Loopy Lou

Omni Loop (2024) looked like a nice, low-key indie SF movie, swo we put it on. I guess we were right.

It stars Mary-Louise Parker, although we first see her as a child, all alone, picking up a bottle of pills while an seen voice tells her she, Zoya Lowe, is destined for greatness. Then, she wakes up in a hospital bed. The doctor is telling her adult daughter that she has a black hole in her chest and has maybe a week to live.  There is no treatment. 

So she goes home while her husband, daughter and son-in-law try to act normal. She goes to see her mother, who silently watches TV in a nursing home. Later, she sits on a bench outside and another elderly lady joins her. Parker tells her that they have had this conversation many times.

You see, she is in a timeloop situation. She wakes up in the hospital, goes home, visits her mother, and eventually she gets a nosebleed and takes one of the pills. Then she wakes up the hospital again. The woman doesn't believe her, but so what? She'll be redoing this day soon, and she can try something else.

Parker is a physicist, who has written an introductory text with her husband. She is publishing another, but the publishers know about her diagnosis. One night, her family throws her a little 55th birthday party, a few days early (for obvious reasons), then her nose starts bleeding. She takes a pill, and it's back on the loop.

But this time, at the nursing home, she runs into Eyo Edebiri, causing her to drop her books, including Parker's physics book. Parker is surprised - this has never happened in any previous loop. It turns out Edebiri has been raiding the home's library since no one else uses it. She has a rough life, and is working as a lab assistant at the community college. So Parker tells her about her situation, so they can work together. 

Next time around the loop, Parker runs off from the hospital instead of going home, and goes to find Edebiri. Edebiri suggests getting help from the Nanoscopic Man, a man who was testing a shrink ray, but had no way to stop shrinking. He is being kept by an old professor of Parker's, who tells her how lazy, entitled, uninspired, etc she has always been. Parker takes it, but they get the tiny man.

Edebiri and Parker now embark on a frantic attempt to figure out the magic pills and maybe Parker's black hole problem. It ends with Parker listening to the voice mails her frantic family have been leaving, desperate for her to come home. She holds off taking her pill for as long as she can, until the black hole starts to devour her. Then she takes it and wakes up in the hospital again.

This movie is about a lot of things, it seems. One is the question of what you would do if you only had a few days to live. Parker spends it with her family, doing things that she loves, but is that the right answer? Another issue is, when do you give up your dreams of, for example, being a great physicist, in exchange for a simple stable life? The answer seems to be, don't give up your dreams, but your family is most important. Ok?

There's another theme - Parker isn't really a great physicist. When she did poorly on a test, she'd just go back and relive that day, and ace it. This reminds me of people with imposter syndrome, because they "cheated" in school by studying hard. But maybe she wans't that good. It took Edebiri to get her off square one. 

And the movie kind of slighted Edebiri. She was picked up, given all Parker's problems, had her own problems ignored, then dropped. Of course, she didn't know she was dropped. That was in another loop. And in the end, Parker remembered her. But still - wasn't she a bit of a Magic Negro?

So I had some issues with the plot. Also, the movie could get quite slow - partly to show the banality and boredom of a time loop, and of living an ordinary life. It was set in Miami-Dade, and there are several scenes of the characters just travelling on the region's transport system, the Omni-Loop. You see this a lot in indie films like this - characters just riding pub trans, looking blank. 

But, all in all, I kind of liked this movie. It had a few minor SF touches, outside the time loop: the black hole and the Nanoscopic Man - and that was it. It was interesting to see a 55-year old woman as protagonist, with a living mother and daughter, and a husband who was a regular dope, but loving. I might have liked it better if it weren't so ordinary, but I don't think that's what writer/director Bernardo Britto had in mind. It was an interesting take on the time loop story.

In conclusion, you might be thinking, why didn't the pills run out? I worried about it until I realized - the pills take you back in time, to before you took the pill. So there was always the same number.

A Warwilf?

We weren't that excited about Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man (2025), even though we loved The Invisible Man. The reviews just weren't that good. But with the right set of expectations, this was pretty good.

It starts with a crawl about how a hiker vanished in the woods, possibly due to Hill Fever, possibly what the Native people call "yetiglanchi" or werewolfism. We then meet little Blake, a young boy who lives in a remote house in Oregon with his strict father. He carefully makes his bed, then goes out hunting with his dad. They look out over a beautiful valley, but we see that the dad is pretty protective and maybe has anger issues. When they hear strange noises, they retreat to a blind, and some kind of wild animal menaces them. Dad dismisses it as a bear, but is seen discussing it with a neighbor on CB.

