Lost Girls

Movie Name: Lost Girls
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Liz Garbus
Starring: Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKensie, Gabriel Byrne, Lola Kirke, Miriam Shor, Dean Winters, Kevin Corrigan, Reed Birney, Oona Laurence, Grace Capeless, Ana Reeder, Jimi Stanton
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

"Lost Girls" is based on a true story and on the book by Robert Kolker, "Lost Girls: An Unresolved American Mystery". It had its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, in January of 2020 before being released by streaming platform Netflix. The narrative focuses on the story of Mari Gilbert, a single mother working multiple jobs to make ends meet in the area of Long Island, NY. When her eldest daughter goes missing, Mari reaches out to the police, who initially don't care much about her missing persons report. That changes when a police officer accidentally uncovers the remains of what turns out to be 4 different young women who had disappeared a few years back near the area where Shannan, Mari's daughter, was last sighted. Suddenly the attention is focused on uncovering Shannan's whereabouts, as well as to what happened with those 4 young women (who turns out to have been sex workers, using Craigslist as their means of procuring clients). As the pressure mounts on a pre-retirement Police commissioner, Mari stops at nothing to uncover what has happened with her daughter, whom she had a conflicting relationship with. As more bodies are uncovered, the more fear mounts that Shannan won't be found alive, something that causes more distress to Mari's other two daughters. Mari decides to follow some clues and do some of her investigation, but that eventually leads nowhere, until Shannan's body is indeed uncovered.

"Lost Girls" hails from director Liz Garbus, a prolific documentarian, who has also veered into directing prestige TV Shows, including "Yellowjackets", "The Handmaid's Tale", and "City on Fire". Her extensive work in documentaries comes across in the way she manages to capture an unflinching portrayal of a woman on a quest to find her daughter, and in the process give her more humanity than simply falling under the guise of a "murdered sex worker". It's a film that smartly mixes the images and archival footage of the actual investigation of the murders which took place in 2011, with the staged aspect of the film, which is shot and captured in an emotional, yet not manipulative manner. The narrative could have benefitted from providing some additional layers of detail on the lead and supporting characters, including the late Mari Gilbert and her daughters.  That being said, Mari's portrayal is a vivid one, someone who comes across as a resourceful and stoic individual in the face of crushing events. The cast is uniformly great, and they bring authenticity, grit and warmth to the narrative, led by the always fantastic Amy Ryan, with solid support from Thomasin McKensie, Gabriel Byrne, Lola Kirke and Miriam Shor. The production team is solid, including the beautiful cinematography from Igor Martinovic, and score from Anne Nikitin. A solid film worth watching.

Warlock

Movie Name: Warlock
Year of Release: 1989
Director: Steve Miner
Starring: Julian Sands, Richard E. Grant, Lori Singer, Mary Woronov, Richard Kuss, Kevin O'Brien, Allan Miller, Anna Thomson, David Carpenter, Kay E. Kuter, Ian Abercrombie, Kenneth Danziger
Genre: Action, Fantasty
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Steve Miner will forever be associated with the "Friday the 13th" film series, as it marked both his feature and sophomore directorial endeavors (with parts 2 and 3 respectively), but he has since then have had an eclectic career, including titles as "My Father the Hero", "Lake Placid" and multiple TV shows, including "Felicity", "Eureka" and "Once Upon a Time". "Warlock" followed his work on the successful TV show "The Wonder Years", and is actually one of the first produced screenplays of the famous David Twohy, who has since then made a name for himself writing/co-writing the scripts for Andrew Davis' "The Fugitive", Ridley Scott's "GI Jane", Kevin Reynolds' "Waterworld", and the "Pitch Black/Riddick" series, which he has directed himself. The film follows the story of a Warlock who is captured in the 17th century by witch-hunter Giles Redferne. He is sentenced to death, but malevolent forces manage to save him and send him to the 20th century, with Redferne hot on his pursuit. The Warlock lands at the house of a waitress named Kassandra, and wreaks havoc in her life, including murdering her roommate, while also placing a curse upon her. Redferne explains to her the rules of Witches and Warlocks and what's at stake if they don't stop the Warlock's intents. Not to mention the fatal aspect of her curse. They pursue the Warlock to a Mennonite family where they battle him out, but he eventually flees the scene, though Kassandra eventually manages to revert her curse. They figure out his ultimate goal lies in Boston, and they have a final confrontation with the Warlock in a cemetery. 

