Widow's Bay

I don't recall writing about a series before having finished it. Well, there is a first for everything. Widow's Bay is now streaming on Apple+. A horror-comedy is how I would classify it. Normally, this isn't the sort of thing I would enjoy. Often it doesn't work. For reasons I'm not altogether sure of, this works great. Perhaps because all the gags are played straight, deadpan. Dead is right. What's it all about? Matthew Rhys (The Beast in Me, The Americans) plays Tom Loftis, Widow's Bay's town mayor. Widow's Bay is a small, one-sheriff, island town. Oh, and the island, it's cursed. However, Tom wants it to be the next Martha's Vineyard. He is hoping that a positive article written by a New York Times reporter will help turn the island's reputation around and start bringing in boatloads of tourists. The show has a kind of parallel to Jaws, if it was told from the perspective of the mayor. Instead of a shark, it's a curse. And the curse is deliberately vague, so we can have multiple different horror tropes, and each one gives us a fresh episode - a Gilligan's Island of horror stories: Haunted fog, evil sea sirens, books of witchcraft, etc. Like Chief Brody in Jaws, the Mayor has a quirky old secretary, who has vision problems and a propensity to leave her job early every day. Everyone seems to be working against poor Mayor Loftis. It's a hoot. The tone is something similar to Steve Miner's 1985 film, House. It has an almost nostalgic feel to the show, with elements of John Carpenter's The Fog and Prince of Darkness. Grab your lifejacket and sail your boat immediately to Widow's Bay. Streaming on Apple or grab it from Movies 'N Stuff when available. 

The Plague

Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams) - I have said it before but in case you weren't following along, I will say it again: I will follow Mr. Edgerton wherever he goes. He continues to pick material which is always smart and engaging. He only has a supporting role here in The Plague as the coach of a young boys' water polo camp. Our main protagonist is Ben (Everett Blunck), a geeky kid from out of town who is just trying to fit in with the well-established pack of boys led by Jake (Kayo Martin). "Jake" - a name reserved for the cool kid and I can hear  Anthony Michael Hall saying it in Sixteen Candles. Pardon me, I digressed. Also in the water polo camp is Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), who all the kids say has the plague because he has a bad skin rash, which I believe is eczema or psoriasis. They run away from Eli and if anyone comes into contact with him, they run to the tap to wash off "the plague." Kids can be downright cruel. Mean rotten little bastards, which is the whole subject here. When Ben tries to form a friendship with Eli, suddenly he finds himself on the outside of the clique. . .  and wait, what is that red bump forming on his skin? It's well-worn territory, The Lord of the Flies being the major pig head on the pole. Why should you watch this one then? It's gorgeous - the underwater shots are particularly hypnotic, upside down, you will be spun around like poor Ben. It also verges on body horror (which may or may not be your thing). The main reason to watch is the performances of these young men. Kenny Rasmussen as Eli is a standout - his dance scene in the rain is wow. These young actors are going to go places. Catch this in a rep theatre if possible, streaming, or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff. 

Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

This is simply a beautiful film. It's a documentary about famed American photographer, Joel Meyerowitz and his unfamous wife, Maggie Barrett (although, after this, I suspect that might change). Joel was born in 1938 and is now 88 years old. He married Maggie (his second marriage) in 2001. This is Maggie's fifth marriage. Maggie's own life journey is something of a rollercoaster, having spent time in a mental hospital, struggling with drug addiction, finding recovery, and ultimately becoming a therapist herself. Maggie is also a writer. While she never landed a traditional publishing deal, she has written at least four novels, a collection of stories, and a play in which she starred. Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other is a portrait of navigating aging, fame, relationships, and love. It is very personal, and both Joel and Maggie go all in here, in what I might call a kind of performance art of the personal. They are each on full display, holding nothing back. There is a scene when they return to their New York apartment after living in Tuscany for many years, and Maggie has a completely unhinged breakdown while Joel hangs on for dear life - remaining calm. Given her history, one could write her off as unstable, but that feels too simplistic. I think we have all been there - a displacement of aggression, grieving the loss of their Italian home - we hurt the ones we love most because they can usually take it. This was not edited out. There is a lot of raw material here. It's also one of the most aesthetically pleasing films I've seen in a very long time. Each shot is a photograph, which feels fitting for Meyerowitz. It's like looking through a gorgeous coffee table book. You will want to spend time with Maggie and Joel. Catch it in the theatre if possible, or rent it at Movies 'N Stuff.