Infinity Pool (Branden Cronenberg, 2023) Movie • Page 2

that got me so good

 

Wow I didn’t like this much at all. Thought the “paying for doubles” thing was a great idea and then at some point I stopped laughing with the film and started laughing at it.

 

This was not good. Woof. All the good ideas used in the first 30 minutes and then the movie does the least interesting thing possible with all of them. Ends up being an hour and 45 minute movie about emasculation?? Lame.

 

Fair to not like the movie, but emasculation was not my takeaway

 

Honestly thought it was the only theme he even tried to stick with, nothing else was really given any coherence or time of day. Picked up, looked at, then put down.

 

Hedonism, what it means to be human and to lose sight of that - I think there's something to the emasculation imagery, but these themes were all much more prominent for me and I think they were both pretty thoroughly explored

 

I think the hedonism is intertwined with James’ insecurity about being a fraud, a talentless writer that’s boosted up by his connections to his wife and her money, it makes him feel powerful for once. The most interesting read on this is that he is a stand in for Brandon Cronenberg who maybe shares similar insecurities. Outside of Possessor which at the very least had great kills and some cool sci fi ideas, even if that movie too doesn’t always work, I think BC comes off to me a little bit like a hack. The NWR comparisons are apt, but he doesn’t have the sense of style to do what Refn does either.

 

Man, I disagree completely lol but that's fine, totally get it

 

I mean, I’m being a little harsh, because I’m still in to go see BC’s next 2-3 movies at least. There are moments where I’m like “yes”, unfortunately last night there were a lot more “no’s”. He’s getting money to make original stories that are pretty dark, I’m for it.

 

I definitely wouldn't call Cronenberg a hack, even if I didn't like this movie. I was very onboard for the first 30 minutes or so and then it just kept turning (IMO) the wrong way at every opportunity. I love the idea of paying to have doubles and I would've loved to spend more time in that world than in the one where the singles sniff roots and have 20 minutes of brightly colored orgies.

Plus, The Simpsons already did it:

 

I enjoyed the Noé-esque neon orgy.

 

It's not that I didn't, I just feel that it isn't what the movie originally asked me to buy into. I guess that's my big problem with this movie. Too many tonal shifts and actions without motivation for me to fully buy in.

 

The neon orgy felt a little “been there, done that” to me, a lot of the reason I’m inclined to use the language I did. Sometimes it feels like lazy low hanging stylistic fruit (drug orgy) and then sometimes he surprises me (the body doubling).

 

I feel like it really, really delivers on the absurdity of how the doubling system is taken advantage of for entertainment purposes by, you guessed it, rich, hedonistic lunatics that have become desensitized to watching people be killed and spend their days as tourists in a foreign country appropriating their spiritual tools for the purpose of gratifying themselves and each other. Just because they can. That is the primary motivation, I think.

The neon orgies might not be a new trick, but they're done well and absolutely fit the story being told here.

 

I saw some Purge vibes too. The ability to commit any crime, ones that get progressively worse - starting with an accident, leading to brutally murdering himself with his bear hands, with no repercussion because the have the money to get away with it.

 

It rocks!

 

I loved this! Probably about on par with Possessor for me. Mia Goth is on another level recently.

 

This was okay. It was a little weird for the cop to say that this isn't supposed to be a playground for rich people to commit crimes when they are literally encouraging that with the clone buyout. There are people who kill and torture knowing the consequences, so sooner or later you will attract people who are basically just paying a fine.

It is the best of the recent rich people critiques though.

 

I do think it is interesting that the younger Cronenberg is basically becoming the heir to his fathers' style. It would have been funny if he made light romantic comedies or slapstick.

 

Unfortunately, I thought this mostly kind of sucked. (But Mia Goth was great as usual.)

 

Loved this, loved Mia of course; she’s in Florence Pugh territory for me now — I’m seeing anything they’re in.

 

hulu 6.23

 

Our Walmart only has the DVD. Waiting to find a blu-ray out in the wild, excited to rewatch this ine

 

I really loved this until the final act when it pushed a little too far into schlocky b-movie material. killing the “dog” looked like shit, the lighting made it look cheap and the repetitive over the top violence felt like it was trying way too hard.
I enjoyed it overall but yeah, didn’t stick the landing for me