Dallas Fisher

My time at the 45th year of MSPIFF has come and gone.

This year I decided to stick to seeing the ones I really wanted to see, so that ended up only being eight. Unfortunately I missed out on quite a few that I’m sure were great, but I needed time to sleep and live the rest of my life. For the second year, I am very grateful for this opportunity to cover and see the films that are laid out at this festival. Maybe some year I’ll be able to spend the entire week seeing films. Until then, here’s some thoughts on a few of the films I saw there.

Reviews for Carolina Caroline and Exit 8 are up on my website now (just go to my home page and you’ll find them).

Let’s start with Normal where everything is far from normal, or is it?

Bob Odenkirk has now fallen into a subsect of characters where he is the unsuspecting bad ass of the story. Well, to the other characters he’s unsuspecting, to the audience, we sort of already know what he’s capable of. You know what though, I like him in this space. He’s very different from the Saul Goodman character many of us grew used to, and that’s okay. I also like this small town that we are placed in here. Normal, Minnesota may be a fictional town, but it has its perks.

As is typical with every small town, fictional or not, you have a bag full of characters. Not just in the physical sense, but in the “these people are wacko” sense. I guess I should explain that Ulysses (Odenkrik) has taken on the temporary role of Sheriff in this town and that makes things way more interesting when you’re unlocking the map along with him. I didn’t know who Billy MacLellan was before this movie but I certainly want more of him, as he is hilarious as the deputy. I almost want to put the label of comedic gold on his badge.

It’ll always be difficult to not compare this to past work of Odernkirk, but I’m happy to say it falls somewhere between Nobody and Nobody 2. The action isn’t as over choreographed as I thought it would be and the action you do get is a riot. Its fighting is short lived, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, as it actually uses every subgenre within action to a small, smart amount. You can always tell when a film knows how to self-regulate.

Seeing a movie set in a fictional Minnesota town was a real treat, especially watching it at the state’s biggest film festival. I do wish it would have leaned into the Minnesota thing a little more, and not just by showing us the moose again. Normal has a little bit for everyone that even slightly enjoys a crime/thriller. It’s a luxury that we get to see more of Bob Odenkirk like this.

3.3/10

Time to talk about Hokum.

This is the follow up to Oddity from Damian McCarthy, the horror hit straight out of Ireland, and it appears he did not miss a beat. It more than appears that way, as I’ve seen it. I’ll get my biggest negative out of that way, and that’s that the strategy of pale “people” standing behind the protagonists can get pretty stale. I know that’s the entire thing that people love about these types of movies, but like I said, it loses its effectiveness pretty quickly.

What I can say though, Adam Scott is a killer in the playing an asshole department. He is the perfect guy to play the part of the character you’re rooting for and against in the same 90 minutes. At first I was totally against the demeanor that he is presenting here, then something happened here that helped me flip my opinion all together. Even though he is still the pest of the century, you can’t help but root for him to succeed in this haunted house escape room. It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten a legitimately scary and concerning movie.

Like all movies out of this part of the world, the story telling is top notch. Usually folk talkies can add an aspect to horror that doesn’t interest me, but this is a trip that keeps you hooked. It rams itself into your brain, locks you up, and doesn’t give you access to a key. I love that you’re unsure if the horrors are more dangerous from humans or the supernatural. Hokum makes you wonder if what you’re seeing is believable or not. It scares you into submission and shapes the way you’ll watch this physically.

It’s an acquired taste that eventually lets you in the circle. Use your open mind, as mine will make me rethink ever paying for the honeymoon suite.

3.6/5

The next two movies I can’t really say much about until closer to their theatrical releases, so I’ll give you a sentence for each.

Obsession

A bipolar nightmare, in the most positive connotation.

Power Ballad

Paul Rudd, banging original music, and Nick Jonas is there.

Aside from the movies, I am happy to say things ran a little smoother than my first time around. The HQ moving down the block was a huge upgrade to things. Even though the ice cream hours were a little inconsistent, it was a nice, extra treat to have before and after the movies. As always, the parking could be a little better.

Thanks to MSPIFF for letting me come back. I can’t wait to see what next year brings.