Entertainment
Netflix's Unrated Sci-Fi Thriller Goes Absolutely Mental
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Looking for a neo-noir sci-fi thriller hinging on a time-traveling serial killer who only appears once every nine years, causing victims to bleed out of their eyes for no real rhyme or reason? I know you are, which brings me to the good news. 2019’s In the Shadow of the Moon will take you on this exact journey, and it’s an absolute trip. Think True Detective Season 1, but instead of an elite cabal of corrupt Louisiana officials operating a human trafficking ring behind closed doors, the primary antagonist is a mysterious figure who only surfaces during specific lunar cycles to go on a killing spree.
Is it an alien? A human from the future? Or is it simply a figment of our unraveling protagonist’s imagination as he becomes so obsessed with the case that he alienates everybody he once cared about, turning into a shell of a man over the course of a decades-long investigation that nobody else seems interested in solving?
It’s Happening Again …
In the Shadow of the Moon tells a time-hopping story in a progressive linear fashion, beginning in 1988 Philadelphia and concluding in 2024. We’re introduced to rookie cop Thomas Lockhart (Boyd Holbrook), heading out for his graveyard shift with his partner Maddox (Bokeem Woodbine) while leaving his very pregnant wife Jean (Rachel Keller) at home. What starts as a routine night quickly spirals when multiple victims die under the same bizarre circumstances.
Each victim bears puncture wounds, and their brains hemorrhage catastrophically, leaking from every facial orifice exactly how you’d expect. With the help of Thomas’ brother-in-law, Detective Holt (Michael C. Hall), they track down the woman they believe is responsible (Cleopatra Coleman). Before they can get answers, she jumps in front of a train, but not before telling Thomas intimate details about his life, including the fact that Jean will die during childbirth that very night.
By 1997, Thomas is a widowed detective struggling to raise his 9-year-old daughter, Amy (Quincy Kirkwood). He’s convinced the 1988 massacre was a one-off freak occurrence until the same pattern resurfaces on the nine-year anniversary. This time, the investigation expands to include a physicist named Naveen, who insists the killings are connected through time travel. Thomas, Maddox, and a now-promoted Lieutenant Holt dismiss the theory, but the nine-year cycle continues, tightening its grip on Thomas’ life.
We next see him in 2006, worse for wear after leaving the force to work as a private investigator focused solely on this case. By 2015, he’s a husk, still chasing answers while everyone else has moved on. The pattern persists, the obsession festers, and Thomas remains the only one who refuses to let it go.
If True Detective Were A Netflix Sci-Fi Original
As much as I want to root for In the Shadow of the Moon, a couple of things pulled me out of it. While this may sound nitpicky, the 1988 and 1997 sequences lack the kind of texture that really sells those eras. I’m not saying it needs to function as a full-blown period piece, but you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish the ’80s from the present day outside of the absence of smartphones, which bothered me more than it probably should have.
Minor criticism aside, In the Shadow of the Moon earns serious points for its ambitious premise and hard-boiled neo-noir vibe. The mystery is compelling enough to keep you locked in, and Boyd Holbrook’s physical portrayal of a man slowly losing everything in pursuit of answers is the selling point. Whoever handled his makeup in the later sequences deserves serious credit, because you can practically chart his decline through the lines of age etched across his face.
In the Shadow of the Moon takes familiar mystery-thriller beats, injects them with a bold sci-fi twist, and delivers a time-spanning character study that’s messy in places but undeniably intriguing. It’s currently streaming on Netflix, ready for anybody who wants their crime dramas with a side of lunar-induced chaos.
Entertainment
Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 trailer promises big Benophie arguments and steamy makeouts
Celebrate Valentine’s Day a day early with the latest trailer for Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2.
The trailer above explores what happened after Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) royally stuck his foot in his mouth by asking maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) to be his mistress. On the one hand, he certainly thought it was romantic, as it’s the only socially acceptable way for people of their differing social standings. Plus, he didn’t know that Sophie’s mother was her father’s mistress, adding extra emotional baggage to his request.
On the other hand… Benedict. Buddy. Read the room.
The trailer also explores the fallout of Benedict’s faux pas: Benedict pines after Sophie, while Sophie wrestles with her complicated feelings over the proposal. The yearning is simply off the charts.
Apparently the lovebirds aren’t apart for too long, though, because the trailer is full of passionate Benophie kisses — as well as a teaser for a steamy bath scene.
That’s not all, though. In addition to all the Benedict and Sophie drama, these next episodes will see the much-welcome return of Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley). Anthony even gives Benedict a pep talk about following his heart and going after Sophie.
Here’s hoping Benedict will actually follow through (and maybe choose his words better next time he tries for a big romantic gesture).
Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Part 2 premieres Feb. 26.
