Gillian Anderson – The Reviewers Unite

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and all the images you see in this review are owned by Mubi

Directed by Jane Schoenbrun

I can’t say I was the biggest fan of I Saw the TV Glow, but it definitely left me with the impression that Jane Schoenbrun was a talented filmmaker to keep an eye on. Perhaps it was an issue of subject matter as I’ve never been much of a fan of Buffy which their previous film took a lot of inspiration from, and am much more of a slasher geek which is what their newest feature is mostly about. Well, that and a bunch of other ideas about identity, sexuality, and the terrifying reality of being yourself, but I think the slasher stuff is what’s gonna clinch it for me. Is this another masterpiece from an up and coming star director, or will this struggle to capture the same lightning in a bottle success of their last feature? Let’s find out!!

Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder) is an up and coming indie filmmaker who has been tapped by a bunch of studio suits to modernize the long running Camp Miasma franchise; a series of slasher films with a problematic past that could use one of those woke adaptations that the kids are all talking about these days. In the hopes of making a truly authentic reboot, Kris goes to see the reclusive star of the original film, Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson) who just so happens to live on the campgrounds that the film was shot on long ago. With the hopes of a young artist and the cynicism of a young adult, Kris tries to sell Billy on her new ideas for the franchise, but she’s gonna need to impress her with more than just meta-commentary and a more diverse cast if she hopes to get her endorsement. Kris is gonna have to delve not just into the nitty gritty of the venerable franchise, but into the depths of her own soul if she’s going to find any way to connect with Billy and get this project off the ground. Will Kris open herself up to the Billy’s eccentric world view and the mysterious nature of this camp? Why does she chose to live here, and is there more to this old set than memories and gaffers tape? I mean, if I was gonna be toyed by a potentially malevolent diva who may or may not be planning a ritualistic murder… yeah, I’d go with Agent Scully too.

“I can tell that this is gonna be good.” “What, the chicken?” “No. I mean… it’s KFC. It’s fine, but no.”

Continue reading →

TSWDMCD0

The Spy Who Dumped Me and all the images you see in this review are owned by Lionsgate

Directed by Susanna Fogel

Another Spy Comedy, huh? Well I guess there are genres with even worse track records than that, but there’s clearly an uphill battle to be fought considering how bad a lot of these movies turn out; not to mention the fact that the trailer was kind of meh despite the film starring two of my favorite actors working today. I’d rather they be doing OTHER stuff like say a Ghostbusters sequel, but until everyone realizes just how wrong they were about that movie, I guess this will do just fine. Hopefully! Does this movie manage to be a shining example of a genre that is notorious for underwhelming films, or will this succumb to whatever curse has made it so hard to make good Spy Comedies? Let’s find out!!

The movie follows Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon) who are two best friends living their normal early thirties lives without a whole lot going for them; particularly Audrey who just got dumped by her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux). BY TEXT! What a jerk! I sure hope something bad happens to him! Well… just wait fifteen minutes. It turns out that he’s an INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY which comes as news to Audrey and left some Spy MacGuffin in her apartment which he tries to get but is… indisposed in the process, and it’s up to her delver whatever the heck it is to someone somewhere at a specific time! Easy enough, especially with her best friend by her side! Unfortunately, there are a lot of other people looking for whatever this is, including Sebastian and Duffer (Sam Heughan and Hasan Minhaj) who are working for at some sort of spy agency, a Super Assassin named Nadedja (Ivanna Sakhno) who’s been hired by someone MYSTERIOUS to take them out, and a bunch of motorcycle henchmen who are more than willing to fire live ammunition in busy streets to try and take out these two nobodies when a less blunt approach would PROBABLY work on these two. They’re not the best when it comes to detecting threats, nor should they considering neither one of them have even used a gun, let alone protected very important MacGuffins! Can Audrey and Morgan deliver this package before getting themselves murdered? Will they be able to save the world by taking this where it needs to go and will there a few double crosses along the way? Will this mission be even more impossible than making a good spy comedy!? Even Tom Cruise isn’t necessarily gonna get THAT right all the time!

TSWDMCD1 — “This mission, should you choose to accept it, is to stop a bomb. A BOX OFFICE BOMB THAT IS!!” “I see what you did there.”

Continue reading “Cinema Dispatch: The Spy Who Dumped Me” →

Tag: Gillian Anderson

Cinema Dispatch: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Cinema Dispatch: The Spy Who Dumped Me