Movie of the week – Michael Inside
It’s a very strong week for new releases so cancel your plans and dial up the babysitter. The highlight is homegrown, Dublin prison drama Michael Inside. Writer/director Frank Berry’s film follows a young man who finds himself sentenced to three months hard time for holding onto drugs for a friend. Tense, scary and claustrophobic, it’s one of the more grounded portrayals of prison life and will have you determined to stick to the straight and narrow.
Thoroughbreds
Two of the best young actresses working today, Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy subtly chew up the screen in Thoroughbreds, in which they play a pair of rich kids who team up to murder one of their stepfathers. First time director Cory Finley shows great promise, delivering one of the most confidently directed films of 2018 and making the most of his talented leads.
Wonderstruck
Filmmaker Todd Haynes is known for his nostalgic, cinematic portrayals of 20th century America, and this reaches its pinnacle in Wonderstruck. Following two children who appear to share a connection despite being separated by half a century, it’s a stunning recreation of New York as it existed in 1927 and 1977. The storytelling is at times clunky and contrived, but it’s one of the visual treats of the year.
Love, Simon
The teen comedy genre gets a queer spin in Love, Simon. Nick Robinson is impressive as a closeted high schooler who becomes obsessed with identifying the author of an anonymous blog who shares his dilemma. Remove its gay theme and it’s a generic example of the genre, but that’s not a bad thing, as this is a genre that Hollywood arguably now does better than any other.
The Hurricane Heist
If you prefer to simply turn your brain off for 100 minutes, The Hurricane Heist is a passable throwback to the big dumb action movies of the ’90s. It features a hurricane. It features a heist. The heist happens in the hurricane. You get what you pay for.
By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com
