"My Best Friend's Exorcism" -- Movie Review

 

This week, I streamed Amazon Studios’ new horror-comedy, “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”, now available on Prime Video.

Synopsis

When a teenager suspects her best friend is possessed, will she be able to save her with an exorcism?

Story

In the late 1980’s, teenagers Abby and Gretchen are best friends.  One of the many things they have in common is that they both think the religious teachings at their strict Catholic high school are ridiculous.  When they join some friends to spend a weekend in a cabin by the lake, things do not quite go as expected.  One night, the two go exploring in a deserted cabin; when they get spooked, Abby makes a run for it, with Gretchen close behind – until she isn’t.  Once their friends find Abby in the woods, they all go searching for Gretchen – but when they find her, Abby is immediately suspicious. 

Once they return to school, that’s when things get really weird.  Not only is Gretchen behaving strangely, but also, other odd things start occurring around them as well.  Is Gretchen trying to steal the boyfriend from one of the other girls?  After Margaret samples a special “diet” drink, she gets sick and is no longer able to eat.  Then, when Glee can’t find her EpiPen after coming into contact with some nuts, she also falls ill and comes close to dying.  By now, Abby becomes convinced that Gretchen is behind all of this; once she shares this with her other friends, they ostracize her. 

Abby decides to consult with someone connected to her school; he convinces her that all of the signs point to Gretchen being possessed by Satan.  The only thing that can resolve the problem is an exorcism.  Unfortunately, this is easier said than done -- Abby cannot go to a priest because she has become something of an outcast at her school.  Since the person recommending the exorcism has in fact witnessed one before, he suggests that he perform the ceremony.  However, once the exorcism begins, things take an unexpected turn and he is unable to complete the process.  Can Abby alone save her friend?

Review

Not to be diplomatic, but perhaps the best way to summarize a review of “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” is to fall back on an old quote (often attributed, perhaps spuriously, to Abraham Lincoln):  “People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.”  The movie is based on the Quirk Books novel by Grady Hendrix, so it’s clearly geared towards the young adult audience; that said, for folks old enough to remember the film “The Exorcist”, you will be glad to know that there is the obligatory pea-soup-vomit scene included in “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” (not to mention a hat-tip to “Alien” when a serpent-like creature emerges from one of the characters). 

While the horror aspect of this movie is immediately apparent, its comedic elements are less so; essentially, it’s supposed to be funny because the characters are so incredibly goofy – that is to say, they aren’t quite smart enough to know how silly they are.  As a result, we, the audience, can feel comfortable looking down upon them and laugh at them in a condescending fashion.  None of them are trying to be humorous because that would imply some degree of cleverness on their part; they can be thankful that not a single one of them is encumbered by such sagacity.  If one of them surprisingly does something remotely intelligent, just chalk it up to “the devil made me do it” (another quote, this one by the late comedian Flip Wilson, who himself was indeed quite clever). 

If you’re going to recommend this to either a teen or “tween”, have them watch (or better yet, read) “The Exorcist” first; otherwise, they might think that “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” inspired “The Exorcist” rather than the reverse.  Having said that, it might be better to not recommend this motion picture to them in the first place; from a cultural nutrition standpoint, it’s empty calories.  This film occasionally seems to be deriding organized religion (Catholicism in particular) until that same religion apparently comes to the rescue to save the day after all.  Don’t be misled – these characters are devout only to their own narcissism.   

"Bodies Bodies Bodies" -- Movie Review

 

This week at the A24 Screening Room, I streamed their latest comedy-thriller, “Bodies Bodies Bodies”, directed by Halina Reijn and co-written by Sarah DeLappe & Kristen Roupenian. 

Synopsis

When a group of young adults hold a hurricane party at a secluded mansion, they decide to play a game to pass the time – but when the game goes awry and people turn up dead, will they ever find out who is the murderer?

Story

It’s late summer somewhere on the eastern end of New York state’s Long Island; a hurricane is forecast for the coming days and that spurs David (Pete Davidson) to throw a hurricane party with some of his friends.  David’s wealthy parents own an expansive mansion in the area, so it makes total sense to use that location as the party spot – especially since his family isn’t currently home.  Over time, guests start to straggle in – the late-comers being Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and her mysterious Russian partner Bee (Maria Bakalova) who are too late to join the others in the in-ground pool because that’s exactly when the rain starts. 

Unfortunately for Sophie and Bee, not all of the guests are glad to see them; while they are welcomed by some, others give them a rather cold greeting.  Despite the tepid reception, the couple try to make the best of the situation – especially since Sophie wants to show off her new girlfriend and Bee, still somewhat of an outsider, is eager to make new friends.  After dinner, the group decide to spend the evening playing a party game called “Bodies Bodies Bodies”; the idea of the game is that one of them is discovered “dead” (actually, tapped on the back by another guest) and the others have to figure out which one of them is the “murderer”. 

