John Candy: I Like Me, AKA Charlie Sheen, Pee-Wee as Himself

Movie Name: John Candy: I Like Me
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Colin Hanks
Starring: John Candy, Bill Murray, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Chris Candy, Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Andrea Martin, Robin Duke, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, Conan O'Brien, Chris Columbus, Mel Brooks, Macaulay Culkin, Steve Martin
Genre: Documentary
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

Actor, producer, and director Colin Hanks' newest documentary (this is his third), focuses on the story of late comedic powerhouse, John Candy who passed away at the tender age of 43 in 1994. It's a celebration of the actor's life and memory, focusing on statements from his well known colleagues and friends from Canada (including Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy), his surviving family, and a variety of friends he had during his life. It's indeed an homage, one that never goes into much detail on the impact of John Candy's career, or for that matter, where his ambitions lied. There's a brief sense of anguish lying with the actor, as well as some of his own insecurities with his public persona, but it's somewhat of a slight portrait of a charismatic performer who was gone too soon. Colin Hanks doesn't really probe much, and the documentary feels almost like a celebratory reel that is played at a public event, more so than a documentary detailing who the person was. With that being said, it's worth watching for who John Candy was and his lasting legacy.

Movie Name: AKA Charlie Sheen
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Andrew Renzi
Starring: Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards, Tony Todd, Jon Cryer, Sean Penn, Ramon Estevez, Chris Tucker, Chuck Lorre, Heidi Fleiss, Brooke Mueller, Marco Abeta
Genre: Documentary
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Director Andrew Renzi's most recent documentary focuses its attention on actor Charlie Sheen. The actor candidly performs a retrospective on his career and life, unapologetically presenting what drove him to certain decisions and options he had in his life. It's an interesting documentary, though at times the fascination with Charlie Sheen himself makes the documentary feel almost sensationalist, emulating the narrative that the actor and the other participants are describing. However, it is a candid, even if at times mildly curated presentation of who this actor and person has been, and what a troublesome journey he has experienced in his life. It does come across as a bit of a self-promotional piece, but its candor is nonetheless arresting and the documentary is worth watching. 

Movie Name: Pee-Wee as Himself
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Matt Wolf
Starring: Paul Reubens, Gary Panter, David Arquette, Cassandra Peterson, Ann Prim, Helen Welchel, Laraine Newman, Debi Mazar, Natasha Lyonne, S. Epatha Merkerson, Laurence Fishburne, Tim Burton, Blair Berk, Judd Apatow
Genre: Documentary
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
Watch it on HBO Max

Synopsis and Review

Of this series of documentaries, Matt Wolf's "Pee-Wee as Himself" is the best one of the three. It's also the most heartbreaking one of the three, as the tribulations Paul Reubens went through, are seen through his own eyes, but also of the ones he interacted with closely. It's a documentary focused on a person simultaneously self-aware, but also deeply sensitive, someone who went through an array of issues that eventually did have a profound effect on who this person was, how his life evolved, including all the relationships he was able to maintain. It's also a documentary that captures the reluctance of this individual in documenting this type of self-reflection, when he himself knew he was at the end of his life. This is a documentary that sheds light on the life of an artist, including how society reacted to his individuality, how it tried to silence a distinct voice, and how this individual eventually had to find a way to continue existing, no matter what the challenges were. Of these three documentaries, it's the one that surfaces the brutality, the superficiality that comes with success (and the commodification of relationships), but also the compromises, and downfall that surrounds that success. Well worth watching.

The Conjuring: Last Rites

Movie Name: The Conjuring: Last Rites
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Michael Chaves
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy, Steve Coulter, Rebecca Calder, Elliot Cowan, Beau Gadsdon, Kila Lord Cassidy, John Brotherton, Shannon Kook, Paula Lindblom, Madison Lawler, Orion Smith, Peter Wight, Kate Fahy
Genre: Supernatural, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on HBO Max

