Monday Morning Movie Review: Aniara (2018)

26 April 202125 April 2021 The Portly Politico2 Comments

What happens when a luxury transport ship on a routine voyage to Mars is thrown off course, set adrift on an endless voyage across the cosmos? That’s the premise behind 2018’s Aniara, based on the 1956 Swedish epic poem of the same name.

The answer, ultimately, is quite bleak. Aniara fits fully into the nihilistic ennui that Scandinavians—materially prosperous but spiritually adrift—relish so stoically. Seriously, the Swedes seemed obsessed with existential crises and a sense of meaningless in life. At its best, that gives us the likes of Danish Christian existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard; at its worst, it creates the kind of mindless pleasure-seeking the passengers of the film’s title ship indulge in here.

For all the film’s depressing messaging about the futility of life (to be fair, being trapped on an endless voyage in space, eating only algae to survive, would be a fairly depressing and psychologically destructive experience), it’s a fascinating look into how a society might develop, survive, and perish in the depths of outer space.

Monday Morning Movie Review: The Housemaid (2016)

19 April 202118 April 2021 The Portly Politico3 Comments

Link to IMDB Entry for flick: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5860084/

Foreign-language films can be a mixed bag. They can require the viewer to come into the plot with some foreknowledge of the culture and its history; lacking that background can make appreciating the film difficult. The reliance on subtitles also requires intense focus, so multi-screen viewing isn’t really possible.

Those can also be strengths, though. Forcing audiences to stay glued to the screen increases immersion into the story. Further, figuring out the cultural and historical context is fun and rewarding, and deepens our knowledge of the world.

Such is the case with the Vietnamese horror film The Housemaid (2016), which takes place during the First French Indochinese War in 1953 (that is to say, the First Vietnam War, before the Americans butted our ways into a French colonial struggle).

Monday Morning Movie Review: Suburban Gothic (2014)

12 April 202111 April 2021 The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

The Hulu-based deep dive into cinematic obscurity continues this Monday with 2014’s Suburban Gothic, a film broadly in the “comedy horror” genre. It’s roughly in the same vein as 2020’s Love and Monsters, but it’s much quirkier, a la John Dies at the End (2012). The presence of Kat Dennings as the sidekick/love-interest—a latter day, gloomier Zooey Deschanel, and a prefiguration of Aubrey Plaza—further drives home the hipster credentials of this oddball little flick.

Needless to say, I loved it.

Monday Morning Movie Review: Still (2018)

5 April 202131 March 2021 The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Here it is—the long-awaited first day of Spring Break! I’ll be reviewing some short stories throughout this week, continuing the tradition I began last year, but I’m kicking off the week with another Monday Morning Movie Review.

I’ve been watching a lot of flicks lately, and there was one excellent movie I wanted to review—but I’ve forgotten what it was called! I suppose it wasn’t that memorable after all.

Instead, this post will review 2018’s Still, a movie that is difficult to review without giving away the “twist” ending. That might explain why there aren’t many reviews of it online. Like many obscure films with limited audiences, Still is on Hulu, which is proving itself a depository of hidden gems.

Monday Morning Movie Review: High-Rise (2015)

29 March 202122 March 2021 The Portly Politico2 Comments

Lately Hulu’s algorithm—in the bleak future math problems determine our entertainment choices—has been suggesting tower-based movies to me. Yes, it is a genre: films that take place in the claustrophobic confines of apartment buildings, like the 1993 thriller Sliver, starring Sharon Stone and William Baldwin. That flick was so-so, and the character motivations didn’t really make sense, especially the dashing computer nerd Baldwin portrayed, but it was one of several Hulu has recommended lately that depends upon a high-rise for its setting.

So it was the Grand High Algorithm suggested 2015’s High-Rise, a film both set in and an homage to the 1970s, specifically the dark sci-fi flicks of the decade.

Monday Morning Movie Review: The Ghost Writer (2010)

22 March 202114 March 2021 The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Roman Polanksi is a sexual weirdo and a fugitive from justice, but, dang, he makes good movies. A couple of weekends back I stumbled upon The Ghost Writer (2010) on Hulu, more evidence that the streaming service is upping its game.

The Ghost Writer is a product of the Bush Era, when Hollywood was obsessed with Bush Derangement Syndrome—a psychological condition akin to Trump Derangement Syndrome, but which now seems quaint and cute by comparison. The plot involves a ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) hired to punch-up the boring, windy memoirs of a Tony Blair-esque former British Prime Minister. The former PM is facing prosecution for war crimes for his alleged role in illegally torturing terrorists during the War on Terror, and while he is considered a “world-historical” figure, his pro-war stance while PM has made him deeply unpopular.

TBT: Guest Contributor – photog – “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” – A Science Fiction Movie Review

18 March 202114 March 2021 The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

On Tuesday of this week, photog of Orion’s Cold Fire and I interviewed one another for our respective blogs. That marks our second collaboration with one another; the first was on 16 October 2020, when we guest posted on each other’s blogs.

As such, this week’s edition of TBT was a no-brainer: bring back photog’s review of the Atomic age film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

With that, here’s 16 October 2020’s “Guest Contributor – photog – ‘The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms’ – A Science Fiction Movie Review“:

Monday Morning Movie Review: Boss Level (2021)

15 March 202113 March 2021 The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

With my busy schedule lately I haven’t had the opportunity to watch quite as many flicks as I was during the height of the long, cold nights of winter, which is why I skipped Monday Morning Movie Reviews last week. That week also ended up being quite busy, as I’m putting in extra hours in the evenings to stay on top of grades and other projects.

Fortunately, I managed to carve out some time for flicks, and enjoyed a Hulu original, March 2021’s Boss Level. Boss Level is a sci-fi action movie about a man in a Groundhog Day-style time loop, except he dies every day (usually around 12:47 PM) at the hands of a team of mercenaries, ranging from a sword-wielding Chinese woman to a ballistics-obsessed midget (excuse me—“Little Person”).

Monday Morning Movie Review: You’re Next (2013)

1 March 202128 February 2021 The Portly Politico2 Comments

Another weekend has rolled by, so it’s time for another Monday Morning Movie Review. While clicking around Hulu I stumbled upon a flick I saw some years ago, though I didn’t realize it at first.

That says something about the similarity of schlocky horror flicks out there—they all have basically the same premise and plot description. Except this one, 2013’s You’re Next, is actually quite original.

Monday Morning Movie Review: Movie Round-Up I

22 February 202122 February 2021 The Portly Politico2 Comments

With all the gloomy weather in South Carolina over the past week (please pray for the poor folks in Texas, who are facing truly dangerous weather conditions), it’s been ideal weather for staying home and watching movies. Surprisingly, Hulu has upped its game a bit in terms of selection.

I’m running a tad behind with today’s post, so I figured rather than diving deeply into one movie, I’d give a quick round-up of several movies, with some quick notes on each.

Happy Viewing!

The Portly Politico

One Southerner's unique, erudite, conservative perspective in a hectic world

Tag: movies