28 Days Later… (2002): It’s funny to consider that the previous collaboration between Danny Boyle and Alex Garland was the absolute mess of a film known as The Beach (2000). With 28 Days Later, the two set the zombie world afire, giving it life and direction for the twenty years that were to come. And as a kind of proto-zombie-apocalypse-movie, it’s fascinating to see how raw and unarticulated the apocalypse looks like, not only because of the movie’s low budget, but because expectations and standards were next to non-existent. Even so, other than the spareness of human remains one would expect of such a scenario, the movie has an attention to detail that confers verisimilitude to the story. And it’s a strong story, with some memorable characters and heartbreak, playing today almost like a Brexit forewarning. Some things stick out a bit in a less than flattering way, but overall 28DL has aged well and remains a powerful film – with one of the best intro sequences I’ve ever seen. 8
The Wackness (2008): How is it that the 90s haven’t quite worked up the same amount of love and affection as the 80s in (American) cinema? Jonathan Levine has had a fair career since this one, but it’s still the movie of his that’s closest to my heart. Starring Josh Peck and Olivia Thirlby, alongside an I’m-dead-inside version of Ben Kingsley, the movie tells two stories of trouble families and a teenage romance. Set to the vibes of some seminal hip-hop songs of the age, as well as other colourful sights and sounds of the time, and shot with a mood set by distinctively somber lighting, I find this the movie to be as beautifully naive as its lead character(s). 8
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024): I am glad to report, that I am still enjoying the Deadpool franchise. It’s the one thing Marvel now have in their repertoire that is fun to watch. One the one hand, it’s the same old Deadpool that we’ve grown to know and love, on the other it’s a bit of the recipe from Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), with a bunch of comebacks and callbacks, but taken to a typical Deadpool-esque extreme. It’s always nice to see Wolverine as well, though I’m not sure the duo offers exponential instead of merely additive gains. That said, I had a good time with this one, plenty of memorable scenes to go along with some of the inevitable formula that goes into this kind of thing. 7
Daddio (2023): An entertaining single-location movie, we get on board a taxi ride from the New York airport and get stuck in traffic while listening in on conversations of varying likelihood and authenticity. With Sean Penn behind the wheel and Dakota Johnson as passenger, the two play a pair of characters who are mostly at odds with one another, yet find time and energy and brashness to connect. I wasn’t always swayed by their discussions, with Penn’s character often too aggressively “insightful”, but even so, I did like what the story was peddling – the idea that very different people can listen to each other and connect. 7
Anti Matter (2016): A small sci-fi bearing the trademarks of small sci-fis with big ideas, Anti Matter is a flawed, but intriguing story of teleportation and humanity. At its core, an allegory about the ethics of science and what we are willing to do in the pursuit of progress, but on its surface a thriller with vibes of paranoia. It all comes together in a satisfying finale, but staying engaged until then might be a challenge. The acting is sub par and the movie’s structure frustrating, more than titillatingly mysterious. Add to that a bunch of movie science talk that requires explanatory exposition and it’s apparent why the pacing and rhythm of the movie suffers. Still, it’s healthy to appreciate idea-movies and this is one of them, poised to leave you googling explanations at the end. 6
tributary stu 