Cheetos Mac and Cheese? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/yccd1rvFTT
— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) August 5, 2020
I come firmly down on the side of maybe. Seems more of a side dish to be enjoyed with a good smashburger which is, by the way, my latest food craze. I flatten the burgers with a heavy saucepan, then pinch the edges (as per the advice garnered from the internet) and fry them up in butter and a touch of oil before topping with cheese. The edges come out nice a crispy. Serve on a potato bun and, as they say, Bob’s your uncle.
Speaking of Bob, check out Robert Picardo’s new youtube channel for inspiring music videos…
And the exploits of his alter-ego, Alphonso…
“Y’know, these meatballs are made of turkey. You’d never know it, right?” I was on the floor.
Okay, so, who’s joining our Crime Club? Did you get a chance to watch our first movie…
The Invisible Guest
SPOILERS ABOUND!
Well, what a great start to our Crime Club.
I have to admit, I guessed the twist some ten minutes in. More specifically, as the first ten minutes unfolded I thought to myself “Hey, you know what would be a fantastic twist?” and filed it away in the hopes that, if the movie didn’t go there, then I could in a future script. But, of course, it did. And it was no less great.
I’m not usually a fan of the unreliable narrator as I find the blurring of the line between truth and fiction can sometimes be a little too convenient, resulting in clumsily manipulative misdirects or frustrating (in hindsight) withholding of key facts, but I thought it really worked well here. As the movie progresses, we peel back the layers on the various narratives to reveal the a few surprises – on the way to the big surprise at movie’s end.
Some really great suspenseful sequences, my favorite being the moment Laura realizes she is being hosted by the dead kid’s parents…and still has his cell phone in her possession.
There were a couple of things I didn’t quite understand. The first was the significance of the fake newspaper photo. Not sure what purpose it served (so, if you know, please enlighten me). The second was Adrian’s eleventh hour admission to the lakeside murder of Daniel, his sealing of the trunk to ensure his victim’s drowning. While I liked the twist, I didn’t buy he would reveal the truth, even to his lawyer. If it had been a guilt-wracked Laura, I would have more readily bought in, but Adrian, especially in the late goings, seemed pretty indifferent, even callous, to what had transpired.
But these were minor quibbles. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and would love to hear your thoughts.
This one gets a Highly Recommended from me. If you haven’t seen it, there’s still time. Watch and leave a comment in the comments section of this entry.
Or, if you want to look ahead, tomorrow’s #CrimeClub movie will be Green Room, starring Patrick Stewart and the late Anton Yelchin.
I think the admission & the sealing in was more for the audience- so we understood that he was not yet dead & that it was homicide not an accident. The newspaper was bc she was trying to convince Adrián that Tomás & his wife were Laura’s killer (for court) & Tomás was the one behind the blackmail & wanted to implicate him for her murder. The lawyer suggests that Tomás’ wife works at the hotel & was an accomplice in setting him up for the murder & uses that fake photo as evidence hoping he will buy it (supposedly the wife is in it in the background when he got arrested ).
That’s my take anyway. 🤷♀️
But what exactly was the deal with the newspaper. Was it something she brought with her or was it actually the real deal?
It was faked. She brought it with her hoping it would seal the deal with him confessing to her & solidifying her convincing him of the plan of being set up by Tomás & his wife. She wanted him to believe the story that she worked at the hotel & it was a plausible story he could use & she wanted him to eventually spill the beans on where the body was. It worked!!
Ah, yes. That makes more sense.
That news article was also vital for the parents as proof that Adrian has no redeeming qualities for them to have mercy on him. The grieving mother is inches away from him pointing at the photo and yet he never truly saw her, just like he never really saw her son as a human being in need and instead treated the son like an obstacle on the path to riches. The girlfriend recognizes the son right away in the family photo at the house, yet Adrian is so self involved he never notices the grieving mother, he’s too busy concocting lies to save his hide.
Ah, yes. Good point.
