(Movie Review) Life - Humans Never Learn

Life (2017)

Sci-Fi, Horror

Directed By: Daniel Espinosa

It's fine to "rip-off" another movie or movies, it really is. Every film is pulling from something that came before it in some way or another, but if you are going to go so far as to market your film with the clear indication that you are going to do so at least have something new to offer the audience. The newest piece of sci-fi horror from filmmaker Daniel Espinosa Life wears its influences on its sleeve like a badge of honor and then fails to bring us anything more than lesser versions of those very ideas. 

To the film's credit, they waste no time getting into the main plot and what we all care about. It opens on the crew of the Internation Space Station (ISS) as they attempt to intercept a capsule returning from Mars carrying a soil sample that could be life-shattering. Within minutes of the movie, the crew is already examining the sample and discovering the first official proof of life beyond our own. It's a creature composed of cells that are both muscle and nerves, it's all muscle and all brain making it the "perfect organism", sound familiar?

This creature grows at a rapid rate and as you can probably guess, finds a way to escape the quarantine and hunt them throughout the station. It's one perfect organism against the crew but unfortunately for this movie, they never take the time to build the characters or the atmosphere and in turn, it's hard to really care who lives or dies or to ever feel any real suspense. The most character building we get is the information that one of the crewmembers wives has just had a baby, that's about as deep as it gets. 

Life brings one new wrinkle to the story, that they are in a zero gravity environment at all times in the space station. This is a cool visual gag that makes for some clever moments, but it's not enough to elevate this film to anything more. The story moves too fast for its own good so even though they are bringing a fairly cool new creature to the table we never get the time to grow scared of it, they take it from cute to deadly with the flip of a switch and expect us to go along with it. 

Centering a movie around an alien means the look of it is crucial and for the most part, the design works here with its weird tentacles giving it the appearance of swimming through the zero-g. The abilities they form out of its design also work well and make for the tensest moments of the film, but once the best gag is used they bring it back repeatedly making it lose its impact. They rush through the discovery of the organism to get us into the action faster but we need that build up to set us on edge. 

The cast of this movie is too impressive for its own good and with little characterization for any of them they don't have many opportunities to "wow" us. The film was sold on Jake Gyllenhall, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds, and they are all certainly in this film. They are each quite good but when the most you get to build off of your character is that he has been in space for too long there is little they can do to just sell this on their presence alone.  

Despite its many shortcomings, I do believe this is a step in the right direction for studio horror. The film uses the R rating to its advantage and clearly lets the filmmaker do what he wants. There are some seriously cool ideas in here but they never grab one and focus in on it. It felt like the writers, Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick (Deadpool), kept coming up with clever ideas and then needing to find ways to bring the story back to its center after executing that idea instead of building it into the next step.

A few years back this may have been one of my favorite new horror films. It moves at a mile a minute and features some great effects work, especially the limited practical stuff they did. With the horror landscape the way it is these days, however, this just feels like an uninspired regurgitation of a handful of ideas we have seen done better in recent memory. If all you are looking for is an action packed alien horror film, Life may be just what you want, but don't expect to be given anything new. For me, let's just say I'm happy the new Alien movie comes out in two months.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on Twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

(Movie Review) Power Rangers - Go Go Rita Repulsa

Power Rangers (2017)

Action, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Dean Israelite

Before you ask the answer is yes, I grew up a fan of the Power Rangers. So much so that you can easily find photo's of me in my full body 'Red Ranger' costume as a kid... and not just on Halloween. That being said, I never found myself getting too excited about the properties first big Hollywood movie. Not that I didn't want to see what a $100 million morphin' time looked like, I just didn't have much faith that they would do the show justice, and by that I mean I believed they would lose the bonkers reality that the property exists in. Bonkers like Elizabeth Banks summoning a giant beast made of gold to destroy the planet's life crystals...

This is a full on origins story that introduces us to this new team of rangers for the first time. Jason (Dacre Montgomery) lands himself in weekend detention for the remainder of his senior year after a prank on a rival school goes wrong. Here, the former star quarterback meets Billy (RJ Cyler) who takes him, as well as three other classmates Kimberly (Naomi Scott) Zack (Ludi Lin) and Trini (Becky G.), to something he has found at a nearby gold mine. Five coins that transform them into the Power Rangers, defenders of Earth. They must protect it from the evil Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) who seeks to destroy all life on the planet. 

