From the almost 700-foot-tall sand dunes of the Taklamakan Desert to the rainbow mountains of Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park, the movie hits many of China’s geographical highlights. “Mulan travels throughout the country, and by probability, comes throughout probably the most fabulous and iconic Chinese landscapes that we may find.” I should say now that The Rental doesn’t stick its touchdown—the ending is jarringly abrupt and imprecise, an ellipsis where an exclamation mark could possibly be, and it diminishes an already modest movie. It’s virtually as if Franco and his cowriter Joe Swanberg filmed scenes as backup placeholders, aspiring to flesh out the conclusion later, and then forgot to replace them with an precise finale. Unlike your run-of-the-mill Airbnb or your run-of-the-mill slasher flick, this one has one thing unique—its first half.
In the present day, Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) is married to Gabe Wilson (Winston Duke), they usually have two … Read More
