"FALSE POSITIVE" // TRIBECA 2021

BY MATEO MORENO

FALSE POSITIVE, the new suspense/horror film co-written by star Illana Glazer, is a strange film and it wants you to know that right away, from the opening shot of Glazer covered in blood on a New York City street. It's an unsettling experience with a lot to say and even if it all doesn't land, it makes enough bold choices to firmly plant its foot into your psyche. Lucy (Glazer) is a marketing executive that is quickly and assuredly climbing up the corporate ladder. She is also a woman who is trying to have a baby with her husband Adrian (Justin Theroux). Lucy's work life seems to be going great, as she is indeed seemingly climbing that ladder well. But her work life is off, and her seemingly supportive and friendly boss Greg (Josh Hamilton) also tends to talk down to her without ever truly going too deep. He also expects her to be the one to always order lunch for them, as if the female in the room should indeed be a secretary as well. At home, her husband wants them to see his mentor, obstetrician Dr. Hindle (Pierce Brosnan). They seem to talk above Lucy, even when she's in the room. Her worries are unfounded, of course they are! The men in the room know what's best, both at home and at work. Even Dr. Hindle's staff, which includes a very odd and super chipper Gretchen Mol, seem to know more of what's best for Lucy than she does. There's a strong feeling that no one is telling the truth around her.

At work, her big account that she was all but assured she was getting is taken away and given to another colleague - a male one of course. But at home, Lucy is able to get pregnant and is thrilled. But as she begins to go through the steps of her pregnancy, things seem... off. Everyone tells her that there's nothing to worry about, and she's constantly told that it's just "mommy brain," instantly diminishing any real concerns she might have. There's a lot of gaslighting going on around her, but she's sure that something is wrong and people are lying about her pregnancy, about what's happening to her. As she sinks deeper and deeper into doubt, her world seems less and less familiar, with no one to turn to but herself, if she can even trust herself.

What works best with False Positive is the utterly strange and unique world that writers John Lee and Glazer have created. It's all a bit... off, and you know something is wrong but can't quite put your finger on it. Shades of Rosemary's Baby follow the trail of deception here and the results are quite creepy and troubling. The final act may not pay off for everyone (as I can feel it will be divisive), but the journey along is worth it. Ilana Glazer is very good in the role of Lucy, wonderfully hitting the right notes of descending into what feels like madness. Pierce Bronsnan is a delightfully creepy sexist doctor who never seems to actually be as good as he claims. His office is almost like a strange dream of what an office should be. There's a lot happening here, and I won't spoil it but safe to say that you will feel quite unsettled after watching, and that's exactly their point.

GRADE: B+

WRITTEN BY John Lee, Ilana Glazer DIRECTED BY John Lee STARRING Ilana Glazer, Justin Theroux, Gretchen Mol, Sophia Bush, Zainab Jah, and Pierce Brosnan SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2021 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL AND NOW STREAMING ON HULU. FOR MORE INFO: FALSE POSITIVE and STREAM IT HERE ON HULU

"VIOLET" // SXSW 2021

BY MATEO MORENO

Justine Bateman's directorial debut VIOLET (delayed a year due to the pandemic) is a stunning one, one that is wholly original and uncomfortably relatable. We all have it: that inner voice that just won't shut the fuck up. It screams when we need it to whisper. It tells us we're worthless when we're feeling down. And somehow, we have to turn that negative voice around to a positive one, or at least figure out a way to mute it. Some people have a much louder voice than others, but admitting that the voice is real is truly part of the human condition. Olivia Munn shines as the title character, a powerful Hollywood executive who has fought her way to the top of the perch, where she currently sits. On the inside, her inner voice (voiced here by Justin Theroux) is trying to tear her apart. Telling her how much she sucks, how little people think of her. She's plagued by the voice and constantly fighting to keep it from getting too loud and taking over all of her thoughts. 

