Some Movies.

"TAU"
starring: Maika Monroe, Ed Skrein, Gary Oldman
written by: Noga Landau
directed by: Federico D'Alessandro


Netflix keeps doing. Churning out a bit of second-rate, B-movies for the sake of "original" programming, in an effort to keep attracting big name actors/actresses. Here, they've enticed Maika Monroe, who was absolutely incredible in the amazing horror film "It Follows" a couple years back. In this wannabe thriller with artificial intelligence and a sort of evil genius at the center of the horror.

Julia (Monroe) is a grifter captured at the beginning of the movie and made prisoner to someone for some reason. It’s a bold start to the movie, feeling like the wordless, anxious climax of a different film, but it’s too dour in its execution, and we plainly aren’t given enough time to worry about Monroe’s character. A sense of world-building would be nice too, as this is shown to be the future but it’s uncertain what kind of technology does and doesn’t exist. We do get some idea of that when we find out that she and others have been imprisoned by a rich inventor named Alex (Ed Skrein), who has been putting implants in his prisoners to work on higher cognitive functions. He is assisted by a supercomputer named Tau (voiced by Gary Oldman), who appears as a red and green triangle in his lobby, but can also control a murderous robot that’s like a very pointy ED-209. 

“Tau” becomes a three-character story, its drama focused on two different types of escape: Tau senses a type of escape from being just a computer, and Julia seeks a more literal escape, even though she earns more of Alex’s trust and is allowed some of her own autonomy. They both learn to help each other, while Alex is little more than a brooding, empty villainous presence. The script has too many flat moments, and bozo gotcha beats for “Tau” to create a tension and then maintain it. 

It almost feel like this film is too drawn out and could've actually worked better as a short film.
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"Serena"
starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones, David Dencik, Sean Harris, Ana Ularu, Sam Reid, Charity Wakefield
written by: Christopher Kyle
directed by: Susanna Bier


Remember when this was given the prestigious award of "Worst Film of the Year??" Yea, well, it definitely earned and deserved that award! Wow! What a snooze-fest. I blame the script for making Jennifer Lawrence look so D.O.A. on the screen. I think it definitely does not help the film much that Jennifer and Bradley Cooper just do not seem to have any chemistry throughout the film, which is really bizarre, given their work together in "Silver Linings Playbook." I think this is a film trying way too hard to be taken seriously as it clearly appears to be trying to be as good or as equal to "Cold Mountain" (which is an incredible film).

“Serena’s” chilly, repeatedly self-severing storytelling is arguably more avant-garde than the plushly appointed star vehicle that surrounds it, though it’s hard to gauge the film’s own awareness of that disconnect. The first encounter between logging baron George Pemberton (Cooper) and Lawrence’s feisty title character is a case in point: They meet on horseback, the wind caressing their respective tresses, and his opening line is, “I think we should be married.” 

A line like that, coming out of a Hollywood mired in male-dominated controversies lately just makes you cringe, not feel like these two are destined lovers.

Either way, it’s just a couple of swift cuts before the two are indeed married, and George brings his not-quite-blushing Colorado bride to his muddy lumber empire in the North Carolina mountains. His colleagues are less than welcoming, and not just because the outdoorsy, relentlessly capable Serena takes a more active role in her husband’s business affairs than was generally expected of American women in 1929. George’s chief advisor Buchanan (David Dencik), who supposedly harbors homosexual feelings for his boss signaled less by the script than by his collection of densely patterned cravats, is particularly resentful of her intrusion. Meanwhile, George’s destitute ex-lover, Rachel (Ana Ularu), is pregnant with his child, though Serena is unfazed: “Nothing that happened before even exists,” she says, as Lawrence’s bemusedly hard gaze betrays the first hint of the femme fatale within.

Her denial proves over-optimistic, however, as internal and external pressures conspire to end their steamily wedded bliss: Tipped off by the resentful Buchanan, local sheriff and conservationist McDowell (Toby Jones) closes in on George’s crooked financial dealings, determined to close down the lumber practice. The newly pregnant Serena, meanwhile, is suspicious of her husband’s gestures of support toward Rachel.

The woman versus woman conflict is a bit too much and it honestly takes way too long for anything to really develop within the story, so by the time things happen, you are not engaged or empathetic to any of the characters.

After an exceedingly slow-burning 45 minutes, an abrupt murder kicks the proceedings into the kind of high melodramatic key for which Bier is known, as Serena’s mental state rapidly deteriorates following a miscarriage, setting in motion a chain of dubiously motivated acts of malice. A finale that integrates arson, animal attacks and a three-way manhunt is far more high-flown than that of the source novel.

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"Birthmarked"
starring: Toni Collette, Matthew Goode, Fionnula Flanagan, Michael Smiley, Suzanne Clement, Andreas Apergis, Jadyn Malone, Jordan Poole, Tyrone Benskin, Anton Gillis-Adelman
written by: Marc Tulin
directed by: Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais


The opening quote from Walt Disney sets the stage for the film- "I think of a newborn's mind as a blank book."

