Men (2022)

[Winston T. Boogie]

Title: Men (2022)

Tagline: What haunts you will find you.

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Director: Alex Garland

Cast: Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear, Paapa Essiedu

Release: 2022-05-20

Plot: In the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Harper retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to find a place to heal. But someone or something from the surrounding woods appears to be stalking her. What begins as simmering dread becomes a fully-formed nightmare, inhabited by her darkest memories and fears.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I'm a huge fan of Mr. Garland and loved Annihilation which, to me, was a fantastic science fiction film. Really looking forward to this.

How would you rate this trailer? It really tells you nothing except that the film is quite mysterious? Personally, I like that.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I would guess this being an A24 release it will get a theatrical release of some kind.

 

[Alex...]

 

[TravisR]

How would you rate this trailer? It really tells you nothing except that the film is quite mysterious? Personally, I like that.

Yeah, I saw this on X over the weekend and thought it was a great trailer in catching my attention but it probably doesn't do anything for a more mainstream audience member. Then again, I guess the vast majority of those folks aren't coming to see it no matter what the trailer is like so they might as well make it cool instead.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Yeah, I saw this on X over the weekend and thought it was a great trailer in catching my attention but it probably doesn't do anything for a more mainstream audience member. Then again, I guess the vast majority of those folks aren't coming to see it no matter what the trailer is like so they might as well make it cool instead.

I'm a big fan of Alex Garland. So, really looking forward to this. I thought his last picture, Annihilation, was a sci-fi masterpiece. He is an outstanding writer and I am curious as to what he has cooked up for Men. I believe he already has his next feature underway.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Here is the full trailer by the way....

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I like this interview with Alex. It contains nothing about this current film, he just talks about how he enjoys the collaboration of filmmaking.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I skimmed a review of this film from one of the trades before seeing it tonight, and the reviewer wrote something like, “American audiences are not prepared for this kind of an ending”.

A24 should’ve put that on the poster!

This is a film that defies categorization, and one that features incredible performances from the cast. Alex Garland as writer/director is more fully exploring the less narrative, more visual territory he ventured into at the end of “Annihilation.”

Though it’s not really in any way similar, I’d almost say watching “Men” is a bit like watching “A Clockwork Orange” in that you’re seeing some very high quality unique and intellectual filmmaking, but it’s not exactly fun or easy to watch. I found it entirely worthwhile and yet I cannot imagine needing to see it again. I know that doesn’t sound like a recommendation but it is.

 

[Josh Dial]

I watched it as well tonight. I thought it was excellent. Very Garland--especially the final 20 minutes. But also a bit more Cronenberg than we've seen before (in a good way). Not to diminish Garland's work here, as it's a Garland move though and through.

I'll watch this again. Maybe even put it in the "every few years I'm in the mood for bunch of fucked up psychological thrillers" movie rotation. Hopefully it gets a nice physical release.

 

[TravisR]

I skimmed a review of this film from one of the trades before seeing it tonight, and the reviewer wrote something like, “American audiences are not prepared for this kind of an ending”.

I could be wrong but I can't imagine any country's audiences are prepared for an ending like that. I saw it yesterday morning and I couldn't believe that that movie would be playing in a chain movie theater. It delights me to no end that there are people that are going to walk into a theater this weekend thinking that it's a usual horror movie that you'd see in a multiplex and they are going to get something that is definitely not your average movie.

For its originality and shock value and quality of filmmaking and just to support something different, Men must be seen by adults that have more adventurous tastes in movies.

I'm not sure I can pull it off but I'm trying to get a friend to see it with me this weekend. I fully expect her to never talk to me again afterward.

 

[Josh Dial]

I experienced a true movie-going miracle at my viewing. The audience was a curious blend of about equal numbers Gen Z, Millennials, and Boomers. My spouse and I filled in the Gen-X quotient, but we were probably the least represented "generation". Anyway, nobody talked, nobody used their phone, everyone ate quietly or not at all during the tense moments, and nobody walked out early. I'd say about 50% of the theatre stayed to watch the credits, and a few of those stayed behind to talk to the theatre staff about what they liked about the movie.

