13 Comments

BETWEEN THE TEMPLES is a gem. I was the only one at my screening on Tuesday night, but I hope it stays in theaters long enough to find the audience it deserves.

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It was more sad and less funny than I initially thought it would be but I can’t stop thinking about it. Gem is the right term for it.

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Dolly de Leon also popped up (and likely secured a nice paycheck) in the opening scene of former WWE Champion John Cena and My Vag rapper Awkwafina vehicle 'Jackpot!'... easily a peak in that particular film that I got really high to watch... but yes, please see Ghostlight.

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Another vote for Ghostlight -- the conceit of the film may seem too neat, but the actors are so good, de Leon especially. Initially the daughter was hard to take, but then there's a turn and it all makes sense and she becomes just as lovely as everybody else.

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I really loved Strange Darlings. Great performances, tons of tension, looks like a million bucks. Good movie!

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While there’s subtext and clues about Temples’ purpose I feel confident in exposing it: it’s about Keith Poulson and his uncanny ability to serve a mudslide anywhere, anytime regardless of venue.

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A+ running gag.

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Saw Strange Darling last week. Thought the script was a bit weak in places (I guess the two big secrets pretty quickly), particularly a certain clunky scene with some cops, and overall wasn't as smart as it thought it was. But it looked great (Ribisi!) and the two leads were great. Fun to watch Willa Fitzgerald's star rise between Reacher S1, The Fall Of The House Of Usher, and this.

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Oh and I want the entire backstory of that Sunday breakfast. Do they eat that every Sunday? Do they eat really healthy the rest of the week, to make up for it? Does all that even taste good?

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STRANGE DARLING is pretty one-note but it's a hell of a note!

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It's a good example of Ebert's "how a movie is about it" edict. If you lined it up linearly it would be a lot less interesting. The shuffling works well even if I mentally figured out which order this would go after the second title card. (I'm not clever. I go to an Alamo mostly and that trailer was shown in front of everything.) But greatly enjoyed the performances, Ribisi's cinematography though I wish the title card and scroll had also been grainy, and the fun they had with reveals. It's not as tricky to get ahead of as it wishes it was, but I had a fun ride. I wish this had been something I'd seen without any trailers or lead-up. More or less impossible to do, but one of those movies that if you landed on it by accident or at a festival screening, it would hit even better.

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Caught STRANGE DARLING over the weekend (it was the follow-up to SHAUN OF THE DEAD, which was playing at the same theater) and all I really want to say about it is woof. It’s not often I see something in a theater that swings and misses this hard.

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