sci-fi – Reel Film Chronicles

Nope

There are few things as scary as the certainty that so often accompanies our most deeply held beliefs. Well, that and spiders. But mostly humanity’s unfailing confidence in our own most fallacious viewpoints. What does this have to do with Jordan Peele’s latest feature-length film, Nope, you may ask? Well, you devilishly handsome / dazzling beautiful, incredibly perceptive, mysterious, definitely-not-imaginary stranger I didn’t just invent for rhetorical purposes, I’m glad you asked. Like his previous two movies, Peele’s latest offering is a horror movie that explores a plethora of current social issues while at the same time scaring the pants and/or skirts off of audiences. Tackling everything from the more exploitative aspects of the entertainment industry to the struggle against the erasure of black history, Nope offers intelligent social commentary along with its fair share of thrills, spills, and kills, drawing on a broad array of influences, from Akira to Jurassic Park. Join your intrepid hosts as we explore Jordan Peele’s latest entry into the horror pantheon and discover whether he manages to entertain and inspire or whether you should indeed…

Synchronic

Synchronic is no different. Which is to say, it’s very different. But still the same. It’s time travel, so admittedly, there’s going to be some head scratching. The best advice I can give when engaging with any story involving time travel is to quote the late, great Hunter S. Thompson: “Buy the ticket, take the ride…” Synchronic is the fourth feature film from Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, and one of the few movies I was truly looking forward to in 2021 (and in 2020, but the less said about that particular historical period, probably the better). Not just because I’m a sucker for a good time travel film (or even a bad one), but because Moorhead and Benson have established themselves in the indie film circuit as men of a visionary nature and a distinctive voice. I was hooked immediately after watching their debut, Resolution, last year and was similarly impressed/enamoured with their follow-up to their follow-up movie, The Endless, and their just plain follow-up, Spring. Though Resolution and The Endless have roots reaching deep into the fertile soils of both science fiction and horror (I couldn’t help shake the feeling after watching Resolution and The Endless and Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar in the…