Synopsis and Review

Director Michael Chaves is back, with another film set in "The Conjuring" universe, following his recent "The Nun II", which was also a solid commercial hit. This new chapter of "The Conjuring" is supposedly the last one featuring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Elaine Warren, though considering this has been the most successful film of the series thus far, other sequels are likely to be shaping up. The narrative takes place in 1986, at a time when Ed and Lorraine don't take cases anymore, and spend most of their time doing lectures, and planning to write a book about their experiences with the supernatural. Their daughter, Judy, is dating a young man by the name of Tony, who used to be a cop and wants to marry her. Judy is haunted by the same abilities that her mom has, however Lorraine instructed her since she was a child to disregard it, to push it aside, in the hopes Judy is able to lead a normal life. However Judy's interactions with the supernatural are becoming more frequent and traumatic. Things change for all of them, when Father Gordon, one of their closest friends dies in a most dramatic way. He had gone to Philadelphia to check on a family whose house was haunted, and as he blessed the abode, an entity pursued him and caused his death. Judy feels something is wrong during the funeral, and is drawn to that family's house in Philadelphia as well. Ed, Lorraine, and Tony all go to the house to find her, only to realize how much trouble that family is, and an artifact from their past is there once again, forcing them to combat something they had long left behind. 

The best film in "The Conjuring" series is still the first authored by James Wan. The original film had an ability to pay an homage to the horror films of the 1970s, while also bringing it to the modern times, with better production values, and makeup effects. Michael Chaves has a strong stylistic approach to his films, all of them always look impeccably shot, edited, and the production values truly shine. However when it comes to bringing characters to life, or in this case, to create an environment of unease, the approach is never a very subtle one. One of the best things this film, or any of the films in this series has going for it, is the relationship between Ed and Lorraine, perfectly embodied by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga (they can easily be the William Powell and Myrna Loy of our days). These fantastic actors have great complicity and rapport between the both of them, and they successfully make their relationship and their characters as lived in and authentic as possible. They make their lives, their challenges, and their fears, as palpable and watchable as the best aspect these films have to offer. Michael Chaves and the writing team however, when tackling the remaining characters, they're poorly established, and are in fact clichés without much motivation, aside from either becoming a victim for some entity, or a backdrop character that soon is eclipsed. The film oscillates between the easiness of the two leads, and the wooden backdrop of the supporting characters and situations. There isn't much detail on what the entities are or what their goal is, something that got lost since the original "The Conjuring". As the budgets for these films have increased, coincidentally the storytelling has gotten weaker and weaker. What is left is indeed the fine two leads who are always excellent, who have good support from Ben Hardy and Steve Coulter. The production team is also impeccable, including Eli Born's cinematography, Benjamin Wallfisch's score, John Frankish's production design, and Graham Churchyard's costumes. It's watchable but also forgettable.

King Kong

Movie Name: King Kong
Year of Release: 2005
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Jamie Bell, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis, Evan Parke, Lobo Chan, John Sumner, Craig Hall, Kyle Chandler, Mark Hadlow, David Pittu, Geraldine Brophy
Genre: Action, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

After the resounding critical and commercial success of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", writer/producer/director Peter Jackson decided to keep his creative team intact, and swiftly tackle a dream project of his, remaking Merian C. Cooper's 1933 classic, "King Kong". The narrative focuses on the story of Ann Darrow, a vaudeville actress who runs into hard times following the crash of Wall Street in the late 1920s and most of the 1930s. Unable to find any work, she's nearly at her wits end when she encounters film director and producer Carl Denham. Carl's latest film was met with derision by the producers who are hot on his tail. He also has a map for a remote island, which he believes is the ideal setting for his next picture, something that will be an enormous hit and settle all his issues. While initially reluctant to embark on the journey with a complete stranger, Ann agrees to play the part once she discovers that the film is written by Jack Driscoll, her favorite playwright. Carl manages to rent the SS Venture, a small cargo ship that belongs to Captain Englehorn, under the guise of the movie studio bankrolling the film endeavor. During the trip Ann and Jack become smitten with each other, whereas Captain Englehorn receives a radio message letting him know that Carl's venture isn't under the approval of the studio, and that there's a warrant for his arrest as a result of that. Just as they're about to turn around and come back to NY, they reach Skull Island. Carl and his film crew manage to convince the Captain to allow them to do some shooting in the island, only for things to quickly take a turn, as Ann is kidnapped and offered as a sacrifice for a creature named Kong. Just as the crew is about to attempt to save Ann, Kong shows up and takes her into the jungle. They decide to form a small rescue team to go into the jungle and get her back, not knowing what lies ahead. 

