Friday, March 23, 2018

I Stream, You Stream Vol. 70

by Patrick Bromley
Enjoy it while it lasts, people.

Take Me (2017, dir. Pat Healy) Dependably great character actor makes his directorial debut with this offbeat dark comedy about a struggling entrepreneur (Healy in a deliberately terrible wig) who runs his own business in which he provides "authentic abduction experiences" -- people pay him to kidnap them. He gets a call from a woman making some requests he's uncomfortable with, but the money is good and so he takes her (Taylor Schilling). Or maybe it's not what he thinks. This is basically a two-character piece that lets us watch two really terrific actors bounce off one another, sometimes literally. It's also a reminder that Pat Healy doesn't seem interested in doing anything super conventional, Draft Day notwithstanding. Hi, Adam! (Watch on Netflix)
Amira and Sam (2015, dir. Sean Mullin) This quiet little romance didn't make enough of an impact when it came out a few years ago, and it's not a movie I hear enough people talking about today. Martin Starr plays somewhat against type as a former soldier who moves back home and strikes up a relationship with Amira (Dina Shihabi), an Iraqi immigrant in the country illegally. There's a subplot involving shady business dealings that's a little more than the movie is able to handle when it's already tackling a number of pretty big subjects, but the film is so sweet and the two lead performances so incredibly appealing that I don't really care about its flaws. I would love to shine a light on this one. (Watch on Amazon Prime Video)
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017, dir. Angela Robinson) I recently talked about this movie on the Singles podcast, and now here it is available to stream! Released last year just after the smash success of Wonder Woman, this biopic dramatizes the life of William Marston (Luke Evans) and Eve Marston (Rebecca Hall), teachers and researchers who entered into a polyamorous relationship with a student (Bella Heathcote) that indirectly led to the creation of Wonder Woman. The movie is more Kinsey than anything else, but it's an interesting look at how certain kinds of love affairs and certain kinds of kinks (primarily bondage) were demonized to such a degree that lives could be ruined. I'm not 100% sold on Luke Evans yet, but Rebecca Hall crushes it as always. (Watch on Hulu)
Cold Hell (2017, dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky) Here's a Shudder exclusive that just premiered last week, starring Violetta Schurawlow in what should be a star-making performance as a cab driver who witnesses a murderer and becomes the killer's next target. That may sound like a familiar premise because it is, but what is surprising about Cold Hell is its protagonist, another in a growing trend of horror film heroines who are upending convention in recent years. It's a good one. (Watch on Shudder)

8 comments:

  1. Added Cold Hell to the weekend watch, thanks!

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    1. Shudder killin' me though as this is not a Horror film

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    2. Checked this out this weekend. I thought it was solid but fell a little short of my expectations. That being said Violetta Schurawlow was a-mazing and I will definitely be on the lookout for new movies she's in.

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  2. Did you mean to write "Draft Day is outstanding?"

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  3. 'Take Me' is really really good. I'm really interested in Pat Healy now. He's got something special going on. I only know him from 'Cheap Thrills' really (off the top of my head), so I don't know much about him. He's so good in 'Take Me'. His chemistry with Taylor Schilling is just perfect. Great premise, great performances, well shot. Thanks for recommending it.

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    1. Taylor Schilling could be a really fun and interesting actress if worked in the right stuff, like this. She needs to be in more movies. Love this one also.

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