8/7/2023 0 Comments Strangeland streamingThe hanging doesn’t kill him, and somehow the benign-looking Carleton Hendricks has a serial-killer makeover, compete with the facial tattoos, piercings and hairdo. It’s left open as to whether Howdy, properly medicated, is truly reformed, but it doesn’t matter: Within hours of his return home, he’s hanged from a tree by an angry mob led by a redneck (Robert Englund, trading in his Freddy Krueger claws for a beer bottle). Unaccountably, the child-murdering Howdy, having traded in his bright-red dreadlocks for an Ichabod Crane-style ponytail, is released from the institution in less then four years. Despite his ineptitude, Gage finds the culprit and his captive daughter in the film’s first 45 minutes, resulting in Howdy being hauled off to a loony bin. Howdy, make a date and, before you can sing a line of “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” one of the girls (Linda Cardellini) is strung up by her wrists with her lips sown shut.Īny potential is quickly doused when story switches gears and becomes a badly staged police procedural documenting the bumbling work of detectives Christian (Brett Harrelson) and Gage (Kevin Gage), the latter of whom just happens to be the captive girl’s father. It's an incredibly life-affirming message, especially for a film that balances raunchy action scenes involving bad guys licking walls or busting out into singing Ave Maria to gain interdimensional powers (it totally makes sense in the context of the film).Initial five minutes provide the only real scares: Two young girls innocently flirt in an Internet chat-room with someone named Capt. In the film's darkest moments, it steps into the boundaries of nihilism when confronted with the infinite nature of the universe, but it ultimately embraces the gift of being alive, even just for the brief amount of time we have, to be with the people we love. Above all, this is an immigrant story of living life in America, which resonated for me as someone with a parent who traveled to a strange land to make a life for himself. It grounds the movie when it comes to its emotional core, about family and living with regret. ![]() Everything Everywhere All at Once is a surreal film, but it always uses that in service to its characters. The directors' style is all about stretching the limits of what's real, almost to the point of venturing into a surreal live-action cartoon. This go-for-broke energy from their previous works carries over into Everything Everywhere All at Once, and it really elevates much of the humor and action into some crowd pleasing moments. The film is directed by Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, get it?), who previously worked on the oddball but still touching comedy Swiss Army Man and the infamous music video for DJ Snake and Lil' Jon's Turn Down for What. Other standouts include James Hong as Evelyn's aging father and Evelyn's daughter Joy (played by Stephanie Hsu), who plays a pivitol role in the plot, with her different incarnations tied directly into the film's emotional arc.Īnother reason why the film works so well is from the creators themselves. Curtis is also playing against type as a villain relentlessly hunting down a victim. An IRS auditor with strong "Karen" energy, Deirdre is imbued with interdimensional powers. Jamie Lee Curtis, playing Deirdre, is also a fantastic antagonist in the film. His scenes are satisfying to watch play out, and he's a natural at showing physical comedy and bonding with Yeoh during the film's more dramatic heights. One is a timid middle-aged husband with self-doubts, another is a badass resistance fighter who channels the swagger and effortlessness of heroes from Hong Kong-style action films. Quan effectively plays multiple roles in the film, and he deftly hops between his different incarnations of Waymond. This is his first major role following early retirement due to being typecast after his roles as Data in The Goonies and as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But it also provides great moments for its supporting cast, including Key Huy Quan. In many ways, Everything Everywhere All at Once feels like a tribute to Yeoh, showcasing how talented and often underutilized she is.
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