4. Well, I hated it!

I mean...I didn't connect with that book/movie/show/whatever.

I think a lot about taste and opinions and things of that nature as it pertains to books and movies and pop culture in general. I mean, my hope with this newsletter is that you like my taste because you share a similar one. Fun!

It’s all very subjective, of course, but sometimes I have a reaction to something that goes a little like, “well, who the hell would actually like this?”

But instead of saying I hated something, I’m trying to use, “I didn’t connect with it, but maybe somebody else will.” Because surely somebody did, at the very least the artist/creator. And I like a healthy debate. Book club is literally my favorite when there’s a great divide. I mean, let’s get INTO it!

All this to say, I watched a lot of Sundance movies over the weekend. With the festival going virtual, it was a great opportunity to see some indie movies prior to their acquisition and eventual distribution. Love an exclusive.

So here they are, truly in no particular order, except the one I didn’t “connect with” is dead last because, well, this is my newsletter.

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WATCHER

What a ride! Shot on location in Bucharest, this movie is very creepy, about a woman who moves to Romania with her husband for his career. So she’s on her own a lot — very Carrie in Paris with Petrovsky — but Bucharest doesn’t appear to be as charming? (At least in this movie, I’ve never been, I’m sure it’s great). She suspects she’s being followed by an across-the-way neighbor who lurks in the window, but because she’s a woman, no one fucking believes her and that whole thematic journey also hit home. There were a couple scenes that were so visceral, dredging up personal memories about strangers taking up my own space, that it sent chills down my spine. Anyway, loved the movie, wish it much success!

SPEAK NO EVIL

The ending of this movie shook me to my core! I don’t want to say too much, but the moral of this Scandinavian story is that politeness is almost never the move. It’s about a couple (Danish) that meets another couple (Dutch) on vacation, you know like you do, but the Dutch couple invites the Danish couple to visit them at their home, a few months post-vacay, which honestly sounds awkward and terrible in real life? Do people do this? You probably won’t after watching. A+ horror movie!

HATCHING

What an odd little tale this was! A Finnish film, this was the story of a girl (with quite frankly, a hellbeast influencer of a mother) who finds a weird egg in the woods and brings it home. Overall, it kind of had E.T. vibes but more sinister. Charles and I both loved the “creature work” in this movie, but I won’t say anymore!

AFTER YANG

OK, we’re out of the horror movies now, for the babies of the group. Well, After Yang is sci-fi, but sort of in the way that Arrival is sci-fi — they lure you in with promises of robots and/or aliens but it’s really a story about HUMAN EMOTIONS! Get your Kleenex ready. Collin Farrell (happy to see him again, hubba hubba) shines in this role. It’s a quiet and meditative film. Watch with tea instead of wine. Contemplate life.

GOD’S COUNTRY

This drama/thriller had so many elements I love. Montana. Academia. Guns (in a fun movie way, not like, the other way). And, oh yeah, my friend produced it (hi Rachel!). Thandiwe Newton carries the movie on her back, every other character is objectively terrible, so you really are rooting for her the entire time. The story in a nutshell: A woman who lives alone on a mountain in Montana is upset when unwelcome men trespass on her property. A slow burn ensues.

SHARP STICK

I DIDN’T CONNECT WITH THIS. If you did (or will in the future when you watch it), let’s talk about it because I really, really did not connect with it. At all. Not even a little. So. Would love to hear the opposition on this one.

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OK, that’s all she wrote! I just told you about six movies so…read or buy whatever you like this week.

xx RKC