Unlike many remakes that are crafted with the sole intent of capitalizing on well known characters and situations, Peter Jackson's take on "King Kong" is driven by a deep love and respect for the original classic from director Merian C. Cooper, which featured the iconic performance from Fay Wray (who died in 2004, at the time this film was being shot). Peter Jackson is able to quickly establish the situation/context in which all the lead characters find themselves in, an impasse of sorts for all of them, which eventually leads them all to consider this adventure as the best venue for them to go with as their lives are all in a problematic limbo. The characters are briefly established, but are given enough dimension as to understand what is motivating them to go on an uncertain adventure. As the film progresses, and their relationships are more finely attuned, some with more romance, others with more humor, this small group of characters become an ode to the adventure films of the 1930s (the screwball comedy and adventure genres). The film does take a few different turns, namely when the narrative reaches the island, and again when the setting comes back to New York, but they're all unified by these unique players, in particular by the central performance of Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow, one of her finest performances, where she gets to practice physical humor, some zany comedy, and ultimately reveal her true self, as she reveals the bond she shares with the creature who longs for her and holds a special place in her heart. While the section of the film in Skull Island is far longer than it needs to be, it has a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" vibe to it which makes it all the more exciting. But as I mentioned previously, the heart of this film is indeed the relationship between Kong and Ann, which is wonderfully captured. The last chapter of the narrative, while its saddest, also has some of the most beautiful moments that the film has to offer. The cast is perfect in its roles, with Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Jamie Bell, Colin Hanks, and Andy Serkis, all providing solid support to Naomi Watts. The production team is impeccable, particularly Andrew Lesnie's cinematography, James Newton Howard's score, Terry Ryan's costumes, Grant Major's production design, and the entire visual effects teams. It may not be as iconic as the original film of the 1930s, but this is a beautifully rendered homage to that film that stands on its own. 

Frankenstein

Movie Name: Frankenstein
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Christian Convery, Ralph Ineson, Lauren Collins, Kyle Gatehouse
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Following his take on Carlo Collodi's "Pinocchio", which resulted in a beautiful stop motion film, writer/producer/director Guillermo Del Toro is back, tackling the adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", a literature classic that has been adapted to the screen over 400 times (according to google at least). The film's narrative begins in the North Pole, where a Danish expedition is stuck, since their boat is frozen in the ice. They come across someone who is barely alive, a man who introduces himself as Victor Frankenstein. He has a creature pursuing him, someone with enormous strength who plows through the Danish sailors. They manage to escape the creature, and bring Frankenstein aboard to help him recover. There he starts recounting his tale to the captain of the ship. He mentions how his childhood was challenging, with a father who was cold and didn't care for him, and a mother who was precisely the opposite, but who passed away giving birth to his brother. Frankenstein vowed to be a better medical practitioner than his father was, and to prevent deaths like the one his mother suffered, and be an accomplished scientist. A few years later, already grown, Frankenstein meets his benefactor, a man by the name of Harlander, who witnesses one of his speaking engagements, and who is coincidentally the uncle of Elizabeth who is his brother's bride to be. Harlander agrees to finance Frankenstein's explorations on reanimation, without ever clearly stating what he wants in return. Victor is successful in bringing life to a body he builds himself, but upon doing so he treats the creature with cruelty, thinking the creature is incapable of rational thought. Elizabeth and his brother visit him to witness the results of his research. Elizabeth discovers the creature and feels empathy and fondness for him, and is revolted at how Victor has been treating him. Things take a darker turn, and Victor decides to burn all the research, the creature, every trace of his work to the ground. However the creature manages to escape. At this time, the creature invades the ship and begins to tell the ship's captain his side of the story and how he came to be who he is. 

