Ballad of a Small Player

Movie Name: Ballad of a Small Player
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Edward Berger
Starring: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, Jason Tobin, Alan K. Chang, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong 
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Following the critical acclaim and multiple awards consideration (and wins) for "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Conclave", director Edward Berger is back, this time collaborating with screenwriter Rowan Joffe (who has previously written "28 Weeks Later" and "The American"), who has adapted Lawrence Osborne's novel. The narrative focuses on Lord Doyle, an inveterate gambler who is in Macau, following a series of stints in other gambling capitals of the world. He's been on a consistent losing streak, and finds himself strapped for money, with creditors getting closer and closer. The hotel gives him a few days to settle his bills, otherwise they'll call the police. Having run through most of the casinos in Macau, one of the doormen suggests he goes to The Rainbow, as they may give him credit there. He meets Dao Ming at that casino, a credit broker, who does volunteer credit for his continued gambling. They strike an unexpected bond and friendly relationship, and Dao explains to Lord Doyle all about the Ghost Festival that is taking place in the area, including its symbolism. While Dao is very jaded about gamblers, Doyle believes he's just one winning streak away from turning life around. Lord Doyle is photographed by a woman on an elevator and he follows her to ask for that photo to be deleted. As it turns out, the woman named Cynthia Blithe is in reality an investigator who has been sent to track his location. Lord Doyle is a fake name for what turns out to be Brendan Reilly, an Irish financier, who embezzled millions from one of his clients. Doyle/Reilly manages to convince Cynthia to give him another day before exposing him and his current location. While he does try to get some money back from other people who owe him as well, he eventually finds himself in an alley without escape. He goes to a hotel and gorges himself, and just as he is about to pass out with what he thinks is a heart attack, Dao appears, and rescues him. When he reawakens, he finds himself on a floating home on Lamma Island, with Dao taking care of him. They confide in each other, and realize how similar they are. Doyle/Reilly just wants that last opportunity, and he knows that the tide will turn. When he can't locate Dao, he decides to go ahead using money she had left behind. 

While this film touches upon topics that are not new, and there's been plenty of films tackling the topic of gambling, including Karel Reisz's "The Gambler" and its remake with the same title by Rupert Wyatt, Edward Berger's take on the material is definitely something worth paying close attention to. The director expertly illustrates the glossiness of living out loud, without money woes, in one of the most polished gambling capitals of the world, a reality that co-exists with the grittiness of the life for those who do not get to partake in those limitless fund types of lives. In this ecosystem of varied financial resources, this central character, one who tries so hard to embody a life he simply has never had, and doesn't even know he can live up to, is dropped, at literally the worst moment they're experiencing in their lives. Doyle/Reilly is indeed a small fish in a very big sea, one who is about to be eaten up by the biggest creatures that swim in a sea that they know far better than he ever will. Doyle/Reilly hasn't forgotten who he is, he hasn't sold his soul yet, but gambling is a demanding and damaging partner, and he's running out of steam. Edward Berger illustrates this franticness, this quest the character goes on, particularly as he gets surrounded more and more by obligations, by his own past crimes, and by the consequences of his own life choices. Dao is a savior, an angel, one that while dramatically not very expanded upon, does provide the path to redemption that Doyle/Reilly needs. And Cynthia is the jolt to accountability and a reality that Doyle/Reilly has chosen to distance himself from. It's a fascinating film, one that covers terrain that while not new, is nonetheless so vividly captured and performed that it's impossible not to enjoy this ride. The cast is stupendous, led by the wonderful Colin Farrell who again excels in this role, with great support from the formidable Tilda Swinton, Fala Chen, and the underrated Alex Jennings. The production team is impeccable, including the stunning cinematography from James Friend, score from Volker Bertelmann, production design from Jonathan Houlding, and costume design from Lisy Christl. It's a solid film worth watching. 

Vanishing on 7th Street

Movie Name: Vanishing on 7th Street
Year of Release: 2010
Director: Brad Anderson
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo, Jacob Latimore, Taylor Groothuis, Jordan Trovillion
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Brad Anderson made a name for himself in the late 90s with the Hope Davis starring independent film "Next Stop Wonderland", and since then has dabbled in independent films mixed with bigger budget ones, mixed with prestige television shows (amongst his films are "The Machinist" and "Beirut", and amongst his TV work are episodes of "Boardwalk Empire", "Fringe", and "Peacemaker"). "Vanishing on 7th Street" follows the story of a small group of characters, all in Detroit, who suddenly find themselves trapped in a situation beyond their control, and more so, one that is lethal and that wipes people out of existence without any explanation or reasoning. Paul is a projectionist who takes a break, and upon returning to the movie session he was overseeing, notices the power goes out, and when he gets out of the projection booth, there are no people in sight, just people's clothes on the floor. A security guard shows up, but he soon disappears as well, with only his clothes left behind. Rosemary, a nurse at a hospital, also notices people's disappearance, including ones that are in the operating table. She calls out for her child Manny in despair, since she fears for the worst. Luke Ryder is a TV reporter who wakes up in his apartment only to realize the power is out. He seeks out the woman he was with, but she's nowhere in sight. Upon leaving the building where he lives, he realizes all streets are empty and all caras are abandoned. There are people's clothes simply on the ground. He eventually makes it to the television station only to catch a live feed from Chicago informing people to always keep a light on themselves. A few days later as Luke is scavenging for batteries, he notices a young boy in a bar that is being powered by a portable generator. The boy, named James, states he is waiting for his mother who is at a church nearby, however Luke informs him that darkness has set in, and that no one seems to have survived. All these characters converge on the bar and Luke eventually suggests they all find a way to go to Chicago, based on the live feed he previously listened to. 

