Movie Recap (05.19.24)
Beavers, viruses, and reality TV
This was a low-key week at JVC because I’m not particularly interested in anything currently in theaters. The summer should start to pick up steam when Furiosa premieres next week. I did, however, catch up with a couple of obscure new releases. This week’s reviews feature an army of beavers, a woman on the run, and a Japanese reality TV star.
Hundreds of Beavers
PG-13 | Slapstick Comedy | 1h 48m | Fandor
Directed by Mike Cheslik
Starring Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Olivia Graves, and Wes Tank
The Gist of It: This surreal, live-action cartoon follows an applejack maker (Tews) who clashes with a clan of beavers (and other wild critters) while trying to become a successful fur trapper.
What Works: The film channels and simultaneously lampoons the inventiveness of early Buster Keaton slapstick comedies and the absurdist dynamics of the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons. It’s shot in grainy black and white, resembling a silent film, and incorporates clever animated graphics that blend quite well with the actors in fur suits, cardboard sets, and puppets. (You’d have to see it for yourselves.)
What Doesn’t: For better or worse, the narrative relies on an unconventional visual gimmick that can (and does) overstay its welcome. It starts to wear thin and feel repetitive after the 90-minute mark.
My Verdict: Equal parts silly and eccentric, but also highly amusing and, at times, funny, Hundreds of Beavers will delight filmmaking geeks with its deep understanding of the craft’s rudimentary beginnings. Director Cheslik’s ode to the experimental early days of cinema showcases the production crew’s immense effort and attention to detail, making this passion project impossible to resist.
New Life
R | Thriller/Horror | 1h 25m | Rent
Directed by John Rosman
Starring Sonya Walger, Hayley Erin, and Tony Amendola
The Gist of It: The paths of a mysterious woman on the run (Erin) and the fixer on her trail (Walger) cross, with their inevitable confrontation pushing them closer to a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions.
What Works: The short runtime and brisk pacing build enough tension to hold our attention for most of the film. For a production with limited resources, the makeup effects are quite impressive.
What Doesn’t: Leaps in logic and plot holes abound. The momentum grinds to a halt near the climax, and the resolution leaves us cold and wanting more.
My Verdict: At barely 85 minutes, this tightly edited post-pandemic thriller pulls out all the stops to keep us glued to our seats, with moderate success.
The Contestant
R | Documentary | 1h 30m | Hulu
Directed by Clair Titley
With Tomoaki Hamatsu, Jason Her, and Toshio Tsuchiya
The Gist of It: We explore the life of Tomoaki Hamatsu, a Japanese man who, as a participant on Susunu! Denpa Shōnen—a Japanese reality TV show—was challenged to live naked in a small room for more than a year until he won 1 million yen (about $8,000) in magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing.
What Works: Director Titley’s use of original footage from the TV show transports us to an era when we’d get our spectacle fix from the tube instead of our phones. The subject matter is incredibly compelling. It’s a slow burn, for sure, but the payoff is well worth it.
What Doesn’t: No major complaints, although I wish the director had opted out of employing talking heads altogether and had built the narrative entirely out of archival footage to heighten the surrealness of the whole experience.
My Verdict: If you wish to watch a bold documentary that captures a unique story likely to be unfamiliar to you, make it this one. The Contestant may unfold in Japan, but its investigation of our insatiable thirst for banal content and endless quest for fame and attention should resonate across the globe.
It’s worth checking out! It’s on Prime for “free” with a free trial. It’s super inventive but I wish it was much shorter.
I hadn't heard of that Beavers movie, but now I want to watch it. But it does definitely seem like a one-shot gimmick.