It probably seems like a lot but It's all really simple if you're open to its goofy concepts. There's a lot of funny names and silly back story to be set up and they do it all quickly and clearly, so you don't have to worry about any of that going in. This is a YA property, so don't expect much from the dialogue as I fear Hollywood will never understand how young people actually talk, There are some truly awful lines in this movie but thankfully everything going on around them allows for it. 

Power Rangers never pretends to be more than it is and it fully embraces the lunacy of this world. From the moment they find the coins and receive their "super powers" (because oh yeah, they are superheroes now, which is actually really cool) it fully sells the fantasy. It also never seems to slow down from this moment, continually ramping up to its epically scaled finale. We get a lot in the middle of the kids exploring their powers and training for their mission, which is a ton of fun and goes a long way in making us care about the team without ever slowing the pace of the story.

Sure they add in a few new twists to the origin, and sure they are ripping off some key plot elements from some other fairly recent movies... but it all works and considering the original came from a campy children's show there was room for improvement. They kept what worked best for the show then and blended it with some of what works best now and the final product is exactly what a lot of fans have been waiting for. 

The largest key to making a silly concept like this work in a modern movie setting is to have people both in front of and behind the camera that truly care about what they are doing. From the director Dean Israelite down to Bill Hader's voice acting as Alpha 5, every person is putting out 100%. This means everything when the climax of your movie revolves around Elizabeth Banks in an absurd green costume trying to destroy the world. She's absolutely crushing every second of screen time she is given and single-handedly elevates the entire story. Her early scenes feel like they are out of some twisted horror film and she is absolutely terrifying in a way I didn't expect from this. 

Quality performances are crucial for this movie to succeed, the dialogue they are being given is cheesy and on the nose and their characters equally as much. It's up to them to sell us on them and make us buy into a universe where these kids can receive special abilities to defend the planet from otherworldly foes trying to steal our source of life. It's a movie that is excited to embrace its true nature and go all-out being something they know will certainly not be for everyone.

Let's be clear about it, this movie isn't winning any awards for the screenplay, and rightfully so. It's a cheesy teen property that should be handled as such. The admittedly cringe-worthy dialogue and plot turns that comes out at times will clock some movie goers out, and that's understandable, you have to want to buy into the concept or you'll be out from square one. It's a weird movie, there's no denying that, but for the people who are looking for something gleefully bonkers out of this porperty you will find so much to love here. 

Leaving the theater I was refreshed to have seen a major IP allow itself to be made for a specific group of moviegoers and just have fun in doing so. With every big superhero movie out these days doing whatever it can to be taken seriously I was thrilled to watch one that screamed: "LOOK AT ME! IM WEIRD AS FUCK AND I DONT CARE WHO SEE'S IT". Hate this movie if you want but I am simply thrilled to have seen the Megazord come to life, in turn giving me a glimmer of hope for a Voltron movie in the future. This is more fun than a majority of the blockbuster films released last year and I can't believe I'm actually excited about a massive Power Rangers franchise.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

(Movie Review) The Devil's Candy - Stress Inducing Heavy Metal Horror Rocks

The Devil's Candy (2017) 

Horror

Directed By: Sean Byrne

How many horror films have you seen in the past five years that center around a family moving into a new home only to find it haunted by something sinister? It's a common plot device of the genre and we've seen it played out in dozens of different ways, yet The Devil's Candy offers us an entirely new look at the "haunted house" story. The second feature from writer/director Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones) takes us down a new path of demonic heavy metal horror we haven't traveled before. 

Jesse Hellman (Ethan Embry) is a hardcore metalhead and professional painter struggling to get by and support his family. This leads him to take his wife Astrid (Shiri Appleby) and daughter Zooey (Kiara Glasco) and move into a new home in rural Texas. They get the house for a deal because, full disclosure, two old people recently passed away inside of it. It isn't long after moving in that Jesse starts to hear demonic voices in his head pushing him to do things he cannot understand. That's it, that's all you need to know and anything more would be detrimental to your viewing of this movie. 