Brad Anderson's "Vanishing on 7th Street" came out in 2010 after a decade of independent films that garnered him consistent attention, even if none of those films ever became a breakout hit. "The Machinist" is well known for Christian Bale's transformative performance, while "Session 9" featured a great cast and has since become a cult horror film. One of the most successful aspects of "Vanishing on 7th Street" is the fact that it many ways it feels like an extended premise/concept from "Twilight Zone", similarly to some episodes of the show, never surrendering an explanation for what is happening, nor providing a happy ending type of scenario. The director smartly progressively discloses how this horrifying darkness is taking people away, but never volunteers an exact explanation for what it is, where its goal lies, its reasoning, and how far it has reached (there are hints, but nothing further). It makes for an unsettling scenario, one where he drops different characters, all of them confronting this new reality very differently. Luke, the reporter with a shattered personal life, is attempting to survive without tying himself to anyone, while Rosemary is haunted by guilt and fear that she failed to protect her child. Her need to help, is a path for redemption for what she thinks she has failed to do for her child. Paul is simply trying to outlive the situation, whereas the young James is fearful for his mother, and for the fact that he is alone in this new world. While these characters don't have much in terms of background, they are very similar to the characters one finds in zombie films, in the sense their motivation is of course to stay alive by avoiding this all encompassing darkness that surrounds them (in this particular case, literal darkness). This apparent straightforwardness of the script, darkness enveloping the world without explanation or reasoning, could have taken the events of the feature in many different directions (for instance, Fernando Meirelles' adaptation of Jose Saramago's "Blindness", tackled a scenario where a considerable amount of people in the world became blind, inexplicably, and how that changed relationships, dynamics, politics, etc.), however this script is modest in its ambition, and focuses on a survival point of view. And these characters want to survive more than anything, even more so than they want to understand what is happening. The film could have benefitted from a bit more character development, and also a bit more context development, but it does manage to be effective illustrating the growth of the darkness. The cast of the film is competent, the same going for the production team, particularly Uta Briesewitz's cinematography. It's a watchable and entertaining film. 

The Guest

Movie Name: The Guest
Year of Release: 2014
Director: Adam Wingard
Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser, Lance Reddick, Joel David Moore, Ethan Embry, Brenden Roberts, Tabatha Shaun, Chase Williamson, Steve Brown, Alex Knight, Frank Bond, Mike Miller, Matthew Page
Genre: Thriller, Action
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Before solidifying his reputation with his monster blockbusters, "Godzilla vs. Kong" and "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire", director Adam Wingard started to make a name for himself with "The Guest", which was met with solid reviews upon its release. The film follows the story of a man named David. He introduces himself to a family whose oldest son has died in the war in Afghanistan. He mentions to Laura Peterson, the matriarch of the family, that they were on the same battalion, and that their son Caleb had asked him to visit his family and tell them how much he loved them. Laura who is still grieving the loss of her son is clearly emotional about the whole situation, and eventually invites David to stay with the family until he finds a place of his own. David starts hearing and meshing with the family, including taking note of Spencer's challenges at work (the patriarch), and the offspring, starting with Luke's constant antagonism at the local high school, and Anna who works in a restaurant. David starts by addressing a few of the homophobic bullies from Luke's high school, whom he beats up at a local bar. He also ingratiates himself with Anna, by attending a Halloween party with her, and saving one of her friends from a violent ex-boyfriend. Anna is nonetheless suspicious of David, and decides to call the military base to ask about him. She's informed that the man by that name died a week earlier. Her call however sparks a flurry of action, namely a special unit spearheaded by Major Carver who is intent in getting to the Peterson's family home in the hopes of saving them all.

"The Guest" is an economical and polished B-movie, that is able to illustrate a tightly woven web of actions surrounding the charismatic disruptor that comes in the shape of David Collins. The film provides just enough information on the central characters in order for us the audience to be able to understand where they are when the film starts, and why they're all so willing to embrace a force of disruption such as David. He is a catalyst but also a balm, someone who comes in to provide some comfort after a devastating loss, but also someone who shakes the family from a certain apathy and victimhood in which they've been living. The tension he introduces jolts the family forward, until his own backstory comes crashing into everyone's lives, upon which they realize he's far more dangerous than just a fearless and resourceful individual. It's a well constructed narrative, one that progressively discloses who this individual is, even if not much information is ever surrendered. If anything the film lacks some more substance to its lead characters, but overall the film does deliver on its premise. The cast is solid, with the always fantastic Dan Stevens leading the group, with solid support from Maika Monroe, Sheila Kelly, Leland Orser, and the late Lance Reddick. The production team is solid, including Robby Baumgartner's cinematography and Steve Moore's score. Entertaining and worth watching.

The Wrath of Becky

Movie Name: The Wrath of Becky
Year of Release: 2019
Director: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote
Starring: Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Denise Burse, Jill Larson, Michael Sirow, Matt Angel, Aaron Dalla Villa, Courtney Gains, Alison Cimmet, Derek Gaines, Kate Siegel
Genre: Action, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Becky" premiered during the pandemic and apparently got enough audience to warrant this sequel, which comes courtesy of directing team Matt Angel and Susanna Coote, who also co-write the story (Matt Angel wrote the script). The film follows the story of Becky, who is now 16 and has been in and out of foster homes since her father was killed by neo-nazis (and her mother died of cancer). She currently rents a room from a lovely lady by the name of Elena, who also allows her to keep her dog (service dog) by the name of Diego. She works in the local diner, and lives a rather calm and under the radar existence. That suffers a bit of a jolt when 3 men come into the diner and start provoking her. She spills hot coffee all over one of them, and they decide to follow her and teach her a lesson. Upon arriving at Elena's house, they beat up Diego, and they're about to do worse to Becky when Elena shows up with a shotgun. They kill Elena, and as Becky is about to retaliate, she hits the wall and passes out. When she comes back to her senses, she notices Diego is gone. She eventually uncovers where those men are stationed. They're in a nearby property owned by a man named Darryl, who is part of a terrorist organization titled "Noble Men". Becky investigates further, as she plans to take them down one by one and get Diego back.

