QUICK TAKES: The End of Oak Street; Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma; and The Samurai and the Prisoner
by Josh Sewell
The End of Oak Street
(Rated PG-13 for some strong violent content, bloody images, some strong language and suggestive material. Opens in theaters on August 14.)
The premise: After a mysterious event transports Oak Street from suburbia into a prehistoric world, the Platt family (Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella and Christian Convery) realizes survival depends on sticking together as they navigate their new surroundings.
The verdict: This genre-defying adventure from writer/director David Robert Mitchell is a lot of fun in the moment thanks to melodramatic, almost cartoonish performances by Hathaway and McGregor, who both seem to understand the kind of movie they’re making. There’s also some genuinely cool dinosaur action that makes The End of Oak Street better than the last four or five Jurassic Park flicks. For viewers who don’t mind cinematic junk food, it works just fine.
However, for weirdos like me who think deeper about films so I can write about them, it falls apart fast. There are a ton of logical inconsistencies in Mitchell’s screenplay, and he never quite settles on a tone, making it feel like a bunch of different movies struggling for dominance.
It’s too brutal and violent to be a true family film (what Michael Giacchino’s score suggests), but it’s also too silly and nonsensical to work as a straight thriller. That includes a hilariously bizarre dino mating scene that the family treats as a photo op. I noticed a lot of people in my screening laughing at supposedly serious moments (including the death of a main character) and the fairy tale-level exposition that attempts to explain plot devices. It’s also hobbled by an odd ending that wipes out any of the story’s stakes.
The flick mostly feels like an old episode of The Twilight Zone (a show I love, don’t get me wrong). Unfortunately, Mitchell doesn’t do enough setup to get the audience on that wavelength of heightened sci-fi. Plus, 95 minutes is a lot longer than a half-hour; that’s plenty of time for the premise to fall apart.
Grade: C
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
(Rated R for bloody violence, gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language. Opens in select theaters on August 14.)
The premise: After years of lame sequels with diminishing returns, enthusiastic young director Kris (Hannah Einbinder) wants to revive the Camp Miasma slasher franchise with a modern sensibility. But when she visits the original film’s star (Gillian Anderson), now a recluse living on the abandoned campground set, the two women fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear and delirium.
The verdict: While I admired the style and ambition of writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s previous film, I Saw the TV Glow, it ultimately left me cold. That’s definitely not the case with the filmmaker’s follow up, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. It’s a beautiful, bloody, sensual and downright weird homage to 1980s slasher flicks, as well as a metacommentary on how the genre influenced (and messed up?) an entire generation of pop culture nerds.
First off, apologies to Einbinder – I wasn’t familiar with your game. Because I’m so far behind on TV, I haven’t seen the actress’ breakthrough work on HBO’s Hacks. Her performance here will rectify that, however. She’s funny, sexy and engaging as the director who finds a new joy in life thanks to her desire to cast the franchise’s first final girl. Her chemistry with The X-Files legend Anderson (phenomenal, as always) is scorching and carries the film through some of its shaggier patches.
While it won’t be for everyone, Camp Miasma is strange, humorous and always watchable. I’m hoping it opens doors to more opportunities for Einbinder and a way overdue comeback for Anderson.
Grade: A-
The Samurai and the Prisoner
(Not rated but contains violence and thematic elements. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: In 1500s Japan, Lord Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against a tyrannical oppressor. Soon after, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court. With Oda’s army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige must uncover the truth before it’s too late.
The verdict: The latest from writer-director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (based on Honobu Yonezawa’s novel) is a surprising departure from his usual horror/thriller fare like Pulse and Cloud. Still, The Samurai and the Prisoner is an interesting, if ultimately repetitive, watch.
The premise is procedural in nature, as if Law and Order took place in 16th century Japan. But just like every episode of that series (and countless others like it) adheres to the same basic template, so does this film.
Each half hour or so, the same thing happens again: a crime is committed, Murashige tries to solve it, he comes up short, and then he converses with the titular prisoner (Maskai Suda) who leads him to the answer Hannibal Lecter-style. It makes the movie feel overlong and wheel-spinning at times, and it also makes Murashige look foolish for not realizing what’s ultimately going on in his kingdom.
The performances keep the film watchable, as does Yasuyuki Sasaki’s cinematography (it’s a truly gorgeous film) and Yoshihiro Hanno’s melancholy score. The drama is currently playing in limited release – the only semi-local theater showing it is the Tara in Atlanta – but fans of international cinema should keep it on their radar when it hits streaming.