On the screen, we often see her true thoughts, or her inner self's hopes of who she wants to become. The negative voice in her head tells her who it thinks she really is, which is next to nothing. It's constantly making her second guess her worth in every situation, struggling to keep a foothold in her own days. Even though we see what she truly wants, time after time, the negative voice in her head wins out. She does have some truly great people around her, including Red (Luke Bracey), a long-time friend who she's never let herself view romantically. Both of them spark an instant chemistry and the desire to see them together is immediate. Her reluctance echo's in our own lives, the fear of baring your soul with another, and we immediately understand her. Dennis Boutsikaris seems like a might be playing a stereotype, but as anyone with access to the internet in this post-Weinstein world knows, his terribleness truly is no stereotype. He chews the scenery and you instantly hate him just as much as Violet does, even though she can't say so.

As a high concept film goes, Bateman's world is a wonderfully original one, and one that doesn't ever wear out its welcome. Her direction is self-assured and precise and the script is relatable and often very, very funny (at least when it's not making your cringe for all the reasons it intended you to). Munn's performance throughout is glorious and Theroux's voice over nails the harshness perfectly. There are several small cameos throughout that delight (Hi Jim O'Heir!), but the film truly belongs to Munn and Bateman. Together they've created a beautiful original wallop of a film. One that lingers long after the credits, which, I may point out, feature all of the crew who made it happen on camera! That's a boss movie if I've ever seen one Bateman.

GRADE: A

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Justine Bateman STARRING Olivia Munn, Justin Theroux, Luke Bracey, Dennis Boutsikaris, Todd Stashwick, Bonnie Bedelia, Laura San Giacomo, Colleen Camp, Jim O'Heir, Erica Ash SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2021 SXSW FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: VIOLET

SHAKEN AND STIRRED // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME"

BY MATEO MORENO

McKinnon. Kate McKinnon. Though she is technically the supporting character, THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME is unequivocally her film. The insanely talented comedian from SNL has one by one begun building a resume outside of the famous sketch show that catapulted her into stardom and show that she is a force to be reckoned with. The film starts off with a birthday party in Los Angeles mixed with an action sequence shootout in Lithuania. You know, as most films do. Audrey (Mila Kunis) has been dumped and her friends have come together to celebrate her birthday. Her best friend Morgan (Kate McKinnon) is loud and loyal, the kind of friend that movies usually try to tell you are too ridiculous, but we all know we have one of them in our life, and they're amazing. They bond is solid, they'd do anything for each other, and Morgan is determined to make Audrey forget about the jerk who dumped her (Justin Theroux, better known as Drew or to be a bit more clear, the Spy in the title). 

Eventually, Drew shows back up in LA and Audrey and Morgan get mixed up in all of the shenanigans. He entrusts Audrey with a secret, one that she must get to Vienna, and so they go. And I say both of them because there is no way either of them would leave the other alone in this mess. And that's what's refreshingly different about this buddy comedy. There is no oil and vinegar match. They don't hate each other a second in this film. They are best friends and the most reliable person each of them can count on. Not only does that seem obvious, but it's radically rare in a film. And although there is romance sprinkled throughout the film, it's literally and afterthought, as the main show is these two ladies and the fact that they are somewhat bumbling, but they're also pretty good at this.

 Director Susanna Fogel (who co-write the script with David Iserson) directs the film with a snappiness and sharpness that keeps the film zipping along. The action is sometimes brutal (after all, we are in a spy film) and the punchlines are usually wonderfully sharp (one highlight is a fantastic car chase in an Uber that really cements any notion that these two are simply made for each other). There's also some great supporting turns from Hasan Minhaj, Jane Curtain, Paul Reiser, Gillian Anderson, Ivanna Sakhno, and Sam Haeughan (who trades his Outlander Scottish wear for some more form fitting clothes). Yes the film is just a tad too long in the final act, but that hardly matters with Kate McKinnon literally tearing up the screen in every possible frame. Mila Kunis essentially plays it straight, but her great chemistry with McKinnon helps sell the relationship solidly. It's not rewriting the playbook of buddy action films, but it's doing it better than usual. And that's something to celebrate.

MATEO'S GRADE: B

SCREENPLAY BY Susanna Fogel and David Iserson DIRECTED BY Susanna Fogel STARRING Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux, Hasan Minhaj, Jane Curtain, Paul Reiser, Gillian Anderson, Ivanna Sakhno, and Sam Haeughan. Now playing in cinemas everywhere.