Unlike Joe Wright's "Hanna", "The Wrath of Becky" tries to be more tongue in cheek, cartoonishly violent, positioning Becky as a terminally jaded young woman who has seen everything and suffered everything she has to suffer. And sadly, courtesy of this poorly written film, that seems to be the case. The film has issues with tone, not wanting to be overtly cartoonish, much like Michael Davis did with "Shoot 'Em Up" (it's incredible how many films are unsuccessfully trying to emulate that film's energy, even if that film wasn't that successful to begin with), but also no wanting to be very dramatic which is the tone that Joe Wright adopted in the aforementioned "Hanna", which featured a great central performance by Saoirse Ronan. "The Wrath of Becky" has little motivation for its characters, adding some contrived plot mechanics around national terrorists and assassination plots, inexistent character dimension, and by the time the action sequences come along (if they can even be called that), they're poorly choreographed, with the team resorting to gore in order to avoid boredom. It's a brief film, plagued with nonsensical developments, where most of the cast is just trying to play along. Seann William Scott manages to be the sole saving grace of the film, whereas the talented Kate Siegel has a brief cameo. Lulu Wilson who had interesting performances in "Ouija: Origin of Evil" and "Annabelle: Creation" can't do much to save the film, no matter how much she tries. The production team is underwhelming, though the makeup effects are solidly crafted. Avoid. 

Brightburn

Movie Name: Brightburn
Year of Release: 2019
Director: David Yarovesky
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Emmie Hunter, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner, Jennifer Holland, Gregory Alan Williams, Annie Humphrey, Terence Rosemore, Becky Wahlstrom, Michael Rooker
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

David Yarovesky made a name for himself directing music videos before turning his attention to feature films. "Brightburn" is his sophomore directorial effort, and is written by Brian and Mark Gunn, and produced by James Gunn (the writer/producer/director of "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Slither", "Suicide Squad", and more recently, "Superman"). The film follows the story of the Breyer family. Originally composed of Tori and Kyle, they soon are joined by a little boy that as we find out, is adopted. They raise the young boy since he's an infant, and by the time he's in junior high, he's a kind and thoughtful young man, who is also quite intelligent. However something Tori and Kyle has in their barn starts emanating vibrations and waking young Brandon. Brandon also starts changing his personality, as he also realizes there's something quite different about himself. He realizes he's super strong, invulnerable to pain, can fly, and even shoot powerful beams of light from his eyes. He keeps this from his parents, but his behavior starts becoming more menacing, firstly hurting a girl who defended him at school, followed by killing her mother. Kyle starts suspecting there's something wrong going on with Brandon, and expresses his concerns to Tori. She refuses to believe him, even as Brandon becomes violent towards Kyle. When a fatal event occurs that touches upon their family, Tori and Kyle have to confront the fact that Brandon may not be the young boy they thought he was. 

There's something quite interesting about the premise of "Brighburn": the antithesis of Superman/Clark Kent. Whereas the Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel character is all about an alien that comes to Earth to make it a better place for all humans, the central character of "Brightburn" wants to dominate the human race, enslave them. Both Tori and Kyle (who are the counterparts of Martha and Jonathan Kent), are the nesting parents for the "cuckoo" who eventually kills them. This dark tale is an interesting one, though the script doesn't provide much nuance to the characters, their relationships, or even for the progression that turns Brandon from the thoughtful individual he was, to a psychopath that obliterates everything in sight. This aspect of the script development is what deflates the power of the film itself: there's more interest in showing the grotesqueness and monstrosity of Brandon's deranged actions, more so than trying to illustrate his transition to such a violent behavior (particularly towards his parents, who were always doting and loving). By playing loose with behaviors and aiming to get to the gratuitous violence, the film and the story loses much of its soul and impact. The cast tries their best with the characters they have, with the greatly underrated Elizabeth Banks and the always solid David Denman making a great couple (they have great chemistry and believability as a married couple), whereas Jackson A. Dunn fairs better as the kind Brandon, more so than the menacing one. The production team is solid with the visual effects being fairly rendered considering the modest budget of the film. It promised a lot more than it delivered, but it's still watchable.

Vicious

Movie Name: Vicious
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Bryan Bertino
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack, Rachel Blanchard, Devyn Nekoda, Drew Moore, Klea Scott
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Bryan Bertino made a name for himself with the original "The Strangers", which started a franchise of its own, with the most recent chapters of that same franchise being directed by Renny Harlin (of "Die Hard 2", "Cutthroat Island", and "The Long Kiss Goodnight" fame). "Vicious" focuses on the story of Polly, a young woman who lives by herself in a large house. One evening she hears a knock on the door and sees a rather older and frail woman standing with a box. She invites her in. The older woman thanks her for the gesture and kindness, however soon enough she says to Polly that she's going to die that evening. She does forewarn her that the box has instructions, and if she follows them, she may avoid her demise. But essentially the woman tells her that she has to place three things inside the box: something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. As the woman leaves, Polly is incredulous about what just took place, but odd things quickly start occurring, leading her to go on a path to play the game. Most of all Polly wants to avoid something happening to her sister and niece.