The most unbelievable thing about this movie was how nice it was at the theatre!

 

[Jake Lipson]

How jumpy is this movie? I've written before on the forum that I really have trouble with jump scares, which is why I generally avoid horror films. I loved Ex Machina, which only made me jump once in the whole movie, but of course that was more sci-fi than horror.

I was strongly advised to avoid Annihilation because of frequent jump scares. I would never tell Alex Garland what kind of movie to make, and if he wants to make jumpy horror films, he should do that. But if it is extremely jumpy, that would make it impossible for me to enjoy comfortably and means I should not go.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

How jumpy is this movie?

I was actually thinking of you watching the movie but I wasn’t sure if this was on your radar.

Here’s the unusual thing about this movie: there really aren’t jump scares, but the structuring and mood of the film always has it feeling like there’s going to be one right around the corner. I felt so much tension watching the movie (not a complaint, it seemed clear that was the point) and I kept waiting and waiting for that jump scare but it didn’t come.

I would almost say that you might wanna wait to watch it at home where you’re not surrounded by speakers you have no control over. Even if the jump scare never actually comes, feeling like it might happen at any second might be an uncomfortable experience.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I was actually thinking of you watching the movie but I wasn’t sure if this was on your radar.

Garland's involvement put it on my radar to an extent. But because he often works in horror, I feel like I need to be informed before going into one of his films. So I wasn't actively making plans to see it this weekend or anything until I knew more.

I would almost say that you might wanna wait to watch it at home where you’re not surrounded by speakers you have no control over. Even if the jump scare never actually comes, feeling like it might happen at any second might be an uncomfortable experience.

Thank you. That sounds like a good idea.

 

[JoeStemme]

I can certainly see why this got a D+ on Cinemascore. Didn't care for it either. My reasons are purely about the drama, not because it wasn't "what I was expecting" or it was "too gory" or "nasty" as the majority of folks who didn't like it.
Fuller review to follow.

 

[TravisR]

I can certainly see why this got a D+ on Cinemascore.

That's much higher than I expected.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I can certainly see why this got a D+ on Cinemascore. Didn't care for it either. My reasons are purely about the drama, not because it wasn't "what I was expecting" or it was "too gory" or "nasty" as the majority of folks who didn't like it.
Fuller review to follow.

Yeah, I think the prediction on this was it would get an F so, D+ is probably a good thing. I love Garland, think he is a very talented filmmaker that deserves attention but I understand he is not really making pictures that will have mass appeal. I believe he is already in production on his next picture, Civil War, so this is good. I do think Men is meant to be divisive so really the best possible result in terms of a Cinemascore on it would have realistically been a C. So, if you think about it, D+ is not far off from outstanding.

 

[TravisR]

So, if you think about it, D+ is not far off from outstanding.

That should be gibberish but you're absolutely correct.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

That should be gibberish but you're absolutely correct.

Ha, yes it should be gibberish but this is just how things are. If you are making a film where you are not thinking about things like Cinemascore or that you have to follow a formula or fit an algorithm and you know your material is strange, metaphorical, intense, and potentially off-putting, well, your A rating or highest potential rating, really becomes a C. You will have plenty of people that watch your picture and say "Awful, hated it. Terrible!" and so now you start with that calculated in so that your best overall score to set as a goal will be a C. You can only get to that score if a decent portion of the audience loves your picture.

So, on a picture like Men, or Mother!, or anything that is not a franchise picture or something attempting to pander, you have to expect a C grade is a good grade when you balance out all the grades.

In reality, this division is a good thing. It means that you are doing what you set out to do. You challenge your audience, put them in a position where they are thinking about what you did and so part of them will conclude they did not like it, or did not understand it, or just were bored because they never connected with it.

If you are not aiming for the middle of the road and the widest possible appeal, you won't get that. If your picture is more than just entertainment and it is asking something else from the audience...well...probably half the audience today will reject that.

So, a D+ is really a decent enough landing spot. It also sort of indicates that the picture might find its audience over time. Because a D+ means that there were audience members that did really like it and that did engage with it. This means that there are likely more people out there that will engage with it over time.