Legion

Movie Name: Legion
Year of Release: 2010
Director: Scott Stewart
Starring: Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Dennis Quaid, Adrianne Palicki, Charles S. Dutton, Kate Walsh, Jon Tenney, Willa Holland, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Durand, Doug Jones, Jeanette Miller, Josh Stamberg
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 1
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

"Legion" is Scott Stewart's feature directorial debut, following a robust career in the visual effects discipline (he worked on films such as Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!", Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City", and Steven Spielberg's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"). The film follows the story of the angel Michael, whom we first encounter severing his wings so he can tackle the salvation of an unborn child, which holds the key for the salvation of humanity. In the meantime, in a diner, in the middle of nowhere, its owner Bob Hanson is dealing with a family who is stranded due to a car issue (Howard and Sandra Anderson, alongside their daughter Audrey). The waitress working in the diner, Charlie, is expecting a child any day now, and Bob's son Jeep, is helping her any way he can, even though he's not the child's father. Another man with secrets converges on that diner, a man by the name of Kyle Williams who stops for gas on his way to LA. Also at the diner is Percy, the cook and longtime friend of Bob and Jeep. The events at the diner quickly escalate when the television, radio, and telephone stop working. They are soon joined by an elderly woman by the name of Gladys who initially seems sweet and agreeable, but soon reveals herself to be vicious, and aggressively charges against Howard, lethally biting him. While Kyle shoots her, more challenges present themselves, as a swarm of flies surrounds the diner. Michael appears with a set of guns and instructs everyone to get back in the diner and attack anyone who attempts to enter the premises, as whoever does it is possessed, and wants Charlie's child, who is the savior of mankind. While everyone is in disbelief, they soon realize what Michael is saying is possibly truthful, as hordes of people converge on the diner, intending on attacking it.

For a film with a script as bare bones as this one, this film just seemed to keep going (or maybe because of the inexistent script, it really did seem like it kept on going). Sadly for Scott Stewart's directorial career (and writing, since he is also credited with the writing), this film marks a rather inauspicious beginning (his subsequent films didn't fare much better). The script's structure and its main characters' motivations are non existent, and this film seems to exist with the sole purpose of presenting supernatural/fantastical creatures with guns shooting at each other, with semi well choreographed fight scenes (not very well choreographed to be quite honest). Michael and Gabriel, the angels at odds with each other, are presented as Roman soldiers (apparently angels dress like extras from "Cleopatra" and "Spartacus"), and much like Francis Lawrence's "Constantine", they seem to exist on Earth, though one would never know since there isn't much context building, or much of understanding why these pseudo angels have guns and fight each other.  As Ed Wood would say, and Tim Burton so exquisitely illustrated in the film with the same name, details don't matter, it's all about the big picture. Only in this case, the big picture never really manifests into something coherent, and the fact that these characters are killing average people who are possessed, is of no consequence: the guns are there for a purpose and they're not going to shoot themselves. This mind boggling film that has no coherence, taste, or even discernment, has a diverse cast, headed by the talented Paul Bettany, who somehow manages to escape unscathed from this mess (he even made another film with this director named "Priest"). The diverse cast includes the very talented Charles S. Dutton (who was impeccable in David Fincher's "Alien 3"), the usual collaborator of Guillermo Del Toro, Doug Jones (who barely does anything), and a variety of TV actors, all perplexed at this mess they're in. Dennis Quaid also makes an appearance as an aging diner owner, and the description is as generic as his performance. The production team is solid, including John Lindley's cinematography, John Frizzell's score, and Jeff Higinbotham's production design. This is truly a head scratcher, something that is borderline unwatchable, with a great set of professionals, who sadly can't do anything to make it any better. Avoid. 

