Yes, dying is quite fucked up and Osgood Perkins follow-up to his 2024 horror cult-hit Longlegs points and shows this to the audience in spades (and buckets of blood).
The Monkey, based on the Stephen King short story of the same name, tells the story of a drum-playing toy monkey which happens to cause the the deaths of random individuals when it stops playing the drums. Right from the start we see that The Monkey veers away from Perkins usual moody and atmospheric horror language and goes for the absurdist take on the genre.
Anyone who has seen the supernatural horror series Final Destination will recognize the Rube Goldberg-esque ways each kills in that series has become its signature will appreciate how truly absurd some of the kills in The Monkey turns out. To say more would be too much of a spoiler and should be experience by anyone willing to watch this film.
Osgood Perkins still brings to the table his own brand of horror comedy by exploring the ideas and themes of death’s inevitability and randomness, but also childhood trauma and how it impacts the lives of those children even to their adulthood. Where some films would be more subtle in exploring these themes, Perkins decides on drumming it on thickly which, at time, does come off as cringe.
Yet, despite the heavy-handedness of Perkins’ screenplay (he also wrote the screenplay adaptation of King’s tale), The Monkey still succeeds in delivering an early horror hit for 2025 that should be seen with a crowd. this is a film that is actually better when seen as part of a collective experience rather than with a small group.
I sometimes forget that as a viewer, I have no control over a movie’s storytelling process. I remember watching Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River after blind-buying it and pleading with the film during a major scene between Sean Penn and Tim Robbins’ characters. I knew why the story moved in this direction. I understood the choices each character made and what brought them to this moment, but nothing could change the events. Not my pleas, not my anger, nothing. Great film, but hard watch. What’s presented on screen is the story we’re given.
Sean Baker’s Anora is a fun film in many ways. I was a little skeptical at first, but quickly found myself invested in where this story was taking me. Before you decide to watch it, however, you should know there’s a lot of sex in the first 30 minutes or so. I don’t know how Disney’s gonna handle that one when it gets to Hulu, but hey, Alien Romulus holds up just fine with the violence involved.
Anora introduces us to Anora “Ani” Mikheeva, a sex worker who everyone at her nightclub, Headquarters, adores. When she meets Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), it’s business as usual. He spends a lot, was looking for a girl who could speak Russian and Ani discovers he’s the son of an oligarch. They hit things off so well that during a party in Vegas, they decide to get married. When word of the marriage reaches Ivan’s parents, they send Toros (Karran Karagulian) and two of his employees, Igor (Yuri Borisov) and Garnick (Vache Tovmasvan) to have the wedding annulled. What starts as a simple task becomes a full on quest when Ivan panics and leaves. Will the group find Ivan? And if they do, can Ani convince Ivan to uphold the marriage? That’s the gist of the film.
In some ways, the flow of Anora reminds me of Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck. We’re introduced to Ivan’s extended family, and despite all of the issues, there are some small connections made over time. As they spend time trying to locate Ivan, I loved the interactions Ani has with the group. Without revealing too much, it all comes to a head. The pacing is pretty even. For a film that’s 2 Hours and 15 minutes, you won’t even notice how fast it moves.
When it comes to acting, the entire film is carried singlehandedly on the shoulders of Mikey Madison. She was impressive in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and she completely shines here. Ani is sexual and kind, yet fierce when it comes to fighting for what’s hers. She easily stands toe to toe with anyone she’s up against. Madison is easily due the recognition she’s received so far since the film was released. Granted, she’s not alone in all this. both Karagulian and Tomvmasvan serve as comedic foils in certain ways, which really help to move the story along. There are fine performances from all of the cast members, but these the ones who stood out, in particular.
The Cinematography is pretty standard in Anora. While there are a number of dark setting scenes, they’re all well lit. There any any shots in the film that stood out as being spectactular in any way.
The only real drawback to Anora is the direction of the story. It’s not a terrible thing. It may be more a realistic ending, more in the vein of Robert Benton’s Kramer vs. Kramer or Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, where you might find yourself hoping for one outcome, only to receive something else entirely. It doesn’t fully hurt the film. I’d argue that it might enhance it, considering how eager I was for what I wanted to see occur.
Overall, Anora is a fine film if you’re not discouraged by the sexual elements early on. You might find yourself cheering for Ani throughout her adventure, despite the directions the story takes.
Everyone’s popping up with movies! First Scorsese, then Fincher, and now Mann. It looks like Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) is back with Ferrari! Adam Driver stars as Enzo Ferrari, who would turn his love of cars into something legendary. While I’m hoping to see a ’61 GT California somewhere in the mix, this looks interesting. Ferrari also stars Penelope Cruz, Hugh Jackman, Shailene Woodley, Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Gadon. The film is written by Troy Kennedy Martin (Kelly’s Heroes) with the screenplay also by Mann.
David Cronenberg’s been keeping busy with his latest, Crimes of the Future. It looks like Existenz, but with major upgrades. The film stars Academy Award Nominee Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, A History of Violence), Léa Seydoux (No Time to Die), and Academy Award Nominee Kristen Stewart (Spencer). I can’t begin to understand what the plot’s about, but given it’s Cronenberg, we’re all in.
Crimes of the Future will compete in this years Cannes Film Festival for the coveted Palm d’Or.
I like to think a person’s love of film reflects who they are. Please bear with me on this one.
The movies that move us, make us smile or laugh or cry tend to paint a picture. In some ways, this works out well. When your friend sits you down, shows you The Shawshank Redemption, watches you ball your eyes out and then laugh by the end, you get that slow nod that says..”This fellow, they understand.” The movie love spreads like that tape in The Ring. I’ve had this happen on separate occasions my Live Tweet experiences. The Manitou was an an absolute blast that had me laughing and asking myself just what the hell I was watching. A Field in England was a weird, wild trip that made me flinch at times. They may be stranger films, but they were were also great experiences. Without them, I wouldn’t have my eyes opened to what’s out there in terms of cinema.
