On this episode of Adjust Your Tracking, Joe and I discuss the coming-of-age indie thriller “Super Dark Times” for our main review. The film, though set in the mid-nineties, may very well have the most apt title for our insane/bewildering real-life present. Our original review from Rotterdam found it to be something of a solid calling card for debut feature filmmaker Kevin Phillips, if not a wholly successful effort.
On the podcast, we certainly agree that it’s “impressive in its restrained period detail, excellent camera work and committed, convincing performances,” but where we differ (and even Joe and I don’t necessarily see eye to eye on this) is in the film’s third act, where our critic argued that it “sells out the story so grievously that what had the potential to be a compelling and intelligent contribution to the coming-of-age-tinged-with-tragedy category (ala “Mean Creek”) instead becomes a very polished portfolio piece… that feels a little hollow when it was very nearly so much more.” Either way, there’s a lot to dig into.
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We also revive an old segment in the back half of the show, LAPTOP CINEMA, in which we recommend to you dear listeners several titles you should seek out on streaming platforms. They include “Death Note,” “Dark Night” and “The Bad Batch” on Netflix; and hockey drama “Hello Destroyer” on MUBI (our podcast sponsor). At the very end, Joe announces his next pick for our segment, HOLD UP: Noah Baumbach‘s “Kicking And Screaming,” which we’ll discuss in a few weeks on episode 155. (Make sure to watch it on Netflix if you want to follow along with us.)
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