Happy Death Day

Movie Name: Happy Death Day
Year of Release: 2017
Director: Christopher Landon
Starring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Charles Aitken, Laura Clifton, Jason Bayle, Rachel Matthews, Phi Vu, Tenea Intriago, Ramsey Anderson, Jimmy Gonzales
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

Christopher Landon who has had a prolific career as a writer, started his feature directorial career with "Burning Palms" in 2010, and has consistently been directing low to mid level budgeted films that have become quite successful (a lot of them in association with Jason Blum's "Blumhouse Productions").  "Happy Death Day" follows the story of Tree Gelbman, who wakes up in the dorm room of Carter Davis, a classmate of hers, after an evening of what appears to be hard partying. It's her birthday, she hardly remembers Carter, and she rapidly leaves, in the direction of her sorority house. Her roommate Spengler gives her a celebratory cupcake, which she dismisses. She's late for class, where she meets her married professor, Gregory. They're having a fling, much to the suspicion of his trusting wife. That evening on her way to a party, Tree is murdered by a figure wearing a mask. She immediately wakes up, once again on Carter's bed, and relives her day much like what had just happened. However she avoids the tunnel and does reach the party. Her illusion of safety is shattered, when the killer traces her location and once again kills her. Once again she wakes up in Carter's bed, and she realizes she's repeating her birthday over and over again. She eventually explains to Carter what is happening, and he suggests that she takes advantage of the loop to figure out who is the killer. 

Harold Ramis' modern classic "Groundhog Day" has created its own sub genre in the comedy domain. "Happy Death Day" takes the premise of the time loop and places it squarely in the slasher genre, creating an interesting variation of the original theme, mixing elements of comedy with elements of the horror genre. This time around the perpetual victim has an opportunity to uncover who is her killer, in the process getting to learn more about herself, and what got her in that predicament to begin with. Sadly though, whereas in Harold Ramis' film we got to learn more about Phil Connors/Bill Murray as the narrative progressed, in this feature Christopher Landon doesn't give us much in terms of who Tree actually is, aside from eventually providing a reconciliation scene with her father, whom she alienated after her mother's death (also, apparently screenwriters don't even try to come up with credible people's names anymore, I'm expecting Petal, Bush, and Leaf to soon make their way into unfortunate characters' names). "Happy Death Day" manages to hold the audience's attention since it has two great things going for it: firstly, the creative team has realized this is nothing but a slick B-movie, and secondly, they've smartly held off any pretension at bay, peppered the feature with a few influences ranging from Michael Lehmann's "Heathers" to Mark Waters' "Mean Girls", and didn't take anything very seriously. This somewhat unpretentious approach works in the film's favor, and also allows for the performers to inhabit these rather undeveloped characters with some charm. Jessica Rothe does a good job inhabiting the lead character, and has solid support from Israel Broussard and Rachel Matthews. The production team is competent, including Bear McCreary's score, Toby Oliver's cinematography, and Cece De Stefano's production design. It's a watchable and mildly entertaining feature. 

Triangle of Sadness

Movie Name: Triangle of Sadness
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Ruben Ostlund
Starring: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly De Leon, Vicki Berlin, Woody Harrelson, Zlatko Buric, Henrik Dorsin, Amanda Walker, Oliver Ford Davies, Iris Berben, Carolina Gynning, Sunnyi Melles, Jean-Christophe Folly, Arvin Kananian
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

Following his Palm D'Or winning film "The Square" in 2017, writer/director Ruben Ostlund returned to the same festival 5 years later, and won a second Palm (other directors to have won two Palm D'Or awards include Francis Ford Coppola, Bille August, and Emir Kusturica). "Triangle of Sadness" focuses on the story of male model Carl, whom we first encounter in a casting session. We soon witness him having a cringe inducing dinner with his girlfriend, the also model Yaya. Their discussion soon veers towards finances, but above all, about gender dynamics and power. Soon after this episode both Carl and Yaya are enjoying a relaxing break at a luxury yacht. They connect with a series of other guests, including the millionaire Dimitry who is also enjoying a break with his partner Vera, and another elderly couple, Winston and Clementine, who have made their fortune from arms dealing. The crew of the yacht is stoked about serving the guests, because they know a hefty tip is lying ahead for them at the end of the journey. The captain of the vessel in the meantime refuses to get out of his cabin, where he's indulging in various beverages and drugs. He finally agrees to emerge from his hideout for a celebratory dinner, coincidentally during an evening where a lot of bad weather is expected. As the dinner celebration is taking place, a storm erupts, leading to severe turbulence, which results in most guests having issues holding their food down. The yacht eventually capsizes and only a few guests manage to escape alive, to what seems a remote island. As the survivors try to navigate their newfound situation, they soon realize they're depending on Abigail, a woman who was in charge of the toilets at the yacht, but who now provides for their food sources, and even their heat/shelter. 