Setting the stage for parents Catherine and Ben (Toni Collette and Matthew Goode, respectively), who are themselves prestigious scientists and high-IQed scholars who met in grad school and decidedly had amazing chemistry not just in the lab but in the bedroom, as well. The way the film plays out, it reminds me of those heartfelt, simple indie dramedies like "Little Miss Sunshine."

Allured by the idea of proving the ultimate power of “nurture” over “nature,” the pair decides to raise an unusual family, infusing their children with the necessary tools and knowledge to challenge their genetic predispositions. Can you really grow up to be something you’re not born as? Catherine and Ben quit their jobs and jointly elect a life dedicated to proving that no one has to be obstructed or defined by their lineage.
Enter the eccentric millionaire/scientist Gertz (Michael Smiley), who agrees to fund the research project for his own set of mysterious scientific goals. Soon enough, Catherine and Ben (expecting a baby) move to the countryside with their Russian research assistant Samsonov (Andreas Apergis), and adopt two kids, whom they’d raise alongside their own biological son Luke (Jordan Poole) like lab rats. Luke gets put on a steady diet of highbrow art. When upset, he is asked to sing his feelings out. His science-leaning genes get completely disregarded. Maya (Megan O’Kelly), despite not being the offspring of intellectuals, is asked to engage with everything from a brainy, rational lens and is fed foods with high iron value to enhance her cognitive development. Maurice (Anton Gillis-Adelman), on the other hand, is encouraged to channel his violent leanings (which he inherited from his biological parents) towards peaceful harmony. But would the 12-year-long experiment to nurture an accomplished artist, a brainy intellectual and a peace-loving pacifist ultimately work?
In a film where nature v. nurture is the basis for the conflict and the heart of the story, there isn't much heart or real emotion, tugging of the heart-strings throughout the film, ultimately making it fail at what I think it was trying to accomplish. It really has a chance, but falls short, of making its point.

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"Melvin Goes to Dinner"
starring: Michael Blieden, Stephanie Courtney, Matt Price, Annabelle Gurwitch, Maura Tierney, Jenna Fischer, Jacqueline Heinze, Laura Kightlinger, Fred Armisen, Jerry Minor, James Gunn, Jack Black, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk
written by: Michael Blieden
directed by: Bob Odenkirk


Bob Odenkirk is much more recognizable for his "Mr. Show" endeavor with David Cross as well as his epic roles in "Breaking Bad" and the spin-off "Better Call Saul" so much so that people often forget he is a director (and writer, sometimes) of some great indie films. Here, he directs a simple comedy about friends conversing about several topics over the course of a dinner. It is a similar concept to something Richard Linklater did with "Kicking and Screaming" as well as "Dinner with Friends" (from 2001) or even the classic "The Big Chill." It's a simple concept. Have characters. Have conversations. Have philosophies. Have conflicts. Have solutions.

Four people – some of them strangers to each other – meet for dinner in a restaurant and spend the evening talking and sharing intimacies over several bottles of wine. These are thirtysomething people sorting through their in-between years – the years between 24/7 fun and settling down. Melvin makes a dinner date with his old friend Joey (Price), whom he hasn't seen in months and calls by accident on speed dial. When he arrives at the restaurant, he discovers Joey has also invited along an old friend Alex (Courtney), a woman who happens to be in town for business overnight. On her way to the restaurant, Alex runs into an old friend of hers, Sarah (Gurwitch), and brings her along to the dinner. These four cover topics ranging from religion to anal sex – and everything in between. Lubricated by free-flowing wine, the conversation (filmed with several cameras) is interesting, funny, and natural. 

There's a few great cameos from well-known actors, perhaps helping out there friend (Odenkirk) for little to no money, just the chance to be in an indie film once again.
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"Open House"
starring: Dylan Minnette, Piercey Dalton, Patricia Bethune, Sharif Atkins, Aaron Abrams, Katie Walder, Paul Rae, Leigh Parker, Kathryn Beckwith, Ethan Cushing
written and directed by: Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote


Here's another one of Netflix's ironically titled "originals" starring one of their many contracted actors (this time it's "13 Reasons Why" Dylan Minnette in the leading role, something he is not ready for, except maybe for films like this that seem better fit for made-for-television). With the amount of Netflix originals being churned out these days, many of them are misses rather than hits and this suspense/thriller/horror is definitely a miss. There is really nothing good about this one.

After a family tragedy – it always seems like to follow one of these, doesn’t it – Logan (Minnette) and his mother, Naomi (Piercey Dalton), resign themselves to staying at a family member’s home while it’s being shown for sale. Almost immediately after arriving, strange occurrences begin in the house, which then lead to their lives threatened by an unseen presence.

This one is just boring.

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