The House of Snails (2021)
Directed by Macarena Astorga
In this interesting approach to werewolf mythology, director Macarena Astorga uses more old-world mythology and superstition than full moons and silver bullets to blur the lines between truth and fantasy. Set in and around a rural Spanish town in the 1970s, The House of Snails offers plenty of unique creeps while still holding firm to tried and true genre norms (small secretive communities, creepy children, wolf motifs, etc.), but undoes itself somewhat with a twist ending that doesn’t quite add up. However, up until its jarring conclusion, The House of Snails works reasonably well, with likable characters (notably Javier Rey as Antonio, the author who sets the story in motion, and Paz Vega as Berta, who knows more about the town’s history and inhabitants than she’s letting on) and a built-in folkloric ghost story that will keep you guessing right up until the mystery is (sort of) revealed. Fans looking for the savagery and gore of classic werewolf tales may find themselves marginally disappointed, but the sheer oddity of the overall production may ease that feeling well enough.
Screened as part of The Daily Orca’s coverage of the 57th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
The Beta Test (2021)
Directed by Jim Cummings
While I can understand the appeal The Beta Test may have for some, I found it mostly off-putting and haphazard. Director and star Jim Cummings makes a noble attempt at meshing the often contrasting erotic thriller and comedy genres, but the disparities of the two prove too much for one movie – that is to say, prove too much for this movie. Cummings’ frenetic performance as the guilt-ridden small-potatoes Hollywood agent is often funny, but doesn’t quite jibe with the more serious areas The Beta Test finds itself wandering into. There are certainly a number of compelling themes buried somewhere in its runtime (infidelity, algorithms, free will, etc.), but none are given the time necessary to be fully realized, making The Beta Test a mishmash of ideas rather than a complete thought.
The Courier (2021)
Directed by Dominic Cooke
Based on the real-life 1960s intelligence campaign carried out by MI6 and the CIA, The Courier is a slightly above-average espionage story that, at one turn offers more than similar films, and at another fails to ultimately wow. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as British businessman Greville Wynne and Merab Ninidze as Oleg Penkovsky, the Russian informant feeding him Soviet state secrets, director Dominic Cooke makes good use of the relationship between these two men from different worlds by analyzing their commonalities rather than their differences, and showing each as earnest men stuck in extremely unenviable situations rather than as flashy super-spies. These are small men doing big things, and from a historical standpoint, Cooke mostly does them justice with generous help from the talented performers, which includes the always wonderful Jessie Buckley as Greville’s long-suffering wife. The downside comes as the rather lengthy epilogue is drawn out for too long, causing a sharp turn in tone that feels like a completely different movie. However, as a sucker for Cold War era espionage stories, I can still certainly find a place for The Courier to fit into the pantheon, even if it is not exactly mind-blowing.
James is a writer, skateboarder, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.