This is an atmospheric film, often times finding much of its tension in the fact that we as an audience know something bad is going to happen, but not knowing exactly what. From the moment this family moves into the house, we are aware that things are going to go poorly for them, but it could be in any number of ways. This instantly put me on edge watching this movie and once the story falls into place this feeling is only heightened by what's going on. It's a stress inducing film in the best way and it's sure to have you yelling at the characters for doing something you don't approve of. 

Sean Byrne has delivered a clever script that turns an age-old horror trope on its head and is only topped by his execution of the idea. This is a movie that easily could have failed if it weren't made with total confidence and thankfully Byrne is all in on this story. You buy that this "metal" family would move out to the country for a fresh start and that they would continue to make the poor decisions they do.

The cast is headed by familiar face Ethan Embry (Cheap Thrills) who gives a fantastic performance as Jesse, the father. You latch on to his character early on and because of it are constantly rooting for him to beat the demonic voices throughout. His relationship with the daughter played wonderfully by Kiara Glasco is where the audience will find its big emotional connection as you feel their relationship crumbling as the film goes on. Its great character work and without it this film would fail to have much of an impact at all. 

Though I don't want to say anything about his character specifically, it would be criminal not to mention the performance of Pruitt Taylor Vince. Once you watch the film and see who he is and what he's doing you will understand, he gives a haunting performance that is sure to stick with you. It's definitely stuck with me as this film had me on edge for the entire eighty minutes. I never knew who was safe or what was going to happen and because of it, I was treated to an intense movie watching experience. 

If you were wary of another "haunted house" story that would play out like the dozen you've seen over the past few years, you can breathe a sigh of relief and go into this movie with confidence that you will be shown something fresh. They hook you with an old school story and then win you over with a clever new take on where it should go. The Devil's Candy is stress inducing in the best way, the way that makes the whole movie feel like a ride, and you will be exhausted by the end of it. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

(Movie Review) The Belko Experiment - Just Another Day at the Office for McLean & Gunn

The Belko Experiment (2017)

Horror, Action, Thriller

Directed By: Greg McLean

Anyone who has followed James Gunn's career pre-Guardians knows that he has a knack for violence and dark humor, which is made quite apparent in his film Super. Team his writing up with the directorial style of Australian filmmaker Greg McLean (Wolf Creek), who is able to capture violence in a way few directors can, and you get a film that is incredibly bleak and painful, while also being a weirdly funny and entertaining genre romp. 

The Belko Experiment keeps its plot simple and wastes absolutely no time getting into it. Belko Industries is an American company operating out of Colombia and its employee's, for the most part, are U.S. citizens that the company has set up comfortably in the country. Every day they go to work in an office building located on the outskirts of town, away from the mass population. These people lead a typical American life until one day a voice comes on the intercom, a voice instructing the employees of Belko to kill each other, or else they will do it for them. 

We only have to wait about five minutes until the first announcement comes over the intercom and we are propelled right into the thick of the story. In that first five minutes, though, McLean is able to visually inform us of the relationships in this office, we clearly see who is friendly with who and how these are all normal people doing normal jobs. This is crucial because once the carnage begins we need to have some connections to these characters as well as some background information about their relationships. 

Gunn and McLean aren't necessarily showing us any new ideas, this kind of story has clearly been done before, but they are giving it a new coat of paint. It's another exploration of just how far the human psyche can be pushed before even the best of us snap and do the worst things imaginable. Sure, plenty will no doubt panic and fall into the game they are merely just pieces of, but what about the one or two "good" people who refuse? Can they be broken? Are humans truly just animals that can only control themselves until a certain point?

As with most of these movies, it never truly answers these questions but it does take a side and in truly brutal fashion shows us the execution of that side. Initially, they won't even entertain the thought of cold-blooded murder but when bodies start to fall, all logic goes out the window. Once the floodgates are opened there is no going back, this is a movie about humans doing unspeakable things to other humans and they want you to feel that.

This movie is definitely not for the weak-stomached as the violence is made out to be authentic and brutal. This isn't glossy Hollywood killing, McLean doesn't do glossy, this is the same kind of reality we see in his other films like Wolf Creek. He wants us to feel the pain of these people, both the victims and the perpetrators and oh boy do we. I don't think I would say this movie revels in its own violence, but it doesn't shy away and it is purposely in your face with it every chance they get. 

