Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023): I might be getting tired of this multiverse shenanigans, but there’s no denying that AtSV is a trip. It builds on the first part, which I remember next to nothing of, in spite of liking it, and boy, does it build. A plethora of characters, all with enough screen time to be distinctive, make for a justifiably complex story, but it’s the dreamy visuals that will keep you glued to your seat (cinema, yes, please). Might be too much at times, but so is life. Also, you know that when Jason Schwartzman is playing a baddie, you’ve got a good one on your hands. Only letdown, paradoxically, is that they couldn’t fit it all in a 2+ hour movie, so it will be quite interesting to see how they can keep the standard for another run. 8
Das Lehrerzimmer (2023): As I write this, Romania is going through a prolonged teachers’ strike, which has splintered social opinion about who is in the right and the best way to move forward. I’d initially wanted to say that watching something like DL would soften people’s stance on the matter, but first of all, I don’t know if that’s possible and, secondly, I’m also not sure the teachers come out great in this one. Nobody really does, which is to say the movie can be frustrating at times. Nonetheless, it’s a taut…thriller? Ripe with tension, drama and flare-ups, as well as a complex, yet endearing lead in Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch). It’s the kind of movie that would work really well at a family dinner, if your aim is to generate strong contrasting opinions on the matter of public education. Yum. 7
Friends and Strangers (2021): There’s definitely a distinctive vibe about this one, with its floaty, indecisive twenty-something characters and meandering situations – be they about love, work, or life. It’s a movie you’ll either moderately float in yourself or just switch off from, but I found it relatable enough to stay engaged, although the end product is not exactly consistent. 6
The Boogeyman (2023): Revisiting a classic Stephen King story, Rob Savage’s take starts off well, but then becomes a fairly routine monster tale. Growing up, I was rather afraid of the dark, sleeping with the light on in the hallway for safe measure – ironically, now I hate it when light seeps into my bedroom during the night time. So the boogeyman was a menacing presence, which is done some justice in the early parts of the film. As we begin to see it, the fear factor diminishes, leaving us with a rote showdown. What did strike me about this story and made it stick somewhat is another kind of horror – that of not being believed. It has a very powerful hold over someone, going so far as to undermine their personhood and break their spirit. Strange that it struck me so now, because I’ve not taken much to similar situations in the past (ugh, Shutter Island), but it’s probably the onr thing that will stay with me after this cinema outing. 6
Women Talking (2022): For a movie titled as such, it sure delivered on its heading. It even brought Sarah Polley an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, but to me it was almost unbearable. A very hefty theme inspired by a horrifying true story (the women of of an isolated religious colony find out they had been drugged and raped and then gather to discuss what their options are moving forward), I thought it was just so painstakingly studious that it voided its characters of authenticity. The to and fro’s are more tedious than dynamic, while the drab look of the movie adds to the cumbersome feeling of the overall experience. I really couldn’t connect with it. 5
tributary stu 