Photo via Fifth Season
Maybe I Do
Maybe I Do
Fear
(Limited Theatrical Release, January 27)
A year into the pandemic, director Deon Taylor was tired of isolating. Finding an empty lodge in Tahoe available for a shoot, he decided to churn out a pandemic-inspired film. With the bones of an idea, but no script, Taylor hired a cast by phone (Joseph Sikora, Andrew Bachelor, Annie Ilonzeh, Iddo Goldberg, Ruby Modine, Jessica Allain, Terrence Jenkins and Tip Harris), along with cinematographer Jeff Cutter. Taylor’s producer-wife Roxanne became an expert on COVID protocols (many bleach spray bottles!)
There’s a grain of truth to this horror when one year into the pandemic a group of friends gather in Tahoe for a social weekend. Things get tense when the disease is suddenly declared more contagious and lethal, requiring the friends to shelter in place until further notice. Having each revealed their worst fear during a campfire confessional, one-by-one they imagine themselves being hunted by that fear. The risk of infection soon pales in comparison to the dangers presented as each person’s ability to discern reality from hallucination is increasingly impaired. Written and filmed over just 17-days in Tahoe, the trailer appears to confirm my worst fear, that being a story not fully fleshed out. Here’s hoping the cast and crew persuasively execute what’s there. (Lisa Miller)
A Fish in the Bathtub
(Cohen Film Collection Blu-ray)
This 1988 comedy is from the school of Woody Allen—in the best way—from the credits design with its jazz score to the self-deprecating comedy in a New York milieu. The protagonists, Sam (Jerry Stiller) and Molly (Anne Meara), are a kvetching old married couple. Sam is the crazy-making partner engaged in an ongoing argument with the world. The marital turn on the road starts when he brings home a live fish and installs the creature in the tub. “The fish stays!” he insists. Coupled with the old man’s increasingly disagreeable attitude, Molly might not (stay). A very young Mark Ruffalo plays their son, who begins to endanger his happy marriage in this often-hilarious comedy from director Joan Micklin Silver (Hester Street). (David Luhrssen)
Maybe I Do
(Limited Theatrical Release, January 27)
When Michelle and Allen (Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey) decide the time has come to consider marriage, they invite both sets of their parents for dinner, hoping for insight on what makes marriage work. What neither the young couple nor their parents know (but is revealed in the trailer), is that Michelle’s mother (Diane Keaton) has been sleeping with Allen’s father (William H. Macy), while Allen’s mother (Susan Sarandon), has been sleeping with Michelle’s father (Richard Gere). Their respective spouses are also in the dark. Michelle and Allen’s advice dinner becomes the parents’ worst nightmare, as all maneuver in an effort to keep their secrets. Written and directed by Michael Jacobs, whose feature directorial debut benefits from an ensemble of comedy veterans. With multi-generational appeal and Valentine’s Day just around the corner, this PG-13 rom-com’s got built-in shelf-life. (Lisa Miller)
The Return of Swamp Thing
(Light Year Blu-ray)
Back in the ‘80s, movie adaptations of DC Comics were a cottage industry, not the main engine of Hollywood. So, it’s almost refreshing to look back with this 35th anniversary edition of The Return of Swamp Thing, complete with men in ugly rubber monster suits and staging that involved darkness and tricks of the eye, not CGI. The tone is comical throughout. The new edition included a 4K Ultra HD as well as a Blu-ray disc plus bonus features (“Reflection on Swamp Thing 35 Years Later”) and audio commentary by director Jim Wynorski. (David Luhrssen)
