My first viewing of Jon Amiel’s (Entrapment, Copycat) Sommersby was when I was 17. I liked the story, was intrigued by the slow unraveling mystery, and ate up the sentimentality created by Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, The Mothman Prophecies) and Jodie Foster (Panic Room, The Silence of the Lambs). Had I reviewed the film in 1993, I likely would have given it an A-. As I watched the movie most recently, some 30 years later, I was impressed by how well it once again grabbed and held my interest. Much of that was trying to spot each clue that connected the start and end, which rewatches allow. However, as simple as the story was, I fell victim to Jack Summerset’s (Gere) six-year return to Laurel (Foster) following the U.S. Civil War.
Category Archives: Mystery
Trap (2024)
Veering away from the supernatural-themed movies with unique twists that defined the first decade of his career, M. Night Shyamalan (Signs, Old) ventures into a genre designed to induce a different type of suspense. While unique, Trap is so farfetched and full of contraptions, conveniences, and implausibilities that it almost finds itself in the unenviable “it’s so bad, it’s good” category. Fortunately, the first two acts built enough tension that not even the ridiculous conclusion could derail the film completely.
Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall could be the Oscar darling of 2023. The film has received a lot of awards season buzz. While mainly shown in art house-type theaters, this tour de force has sustained a long theatrical run. Positive critic reviews and word-of-mouth conversations have helped the film tremendously and at the right time. A lock to be nominated for Best International Film, Anatomy of a Fall has a chance to receive nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress in a Lead Performance (Sandra Hüller), and Best Picture. Far from an earth-shattering film, or even one that you’ll think about much after your viewing, it is a worthwhile watch that will have your mind switching back and forth through its 150-minute run-time, anticipating how it might end.
Saltburn (2023)
I knew so little going into my viewing of Emerald Fennell’s (Promising Young Woman) Saltburn that I thought this movie starred Paul Mescal. Imagine my surprise when his name was not mentioned in the opening credits. Furthermore, I wasn’t able to identify the name or face of either the film’s lead character (Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) or primary supporting character (Jacob Elordi – HBO’s Euphoria). As I reflected on the movie afterward and thought about each of these actors’ performances, I was impressed as I compared them to their other roles. Likewise, though Fennell’s film (which she also wrote) was as outlandish in premise as Promising Young Woman (a movie that earned her an Oscar nomination as a debut director, nonetheless), Ambitious, the film excelled more visually than it did in substance. That’s not to say there wasn’t an intriguing, underlying story. Rather, the lack of cohesion, inconsistencies, and reasons for some of the character’s actions left us with a less-than-satisfying conclusion.
Alice, Darling (2022)
It isn’t so much that Alice, Darling, the feature-length directorial debut of Mary Nighy, was a good movie nor an enjoyable watch, but rather how it remains in your mind long after its watch. It’s both a timely and timeless movie about emotional abuse, told exclusively through the eyes of a victim amid the turmoil, but having no sense of what to do about it or even if she knows if she’s genuinely experiencing this abuse. In this regard, the movie hits on all cylinders, even when it misses almost everything else.