Grade: B
(Rated PG-13 for some strong violent content, bloody images, some strong language and suggestive material. Opens in theaters on August 14.)
The premise: After a mysterious event transports Oak Street from suburbia into a prehistoric world, the Platt family (Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella and Christian Convery) realizes survival depends on sticking together as they navigate their new surroundings.
The verdict: This genre-defying adventure from writer/director David Robert Mitchell is a lot of fun in the moment thanks to melodramatic, almost cartoonish performances by Hathaway and McGregor, who both seem to understand the kind of movie they’re making. There’s also some genuinely cool dinosaur action that makes The End of Oak Street better than the last four or five Jurassic Park flicks. For viewers who don’t mind cinematic junk food, it works just fine.
However, for weirdos like me who think deeper about films so I can write about them, it falls apart fast. There are a ton of logical inconsistencies in Mitchell’s screenplay, and he never quite settles on a tone, making it feel like a bunch of different movies struggling for dominance.
It’s too brutal and violent to be a true family film (what Michael Giacchino’s score suggests), but it’s also too silly and nonsensical to work as a straight thriller. That includes a hilariously bizarre dino mating scene that the family treats as a photo op. I noticed a lot of people in my screening laughing at supposedly serious moments (including the death of a main character) and the fairy tale-level exposition that attempts to explain plot devices. It’s also hobbled by an odd ending that wipes out any of the story’s stakes.
The flick mostly feels like an old episode of The Twilight Zone (a show I love, don’t get me wrong). Unfortunately, Mitchell doesn’t do enough setup to get the audience on that wavelength of heightened sci-fi. Plus, 95 minutes is a lot longer than a half-hour; that’s plenty of time for the premise to fall apart.
Grade: C
(Rated R for bloody violence, gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language. Opens in select theaters on August 14.)
The premise: After years of lame sequels with diminishing returns, enthusiastic young director Kris (Hannah Einbinder) wants to revive the Camp Miasma slasher franchise with a modern sensibility. But when she visits the original film’s star (Gillian Anderson), now a recluse living on the abandoned campground set, the two women fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear and delirium.
The verdict: While I admired the style and ambition of writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s previous film, I Saw the TV Glow, it ultimately left me cold. That’s definitely not the case with the filmmaker’s follow up, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. It’s a beautiful, bloody, sensual and downright weird homage to 1980s slasher flicks, as well as a metacommentary on how the genre influenced (and messed up?) an entire generation of pop culture nerds.
First off, apologies to Einbinder – I wasn’t familiar with your game. Because I’m so far behind on TV, I haven’t seen the actress’ breakthrough work on HBO’s Hacks. Her performance here will rectify that, however. She’s funny, sexy and engaging as the director who finds a new joy in life thanks to her desire to cast the franchise’s first final girl. Her chemistry with The X-Files legend Anderson (phenomenal, as always) is scorching and carries the film through some of its shaggier patches.
While it won’t be for everyone, Camp Miasma is strange, humorous and always watchable. I’m hoping it opens doors to more opportunities for Einbinder and a way overdue comeback for Anderson.
Grade: A-
(Not rated but contains violence and thematic elements. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: In 1500s Japan, Lord Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against a tyrannical oppressor. Soon after, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court. With Oda’s army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige must uncover the truth before it’s too late.
The verdict: The latest from writer-director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (based on Honobu Yonezawa’s novel) is a surprising departure from his usual horror/thriller fare like Pulse and Cloud. Still, The Samurai and the Prisoner is an interesting, if ultimately repetitive, watch.
The premise is procedural in nature, as if Law and Order took place in 16th century Japan. But just like every episode of that series (and countless others like it) adheres to the same basic template, so does this film.
Each half hour or so, the same thing happens again: a crime is committed, Murashige tries to solve it, he comes up short, and then he converses with the titular prisoner (Maskai Suda) who leads him to the answer Hannibal Lecter-style. It makes the movie feel overlong and wheel-spinning at times, and it also makes Murashige look foolish for not realizing what’s ultimately going on in his kingdom.
The performances keep the film watchable, as does Yasuyuki Sasaki’s cinematography (it’s a truly gorgeous film) and Yoshihiro Hanno’s melancholy score. The drama is currently playing in limited release – the only semi-local theater showing it is the Tara in Atlanta – but fans of international cinema should keep it on their radar when it hits streaming.
Grade: B
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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