Quarantine Movie Round-Up #2

As we continue to battle the craziness of 2020, there's still cinematic hope! New movies are still coming out and a lot of them are really great! If you haven't had a chance to see my first batch of quarantine flicks, you can check out my review of those here. In the meantime, here are a few more worthy candidates to consider!

An American Pickle - HBO Max

An American Pickle is probably one of my top favorite new films of 2020 so far. It’s got an absurd premise that purposefully plays into that absurdity, and manages to infuse heart, humor, and a wonderful escape from the drudgery of quarantine-living. The story is about a man named Herschel Greenbaum (played by Seth Rogen), an immigrant worker at a pickle factory who is accidentally brined and preserved in a vat of pickles for 100 years and wakes up in modern-day Brooklyn. Herschel manages to find his only living relative, a great-grandson named Ben Greenbaum (also played by Seth Rogen), and tries to find his place in this new and foreign world. It’s a true fish-out-of-water tale that manages to remain heartfelt without succumbing to its comedy. People tend to associate Seth Rogen with his stoner comedies, but he’s not a one-trick pony. The man can act, and the few dramatic roles he’s had in his career have been some of his best. This movie solely rests on his shoulders as he plays the two main characters. As Ben, you get a fairly straight-forward, familiar Seth Rogen performance; Ben is basically Seth Rogen with a baseball cap. Where Rogen shines is in his performance as Herschel. A role that could have easily been played over-the-top, Rogen harnesses a true sense of humanity within Herschel, and I really felt for the guy when he realizes that the family he knows is dead and gone. The movie has some great story moments, and it never seems to drag or feel encumbered by unnecessary fluff. It’s a quick watch but one that is well worth checking out. I was sold on the premise alone, and I was pleasantly satisfied with the outcome. If you have HBO Max, give it a watch, I think you’ll get a kick out of it.

 

 

Palm Springs - Amazon Prime Video

Palm Springs debuted a month or so ago? Time has become irrelevant at this point. At any rate, I watched this movie a while back and it was an absolute blast. The story follows carefree Nyles (Andy Samberg) and reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Cristin Milioti). When they encounter each other at a Palm Springs wedding, things start to blossom between them before quickly getting complicated when they get stuck in a time loop that makes them unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other. Time loops are not a new narrative device. One of the greatest movies of all time, Groundhog Day, brilliantly utilized the time loop. It’s a device that allows characters to develop and grow in a way that is funny, charming, but also sad and harrowing at times. On the surface, living the same day over and over again might be really appealing. Nyles is very much of that camp. The ability to wave all accountability for the freedom to live without restraint is something he learns to really enjoy. Sarah, however, is of the opposite camp. She wants nothing more than to get out and return to the monotony of life. Pit these two together and you get a truly moving, heartfelt, and hilarious narrative about choice, perspective, and self-worth. Both Samberg and Milioti are fantastic in this movie, and the story is brilliantly told without being confusing. It’s a rom-com that works, and if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, launch your Amazon Prime app and get to it. You’ll be happy you did.

 

The Hunt - VOD

The Hunt was a movie that came out back in March but was actually supposed to come out earlier than that. It was one of the first theatrical movies to be made available for rent on streaming. I rented it the weekend it dropped and made a night of it while being sheltered in place. The movie is about twelve strangers who wake up in a clearing and don't know where they are, or how they got there. They’re disoriented and confused, but what they don't know is that they've been chosen for a very specific purpose: they’re prey for The Hunt. I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this movie. It’s a pretty morose premise, but it actually manages to infuse a lot of humor and a lot of really great story moments within the violent, gory mayhem. The cast is vast, but the standout for me was Betty Gilpin who plays Crystal, a woman who can definitely handle her own. Most of the story follows her as the group navigates their own survival. It’s a simple plot, but the entertainment value is pretty high. It’s a violent, action-packed, nerve-riddled movie that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up until the closing credits. Available to rent and stream on-demand through multiple streaming services, The Hunt is definitely an interesting ride.