benston

This old woman has heard every storyline and sleeps through most movies. But not this one. This one shook me wide awake. It's just the right movie for our increasingly weird times. It highlights the craziness of trying to navigate through a mad world where everyone is suffering some form of societal-induced insanity.

Every performance is a standout, and every character is so well written. I was particularly impressed by Jeremy Davies. He's always great, but he really gave this one his all. He somehow makes us identify and really feel for this pyromaniac conspiracy theorist. I'm easily drawn into seeing the world through his perspective.

Taryn Manning, who plays his wife, is the perfect counterpoint to his character. I fell in love with this couple and found myself rooting for them the whole time. His trans granny is the most loveable shotgun-wielding drug dealer you'll ever see on the screen.

Even the "bad" guy is completely sympathetic. You understand how/why he makes those bad decisions and I couldn't really fault him given his back story.

That leads me to the director/writer. I had never heard of Gerlad Brunskill before, and it looks like he's only done a little bit of directing. I sure hope he continues on this path, because I'll remain on the lookout for anything he does going forward. He wrote a great story and elicited some amazing performances. Brilliant stuff!

My husband couldn't sleep after watching it because there's so much to process and he woke up wanting to talk about it. Interestingly, it left him feeling rather sad/depressed at the end. However, I didn't feel that way at all. I was left feeling much more hopeful...and I'm the pessimist in this relationship. Go figure.

I don't think this movie is for everyone, but for those who love great performances and deep dives into human psychology, definitely put this on your watch list.

This movie was so incredibly nostalgic for me. Although I was one year old when this movie took place, I moved to Houston in 1974 and every single thing was perfectly described. Despite the location, I think any American that grew up during the Space Race / Cold War will find this movie relatable. Like, we all knew it was stupid to hide under a desk during a nuclear attack.

My childhood tracked closer to Boyhood, or Girlhood in my case, but this movie was so spot on. Most of my friends came from huge Catholic or Jewish families, so the sibling interactions shown in this film are extremely relatable.

Like most kids of that era, I was completely absorbed by all things associated with space. Back then a kid could actually tour Mission Control. I did and it was awesome. And, yes, we really thought we'd be living in space by now and I'm still waiting for my Jetson's style plane/car. I'm looking at you, drone makers.

I love the fictional story weaved into what appears to be Linklater's love letter to his own childhood. My imagination also had me thinking I was walking across the moon's surface with Armstrong. Linklater must have kept incredible journals or have a perfect memory to capture such detail. I'm glad he captured this because I have neither and appreciate being able to just reference this movie to remember my own childhood.

Interestingly, Houston's complete embrace of being a modern city with the idea that "everything's gotta be new, pave over it all and cover it with astroturf or cement" has now given way to new modern thinking and much of that has or is being replaced with green space. Yet, somehow Linklater made me feel nostalgic for god awful astroturf. I'm already over it though.

While there were some unbelievably amazing people they helped throughout this season, this hero was my personal favorite. What he is doing for his community is so important and so giving, you simply can't prevent the waterworks you'll experience watching.