At this point adapting books like "Frankenstein", "Dracula", "Peter Pan", "Pinocchio", anything by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, or William Shakespeare feels like a "Groundhog Day" type of scenario: same story, same characters, same outcomes, only with slightly different clothes. For someone as talented and with a unique point of view such as Guillermo Del Toro, this film in particular feels like a lesson on what self indulgence is all about. Is there something so unique to tell about this story that James Whale or any of the other 400 adaptations have not yet told? After watching this film I'd volunteer there isn't. This is quite possibly the worst film that Mr. Del Toro has delivered of all the ones I've seen in all his body of work. Truth be told, there's a level of artistry and competence to everything he does, which means that even at its worst, this film is still watchable and has many aspects to commend. However this film feels rushed, artificially rendered (and not just the wolves and rats, but more on that later), and with a lack of taste that is truly perplexing for someone like Mr. Del Toro. There's quite a few problems with tone occurring in this film, oscillating between bombastic and over the top, which seems to be the only note that Oscar Isaac's performance is able to reach (this is the worst performance I've ever seen this actor deliver), and the attempts from the director to create something more poetic with the Creature, and even whenever Elizabeth comes into a frame. The narrative itself is fairly close to the adaptations of James Whale and even Kenneth Branagh's (not to mention the one by Mel Brooks of course), but it lacks sincerity, poetry, and above all, the ability to simply tell a story of a Creature that is misunderstood, and that actually reveals how monstrous humans actually are. The taste level goes downhill as the Creature recounts his story, with questionable details which include digital rats becoming his friends (a la Disney), and the gore surfacing when digital wolves show up (poorly rendered) and slaughter sheep and his blind benefactor. Most of the positive aspects of this film lie with Jacob Elordi's performance, one that is quiet, somber, but also filled with longing, and thunderous energy. Mia Goth also saves herself with a solid performance, even if her role is underwritten. The production team is also a bit all over the place: Dan Laustsen's cinematography is washed out, whereas the high points end up being Alexandre Desplat's score, and Kate Hawley's costume design. It's an unnecessary adaptation, and a mediocre one at that. 

V for Vendetta

Movie Name: V for Vendetta
Year of Release: 2005
Director: James McTeigue
Starring: Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Rupert Graves, Stephen Fry, Tim Pigott-Smith, John Hurt, Roger Allam, Ben Miles, Sinead Cusack, Natasha Wightman, John Standing, Eddie Marsan, Guy Henry, Alister Mazzotti, Mark Phoenix
Genre: Action, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the uneven critical and commercial reception of "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions", both of which came out in 2003, the Wachowskis decided to tackle a different intellectual property as their next feature film adaptation and landed on Alan Moore and David Lloyd's graphic novel, "V for Vendetta", originally published in the early 1980s. The film takes place in a near future where Britain is under the far-right, ultranationalist Norsefire political party, one that silences all opposition, a fascist regime where police brutality, political murders, torture of dissidents, exclusion and imprisonment of minorities of color and sexual preference, has become a standard. Massive propaganda has also become a staple of this government, which is ruled with an iron fist by High Chancellor Adam Sutler. In this world two central characters cross paths, one of them by the name of Evey Hammond, a young woman whose parents were targeted by the regime, and killed as a result (they were activists). She now works at the television Network BTN which is run by the state. The other central character is a masked vigilante who goes by V, wears a Guy Fawkes mask, and has himself a dark past marked by torture, medical experimentations, and trauma. They initially cross paths when V saves Evey from an assault situation perpetrated by "The Fingermen", who are about to rape her. V blows up the Old Bailey to awake the people of Britain and its rulers, the former ones from apathy, the latter ones from their comfortable place of absolute power. Furthermore V and Evey cross paths once again when he takes over BTN, taking credit for the bombing, and forewarning everyone that a year from that date everyone should join him in a special event that he's orchestrating. Evey helps V in his escape from the TV studio, and he in return takes her with him when the police knocks her unconscious. V continues to kill key figures in the Norsefire regime, uncovering a trail of corruption, violence, and methodical self-profiteering from many of the key members of the party. While Evey seeks to escape from the plans V has set in motion, she does realize that the totalitarian regime and what they've imparted on people, including her own existence, are too much of a heavy burden to merely be brushed aside.