You may be tempted to think based on the description of the film that this has some nods to Richard Kelly's adaptation of Richard Matheson's "The Box", however this film goes in a very different direction than the Cameron Diaz and James Marsden's feature. "Vicious" briefly introduces us to Polly, who apparently is going through some issues, both personal and professional, something we never get much of an understanding of, which explains her rather stressed out and anxious behavior. As Kathryn Hunter's character comes into play, and drops the malevolent object, similar for instance to "The Ring"'s videotape, the film then opens the door to this supernatural aspect that is never explained nor clarified. It simply is there, with its demands, which as the film progresses, includes self-mutilation and sacrifice. Whereas some of the films featuring these types of objects always surrender some clarification on what's behind their intent, and why that character has been chosen, this one leaves all those aspects in the open, leading to question if all this is happening on Polly's tortured mind, or is it for real. Sadly the film also doesn't really operate in that ambiguity, it is very literal in its quest to illustrate the challenges the lead character has to fulfill in order not to meet her demise. It's a film that doesn't make much sense from a storytelling perspective, but that is able to conjure up a dark and menacing environment in which the lead character exists. Dakota Fanning tries her best to bring the character to life, but her performance lacks authenticity, urgency, or even fear. Kathryn Hunter is far more successful in her brief moments in the film, as is Devyn Nekoda as the following prey to the viral menace that is being spread around. The production team of the film is solid, particularly Tristan Nyby's cinematography and Jennifer Spence's production design. Sadly it's a forgettable endeavor for everyone involved. 

Bring Her Back

Movie Name: Bring Her Back
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Mischa Heywood, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

The directing team of the brothers Philippou is back, following the critical and commercial success of their feature directorial debut, "Talk to Me". This time around the narrative focuses on the story of two siblings, Andy and Piper, whose dad unexpectedly dies. Though they're half siblings, they're very close, and Piper relies on Andy for a lot since she has a visual impairment which renders her virtually blind. Social Services places them with Laura, a temporary foster situation until Andy turns 18, a woman who used to work as a counselor in Social Services. Upon arriving at her place, Laura tells them she's also taking care of another young boy by the name of Oliver, Ollie as she usually calls him, who doesn't talk. Laura quickly warms up to Piper, while she's a bit colder towards Andy. While attending Andy and Piper's dad's funeral, she wants Andy to kiss the corpse's lips, which he doesn't. She clips a lock of hair from the corpse. That night they all decide to celebrate the memory of the departed, and Andy expresses the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. Laura on the other hand mentions how much she misses her daughter, who drowned in the backyard pool. Andy keeps noticing strange events, and following a particularly horrifying episode with Oliver, he hallucinates an apparition of his father. Andy suffers a concussion and while recovering in the hospital, Laura starts dressing Piper in Cathy's clothes (her late daughter), and takes her to a padlocked shed where the corpse of her daughter is stored in a freezer. As it turns out, Laura is trying to bring her daughter back to life. She's placed a demon in Oliver's body, so they can eventually bring Cathy into Piper's body, something she witnessed from a ritual captured in these old videotapes. In order to do this, Laura has to get Andy out of the way, which she does with carefully orchestrated actions, which eventually leads to Andy going to Social Services and begging them to save Piper. 

The Philippou siblings have an ability to draw believable situations and characters, progressively introducing something alien and disturbing to it, typically something supernatural related. "Talk to Me" introduced a group of friends in an Australian suburb who are playing around with a hand that puts them in touch with entities, whereas now we are introduced to siblings who are suddenly faced with family displacement as their father passes away. But as the story unfolds we understand better who these characters are, what binds them together, while the introduction of Laura, her quirks and finally her intentions also become more visible. What is so smartly nuanced about this film is the fact that the creative team makes these characters well balanced, in the sense that none of them is picture perfect, nor a completely monstrous one (even the late father to Andy and Piper). Even as Laura's dark and horrific intentions become clearer, it's also demonstrable that she deeply loved her daughter. There are narrative aspects of this film that are not quite as well resolved as "Talk to Me", namely the whole possession and supernatural aspect of the feature. But as the narrative progresses and the climactic third chapter comes around, it's engrossing to witness how far the directors are willing to take the whole experience. The film really just needed a finer adjustment from a narrative standpoint, to at least have a far more pronounced emotional impact. The cast is fantastic, with highlights going to Sally Hawkins, Jonah Wren Phillips, and Billy Barratt. The production team is solid, with highlights going to Cornel Wilczek's score. Smartly crafted and worth watching, even if not as narratively consistent as Danny and Michael Philippou's debut. 

M3GAN 2.0

Movie Name: M3GAN 2.0
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Ivanna Sakhno, Aristotle Athari, Jemaine Clement, Timm Sharp, James Gaylyn
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Writer/director Gerard Johnstone is back with a sequel to his successful "M3GAN", which a few years ago became another staple for Blumhouse's ever increasing number of potential franchises. The film picks up two years after the events of the first chapter. Gemma is now an author and staunch advocate for AI regulation, and has been partnering with a cybersecurity expert by the name of Christian, in order to pursue that agenda. Her niece Cady in the meantime has taken into self defense classes and is also studying computer science. Gemma is working with Cole and Tess (her team members who also worked on M3GAN) on a robotic exoskeleton, and the demo they perform doesn't go entirely according to plan. Their work however catches the attention of billionaire (or bullionaire) Alton Appleton, who wants Gemma and the team to come work for him. At a big event sponsored by Appleton, he is attacked by a creature named AMELIA, who is in reality an android designed for infiltration and assassination missions, based on the technology and concepts used for the original M3GAN. While M3GAN still lives on trapped in a harmless Moxie robot, she finds out AMELIA has killed Alton and is planning to go through a complete AI takeover (of everything). Gemma and her team decide to create a new body for M3GAN in order to prevent AMELIA from destroying everything.

