As best as I've been able to deduce, it looks like the latest from critical darling Alex Garland won't hit theaters in the U.S. until late May, but the studio released a trailer recently to kinda/sorta hype up the potential for its box office performance. I thought I'd give it a share with a few comments this morning ... so buckle up.
I say that Garland's a 'critical darling' not out of any disdain for his work. I think he's done some great flicks, but I'd also argue that he's coasting a bit on that solid (and earned) reputation while not exactly adding anything new to the genre other than slick visuals. I thought his script for the Zombie Apocalypse that was 28 Days Later ... (2002) was brilliant. (FYI: he had nothing to do with its sequel, 28 Weeks Later.) His screenplay for Dredd (2012) -- an adaptation of the comic book property -- was equally engaging, finally giving that character a well deserved big screen incarnation.
But then it wasn't long before people were tripping over themselves silly to line up to praise him for his Ex Machina (2014) and Annihilation (2018) efforts. While I found both films to be rendering with some fascinating visuals, I was torn by the quality of the scripts. Ex Machina -- performed exquisitely by a gifted cast -- was entirely predictable; and if you say otherwise then you clearly weren't watching the same film. Annihilation? Meh. I just found the thing a bit messy so far as the story unrolled; I wasn't as won over by the cast as were others, and again I found the effort weighed down with a fairly uninspired ending.
Yes, yes, yes. I realize that's just me, folks, but if you learn one thing about me today then let it be this: I don't care that I'm often left on an island. I try to be true to me, and that's all I really have to say about that.
None of this eliminates the fact that Garland's clearly a gifted storyteller. I just haven't been as inspired by his latest works as I were his earlier stuff. Such is life.
In any event, Men looks to be a bit more scare than smarts. There's really no way to tell from the trailer as it's all atmosphere and no story whatsoever. While that may not bode well, it's far too soon to know anything for certain. Here's the premise as provided by IMDB.com:
"A young woman goes on a solo vacation to the English countryside after the death of her ex-husband."
Trailer is below. You know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
I say that Garland's a 'critical darling' not out of any disdain for his work. I think he's done some great flicks, but I'd also argue that he's coasting a bit on that solid (and earned) reputation while not exactly adding anything new to the genre other than slick visuals. I thought his script for the Zombie Apocalypse that was 28 Days Later ... (2002) was brilliant. (FYI: he had nothing to do with its sequel, 28 Weeks Later.) His screenplay for Dredd (2012) -- an adaptation of the comic book property -- was equally engaging, finally giving that character a well deserved big screen incarnation.
But then it wasn't long before people were tripping over themselves silly to line up to praise him for his Ex Machina (2014) and Annihilation (2018) efforts. While I found both films to be rendering with some fascinating visuals, I was torn by the quality of the scripts. Ex Machina -- performed exquisitely by a gifted cast -- was entirely predictable; and if you say otherwise then you clearly weren't watching the same film. Annihilation? Meh. I just found the thing a bit messy so far as the story unrolled; I wasn't as won over by the cast as were others, and again I found the effort weighed down with a fairly uninspired ending.
Yes, yes, yes. I realize that's just me, folks, but if you learn one thing about me today then let it be this: I don't care that I'm often left on an island. I try to be true to me, and that's all I really have to say about that.
None of this eliminates the fact that Garland's clearly a gifted storyteller. I just haven't been as inspired by his latest works as I were his earlier stuff. Such is life.
In any event, Men looks to be a bit more scare than smarts. There's really no way to tell from the trailer as it's all atmosphere and no story whatsoever. While that may not bode well, it's far too soon to know anything for certain. Here's the premise as provided by IMDB.com:
"A young woman goes on a solo vacation to the English countryside after the death of her ex-husband."
Trailer is below. You know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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