Though they ultimately achieve what they set out to do, there are some troubles with the tone of this movie which could confuse some people. I believe this just to be an after effect of the writer and directors differing styles coming together but nonetheless, it's hard to get a handle on what they want you to feel at times. For example, after a gut-wrenching death, the camera may pan over to a sign on the wall or a character reaction meant to pull a truly dark comedic moment out of nowhere. Sometimes the jokes land and other times it feels out of place and confusing, thankfully they never hang on any of them for too long.

The cast of this movie is insane from top to bottom and is at often times what holds this batshit crazy story together. John Gallagher Jr. stars as Mike Milch, the one seemingly good person at this company who wants nothing to do with this game. His stubborn performance carries us emotionally through most of the movie alongside Leana played by Adria Arjona. The remainder of the cast is filled out with all kinds of fantastic character actors like Tony Goldwyn, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, and Michael Rooker. Sean Gunn also plays a bit part as a cafeteria worker and manages the steal just about every moment he is on screen. 

Once it reaches its final act, Belko falls deep down a rabbit hole that it cannot ever emerge from, once it reaches that hole you are either in or you are out. At it's best this is a film that you won't soon forget as the brutality is super memorable, it has some issues with tone throughout but nothing so big that it will ruin your enjoyment of the film. This is sure to please the fans of these kinds of ultra-violent genre flicks while disgusting those with an aversion to this kind of violent reality depicted on screen. In the end I think we will all just breathe a sigh of relief that we don't work for Belko Industries. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later! 

(Movie Review) Kong: Skull Island - Hail to the King, Baby!

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Directed By: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

I'll admit when I first heard another King Kong movie was being made I groaned my fair share. It's not that I don't have immense love for the character, it was that his story had been told enough. After Peter Jackson's 2005 remake of the 1933 original classic, it felt like the door had been closed on that chapter of film history, and it would appear Legendary and Warner Brothers agree. Kong: Skull Island is a Kong movie like we've never seen before, falling more in line with classic Japanese kaiju films than its predecessors ever have. 

Once it became clear that this was not only straying away from the classic story but that it was playing into the world of giant monsters first introduced to us in 2014's Godzilla, I knew we were in for something special. Much like that film, Skull Island is setting up a larger narrative, so the plot is simple. MONARCH, a government agency tracking the possibilities of the existence of giant monsters, has discovered an uncharted island they believe may house some ancient secrets, so of course, they set sail for the unknown.

This small armies arrival on the island is not met with open arms however as they are quickly introduced to the King himself, who isn't fond of their methods of research. After he dismantles their team of helicopters the crew is stranded with only one shot at a rescue. If they can't make it in time they will be stuck on Skull Island with Kong and its many other dark secrets. It's as much plot as needed to get us from monster fight to monster fight and that's perfectly fine.

They waste no time getting into the action of this movie. Kong is introduced early and appears often, you don't have to sit around for long before you get to see him cut through his new visitors like tissue paper. The story moves quickly, never sitting on any plot beat for too long before getting into another high-intensity moment. It's non-stop insane giant monster fun that (seemingly) sets the tone for the future of the franchise.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts does solid work to create a version of the King that is all his own. This isn't the giant ape you are used to, and one of the most effective ways they establish this is by surrounding him with new kinds of monsters on the island. Rather than go with dinosaurs, like the original films, they create new creatures that fit more into this world of MUTO's and giant atomic-breathing beasts. 

The design of the "Skullcrawlers, as Hank (John C. Reilly) calls them is cool enough. Their look is nothing earth shattering but its a gnarly blend between a dinosaur-like lizard and total kaiju and the way they move makes for some excellent fighting moves. Kong himself looks fantastic, the design strays from the classic mold and takes on a new look that feels more natural for a 100+ foot tall ape. This is all a testament to the incredible VFX work in this movie, which the entire thing obviously hinges on.

Aside from the new monsters they easily separate themselves from the old lore by setting this film in the 1970's 'Nam era. We are used to only seeing Kong exist in the early decades of the 1900's and to see him go up against Vietnam grunts makes for a new kind of awesome. These guys came armed with a whole lot more than a few Tommy guns and some chloroform and they intend to drop every last bullet and bomb to get off of this island. 

Boasting a lot of action and a simple plot there isn't too much room for big, stand-out performances from this movies insane cast. Except for John C. Rielly, that is, who is totally bonkers (in the best way) through it all. By the end of the film, we care most about what happens to his character and he creates what is basically the only emotional bond we have with the cast outside of Kong himself. 