In present day, Blake has grown up, and is now played by Christopher Abbott. He lives in New York with a little daughter that he dotes on, but is a little too protective of - although he is fighting not to be his father. His wife, Julia Garner, is a driven, fashionable journalist, and they aren't getting on too well. 

Then he gets the news that his father, who he hasn't seen since he left hie at eighteen, has been declared dead. He disappeared while hunting several years ago. So he convinces his wife to join him in packing up the old homestead. 

As they approach the place on narrow dirt roads, he gets lost. But they encounter a local, a toothless yokel an old friend of Abbott's, Derek. He offers to take him there, and, even though Garner reacts like he's a serial kiler, Abbott accepts. But a creature appears in front of them on the road, and they run off the road.

With the truck hanging sideways off a cliff, Derek jumps out and is swiftly eaten by a something, and Abbott is scratched pretty badly. But they make it to the house. Abbott goes into hyper-vigilant survivalsit mode, barricading the doors and windows, getting the generator going, finding the CB (no phone, no cell signal), and so on. There don't seem to be any guns, which is surprising. Their absence is not mentioned, but c'mon, there should be a ton of them. I think Derek took them.

As if being stalked by a creature of some sort isn't enough, it looks like Abbott has picked up a touch of Hill Fever. He starts losing teeth and hair, and maybe growing some as well. So as well as a werewolf outside, there will soon be one inside as well. 

So the theme is obviously the effects of trauma across generations. SPOILER - the werewolf that infected Abbott was his father! So Abbott is literally turning into his father. A Little heavy handed?

As well as being a bit heavy-handed on the theme, the movie is pretty slow. Ms. Spenser at least appreciated the limited use of jump scares. But she wasn't too thrilled with the lack of body count and real scares. Neither of us is into body horror, but even if we were, the transformations were not great, and the wolves themselves looked pretty weak. 

But when we experience the world with Abbott's transforming viewpoint, it gets interesting. Everything is brighter, small sounds are more intense - when his wife and daughter are hiding in the dark, from his point of view they are just sitting in a well-lit room. Also, he loses his ability to speak or understand language, so we hear his wife pleading with hum, but it just sounds like mumbo-jumbo. Definitely the best part. 

So I'd rank this as a less work by a low-budget master of horror. But it was still pretty fun. The daughter, Mathilda Firth, was pretty lovable, and Garner as the wife went from spiky and brittle to strong when she needed to be. So, low expectations were met and we were satisfied. Although it did make us want to watch MST3k's Werewolf. 

Girl Reporter and the Robots of Tomorrow

I was thinking about Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), as one does. This movie was the first (more or less) movie to be made entirely with green screen, with mostly CGI sets. It has an amazing 1930s graphic look, but was a massive bomb. Of course that didn't stop the industry from adopting those methods, now mote common than not. What I was wondering was, does the movie hold up.

It stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Polly Perkins, girl reporter, investigating the disappearance of scientists. In fact, one disappears from the Hindenberg after sending her a message. This leads her to a meeting at a Radio City showing of Wizard of Oz - generating another clue. Outside, she finds New York's skies filled with flying Max Fleischer style robots. Fortunately, Jude Law as Sky Captain shows up in his plane to save the day. 

Paltrow goes to Law later, and it turns out they had a fling that ended badly. But, at his secret base, she convinces him to work together to find out what's behind these attacks. Giovanni Ribisi, as Law's tech genius, is working on a way to disrupt the robots control signals, when the base is attacked. Law and Paltrow take off, and Ribisi is captured, but leaves a hint: Tibet.

So it's off to Tibet, where they get another clue to the bad guy's base. But they need mid-air refueling, so he calls on his friend Frankie. Frankie turns out to be Angelina Jolie, with a heli-carrier type flying airbase. She dresses in leather with an eyepatch, and had a thing with Law. 

When they reach the base, they find it guarded by Walt Disney (or Nikola Tesla?) looking hologram - played by the digital ghost of the late Laurence Olivier. Pay no attention to the man behind the hologram...

