“In the Shadow of the Moon” Movie Review

    I am pretty sure it isn’t much of a shock to say a good chunk of Netflix films aren’t particularly good since a lot of their original films are obtained just for content rather than quality.  Still, I always hope I find the rare gem among the bulk of forgettable films dumped on the streaming service.  After reading the description of “In the Shadow of the Moon” and seeing the cast, I had high hopes that this film might possibly be one of those rare gems but there was only one way for me to find out so I started watching it and ended up wanting to discuss this film more than I thought I would.

    The film starts off in 1988 and follows Officers Lockhart and Maddox as they discover a possible link between a few strange deaths one night.  When the toxicology report seemingly can’t identify the chemical that caused their deaths and all the victims having the same pattern mark on their necks, the police department officially declares the deceased to be murder victims and quickly gets a lead on the killer.  After Officers Lockhart and Maddox happen upon the suspect and give chase, only Lockhart is able to keep up as she tries to escape at a train station.  After Lockhart attempts to detain the mysterious woman, she jumps in front of a train and kills herself.  Nine years later, the police department gets a tip on a copycat killer and Detectives Lockhart and Maddox now take point on the case.  When Lockhart confronts the copycat, his world is turned upside down when he discovers that the copycat killer isn’t a copycat at all, she is the same killer who committed suicide nine years earlier.  Lockhart must now discover how any of this is possible while trying to catch this murderer all over again.

    Needless to say, the premise of this film is super interesting so it is easy to see how it got me hooked.  Perhaps I should have thought logically and wondered why it wasn’t picked up by a major studio because it unfortunately didn’t turn out too good despite an interesting premise.  To be fair, I feel like it would be near impossible for any film to live up to the story set up in the film.

    ::Possible Spoilers::  This film deals with time travel (which I am sure is easy to guess) and the film has a lot of tonal issues as a result.  The film tries too hard to stay a police drama even after the element of time travel is thrown in.  It is difficult to balance the science fiction elements of the story when the movie tries so hard to be taken seriously.  I know the filmmakers probably hoped that the heightened drama would make the time travel ‘twist’ more shocking, but time travel is sort of setup from the first scene so I am not exactly sure what the filmmakers were thinking on that front.  The film was just executed poorly in my opinion which is a shame because it had a lot of potential.

    The film sometimes looked very beautiful with interesting camera angles and mesmerizingly shot scenes.  Then there are other times the film has a very made for television feel.  Much like the Netflix film “The Dirt”, it feels as if the production ran low on (or out of) money as the film neared the end of it’s production.

    The movie was carried by Boyd Holbrook and he did a pretty good job with what he was given.  I have never been a huge Holbrook fan but if this movie is successful of anything, it succeeded in making me realize how gifted Boyd Holbrook can be as an actor.  I have to admit I was disappointed by Michael C. Hall in the movie.  I loved his work in “Dexter” and “Six Feet Under” but felt like he was completely wasted in this film.  I hope he at least got a decent check.

    This film proved to ultimately be disappointing but no worse than a lot of other Netflix ‘originals’.  It is just a shame this film turned out to be so forgettable despite it potential.

Grade: D

“The Dirt” Movie Review

    Over the past few years, biopics centering around influential musical artists have been all the rage.  There have been several excellent films detailing the struggles and pitfalls musicians go through during their rise to fame.  Perhaps one of the most interesting bands who could receive a movie is that of Mötley Crüe and thanks to “The Dirt”, they finally have their story told in a film.  Unlike some other recent biopics, “The Dirt” was met with negative reviews but I always keep an open mind because some of my favorite movies have been slammed by professional critics.

    The film tells the origins of the band Mötley Crüe primarily through the eyes of band member Nikki Sixx.  Sixx was able to free himself from an abusive childhood and reinvent himself through music.  Sixx recruits drummer Tommy Lee (though Lee sort of recruits himself) and the pair seek out the musicians who will complete their newly formed band.  Mick Mars auditions as the guitarist and the pair immediately recognize he has the musical style they are looking for.  Lastly, the trio convene Vince Neil to become their lead vocalist and Mötley Crüe was born.  Each member experiences ups and downs but the film mainly focuses on the effect fame had on Nikki Sixx.

    I think I should start by stating I am not a  fan of Mötley Crüe.  I do not hate the group, but I never got into them.  I was interested in this biopic regardless and some of my favorite biopics involve figures I am not a fan of.  It is hard to ignore the cultural impact Mötley Crüe had on popular culture.  They were the bad boys of rock both on and off stage.  I was eager to see how this film would approach their rocky and controversial career.

    “The Dirt” was based on the novel “The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band” written by Mötley Crüe and Neil Strauss.  Unfortunately this movie seems to almost glorify the group’s misbehavior rather than detailing how their actions had a negative effect on their careers and personal lives.  The glorification of bad deeds is what separates this movie from films like “Rocketman” or “Bohemian Rhapsody” where a deeper meaning was realized by the musicians.  Sometimes seeing men behave badly can be fun to watch, but it also makes for a shallow movie going experience.

    The film itself was a bit all over the place.  There are elements of the movie that you could tell they spared no expense and felt very cinematic.  Then something silly like a wig or set dressing looked very cheap and caused the film to feel like a made for television movie.  It makes for a very bizarre viewing experience overall.

    Perhaps no element of “The Dirt” varies more than the acting.  Most of the cast deliver respectable performances and I would go as far to say that Iwan Rheon delivered a great and memorable performance.  This brings me to the subject of Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelly as Tommy Lee and my dislike of his performance.  Now, I think Baker has some potential as an actor but I just didn’t think he meshed well with the rest of the cast.  I don’t think Baker gave the worst performance in the film however, that dishonor befalls Pete Davidson.  Davidson largely comes off uncharismatic and unlikable.  I haven’t seen his work on “Saturday Night Live” but I very much hope he has more personality on that show.

    While I didn’t adore “The Dirt” (and the title certainly lends itself to negative reviews), it wasn’t horrible either and was somewhat of a mixed bag.  If you already have Netflix, it certainly isn’t the worst they have to offer and doesn’t cost anything else to watch.  I will say that I have a feeling you might enjoy this film better if you adore Mötley Crüe.  Sadly, I am not among their fanbase.

Grade: C