While the original "M3GAN" was a slick horror B-movie, mixing some Cronenbergian influences with some "Demon Seed" (the Dean Koontz novel and Donald Cammell's film adaptation) ones, this sequel opts to go in a slightly different direction. While the film still has some violent elements to it, it has toned down the irreverence and humor from the original film and has instead replaced it with this quasi James Bond vibe, where M3GAN now is battling her not so distant cousin, while the film is trying to teach everyone on why AI should be regulated and not feared. While AMELIA is introduced as an Atomic Blonde on steroids, only with less humor and principles, M3GAN is now a protector without the extra spice which made her both driven and psychotic in the first installment of the series. The tone shift has been considerable, with the human characters losing even more detail in this film than they did in the first one. Gemma, Cole, Tess, and Cady all remain as poorly sketched out as ever, whereas Jemaine Clement's tech bullionaire (bully and billionaire merged), while ripe for a good satire, is reduced to yet another sexual predator of sorts, one who is tackled by AMELIA learning a fatal lesson as a result. Even Christian, Gemma's partner, who flies a bit under the radar during most of the film, also amounts to very little by the end, since the creative team has placed all its attention on these AI driven characters, who are essentially Bond villains, but without the humor nor the personality (even the final chapter of the film taking place in the XENOX locale, feels like the lair of a Bond villain). It's not a terrible film by any means, but it doesn't really know what it wants to be, and takes itself a bit too seriously for what it is. Amie Donald and Ivanna Sakhno as the robotic entities are the highlight of the cast, while the production team is solid, particularly Toby Oliver's cinematography and Chris Bacon's score. The first chapter managed to be more successful and entertaining than this follow up. 

Underworld: Evolution

Movie Name: Underworld: Evolution
Year of Release: 2006
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Derek Jacobi, Tony Curran, Bill Nighy, Steven Mackintosh, Shane Brolly, Sophia Myles, John Mann, Scott McElroy, Michael Sheen, Richard Cetrone, Brian Steele
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the unexpected success of "Underworld", the creative team behind that film united efforts to create this more ambitious sequel. The film picks up after the events of the first chapter. Selene and Michael (the vampire/werewolf hybrid), are lovers on the run, both from the vampire clans and also from the lycans. Unbeknownst to them, their actions have brought to life one of the first known vampires, the dangerous and ruthless Marcus. He kills the deceitful Kraven, but before doing so consumes his past actions and the events that have led to Selene and Michael's escape. Marcus is intent on freeing his brother William, one of the original lycans who has been imprisoned for centuries. Unlike modern lycans, who can revert back to human form, the ones descendant from his brother can never do so, and are ferocious, killing everything in sight. Marcus wants to take hold of Selene, since she holds the secret for his brother's location. Selene and Michael in the meantime realize some of Michael's bodily limitations, and are tracked by Marcus, who nearly takes them. They seek out information from Tanis, on why Marcus is so intent on getting information from Selene. Their sleuthing takes them all the way to the original vampire, Corvinus, the father of Marcus and William, who warns them that they're no match for Marcus' powers. As Marcus eventually catches up with them, wreaking havoc in the process, Selene also suffers changes that enable her to battle Marcus on a very different level.

"Underworld: Evolution" was the first sequel to a series that has continued to be a successful one for Sony Pictures (and specifically Screen Gems, their label that specializes in this genre of films). This film had double the budget of the first one, which allowed for the team to expand their scope in terms of visual effects, makeup, production design, production aspects in general. The film also had the original writers back, which allowed them to continue to focus on the relationship between Selene and Michael, while probing deeper in the origins of vampires and lycans. Sadly that's one of the aspects where the film falters most, the script. Very little background is provided for Selene or Michael, with Selene in this episode getting some of the lion share of exposition, but even that is very limited in scope, information, or how the character eventually became what she is. There's quite a bit of missed opportunities here when it comes to bringing these characters to life, mostly because the script is more focused on pitting Selene and Michael against a powerful elder, aiming for the action set pieces, disregarding character development in the process. The film is rendered like a slick and polished B-movie, which in certain aspects it manages to succeed, particularly when it comes to the creative work supervised by Patrick Tatopoulos, responsible for the Production Design, but also for the Makeup effects. All this work is a substantial departure from the prior installment, but once again is more style and not so much substance. However the action set pieces are fairly well staged, and the film mostly capitalizes on that. The cast has far more talent than what the material is giving them, starting with the underrated Kate Beckinsale, who has an enormously talented trifecta of support: Derek Jacobi, Bill Nighy, Tony Curran. All these talented performers manage to keep the events of the film always compelling. The production team is also solid, including Marco Beltrami's score, Simon Duggan's cinematography, Wendy Partridge's costumes, and the aforementioned Patrick Tatopoulos. It's a film with quite a few limitations, but its lack of pretension, married with the talent of everyone involved, elevates it to something watchable and even entertaining in certain parts. 

Batman Begins

Movie Name: Batman Begins
Year of Release: 2005
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Katie Holmes, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe, Linus Roache, Rutger Hauer, Mark Boone Junior, Gerard Murphy, Richard Brake
Genre: Action/Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

When Warner Brothers assigned "Batman Begins" to Christopher Nolan, the writer/producer/director was still a rather neophyte navigating big budget films. He had created a name for himself with "Following", "Memento" (his big calling card at the time), and the remake of "Insomnia", which featured Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Working with David S. Goyer, who at the time was mostly well known for the scripts of "Blade" and "Dark City" (from director Alex Proyas), Christopher Nolan had the arduous task of recapturing the public's attention following the previous and disastrous Joel Schumacher Batman entries ("Batman Forever" and the rotten "Batman and Robin"). The film focuses on the narrative of Bruce Wayne, whom we once again encounter in Gotham City, who is infested with crime. His parents get brutally murdered in front of him as a child, and the young boy gets sent to a private school while a trust is set in order to manage all the interests of his family, across all the businesses they own. Bruce returns as a young man, once the murderer of his parents is up for parole. He has bitterness towards the whole ordeal, which he shares with his loyal caregiver, Alfred. The criminal is killed by one of Carmine Falcone's hired killers, and when attempting to get his revenge, Bruce is humiliated and tossed aside by Falcone. Attempting to better understand the underworld, Bruce ditches his identity and goes to Asia, where he eventually ends in prison, but also captures the attention of a man by the name of Ducard, who is working for a sinister group led by Ra's Al Ghul. While Bruce is trained in that group's ways, he's horrified by their approach to punishment, urban order, and revenge. He violently distances himself from them, and returns to Gotham, where he and Alfred start a plan to clean up the crime infection destroying the city, and they both decide to use a masked alter ego to protect themselves, which they name Batman.