While "Warlock" was completed in 1988 and had its international release in 1989, it only made its premiere in the US in 1991, due to the bankruptcy of New World Pictures. The film has modest ambitions, and while it tries to embark in some of the motifs some fantasy films in the late 80s had, such as Ron Howard's "Willow" and even Jim Henson's "Labyrinth", its modest budget prevents the film from having a more distinct point of view (and visual effects). The film also suffers from not being able to carve out stronger lead characters, with the Warlock, Redferne and Kassandra all coming across as somewhat anemic and without much charisma. In a way films such as Robert Kurtzman's "Wishmaster" which was produced almost a decade later, has a similar DNA but gives the narrative both more pulp and slash, which means, while the characters are flimsy described and presented, the villainous lead is given a more distinct point of view and motivation for his actions (and the mayhem also increases). With "Warlock", and while the fantastic Julian Sands brings the character to life, both his motivation and the consequences of his actions are never truly magnified, which makes the film always have the feeling of being at the precipice of something but held back, a bit like unresolved potential. There are some similarities between Richard E. Grant's character in this film and how Christopher Lambert portrayed his Connor MacLeod in Russell Mulcahy's "Highlander", but once again, he doesn't get a chance to do much in the film, or bring the usual layers of humor he typically places on his performances. One of the highlights of the cast goes to Mary Woronov who as a brief but memorable participation, whereas the production team is unremarkable (and the visual effects are quite mediocre). It's watchable, and Julian Sands and Richard E. Grant do try their best with their characters, but the film fails to convincingly create an ominous environment, which makes it ultimately not particularly memorable.

Freaks: You're One of Us/Freaks: Du Bist Eine Von Uns

Movie Name: Freaks: You're One of Us/Freaks: Du Bist Eine Von Uns
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Felix Binder
Starring: Cornelia Groschel, Tim Oliver Schultz, Wotan Wilke Mohring, Nina Kunzendorf, Frederic Linkemann, Finnlay Berger, Ralph Herforth, Gisa Flake, Thelma Buabeng, Gesine Cukrowski, Charlotte Banholzer, Marcel Nazarov
Genre: Action, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another release from Netflix, this new directorial endeavor from director Felix Binder, focuses its narrative on Wendy, whom we first encounter as a young girl dealing with a traumatic event that has occurred at her school. The narrative quickly moves ahead in time, and Wendy now works as a waitress in a restaurant which supports a gas station. Wendy is married and has a son, and while her life is somewhat tranquil, she has some issues with her supervisor at work who thinks she's a pushover. One evening while cleaning the restaurant and taking the trash out, she becomes acquainted with Marek, a homeless man who tells her that she should stop taking the pills her psychiatrist has prescribed for her (and that she takes every day). When Marek jumps off a highway bridge and appears unarmed the following day, Wendy finds the situation bizarre. She stops taking the pills, and when she's harassed by a bunch of hoodlums, she manages to fend them off with super human strength. In the meantime, a young man by the name of Elmar, who lives with his father and his new girlfriend, is also coming to terms with these newfound abilities, which allow him to control electricity. And while Elmar is somewhat in a stunted adolescence type of existence, thinking these new occurrences are much like the comic books he has been reading his whole life, Wendy wants to understand what exactly is going on with her.

