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Red Rocket
USA 2021
produced by Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, Alex Saks, Shih-Ching Tsou, Glen Basner (executive), Ben Browning (executive), Alison Cohen (executive), Milan Popelka (executive), Jackie Shenoo (executive) for Cre Film, FilmNation Entertainment
directed by Sean Baker
starring Simon Rex, Suzanna Son, Bree Elrod, Brenda Deiss, Ethan Darbone, Judy Hill, Brittney Rodriguez, Sam EidsonVicky, Brandon Lott, Marlon Lambert, Lindsey Fuller, Parker Bigham, Najeeb Hassan, Elisa Silva, Sam QuanNico, Anthony Carvelli, Nate Venz, Gary Fuller, Allison Fuller, Brandy Kirl, Sam Pietrowicz, Alayna Polk, Bashir Abboud, Darinda Fuller, Dustin Hart, David Maxwell, Zachary Kemp, Andrew Carter, Stanley Buffington, Daniel Gonzalez, Shawn Harper, Karren Karagulian
written by Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Mikey (Simon Rex) looks back at an almost two decades career in porn,
and he still looks good for his age - but then he got chased out of LA for
crossing the wrong people, and with nowhere else to go he returns to his
ex (and actually technically still wife) Lexi (Bree Elrod), to move in
with her and her mother Lil (Brenda Deiss) in their Texan home - not that
either of them is very happy about this development, and if they let him
into their house at all, it's out of pity rather than actual affection.
But once in, Lexi and Lil have the hardest time to get him out again, and
thus force him to get a job to pay rent - and after being turned down by
any legal business in town, he becomes a drug pusher for Leondria (Judy
Hill), and the mere fact that he pays not only his but also their rent for
the whole month opens up their hearts a bit. Eventually, Lexi even lets
him into her bed again - but again, less out of affection and more for
sexual recreation. And then, Mikey meets Strawberry (Suzanna Son), 17-year
old salesgirl at the local donut shop, and he feels drawn to her
immediately, being turned on by her intriguing mix of innocence and
open-mindedness - and it doesn't take her long to fall for him neither,
especially since his man-of-the-world attitude stands in stark contrast to
the oil miners she usually serves at the donut place. So soon they become
a couple, if behind Lexi's back, and she's thrilled when she hears Mikey
wants to take her to Hollywood. But the one thing Strawberry doesn't know
is that Mikey sees her less as his girlfriend and more as a girl to break
into porn and then live off her income - just like he did with Lexi when
he first met her. And his plan might have worked even, it's just that
Mikey had his hands in too many things for one not to blow up eventually
... A very nice movie that manages to build a comedic narrative
on its not all that funny plot and bases most of its humour on reality,
and on its down-to-earth characters and situations they're getting
themselves into for being themselves. And through all of this, the movie
stays believable, and likewise the main character Mikey stays relatable,
even if he's a total sleazebag - but he's one for lack of knowing better
and lack of opportunities to prove himself otherwise. And a subtle yet
on-point directorial effort and a strong and likeable key cast (composed
of mostly first-timers) make this a really enjoyable film.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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