What's New?
I've had the good fortune to watch some great original films lately. With the constant talk about a lack of original scripts and "everything being based on an already existing IP (intellectual property), I thought it would be fun to start posting some short bits about new, original films when they're good and the time is available. Three of them are new as in released within the last few months, and two were "new to me" though they were released in 2021.
Glorious - Rebekah McKendry (Dr. McKendry, if you're naughty), has been in the horror journalism business, for a long time, having been host of a number of very popular podcasts dedicated to horror films and worked with Fangoria and Blumhouse. She's also a film professor at USC. What else could she possibly do? She's been making micro-budget genre films for a number of years. Glorious sees her pull in True Blood's Ryan Kwanten and none other than J.K. Simmons (he voices a character, but never appears on screen). Glorious is a stunning example of doing a whole lot, with very little. Almost all of it takes place in one location. There are two main characters, with a few others who come through quickly. It's a unique take on cosmic horror, mixing some good comedy, over the top gore, two great central performances, excellent cinematography and design work, on every level. It's clear from the very confined nature of the film that it's not a big budget, but it's also clear every cent is on the screen. The contrast of darkness and bright color make for a visual style and storytelling as unique as the story itself. Right now, Glorious is streaming exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ (AMC owns Shudder), but give a few months, and it'll show up on all the major VOD platforms. There are a few very fun surprises, some good laughs, and some real heart waiting if you're willing to take the ride with this wonderfully oddball little movie. I hope, based on the artistic and word of mouth success of this film, someone decides to give Rebekah and company the kind of budget which will get her next feature into theaters. This movie is genuinely original and creative in many ways.
Hellbender - A few years back, a family consisting of John Adams, Tobey Poser, and their daughters, Zelda and Lulu Adams made a big impression on the festival circuit with a film called The Deeper You Dig. That film grew in reputation and recognition on streaming services. It's a surreal, micro budget genre film, shockingly well written and made, essentially by a family of four living in rural, upstate New York. The Adams clan does the majority of the work, behind and in front of the camera and they came back in 2021 with Hellbender. This story centers on a mother and daughter living in the wilds of one of upstate New York's more mountainous areas. It's an unusual coming of age tale. Again, the Adams clan manages to create something truly unique, touching on isolation, matriarchy, nature vs. nurture and a number of other interesting ideas. There's a clear jump in production value between The Deeper You Dig and Hellbender, which makes this a film I hope will introduce wider audiences to the engrossing, off kilter storytelling this family is producing. The writing is creative and smart, as is the visual storytelling, and the onscreen mother/daughter relationship between Tobey Poser and Zelda Adams is impossible not to be drawn into. The creative instincts in this family of filmmakers are phenomenal. I can't wait to see what they do next. This one is also streaming exclusively on Shudder and AMC+, but is available for purchase or rental on all the major VOD platforms.
Resurrection - For a number of years now, Rebecca Hall has been wracking up the resumé entries made of interesting, original genre or genre adjacent films when she's not co-starring in things like Iron Man 3 and Godzilla Vs. Kong. She's also putting in some of the most under appreciated performances of the last decade, and top of her talent in front of the camera, has a top tier nose for these smaller projects which end up producing films which range in quality from damn good to undeniably excellent. In 2020, she gave a performance ruefully unrecognized during awards season in The Night House, a wonderfully effective chiller, with some inventive ideas and an original script. Resurrection teams her with Tim Roth, in a film about a woman who's been running from her past for a long time (rightfully and understandably), without fully dealing with it. Roth is that past, and when he returns, it throws the life she has meticulously built into chaos. It's best to go into this one knowing as little as possible, and although this summary of the story sounds very unoriginal and very much an imitation of a million things we've all seen before, this is not the film that description brings to mind. This went places I was completely surprised by. This may be Rebeccas Hall's best performance yet, which really is saying a lot. Hall and Roth together? Scenes for future acting students to study. This is worth seeing for those two performances alone, and it's also very well written and directed. The way it's shot and edited gives both performances all the respect they deserve, while also using editing and cinematography to help establish and grow the steady tension and dread which comes to saturate the entire film. This is a gut punch though, nothing light and airy about this one. I am a bad movie goer, in that I don't always sit through the credits, but I did with this one, just to digest what I'd just seen. I didn't give director Andrew Semans enough credit here, because I'm trying to keep this short, but it's very clear this is a person who knows what they're doing behind the camera, knows how to make each scene have as deep an impact as it can and knows how to build the atmosphere they want. It's as well directed as it is acted. Right now, this one is VOD only, available to rent or purchase on all the majors.
