You know those movies critics label as shorts dragged out to feature length? Yeah they’re usually talking about 90 minute ones.
I have absolutely no clue what writer/director Brian Pestos is trying to say. Something about schizophrenia paired with mentorship? Existential beliefs that only the universe can show you? What’s up with Andy Garcia’s character loving to bet on high school basketball?
With most surreal, pretentious projects such as this, I feel like I can at least parcel out the message however hollow it is. This is the first time in a hot minute where I’ve just been so confused as to why anything needed to happen at all. Obviously not a positive.
It’s strange cause of how in tune (if you could even use that term for something like this) Emory Cohen seems to be as an actor with this guy’s “vision”, which I don’t even know how you can properly direct someone to perform such a concept of a character. I guess he told him some shit like, “You’re progressively losing your shit for most of the movie and you love Beethoven, cause those are the cheapest needle drops we can find along with some elevator jazz”, which I’m sure can allow you to coast along fine for a bit. There were definitely moments for me at least where I could almost call it compelling.
But by the end, Samuel is still just a concept, with no further digging into his mental illness beyond his over-the-top reactions. His relationship with Floyd still feels like somewhat of a mystery, with only the lame screenplay basically shrugging and saying “Sometimes the cosmos just connects people man.”
In fact, the entire movie, from production to cast to script to idea in the first place, remains completely unknowable in its intentions the whole 2 hours and 12 minutes. Scenes feel extended and uncut from the editing room, and it’s genuinely hard sometimes to know if a joke was just said or if a profound statement was being made.
Oh and Oscar Isaac shows up in a scene too, with the most basic type of flamboyant acting around. Him and Kristen Wiig are executive producers, and he’s acted in his shorts before, so there was clearly some faith in this project that I really can’t comprehend.
The problem is it’s all way too boring for me to even look up interviews to try and understand ANY meaning. I’d call it psychotically self-indulgent, but the psychosis part feels like it’s giving too much credit to something this uncreative and unentertaining. Wow Cohen’s been hearing voices from a Santa doll isn’t that weeeeeiiiiird?
I will say some other reviews labeled this as a “cosmic comedy” (or shit maybe that’s just me who fuckin cares), and I’m curious if there are good movies that anyone would define as that too? I’m always tryna find good versions of terrible shit I watch.
You know those movies critics label as shorts dragged out to feature length? Yeah they’re usually talking about 90 minute ones.
I have absolutely no clue what writer/director Brian Pestos is trying to say. Something about schizophrenia paired with mentorship? Existential beliefs that only the universe can show you? What’s up with Andy Garcia’s character loving to bet on high school basketball?
With most surreal, pretentious projects such as this, I feel like I can at least parcel out the message however hollow it is. This is the first time in a hot minute where I’ve just been so confused as to why anything needed to happen at all. Obviously not a positive.
It’s strange cause of how in tune (if you could even use that term for something like this) Emory Cohen seems to be as an actor with this guy’s “vision”, which I don’t even know how you can properly direct someone to perform such a concept of a character. I guess he told him some shit like, “You’re progressively losing your shit for most of the movie and you love Beethoven, cause those are the cheapest needle drops we can find along with some elevator jazz”, which I’m sure can allow you to coast along fine for a bit. There were definitely moments for me at least where I could almost call it compelling.
But by the end, Samuel is still just a concept, with no further digging into his mental illness beyond his over-the-top reactions. His relationship with Floyd still feels like somewhat of a mystery, with only the lame screenplay basically shrugging and saying “Sometimes the cosmos just connects people man.”
In fact, the entire movie, from production to cast to script to idea in the first place, remains completely unknowable in its intentions the whole 2 hours and 12 minutes. Scenes feel extended and uncut from the editing room, and it’s genuinely hard sometimes to know if a joke was just said or if a profound statement was being made.
Oh and Oscar Isaac shows up in a scene too, with the most basic type of flamboyant acting around. Him and Kristen Wiig are executive producers, and he’s acted in his shorts before, so there was clearly some faith in this project that I really can’t comprehend.
The problem is it’s all way too boring for me to even look up interviews to try and understand ANY meaning. I’d call it psychotically self-indulgent, but the psychosis part feels like it’s giving too much credit to something this uncreative and unentertaining. Wow Cohen’s been hearing voices from a Santa doll isn’t that weeeeeiiiiird?
I will say some other reviews labeled this as a “cosmic comedy” (or shit maybe that’s just me who fuckin cares), and I’m curious if there are good movies that anyone would define as that too? I’m always tryna find good versions of terrible shit I watch.
