pitiful conclusion, you'll wish they all were murder victims, rather than potential witnesses.

The Woman in the Window runs a painful 100 minutes and is rated R for "violence and language."

The Woman in the Window is a criminal waste of an interesting concept and a superb group of actors. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Woman in the Window gets two.

The Woman in the Window is now streaming on Netflix.

Fangirl points: My Gary (of course). MACKIE! Until next time...

PS: Just saw a headline that said "The Woman in the Window has two Captain Americas," and I can state with authority that that is the most interesting thing about it.

MOVIE REVIEW: POSSESSOR UNCUT

 

An elite assassin uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies.

Director: Brandon Cronenberg

Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Release Date: October 2, 2020

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Unrated

Runtime: 1 h 43 min

Review:

Possessor Uncut is shocking sci-fi thriller from Brandon Cronenberg which shows him following in his father’s footsteps.  His film has a disquieting feel from its opening frames but it quickly moves to violently gruesome.  The visceral shock of the violence is incredibly pointed since the film doesn’t use it regularly but when it does it’s a sucker punch.  The story itself is ripe for exploration and you’ll be hard pressed if you didn’t notice some similarities to his father’s earlier works.  The film’s visuals are incredibly striking throughout with some shots composed in such a way that they elicit dread without any action occurring.  Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott get the lion’s share of the screen time with the latter carrying the better part of the film.  Abbott is tasked with two roles which are being played out in his mind which sounds like complicated but he makes it work in a believable manner.  It’s an impressive performance which is really a showcase for his talents.  Riseborough doesn’t get nearly as much screen time but when she’s onscreen she leaves a haunting impression.  Cronenberg’s film will never be considered subtle but there are moments where a less is more approach to violence might have worked in the films favor.  Still, Possessor Uncut is the type of mind bender that will stay in genre fans minds long after it’s over.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: ANNIHILATION

Based on Jeff VanderMeer’s best-selling Southern Reach Trilogy, Annihilation stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac. It was written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, 28 Days Later).

Director: Alex Garland

Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac

Release Date: Feb 22, 2018

Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated R for violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality

Runtime:  1 Hr 55 min

Review:

Annihilation, Alex Garland’s 2^nd directorial feature, is a lush, dense science fiction film that’s recalls Tarkovsky's Solaris, Kubrick’s 2001 mixed with a splash of Alien.  On its most basis level, it’s a fascinating decent into sci-fi madness.  Garland maintains a steady sense of uneasiness throughout, blending beautiful visuals with brutal and visceral moments straight out of classic creature features.  The flashbacks that pepper the film are a strong clue that Garland is after something deeper and more meaningful than a straight up science fiction film.  

Annihilation is the type of film that requires contemplation afterwards because it does not present you with easy answers.  Once you get past the trippy visuals, especially during the final act, and start dissecting what you’ve seen there’s plenty to think about and appreciate, similar to Denis Villeneuve’s The Arrival.  If there is a small draw back it’s that the characters are types and never overly developed outside of basic features and personality traits.  Still, the cast deliver strong performances across the board.  Natalie Portman is solid in the lead role, maintaining a steady sense of bewildered wonder and dogged determination. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac all turn in workman like performances servicing the film more than themselves.  Gina Rodriguez does leave a strong impression playing against type, at least to anyone familiar with her TV work, as the group’s tough girl.  As a whole, Annihilation should sate science fiction fans hunger for multi layered genre fare.

A

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HATEFUL EIGHT

The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive Daisy Domergue, race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren, a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix, a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob, who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage, and Confederate General Sanford Smithers . As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

Director: Quentin Tarantino    

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir.

Release Date: Dec 25, 2015    

Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Some Graphic Nudity, Language and Violent Sexual Content.    

Runtime: 2 hr. 47 min.    

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller    

Review:

The Hateful Eight will probably end up being one of Quentin Tarantino’s most divisive films of his careers.  Personally I found plenty to love here as he pulls from Sergio Leone with a healthy dose of Agatha Christie but it’s a slow burn sort of film.  It’s easy to see why many people could be turned off.  The film plays out like a cinematic stage play with a heavy focus on dialogue and characters.  As always Tarantino brings out the best in his actors, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins benefit the most here, even while they’re playing some fairly despicable characters.  Each character is a fascinating twisted sort that populates most of Tarantino’s films but with an old west slant.  Watching him sets them up in a twist version of Twelve Angry Men with a healthier dose of blood and carnage especially in the final act.  The final act does sort take a different tone as things get more extreme and violent which might turn off some people but it’s just Tarantino  being Tarantino, grindhouse will always be in his blood.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Hateful Eight

 

 

Dearest Blog: If the truth of Awards Season is sacrifice, the truth of the holiday season seems to be haste. Hurry here, hurry there, never enough time to fit everything in. Thus, at the ungodly (movie) hour of 9:30 this morning, I found myself at "not my" cinema for a screening of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. 

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

Dear Reader(s), every December, I visit New York City. Every December, without fail, someone in my group gets 9:00 a.m. Rockettes tickets, so we have to set out at stupid o'clock to see they get to Radio City bright and early for all those peppermint-stick costumes and high kicks. 

 

A person can reasonably be expected to handle just so much of certain things at that hour of the day; the enforced chipperness of the Rockettes is one of those things, and Quentin Tarantino is most certainly another. I have never, ever understood 9:00 a.m. Rockettes tickets. 

 

I am neither a fan nor not-a-fan of Quentin Tarantino. I know what I'm always getting in a Tarantino flick: gratuitous violence and scenarios that shock for the sake of it. 

 

Sometimes that's just stray garbage scattered about a great picture, sometimes the entire movie belongs in the dumpster. 

 

Unfortunately for The Hateful Eight, it appears to be trash day. This muddled mess does nothing to earn or justify its over-three-hour runtime. 

 

Uniformly despicable characters prattle on endlessly, only a fraction of their willfully repulsive dialogue necessary to provide backstory or propel the film forward. The graphic, incessant brutality is no less abhorrent for being expected. 

 

The Hateful Eight has a handful of terrific moments, mostly courtesy of Walton Goggins, as well as a wonderful score and top-notch sound editing, but, generally speaking, this one's a dud. The Hateful Eight runs 167 minutes and is rated R for "strong, bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language, and some graphic nudity." 

 

A bloated exercise in ego, The Hateful Eight neither enlightens nor entertains; it only bores and disgusts. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Hateful Eight gets two. 

 

Until next time, I wish a happy New Year to anyone and everyone who ever takes a moment to read my ramblings. 

 

May 2016 be peaceful, healthy, and prosperous for you all. See you at the pictures!