Ironically of the Batman trilogy Christopher Nolan tackled, this first film is the one that is closest to the comic book aesthetic from where Batman originates. The co-writer/director is successful in creating a Gotham City that is divided by social-economic imbalances, where crime is indeed rampant, but one where the wealthy, also get to enjoy their beautiful art-deco buildings and social events. Into this world that seems ready to crack, he drops Batman, a catalyst of change, one that aims to restore more balance (or even peace) to the urban war taking place, but who finds himself battling more than he expected. The film manages to successfully illustrate Batman's first steps, his inexperience, and also his fears on what he's attempting to do (with a considerable amount of self doubt). Mr. Nolan is able to map out an intricate and diverse array of characters, some with more dimension than others, but all of them with a clear motivation expressed throughout their actions. The film is economical in their description, but robust in the manner it sets the different pieces together with all these characters. It's not Batman seen through the eyes of someone like Tim Burton, who was interested in the whole concept of outsider/freak of nature aspect the character had. Christopher Nolan goes more in the direction of a sleuthing/detective story, something he pushed even further with the following features, and that Matt Reeves also explored on his take with this character (a la "French Connection" but distilled into comic books). The cast is solid, particularly Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman, though Liam Neeson could have benefited from a slightly better written part, the same going for Katie Holmes (who has little to do). The production team is impeccable, with highlights going for Wally Pfister's cinematography, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer's score, Nathan Crowley's production design, and Lindy Hemming's costume design. It's an entertaining film and interpretation of this iconic character. 

One Battle After Another

Movie Name: One Battle After Another
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Tony Goldwyn, Wood Harris, Alana Haim, Shayna McHayle, Starletta DuPois, Eric Schweig, Kevin Tighe, James Downey, D.W. Moffett, James Raterman, Jason Belford, Dan Chariton, Sherron Gassoway, April Grace, Ted McCarthy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
View Trailer

Synopsis and Review

After the nostalgic "Licorice Pizza", writer/producer/director Paul Thomas Anderson has returned. This time around the film follows the story of Pat Calhoun, whom we first encounter as part of a revolutionary group known as the French 75. They break out detained immigrants from detention centers, they attack politicians' offices, attack power grids. He eventually falls in love with one of the movement's leaders, Perfidia Beverly Hills. Perfidia in one of their interventions comes across Steven Lockjaw, a commanding officer who gets sexually turned on by her authority. He starts pursuing the group, Perfidia in particular, and eventually catches up with them. He agrees to let her go after a sexual tryst. Perfidia eventually gives birth to a baby girl, Charlene, but refuses to abide to a sanitized family life with Pat, and leaves them both. She's eventually captured and in order to avoid jail time, rats everyone in the movement. She goes into the witness protection program, but eventually leaves and flees to Mexico. In the meantime Pat and Charlene also escape, and start new lives in the Baktan Cross area as Bob and Willa Ferguson. Sixteen years go by, and Lockjaw is now aiming to join a secretive club named Christmas Adventurers Club, one that thoroughly analyzes his background, including if he ever engaged in interracial relationships. He lies, though he starts looking for Willa, eventually dispatching troops to the Baktan Cross area under the guise of an immigration and drug enforcement operation. Willa is saved by one of the underground members of the French 75, while Bob barely escapes his house using a tunnel. They both set off to hide, while Bob is desperately trying to get Willa back, even though his perpetual drugged state doesn't help. 

"One Battle After Another" is loosely based on Thomas Pynchon's "Vineland", but Paul Thomas Anderson brought the themes and context of the novel to our current day, and it's pretty much a perfect fit for what we're currently going through. It still feels very much like a portmanteau of the lives of different characters, intersecting with each other, something he explored so well in "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia", but in this case, all through this common thread of these characters who have been united by this revolutionary movement, and by those trying to suppress it. While the film is being advertised and sold as an "action film", at its core is still very much a Paul Thomas Anderson feature, one where characters are on collision courses with each other, revealing more of themselves and of others, as a result of those interactions. There's elements of humor, elements of terror (what is being illustrated is not science fiction), but the director manages to bring all these elements together and makes them all work coherently. There are characters in the film that did deserve some additional screen time and more dimension, but the film manages to make its point across quite vividly, navigating a tone that is both satyrical and dramatic, making everyone look at what's happening in the world right now. The cast is uniformly fantastic, with Leonardo DiCaprio creating a fantastic deadbeat dad with hints from his Jordan Belfort (from "The Wolf of Wall Street"), with solid support from Sean Penn (though his character at some point becomes a caricature of itself, since it's played in the same note all the time), Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall (who is fantastic), and the revelatory Chase Infinity. The production team is top notch as well, particularly Jonny Greenwood's score and Michael Bauman's cinematography. Another great film from one of the most consistent and talented film makers working these days. 

