gatheringsnow

I just got done watching Jordan Peele's latest cinematic excursion Nope, which focuses on two siblings OJ and Emerald Haywood, played by Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer respectively, with this being Kaluuya's second collaboration with Peele following his 2017 film debut Get Out. In "Nope" the Haywood sibs are forced to band together after the unexpected and tragic death of their father "Pops" Haywood played by Keith David, after he's struck and killed by a falling object from the sky that lodges into his skull and causes him to die of what appears to be a brain hemorrhage. However the ultimate cause of why the object fell from the sky and where it came from is left unexplained, at least at first.

In addition to the main plot focusing on The Haywoods, who are notable for being the only black horse trainers working in Hollywood, the film also follows Ricky "Jupe" Park played by Steven Yeun, a former child actor and owner of a Western themed amusement park nearby called "Jupiter's Claim" who witnessed a horrific and tragic incident in his childhood while working on a sitcom called "Gordy's Home" and in the present day is focused on creating a public "spectacle" in one of his newest attractions being hyped up called The Star Lasso Experience. In an attempt to keep this review spoiler free I won't delve any deeper into the plot except to say that while I overall enjoyed the film, and was legitimately frightened in several scenes, several aspects kept me from giving it a full 10 star or even 9 star review, and that is some of the characters came off as very annoying or unlikable, and others felt either underdeveloped or fulfilling no real purpose to the overall plot, with the strongest performance in my opinion coming from Daniel Kaluuya as the more quiet and subdued Haywood sibling who comes off almost as a heroic character out of an old time Western flick.

A lot of the imagery and sound design was exceptionally well done, and I liked how it was divided into chapters based on the names of several animals which appear in the film, I also really liked the end reveal of the cause of what's going on and did not see it coming, but ultimately I feel the film could have used a bit of fine tuning to make it a true cinematic spectacle.

I just got finished watching Edgar Wright's latest film, "Last Night in Soho" starring Thomasin McKenzie as Eloise Turner, who might be recognizable as the Jewish girl hiding in the attic from Jojo Rabbit, and the lovely Anya Taylor-Joy as "Sandie" who made her stunning film debut in Robert Egger's The VVitch, one of my favorite horror movies of all time.

The film itself is very cleverly paced and reminds me a bit of older films from the swinging sixties at times like Roman Polanski's Repulsion which I'm sure must have at least partially inspired this film, as well as modern thrillers like Darren Aronofsky's intense "Black Swan" which like this film chronicles a young woman's descent into madness where the line between fantasy and reality becomes increasingly muddled as it progresses.

I really enjoyed the film personally and I especially loved the music in it, as someone who also fancies older music and vintage clothing styles the production design and visual elements of "Last Night in Soho" were like eye candy for me. As I was trying to figure out what was happening to Eloise "Ellie" Turner as she became more and more embroiled in the world of Sandie, a girl who is much like herself trying to gain fame and success in 1960s London but ends up being forced to do things that slowly begin tearing her apart emotionally and physically, the parallels between her story and Ellie's were too close for comfort.

There was a very distinct clash between expectations and reality and behind all of the glitz and glamour a hideous darkness lurked, ready to prey upon anyone who looked too closely into it. Also, didn't see the ending coming, but looking back on it now, it should have been so obvious, but that's not a bad thing, it just makes the film even more engrossing for me. Ultimately it was a tragic tale but one I was glad I witnessed.

I just finished watching the entire series on Netflix and I knew that I had to make this review as quickly as I could while this epic series was still fresh in my mind.

The series stars Hamish Linklater as Father Paul, Kate Siegel as Erin Greene, Zach Gilford as Riley Flynn, and Samantha Sloyan as Beverly Keane, and focuses on the denizens of a small insular, island community that seems to be somewhere in New England or the Mid-Atlantic region, which immediately brings to mind the many works of Stephen King which take place in similar locales and often deal with similar religious or supernatural themes interwoven together. Honestly, I'm actually surprised that he was not somehow involved with this series, but regardless I am glad that I was able to enjoy the work of another talented filmmaker working in the industry instead.

The general plot, at its core, follows the arrival of the aforementioned Father Paul to the island community of Crockett Island, as a temporary replacement for the aged Monsignor Pruitt, the former Priest of the St. Patrick's Catholic Church, who became unexpectedly ill while on a sojourn to the Holy Land of Jerusalem and was unable to return as expected. Despite seeming to be well meaning and with a strong desire to assist the community by spreading the message and will of God as best as he can, there does seem to be something odd about him, something not quite right, and surely enough, soon after his arrival, mysterious, unexplained events occur, a dark phantom seems to be stalking the island by night, people disappear or die gruesomely without warning in ways that seem to defy reason and logic.

At the very same time, a strange positive force seems to be rejuvenating and healing the townsfolk miraculously, allowing one previously paralyzed character to walk again, and even gradually restoring youth to the elderly and infirm. The more devout members of the community, notably characters like Bev Keane, an influential member of the community in her own right, see it as works of the Lord who is possibly bringing about a new age or covenant upon the Earth, while the more skeptically inclined such as the atheistic Riley or those belonging to another faith entirely like the newly elected Sherriff Hassan and his son Ali, who are Muslim, are less willing to accept it on faith alone and attempt to find a more natural explanation, although it becomes harder and harder to do so as each episode passes and the weirdness seems to escalate.

In my opinion just about the entire cast put in stellar performances but especially Hamish Linklater, Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, and Rahul Kohli as Sherriff Hassan, who was admittedly a refreshing take on a Muslim character in American media which so often demonizes both Islam and Muslims in general as violent, primitive, and backwards. Despite being a Vampire story, Midnight Mass is an incredibly unique and nuanced take on the genre, mixing in classic Vampire tropes such as feeding on blood and burning in the sun, with religious themes and parables which surprisingly work well together, especially as espoused through Father Paul's general philosophy towards his work as a Priest and how he views the world and humanity's place in it, contrasting sharply with Riley Flynn's a recovering alcoholic who had been involved in a tragic crime years prior and is just released from prison at the start of the series, returning to the island where he grew up to hopefully start anew and reconnect with his family, despite losing his faith in the process.

The series is quite notable for its strong emphasis on dialogue and clever use of atmosphere and suspense to build tension, while also properly building complex characters as opposed to the cardboard cut-outs which so often serve as little more than fresh meat to be killed off over the course of the film or in this case, miniseries. It's admittedly not going to be for everyone, as it might have just too much talking and conversations as opposed to thrills and scares, but in my opinion those conversations and monologues between the characters, especially between Riley and his love interest, Erin, who has not lost her faith despite having gone through many trials and tribulations of her own, with much of her past trauma seeming to confirm her worldview rather than negate it. To me I highly enjoyed the conflict which arose when differing beliefs and worldviews were challenged or criticized because in some instances, they provided some profound insight into character's psyches, and it became easier to understand why they made the choices that they made at pivotal moments that otherwise might not make any sense if left unacknowledged by the strong writing.

I'll admit there are a few things I wasn't overly crazy about, or think could have been handled a bit better, especially towards the climax of the show, but overall, I am very glad I was able to watch this series when I did, as I myself am an aspiring writer, and this series is now a big inspiration for me in some of my own writing. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who is interested in a fairly unique take on the Vampire mythos, but you should at the very least know what you are getting into, as there are only seven episodes, but they are each a little over an hour long and for some could become boring or tiring to sit through, especially the earlier episodes.