"Freaks: You're One of Us" is an interesting concept, in the sense that it tries to be very akin to a superhero film, but takes the usual superhero inception story and replaces it with a premise that these heroes are just every day people who are being pinned down and controlled by some shady organization. For the most part Felix Binder manages to portray the triviality of Wendy's existence, even if at times it seems that Wendy has neither much of a past, nor much in terms of interests, beyond her repetitive tasks both at home and at work. The same goes for Elmar, who is also portrayed in a rather rudimentary way, with his stunted perspective on adulting, and the awkward relationship he maintains both with his father and his new lover. This lack of dimension of the main characters, including the nefarious Dr. Sten, fails to ignite much interest to the film, though the premise itself is ripe with opportunity. The film at times comes across as a pilot for a tv show, where one can assume in the following episodes more backdrop will be provided towards the characters and their relationships with each other. As it is, and while there's a rather compelling and straightforward aspect to the narrative, the film also falls a bit under a generic umbrella, without much of a distinctive point of view. The actors are solid in their depiction of the lead characters, with highlights going to Cornelia Groschel, who illustrates Wendy's journey from complacent to dynamo in a subtle but impactful way, and Ralph Herforth as Elmar's icy father. The production team is competent yet unremarkable. It's a viewable but ultimately forgettable feature. 

The Huntsman: Winter's War

Movie Name: The Huntsman: Winter's War
Year of Release: 2016
Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Nick Frost, Rob Brydon, Sheridan Smith, Alexandra Roach, Sope Dirisu, Sam Hazeldine, Sam Claffin, Sophie Cookson, Conrad Khan, Niamh Walter
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

After the surprising success of Rupert Sanders' "Snow White and the Huntsman", a sequel was quickly set in motion to focus on the least interesting part of that film, the Huntsman, who was played by Chris Hemsworth at the time riding the wave of popularity brought forth by the Marvel films. The sequel shifts its focus and takes us back in time, showcasing how Queen Ravenna's magical powers and beauty have been able to grant her control of other kingdoms. She has a younger sister by the name of Freya whose powers have not yet emerged, who falls in love with a nobleman, hoping to get married. Freya is pregnant and eventually gives birth to a little girl, before the couple has a chance to wed. However, Freya discovers what appears to be Andrew murdering their child, and grief-stricken her heart is frozen and she kills him with her newfound abilities, the control of ice. She moves towards the North and becomes a ruler of that region, courtesy of her abilities. She also starts training her armies from an early age, always making sure they all remember her teachings to never fall in love. Amongst her young recruits are Eric and Sara, both the best of their class, who grow up to be formidable warriors. Their love is however uncovered by Freya, who disapproves and apparently gets Sara killed and Eric thrown into a river. Years later, and after the events of the first feature, Snow White has fallen ill due to Ravenna's Magic Mirror. The Mirror is sent to the Sanctuary who protected Snow White, however while on route it gets highjacked. Eric is tasked with finding that mirror, which he agrees with since he knows if Freya gets ahold of it, her ice domain will increase. Much to his surprise, Sara who is still alive comes to his rescue and agrees to go along with him to make their mission is successful. But not all is what it seems in her intentions.

"Snow White and the Huntsman" was a barely watchable film, one that benefitted from Charlize Theron's icy performance (and one where Kristen Stewart was miscast). However, she is largely absent from this film, which in turn focuses its attention on Chris Hemsworth Huntsman, Emily Blunt's Freya (a version of Disney's Frozen), and Jessica Chastain's other Huntswoman, with several sidekicks for entertaining value and comic relief. The film, which is the feature directorial debut of Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, who previously had a lengthy career as a visual effects specialist, is riddled with enumerable tropes, incongruences, and visual issues. The characters all have fairly limited dimension, and for that matter motivation, including Freya's who is a conflicted villain, but also walks through the film half asleep. Even the White Walkers from the TV show "Game of Thrones" are more dynamic and menacing than anything that Freya and the writers on this film can actually come up with. Both Eric and Sara (great realistic names contrasting with Ravenna and Freya, both of which seem like great soap names), seem to be either Scottish or Welsh, whereas the queens seem to be British, all of which are details that are obviously irrelevant, however none of their ambitions seem to be very sensical at all (and by the way, those accents seem to come and go throughout the film). This ultimately feels like a narrative built by a committee, where a thread, an arc seems to be irrelevant, and where the ultimate goal is to get these great looking cast members in front of the camera, and hope they somehow bring this film to life. Sadly it doesn't work, for anyone on this film, including Charlize Theron and Jessica Chastain, both immensely talented individuals, who are completely wasted in this narrative. Visually the film boasts some questionable visual effects, but the cinematography from Phedon Papamichael is solid, as is the score from James Newton Howard. This is a mediocre and forgettable endeavor. 