The Last Showgirl

Movie Name: The Last Showgirl
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Gia Coppola
Starring: Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Jason Schwartzman, Linda Montana, Giovani L. DiCandilo
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Gia Coppola has quietly been making a career for herself, joining the talented ranks of her family, which includes Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Nicolas Cage, Talia Shire, Jason and Robert Schwartzman. "The Last Showgirl" follows the story of Shelly, a showgirl who has worked for three decades at a venue called Le Razzle Dazzle in Last Vegas. She has a few younger friends in the ensemble, Mary-Anne and Jodie, who view her as a mother figure. Shelly's best friend is Annette, a pior showgirl herself who now works at the casino as a cocktail waitress. Shelly's world is thrown upside down when Eddie, the stage manager for the show, lets the cast know that Le Razzle Dazzle is going to close down its doors, and is going to be replaced by a more contemporary type of entertainment. While Mary-Anne and Jodie start auditioning for other shows in town, Shelly views those shows as low class, though she fears for her future and livelihood. She also reaches out to her daughter Hannah, who lives out of town and is going to college. She's been raised by family friends, and their relationship has been strained (since Shelly preferred to focus on her career while Hannah was raised by other people). While attempting to have a special moment with Eddie, the conversation quickly escalates to a series of recriminations on both parts, his towards her for not raising Hannah, and hers towards him for being a father that never acknowledged Hannah and has never been a presence in her life. As Shelly tries to figure out options for what comes next, the challenges just keep piling on. 

While watching this film I had this odd feeling that this universe and what was being captured here had some similarities with the work from another writer/director, and then it dawned on me the talent I was thinking of: Sean Baker. "The Last Showgirl" reminded me of certain aspects of "Tangerine", "The Florida Project", and even "Red Rocket", though the work of Sean Baker has something going for it that I don't believe Gia Coppola has mastered just yet, namely authenticity. The narratives Sean Baker brought to life in the previously mentioned films felt very lived in and pulsating with life. "The Last Showgirl" feels more like someone's superficial exercise on what the last chapter of someone's once glamorous life is about to become. A bit like someone who is writing an article for a magazine, and who has to tag along the subject of the story for a few days. This story, authored by Kate Gersten, is not particularly revelatory, but it has enough substance to milk some ponderous questions from the central character, about her life ahead, but also about the choices that led her to where she is. What we end up getting instead, is a superficial view on someone who is confronting aging, her role in an industry that privileges youth, and past decisions that had an impact on her loved ones and her relationships, and all we get from that are long shots of Shelly looking to the Vegas horizon or smoking on the rooftop of a certain building. Gia Coppola doesn't seem to know how to illustrate the fear or terror that the character is going through, and decides to go with this atmospheric type of illustration, which works in Sofia Coppola's work, but not so much with this material (she should have looked at what Mike Figgis did in "Leaving Las Vegas" to capture a certain urgency and soul searching that happened there with Nicolas Cage and the luminous Elisabeth Shue). There are indeed sections of the film that work, namely Shelly's interactions with Eddie, and her relationship with Annette, but sadly they're not present as much as they should be. The cast is solid all around, with Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, and Billie Lourd creating the most striking characters. Pamela Anderson does a good job, but the film and the director should have given her more room to go in directions that could have been darker, and more rewarding (both for the character and for the audience). The production team is solid, though not particularly remarkable. It's watchable, but not a very memorable feature. 

Cuando Acecha La Maldad/When Evil Lurks

Movie Name: Cuando Acecha La Maldad/When Evil Lurks
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Demian Rugna
Starring: Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demian Salomon, Silvina Sabater, Luis Ziembrowski, Marcelo Michinaux, Emilio Vodanovich, Virginia Garofalo, Paula Rubinsztein, Lucrecia Niron Talazac, Isabel Quinteros, Desiree Salgueiro, Federico Liss, Ricardo Velazquez, Jorge Prado, Diego Sampayo, Pedro Larrabide, Cleo Diaz, Agostina Aguilera
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the success of "Aterrados/Terrified", writer/director Demian Rugna returned with "Cuando Acecha La Maldad/When Evil Lurks", which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2023. The film follows the story of two brothers, Pedro and Jaime, who live by themselves on a farm, rather isolated from everyone else. One morning they hear gunshots, and while tracing the sound, they eventually discover a corpse. As they try to understand what happened, they go to a nearby shack, where an elderly woman lives with her two sons. She explains that the corpse belongs to a "Cleaner", someone who had been sent to kill and exorcise one her sons, Uriel, who is being possessed by an unborn demon who is awaiting physical birth. Pedro decides to communicate with the authorities what is happening, but they dismiss his warnings. Ruiz, who is the landowner for the farms, is terrified, and decides with the help of the brothers to grab the infected Uriel, and drop the body far away from they are. However during their trip the body falls from the truck and they can't locate it. The following morning one of Ruiz's goats is possessed, and without thinking twice he shoots it, not realizing that it will only spread the possession further. Ruiz's wife also becomes possessed, killing him and then herself. Uriel's brother lets Pedro and Jaime know what has happened. The brothers decide to leave town, fearing the possession will affect everyone and spread further and further. They pick up their mother, and Pedro goes to Sabrina's, his ex-wife, to grab his children, and warn her and her new husband about leaving. They have a strained relationship, and as they argue, Sabrina's pet dog who has licked Pedro's contaminated clothes, becomes possessed, attacking Sabrina's daughter. As Leonardo (Sabrina's new husband), goes in pursuit of the dog, Pedro grabs a car and his two sons, in order to pick up Jaime and their mother and leave town. As they leave, they soon realize things are only going to get worse.

