Fromt he Stargate vault…
We had the most beautiful sets on Stargate: Universe. Pictured above, the interior alien vessel from “Space” c/o Production Designer James Robbins and our amazing departments (art, construction, paint, lighting, etc.)
Director Andy Mikita talks shop with actor Louis Ferreira (Stargate Universe – “Space”).
Our resident (motion capture) alien chilling between takes (Stargate: Universe – “Space”).
The Crime Club convenes to discuss Bunny Lake is Missing!
Hmmm. They say they don’t make ’em like they used to and, in some cases, that’s a good thing. Bunny Lake is Missing is a prime example. It serves up a great missing child premise but immediately flounders in a dubious investigation and a distraught mother’s bizarrely imbecilic behavior. The fact that she believes the mere existence of a doll she dropped off for repairs will somehow convince the police is beyond bizarre. And speaking of bizarre…
The final twist comes so out of left field that it borders on ludicrous. It honestly felt like they were nearing the end of the movie and the director wondered: “How are we going to get out of this one?”. The writer replied: “I dunno. How about this?”. To which the director shrugged and decided “Well, guess it’s better than nothing.”, and went ahead and shot it.
I mean, how long was the kid lying unconscious in that car trunk? And given that Ann is not at all surprised by brother Steven’s unhinged turn, how could she NOT have suspected he might be the culprit? I mean, is she a total idiot? Or, more likely, she’s just a convenient idiot who only puts together the pieces when the plot requires it?
I thought the direction by notorious on-set jackass Otto Preminger was pretty solid, but I found the heavy score annoyingly whimsical and distracting at times. The performances were all pretty great, but special mention must go to Noel Coward who exquisitely chews up the scenery as the creepy, chihuahua-petting landlord. Also, bonus marks for the out there title of this movie.
Overall, however, it’s a thumbs down from me.
Tomorrow, we take day off to focus on Suji Sunday, but our Crime Club returns on Monday to discuss Palme d’Or nominee and winner for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival: A Touch of Sin.
As a mom, I thought Anne, Bunny’s mom, was lax leaving her kid with the cook. I’m not impressed by the school’s security/supervision either. Every parent fears losing a child. When all of Bunny’s things went missing it from fear to chills.
This film was full of odd characters. DSI Newhouse seemed the most normal. Ms, Ford come across as sweet and eccentric. The landlord was creepy and would have prompted me to change the locks. The brother and sister had a weirdly close relationship. My antenna kept twitching in every scene featuring him. Did you notice Bunny had an English accent? She only spoke a couple of times but still, that was a funny inconsistency.
All in all, I completely agree with your review. Thanks for the laughs! I did enjoy being inside watching a movie because it was melty hot today. 😰 So thanks for giving me an excuse. 😉
Hubs bought himself a couple of friends. He liked the Wilderness Trails almost as much as the Jefferson’s Ocean. https://twitter.com/jertam/status/1294725870486257667?s=21 This pandemic has certainly increased our alcohol tolerance. 😉
Hey Tammy,
Yes, as a mother, I’m sure you would have taken in the movie very differently.
Yes, re: that weirdly close relationship. For the first 20 minutes or so, you naturally assumed they’re married!
The sets were excellent on Stargate Universe, I completely agree. And I completely loved the ship. Destiny was an incredibly well put together ship and though ancient – it was quite amazing. Both Destiny and the Raza were just perfect.
I just finished watching Train to Busan (on your https://josephmallozzi.com/2020/06/06/my-top-10-zombie-movies/ list) and I am not surprised you made it number 1. What a great film. While watching it I often forgot that it was a zombie film because so many scenes were emotionally based rather than action oriented. I won’t say anything more, because I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone. If interested it can be seen at:
https://tubitv.com/movies/520213/train_to_busan_dubbed
or
https://tubitv.com/movies/505794/train_to_busan if you are a native speaker.
The other South Korean film I just love is The Host (https://tubitv.com/movies/438033/the_host)
How do the South Koreans make such great films, with these two stellar examples?
Ten years later I’m going down the rabbit hole again with SGU. How unexpected to stumble across something on the matter that isn’t ancient internet history (pun intended). Thank you for sharing.
I don’t watch enough classic cinema so I thought I’d give this one a try. I agree with your review. Having seen every episode of Midsomer Murders I am well trained in dismissing the quirky characters with obvious motives so the only characters I had left were the mother and the brother. While I briefly entertained the idea that the mother could have been imagining that she had a daughter I didn’t think that was likely so I was pretty sure the brother was the culprit, I just didn’t know the motive.
What was the deal with The Zombies cameos? That was so out of place in a movie like this!
The sudden change in the brother’s behaviour and the mother’s immediate understanding of what was happening was so jarring. I was enjoying the movie up until then. Apparently the culprit and ending is different from the book so maybe the book makes more sense?
Noel Coward was creepy and awesome!
I agree regarding The Zombies. What an out-there cameo.
And, yes, their behavior suddenly took a 180 degree turn in the film’s closing 10 minutes.
I’m curious as to how the bookends.