Most horror flicks live in the tight confines of a long night, or 24 hours, or a weekend. There’s significant passage of time in “Gone in the Night” (2022), which is both interesting and annoying. Interesting, because it hints there might be an actual story beyond the gory instant gratification of typical horror. Annoying because we keep jumping between the present and flashbacks, which is cliche camouflage that the actual story sucks. Middle-aged Winona Ryder, confronted with her mousy, mediocre existence and a twisted alternative, must find a solution to the ultimate dilemma. We’re left wondering, and rolling our eyes.
Archives for posts with tag: Dermot Mulroney
For most of “Sleepless” (2017), I was on the edge of my seat. Partially because of the tense action surrounding crooked cops and a Vegas drug deal gone bad. Mostly because I couldn’t hear the clenched-jaw mumblings of Jamie Foxx and his cast of mush-mouthed costars. It wasn’t me. I’m old, but I don’t listen to Fox News all day with the sound turned up to 11. This was the worst dialogue sound of any movie I’ve seen recently. There are also way too many plot elements straight out of “How to Write a Modern Hollywood Action Script, Vol. I.”