The game goes off the rails at one point when petty arguments break out between some of the party goers, completely ruining the fun mood.  When a couple of them decide they no longer wish to play, the rest of the group try to continue the game as the storm outside intensifies; it is precisely at this moment when the power goes out and their cell phones lose their signals.  Attempting to continue the game in total darkness (guided only by the dim light from their phones), what little fun that remains comes to an abrupt end when David turns up dead – apparently murdered.  But which one of the guests would do such a thing?   

Review

“Bodies Bodies Bodies” is characterized partly as a comedy; there really isn’t much here that’s laugh out loud funny, however – there are certainly amusing moments, but that’s about all you can expect.  Much of the humor derives from the sense of fun the filmmakers are attempting to provide by not taking the whole mystery genre terribly seriously.  There is a good cast assembled here, particularly Pete Davidson and Rachel Sennott; interestingly, their best and funniest performances did not make the final cut of the film.  At this streamed screening, an outtakes reel was played after the movie and that’s where you find some of their funnier moments. 

The screenplay is cleverly written and deftly carried out in its direction; it soon becomes clear that everyone is having fun with this theme and they are openly inviting the audience to join them in their enjoyment.  Are there any loose ends that don’t get tied up by the end of the film?  Yup, there certainly are; but if you’re concerned about that, then you’re probably focusing on the wrong things here – the filmmakers aren’t taking this entire endeavor overly seriously and neither should you.  It seems clear that the objective here is not necessarily to make the best in the category, but rather to use it to make some good-natured fun. 

While “Bodies Bodies Bodies” may be geared towards anyone who appreciates this horror-mystery-thriller type, it seems apparent that given the age of the cast, they are especially targeting the younger demographic – as a result, it may be understandable that anyone older than that age range might not find this film quite as entertaining as a younger (teens and 20’s) audience would.  Quite frankly, if you’re in the mood for a good satire – regardless of the form they are sending up – then this one is highly recommended.  Currently, the movie is in limited release in theaters; if you can’t find one near you that is showing this motion picture, then you can stream it on Vudu.    

"Moonage Daydream" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of the new documentary, “Moonage Daydream”. 

Synopsis

A documentary celebrating the career of rock legend David Bowie.

Story

David Bowie’s fans are certainly ardent – although they have primarily followed him through his music career, they are loyal to his other creative endeavors such as acting and painting.  Bowie’s transition to acting seemed rather natural, not just because of his wide-ranging creativity, but because in his live concerts, he was something of a performance artist, portraying such characters as Ziggy Stardust.  What’s revealed in some of his interviews is that he had a very specific reason for doing this:  he wanted to hide behind those characters because he was afraid of revealing his true self to the public.    

Although Bowie enjoyed painting, he never felt a need to have a showing of his work.  On a couple of occasions, galleries reached out to him to offer to display his art in their space; both times, he initially agreed, but ultimately backed out at the last minute.  Bowie’s androgyny was somewhat controversial at the time, but he didn’t care; he took some pleasure out of shocking or surprising people.  He was also quite open about his sexuality, admitting to being bisexual; however, he didn’t seem particularly interested in having serious relationships because they were distracting.  Later in life, he apparently changed his mind because he married the model Iman. 

Bowie’s acting initiatives included both stage and screen; perhaps his most notable role in live theater was on Broadway, where he performed the title role of The Elephant Man.  Most of his acting work, however, was on film.  Also, he often appeared in music videos of his songs, especially in later years when that became a popular way for musicians to market their latest work.  On television, arguably his most notable appearance came on a holiday special hosted by crooner Bing Crosby, where they sang Christmas carols.  Less notable was a soft drink commercial where he danced with Tina Turner.   

Review

This past May, “Moonage Daydream” played at the Cannes Film Festival where it was extremely well received.  If you are a hardcore fan of the late David Bowie, then “Moonage Daydream” will likely be a must-see.  If you are too young to remember Bowie, then you’ll likely take a pass on this one.  But what if you are a casual fan of his?  It is understandable that you would be interested in seeing it, but be advised that it can be a little bit hard to take for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that at two and a quarter hours, it rambles on far too long.  Only the Bowie-obsessed would be willing to sit still for this length. 

This loose and barely-structured (that may be unnecessarily generous) documentary is interspersed with footage of both live concert performances and television interviews.  This is perfectly fine; however, where things tend to go awry is when the filmmaker also includes unnecessary and unwelcomed cutaways to short clips from other unrelated films which not only comes across as a series of non-sequiturs but at times, even an assault to the senses.  Another problem with this attempt at a documentary is that the “story” of David Bowie does not appear to be told in chronological order; this is too bad, especially considering the interesting information he discloses about his family life and in particular, his older half-brother.      

Following the screening, there was an interview with the director, Brett Morgen.  Morgen met Bowie in 2007 and proposed a non-fiction project but by that time, the musician was in semi-retirement, so the project was never done.  A year after Bowie died in 2016, Morgen had a serious heart attack and went into a coma; when he recovered, he became determined to produce a documentary about Bowie.  He contacted the estate and was allowed to view their collection of media.  Over a period of two years, Morgan spent 14 hour days screening footage six days a week.  By the time he had a rough cut, the pandemic hit and that slowed things down considerably.