BEFORE: Just 14 movies left - so it's time to make some hard choices and lock in the final plan for the year. At one point my chain was short, and then I sought out some back-up plans, so now of course, it's too long. Time to trim it down. "The Tale" is a film I put into the November chain, another middle film I sandwiched between two films with the same actress - but I felt while it wasn't a romance film, but kind of relationship-oriented, maybe it belongs in February where it could serve as a valuable link. So it's out. The new "Smurfs" film is another one I put between two John Goodman films, serving as a link to the Christmas chain - but I see it connects a few other Christmas films that I'm not going to get to this year, so why not save it for next year when it serves a purpose? So that one's out, too.
I stuck an extra Christmas film at the end of the year, so that put me one more over, but delaying those two above made up for that, and now I can put in ONE more Riz Ahmed film, which will bring his total for the year up to three, and he can make the year-end countdown. The issue then becomes, which Riz Ahmed film to add? I worked at a screening of "The Relay", and I've been waiting for that to stream on a platform where I wouldn't have to pay extra for it, that hasn't happened yet, so that one's on hold, too. Next we have "The Phoenician Scheme", which is the new Wes Anderson film, and I really really love Wes Anderson films, but it comes down to a choice between THAT film and "Encounter", a movie I already had in the schedule once this year and I dropped it, probably because I had too many movies scheduled for that month - or I got busy, who can remember? If I delete a movie, I usually try to circle back to it as soon as I can - so that gives "Encounter" the edge tonight, also it seems a LOT harder to link to than "The Phoenician Scheme", which has a HUGE cast of very notable actors.
So it pains me greatly, but I'm putting off the new Wes Anderson film until next year so I can make the best use of this year's slots and not have to cut any Christmas movies at the end or anything else from the middle of a three-film chain. I promise to get back to "The Phoenician Scheme" as soon as I can, ideally in January. I can't start the year with it, but I can make it a target between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1. So Riz Ahmed carries over from "Sound of Metal" and it's a three-day Riz Ahmed weekend. 13 slots left and 13 movies to fill them.
THE PLOT: Two brothers embark on a journey with their father, who is trying to protect them from an alien threat.
AFTER: This is another very simple story - umm, if you want it to be, I guess. It's about a father who's a former Marine who kidnaps his two sons away from their mother. There's another man, possibly a stepfather seen at his wife's home, so there's definitely more to this story, but what exactly is going on is up in the air, maybe it's a bit for you to determine.
The story that Malik tells his sons is that there's been an alien invasion, and parasitic organisms have taken over many humans, possibly up to half of the population. Those aliens are controlling the humans as if nothing is wrong, so life is appearing to go on as normal, however Malik claims to know differently, that he's been away from his sons working on a secret project to fight back against the aliens, and so far the best way for the uninfected to protect themselves is by using bug spray. Umm, sure, makes sense so far I guess.
The kids seem to buy it, because their father seems pretty intense about it, plus he tells them that their mother has been infected and they'll have to circle back later to save her, but the best thing for them right now is to get away from civilization and go on a road trip. Now, of course, other answers are possible here, Malik might be telling them a story just to spend more time with his sons, or to kidnap them away from their mother and try to disappear with them. Another possible answer is that Malik is crazy, and actually believes there's an alien invasion going on, but only he can detect it.
It's pretty clever writing to depict this in a way where all of the answers are possible, up to almost the end of the film. There is a definite answer and a resolution, I think, and it confirms that really only one of the theories about what's happening is possible - certainly not all of them. We get a few more clues when Malik calls to check in with his parole officer, Hattie, and a few more when his ex-wife is found by the authorities, tied up in the garage. Hattie visits a Marine friend of Malik's who describes the terrible conditions where they were stationed, and seeing Malik "eaten alive" by bugs. Well, sure, that could explain a few things.
Still, once the authorities launch a state-wide manhunt and issue a reward for Malik's sons, this unforunately turns into just another chase movie, which is too bad. I'd like to think there was a way to make it about something more, but perhaps not. Like with "Ambulance" and "Queen & Slim" earlier this year, you just kind of know that the police are eventually going to come out on top. Look, for the end of the year wrap-up I just needed to know whether this qualified as a crime film or a sci-fi film, and at least I know now.
Directed by Michael Pearce
Also starring Octavia Spencer (last seen in "Coach Carter"), Lucian-River Chauhan, Aditya Geddada, Rory Cochrane (last seen in "A Scanner Darkly"), Shane McRae (last seen in "Still Alice"), Janina Gavankar (last seen in "Think Like a Man Too"), Misha Collins (last seen in "Over Her Dead Body"), Stefan Sims, Brennan Keel Cook (last seen in "The Pale Blue Eye"), Bill Dawes (last seen in "Adam"), Keith Szarabajka (last seen in "We Were Soldiers"), Antonio Jaramillo (last seen in "Memory"), Joanna Strapp (last seen in "Velvet Buzzsaw"), Kennedy Chrisette, Robert Morgan (last seen in "The Boys in the Boat"), Sherry McFarland,
RATING: 5 out of 10 imaginary meteors
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