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Out of the Blue
USA 2022
produced by Tara L. Craig, Berry Meyerowitz, Jeff Sackman, Larry Greenberg, Anthony Gudas (executive), Aaron Kaufman (executive), Diane Kruger (executive), Neil LaBute (executive), Matthew Helderman (executive), Luke Taylor (executive), Tyler Gould (executive) for The Squid Farm, Contemptible Entertainment, BondIt Media Capital
directed by Neil LaBute
starring Diane Kruger, Ray Nicholson, Gia Crovatin, Chase Sui Wonders, Hank Azaria, Keilyn Durrel Jones, Pamela Jayne Morgan, Frederick Weller, Victor Slezak, Frank Ridley, Yousef Abu-Taleb
written by Neil LaBute, music by Adam Bosarge
review by Mike Haberfelner
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After he has served a three year sentence for battery, Connor (Ray
Nicholson) can consider himself lucky to have the boring life he's
leading, which mostly consists of working as a librarian and doing a lot
of running in his spare time, with his regular meet-ups with his somewhat
abusive probabion officer (Hank Azaria) being the highlights of his
routine already. And then, one day when he runs past a fairly secluded
beach area, he happens upon Marilyn (Diane Kruger), and the two hit it off
pretty much right away, so much so that she eventually starts to visit him
in the library every now and again. Before long the two become lovers, but
there's a problem, Marilyn's married, and her husband Richard (Victor
Slezak) is very much on the abusive to violent side of things - but since
he's filthy rich, he can get away with it. Marilyn would have long left
him, if it wasn't for her stepdaughter Astrid (Chase Sui Wonders), for
whose safety she fears should she not be there to protect her. So
eventually, Connor and Marilyn come up with a plan to kill her husband,
Connor would break into Richard's house while she and Astrid are on a
shopping trip and bash the man's head in. Thing is, while Connor has no
problems to break into the house that night, Richard isn't home - to only
return to catch Connor red-handed. Somehow Richard makes it to his gun he
keeps under the pillow before Connor can overcome him, and as he's about
to shoot Connor - when the story takes a very unexpected turn, and even if
Connor's life is saved, it might not be a turn for the better ... Now
I have to admit, this movie takes a bit to kick into gear, and it makes a
few too many references to The Postman Always Rings Twice - James
M. Cain's source novel much more so than any of its adaptations - and
similar books and movies, and is really kept alive by solid perfomances
from the entire ensemble more than its storytelling, but once the story
reaches boiling point it leaves little to be desired and finds new twists
in what seems to be an age-old story, managing to surprise us until the
very end. Not a perfect movie maybe, but the third act certainly makes up
for any earlier shortcomings.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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