Dog’s Movie House: “The Vast Of Night” Honors Rod Serling In A Neat Way!

We’ll go with “The Lovebirds” first as it came out last week. This comedy drama was originally slated to be released in theaters but due to the COVID-19 pandemic got snatched up by Netflix. Leilani and Jibran (Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani) are a couple who have been together for four years and are basically at the end of their tether. On the way to a party they are basically breaking up when they accidentally run into a bicyclist who takes off when they try to help. Then a cop commandeers their car and proceeds to run the bicyclist down, uh, repeatedly. Of course the cop is not a cop and the two find themselves on the lam for a murder they didn’t commit and involved in a conspiracy that will test the limits of their already strained relationship.

What makes “The Lovebirds” work so well isn’t the murder mystery. It’s okay but the setup is something you’ve seen several times before. There are amusing scenes (one involving a horse and bacon grease comes to mind) but the plot mechanics are fairly basic. What makes this film work is the wonderful work between Rae and Nanjiani. Their banter feels real and even though they are fighting most of the time it never feels irritating or over done. To be honest I could have watched a movie simply about their relationship woes without the mystery stuff and been just as happy. “The Lovebirds” has a wonderfully natural feel to it when it comes to emotions and is worth watching. 4 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer!

Next up is “The Vast Of Night” a fascinating sci-fi drama that plays as a very entertaining homage to “The Twilight Zone” complete with opening voiceover from the late, great Rod Serling. This one takes place sometime in the 1950’s in the small town of Cayuga, New Mexico. On the night of the big high school basketball game, local DJ Everett (Jake Horowitz) and switchboard operator Fay Crocker (Sierra McCormick) discover a story that might just involve a little bit of the old extraterrestrial to it. Told mostly through the lens of calls to the radio station and the switchboard, this movie would work equally well as a radio drama or a two person stage play.

“The Vast Of Night” goes for the slow burn of tension with a lot of stuff that you don’t see. The performances by Horowitz and McCormick are very good and the period design is extremely well done for a low budget movie. And the ending is definitely worth waiting for. First time feature director Andrew Patterson really hits it out of the park with his first feature and I’m really looking forward to see what he does next. 4 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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