The Stranger is a unique, intense crime drama that's worth your time

 The Stranger - Thomas M. Wright - 2022

★★★★-The Stranger is a film that masterfully conceals its true tone, leaving audiences intrigued and guessing for most of the movie. Within its absorbing narrative lies an irresistible character study of two enigmatic men, both harboring complex secrets. One grapples with the haunting consequences of his past, while the other wrestles with guilt, striving to preserve his identity while masquerading in plain sight. This is unlike any crime thriller I've ever seen, that's for sure. 

Crime thriller written and directed by Thomas M. Wright. Based on a true story, which is fucked up. Comes from the non-fiction book The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe's Killer by Kate Kyriacou.

Stars Joel Edgerton as the undercover and Sean Harris as the target of the investigation. Recognize Edgerton from Prometheus, The Green Knight, and a few of the Mission: Impossible movies. He works with Edgerton a lot. Harris played Tom in The Great Gatsby, was Gordo in the movie The Gift, and Boy Erased (the last two he also directed). They are both phenomenal.

HERE BE SPOILERS... Gist is a cop goes deep undercover to try to pinch a suspected child murderer in an insanely elaborate sting operation. His mission is to befriend the prime suspect and get a confession about the guy's involvement in the abduction.

At first, you question if the police are investigating the right man. Slowly start to see how the guy is a real monster, whether he did it or not. The elaborate covert operation all out induces a confession. Again, whether he did it or not. As portrayed in the film, he was probably guilty, but how they built their case was beyond fucked, and was likely entrapment. 

Overall: The film immerses viewers in a gloomy atmosphere of distrust, characterized by brutal language and a haunting soundscape that adds to the tension. With a tightly told mystery at its core, the movie captivates audiences with building tension, enhanced by outstanding the lead performances. It stands out from the average crime drama by offering a more challenging and intriguing experience. Impressive and disciplined storytelling is paired with stark visuals, creating a compelling cinematic journey. There is a powerful image of the guy smoking in a parking lot with the cops looking at him with disgust.

If you enjoy slow-paced films delving into tough and serious themes based on true events, this is a must-watch.

Talk to Me: Don't walk out

Talk to Me - Danny and Michael Philippou - 2023

★★★-Talk to Me. An Australian supernatural horror film directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, marking their first feature film. Seems like this is more or less universally loved. However, I wasn't so high on this, though I do respect it and still think it was pretty good. The Philippous started out as YouTubers and segued to short films and then made this.

Gist revolves around a close-knit group of friends who stumble upon the arcane knowledge of summoning spirits by holding onto an embalmed hand set in a ceramic casting. As long as they don't go over 90-seconds, everything is fine. Any more than that, and the spirit wants to stay. I will say that the fact that this thing exists after all the shit its caused is somewhat incredible. You'd think someone would smash and burn it at some point. Personally, I wouldn't touch it. 

Anyway, intrigued by the dark power they wield, they succumb to the lure of this newfound thrill, giving them a rush that isn't unlike a drug. However, their experimentation takes a dreadful turn when one of them delves too deep into the supernatural realm, unwittingly releasing terrifying forces beyond their control. Eventually, they find themselves in a battle for survival against the unleashed horrors.

Cast is made up of mostly newcomers in Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen who plays best friend Jade, Joe Bird (the best friend's little brother, Riley), Otis Dhanji (everyone's love interest), Chris Alosio, Zoe Terakes, and Miranda Otto who plays Jade and Riley's mom. Wilde, who plays the lead, Mia, is great. Might end up a star. She carries the film, but everyone is solid. Otto is the only person I recognized. She was Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings movies. Also in The Thin Red Line and War of the Worlds. 

Love a high school hangout movie. That's when the movie is its best. I really liked the duo of Alosio and Terakes, who are sort of in charge of the hand, play the characters Joss and Hayley respectively. Every high school has kids like this. Real presence. You sort of hate them, but want to hang out with them and frequently warm up to them before once again falling out. 

Had a couple triggers for me. Animal suffering and the self-harm of a child. I can deal with a lot, but when those things popup on screen, I have to close my eyes and cover my ears. This was especially bad. Pretty much everything that happens to this kid is incredibly awful. The dog is fine, though. 

Few confusing things, too, like when these ghosts are torturing the kid and the brother of the previous owner, who was stabbed in the opening scene by said brother, is like, “meh, just wait it out, he'll be fine.” 

Spoiler here. They make a big deal about the consequences of holding on past 90 seconds. The spirits will want to stay, which is what causes things to go bad. 

Sticks the final landing, though, which is all I'll say about any of that. Not often that a horror movie makes you feel something, but it's becoming more common with “elevated horror.” Keep thinking about Mia's poor dad. He's been through a lot, and you barely know anything about him. 

Does have extended universe potential, which is fun. I definitely see a prequel of where the hand came from in the future. 

Not super scary, though it is unsettling. Camera work is great and super interesting, but it felt like pretty much every other A24 horror film. Had similar beats to Hereditary.

Watched this at 5:00pm the Friday of its opening weekend here in Bloomington, Indiana. I was one of two people in the theater. The other guy grumbled a few times and left at the start of the third act. So I can honestly say half of the audience walked out. The crazy part, though, is that two elderly women, one with a walker, came in a few minutes later to catch the end. It was like some weird math problem. “What is the percentage of people who watched the movie,” so forth. I talked to them after, they were early to their showing of Mission: Impossible and figured they'd see what this was about. Different breed of movie watcher than I. Might have been a better experience with a larger crowd that was feeling it. 

Bloody Hell - Alister Grierson - 2020

★★★★-“What would you do with that (knife)?” “I would save myself and kill your family. You know, standard stuff.” Gist is a guy goes to prison for killing a bunch of bank robbers in the midst of a hostage situation that results in multiple fatalities. I'm not a vigilante guy, but this guy getting eight years was bull shit. I assumed this was made by a foreign winger who doesn't know how the American justice system lauds “good guys with guns,” or a Trumper who thinks this is what really happens despite people like George Zimmerman and Kyle Rittenhouse walking free. But I'm making a lot of assumptions.

Anyway, while in prison, he shoots a spitball at a world map to decide where he is going to move once he gets out. Lands on Finland, where he is immediately kidnapped upon arrival by a family of psychopath cannibals. Some low-hanging vegan jokes. “A vegan is like a person, but...” This in a movie about a cannibal monster. 

The vigilante guy is played one Ben O'Toole. Never seen him before, or anyone in this film for that matter. He reminds me of this maniac roommate I had in college. A combination of him and Mac from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Icould see either of them getting into this type of situation. Meg Fraser plays the hot daughter, dad is played by Matthew Sunderland mom is played by Caroline Craig. She's an older Malin Akereman type. Come to find out they are basically the same age, just a few years older than me. 

Is it perfect? No, but I really, really liked this flick. An over-the-top comedy horror romance movie with a heck of an original weapon to kill the big bad. Can't beat this “how did you you two meet” story either, which he tells to a group of people at a bar, much to everyone's horror. For a guy who is obsessed with saying something cool before he kills someone but fails every time, he delivers a phenomenal last line of the film, which I shan't spoil. Available on Shudder.