Things Will Be Different (2024) #503

 

What kind of world would it be like if people easily believed in the ability of time travel, or rather, a room that could grant time travel with a spell and a phone call? This is the kind of world that "Things Will Be Different" takes place in, and the film is presented in a way that it works. Kept on a small scale with only a handful of characters, this bizarre time twisting movie forces the two main characters, Joseph and Sidney, moments to reflect on the choices they have made. The film presents more than one montage showing the passing of time in such an engaging creative fashion that fits perfectly in a movie centered around time.

Joseph and his sister Sidney have successfully pulled of some kind of heist. Jospeh is waiting patiently, with the money, for her at a small breakfast diner. They leave quickly when they hear sirens in the distance, heading off into the woods. They change clothes and walk off into nature, coming out to a cornfield near a solitary farmhouse. The siblings scare away a group of guys drinking and shooting, which results in a call to the local police. With sirens in the background again, the siblings quickly perform a multi-step ritual that ends in a dark attic like room with a phone. When they emerge, the two are in a different timeline, and all they have to do is wait fourteen days before repeating the process and returning to their timeline. All seems well as they make plans on how to spend their share of the loot, and returning to loved ones, but when it's time to go back to their timeline, they discover that they are trapped.

Learning that they are caught in a time vice, Jospeh and Sidney are forced into an agreement with the powers that be to kill an assassin determined to use the "Time Closet" and disrupt the timeline. Communication is made by a safe and a tape recorder, with only some questions answered. They wait, a very long time, for the assassin to come and when it does, Jospeh and Sidney fight to the death against the mysterious stranger. It all leads to the promise that "Things will be different." 

"Things Will Be Different" is the debut feature film from Michael Felker, the longtime editor for Justin Benson and Aaron Morehead, which might be why they both appear in some capacity in the movie. Riley Dandy carries the movie as Sidney, bringing the emotional weight as the mother longing to be returned to her young daughter. Adam David Thompson also does a great job as Joseph, acting the stoic and caring older brother while trying to redeem himself to Sidney for some past wrong. The two made a great sibling pair and I can't wait what all three do next.

The Endless (2017) #492

Spoiler warning!

 

Always be aware of cults, things never end well with cults. And if you happen to be lucky enough to leave a cult, don't go back for a visit! This is the advice that was presented but not heeded in the cosmic horror instant classic "The Endless". Directed and produced by Aaron Moorehead and Justin Benson, the "The Endless" is a cautionary tale of two brothers, also played by Benson and Moorehead, who receive a video from their old cult which tempts the younger one to return to what he saw as a better life.

The movie begins by establishing what life is like for the two brothers, Justin and Aaron, first by showing the friction between the two over the purchase of a car battery. The older brother is the more grounded and responsible one while the younger is flighty and distracted. Instead of picking up a car battery, Aaron spends $20 to purchase a used camcorder so he can watch the mysterious recording that was mailed to them. The video shows Anna, a member from Camp Arcadia, telling the viewer that it's almost time for ascension, so don't be worried if they're not around, that they will be back soon. Justin is forced to acknowledge that the immediate danger that he foretold that would come to the group took longer than he estimated, ten years in fact, but it was bound to happen. He still believes that he saved his brother and himself from a dangerous UFO suicide cult, although their lives are less than ideal. They struggle with money and relationships, working as house cleaners who cook their meals of ramen while on the job. We even see two scenes where the brothers are attending Cult Deprogramming sessions, a lifelong journey to reassimilate. Justin is hopeful that things will improve while Aaron is depressed and begs to visit the camp in order to at least say a proper goodbye; Justin eventually agrees that the two can go for a single day and night.

Camp Arcadia is located in the remote nowhere in southern California, no sign of civilization to be found. On the way, they stop at their mother's roadside memorial. They are surprised that it's still in great condition, even a painting they made almost ten years ago. They leave and eventually arrive at the camp, where they are greeted by a perpetually smiling man named Dave. They drive further until they reach the camp proper, quickly noticing that everyone barely seems to have aged over the past ten years. They get out and are quickly welcomed by the various members that knew them years ago, including Anna from the video and Hal, the leader of the group. The two brothers spend the day talking with the others and forming their own separate impressions of what life really is like at the camp. Justin remains skeptical while Aaron is happy to be "home" and convinces his brother to stay one more night.

During the second day, strange occurrences begin to take place. Invisible barriers, ripples along the ground, photos appearing from nowhere, and the oppressive feeling of being watched. And then that night, both Justin and Aaron see two moons in the sky; Hal explains to Jusitn that this is a known phenomenon, that two means truth and three moons signifies the ascension, and that Justin needs to find his truth before the full third moon. This truth means learning about the time loops and those that are trapped within, including the horrible, painful fate that awaits for those who live until the final moment. Some time loops last years, some last days, while others merely hours or even seconds. Justin and Aaron are forced to find each other and the truth about their lives and relationship in order to survive and escape the time loop at Camp Arcadia. 

My favorite moment - The big reveal in the movie is when Justin finds the time loop with Michael and Chris, from "Resolution". There were some references to "The tweeker with the guns at the cabin" earlier in the film, but to actually see Chris and Michael is a delightful moment. They explain that Michael came here to help Chris and that they only intended to stay for a week, but that was many weeks ago. The viewer is then horrified by the realization that they've been stuck here for months or even years, because Justin had a previous discussion with Michael's previously pregnant wife Jennifer, who was back at the camp. Jennifer was here looking for Michael had mentioned that she left her son with her parents. Adding these characters and connection from the previous film is pure genius and was done so masterfully.

Resolution (2013) #490

For me, "Resolution" is a difficult movie to review; it encapsulates so many impressions that is hard to properly describe. It's quirky, it's thought provoking, it's confusing, and its creative. "Resolution" is also very enjoyable, rewatchable, and is a fantastic first film for Aaron Morehead and Justin Benson. The duo has garnered a respectable reputation in the independent movie scene and are held in high regard in the cosmic horror sub-genre. "Resolution" establishes a foundation that would be seen in some of their future movies.

Michael receives an email containing a series of video clips of his childhood friend Chris getting high and firing a gun erratically at a remote and desolate cabin. Michael decides to go and help his friend by forcing him to become sober or agree to rehab by tasing him and handcuffing him to a pipe, taking Chris by surprise. Chris pleads for freedom and tells Michael that he will not go to rehab, that the only time he's happy is when he's high. 

The next day Micah and Billy, two acquaintances of Chris and Michael, come to the cabin demanding the return of the drugs that Chris is holding for them. Michael chases them off, but Chris warns him that the two drug dealers have become unpredictable and dangerous since high school. Billy and Micah return but are quickly chased off by Charles and two others; Charles then tells Michael that they are on reservation land and need to leave. Michael bribes Charles to let the two stay for five more days and then he promises they will be gone.

If this wasn't enough to derail Michael's good intentions, bizarre forms of media and media equipment begin to appear. It begins when Chris tells Michael that he never sent him a video in the first place. Events begin to spiral when the two friends start seeing video clips and audio recordings of their deaths, caused by both Billy and Micah as well as Charles and his friends. With little choice left, Michael and Chris try to stay a few steps ahead of the future events to stay alive and attempt to figure out how to appease whatever force is providing these clues.

The dialogue between Michael and Chris is cheeky, adorable, and feels natural. It's one of the highlights of the film and showcases Justin Benson's ability to write realistic dialogue. Some may argue that Vinny Curran's performance as Chris going through withdrawal is unrealistic, but I appreciate his work here. The movie is not about the horror of drug dependance but about being entertainment pawns for an unseen force.