‘Clock’ and ‘Quasi’ make for a bizarre streaming double feature
The new horror film, “Clock” should come with the warning: “Wanting to start a family may cause terrifying hallucinations.”
Writer-director Alexis Jacknow, in her feature film debut frames “Clock” around the pressures of following the “normal” path. Ella, played by “Glee” alum Dianna Agron, is a successful and happily married woman on the verge of middle age. Her friends pressure her to start a family, and her father (Saul Rubinek) keeps reminding Ella that she’s the last chance to extend the family bloodline. Dad is also a direct descendant of Holocaust survivors, and the family heirlooms around his house have a haunting effect on Ella.
At the urging of her doctor, Ella reaches out to a mysterious and experimental medical study that aims to “fix a woman’s biological clock.” Take a few hormones, engage in therapy sessions with the calming Dr. Simmons (“The Office” alum Melora Hardin) and… oh yeah, let the doctors insert an experimental device inside of you that “can’t be removed.” Then boom. You’ll be so excited to finally have a baby!
The hormones almost immediately cause terrifying hallucinations for poor Ella (all a “totally normal, temporary side effect” says Dr. Simmons). An extremely tall woman begins to stalk Ella, and, well, there are some nightmare images here that involve clocks and babies you probably won’t forget for a good, long while.
Agron carries the movie well, especially with all the craziness that eventually ensues. Jacknow, who expanded “Clock” from her own short film, taps into some provocative thematic material here, most overtly the social pressures of that dang biological clock, whether or not such a thing even exists (or can be manifested, or, um, implanted). Ella’s Jewish heritage also serves as a fascinating backdrop, which allows the film to explore more nuanced territory outside from its central metaphor.
Unfortunately, the last 20 minutes or so flies completely off the rails, a common bug for horror movies that take such overt allegorical chances in its narrative. Agron steadies it all as best she can, and Jacknow still manages to conjure effective, disturbing images, as seemingly nonsensical as they become.
For a first-time feature though, Jacknow shows great potential. But don’t say I didn’t warn you about the baby-clock thing. You’ll know it when you see it.
Super Troopers go medieval in ‘Quasi’
The Broken Lizard comedy troupe will forever be known as the “Super Troopers” guys, probably because subsequent efforts like “Club Dredd” and “Beerfest” don’t carry the same cult comedy status.
Their latest, “Quasi,” is a random and only-sporadically amusing interpretation of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” It aims for the spoof brilliance of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” but would happily settle to stand alongside something like “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” It doesn’t reach “Tights” status either, probably in part because it lacks a titular song-and-dance number (Side thought: Is Mel Brooks’ “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” a secret masterpiece?).
Most of the cast take on multiple roles, with Steve Lemme in the lead as the hunchback inadvertently tasked with assassinating both the Pope and the King of France (they’re trying to whack each other). Jay Chandrasekhar and Paul Soter do earn the film’s biggest laughs playing those adversarial roles.
It may be that Broken Lizard never again reach the heights of “Super Troopers.” At least the mediocrity of “Quasi” can serve as adequate background noise to your phone scrolling.
Both “Clock” and “Quasi” are streaming now on Hulu.
• • •
Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.