Run Rabbit Run

Movie Name: Run Rabbit Run
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Daina Reid
Starring: Sarah Snook, Lily LaTorre, Damon Herriman, Greta Scacchi, Neil Melville, D'Arcy Carty, Trevor Jamieson, Shabana Azeez, Georgina Naidu, Naomi Rukavina, Maurial Spearim
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Director Daina Reid has made a career for herself primarily working on tv shows, including high profile series such as "The Handmaid's Tale", "Shining Girls" and "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries", to name but a few. "Run Rabbit Run" is her feature sophomore endeavor, and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival of 2023, benefiting from the attention its lead actor Sarah Snook had been experiencing courtesy of another tv show, in this case HBO's "Succession". The film follows the story of Sarah, a recently divorced fertility doctor. She lives with her daughter Mia who is celebrating her seventh birthday. They both find a rabbit which they assume is a gift from Mia's father, Peter. Mia's behavior soon becomes increasingly strange, and she starts wearing a rabbit mask she made herself, one that she refuses to take off even when Sarah asks her to. Sarah also starts experiencing hallucinations, and her nightmares grow more intense. Sarah takes Mia to visit her own mother, who is living in assisted living, now that her father has passed away and she has dementia. Joan keeps addressing Mia as "Alice", who turns out is the younger sister of Sarah who disappeared around the same age as Mia currently is. As Sarah and Mia are staying in her childhood home, Sarah's hallucinations increase and her relationship with Mia becomes even more strained. Through these hallucinations Sarah hints at what may have happened to her sister.

"Run Rabbit Run" who is written by celebrated author Hannah Kent suffers from a case of trying to be a hybrid gestation of a M. Night Shyamalan film married with a Jane Campion sensibility, which sadly produces something that is neither particularly suspenseful, nor particularly insightful about the relationship between mothers and daughters, or even between sisters. The film starts interestingly enough, focusing on a character that isn't necessarily affable or even likable, which is how Sarah comes across. However the hints of eeriness that are supposed to come from Mia's behavior are randomly presented, and are more grating than actually scary. Both the director and writer, fail to actually showcase what type of relationship exists between mother and daughter, both coming across as strangers who are just now getting together. It's difficult to understand much about these characters, since not much dimension is given to either of them, in terms of their motivations, dynamics with others and even affections, the same extending for the supporting characters, which includes the absent ex-husband and even Joan, the matriarch of the family (who is played by the always underrated Greta Scacchi). Gore Verbinski was able to do quite a bit more with "The Ring", which also featured a single mother fantastically played by Naomi Watts, dealing with a supernatural entity which was threatening both her and Aidan, her son. In the end, "Run Rabbit Run" doesn't satisfy from the perspective of understanding the relationship between all these characters, the same way that the supposedly shocking revelation doesn't really come across as one. Sarah Snook who is usually a reliable performer, feels a bit lost in the middle of this film that can't quite find its tone, with Lily LaTorre and Greta Scacchi managing to be far more effective in their performances. The production team also has its fair share of issues, with a rather underwhelming cinematography from Bonnie Elliott and a lackluster production design from Vanessa Cerne. Ultimately it's simply not a great viewing experience. 

Missing

Movie Name: Missing
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick
Starring: Storm Reid, Nia Long, Tim Griffin, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Megan Suri, Daniel Henney, Lauren B. Mosley, Lisa Yamada
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Missing" is the feature directorial debut for Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick, both possessed of a noticeable career as editors, with Merrick as well having directed a few shorts. They both edited Aneesh Chaganty's "Searching", who was produced by the same team who is behind this feature, with "Missing" being a sequel to "Chaganty's film. The narrative focuses on the story of a young woman by the name of June, who just turned 18 and lives with her mom in the LA area. June's father died of brain tumor when she was little, and she has become her mom's constant focus. Her mom Grace is about to leave for a vacation with her boyfriend Kevin, the first actual relationship she has had in years. June in the meantime is being left under the care of Heather, her mom's friend who is a divorce lawyer. A week goes by and June goes to pick up Grace and Kevin at the airport, and much to her surprise they don't show up. She communicates with the American consulate in Colombia, but they're unable to help her much. She decides to use the digital tools she has at her disposal and investigate what is happening. She hires Javier, a Colombian gig worker to do some investigation on the ground. She manages to crack the password to Kevin's gmail account, and discovers a number of aliases he has been using. She also uncovers the fact that he has a criminal record, all of which related to scamming women for money. The more she investigates, including the dating app where her mother met Kevin, she soon realizes her mother was aware of his past. However, June soon realizes there's more to this story, and that the woman who was on the flight to Colombia may not have been her mother after all.