"Triangle of Sadness" is a film where the intellectual exercise of its creator (Mr. Ruben Ostlund) is clearly energized by the message he wants to convey. And the message goes across all directions, including the vapidness of beauty (and influencers), the shallowness of youth, the power play that exists in relationships, the wealth of a few at the expense of many, including the death of millions, and the list goes on. Mr. Ostlund's attempts at creating a microcosms representative of everything that is damaged about modern society is ambitious, and at times successful, sadly this film has a massive issue pertaining to the lack of characters that are actually more than just a simple cliché. And I'm not saying this because of any type of morality aspect that these characters fail to illustrate or demonstrate: regardless of them being amoral or cynical or whatever other quality trait the writer/director chooses for them to embody, they still have to be able to demonstrate motivation, have an arc, something that illustrates who these individuals are besides a limited list of characteristics that summarize their existence. It's a film that has some good points, namely in the third chapter, as Abigail's role takes on a different dimension, and how she as a woman, provider, leverages her newfound power to navigate that group, its dynamics, and even gender roles. It's also a film that has some questionable taste level, namely during the dinner scene at the yacht, which features more than is necessary to be illustrated in any film (one can argue that Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Saló" also crosses many lines, but that film is a line crosser from beginning to end). The cast is very eclectic and creates an interesting tapestry for what this director is intending to communicate. Dolly De Leon and Harris Dickinson give solid performances, and have good support from Vicki Berlin, Zlatko Buric, and Woody Harrelson. The production team is solid, including Fredrik Wenzel's cinematography and Josefin Asberg's production design. It's an interesting film that may not be for everyone's taste, but it's worth watching nonetheless. 

After the Hunt

Movie Name: After the Hunt
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Luca Guadagnino 
Starring: Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloe Sevigny, Lio Mehiel, David Leiber, Thaddea Graham, Will Price, Nora Garrett, Christine Dye
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

"After the Hunt" premiered at the Venice Film Festival of 2025 where it was met with mixed reviews. By the time it premiered in the American market, the reviews were even harsher, the first for the very talented Luca Guadagnino. The film, written by Nora Garrett (her first produced script), follows the story of Alma, a philosophy teacher at Yale, whom we first encounter during a soirée that she and her husband have organized. During that evening we get to meet Alma's close knit of colleagues and students, including her handsome and flirtatious colleague Hank, her students Maggie, Katie and Arthur. Hank flirts with Alma during the evening, and she politely shields herself from any possible awkward situations. Her husband Frederik keeps a close eye on everyone. The following day Alma is surprised to see Maggie at her front door, clearly distressed. Maggie shares that following Alma's soirée, Hank volunteered to walk her home, and they both decided to have a night cap at her apartment. Maggie's partner Alex wasn't there. Maggie shares that a situation developed, and that something inappropriate between them happened, something she wasn't consensual with. She's unsure if she's going to press charges, but she has decided to share what happened with Alma for support. Alma is surprised, and unsure of what to do. Hank also approaches her and tells her his perspective of the events: he uncovered the fact Maggie had been plagiarizing her papers, and wanted to confront her. He states nothing happened, but fears that whatever emerges will destroy his career. As he predicted himself, Maggie's narrative precipitates a series of events, one of which results in Hank's dismissal. As the events from that situation continue to escalate, Alma's discomfort also increases, leading her to unpredictable behaviors. 