There's much to admire in Demian Rugna's "When Evil Lurks". It's a film that immerses us in rural Argentina, one where the characters feel vivid and authentic, particularly considering the fact they're facing a supernatural menace (hence the film being tagged in some websites as "folk horror"). The film brings to mind certain aspects of Guillermo del Toro's "El Espinazo del Diablo/The Devil's Backbone", since it balances a depiction of reality with events that are fantastical, but whereas Mr. del Toro usually goes for a gothic perspective on his films, Mr. Rugna opts to maintain a perspective that is deeply rooted in the locale, in the reality that his characters live in. The writer/director manages to efficiently position and describe the lead characters, with Pedro being the brother with a lot of emotional baggage, and a past that still haunts him, and his brother Jaime who supports and cherishes him as much as possible. As the situation escalates, and more and more characters are impacted by it, Demian Rugna manages to keep a fine balance between the despair of the characters who do not understand what is happening and the brutality of the supernatural occurrences that are taking place. It's a film that continuously surprises, much of it because of its unadorned approach (and its refusal to abide to the typical horror clichés), how it attempts and succeeds in marrying the realistic view of where these characters exist and also the brutally visceral aspects tied with the supernatural aspect of the narrative. The cast is solid, particularly Ezequiel Rodriguez, whose portrayal of Pedro really takes us on a journey of frustration, failure, and possible redemption. The production team is solid, particularly Mariano Suarez's cinematography and Laura Aguerrebehere's production & costume design. It's a film worth watching. 

Psycho Beach Party

Movie Name: Psycho Beach Party
Year of Release: 2000
Director: Robert Lee King
Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Nicholas Brendon, Thomas Gibson, Matt Keeslar, Beth Broderick, Amy Adams, Kathleen Robertson, Charles Busch, Kimberley Davies, Channon Roe, Nathan Bexton, Nick Cornish, Andrew Levitas, David Chokachi, Ruth Williamson, Nicholas D'Agosto
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Tubi

Synopsis and Review

"Psycho Beach Party" originally started as a play in 1987, authored by Charles Busch (who has also written the screenplay and has one of the lead roles), and is in fact the feature directorial debut for Robert Lee King, after his prior experience with shorts and one of the segments of "Boys Life: Three Stories of Love, Lust, and Liberation". The film follows the story of Florence Forrest, a teenager who is determined to learn to surf and hang out with the young male surfers. The guys nickname her "Chicklet". Florence has a great relationship with her mom and best friend, but starts displaying multiple personalities, and experiences blackouts that she can't explain. A series of murders also start happening in her beachside town, and she questions if she's involved in those. In the meantime, the police, led by Captain Monica Stark, suspects Florence's mother may be involved in those crimes. 

"Psycho Beach Party" is an homage to the surfing movies of the 1960s, infused with a rather campy slasher ingredient, making the film a rather humorous concoction. Robert Lee King manages to illustrate the context and the various plot points the script sets in motion fairly well, mimicking some of the aspects that made the 60s surf films so iconic and memorable for audiences, but sadly doesn't fully embrace the motif, or for that matter, has a very strong stylistic point of view on the topic  (unlike what Peyton Reed did with "Down with Love" for instance). What does work about this film is the tongue in cheek aspect of the script authored by Charles Busch, with its gay references, the campy interactions between the characters, and the production design that is on display. Charles Busch clearly relishes creating these archetypes for the group of performers he has in place, and the cast goes along for the ride, which makes this film a harmless one to watch. It does borderline on a fun TV Movie of the week in some sections, but it's nonetheless well crafted and well acted. The cast, particularly the underrated Lauren Ambrose, Amy Adams, Kathleen Robertson, and Matt Keeslar are all highlights. The production design from Franco-Giacomo Carbone and the costumes from Camille Jumelle, are the highlights from the production team. The material needed a stronger directorial voice and a more defined stylistic point of view, but the film is still enjoyable and humorous. 

Lazy Susan

Movie Name: Lazy Susan
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Nick Peet
Starring: Sean Hayes, Margo Martindale, Carrie Aizley, Allison Janney, Jim Rash, Danny Johnson, Kiel Kennedy, Darlene Hunt, Madison Paige Ochoa, Matthew Broderick
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Lazy Susan" is director Nick Peet's feature directorial debut following a few short features. The film co-written by Sean Hayes, Darlene Hunt, and Carrie Aizley, follows the story of Susan, a woman in her 40s, who has been let go of her job, and who pays her bills by latching on to her very generous mother. Susan sleeps late, and is very content in selfishly looking out for herself, doing collages, and engaging on music rehearsals with her best friend Corrin. She's horrified to find out that her brother and his family are planning to take their mother to Niagara Falls to celebrate her birthday, but no one is paying for her ticket (in other words, if she wants to go, she has to pay for her own way). In the meantime, she starts a relationship with a man by the name of Phil, whom she casually meets at the gym, and who rear-ends her at a stop sign. Susan thinks the relationship is soaring, but suddenly realizes he's married, and has a new baby on the way. She also gets evicted, as she has consistently failed to pay the full rent. She comes to terms with the fact that she needs to sharply change her attitude and life.

The immensely talented Sean Hayes, whose company also produces this feature, is at the center of this film, portraying Susan as a woman who has steadily refused to grow up. Susan lives in a special bubble she created for herself, where everyone is a featured player in supporting her dreams and desires. Her family can't stand her selfishness anymore, and the only support she has is her friend Corrin, whom she eventually also disappoints. This tale of someone who is this hapless and has this lack of self-awareness could have been some seriously potent material in the hands of John Waters or even Todd Solondz, sadly Nick Peet's point of view is a rather generic one, that fizzles out all the insane episodes Susan goes through, even if Sean Hayes is all invested in bringing that character to life, no matter what the situation may be. Most of the problems with this film, aside from its low budget, come from this unwillingness from the director to crank up the volume a bit more, and truly bringing to life the situations Susan finds herself in. The supporting characters even in their limited scope and screen time are actually quite suggestive, including Allison Janney's Velvet, Matthew Broderick's Doug, and Danny Johnson's Leon. The cast is solid, including the funny and always underrated Jim Rash, while the production team is a bit uninspired. It's an interesting film, one with a great cast, that simply needed a stronger directorial point of view to make it more memorable.