Feline Films | December 2019

For real? Another semester is almost gone? And I was just getting into the groove. I know that some of you are leaving us in a week or two. Maybe you’ve finished your program. Maybe you are transferring on to another school. That is why I wanted to leave you with a movie or two that would rock your whole world.

Unfortunately, I used that review up last month. So, instead, let me give you a pair that I’ll bet you haven’t seen. I’m not saying that either of these is as good as last month’s Parasite but you should definitely do a little searching and give both of these a try. They may be off the beaten path, but both turned out to be better than I was expecting.

 

Woman At War (2018) [Unrated in the US but PG in Canada]

Woman at War (or Kona fer í Stríð if you want to go with the original Icelandic title that requires you to know how to get the character variants on your keyboard) is probably the harder one to find so we’ll start there. I rented it on Amazon but iTunes has it as well.

I’m not sure where you would file an environmentalist caper comedy with a strong dash of personal drama. The plot of Woman at War is unconventional yet oddly familiar. The story centers around Halla, who is a middle-aged choir director but is also an anonymous eco-terrorist whom the press have dubbed the “Mountain Woman.” In the poster to the left there, you can see her sabotaging the power lines that feed a new smelting plant being built.

As her attacks become more daring, the local government calls in help to try to capture the Mountain Woman. Halla’s support system includes her twin sister who does not know that she is the Mountain Woman, a friend from the choir who also happens to work for the government and has been helping her stay a few steps ahead, and a sheep herder she just met who may or may not be her cousin. Just as Halla is planning her biggest and most dangerous action to date, she learns that the after four years of waiting, her application has been approved to adopt a girl in Ukraine. Unfortunately, the day she is to meet the girl in Ukraine is the same day of her next attack.

The performances are universally great. The cinematography is breathtaking. You may not agree with all of the choices made, but the direction from Benedikt Erlingsson is top notch. His previous film Of Horses and Men is similarly well-crafted, if not quite as good.

If you are looking for a movie that you can zone out to that will take you from point A to point B without too much thought or distraction, this isn’t it. And I understand that, for some, the theme and topics explored are going to be controversial. But if you can go into Woman at War with an open mind and let it present you with its arguments, you’ll find it to be charming, darkly humorous, intelligent, and maybe even hopeful.

8 paws out of 10

 

 

Ready Or Not (2019) [R]

So this one … probably not a great date movie. Ready or Not follows Grace, who is marrying into the very rich and powerful Le Domas family which made its money creating and selling board games (think of Parker Brothers or Milton Bradley). Just before the wedding, her husband-to-be, Alex gives her the chance to just walk away. But Grace is ready to be a part of Alex’s family. Or so she thinks.

After the wedding, Grace learns that it is family tradition that anyone marrying into the family must play a randomly chosen game at midnight. What she quickly comes to find out is just how seriously the family takes this tradition.

The plot may be a tad ridiculous, but the script is pretty good. Writers Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy do a great job of giving you just enough information to keep you interested, but not enough to ruin the surprises. Oh, you may figure a few things out, but it goes so far off the rails by the end that I promise – you aren’t going to be 100% accurate in your guesswork.

The performances are universally great. Samara Weaving is fantastic as the bride, Grace. Adam Brody is good as Grace’s husband, Daniel. And while Andie MacDowell is probably the last person you would expect to see in a movie like this, she plays her part very well, too. More impressive, however, is the direction. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett split the director responsibilities, but the vision is so clear and well-communicated that if I hadn’t known, I would have sworn this is the work of a single auteur. The sets are just fantastic. And while I don’t usually talk about film soundtracks here often, I do have a special love for them. The score here is great. Also, good luck trying to get the song they play right before the game begins out of your head. Total ear worm.

Ready or Not isn’t perfect. There are some plot holes here and there. Some of the themes get undercut in favor of injecting a little more humor into the film. Despite the marketing, I think I would place this more as a dark comedy than a horror movie. But, if I may quote the great Nicolas Cage, “Nobody wants to watch perfection.”

Ready or Not is a little sloppy and unrefined, but it is also a ton of fun. Do yourself a favor. Don’t watch the trailer. Just pick it up at your local Redbox or rent it on iTunes or something, invite a few buddies over, and don’t take things so seriously. You have plenty of time left in your life for seriousness. Let Ready or Not reveal itself to you at its own pace, and I’d be willing to wager you and your friends will have a good time.

7.5 paws out of 10

 

As always, if you have a movie you think I should check out or you want to talk further about one of these reviews, drop me a line on Facebook.