Topics
Trailers
Bridgerton
Entertainment
A Lion for Lunar New Year
Oh Ruth, this was just perfect and made me tear up! Wishing you and all the COJ readers a xīn nián kuài lè!
Our house is all decorated for the new year, we had dumplings on little new year this past week (festival of the kitchen god), and a big family feast to look forward to next week. Celebrating the holiday is one of the things I’ve come to look forward to every year since I met my husband – we joke we have three new years now (Jewish, Gregorian, and Chinese) to get things right! 😉
P.S. Ruth- I first found your work because of your BTS comic which was perfect… how excited is everyone for the new album/tour?!
Entertainment
Kevin Smith’s Ultra Violent, R-Rated Comedy Horror On Netflix Is A Terrifying Transformation
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Long before I found my passion for digging up movies that play better than their critical reputations suggest, Kevin Smith made a little horror comedy in 2014 called Tusk that I completely wrote off and forgot about thanks to its 45 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Having since spent years reviewing movies with single-digit scores that I feel are better than some of their critically acclaimed counterparts, I finally decided to give this one a go. In my mind, 45 percent probably translates to at least a B minus based on how I personally rate films.
I’m admittedly a bit squeamish when it comes to body horror, though I’ll still check out films like Possessor and Stopmotion if the synopsis sounds compelling enough. And let me tell you something. Justin Long getting transformed into a walrus sounds pretty compelling for one very specific reason.
I used to hate Justin Long because he always plays a jerk. After watching movies like Barbarian and The Wave and thoroughly enjoying them for this exact reason, I’ve come to appreciate that this is where his talent really lies. Given how much fun he seems to have playing a jerk in nearly every project he’s in, I’ve started to believe he’s probably disproportionately nice in real life and living vicariously through his characters. Add Kevin Smith’s twisted sense of humor to the equation, and Tusk becomes essential viewing for anyone who loves violent and bizarre B-movie schlock.
Starts With A Podcast
Justin Long’s Wallace Bryton, sporting his best Anthony Kiedis mustache, is introduced through his offensive podcast, The Not-See Party, where he and his cohost Teddy Craft (Haley Joel Osment) roast viral videos. Following a lead about a Manitoba-based, katana swinging teenager known as the Kill Bill Kid, Wallace is disappointed to discover that the subject of the video committed suicide, meaning he traveled to Canada for nothing.
In an attempt to salvage his trip while still generating content, Wallace hears about a man named Howard Howe (Michael Parks), whose flyer claims travelers can live with him for free so long as they listen to stories about his life. Driving out to the middle of nowhere, Wallace prepares for what he believes will be the interview of a lifetime. Instead, he’s drugged and slowly stitched into a human sized walrus suit.
Meanwhile, Teddy and Wallace’s girlfriend Ally (Genesis Rodriguez), having not heard from him in days, receive an alarming voicemail detailing his current predicament. They enlist the help of former detective Guy LaPointe (Johnny Depp), who has been searching for Howard for as long as he can remember, under the suspicion that he’s responsible for countless missing persons cases just like Wallace’s. Determined to rescue their friend, the trio sets out to Howard’s last known address, completely unaware of the brutality waiting for them.
Production Values That Transcend Its Budget
Despite its meager, three million dollar production budget, the practical body horror effects in Tusk are more than solid. We get graphic closeups of Wallace during and after his transformation, and they’re absolutely nauseating in the best possible way. Justin Long’s look of bewildered distress really sells the entire ordeal. He starts the movie overly confident and smug, only to end up as a man trapped inside a walrus’s body.
Since I’ve personally never been sewn into a lifelike walrus suit made from scraps of my own amputated limbs against my will, I can’t say how I’d react in a similar situation. What I can say is that Long sells it convincingly, so credit where it’s due.
The best part of Tusk, though, is Johnny Depp. It feels like the role of Guy LaPointe was written specifically for him, even though reports suggest it was originally written for Quentin Tarantino, who passed on it. Depp is enthusiastic, eccentric, haunted by his past, and driven by his obsession with Howard. He carries himself like a flask-swigging, hard-boiled private detective who’s well past his prime.
While I enjoyed Tusk well enough before his arrival, Johnny Depp’s presence and ability to command every scene he’s in is what truly sealed the deal for me.
An interesting take on body horror mixed with comedy, Tusk isn’t for everyone, but I’m glad I finally got around to watching it. It has the same sick sense of humor you’d expect from Kevin Smith, but it’s focused squarely on this specific genre, showing his range in ways that characters like Jay and Silent Bob simply can’t. Once again haunted by the realization that I could have watched this movie over a decade ago and enjoyed it just as much, it’s another reminder of why you should always take what critics say with a grain of salt.
As of this writing, Tusk is streaming on Netflix.
William Byron to use backup car in pursuit of Daytona 500 three-peat
After blowout loss, NC State knows it must 'move forward' vs. Miami