So here's my report: The movie looks great. It's full of references to old Superman cartoons, Art Deco, 1930s poster art, etc. The look is desaturated for the background and a little soft focus and blown out for the actors. Law is as charming as ever. Ribisi is very lovable as the brilliant sidekick. Jolie only has ten minutes or so on the screen, but really kicks the movie up a notch. Then there's Paltrow. She's trying for a Torchy Blaine hard-boiled scoop-hunter, and she looks the part, with her blonde do and red red lips. But she just seems annoying. She reminds me of Jennifer Aniston - whiny, vacant, self-obsessed (sorry to Friends fans). So as far as I'm concerned, the movie is perfect, except for her.

I don't know if she has this effect on most of the audience, though. Maybe she was some people's favorite. Maybe the whole 1930s thing just didn't resonate. Maybe the script could have been tighter, or quippier or something. But I may not watch this again just because I can't take Gwyneht Paltrow. 

Old Worlds, New Worlds

We're back on our Marvel buulshit again: we watched Captain America: Brave New World (2025). Now, remember, I liked both Quantumania and The Marvels, so it won't come as a surprise that I enjoyed this too. 

So, Harrison Ford is Thunderbolt Ross (minus the mustache), recently elected president. He sends Captain America v2.0 (Anthony Mackie) and the Falcon (Danny Ramirez) to keep Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) from acquiring a minor McGuffin (adamantium, I think). This lets them show how Mackie is settling in as Cap, but doesn't think Ramirez is ready to go full Falcon.

Adamantium is the engine of the story. President Ford wants an international treaty to share adamantium recources, but there are forces afoot trying to derail this. In fact, at the press event to discuss the treaty, Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a black boxer who was experimented on with the super-soldier serum, attempts to shoot the president - several other bodyguards join him. Shira Haas, an ex-Black Widow and current CIA agent, realizes that there is mind control going on. 

Exploring a secret government lab, they meet Tim Blake Nelson, another victim of government experimentation. His exposure to Hulk blood turned him green, gave him a lumpy head, and made him a genius. We called him Broccoli Head Man, but kept thinking he was Alan Tudyk in Alien Nation. He is behind the mind control, somehow, not really explained. 

Throughout all this, president Ford is getting more and mor frustrated and angry. He tries to deal with things calmly, but finally blows. And when he does, he becomes - the Red Hulk! 

This movie uses material from both The Incredible Hulk and Eternals - Tim Blake Nelson goes back to the first, and the second comes up when everyone is fighting over the adamantium around Celestial Island, the huge stone being that showed up in the end of Eternals. I liked that they went back to these semi-cursed movies. Tim Blake Nelson was even the villain in Incredible Hulk (as if I remembered that).

I liked the hint of blaxploitation they used for Giancarlo Esposito, and the frank treatment of racism with the Carl Lumbly - I believe he was a big pat of the Winter Soldier and Falcon TV series - but I'm pretty rusty on that whole thing. The attempts at making a 90's style paranoid thriller fell pretty flat to me. Same with all the Harrison Ford on Air Force One stuff. I didn't see that movie and have no nostalgia for it.

This movie had an odd shapeless quality - a lot going on upfront, Red Hulk thrown in at the very last moment, almost separate from what went before, then a quick summing up and boom. There were also a bunch of characters who seemed like they were from other movies/shows. or comics who I just didn't get - like Haas. But also, I enjoyed this movie and expect to rewatch every now and then. I like Marvel movies, even if they are not the best ever. I hope they can keep making them, good, bad, and so-so. 

Saxon Dog! Norman Pig! Spanish Fly!

We decided to round out out our Errol Flynn Fest with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), directed by the thrilling Michael Curtiz.

I guess I won't go through the whole story. I'll mention that Alan Hale (Skipper's dad) plays Little John, Eugene Pallette plays Friar Tuck as a glutton and master swordsman. Prince John is Claude Rains and the sheriff of Nottingham is played as a sort of nothing by Melville Cooper. The best villain is, of course, Basil Rathbone as Guy of Gisbourne. Olivia de Havilland is ornamental as Maid Marion, but a bit underused. Una O'Connor as her maid is a lot of fun. 

And Flynn is great as Robin. He does a lot of the old throw-the-head-back-and-laugh - can we bring that back a little? There are a bunch of great fights - one where he walks into Prince John's banquet with a poached deer, eats dinner with the court, insults everyone and then fights his way out. 

And of course, the famous final fight between Flynn and Rathbone. Rathbone was an Army fencing champion and gave Flynn a lot of coaching. the fight is fast, with some nice staircase work and camera choreography. Maybe not the greatest, but way up there.

In concl/usion, I'd forgotten how Saxon vs. Norman this movie was. Do we have to bring nationalities into this?