Freaky Tales Review: A Mixed Bag of Multi-Genre ’80s Nostalgia Trip
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck return to small-scale movies in Freaky Tales — their first in a decade since Mississippi Grind. For the mainstream audiences, the directing duo is best known for their big-budget Captain Marvel. The less said about that underwhelming effort, the better, despite being a box-office juggernaut.
Going back to Freaky Tales, the movie consists of an interconnected four-part anthology that, according to the voiceover, takes place in Oakland in 1987. The movie nails the distinctly 1980s-style retro visual, coupled with Raphael Saadiq’s synth-heavy score, before we are introduced to the first chapter framed in an old-school 4:3 aspect ratio.
The story follows teenage punks Tina (Ji-Young Yoo), Lucid (Jack Champion) and Kohlrabi (Marteen) on their way to the regular hangout at the club, listening to the live band entertaining the enthusiastic like-minded crowds. However, their peace-loving fun moments are gradually interrupted by a group of neo-Nazi skinheads wreaking havoc at the club. They are a bunch of bullies, and they’ll keep coming unless the Oakland punks do something about it.
The first chapter channels a more feel-good vibe, but nothing particularly freaky about it, especially given the title. Sure, there’s the cosmic green glow, which becomes the anthology’s recurring source of something to ward off the evils. But I still can’t help but feel misled into thinking that Boden and Fleck will deliver something off the wall. The only redeeming factors in the first chapter is the winning chemistry between Ji-Young Woo and Jack Champion along with the subsequent gang fight against the neo-Nazi skinheads, complete with comic book-style visuals.
Next up is the story about Barbie (Dominique Thorne) and Entice (Normani), who call themselves Danger Zone, are looking forward to performing on stage with Too $hort (Symba) as they engage in a series of rap battles. By day, they work in an ice cream shop where they face a corrupt cop (Ben Mendelsohn in his typically sleazy role) who enjoys harassing them verbally. While it was fun watching Danger Zone challenges against Too $hort with their battle of words, and I equally enjoy the girl-power chemistry between Thorne and Normani, the second chapter remains missing the most vital ingredient. And that is the freaky vibe.
The third chapter introduces Pedro Pascal playing the debt collector Clint, who is about to do his last job before retiring for good to become a father. The segment has a scene taking place in the video store with a certain major star cameo emulating a Quentin Tarantino mode in a Tarantino-esque pop-culture moment referencing a few movies. The interaction between Pascal and the cameo appearance resulted in one of the best scenes in Freaky Tales.
Boden and Fleck are finally wrapping up their anthology with the fourth chapter revolving around the real-life Golden State Warriors guard Sleepy Floyd, played by Jay Ellis. Easily the most entertaining, which also rightfully earns the title of the movie, it’s a tale of the supernatural mixed with the martial arts genre. Let’s just say Sleepy Floyd uses meditation skills and mind powers to engage in a violent sword fight filled with lots of stabbing and chopping limbs. And not to forget, a cool nod to Brian De Palma’s The Fury and David Cronenberg’s Scanners.
Overall, Freaky Tales is a mixed bag that Boden and Fleck may get the ’80s nostalgia factor right — the clothes, the hairstyles, the music and the visuals. If only they emphasise more on the supposedly freaky side of their four-part anthology to fully justify the “hella wild” opening voiceover narration and the mysterious cosmic green glow existence, it would be one hell of a cinematic ride.