"Missing", much like "Searching", invites the audience to witness the central character of the narrative frantically trying to locate someone. The film, much like some of the B-movies of the 1940s and 50s, provides little exposition on who these characters are to begin with, focusing instead on setting up the apparently impossible situation, and how ingenuity, persistence and intelligence ultimately uncover venues in which the characters manage to escape from dangerous situations. This film transposes this type of economical narrative perspective to modern times, placing the young June at the center of a digital investigation, made that much more challenging since her mother is abroad. The film smartly creates a sense of claustrophobia and timeliness, by placing June solely in her room, and her mother potentially running out of time. And while June and Grace are never given much in terms of who they are, there's enough breadcrumbs of information that are provided, which allow for a revealing picture of who they are to come across. It's a suspenseful film that while not as dynamic and enticing as a Hitchcock work, still manages to capture one's attention with multiple twists and turns. The cast is uniformly solid, with highlights going to Storm Reid, Tim Griffin and Nia Long. The production team is solid, including Steven Holleran's cinematography, Kelly Fallon's production design and Julian Scherle's score. Entertaining and worth watching.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Movie Name: Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Year of Release: 2023
Director: David F. Sandberg
Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, D.J. Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Meagan Good, Djimon Hounsou, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Gal Gadot, Rizwan Manji
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the critical and commercial success of the first "Shazam!", director David F. Sandberg, went back into creating a few shorts, where he originally started his career, before tackling the successor of the superhero film which originally propelled him into another layer of visibility. The film follows the events of the first "Shazam!" and finds Billy and his siblings all living with those newfound powers and trying to make a difference in Philadelphia. Unbeknownst to them, Hespera and Kalypso, two of the daughters of the Titan Atlas, have an agenda of their own and they manage to recover and repair the Wizard's staff. In the meantime Freddy develops an infatuation with a new girl named Anne, who turns out is the youngest sister of Hespera and Kalypso, with her actual name being Anthea. The sisters eventually get a hold of the Golden Apple, which was in possession of the Shazam group, take away most of the powers of the Shazam family, and Kalypso plants the apple at the Citizens Bank Park, which grows throughout the city, threatening to destroy it, even more so when mythological monsters erupt from it. Billy devises a plan to save his family and the city, even if the sacrifice for it to come to fruition is a considerable one.

The reviews for this film weren't quite as balmy as the ones that greeted the original. That prompted a bit of a reaction from the creative team behind it, including the director and some of its lead stars. The thing about criticism ultimately lies with the fact that these are just opinions, and essentially interpretations of a product someone puts out there to be consumed. The problem with "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" isn't related to the fact that it's a terrible endeavor and cinematic journey. The narrative is a mix bag of trying to build a backdrop for the existence of these paper thin villains, married with this adolescent vibe (closer to a WB teen show) that is taking place with all the siblings and their super-hero personas. The rhythm between these threads clashes quite steadily and lacks the fluid aspect the original film showcased so well. By the time the third chapter of this film comes around (the clashing with the villain), it's once again peppered with an abundance of digital effects that doesn't necessarily add much distinctiveness to the super-hero genre and formula. There's still quite a bit to enjoy from this film, namely the sense of family unity, companionship and community the director builds amongst Billy's adoptive family (and city), however when the focus gravitates towards the villainous sisters, it becomes a very different endeavor, in terms of tone and even in terms of acting. While Helen Mirren manages to be phenomenal as always, Lucy Liu doesn't really know the tone she needs to impart on the character, oscillating between near camp and over the top villain (she lacks more of a grounding baseline much like she had on Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol. 1"). The rest of the cast manages to bring these characters to life, even if with very limited dimension. The production team is solid, with highlights going to Gyula Pados' cinematography and Christophe Beck's score. Paul Kirby's production design is at times reminiscent of the "Harry Potter" universe, and not necessarily memorable. Ultimately this film plays out like a teen focused, highly budgeted TV movie, with little character definition. It needed a stronger point of view and a tighter narrative thread. It's watchable but forgettable.

