Suburbicon

Writer/Producer/Director George Clooney’s Suburbicon is a horrid little story about horrible people doing horrible things in a 1959 suburb.  It is beyond stupid.

Save your money and avoid this mistake by all involved.

I give Suburbicon a 1.6 out of 5.  And, that high a mark is only because of the film’s only saving graces, actress Karimah Westbrook and young Noah Jupe.

Wonderstruck

Director Todd Haynes’ Wonderstruck is an extremely interesting drama that requires a lot of patience by the audience.  However, I assure you that patience will pay off, beautifully.

The film has two parallel stories, one in 1927 regarding an adolescent deaf girl (Millicent Simmonds) in New Jersey, who escapes her tyrannical father and escapes to New York City.   The other takes place in 1977, regarding a 15-year-old boy (Oakes Fegley), in Minnesota, whose hearing is lost in a freak lightning storm soon after the death of his mother.

The 1927 story is depicted in a black & white tone, while the 1977 story is in color.

The patience I mentioned is due to the fact the principal characters are deaf and there is sparse dialogue while the audience is trying to figure out how, if at all, these stories may relate to each other.  Spoiler alert… They do.

 The young actors are wonderful and Julianne Moore is magnificent in dual roles.   

Cinematographer Edward Lachman deserves kudos for his wonderful images.

I give Wonderstruck a 4.1 out of 5.

Happy Death Day

Director Christopher Landon’s Happy Death Day is an unexpected funfest.  It’s one of the few horror/thrillers that can please even non-fans of the genre.

And, while giving a nod to Landon and Screenwriter Scott Lobdell, the film succeeds mostly because of Jessica Rothe, who plays the principal role of a college student, who  relives the day of her death over and over until she figures out who her assailant is.

The cast members all play their roles, admirably, and, thankfully, the film does not end with the stereotypical “f*#k you”…where the monster/killer revives just before the credits…of most every film in this genre.

I’m happy to give Happy Death Day a 4.1 out of 5.