We explore a couple of odd new releases and help you decide if Netflix’s “Umma” and the foreign VOD release “NR. 10” are worth your time.
Umma
EPISODE SUMMARY
For better and worse, Regina returns after some schooling. It is great to have her back, but this week’s films may not be the best to come back to. We talk about a horror movie on Netflix that has some great performances and little else and a Dutch thriller that takes one of the most most nonsensical turns of the year.
ABOUT THE EPISODE:
As the year comes to an end, there is little in the way of movie news. This gives us the chance to talk about some of the films we are looking forward to seeing next year, including a few things based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a Child’s Play movie for the younger generation, and the next installment in the Evil Dead franchise. Plus, we lose interest in a movie about a drugged up bear.
Umma seems like it is going to be a movie that deals with generational trauma, mother-daughter relationships, and Korean folklore.
It barely does the first two while paying lip service to the third. The cast all do a fantastic job, but is it enough to save a story that seems to have no interest in engaging the audience?
We have reviewed a few movies this year that have started off one way before taking a dramatic turn and becoming something else. None of them have done a particularly good job at it.
Our featured film, NR. 10, is the latest to attempt it.
NR. 10
The plot follows Gunter, a man who was orphaned as a child. One day, a man whispers something in his ear and changes Gunter’s life.
This type of setup has been used for decades in cinema, and can often be a fun story filled with mystery and shocking revelations. Initially, it works here, as the twisting narrative involves a number of not quite shady characters living mundane lives. There is intrigue and betrayal, and you never know what is going to happen next.
That is certainly the case with the twist here as there is no way anyone can seeing it coming. It has no connection to the rest of the movie. As a matter of fact, the rest of NR. 10does not even factor into anything in the third act.
It definitely caught us off-guard, but did we enjoy it?
You can watch Umma on Netflix and rent NR. 10 on VOD.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Last week, we celebrated our 200th anniversary with a couple of retro reviews — including the best and creepiest Jaws rip-off ever — and a fantastic interview with dynamic filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
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