A review for ‘The Atticus Institute’ and not at all about any of the ‘Transformers’ movies

The cool thing about picking a bad movie to watch is that sometimes, it turns out to be really good. I got lucky with The Atticus Institute. Yay!

Fun with Film Media

Sometimes, I just want to watch a dumb, plodding, silly movie with machoisms and objectification of women because I want to stop thinking about politics and the sad state of the world. It’s just easier to consume dumb media, with the moral understanding that it was hurtful and damaging to the collective psyche of its audience. Movies like Vin Diesel’s XXX, or Vin Diesel’s other XXX, or Michael Bay’s Transformers. Usually just Transformers. Sometimes, I’m in a place to sit and watch a fantastic movie, and prepare my mind for critical thinking and emotional introspection. Kind of how I prepped for and liked the film Skinamarink.

But sometimes, I gamble. I gamble on a film that looks or sounds good, is made by reputable directors, or features actors who pick good projects, or hit play based on a Reddit suggestion. Sometimes, it’s because Tubi says the movie is about to expire. More on that later. The Atticus Institute was a timed-gamble. It paid off.

The Atticus Institute is a mock-documentary horror film about a group of scientists studying people with telekinetic abilities. The scientists initially fail, right before finding an actual case- a case so real that the government gets involved in all its hubris and military enthusiasm. Yay American imperialism of the 70’s! And yesterday! And tomorrow!

The film was surprisingly creepy, driven by its intelligent and creative uses of film media. By that I mean, first off, a horror documentary? Clever! I’ve always thought that mock documentaries hold a lot of potential. Not all genres would work, but horror has always been ripe with opportunity. Then, we also get things like still images. Like… photos. That pan. Slowly. Really close up. And the lighting? God. Dynamic, shadowy, pointed lighting that makes the most inane things look fucking creepy. The editing? Gosh. Reminded me of Skinamarink. Here’s my review for Skinamarink, in case you’re curious.

There’s a sequence, early on, that’s just security feeds cycling through, with the final feed focused on the main subject. Skip. Skip. Skip. Still. Still. Still. But we know something’s coming. The documentary told us that tonight was different. Skip. Skip. Skip. 1. 2. 3. Still. Still. A little movement. 1. 2. 3. Still. Still. A little more movement. Then, we get 1. 2. 1. 2. Big movement.

The film toys with your expectations of rhythm and pattern so cleverly by bucking your expectations of pattern. I loved it. A lot like how I loved the film Skinamarink, made by Kyle Edward Ball! Here’s my review, if you wanted to read it next.

The Atticus Institute not perfect, of course. No character development, which is kind of a big detraction from documentaries, but we never really watch documentaries to pick a favorite character. That also leads to a lack of the classic familial horror bit that needs to be resolved for the big ghost thing to be resolved. But breaking that mold is totally fine- keeps things fresh! Just like the movie Skinamarink, the review for which I really locked in.

I thought The Atticus Institute was 

GOOD

I saw the first half on Tubi before it expired in the middle of me watching it, so I watched the rest on a totally legal, reputable site. Because that’s the kind of shit you’re forced to do when you’re halfway into a movie and it’s snatched out of your fucking hands.

Here’s my real review for Skinamarink. Sorry for all the april fool’s redirects.

Wondering how my rating system works? Let me explain!