I also believe the idea of loving anyone unconditionally is possible under the right conditions, but is a difficult concept. I’ve found that people are usually ready to “ride or die” with you as long as you are both moving along the same path, sharing the same mindset. However, there will always be something that puts a relationship (family/friends/lovers) to the test and maybe a line is drawn that can’t be crossed. It takes a lot for someone to bear all of their flaws before another person, just as it does to see them and say, “You’re cool with me.” It’s no different from having a family that loves you right up until that moment where your political or religious views diverge and you suddenly find yourself disowned because of it. That’s just my opinion.
I caught Julia’s Ducournau’s Titane last Thursday Night in a near empty theatre in Midtown Manhattan. I’ve been thinking about it in some form or another ever since. I went to catch it because I needed to get out and about for a little while, and I enjoyed Raw immensely. Just like Malignant, I went in blind, only really knowing it was a Ducournau film and seeing an image of a girl laying across a car. Maybe it was because by the end, I applauded like a seal and caught some strange looks from people on the way out of the theatre, but I kind of feel weird for enjoying this film as much as I did. I didn’t know what the hell I just watched, but it made me feel something, and that was enough. I’m not entirely sure of what that says about me as a person.
Agathe Rousselle as Alexia in Julia Ducournau’s Titane
Alexia (Agathe Rousselle, in her first full length film) is a live wire. Introduced to the audience as a child, we can see she works off of pure instinct. She also has a love for cars. When she sustains major injuries from a car accident, Alexia has to have a titanium plate (hence the movie’s title in one form) put into her skull that leaves a wild pattern on her skin. Alexia’s instincts carry with her into adulthood, but I saw her as being very feral. Whether it’s food or drink, or darker desires, she throws herself fully into it. Vincent (Vincent Lindon), is a leader and a rescue specialist coping with the loss of his son, who went missing some time ago. When their lives intersect, the plot for Titane seemed to change and for me, became a story about unconditional love. There is horror throughout Titane, suffer no illusions. Blood, broken limbs and all kids of fluids, but there’s also a sense of acceptance and forgiveness despite how dark things really get. Much like the automobile Alexia dances alongside, the plot felt like it shifted gears to the point I wasn’t sure what I really watching. Mind you, I didn’t really see a trailer or anything, so I didn’t have recognizable snippets to reference and say “Ah, I remember that from the trailer.” It may make the film a little hard for some audiences to follow. What I enjoyed, though I list it as a possible con, is that the film never bothers to tell you any of the how’s or why’s for anything you’re seeing. No explanations on why Alexia is who she is or how certain elements are possible. There’s no clear cut answer, like in Malignant.
It just is what it is.
Vincent (Vincent Lindon), testing his limits in Julia Ducournau’s Titane
Both actors carry their roles very well. Rousselle’s Alexia moves between passion, violence and vulnerability in the blink of an eye and I hope that Titane serves as a launchpad for her in future roles. Lindon also goes through the same process, though his character is more nurturing (though just as broken). It’s really hard to imagine other actors doing all of this. Garance Marillier (Raw) reunites with Ducournau as Justine, one of the other dancers Alexia knows. This also brings up something I found interesting. With the exception of Vincent, the names of all of the principal characters are the same character names from Raw. I have to wonder if that’s just coincidence or maybe Ducournau just has a fondness for those names.
During the New York Film Festival, Ducournau said in the post movie Q&A that the film was based on a nightmare she had. She doesn’t play around at all here, and puts it all on view. Titane could easy sit on a shelf among Antonia Bird’s Ravenous, Mary Harron’s American Psycho, and Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge. The blood flow is vicious and mostly brutal. There was at least once sequence that made me flinch in my seat and say..”Oh damn!” while instinctively reaching for a body part. While the movie does contain some sexual scenes and nudity, they’re not terribly explicit. The sound quality in my theatre was loud and rich, so the squishes and breaks were pretty impacting. Ruben Impens returns to work with Ducournau as the Director of Photography and for the most part, the visuals were solid. Colors were vibrant and there weren’t any scenes that seemed like they didn’t work.
So, overall, I truly enjoyed Titane. Did I fully get it? I don’t know. A lot of it is up to interpretation, but I guess that can be said of any film. I give Ducournau and the actors credit for making something that felt strange. When I get a physical copy, I’ll probably sit it next to Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend, easily one of the most confusing films I’ve seen (that I love).
Still, I have to wonder what that all says about me.
On a side note, I was about to publish this when I realized that Titane is also the winner of this year’s Palme D’or, which is the highest recognition given to a film at the Cannes Film Festival. While I haven’t enough personal knowledge to fully explain how good or bad that may be, Cannes has been in existence since the the mid 1940s. The Shattered Lens has followed Cannes for some time now. Titane shares the win with other films over the years such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz and as recently as Jong Boon Ho’s Parasite. Ducournau’s only the second woman to have won the prize, along with Jane Campion for The Piano.
As someone who’s inhaled every season of Netflix’s The Crown, I’m on the fence with Spencer. On the one hand, I’m really excited to see how Kristen Stewart handles playing Diana Spencer. On the other, Emma Corwin really set the bar high with her Emmy Nominated Performance. According to Neon, the film is a reimagining of a Christmas Dinner weekend where Diana’s affair with Dodi Fayed (Exec. Producer of F/X & Chariots of Fire), and Prince Charles’ affair with Camilla Bowles possibly come to light. Makes for an interesting holiday get together.
Spencer also starts Jack Farthing(Love Wedding Repeat), Timothy Spall (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Sean Harris (The Green Knight)
Through the Shattered Lens 