The Tall Man
Plot: When Julia Denning’s (Jessica Biel) child goes missing, the town believes it’s the work of the Tall Man. As they dig deeper into the myth, they discover more than they bargained for.
Review: The original title of “The Tall Man” was “The Secret”. That’s a much better title, as it doesn’t lead the audience into believing they’re in store for a creepy child abductor based on the Slender Man mythos. It also would prevent many references to “Phantasm”. Mostly, it would deliver on it’s promise. The film is more about a secret (which I won’t reveal, obviously) than the Tall Man. He’s just a crutch.
Calling the film “The Secret” wouldn’t make it any better. It would have just softened the blow. I’ll give Pascal Laugier credit for trying to take a simple tale and crafting a bigger picture out of it. The result is a bigger picture in scale, but smaller in satisfaction. The story itself may become grander, but Laugier takes too many risks that don’t pay off. He relies on the audience to play into the confusion and be curious to where it leads. The actual result is the audience losing interest.
Sometimes, the best story to tell is the simple one. “The Tall Man” started out simple enough. A child is abducted and his mother goes in search for him. There’s a local legend of the Tall Man, a mysterious and lanky figure that prowls through the night that matches the kidnapper’s description. Having her chase him throughout and learning his identity (or lack thereof) may be facile, but it would have worked. Child abduction is frightening in it’s own right. Effectively conveying that on screen can lead to a hit.
We get that for about the first thirty minutes. Pascal creates tension and sets an eerie tone throughout the rundown town. His cinematographer, Kamal Derkaoui, uses the woods and the moonlight to great effect! All seemed to be going well until the twist reared it’s ugly head at the forty-five minute mark. From there on out, the film stumbled repeatedly to it’s conclusion. That’s not to say it’s messy. It’s clear Pascal had this all mapped out. It’s just not interesting.
Final Rating: C
One Nation Under Dog
Plot: Jenny Carchman, Ellen Gooseberg Kent and Amanda Micheli take a look at three aspects of dogs impacts in America. The first being fear, centered around potentially dangerous dogs. The second being loss of a dog and how the owner copes with the pain. The third being betrayals by owners which lands dogs in animal shelters.
Review: If you’re a dog lover, you have to see this film! I must warn you, though, that it won’t be an easy watch. It’s rarely uplifting and more and less heartbreaking. The filmmakers waste no time in delving into the trauma, hurdling the viewer into a story of pet dogs that are attacking the community. The townsfolk have had enough and want them taken care of (one dog bit a little girl’s ear off, another took a chunk out of a woman’s shoulder). The owners are portrayed as the villains (bribing the victims to keep their mouths shut) yet still gain sympathy when their love of their dogs is shown. Despite rooting against them, I couldn’t help but feel for them as well during the turmoil (especially with the end result).
The next section, loss, also jerks tears from the eyes. Watching distraught owners coping with the loss of their dog/best friend in a support group is heart wrenching! As someone who’s had to give up a dog before (thankfully he wasn’t put down), I can relate with them. The film gets a bit uplifting when a couple is shown cloning their dog. No matter your stance on the situation, your heart almost has to melt at the sheer joy they get when they see their cloned dog run at them and greet them.
Before we can get too comfortable, the filmmakers shift us back to depression in the third and final act. This one revolves around animal shelters and the unfortunate end that most dogs meet there. I must foreworn everybody that the segment begins with three minutes of footage showing the deaths of the dogs. This is extremely hard to watch and some may be best to skip it. What follows sheds some much needed joy as animal activists help find abandoned dogs homes. They choose the older and more injured ones, as those are the ones most likely to be skipped over. Watching as a dog that, when first approached was ready to pounce, show her true colors (love and compassion) for her new owner is lovely!
“One Nation Under Dog” isn’t an easy watch, but it’s a worthwhile one. I recommended this earlier for dog lovers, but feel even those opposed to them should see this. They may change their tune by film’s end. At the very least, they’ll have to show some compassion towards the canines. That’s the point the filmmakers are trying to get across and they do so effectively!
Final Rating: A
Bachelorette
Plot: When Becky (Rebel Wilson) gets engaged, her best friend Regan (Kirsten Dunst) is named the maid of honor. This puts all the pressure on her, which only makes her anxiety and low self esteem worse. It gets even worse when their old High School friends, Gena (Lizzy Caplan) and Katie (Isla Fisher), show up and cause chaos.
