The Blackening vs. Asteroid City

As you know, thanks to my Jesus Revolution vs, Cocaine Bear post, I enjoy experiencing a cinematic whiplash double feature.  One weekend, back in the days of VHS and rental stores, I even rented Psycho IV: The Beginning and The Rescuers Down Under, which left the video store owner very confused. 

I was recently browsing through the increasingly shrinking movie area of Wal-Mart when I spotted two films.  With my Mad Scientist Glasses on, I could decipher the titles, but I double-checked with my sister for confirmation. 

I had heard of The Blackening and knew I wanted to see it.  I knew nothing of Asteroid City, but even without being able to decipher the smaller text on the blu-ray cover, I was certain it was a Wes Anderson film.  Going against my usual “wait for streaming or the $5 bin” attitude about new films I didn’t see in the theater, I purchased both titles.

screenplay by Tracy Oliver & Dewayne Perkins / directed by Tim Story

THE BLACKENING is a clever piece of social commentary wrapped up in a suspenseful and hilarious horror film filled with characters you actually hope live to the end!  I did figure out the twist, but this did not diminish my enjoyment in the slightest!  Oh, and I hope Antoinette Robertson becomes a major household name!  Seriously, see her in The Blackening and in her brilliant role in the Netflix series of Dear White People!  

story by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola / directed by Wes Anderson

ASTEROID CITY wants so hard to be a clever, quirky, sci-fi nostalgia trip , populated by a buttload of familiar actors, but writer/director Wes Anderson has drank his own Kool-Aid, resulting in a big bland piece of meh.  Seriously, the only time I reacted to Asteroid City was when a character flicked on a lighter after pumping gas.  The low-key ridiculous scene felt like an amusingly authentic 1950’s American moment.  Oh, and I did ask my sister during a different scene if Tom Hanks is in this film.  SPOILER ALERT: He is. 

In conclusion…
I think you can guess which film I’m keeping and which one I’m donating to the library.  

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 
JLH 

~~~~~~~~~~~~
My books on Amazon… viewAuthor.at/JohnLHarmon