If you're searching for a sweet romance filled with tender, cuddly moments, you should avoid “Love Lies Bleeding.”
But we enjoyed its bold, R-rated style. We also loved the R-rated comedy “Snack Shack,” featuring a breakout performance from Conor Sherry, a talented actor from San Jose. He's on the rise and deserves recognition.
We liked Annette Bening in “Apples Never Fall,” but ultimately found the domestic drama to be disappointing.
But we highly recommend watching the emotional and uplifting “One Life” with Anthony Hopkins and the sci-fi film “The Animal Kingdom,” our discovery of the week.
Here's our summary of recommended films.
“Love Lies Bleeding”: Crazy. Completely crazy. This is Rose Glass’ wild movie. Packed with graphic sex and intense violence, this New Mexico-set queer romance follows intense female bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian, a name to remember) who’s headed toward a Las Vegas competition and meets bored Lou (Kristen Stewart), manager of a brawny, down-and-dirty gym where buff guys go shirtless and the bathrooms always need unclogging. Also in the picture are Lou’s deplorable brother-in-law JJ (Palo Alto native Dave Franco, nearly unrecognizable) who beats his wife Beth (Jena Malone), and Lou’s bug-loving, long-haired daddy Lou Sr. (a reptilian Ed Harris), who runs a shooting range. Add a clingy, manipulative meth-head Daisy (Anna Baryshnikov, a scene stealer) who has a bad thing going on with Lou, and you have a hard-boiled cult classic in the making. Unfortunately, the “Saint Maud” filmmaker and co-screenwriter throws too many ingredients into her crockpot and, as a result, some themes get undercooked. But you’ve gotta admire her go-for-broke attitude, which is behind this rubbed-raw-to-the-bone love story that tips its hat to such icons as Tarantino, Lynch and more. But “Love Lies Bleeding” creates its own brand of fiery feminist fury as these two marginalized women fight back against a machine that neither played a part in building but are ecstatic about setting a match to. It’s captivating to watch. So are Stewart and O’Brian, perfect together and on their own. Stewart continues to push her career into bold directions and we’ll gladly follow her anywhere. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters March 15.
“Snack Shack”: Adam Rehmeier’s follow-up to his eccentric but funny debut “Dinner in America” is a typical R-rated summer coming-of-age comedy. And that’s all it needs to be. It features San Jose native Conor Sherry, (“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”) who gives a standout performance as A.J., best friend of Moose (Gabrielle LaBelle of “The Fabelmans”), a big ideas guy who envisions himself as a junior Gordon Gekko. It’s the summer of 1991 in Nebraska City, and A.J. and Moose aim to win the contract to operate the snack shake at the city pool. They get the job and it proves quite profitable, but leads to confrontations with jock bullies. There are also parental issues, and a flirtation with a spirited lifeguard (Mika Abdalla) they both admire. In between that, A.J. spends time with his slightly older friend/idol Shane (Nick Robinson), who has recently returned from serving in the Gulf War. Rehmeier takes an unexpected turn near the end and it drastically changes the film. But it works. What works best, though, is how Rehmeier fully delves into the minds of adolescent guys and how skillfully Sherry and LaBelle navigate the story’s changes in tone. “Snack Shack” is a delightful stroll down memory lane that’s elevated by Sherry’s and LaBelle’s performances. Details: 3 stars; will be in cinemas on March 15.
“The American Society of Magical Negroes”: Kobi Libii’s first movie seemed like it could have been a sharp satire, but it ended up feeling weak. The story follows a Black artist named Aren who joins a group of magical helpers for white men. He is assigned to help a clueless web designer, but things get complicated when he falls for a colleague. As his frustration grows, the movie fails to fully explore his emotions. The director and writer, Libii, needs to improve the storytelling. Details: 1½ stars; in theaters March 14.
“Apples Never Fall”: Annette Bening stars in this domestic thriller based on a Liane Moriarty novel, but it doesn't go beyond being an over-the-top guilty pleasure. The story revolves around the disappearance of Joy, the matriarch of the Delaney family, and the questionable behavior of her adult children. As a mysterious stranger enters their lives, the plot becomes increasingly unrealistic and leaves the audience feeling deceived. Details: 1½ stars; all seven episodes will be available on Peacock starting March 14.
Find of the week
“The Animal Kingdom”: Thomas Cailley’s visually stunning film explores themes of racism, homophobia, and xenophobia in a French indie style. The story follows a 16-year-old who discovers he is transforming into a human/animal hybrid. The intense and emotional film focuses more on the themes rather than the conflicts between the two sides. It's a visual masterpiece that should be experienced in a theater. Details: 3½ stars, starts showing on March 14 at the Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco, and can also be rented online.
“One Life”: Movies based on amazing true stories sometimes don’t bother with various cinematic techniques to tell what happened, choosing to do it in a simple way. That’s the approach director James Hawes and screenwriters Lucia Coxon and Nick Drake take in adapting the inspiring story of ordinary Londoner Sir Nicholas “Nicky” Winton (Anthony Hopkins) who achieved something selfless and truly amazing by leading efforts before World War II began to transport mainly Jewish children from Prague to England. Using Barbara Winton’s book “If It’s Not Impossible …” as its starting point, “One Life” goes back (to 1938 Prague) and forth (to 1988 England), with Johnny Flynn playing a younger version of Nicky, who was so dedicated to the cause he got his determined mom (Helena Bonham Carter) to help in rescuing hundreds from Hitler’s grip on Europe. Nicky’s modesty about the role he played in all of this is sure to move you to tears, and if that doesn’t, the ending surely will. It certainly left me sobbing, and that’s a credit to Hopkins’ outstanding performance as well as Hawes’ assured, simple direction. Details: 3 stars; in theaters on March 15.
“Problemista”: Julio Torres’ unusual first feature film shines as a sincere character-focused story about a 20-something El Salvadoran immigrant and aspiring toymaker trying to establish himself in New York, but it’s really the funny contrasting dynamics that make this a memorable joy. The “odd” person in question isn’t the efficient, deadpan Alejandro (Torres, absolutely charming in the part) — even though his unique style of walking is very interesting. That honor goes to scattered-beyond-belief art critic Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), a paranoid, delusional hothead who hires Alejandro — who needs a sponsor to gain citizen status — to perform a series of surreal tasks. Torres gives Swinton a frazzled but larger-than-life character and the Oscar-winning actor — one of the best in the business — makes the most of it. Torres is more or less the straight man, as Alejandro endures Elizabeth’s all-over-the-map lunacy. Details: 3 stars; in theaters now.
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].