Watcher - Maika Monroe is another young actress building up a strong genre resumé. In 2014, she appeared in The Guest, which has gained a semi-cult status. She followed that up, later the same year, with the critically and commercially successful It Follows, generally considered one of the best original horror films of the last decade. It's also pops up regularly in critics and fans lists of scariest films. She's been making interesting choices since. Now, cast by writer/director Chloe Okuno in her first feature film, Monroe proves how much of the success of her previous genre outings are due to her talent and star power. Okuno and Monroe are an excellent team, and I really, really hope they do more together in the future. Watcher is in many ways a throwback to the kind of suspense thrillers of the seventies. There are shades and echoes of The Conversation, Klute, Play Misty For Me, Taxi Driver and Don't Look Now. Okuno isn't imitating though. She's taking those influences and shaping them into something original, different, but still recognizable to the audiences who appreciate the suspense thriller as a sub genre, and the films of that era particularly. She knows exactly when and how to stick with or subvert expectations in a way that feels fresh. With Monroe in the lead, Okuno has someone superbly capable of expressing all the paranoia, claustrophobia and isolation the film calls for, while also demonstrating a vulnerability which makes it impossible not to be on her side and on board for the films journey. The story is a bit less surprising than the other films I've listed, in terms of its progression and where it ends up, but this is by design as part of what the films has to say. It becomes surprising in this way. The other side of this is that whether or not it has that feel of being shockingly original as a story unfolds, the level of expertise in every detail is exquisite, and exquisite is the word I keep coming back to as a descriptor. The performances, the cinematography (which no less an authority than Guillermo Del Toro noted uses the architecture perfectly), the score, the writing, the costume and set design... Everything about this film is exquisite. It's all fine tuned with a shocking level of discipline and understanding for the parts each detail plays. Chloe Okuno and Marika Monroe are the real deal, and I hope both of them get the kind of recognition which allows them to start making whatever they'd like, because it will be good and chances are it will be better for their involvement. This was available as a rental on all the major VOD platforms until earlier this week. Right now, it looks like it's streaming exclusively on Shudder and AMC+, and only available for rent or purchase on Google Play and YouTube.
Dual - Riley Stearns is an interesting filmmaker. His feature directorial debut, Faults, is criminally under appreciated as far as I'm concerned. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and giving consummate character actor Leland Orser a chance at a leading role, Faults was a well written, well directed, well acted, left of center, genre adjacent film. He then brought The Art Of Self Defense, which itself has a cult following. It's an off beat, off kilter black comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg and co-starring Imogen Poots. His third film, Dual, is centered on a woman in a near future who receives a terminal diagnosis for a rare illness. In this near future, cloning is possible, and one can clone themselves should they receive a terminal diagnosis or wish to commit suicide, in order to spare their loved ones the pain of their loss. The clone is supposed to take their place. Occasionally, as in the film, someone goes into remission, and if the clone has been around long enough, it means the original and the clone have to engage in a televised duel to the death to decide who gets to keep the identity. Stearns has a knack for taking an interesting concept in unexpected directions, as he's done in his previous films as well. The premise for Dual definitely conjures up a certain kind of dystopian science fiction film, and yet, that's not at all what Dual is. As in his other films, Stearns does a great job of mixing black humor, depth of heart, interesting characters and dynamics. Karen Gillan is very good and very fun as Sara, the protagonist. Aaron Paul does good supporting work as the combat teacher she hires to prepare for the duel. I'm fairly certain one of the issues with the reception to this film, aside from an obviously chosen odd tone and tenor of line delivery is that very pointedly avoids being anything one might expect from the premise or the sub genre. This one's very good, if you can settle in with the flat affect of the line delivery. It's thought provoking, and just an interesting ride. Dual is streaming on AMC+ and available for rent and purchase in all the places.
We're All Going To The World's Fair - Jane Schoenbrun's debut feature is most definitely least traditional film on this list. Is it a horror film? Kind of? Maybe? It depends on you? Whatever genre you'd cast it in with, it's a meditation on isolation and identity in the digital age and how the digital world has changed those experiences. Anna Cobb is outstanding as Casey, a young girl, engaged in an online role playing game called, We're All Going To The World's Fair. It's a game obviously inspired by the world of creepypasta. As she keeps uploading videos of her "progress," she gets a message from another player, and their interactions become driving factor in the film. Though there are one or two bits of body horror and one good jump scare, this is far from your traditional horror film, but for anyone whose ever spent hours into the night going down rabbit holes of niche interests as a kind of mental vacation from isolation or difficult life circumstances (have you met me?), it has the potential to strike a chord. It also highlights the particular dangers for young women in these circumstances. I found it unsettling in a way that's really hard to describe, but also deeply thought provoking. All of that comes by way of the "screen life" format/sub genre. This sub genre/storytelling perspective has been growing through the years, Jed Shepherd's absurdly good 2020 shocker, Host, having been the most well received so far. There are some other entries which are good for a few scares, like Unfriended from 2014, but We're All Going To The World's Fair is absolutely unique, using this perspective to create a feeling of intimacy at such depth it sometimes feels wrong. Schoenbrun demonstrates an uncanny narrative intuitiveness and a creativeness of perspective that points the way to this sub genre/format/perspective being capable of genuinely powerful storytelling. It also points to Schoenbrun being someone whose next film I'm excited to see. Added bonus for those of you to whom it may bring extra meaning, Schoenbrun is also a trans woman, who transitioned during the making of the film. I saw this one initially a number of months back, but I'm adding it to this list because it's available to stream via Hoopla right now, and it's coming to HBO Max on 9/1. Like the rest, it's available for rent or purchase on all the VOD platforms.
*A NOTE TO PATRONS - I'm still working on the Taxi Driver piece I mentioned previously. It got very, very long, unwieldy and unfocused. The edit is taking a while to find a shape I'm happy with, but it is still in progress. I really wanted to shout from the rooftops about some of the great original films I'd seen recently though.