hey, speaking of fun horror, Get Out way outperformed my expectations of it. Its cleverer, funnier, more entertaining, and a better constructed thriller than what I thought I was going to get going in. Its really more of a slow-burn thriller than a full on horror flick, but that first hour where a pervasive social/racial awkwardness transforms into a creeping dread is just fantastic. I'm very stoked to see where Jordan Peele's directorial career goes next, now that he's made this surprisingly well crafted film in his first at bat.
My Life as a Zucchini is the kind of family film that's probably not actually all that great for actual kids to watch. Its cute and colorful style belies an unflinching acknowledgement of the darkness that leads children to become abandoned or neglected, and the opening scenes seem to be based on a dare as to how messed up you can make a film that's obstinately meant for families to watch (also, lots of almost comprehending talk about sex). But just because its a mature work doesn't mean that its not an eventually uplifting film. The bone-deep sadness and melancholy that nearly all its characters have does give way to connections that they're able to forge, and it also grounds the relationships they do get to have. Its a strange sort of film, one that aspires to some sort of naturalism, that's very humane, while also being extremely stylized. I liked it a lot (except for whomever was chopping onions in the theater, not cool man).