Luca Guadagnino is one of the most interesting directors working these days. He has an uncanny ability to bring stories to life, combining character development, with world building, all married with a stylistic perspective, which makes him a unique talent. "After the Hunt" which comes wrapped in what seems to be a "Me Too" type of narrative, soon moves in a different direction, one that is an exploration of who Alma is, and how her past has influenced how she consumes different narratives in her life, be those of her marriage, working relationships, which includes her mentorship ties with her students, and her emotional network, which includes flirtatious threads she may have had with Hank in the past. At times the writing seems to veer close to Patrick Marber's "Closer" territory, but then moves in a different direction towards what Woody Allen did in "September" for instance. It's a film that populates interesting and very intellectual individuals in the center of a very emotional and carnal imbroglio, which isn't even what the story is truly about. This narrative is about uncovering who Alma really is, and by looking at her the director is asking for us to look at ourselves, by illustrating prior questionable decisions, by placing our ambition as a catalyst for a driver that forces us (and Alma) to come to terms with the ability to move past scruples, regrets, ambivalences, in order to get to our desired destination. It's a film that asks questions, and allows for these central characters to slowly reveal themselves to us. The central performances are great, particularly those of Julia Roberts and Michael Stuhlbarg. They get great support from Ayo Edebiri and Chloe Sevigny, and less so from Andrew Garfield, who is miscast in this role. The production team is solid, including the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (not to mention the songs from Caetano Veloso, Cesaria Évora and Ryuichi Sakamoto alongside John Adams), cinematography by Malik Hassan Sayeed, costume design by Giulia Piersanti, and Stefano Baisi's production design. It's another solid film from a very talented film maker, one worth watching.

Predator: Badlands

Movie Name: Predator: Badlands
Year of Release: 2025
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Starring: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Ravi Narayan, Chris Terhune, Cameron Brown, Stefan Grube, Reuben de Jong
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Hulu

Synopsis and Review

The last three features from writer/producer/director Dan Trachtenberg have all been in the "Predator" universe, and they've all been well received, and a great testament to his ability to revitalize this franchise, whose best episode up until his endeavors, was still John McTiernan's original feature from 1987. "Predator: Badlands" follows the story of Dek, a predator from the planet Yautja Prime. He is seeking the approval from his father, clan leader Njohrr, who considers him a disappointment and a disservice to the clan as he is smaller than his brother and the rest of the clan members. Njohrr orders his brother to kill Dek, but he chooses instead to save him, sacrificing himself in the process and sending Dek to the planet Genna, where Dek intends to kill a supreme predator and bring back a trophy to prove his worthiness. Dek crash lands on Genna, and immediately realizes that everything about that planet is hostile, including trees, grass, and nearly everything surrounding him. While trying to escape from a dangerous predator, Dek connects with Thia, a damaged android (she has no legs), who offers to help him escape. Upon explaining his intent on the planet, Thia states she can help, provided he can take her back to the area where her team briefly established a colony and where they were attacked by the Kalisk creature. While initially resistant to volunteer any assistance, Dek soon acquiesces and takes Thia with him. They're soon joined by another creature, someone Thia names Bud, who saves them from nearly being devoured. In the meantime another android similar to Thia, her "sister" Tessa is repaired, and instructed on the parameters of her mission, being warned not to fail, as there will be no leniency if she does. Dek and Thia reach the former working station, or what's left of it, and while Thia immediately attempts to get her legs reattached, Dek is soon confronted with the Kalisk, who turns out to be quite a challenge. 

