New movies to stream this week: ‘Pamela, a Love Story’ and more
IN the wake of Hulu’s series “Pam and Tommy,” it feels apt for Pamela Anderson to tell her story without talk show hosts interjecting jokes about her breasts.
Coinciding with the release of Anderson’s memoir, “Love, Pamela,” the documentary “Pamela, a Love Story” strips Anderson down without sexualizing her, something that has been woefully missing from her narrative.
Years of the “Baywatch” star’s diaries, VHS tapes and personal photos provide unpolished snapshots of her life, leaving audiences with a rough portrait of the person behind the packaging. Director Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”) pieces together Anderson’s life chronologically, though all roads seem to lead back to her ex-husband Tommy Lee.
Their short-lived relationship blemishes so much of Anderson’s story, which is punctuated by comments from the pair’s two adult sons. It’s not a happy story. Rather, it’s the tale of a woman who has repeatedly had her agency taken away and who now, in her 50s, is trying to figure out how to live for herself instead of living to be loved. (As Anderson puts it, “Basically, you’re just a thing owned by the world.”)
The story feels repetitive at times, with the documentary’s subject shown to have succumbed to the same romantic troubles over and over. But ‘tis the season for celebrity tell-alls, and Anderson’s tender journey dukes it out with the best of them. TV-MA. Available on Netflix. Contains nudity, strong language, discussion of sexual and physical violence, and alcohol use. 112 minutes.
Two young children wake up alone in their suburban home. What could go wrong? Add in a possible head injury, the disappearance of all the home’s windows and doors, and a mysterious, unnamed entity, and you have the new microbudget horror film “Skinamarink”.
The feature directorial debut of queer Canadian filmmaker Kyle Edward Ball, the film follows 6year-old Kaylee (Dali Rose) and her 4-year-old brother, Kevin (Lucas Paul). Their mother is away, and the pair seem to have been abandoned by their father. They occupy themselves in the empty, now-sealed-off house by playing with toys and watching old cartoons.
As time passes, the uneasiness grows, and they become aware of a malevolent presence in their parents’ room. Ball never frames the actors’ faces, and leaves much of the violence to the imagination. “Skinamarink” plays out slowly, and the camera moves only when necessary to build tension. The monotonous pacing is intercut with disturbing images and unsettling sequences. The climax of the film is particularly excruciating to watch, highlighting themes of neglect and child abuse that had until then stayed just below the surface.
Shot for $15,000 in the writer-director’s childhood home, “Skinamarink” relies on ambiance and static images to conjure up nontraditional scares. In its limited theatrical release in January, the film grossed $1.8 million after a festival run in 2022. Streamed at home, “Skinamarink” is best enjoyed alone, late at night, in a room as dark and liminal as those featured in the film. Unrated. Available on Shudder. Contains violence, bloody images, gore, mature thematic material, disturbing images and an unseen threat, all involving children. 110 minutes.
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In the thriller “Blood,” Michelle Monaghan plays a recovering addict whose young son (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) develops a taste for blood after his dog returns from a disturbing encounter in the woods and bites him. The film by Brad Anderson (“The Machinist”) “steers a middle course between dysfunctional domestic drama and supernatural horror,” according to Variety. “That balance doesn’t completely work. But solid performances and some strong, occasionally unpleasant content make this an involving if not entirely satisfying watch.” Unrated. Available on multiple streaming platforms. 108 minutes.