A fishing boat captain named Baker Dill, is visited by his frazzled ex-wife. She wants him to kill her current husband because the a-hole is harshly abusive to their astute son. That's the fugazi blueprint for 2019's Serenity (my latest review). In all truthfulness, I really got into Serenity. Yeah, it's a movie lover's movie if there ever was one.
Shot in early 2017 yet released this past month, Serenity displays an obvious nod to film noir with co-lead Anne Hathaway casually sporting a fedora hat and informally walking in the rain.
Basically, Serenity is a steamy, neo-noir endeavor that's not what you think it is and not what you think it will ever be. With Serenity, director Steven Knight readily commits to every darted shot. Whether it's overhead camera angles, plenty of fast cutting, coarse 50's-style dialogue, or sweaty actor close-ups, Knight really gets you into his groove. Credit also goes out to Serenity's attractive cast and standout Matthew McConaughey as Baker Dill (mentioned earlier). Heck, you won't have to wait till March's The Beach Bum to see "full" McConaughey. Here, he's awesomely beast-like and a total badass as he smokes, knifes, and drinks his way through every scene.
In retrospect, Serenity at times doesn't take itself too seriously and feels a little too trashy for its own good. Also, the film's Greek Chorus in Reid Miller (played by Molly's Game's Jeremy Strong) reeks of being a poor man's character from a watered-down David Lynch outing. Still, Serenity with its fantasy elements and big reveal early on (all the personas are non-existent and are rather part of a kid's video game), seems more daring and more gleefully off the reservation than most of the junk that comes out in January. Bottom line: Serenity containing tales of thrusting sex, Truman Show oddities, and big boy tuna catching, is a cinematic "amenity". Rating: 3 stars.
Shot in early 2017 yet released this past month, Serenity displays an obvious nod to film noir with co-lead Anne Hathaway casually sporting a fedora hat and informally walking in the rain.
Basically, Serenity is a steamy, neo-noir endeavor that's not what you think it is and not what you think it will ever be. With Serenity, director Steven Knight readily commits to every darted shot. Whether it's overhead camera angles, plenty of fast cutting, coarse 50's-style dialogue, or sweaty actor close-ups, Knight really gets you into his groove. Credit also goes out to Serenity's attractive cast and standout Matthew McConaughey as Baker Dill (mentioned earlier). Heck, you won't have to wait till March's The Beach Bum to see "full" McConaughey. Here, he's awesomely beast-like and a total badass as he smokes, knifes, and drinks his way through every scene.
In retrospect, Serenity at times doesn't take itself too seriously and feels a little too trashy for its own good. Also, the film's Greek Chorus in Reid Miller (played by Molly's Game's Jeremy Strong) reeks of being a poor man's character from a watered-down David Lynch outing. Still, Serenity with its fantasy elements and big reveal early on (all the personas are non-existent and are rather part of a kid's video game), seems more daring and more gleefully off the reservation than most of the junk that comes out in January. Bottom line: Serenity containing tales of thrusting sex, Truman Show oddities, and big boy tuna catching, is a cinematic "amenity". Rating: 3 stars.