The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar And Three More (2023) - Movie Review

Not content with merely releasing one film this year that explains just about every structural and thematic quirk in all of his other films with Asteroid City, Wes Anderson also put out a series of four short films on Netflix, adapted from short stories written by Roald Dahl: The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar, The Swan, The Rat Catcher, and Poison. And y’know what? I could review each of these individually and call that two days of my month-long blogathon done, but fuck it; let’s review all four of the buggers in one go.

What Did Jack Do? (2020) - Movie Review

I honestly never thought I’d be able to do this on this blog. I always assumed that the window in which I could watch and review new David Lynch movies had past me by. But then this little number showed up on Netflix, a former art gallery exclusive from 2017 (these reviews are dated by Australian release/access date, hence why I’m getting away with calling this ‘new’), and there’s not a herd of wild horses that could stop me from grabbing this chance with both hands. And he doesn’t seem to have lost a touch of his weirdness after all this time.

Doll It Up (2018) - Short Film Review

Whether it’s a side effect of the Uncanny Valley, or the way that certain taboos are processed in the mind, but films involving blow-up dolls always have a certain… effect to them. One where fits of nervous giggling aren’t out of the ordinary, because while the existence of these dolls and their use is just another colour on the modern relationship wheel, the public acceptance of such things remains murky at best. It’s just… weird when seen outside the context of a bedroom.

And with this short, primarily featuring Timothy J. Cox from Miss Freelance as a man living with a blow-up doll wife, the open displays (and arguments) of their relationship brings up similar facets to Miss Freelance in regards to examining relationships. It plays out like what prolonged relationships have become recognised for in regard to cinema: Complacency that gives way to the want to trade in for the newer model, here taken quite literally with Cox’s Gunther ordering a second doll to replace his current one.

But as other humans get more involved, like two moments with Devin Craig’s Delivery Guy as well as an altercation with a hobo played by Wayne DeBary, it highlights another aspect of cinematic romance that gives a rather depressing undercurrent to what we’re seeing: Women as possessive objects in relationships. The things that are meant to be won, to be acquired, to be the central point of arguments between men.

In the space of 6 minutes, it manages to turn quite a few rom-com tropes right on their heads, showing how the romantic norm for cinematic stories ends up invalidating the agency of the women involved. Yeah, this one involves blow-up dolls, but the attitudes and actions taken by the men who have them on-screen echo very real and, in the realms of cinema, very annoying trends between flesh-and-blood people.

Miss Freelance (2019) - Short Film Review

Miss Freelance, the latest short from budding filmmaker Matthew Kyle Levine, is a cold and hardened look at relationships. We follow Maddy Murphy’s Carly, an escort in New York City, as she bounces between johns, letting the buzzing rumble of the city ring through in the background. It takes a page out of works like Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience in how it creates a moody and unglamourised depiction of the work involved, one that ends up unearthing a lot of truths in regards to any kind of relationship, whether money changes hands or not.

Carly’s encounter with her partner Ben, played by Timothy J. Cox, is where the major truths come out in the open. While Ben feels neglected in their relationship, Carly feels that what they have together isn’t “real”. With her johns, they often save up money just to afford time with her, showing that they care about the time they spend together. It shows quite a bit about how validation plays into relationship dynamics, with happiness being the result of both parties giving as much as they take, and it’s something that Carly feels more strongly with her work than her off-hours time.

It packs in a lot of quiet contemplation in just under 20 minutes, letting Levine and Alex Scarlatos’ visuals and editing do most of the talking, and it makes for a pretty sombre viewing experience. It’s the kind of short that unravels in the mind after first viewing, as I admit that I find myself questioning the relationships in my own life in response to the tango of money and intimacy that is given here.

Miss Freelance from Matthew Kyle Levine on Vimeo.

Lights Out (2016) - Movie Review

When going into certain films, I make it a point of (usually) doing my research if it involves looking at previous relevant films. For instance, in preparation for my review of Ice Age 5, I will go back and watch the previous four so I have a better idea of what I’m getting myself into. Is it any surprise that I haven’t gotten to it yet, with that in mind? However, this is an extremely rare occasion where I have already done my background work without even realising that I had. Last year, when I went to go see It Follows (you know, that film that wasn’t exactly the Oscars), it was preceded by an ad-hoc horror short film festival. Among the titles shown, which ranged from the clever to the supremely strange, was a 3-minute short called Lights Out. I didn’t think much of it at the time, probably because the audience I saw it with at the time hadn’t shut up yet and thought we were in an interactive screening, but apparently someone else did. RatPac-Dune, a production company that seems to be competing with Blumhouse for the most ubiquitous film producers of the era, picked it up and turned it into a full-fledged production. Did this film deserve such treatment, and is it capable of existing beyond its smaller origins?