Welcome to this month’s Cinema Snapshots! At the beginning of each month, I reflect on what I watched the prior month and provide a quick “snapshot” of my thoughts on those films. So without further ado, here are my Cinema Snapshots for September 2024.
Sing Sing
Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group with other incarcerated men. When a wary outsider joins the group, the men decide to stage their first original comedy, in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors.
Sing Sing is an emotional gut punch of a film, and a perfect companion piece to this year’s Ghostlight. We often focus on art’s meaning to its audience, but it’s incredibly impactful in both films seeing art’s meaning to its (often unsuspecting) artists.
Colman Domingo gives an inspired lead performance, and the supporting cast (largely former incarcerated actors playing themselves) is a revelation. The blocking and camera placement plays with our notions of freedom and captivity, and Bryce Dessner’s score tenderly supports the film’s most uplifting and heartbreaking moments.
The screenplay doesn’t always trust the audience (leading to some occasionally clunky dialogue), but it also has some of the most heartfelt and genuine interactions in recent memory. I highly recommend this film, one of my favorites of the year.
★★★★☆
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1
Follow the story of how the Old West was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning 15 years before, during and following the Civil War from 1859 to 1874, embark on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.
I finally got around to watching Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 on streaming this month. Kevin Costner has always captured the American west beautifully, and that’s no different here, with gorgeous cinematography accompanied by a nostalgic Americana score from John Debney.
But as much as I would have enjoyed seeing these beautiful locations on the big screen, the film really should have been a television show. It juggles far too many plots in its three hour runtime, but as only the first of a planned four-part saga, this feels like merely an introduction to the story and its characters, not a story in and of itself. There’s barely even a semblance of filmic structure or pacing here–maybe Costner was on television with Yellowstone for too long, because this feels much more akin to a prestige miniseries than a film.
★★☆☆☆
Rebel Ridge
A former Marine confronts corruption in a small town when local law enforcement unjustly seizes the bag of cash he needs to post his cousin's bail.
I went into Rebel Ridge blind and found myself utterly entranced from start to finish.
In the age of streaming, it’s a lot harder to get me on the edge of my seat with home viewings vs theatrical. There are so many distractions at home, and the viewing experience isn’t as engaging without the big screen, dimmed lights, and surround sound. But with Rebel Ridge I was constantly on the edge of my seat.
The first half is as perfect an hour of film as I’ve seen all year, and while the back half may start to over-explain and run out of steam, the grounded performances, slick action, and sure-handed camera movements remain constant, telling a compelling story with every line, shot, and scene. This is a top five film of 2024; check it out on Netflix.
★★★★☆
The Perfect Couple
Amelia is about to marry into one of the wealthiest families on Nantucket, until a shocking death derails the wedding — and turns everyone into a suspect.
Netflix’s popular new limited series is a tonally confused and uninteresting investigative drama, investing too much in romantic subplots and “shocking” episode cliffhangers instead of real character development or stakes.
Everything is at war with each other in The Perfect Couple, such as the playful opening titles clashing with the self-serious screenplay, or the up close and personal cinematography being incompatible with the characters’ lack of depth. What could (and perhaps should) have been a fun mystery wryly commenting on the upper class a la Knives Out is instead a meandering, meaningless five hours.
★★☆☆☆
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it's only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice's name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
The film is a little (honestly a lot) over-plotted, but Tim Burton recaptures his iconic style and atmosphere in a way I wasn’t sure he could again.
Michael Keaton effortlessly slips back into the titular role, delivering a standout performance, though the entire cast shines (Catherine O’Hara, as always, is a delight). An unspectacular, but very fun return to this eccentric world.
★★★☆☆
Speak No Evil
When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.
Having watched both this remake and the Danish original in September, I prefer this new American version ever so slightly. James McAvoy’s sinister tone fills even the most mundane of scenes with tension. Mackenzie Davis’ constant exaggerated shock play up the dark, satirical nature of it all, and the edit’s lingering reaction shots add a deeply uncomfortable feeling, holding just a split second longer than “normal” at points.
This film is all about the lengths we’ll go to avoid confrontation, with the characters putting themselves in increasingly more awkward and eventually dangerous situations instead of being direct and risking conflict. Whether you’re an introvert like me that can relate to such pains, or an extrovert that would have nipped this situation in the bud, Speak No Evil is brilliantly conceived and well-crafted, with the structure, performances, and editing all perfectly contributing to its themes.
★★★★☆
Marmalade
From his prison cell, small town simpleton Baron tells a tale to his cellmate Otis about his rebellious girlfriend Marmalade, including a bank heist they committed together. After learning of the stolen cash, Otis agrees to help plan an escape to reunite Baron with his true love. Little does anyone know the master puppeteering at work manipulating them all.
I hate how streaming services let really fun, well-made films like this come and go with little-to-no fanfare. I was randomly scrolling through Letterboxd for 2024 releases I had missed, and saw Marmalade listed, deciding to check it out on a whim.
This entire cast is a delight, with Joe Keery providing a goofy, seemingly naive performance that’s perfectly balanced by Aldis Hodge’s no-nonsense character and Camila Morrone’s spirited portrayal of the titular Marmalade. They have a full grasp of their characters, what makes them funny, and that leads to some laugh-out-loud comedic payoff.
Beyond the cast, the film is structured in a way that truly serves the story and even adds to the humor. Flashbacks and voiceover can be really risky, frequently coming off as cliched or spelling out too much for the audience. Here, the flashbacks make sense as a narrative device, allowing for unreliable narration, interjections from people “listening” to the flashbacks, and setting up characterizations and backstories that we only fully understand by the film’s end.
A smart, funny film that more people should see! Check it out on Hulu and Disney+.
★★★☆☆