Tag: Keir Gilchrist

It Follows

Another movie that attached it itself to the Hype Train Caboose, It Follows was able to to launch itself from limited release to a full scale wide release in a matter of weeks. Weeks! With a wide release, unfortunately, came a lack of VOD release which was also supposed to happen.

Which is why I took so long to see it! Family life, very busy.

I made sure when I finally got to see it though that I maximized the potential scariness factor. I watched in on the scariest of days at the scariest of times. You know, Wednesday afternoon.

Water
Although watching a horror movie in the middle of a pool might have Wednesday beat.

Girl Jay (Maika Monroe) meets boy Hugh (Jake Weary). Girl dates boy a few times. Boy is a bit weird. Boy lied about his name and home. Boy and girl have sweet sensual car sex. Boy chloroforms girl and ties her up.

Things are not going good for Jay! So when she finally wakes up, Hugh is acting even weirder than normal. Apparently having sex with her has passed “It” on to her. What is It? Well, he doesn’t really know. But apparently It is an entity that will walk towards her always and eventually try to kill her. Yep. And if she dies, it will then go back after Hugh. He got it from a random one night stand. See. Jay just needs to pass it on to someone else, tell them the same thing, and hope it travels far enough from her to never bother her again.

If she believes him. Until then, it is just a terrible rape from a crazy man who lied to her.

Until you know, she actually sees this thing coming toward her at several different times, and no one else can. She enlists her friends help, but they can only do so good, not being able to see it and all. She has her sister (Lili Sepe), a boy who crushes on her (Keir Gilchrist), a neighborhood boy with a car (Daniel Zovatto), and another friend (Olivia Luccardi).

It
Do you see It? DO YOU SEE?

Alright, imagine if you will a regular-ish person walking towards you, potentially naked, maybe slightly hurt. Just walking. That isn’t too bad. It is like a single zombie that only you can see. Mike Myers was scary because he was a fast walker, had a weapon and a mask.

Well, I was surprised at how frighting it could be. It Follows implores basically zero cheap jump scares. Everything is open and obvious. Sure, a lot of fear comes from the fact that the entity is now suddenly in the general area, but it is never “suddenly there in front of the camera omg scary!”. But this movie isn’t just about fears, or just an interesting STI allegory. It is about the fear of death. It is a bit about the fear of the future in general.

But also this movie is about EXCELLENT camera work and a killer (heh) soundtrack. Most scenes are nicely set up to feel both how big and small the world around you can feel. If you like synthesizers, you will feel at home in this movie.

Again, let me reiterate. I was terrified at many different times throughout the film, fearing for the protagonist and wondering how she could get out of the mess. You know, without sleeping around and passing on the curse to other people. That would be rude, to trick people into sex knowing you would put something like that on them.

Fuck. It Follows was so good, it blew away everything horror wise in 2014. I didn’t give a single scary movie last year a 4 out of 4. Half the year done and I already have one! Maybe Sinister 2 can recreate its predecessor. Highly unlikely, but you never know!

4 out of 4.

It’s Kind Of A Funny Story

It’s Kind Of A Funny Story is, surprisingly enough, a comedy. It also stars some guy I have never heard of before. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to fit in the trend of “Comedy movies about serious topics that might be more sad than funny”, like Funny People (which I hadn’t watched) and 50/50 (which is great). I will get to Funny People eventually, but what I have heard isn’t positive. So I really hoped this one wouldn’t be shit.

Well I mean, because I hope every movie I watch is good. I guess that was obvious.

Zach G
Oh yeah. And Zach Galifianakis.

The story begins with Keir Gilchrist killing himself. Nah, not really. But thinking about it. He is also thinking about how disappointed his family would be in him if he did it. His family (parents of Lauren Graham and Jim Gaffigan) are disappointed in him a lot, and want him to strive to be smart and get into the best schools / summer schools, to be successful.

He goes to the hospital instead (attaboy!) and tries to get help for having the thoughts, thinking he’d get a pill or something, but actually voluntarily checks himself into the mental ward of a hospital for a week. (“Oh! I get the title now…” – reader) He at first meets Zach G, who claims he is just there on vacation. He also meets Jeremy Davies, who I think is a crazy too, just a head crazy of some sort. Then again, he might just be a chill doctor. I am not sure. But what really catches his eye is another young person who is crazy hot (see what I did there?) in Emma Roberts.

Its also good to note that his two best friends are Zoe Kravitz and Thomas Mann, the former a girl who he has crushed on forever, but is dating the latter, a boy who in all accounts is always more successful than him without much effort.

The story tells of his week, trying to overcome his depression, and figure out what he actually wants in life. There are other nice stories, such as living with a roommate who is afraid to leave his bed, Zach G trying to interview to move from the ward to a group home, and other subtly uplifting things. Also the deal with his love life and what he will do after his week in the ward, of course.

roberts
Or during. Hah!

So, somehow this story, which was just enough parts funny and just enough parts aww and thoughtful, I loved. This is my favorite kind of moment, watching a movie I have known for a long time, and finding out it is awesome. Everyone does such a good job and the movie also doesn’t take depression in a zany tone.

Other patients are seen as both crazy and sane at the same time, helping the main guy on his path. It also doesn’t just wash over his issues and say “Okay he is cured! Only took him a week to cure depression guys, its not serious!” I don’t know how a person with depression would feel about this movie, but hopefully not offended.

The only other movie I could compare it too would be The Beaver, just because also about depression and kind of a dark comedy.

But you should check this one out first.

4 out of 4.