MOVIE REVIEW: RESURRECTION

 

A woman's carefully constructed life gets up-ended when an unwelcome shadow from her past returns, forcing her to confront the monster she's evaded for two decades.

Director: Andrew Semans

Cast: Rebecca Hall, Grace Kaufman, Michael Esper, Tim Roth

Release Date: July 29, 2022

Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for some violent content, sexual content, and for language

Runtime: 1h 43m

Resurrection is a lean, psychological potboiler that works mainly because of Rebecca Hall’s thoroughly committed performance.  Andrew Semans’ film is grounded for the most part but from the opening shot you get the sense that something’s off.  There are plenty of moments that feel familiar throughout as we follow Hall’s character steady decent into madness.  It’s a disorienting sensation even if she starts going off the rails quickly much like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.  Additionally, it’s obvious early on that Hall’s character isn’t the most reliable point of view as the film highlights a few blackouts and dissociative moments which will leave you wondering how much of what you are seeing is real or imagined.  There are few actresses around that can play internalized trauma like Rebecca Hall, see Christine or The Night House.  Hall is fully committed from the start, never letting up, making the audience feel every tinge of pain and intensity.  She carries the film by providing a multifaceted performance that is distinctively her own.  Tim Roth delivers a measured, subtly menacing turn that’s as unnerving as it’s understated.  His scenes with Hall pop off the screen especially as the film turns into its final act where it’s likely to lose or confuse a portion of the audience.  Whether the ending works or not is entirely up to everyone’s personal taste, but Resurrection is the kind of film that will linger in your memory.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of Hardcore Henry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog: With this weekend's promising new releases opening nowhere near me, yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the...um...less-than-promising Hardcore Henry. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

 

A man awakes in a laboratory to discover he's acquired a bunch of robot parts, but lost his memory.

 

Dear Reader(s), I'ma be straight with ya: With time to spare between halves of yesterday's double-feature, I stepped out of Harcore Henry, sat in the hallway, and wrote something akin to Spinal Tap's infamous "S**t Sandwich" review. However, the well-stated enthusiasm of one of my cinema buddies caused me to give the movie some additional thought, and, with thanks to Paul at Marquee, here's a more considered opinion.

 

Hardcore Henry is quite unique. Shown entirely through Henry's eyes, the viewer sees all the wiggly-jiggly action in the first person. While that's not always a great choice for your viewing enjoyment (and thank heavens it's not in 3D!), the filmmakers get full marks for commitment and attention to detail. Every bit looks entirely authentic. 

 

Sharlto Copley is his usual brilliant self, changing personalities like I change my socks. Like Sebastian Stan, Copley is a fantastic actor who usually deserves better than the projects he or his agent chooses, but, on the plus side, even a bad movie is so much better for having him. The action sequences are very well-choreographed, and the film is also smart enough not to wear out its welcome, clocking in at a quick hour and a half.

 

Now, the bad news: the violence and portrayal of women in Hardcore Henry are straight out of a teenage boy's dream. Even I--Number-One Expendables Fan--have to admit that the pointless chaos wears thin pretty quickly. The picture’s clearly more interested in grabbing your attention with something weird or shocking than keeping it with a well-thought-out story; the plot is riddled with holes and bizarre moments that make no sense...even in the context of something that makes so little sense overall. 

 

Minus anything more substantial underlying it, the incessant brutality is a lot to take, and the non-stop action can't save the movie from being a bit of a bore. 

 

Hardcore Henry runs 96 minutes and is rated R for "non-stop bloody brutal violence and mayhem, language throughout, sexual content/nudity, and drug use." 

 

Harcore Henry certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea, but, if you're looking for something well and truly different at the movies, it might just be for you. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Hardcore Henry gets three.

 

Until next time...