The opening sequence of Jerrod Carmichael’s feature-length debut On the Count of Three shows a revolver being pointed inches from the face of Kevin (Christopher Abbott – It Comes At Night, First Man), a thirty-something man with swollen eyes and a twitching mouth that suggests that something terrible is about to happen to him. Then, the camera shifts to Val (Carmichael – Neighbors, The Disaster Artist), who has a similar firearm in his hand, pointing it at Kevin. Are these two men adversaries, attempting to make the other lower their gun with the threat to shoot?
Category Archives: Mental Illness
Smile (2022)
If watching the trailer for first-time feature director Parker Finn’s Smile evokes memories of a particularly disturbing videotape from an, at the time, unknown movie that had the casual horror filmgoing fan cowering their eyes behind their hands for the better part of two hours, it’s because it’s supposed to. I’m referring to, of course, the 2002 classic The Ring, and the comparison I’m making is the phone call the watcher receives after watching the videotape that tells them they have seven days to live. Likewise, the trailer for Smile informs us that when the viewer sees “it” (what “it” is, we are uncertain), they will soon die. While there are both similarities and differences between the two films, what is certain is that The Ring generated $129 million domestically at the box office, which Finn would gladly like to duplicate.
True Things (2021)
If you have the opportunity to watch or if you get the chance to watch the Ruth Wilson-led (Oslo, Showtime’s The Affair) True Things, pay particular attention to the film’s opening and closing scenes. There is considerable symbolism at the two ends, almost leveling us back even after going up and down several peaks and valleys in Harry Wootliff’s (Only You) heavy romantic drama.
Three Colors: Blue (1993)
Blue is the first in Polish-born Krzysztof Kieslowski’s (The Double Life of Veronique, No End) three-part trilogy, aptly named Red, White, and Blue. While showing very little connection and not intended to be watched in any particular order, Blue (1993) had a release date before White (1994) and Red (1994). Blue also features the most recognized actor (Juliette Binoche – The English Patient, Chocolat). So, either on its own was enough to start with Blue. Together, it was a no-brainer.
Breaking (2022)
Abi Damaris Corbin’s quiet feature debut, Breaking, is a movie that does everything Nick Cassavetes’s disaster John Q failed to do when it managed to make $71 million domestically in 2002. Of all the things Denzel Washington has saved in his movies (subways, jets, submarines, locomotive trains), holding up a hospital and forcing a doctor to perform life-saving surgery on his son was, by far, his worst. Unfortunately, Washington’s always-solid performance couldn’t save an absurd script based on a ridiculous presence. The based-on-a-true-story Breaking offers breakout performances by Corbin and the film’s lead, John Boyega (Detroit, The Woman King), most notably recognized for his role as Finn in the latest Star Wars movies.