Review: If the trailer for “Bachelorette” made you think this was going to be a “Bridesmaids” rip-off, I’m here to set the record straight. It is not a “Bridesmaids” rip-off. “Bridesmaids” had likable characters and a lot of funny and sharp jokes to tag along with it’s sweet heart. “Bachelorette” is a forced raunch-fest filled with detestable characters and telegraphed jokes. I cared about what happened in “Bridesmaids”. I just wanted this film to end as soon as possible.
Would it surprise you to hear that the three bridesmaids rip the bride’s dress? Would it surprise you that the stripper they ordered for the bachelorette party turns out to be a disaster? Would it surprise you if both the bridesmaids and groomsmen attended a strip club and made cheap jokes? Would it surprise you that Leslye Headland’s idea of humor consists solely of foul language and sexual references? If all of these surprised you, “Bachelorette” is the film for you! If you rolled your eyes at all of that, avoid this film like the plague!
Don’t even get me started on the shoddy drama. Headland doesn’t seem to understand that, in order for me to care about the characters, I need to like them first. You can’t have the bridesmaids be stuck-up bitches in the first half of the film, then expect me to accept their radical change in attitude. Giving them lousy back stories doesn’t help matters. Especially when it comes to Gena’s past relationship with Clyde (Adam Scott) which is rancid of the highest order.
Don’t let this review think only the women are cruel. Everybody in this film, sans the bride, are detestable! The worst would be Trevor (James Marsden), the sleazy horndog who flirts with Regan, only for that development to fall through the cracks. He seems so out of place in this film. The only reason he exists is because he’s immoral and get into wacky hijinks. None of which are funny.
The only time this film works is when Rebel Wilson is on screen. Though the film is centered around her wedding, the focus is more on the bridesmaids. This is a huge misstep on Headland’s part. If she did in fact gather inspiration from “Bridesmaids”, she should have taken that film’s queue and gave the bride a good bit of attention as well. It wouldn’t have made this film good, but it would’ve been a little more tolerable.
Final Rating: D
Rid of Me
Plot: Meris Canfield’s (Katie O’Grady) life is turned upside down when she moves back to her husband Mitch’s (John Keyser), hometown. His friends are cruel and his former flame, Briann Lockwood (Storm Large), returns and steals him away from her. She finds a new lease on life in the form of Trudy (Orianna Herrman), a rebellious woman who works with her at the candy store.
Review: “Rid of Me” takes awhile to develop it’s bite. James Westby takes his time early on in developing the relationship of Meris and Mitch, as well as their downfall. This is admirable, but it doesn’t quite work. While there’s the occasional golden scene (such as at the diner where his friends show their true, rather racist colors), a lot of it feels weightless. Westby relies on awkwardness which, even when done right, can be off putting. He does a fine job of getting us on Meris’ side, but not enough to fully engage the audience.
While he never fully saves the film from this surprisingly low key first half, he does turn things around at the halfway mark. Once Trudy is introduced, the film picks up steam. Meris finds herself and releases her anger to the world. Some could view this as a bad influence in the adult world, as Meris goes from a gentle soul to an outspoken radical. Those believing this are missing the point. While her attitude changes, she retains her kind soul. She only shows it to certain people now.
“Rid of Me” is a film about self-discovery. For many, they find themselves in their teens or early twenties. It took Merith a bit longer, not discovering her true self until she reached her late-twenties to early thirties (the film never specifies her age and there’s no mention of it online). This explains her extreme actions (such as attacking Mitch and his friends at a bar and swiping a rather disgusting bloody substance on Briann’s face). These actions may not scream heroic antagonist, but that’s not the point. Even if it were, the people she’s unleashing her rage on do have it coming.
I can’t fully recommend “Rid of Me”. While the second half pulls the audience in, the first half almost drives them away. I was able to tough it out and taste the sweet, dark humor in the end. However, I wouldn’t fault anyone for not being able to make it there. The first half can be a chore to sit through and, while the second half is a vast improvement, it’s not enough to completely wash the bad taste out of your mouth. It’s enough to quell it, but that may not be enough for some.
Final Rating: B-