Beyond the Black Rainbow (2011)

Beyond the Black Rainbow is an indie mystery sci-fi thriller about a guy running a mysterious sci-fi facility in the 80s who is crazy for some mysterious reason. The facility is staffed by approximately 3 people who watch over a mysterious girl day and night because of some mysterious connection the guy has with her. As the movie progresses, the purpose of the guy and the facility are revealed in addition to why the girl is there… but not much else.

This film is incredibly challenging. It holds its mystery cards very close to its proverbial movie vest and when it decides to reveal anything about what the fuck is going on or tell us why we should give two shits, it does so very begrudgingly. It reminds me of someone attempting to reconstruct themselves from sunburnt skin peelings, to be honest; and while “true” sci-fi fans might gravitate toward its abstract ideas of mind control through machinery and otherworldly perverse utopian symbolisms, casual viewers might be turned off by its incredibly dull pace and pretentiously bizarre art direction.

I cannot recommend Beyond the Black Rainbow. The biggest problem I have with this film is that while its tense psychological moments are really well done, these moments aren’t clearly connected to what is happening anywhere else in the film very intuitively. It is too protective with the secrets it holds, opting instead to dazzle the audience with bizarre camera tricks and angles to suggest that things aren’t what they seem, or even that its story has a purpose. Why is Elana in the facility? What is her connection to the facility and its researcher(s)? Why is she so frustratingly weak and powerless even during certain times where adrenaline would be coursing through her veins, helping her resolve her terrible situation? What does she have that crazy madman scientist guy wants? What’s the deal with the scrapbook full of pictures of penises and vaginas? Why is crazy madman scientist crazy? What is the point of this movie? All these questions are answered in there somewhere, with each answer being more abstract and confounding than the last.

Give it a try if you feel up to the challenge. Then, you can come back here and tell me what the fuck just happened.

D

Red Lights (2012)

Red Lights is a thriller about a pair of paranormal investigators, professors at a prestigious university apparently, who specialize in defrauding practitioners of paranormal activity. When a famous blind psychic emerges from a 30-year stint in obscurity showing all the major signs that supernatural phenomena is a real thing, they become consumed in uncovering the truth about the origins of his power. Strange things happen to the investigators as they attempt to uncover the blind man’s secrets: birds smash into windows, electronic equipment spontaneously explodes, and perfectly innocent spoons get bent while they sit idly in half-filled coffee cups. They must ultimately examine whether E.S.P. is real as a result.

This movie is meh. The performances feel very dry, with relationships between characters changing primarily off-screen in favor of moar pseudo-sciency exposition and mystery build-up. There’s too much focus on the pseudo-science I think. Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver have very little positive chemistry during most of their time together, DeNiro is some kind of big villain without having been established as such in any meaningful way, and Cillian’s girlfriend is handled incredibly poorly–she’s, like a student in their class I guess? But then they’re sleeping together? When did that happen? Was I messing around with my phone during the obligatory ‘draw me like one of your French girls’ love scene?

Tiny details like this are passed over in favor of building up some kind of mystery about how Robert DeNiro is some kind of dangerous, magical blind dude. I suppose that we don’t need to know about how Cillian plays with others really but, if you see the movie all the way through, it suddenly becomes a little bit more important when it goes to tie things up. Speaking of DeNiro’s character, he’s supposed to be incredibly charismatic. Instead, he is some kind of weirdo with a Shakespearean complex that’s too big for his britches. I’m sure that’s what they are going for, but the way this plot and its concepts were handled was a complete flatline for me.

One last thought: do universities really have paranormal research and investigation departments that also hold classes? That. Sounds. AWESOME! How do I get in on that business?

C+

Winter’s Bone (2010)

Winter’s Bone is a mystery, thriller, and indie movie all rolled up into one spectacularly boring package starring Jennifer Lawrence as a 17 year-old family caregiver in BFE, Missouri.  The mystery revolves around her attempts to locate her deadbeat dad, who put their house up for bail and skipped town.  She is met with incredible hostility from the locals who do not wish to get involved with her search for him and pretty much has the support of no one in a race to find out the truth before the authorities kick her entire family to the curb because yeah the government is very interested in seeing what happens when a bunch of minors are forced to live like Bear Grylls.

Apparently this movie, like, won awards or something?  It truly is an exercise in tedium; Jennifer tries her best to give a good performance, which is good because she really is the best part of this movie.  The rest of it is fucking dull.  At no point did I give a crap about her dad’s history or what happened to him, pretty much the entire supporting cast wants to kick the shit out her for asking questions or no reason, and the upticks in tension offered underwhelming resolution with unclear consequences.  In the end, not a whole lot happens and the movie simply drowns in a cesspool of lameness.  I suspect the screenplay looked good on paper and all the interesting stuff was left on the cutting room floor or handwaved as too complicated to use.

D+