Jungle Fever (1991): Not as good as Spike Lee’s 1989 Do The Right Thing, Jungle Fever follows more stories than it probably should, making for a bit of a kaleidoscope on racial tension and prejudice in New York. There’s both love gained and no love lost between African American and Italian communities in the early 90s, as Flipper (Wesley Snipes) and Angie (Annabella Sciorra) have an affair that sets their worlds on fire. In the middle of all this, there’s a subplot following Flipper’s crackhead brother, Gator (Samuel L. Jackson) as well as one following the travails of Angie’s initial relationship draft, Paulie (John Turturro). Rife with big actors (including Anthony Quinn), Jungle Fever makes for an entertaining story, direct in the way of Spike Lee, that ultimately doesn’t have enough of a focus on its characters to be a referential film of its time, but rather a historical looking glass. 7
Bottle Rocket (1996): Wes Anderson’s first movie shows touches of what was to become the most identifiable visual style in contemporary American cinema, while telling an endearing story with familiarly cooky characters. All three Wilson brothers (Owen, Luke and Andrew) share the load in this one, as we follow wannabe criminals whose real heist would be to find their place in the world. The movie is sometimes naïve to a fault, making it a bit tedious, but it also shines in places which ensures it will be difficult to forget. 7
Antlers (2021): For a movie that doesn’t really take off at any point, I found Antlers to be satisfyingly engaging. A big, if not very clear, story about abuse and trauma, it features some pretty cinematography and even specks of atmosphere here and there. The thing is that in spite of starring Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons, the two don’t really have a lot to work with, as characters lack the complexity that takes them beyond cookie-cutter templates. That said, Antlers can be watched, particularly by genre fans. 6
Gran Turismo (2023): Just give David Harbour an Oscar for his performance in this. The man is the heart and soul of a movie that somehow manages to take an incredible story and make it feel rote. While Orlando Bloom pretty much plays a mascot, Harbour makes you care a little bit about Jann’s fate, just as Djimon Hounsou does in the few scenes he’s in. Beyond this, the formulaic structure cannot conjure any real tension or suspense, even as some of the racing scenes are good to look at. Although too long for its own good, Gran Turismo is somewhat enjoyable and can pass the time – plus, as mentioned, there’s David Harbour. 6
Cobweb (2023): If I did a horror movie about abuse the other day, why not do a second one as well? Cobweb is a story rife with horror tropes, some chills and one of the biggest cop-out endings I’ve seen in a while. It’s almost like you could imagine the producers envisioning prequels, sequels and spin-offs. Regardless, Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr make for perfectly terrifying parents to young Peter, who starts hearing a voice talk to him through the wall of his bedroom. For whatever reason (given how things pan out), the parents only try to undermine his sanity and things escalate when the most determined temp teacher in cinema history gets involved. I jest, but really, the movie feels like it barely sticks together, a string of interesting horror set-ups that don’t stand up to any sort of scrutiny. Strange that although it’s in many ways similar to Antlers, probably even scarier, I liked it less (presumably because this was told through a child’s eyes and I rarely enjoy that, especially when it’s treated as an easy tool to make unlikely things happen). 5
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