Bushwick
Release: August 25, 2017
Rating: NR
Production Company: XYZ Films
Director: Cary Murnion and Johnathan Milott
My Rating: 6/10
Themes: Civil unrest, racism, current political divisiveness and polarization, survival
Content or Trigger Warnings: violence, war-like scenes, some light gore
I actually kind of liked the movie, though I do think some of the analysis of the film being 'too close to reality' is the hight of hyperbole. You have to suspend disbelief with this film to enjoy it. No, we aren't anywhere near martial law and civil war in Bushwick, guys.
As the titles suggest, the movie takes place in Bushwick - an ethnically diverse neighborhood in Brooklyn. Texas has seceded from the Union and a number of Southern States wish to follow. In order to set up an east coast base and to convince the Senators in DC to ratify their secession along with Texas, southern mercenaries planned to round up New York residents until demands are met. They miscalculated the amount of resistance New Yorkers would put up, assuming that their ethnic diversity would make it impossible for them to form a united front and that their gun laws would leave them unarmed. Of course, we know that when necessity calls, people unite. We also know that NYC is full of guns, illegal or not. When the residents of Bushwick put up a fight, the mercenaries open all-out war, killing anyone who gets in their way. This finds our two leads (David Bautista and Brittany Snow) in the middle of a war zone.
It's an interesting premise and one with a lot of meat to dig into - much of which was abandoned at the table. But still, it was well directed, if a bit unpolished, and entertaining. I might even watch it again. The ending, which I will leave a mystery, makes for an interesting discussion piece and while the whole plot is improbable, it allows the audience to think about what might happen in their own town should something like war break out at a moment's notice. Bautista is a bit one dimensional, but for a former WWE star, this is some pretty decent work. Brittany Snow plays Brittany Snow, yet again, and does a fine job of it. What I liked best about the film was the way it showed a variety of reactions to such chaos. Some people band together. Some people march. Some people take up arms and fight. Some people take advantage of chaos and rape, murder, steal, etc. But, at the core, most people just want to survive and will put aside differences in the moment to make it to safety.
All in all, it was a fine film that never reaches potential but doesn't really disappoint either. If you like doomsday action flicks, it's worth a watch. If that doesn't interest you, I'd skip.
Gerald's Game
Release: September 29, 2017
Rating: NR
Production Company: Intrepid Pictures
Director: Mike Flanagan
My Rating: 7/10
Themes: domestic unhappiness, shitty husbands, sexism, sexual abuse
Content or Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse, gore, violence, sexual content
I had no great expectations for this movie. I've never read the book and Steven King can be hit or miss with me. I'd seen the trailer some time ago and it was on my list, so I decided to watch it. It was better than I expected.
Starting with a 'sex game' designed to salvage their failing marriage, Jessie (played by Carla Gugino) finds herself handcuffed to the bed, unable to break free after her husband (Bruce Greenwood) suffers a heart attack and dies on top of her. That, alone, is a scary enough premise, but what follows is a psychological rollercoaster that is far deeper than you might expect.
You see, Jessie is a victim of childhood sexual abuse. The abuse she's kept secret from everyone her entire life. She goes on to marry a man who has his own darkness and misogyny, trading one kind of abusive male figure for another. Her mental struggle to figure out how to unchain herself from the bed takes us through painful parts of her life to draw on the experiences and strength of the past to finally figure out how she can free herself. In the end, she's a self-assured, independent woman who no longer walks through life with her eyes shut.
While the plot is not that complex, what is really excellent about the film is two things, really. The first is Carla Gugino's amazing performance. There is something about her that is both vulnerable and strong. It's not a thing that is easy to convey, especially with very little free movement to express yourself. This performance is probably the best I've ever seen her and worth watching as a study on its own. Secondly, director Mike Flanagan takes a plot that would be seemingly very difficult to translate to film and makes a watchable and engaging movie out of it. Considering the bulk of this story takes place in the mind of a woman strapped to a bed, it is easy to understand why it took so long for the film to get made. Flanagan makes excellent choices in visualizing her internal struggle.
Some of the gore I could have done without, but it wasn't gratuitous. It was necessary. That didn't stop me from covering my eyes for the degloving sequence. Hardest to watch, though, had nothing to do with blood or gore. It was the heartbreaking scene where Jessie's dad (played by ET's Henry Thomas) manipulates her to stay silent about his sexual abuse by making her believe it was her idea all along to keep it a secret. In that moment, you realize just how horrible a human being he is. It condemns her to a life of never feeling comfortable in her own skin and never being honest with anyone about what is going on inside her. Truly heartbreaking to watch.
The end is typical Steven King and just 'whatever' to me, but the meat of the story was engaging and it was well directed. I probably won't watch it again, but I'm glad I saw it.
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