It Comes at Night

It Comes at Night (2017)

Starring Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher Abbott, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., and Riley Keough

Directed by Trey Edward Shults

Written by Trey Edward Shults

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A contagious outbreak has seemingly wreaked havoc across the United States.  Paul (Joel Edgerton), his wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo), and their teenage son Travis (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) have holed themselves up in a secluded house in the woods, venturing outside only when absolutely necessary.  When a stranger (Christopher Abbott) attempts to enter their house, Paul immediately doubts his intentions, but he eventually is won over and invites the stranger's wife (Riley Keough) and young son to stay with them.  Unfortunately, this kind gesture may end up being something Paul and Sarah will regret.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C

The Discovery

The Discovery (2017)

Starring Jason Segel, Rooney Mara, Jesse Plemons, Riley Keogh, Mary Steenburgen, and Robert Redford

Directed by Charlie McDowell

Written by Justin Lader and Charlie McDowell

***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less): Scientist Thomas Harbor (Robert Redford) has proven the existence of an afterlife and in the years since his discovery, the suicide rate around the world has risen astronomically.  Following a television interview that goes horribly wrong, Harbor goes into hiding.  Several years later, upon visiting his secluded father, Will (Jason Segel) discovers the almost cult-like atmosphere taking place at his father's homestead where Thomas has hired people whose suicides have gone awry to help him.  Thomas's latest experiment involves videotaping one's afterlife experience, but Will rightfully worries that this new experimentation may result in even more folks wanting to end their lives.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - American Honey

American Honey (2016)

Starring Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, and Riley Keough

Directed by Andrea Arnold

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

There is nothing about American Honey that even remotely validates its epic nearly three-hour runtime.  Its plot can be explained in a simple sentence:  Impoverished teenager Star (Sasha Lane) joins a ragtag group of kids headed by the harsh twentysomething "den mother" Krystal (Riley Keough) who travel across the country hoping to earn money by selling magazines whilst doing drugs, drinking alcohol, stealing trinkets, and sleeping with one another.  Conflict is slim to none throughout the film and there are tons of lengthy shots of these disheveled, dirty-looking teens singing rap songs for no apparent reason other than to show the mundaneness of everyday life for this group.  Yet, despite this myriad of issues, I found myself oddly captivated by American Honey.  Sure, it's a film I never want to watch again and I can't even say I'd want to subject anyone else to attempt a viewing, but the simplicity and naturalness of writer-director Andrea Arnold's film kept my intrigued more than I could ever have imagined.

I mean this in a complimentary fashion, but there's a dirtiness that permeates throughout American Honey.  This group of kids on display exudes a griminess and a grossness that's anchored in realism and while at least these teens are trying to make a living, they are kids with whom I'd never want to hang.  First-time actress Sasha Lane is at the center of this gang of miscreants and she certainly embodies the lower-class aesthetic that runs rampant through the flick.  Her blossoming relationship with Shia LaBeouf's Jake, a member of magazine-selling group, feels lived-in and naturally develops over the course of the film's runtime.

I really do find it incomprehensible that I sat through this entire film.  There was a moment about seventy minutes in -- which is just a third of the way, mind you -- that I was extremely tempted to stop because, as I mentioned, nothing really happens in this film.  Yet, thanks to the solid performances and the lived-in aesthetic created by Andrea Arnold and her cast, the lack of plot becomes a shockingly insignificant issue.  Now, don't mistake this positivity for all-out affection.  American Honey really could've afforded to have been shortened or, at the very least, had some story added to it.  And, as I've mentioned before, I never need to watch American Honey again nor can I in good conscience recommend it.  However, something surprisingly worked for me and I found this flick to be much better than I expected.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-