That doesn't mean the rest of the cast isn't doing good work, quite the opposite actually. Given what little they have to do, Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Sam Jackson, John Goodman, and especially Shea Whigham are doing their best to sell their characters in this world. Though we don't get to know his character too well, Whigham gives a stand-out supporting performance that is sure to stick with you. I just wish they could have found an actual use for Tobey Kebbell, he deserves so much better.

Even though this is playing into a larger franchise they never really get bogged down by any of it. This movie knows what it wants to be and it has an absolute blast doing it. We get to see Kong in a new light and as a massive fan of Godzilla, I am quite excited about what they are showing us. The next time we see The King he will be facing off against the radioactive beast in what we can only hope is all of our monster loving dreams come true. P.S. Stay through the credits, there is a stinger scene you don't want to miss. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

(Movie Review) Logan - One Last Snikty Snikt

Logan (2017)

Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

Directed By: James Mangold

It's been seventeen years since Hugh Jackman's Wolverine first appeared on screen, seventeen years and now we finally have the movie fans have always wanted from his character. Thanks, in large part to the massive success of Deadpool last February, James Mangold was finally allowed to make the movie this character deserves. Boasting a hard R rating which, trust me is more than necessary, we for the first time get to see what this character is all about. Logan is an insane, hyper-violent, fresh take on comic book cinema that opens new doors for the future of the genre.

Following in franchise tradition, the movie picks and chooses the details it wants to acknowledge and utilize from previous films. It's 2029 and Logan (Hugh Jackman) is working as a for-hire limo driver on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. Most of the mutant population is extinct but he has secretly been keeping Professor X (Patrick Stewart) alive south of the border. He has a plan to get them somewhere safe that they can live out their few remaining days, but the unexpected appearance of a new mutant kills any ideas for a peaceful end they had in mind. Whether Logan likes it or not they now have to get this girl someplace safe before some bad people get their hands on her. 

Right from the start, this doesn't feel like any "superhero" movie we've seen before, and that's probably because it isn't one. Though it's steeped in X-Men lore it doesn't rely on your previous knowledge of this world in order to work. Sure, the more familiar you are with these characters and the world the more of an emotional payoff you get in the end, but at the most basic level anyone can enjoy this as a ultra-violent, sci-fi-action-western, and that's pretty incredible in an age where everything is in a "shared universe" 

Let's talk about that R rating, is it necessary? because that's the only thing that matters, and in this case, it's a requirement. When you see this movie, in the first minutes it is made abundantly clear just how necessary that rating is for telling this particular story.  It's not just that they spew a lot of blood and drop a ridiculous amount of curse words, which is fantastic, it's that those things help create the true portrait of who Logan is and how his long, violent life has weighed on him this entire time. 

This is a true genre film, pulling from all different kinds of western, action, and even horror movies creating something, unlike anything we have seen in the genre before. The action is on a level that makes even the most violent of comic book movies pale in comparison. It's not just graphic and gruesome, it's brutally real. Where movies like Deadpool and Blade made their ultra-violence fun, this movie makes it painful. When Wolverine's claws go to work they leave behind a long trail of blood and body parts. 

When Jackman first appeared in the role on 2000 he instantly owned the part and now seventeen years later he is better than he's ever been. If this is actually his last go-around as Wolverine is as good of a send-off as you could ever have. The same goes for Patrick Stewarts Professor X, these iterations of the characters have been around for most of my life and it's amazing to see that almost two decades later they care just as much, if not more, than when they first began. 

Logan also introduces us to the young actress Dafne Keen, who plays Laura aka X-23, the new young mutant who throws a wrench in Wolverines plans. Her performance is incredible, especially considering the only time she opens her mouth, for the most part, is when she's screaming bloody murder has she dismantles a batch of mercenaries. If anyone from this movie goes on to be in future X-Men films, it needs to be her. 

At 137 minutes this is certainly not a short film, and you feel the length of it, but not necessarily in a bad way. Though it feels like it starts to drag in a few moments around the mid-section, there is nothing I would want to see cut out. Every scene feels necessary on the journey to its big ending and really, who can complain about more screentime between Wolverine and X-23? 

