Review Catch-Up: "10 Cloverfield Lane", "The Witch", and "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot"

 

 
  So a few months back I ventured to my local cinema to watch Michael Bay's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. I always get to the movies early because the previews are arguably the best part of the experience. I pride myself on my ability to keep up with the latest movie news, so more times than not the trailers that play I had more than likely seen already...multiple times. They still pump me up though, that's what happens when you're giddy for movies. That being said, this particular movie outing was especially memorable because it led to my jaw-dropping surprise when a little trailer for some movie called 10 Cloverfield Lane dropped in front of 13 Hours. I remember flying home after the movie and forcing my wife to watch the trailer online. The 2008 hit Cloverfield was such a monumental movie, fully embracing the then not-overused style of found footage filming. It was subject to genius marketing, and tons of fan theories. It's since become a cult classic. No one had any idea that there was going to be another one. To be able to pull a fast one over the general population is a feat to be proud of, and J.J. Abrams, the film's producer, did just that.

   It's been a few weeks since it opened, so most of you may have already seen it. For those of you who haven't, know right now that this movie isn't a sequel, per se. J.J. Abrams has referred to this movie as a "blood relative" to the 2008 film, but in retrospect it really can stand on its own. Unlike the first, it's not shot on a shaky handheld camera, and yet it still holds just enough, if not more tension than the first. The story is fairly straight-forward: after getting in a car accident, a woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is held in a shelter with fellow "resident" Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) and shelter-builder Howard (John Goodman), who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.

   Again, if you go into this movie expecting a follow up to Cloverfield, you'll find that's not the case. However, I doubt you'll be disappointed. It's such a well-crafted film, with fantastic acting and brilliant directing, that it'll stand alone as a film not to be missed. The brilliance of this movie is how it leaves the audience as confused and on edge as the characters themselves are. A lot of times, movies will hint at aspects that only the audience can see, leaving them to only watch how things fall into place. Not here. As an audience member, you're along for the ride, guessing at every turn and feeling for the central character the entire time. John Goodman's performance as Howard is creepy, engaging, and unbelievably good! He stole the movie for me. Both Winstead and Gallagher do a great job as well, but Goodman gives one of my favorite performances of his in this film.

   It's tough to talk about this movie without spoiling anything. I won't do that, promise. This movie needs to be experienced and if you haven't done so, then what are you waiting for? 10 Cloverfield Lane, originally titled The Cellar before being worked into the Cloverfield mythos, is a fantastic thriller with great entertainment value, and will leave you as speculative to the connection with the 2008 film just as much as audiences speculated about it back then.

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  Keeping in the same spooky vein, I finally got around to seeing The Witch. I remember seeing the trailers for the first time and seeing all the praise it got at Sundance. It looked creepy beyond belief. I happened to be checking times for a movie the other night and noticed that The Witch only had two show times, meaning it was probably going to be leaving theaters soon. So I headed on out, and after seeing it, I'm glad I did.

   A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession as they struggle to not only survive but to remain faithful to their God and to each other. If you haven't seen this movie and you're a fan of horror films, you might not like this one. Witches and witchcraft kinda freaks me out, but in a good way. It's one of those things that when told right, without any satire or the use of the normal tropes that comes with doing a story about witches, that it really gets under my skin. This movie got under my skin in a real way and by the time the credits began to roll, I was truly freaked out.

   First and foremost you need to know that this movie goes for the slow burn. Director Robert Eggers, making his feature film debut with this movie, takes the time to really harness the period the film takes place. The cinematography is stunning and bland at the same time. The dialogue is done in this old English style, like straight out of the King James version of the Bible, but done fantastically. Sometimes when actors speak with that style it comes of as wrote or recited. But the actors did a marvelous job that even though at times I couldn't understand what they were saying, it almost felt normal. It's as if by grounding the world in reality and believability, Eggers opens the audience up to truly experience the events occurring the way the people of the time would have felt and experienced them.

   This movie is more about the family experiencing these supernatural things than it is about the witch, who was portrayed super creepy in the movie, by the way. As the story builds, it doesn't rely on the same old horror movie tropes to gain its scares. The terrifying moments are truly terrifying because you don't necessarily know they're coming. The end of the movie is truly spine-tingling. It is somewhat predictable, but after watching how the movie laid itself out, I was jaw-dropped the whole time with chills running up and down my spine and this uncomfortable, unease sitting in the pit of my stomach. Kudos to the movie, I mean good golly. It's just fantastic.

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 Shifting gears a bit, I also got a chance to see the new Tina Fey movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. The movie is about journalist Kim Baker  (Tina Fey) as she recounts her wartime coverage in Afghanistan. The movie is well-acted, well-directed, with great dialogue, a great score and tons of laughs. It's a war/comedy that really showcases Tina Fey's ability to not only harness a dramatic scene but do so with strong comedic timing that isn't over the top (like in Sisters or SNL) and is grounded in true emotion. Her main counterpart is Martin Freeman, who is equally fun to watch. The movie was all-around a good time and it's worth checking out for sure. It does nothing new for the genre, but if you're looking for a movie that is funny, engaging, intense, emotional, well-acted, well-directed, well-written...check out this movie.