Thats about all you need to know. The film is basically one extended shootout sequence with the occasional diversion for a purely stylish interlude of silhouettes against the Italian sky that play out somewhat like a Greek chorus physically commenting on the action. And, oh, the action. It is constant zooms and fast cuts and shots and screams and so on and so on. Its so stylish that you wont really care that its hollow but this is the definition of a Your Mileage May Vary movie. If this is your thing, if you loved their previous movies, dont miss one. If you see film more as a storytelling vehicle than a visual medium, avoid it. Im somewhere in between, undeniably impressed by the craft here but left a little cold by the repetitive, overwhelming style. A totally different kind of exercise in style plays out in Mom and Dad, directed by half of the Crank team of NeveldineTaylor, Brian Taylor, and starring Selma Blair and Nicolas Cage. The concept here is brilliantly simple, and those of you who cant get enough of Gonzo Cage will get about 5 6 minutes of what you live for, but this kind of feels like half a movie and only half of that is any good. It kind of feels like every single stage of production here needed a bit more time and effort. Its close in every way. Beef up the script a bit. Direct the cast, especially the young actors, a bit more. Work on the haphazard editing. Polish the sound design. Every element is just about halfway there. Advertisement. The concept reminded me of Cooties in the How Has That Not Been Done Yet department. One day, with no warning or explanation, parents start killing their children. A woman leaves her kid in the car on a train track. Parents show up at school to murder their offspring. The disconnect between parents and kids is fertile ground for horror, but theres just not quite enough to Mom and Dad. Cage and Blair are good, especially the latter, who feels like she should have gotten a network drama like a Shondaland show or part of the NBC Chicago Universe by now. But the film is choppy and incomplete. In fact, the short that preceded it, the brilliant Great Choice, starring Carrie Coon as a woman literally stuck in a looping 8. Red Lobster commercial, was more satisfying in every way. Its hysterical and kind of terrifyingI wish I could say both things about Mom and Dad. And heres where we get to my least favorite part of the Midnight Madness experiencethe definite misses. Two of my least favorite films of the festival unfolded late in the late night program. As there seems to be little point in coming down hard on genre entries that didnt even premiere until most people left Toronto, Ill be brief. Ryuhei Kitamuras Downrange sees the director of Versus and Midnight Meat Train saddled with an inexperienced cast, a tin ear for dialogue, and a thin premise. A group of college kids get trapped on an isolated road by a random sniper. They scream at each other with dialogue that doesnt soon like actual people and the movie plods forward until Kitamura finally unleashes some insanity in the final reel. Its too little, too late. More ambitious but also frustrating is Seth Smiths The Crescent, a film that the program compares to the work of David Cronenberg and David Lynch but it doesnt really work enough to merit either name drop. Danika Vandersteen plays a woman who travels to an isolated house with her two year old son after the death of her husband. For too long, The Crescent plays out like your neighbors home moviesthey play on the beach and walk through the house while ominous music designed to build tension blares. Is the idea that the normalcy after grief is horrific It is no energy, no rhythm, and no atmosphere, unless you think paint swirls and cellos are terrifying. Advertisement. Next Article TIFF 2. Lady Bird, Woman Walks Ahead, MarrowbonePrevious Article TIFF 2. The Day After, Prototype, Zama, Let the Corpses TanPopular Blog Posts. A special edition of Thumbnails detailing the recent sexual harassment cases in the entertainment and tech industries. On the newest horror film to enter the Criterion Collection and others you should pick up. A look at the career of Willem Dafoe. Reviews from the New York Film Festival of the latest by Nancy Buirski and Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Reveal Commentscomments powered by.