End of the Road

Movie Name: End of the Road
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Millicent Shelton
Starring: Queen Latifah, Chris Bridges, Beau Bridges, Frances Lee McCain, Mychala Lee, Shaun Dixon, Jesse Luken, Tabatha Shaun, Tim Stafford, Keith Jardine, Travis Hammer
Genre: Drama, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another release hailing from Netflix, this time around with the lead role being occupied by one of its producers, the charismatic Queen Latifah. The film follows the story of the Brendan family who is about to embark on a move from California to Texas due to a dramatic loss they recently experienced. Brenda the mother is a registered nurse, and she's moving both her kids Kelly and Cam, alongside her brother Reggie, all to Houston to live with her mother in order to get a new start on all their lives. Since they're low on funds, they're driving across the country, and trying to be frugal in their expenditures. Things take a darker turn, when while staying in a motel in Arizona, they hear an altercation in the room next door followed by a gun shot. When they go and investigate, they find a wounded victim, who Brenda promptly tries to help, while Reggie notices a mysterious suitcase, which he soon realizes is flushed with money. The victim dies, and the next day the family resumes their itinerary, after addressing the police's questions. The local sheriff calls them to come back with further information, but Brenda mentions she has nothing left to say and soldiers on. Things escalate when the crime lord whom the money belongs to comes for Brenda and her family and takes Cam. She decides to go back to the motel and leave the money in a room she has marked and communicates her plan. However, things don't go as smoothly as planned, and Brenda has to untangle the mess they're all in.

Millicent Shelton has had a very extensive career in TV, having directed episodes for various shows, including prominent ones such as "The Walking Dead", "Preacher", "American Crime", "Californication" and the list goes on. Her feature directorial debut actually occurred in 1998 with "Ride", and this is effectively her sophomore effort. Both the narrative and the way it is illustrated for this particular feature, almost resembles a pilot for a TV show, in the sense that there's both the eruptive drama from traumatic experiences the family has gone through (meant to elicit a heartfelt reaction from the audience), married with the comedy value, light banter and recklessness of the younger sibling, and both those threads tied with the incredulity of a crime plot that never really congeals, but that wants to come across as edgy and nightmarish as possible. The film has a hard time in finding its tone, since on one hand it wants to come across as a drama narrative describing the challenges an African-American family has to go through after the loss of their patriarch, but suddenly it takes an inflection and it wants to be a "Taken" type of thriller where ultimately nothing ties together very coherently or even in tone (the whole crime community in the desert eerily reminiscent of Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" also doesn't do the film any favors). By the time the predictable crime lord figure presents itself, and the subsequent situations occur, the more the film loses its credibility and whatever statement it was trying to say (even if it was a purely entertaining one). It's a film that doesn't know what it is or what it wants to be. Queen Latifah has a commanding presence, but even her charisma can't save this film or her character, which is also poorly defined. Kudos for the casting of the always wonderful Beau Bridges and Frances Lee McCain. It's a missed opportunity and a forgettable film for everyone involved. 