These spin-off stories have never felt like they were that intertwined with the main X-Men franchise, but this one even more so than the others feels totally detached, even with the small nods here and there to other films. Logan succeeds with just the basic knowledge of who the character is and nothing more. This is a critical analysis of Wolverine in all of his forms and how his tortured life affects him and the people around him.  

If you go into this looking for the same thing you got out of Deadpool last winter, you may come away disappointed. The hyper-violence will surely satisfy you, but the slow burn of the story and the examination of deeper themes makes this a much more exhausting watch, and I mean that in a good way. Logan takes the genre into new areas and blazes new trails for future stories to go down in what may be the greatest achievement in the X-Men franchise to date.   

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

(Movie Review) I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore - Sundance Got it Right

I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore (2017)

Crime, Drama, Thriller

Directed By: Macon Blair

Of all the indie movie tropes, I think "ordinary person thrown unexpectedly into an extraordinary situation" might be my favorite. It's one thing to watch Hollywood characters be put into an out-of-this-world situation, it's something else entirely to watch characters who look, feel, and act like real people put into the same scenario. The latest jury prize winner out of this year's Sundance film festival does exactly that, showing us what happens when depression and bad timing clash together in the perfect shit storm of bad luck.

Ruth (Melanie Lynskey) hasn't been doing too good with her ride through life, in fact, she drinks herself through most days of it. That is until she returns home from work to find her home trashed and burglarized. Though the thieves didn't get away with anything too life-shattering, it ignites a fire inside of Ruth that sends her on a crazy manhunt for the assholes who stole her crap and made a mess of her home. It has nothing to do with the stolen goods and everything to do with her crumbling sanity in this shallow, merciless life.

The debut film from writer/director Macon Blair (Blue Ruin) is nihilistic in nature, but with an underlying charm that keeps it from becoming a soul sucking downer. He is able to blend the real and surreal seamlessly and it allows for this story have an authenticity often lost on bigger Hollywood properties. Ruth, and even Elijah Wood's eccentric character Tony, feel like real people which makes the unreal scenario they have found themselves in feel the exact opposite. 

The film opens feeling like your typical indie movie, Ruth is depressed and her life sucks, but it quickly dives down a rabbit hole you don't see coming. Having been an actor in each of Jeremy Saulnier's (Green Room) films, Blair has a touch for hyper-violence and taking a queue from Saulnier, he knows how and when to use it most effectively. This is hardly a non-stop action movie, but when it unexpectedly falls down that hole it is never afraid to get graphic. 

The violence put on display here is not graphic in a gratuitous way like many movies these days though. When it does occur it is often in a stumbling, almost accidental way that is relatable to real life. We see characters react far more severely to simple acts of violence here  than we would see in more stylized movies where they walk away from it without as much as a wince. This goes a long way in setting the tone and getting us on board for the screwball ride he is about to take us on. 

Everything in this story lives and dies by its two lead characters, specifically Ruth played fantastically my Melanie Lynskey. She sells misery and mundanity of Ruth and the life she lives incredibly well and her interactions with all of the people around her are authentic. Then there is Elijah Wood's Tony, a character that oddly blends the real and surreal. Im sure we have all met a weird loner like him, who has strange hobbies and a quirky personality, but Wood also adds a level to him that allows the character to break this mold when necessary. He steals every scene he is in and gives what is maybe my favorite performance from him to date. 

As a first feature, I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore proves that Macon Blair more than knows what he is doing behind the camera. He is able to capture raw humanity just as easily as he gets the brutality of real life violence, and both are on display throughout this movie. The dialogue he has written doesn't at all feel like your typical heightened speech we usually see, instead the characters are holding conversation we could see ourselves having. He lays down the perfect groundwork so that when the finale goes for broke it never seems forced or out of place, it just feels right. 

It's easy to see why this movie was the jury prize winner this year at Sundance. It plays with a cache of indie movie tropes and cliches and takes a number of turns you don't expect. It captures the reality we love to see in these kinds of movies, but in a brutal and quirky way we aren't necessarily used to. Blair delivers a tight script that he executed brilliantly, so much so that I am now much more excited about Macon Blair the filmmaker than Macon Blair the wonderful actor. Thanks to the folks at Netflix, this movie is already available on their streaming service to be seen by millions of people, I suggest you take the plunge as soon as possible. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!