Surburbicon. George Clooney, dir. Is there such a genre as “violent comedy”? The Cohen brothers must think so. They contributed about 2/3 to this noir story, probably the most important part. Clooney and Heslov added an initially parallel story about a black family moving into a white suburb. Mind you, this supposedly all took place back in the fifties when, as we know from Hidden Figures, not even NASA was integrated. Unlike some movie reviewers (do I dare put myself in that scurrilous group?), I think the Clooney/Heslov tale completed the screenplay for a memorable that really involves too boys—Noah, played by Noah Jupe, the son of a white VIP, Gardener Lodge (played by Matt Damon), and Andy, played by Tony Espinosa, the son in the black family who makes friends with Noah.

The Cohen brothers’ contribution features Gardener’s lust for his sister-in-law (Julianne Moore—no relation—plays both Gardener’s paraplegic wife and the sister-in-law) that leads to their plotting and descent into violence. The reasons aren’t just lust either. Matt Damon channels a bit of evil Ripley role, although being the bad guy isn’t his usual flick-shtick. He isn’t the only evil adult here, and he and the other actors give some masterful performances, especially the two kids. The last scene with the latter is a finely crafted piece of symbolism—don’t miss it!

It was interesting to see the audience’s reaction which probably apes the majority of reviewers who declared this movie DOA. The slow, tense pace obviously didn’t sit well with some. Did I say tense? Intense is the better word, an intensity magnified by camera angles, settings, and an interesting score. At best, I can only say the reviewers the movie that I saw. At worse, they’re ignoramuses who don’t understand excellent movie-making. Or maybe all these people were expecting Jason Bourne?

***

Smashwords book sale. Mystery, suspense, sci-fi, conspiracies, and a multitude of thrills await you with the “Mary Jo Melendez Mystery Series.”  Mary Jo, an ex-USN Master-at-Arms trying to get her new civilian life established, is framed in Muddlin’ Through.  Her search to prove her innocence takes her around the world from one skirmish to another, a gypsy romance, winning new friends, and a new self-understanding.  In the sequel, Silicon Slummin’…and Just Gettin’ By, the bad guys are back, she acquires a stalker/serial killer, and she finds a new love. On sale on Smashwords from November 1 through 30—use the coupon code during checkout.

In libris libertas!

This entry was posted on Friday, November 3rd, 2017 at 3:30 am and is filed under Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.