Renfield

Movie Name: Renfield
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Chris McKay
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones, Adrian Martinez, Camille Chen, Bess Rous, Jenna Kanell, Danya LaBelle, Rhonda Johnson Dents, Christopher Matthew Cook, Michael P. Sullivan, Rosha Washington, James Moses Black, T.C. Matherne
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Chris McKay who previously handled the hilarious "The Lego Batman Movie" and subsequently the more dour "The Tomorrow War", returns with a new take on the classic Bram Stoker's character, Dracula, this time around focusing more intently on his eternal aid Renfield. The film transports Renfield and Dracula to present day in New Orleans, where Renfield is caring for Dracula after his near demise while battling Van Heflin. While in New Orleans, Renfield discovers a 12-step group for people in codependent relationships, which he realizes closely resembles his own predicament. He decides to track the people who are causing the abuse to some of the people in the group and feed them to Dracula. However while pursuing one of them, the victim is actually connected with drug trafficking which puts Renfield as a target for the Lobo crime family. Dracula is displeased with the victims Renfield keeps bringing, and requests for different ones, which eventually leads Renfield to a restaurant in the hopes of bringing some every day people. However while there, an attack is enforced on officer Rebecca Quincy who is investigating the same crime family. Renfield manages to save the situation, but that only reinforces the Lobo family to focus on further destroying him. To further complicate things, Dracula who in the meantime has become acquainted with Teddy, the son of the Lobo family's boss, forge a partnership to further expand their businesses and Dracula's own dark plans. 

"Renfield"'s premise rests on an attempt at a delicate balance between a gory horror film and a dark comedy, with this latter part toying around with concepts of emotional abuse and codependent relationships. This somewhat modern take on a classic, in this case the relationship and power Dracula holds over Renfield, definitely has plenty of room for dark humor, something that if done right could have been magnified and taken in the direction of what Mel Brooks did with his classic "Young Frankenstein" (finding humor in ponderous material). However Chris McKay and his team of writers comprised of Ryan Ridley, Robert Kirkman and Ava Tramer, don't necessarily mine the Dracula lore for additional details, characters and situations, preferring instead to focus on another character, in this case Rebecca, who is attempting to come out from underneath the shadow of her impressive police officer father and carve her own path. These multiple threads could have worked really well if they had been more easily interwoven, but eventually the writing goes in the direction of introducing a crime family, and from then on the story goes from cliché to cliché, without much novelty or freshness (ah Dracula associating himself with a crime family, check). Sadly none of these characters ever get much substance both in terms of their past journeys or what they're intending to do. The film ends up resting on this premise of: what if Renfield doesn't want to take care of Dracula anymore and wants to do something else, however it does so without fully embracing where that can go and what that means for an immortal character. This easily could have gone in so many different directions, but aside from the spurts of violence and gore, this is somewhat of an inert film. Nicholas Hoult manages to make as much as possible of this every day man caught in a tiresome and abusive relationship, whereas Nicolas Cage doesn't have nearly enough screen time to really savor a character that is quite suited for him. The production team is also not very successful in bringing this particular world to life, including the cinematography which is more reminiscent of a Michael Bay film, making everything look oddly artificial, the same going for the choices in production design. It's a forgettable endeavor for everyone involved in its making. 

Evil Dead Rises

Movie Name: Evil Dead Rises
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Lee Cronin
Starring: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, Nell Fisher, Mirabai Pease, Richard Crouchley, Anna-Maree Thomas, Billy Reynolds-McCarthy, Jayden Daniels, Mark Mitchinson, Tai Wano
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Lee Cronin who has assuredly been making a name for himself in the horror genre, follows his well received "The Hole in the Ground", with a new take on the Sam Raimi classic series "Evil Dead", which originally had its start in 1981. This time around the film focuses its narrative on two sisters, the elder by the name of Ellie and the younger named Steph, who get back together after some time apart, when Steph comes for advice on an unexpected pregnancy that she wants her sister's advice on. Ellie on the other hand is dealing with a collapsing relationship, the abandonment of her partner and father of her three young children, not to mention the building where they live is being demolished and they have a month to pack and find a new place to live. While there's some tension between them, they slowly start discussing what's going on in their lives, while the kids are out getting pizza for everyone. Unexpectedly an earthquake puts a halt to these conversations, and the kids uncover in the garage what seems an almost untouched lower floor, in which a bank used to exist, including vaults and lockers. Danny descends to explore more, and grabs a series of records, and an ancient book from a special room filled with crucifixes. Danny and his older sister Bridget browse through the book, and the horrifying illustrations scare her. Neglecting her sister's advice, Danny plays the records, which recite some of the contents of the book, unleashing a malevolent spirit that latches on to Ellie who then starts attacking the family.