Dan Trachtenberg and his creative team's take on the "Predator" franchise has been quite refreshing, because they're essentially bringing a different dimension to a character that was up until their involvement, a monolithic monster without much personality. "Prey" and "Badlands" have given different contexts in which these characters exist, allowing them to be seen as warrior clans with a strict sense of rules, and not solely as supporting (and forgettable) villainous creatures who are mortal foibles for their human challengers/victims. "Badlands" places the Predator creature in the center of the narrative, and the film is erected as a rite of passage for a young warrior who wants to prove himself and avenge his brother in the process. The film plays out like a slick and intelligent B-movie, who is further uplifted due to the introduction of the intelligent, humorous, and quasi-human android, perfectly embodied by Elle Fanning. The relationship between these two characters, a la "Midnight Run", evolves from initial suspicion to well established trust, illustrating the convergence of both their journeys in building and getting what they ultimately need: companionship. It's a very smartly conceived film with an impeccable momentum, that while at times over simplifies some of the challenges/friction elements that exist, it's nonetheless polished, well acted, with solid visual effects and great production values. The cast led by the fantastic Elle Fanning, who is masterful in this dual role, is solid, and while there could have been some additional nuance to the evolution of these characters, what they set out to do is perfectly rendered. The production team is impeccable, including Benjamin Wallfisch and Sara Schachner's score, Jeff Cutter's cinematography, Ra Vincent's production design, Ngila Dickson's costume design, the entire makeup and prosthetics team, and the entire visual effects team (stupendous). It's a very well done and entertaining feature. Worth watching.

The Island

Movie Name: The Island
Year of Release: 2005
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ethan Phillips, Tom Everett
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

By the time he tackled "The Island", Michael Bay was coming off two big commercial hits, "Pear Harbor" and "Bad Boys II". The script originally written by Caspian Tredwell-Owen and then rewritten by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, follows the story of a man called Lincoln Six Echo who lives in a secluded facility, alongside many others, where he leads a very regimented existence. It's 2019, and they've all been informed that life outside that facility has changed considerably and that the island where they live is the only area pathogen free which is still able to support human existence. Lincoln in the meantime has been having vivid dreams that are not related with his own life. He eventually discovers a live moth in a ventilation shaft, which prompts his deduction that life outside the facility isn't compromised. He eventually follows the moth to another section of the facility and discovers that the "lottery", which everyone always looks forward to, is in reality a system that takes people from the facility for organ harvesting, and that all the people in that program are actually clones. Lincoln's discoveries make him a target for Dr. Merrick, who runs the facility and wants to preserve it at all costs. He decides to escape, and takes Jordan Two Delta with him. Merrick in the meantime hires a mercenary to recover them and bring them back to the island. The two escapees in the meantime decide to discover more about the real world. 

"The Island", much like many dystopian type of features that have been released since the 1970s, including for instance Michael Anderson's "Logan's Run", all have very similar premises: a central hero is forced to uncover the harsher reality that lies behind the facade of a seemingly perfect society. These dystopian worlds and realities ultimately force the hero to confront his own sense of humanity, but also the foils, insecurities, and lustful violence of those who control and want to continue dominating whatever semblance of power they have. In other words, spin the world, the context, and the time, but human cruelty, thirst for power, and unbridled ambition never change. This type of universe can make for really interesting films and some examples include the unique takes of Terry Gilliam with his "12 Monkeys" or even The Wachowski siblings with "The Matrix", however Michael Bay lacks both the perspective and storytelling prowess to create something memorable from this material. There's something quite calculated and overly labored about "The Island " itself: starting with the casting of the young attractive performers from the time, populating the feature with prestige supporting cast (for credibility), and finally staging everything with enough acrobatics and muscular car chases to appease the right demographic (all this wrapped in a shiny cinematography and slick costume design). The result of this concoction is a soulless feature, where everything looks slick, but lacks verisimilitude, where talented actors try to bring dimension to characters that are lifeless and have very little in terms of motivation or even an arc. Even for a director who has made a career for himself of populating his films with quick jump cuts, objectification of women, and gratuitous explosions, all hidden behind this dated tv commercial aesthetic, "The Island" is one of his most forgettable endeavors, and that itself is one of its biggest flaws. Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, then trying to establish their careers within the industry, even if at different times in their careers, are completely wasted in this film, the same going for the supporting cast, which features Djimon Hounsou playing yet another villain with a soul, Sean Bean still attempting to maintain the momentum from "Lord of the Rings", and Steve Buscemi, whose ability to pepper his performances with just enough distinctiveness, is completely passed over. The production team, while greatly talented, services a very distasteful aesthetic, resulting in the work of Mauro Fiore (cinematography), Nigel Phelps (production design), and Steve Jablonsky (score), being less than stellar. It's a forgettable endeavor for everyone involved.