I was hooked immediately with the film noir vibes and gorgeous cinematography. To me the photo was a tool the lawyer uses to plant the idea in the baddies head that to implicate the parents and put him at ease so he believes he has an explanation to get away with it, he even changes his story to say he saw the dad in the room where before he told the police he was knocked out and didn’t know who hit him. At the end think he confesses the son was alive because he said it’ll come out anyway in the autopsy anyway, I think? I will be watching again to catch things I missed. I totally saw the photo of actors in a play and thought huh, the parents must be actors, and then totally forgot about it. It reminded me of favorite juicy thrillers like Dead Again, The Secret in Their Eyes, Tell No One and Headhunters.
Yes, this one was a pleasant surprise for me too. May have to add the movies you mentioned to my list of possible #CrimeClub candidates that now sit at 300+
I’m not usually a fan of watching subtitled movies, but this one was interesting. Lots of twists as to just who is doing or did what.
At first Adrian seems to be the one being manipulated by Laura and talked into covering up the accident, but in the end, he turns out to be completely callous and out to protect his own interests at the expense of everyone else.
What I don’t get is how Danny’s parents knew exactly how long they had to get Adrian to confess before the real lawyer showed up. That three hours was very specific and for the lawyer to arrive just after they get the confession is very convenient. Seems as though someone else was helping them out; someone on the inside of Adrian’s defence, but whose identity we never hear about or suspect.
Anyone out there know Spanish law? Can an accused be compelled to testify? If not, then Adrian is an idiot on top of everything else.
The accident itself was just that – an accident – with a little bit of culpability on Adrian’s part for taking his eyes off the road for that split second. But the deer could not be anticipated. Adrian’s and Laura’s actions afterward are what elevated it to a major crime. All to protect their relationship rather than taking their lumps.
Very good point about the timing. I wonder if they find out wha time the lawyer was going to go over and took advantage of the short window before her arrival.
They did. Tomás & Elvira had to follow Virginia around in order to learn her posture & mannerisms & be able to mimic her. They also learned of the meeting set up by Felix. They also could have somehow stalled her as Tomás was across the street watching & recording the whole interaction. They were also preventing any phone calls from getting through with the pen device so there was no risk they would be found out.
One more thing: To Robert Picardo: My guess is you weren’t born Brent Spiner because that position was already taken. 🙂
Robert Picardo is awesome! My daughter and I met him at a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. He was hanging out in the sellers room. We had a nice chat and got a picture with him along with his autograph.
https://boltbait.com/images/RobertPicardo.jpg
If you’ve never been to a con, I highly recommend it. They are lots of fun.
I left a comment about the movie but seems to have disappeared. 🙁 Anyway, basically I said I liked it and thank you for suggesting the movie.
Oh and also, If you can’t find the post, I suggested “High Seas” to Shinyhula.
Thanks!
I found a butter flavored olive oil which I have been using when broiling tiny steaks in my tiny cast iron pan under the broiler. I must try a smashburger when it cools off. I finally got someone to get my swamp cooler going, but my kitchen is still too hot for stovetop cooking.
I have a bit more time now. Sorry to post again but my first post (in depth) was eaten by wordpress. Anyway, I’m not a fan of “unreliable narration” but I did enjoy the film. I didn’t trust Adrian and I thought the lawyer was hinky. I didn’t see the lawyer as the victim’s mom though. That was a good twist.
I don’t mind the subtitles. I pick up a little of the language and it forces me to pay attention. Otherwise, I’d be playing a game on the ipad. 😉
I agree with Shinyhula about the film noir vibes and gorgeous cinematography. I do suggest she watch “High Seas” or “Alta Mar” is she’s a fan of that. I am.
My hubby had to work late and I did catch “The Green Room”. Wowza!
Please keep the suggestions coming. I enjoyed both movies. Thanks!
I thought Kenneth Biller writing and Robert Picardo delivering the line ‘…this EMH will end up with the intellectual capacity of a parsnip.’ was perhaps the best Star Trek has ever come up with. I use it all the time to describe some.