Category: Capsule

Bravura use of fake blood — like masterpiece-level artistry. Actually, everything about the movie looks amazing.

I haven’t seen too many exploitation revenge films, but this one is definitely on the less-misogynistic side (which is a low bar). It doesn’t dwell on her assault or humiliation, at least.

The gore is gruesome, a proper visceral transposition of the violence and violation against Jen — with lots iconography that can be read both literally and symbolically. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the movie should have subverted its male gaze even more than it did.

Breezy, watchable, charming… I’m surprised more people haven’t seen this one. I found it to be a well made movie: sturdy script (if low on laughs with some undernourished characters), excellently cast, masterful early 60s summer soundtrack, and — most memorably — gorgeous pastel palette in every frame.

Lynch does more with a Lumiere cam and 1 minute than most filmmakers do with cutting edge CGI and 2.5 hours.

The set designs on this MF are absolutely bananas. Truly Dr. Seuss come to life.

A remarkably attractive cast plays a group of nice people in an intensely-early-90s Seattle. It has the signature Cameron Crowe warmth and generosity of spirit towards its characters, and also his weird pacing/narrative tics that I can never quite articulate but always bug me a little. Overall, it holds up quite well as a loosey-goosey ensemble romcom, and also as a period piece of a simpler time when you had to worry if your answering machine would eat its tape or playback your message.

A marvel: creepy and endlessly inventive, with great worldbuilding and coming of age themes. A couple portions drag.