One of the most interesting things about this film and the material that originated it, is its timelessness, and how apt it continues to be, since it addresses questions of tyranny, corruption, unscrupulous power in modern governments, all of this wrapped in a context where people are the ones who permit for these scenarios to flourish and exist, due to a certain numbness, and exacerbated and fabricated fears. James McTeigue in his feature directorial debut, smartly mixes elements he observed from the Wachowski films (he was first assistant director for "The Matrix" series), namely in the action scenes, but is able to go beyond merely building interesting action set pieces. He and his team create an entirely believable alternate society, one where far-right ideologies are clearly exposed, from the persistent visual propaganda on the streets, to the fabricated news on the main TV channels that people are "allowed" to watch, to the fear that dominates everyone that is possibly critical of the current government. This sanitized existence is perfectly depicted, and what's ultimately at stake is equally given a tremendous amount of importance. The aspect that sadly gets the least amount of development are the characters themselves. Both Evey and V are not given much detail in their characterization, beyond what is their summarized background. And while that isn't a crippling aspect to the success of the feature, it is one of the aspects that feels a bit shallower. James McTeigue and his team however, more than bring this world to life, and make this narrative an engrossing one, something that the stupendous cast helps immensely. Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, Rupert Graves, Roger Allam, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Sinead Cusack, Tim Pigott-Smith, they're all fantastic in their roles, and make this film that much more vivid to witness. The same applies to the production team, including the cinematography from the late Adrian Biddle, score from Dario Marianelli, and production design from Owen Paterson. 20 years on, it's a film that remains as entertaining as before, and one that is always worth revisiting and reflecting with. 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Movie Name: The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Matt Shakman
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrachm, Joseph Quinn, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Ada Scott
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Disney +

Synopsis and Review

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is Marvel Studios' third feature of 2025, and its most successful one. The director assigned to this project is Matt Shakman, who has a very lengthy career directing TV shows (including Marvel's "Wanda Vision", but a career that stretches back to Alan Ball's "Six Feet Under", a few episodes of "Game of Thrones", and "Fargo"), with this film actually being his sophomore directorial endeavor. The film focuses on the narrative of the most famous family of superheroes on Earth (or one of the existing Earths), who in 1964 are well known across the planet as their most valiant saviors. Sue/Susan Storm discovers she's pregnant, after years of trying with her husband, Reed Richards. The additional team members, including Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm are ecstatic upon hearing the news. Their moment of family bliss is interrupted when an alien creature on a surfboard crosses the Earth's atmosphere, and comes to New York City to announce that an entity by the name of Galactus has elected Earth as its next destination for annihilation. The herald quickly leaves the planet, but Reed is able to trace its energy trail, and the team goes into outer-space, with the hopes of being able to negotiate with Galactus the survival of Earth and its inhabitants. The gigantic Galactus doesn't acknowledge Humanity's plea for survival, however he does volunteer a trade in the shape of Reed and Sue's unborn child, as he confesses the baby is possessed of an enormous power, which he suspects may rival his own. Sue gives birth on the way back to Earth, and Reed has to figure out how to avoid the planet's destruction leveraging his sheer intellect. He decides to expand a teleportation technique he has developed only on a much larger scale, however the team has to find a way to lure Galactus to Earth, and place him in the right spot. While everyone on Earth is on board with his plan, not everything goes according to it.

This version of The Fantastic Four is without question, the best one thus far. Primarily because it does manage to bring to life the dynamic of the team members, giving them just enough individuality and character development as to not render them as utterly generic and forgettable. That being said, the prior iterations and adaptations of these characters were outright terrible, which makes this rendering by default a superior adaptation. The film does borderline on generic from a narrative standpoint, as very little of what makes and drives these characters is brought to life. The only main driving thread here is the Galactus menace, who is given very little in terms of dimension, motivation, or for that matter, menace (what can he do, aside from being really big according to what this film illustrates). The creative team for this film knew they had very little in terms of dramatic tension or character development, so they smartly invested on everything else, namely visuals, including production design, costumes, and visual effects. And in that regard the film is quite successful: the 1960s are impeccably reproduced, and the retro-futuristic vibe of the film is very Jetsons inspired, retaining at all times a high level of polish and elegance never once falling into kitsch or anecdotal. Unlike James Gunn's take on Superman, which brought the alien hero into modern times, depositing him right in the middle of a rather dark political and human epoch, but smartly putting those aspects in a way that is palatable and entertaining, Matt Shakman doesn't really do much with his material, aside from illustrating this very limited story and arc with the very powerful tools he has from Marvel Studios' arsenal. The cast is solid, particularly Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, who have great chemistry and bring to life that central couple and their partnership, though Julia Garner is completely wasted under that metallic sheen. The production team is impeccable, including Michael Giacchino's score, Jess Hall's cinematography, Kasra Farahani's production design, Alexandra Byrne's costume design, and all the teams that worked on the visual effects (which are superlatively good). It's a watchable and entertaining film, with style hiding a very generic point of view and a rather weak storyline. Hopefully the sequels will improve upon this. 

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.