Unlike the mediocre take from Fede Alvarez in 2013, which essentially tried to "modernize" Sam Raimi's now considered cult classic, Lee Cronin smartly takes the action and dynamics of the narrative out of the whole concept of Cabin in the Woods with long forgotten demonic book hidden or left behind. Instead the writer/director moves the action and context of the narrative into a disintegrating family unit, who are dealing with challenges of their own, and who suddenly have to portend with this malevolent entity, who eats away at each and every one of the family members. It also smartly moves the focus of the narrative into Steph, and her newfound resilience to protect a family that is also her own, but also her unborn child. All these make for interesting and solidly crafted story points. The characters however fail to be as well materialized as the overall mechanics of the narrative, with both sisters having unresolved issues that are never really addressed, the same going for their past family life. The kids are also generically described and showcased, which also makes them less compelling as the action continues to evolve. Placing the entirety of the narrative within a decaying building is also both claustrophobic, also illustrates the pains and further deterioration the characters themselves go through. Stylistically, the film does pay a heartfelt and worthy homage to Sam Raimi's style, but also has nods to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". The director however also manages to have his own point of view, amping up the gore and some grotesqueness to the narrative, while introducing new layers to the lore of the "Evil Dead" vernacular. The cast is satisfyingly solid, with Lily Sullivan and Alissa Sutherland making for compelling watches. The production design from Nick Bassett is solid, as is the cinematography from Dave Garbett and score from Stephen McKeon. It's a compellingly executed extension of a classic series. Worth watching.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Movie Name: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Corey Stoll, Bill Murray, Katy M. O'Bien, William Jackson Harper, Jamie Andrew Cutler, David Dastmalchian, Randall Park, 
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
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Synopsis and Review

Peyton Reed has been focused on the adventures of Ant-Man since the character was firstly introduced on the big screen back in 2015. The previous feature, dated from 2018 gave more prominence to the Wasp, and this is the first film to focus yet again on these characters since their appearance in the "Avengers" films (of 2018 and 2019). Since that episodic cycle of narratives has finished, Marvel has had some trouble repositioning its characters, finding another cycle for them to go through, with their focus also going into a barrage of TV shows on Disney + which I've personally not watched. In this new chapter of the adventures of Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scott Lang has settled into his life in San Francisco, where his relationship with Hope keeps solidifying itself. His grown up daughter Cassie in the meantime has gotten herself into trouble with some activism which lends her in jail. As Scott learns about the ongoings of Cassie, he soon also learns she's been working on some advanced research with Hank Pym, who in the meantime has been enjoying his time with Janet Van Dyne, whom everyone thought was lost in the Quantum world and has been successfully saved since. Cassie's device however functions as a beacon to the Quantum realm, which panics Janet, however it's too late to do anything about it, since they're all sucked into that reality. The group initially gets divided, with Hope, Janet and Hank falling into a city, where they investigate what is happening, whereas Scott and Cassie are found by natives, who are in the midst of rebelling against their ruler. As Hope and Hank learn more about Janet's life in the Quantum Realm, Scott and Cassie have to contend with the ruler of that space, who is looking for the particles that Scott and Cassie have in their suits. 

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" bears a somewhat similar DNA to the previous installments, in the sense there's a sense of humor and levity taking place with Scott Lang/Paul Rudd's life, as he settles in San Francisco and suddenly has to deal with a newfound fame stemming from his heroic acts. However much of the underdog story that was part of the previous narratives is now largely absent, and the narrative quickly bypasses Scott's new reality in favor of what has taken place and is also about to take place in the Quantum Realm. And this is where things start getting shakier by the second, since this Realm is at times reminiscent of a rather generic episode of Star Trek, with alien creatures included, not to mention the whole concept of this realm never truly makes much sense (but at this point, sure why not). While most of the characters just want to get back to where they came from, the new main antagonist known as Kang, is apparently a monstrous creature who wants to destroy everything in his path. His prior history and relationship with Janet are explained, but his motivation to seek out the destruction of everything is never really completely understandable (the same going for who the character actually is, and what makes him so apparently invincible). The narrative and the juggling of all these characters lacks both depth and at times momentum. The film also oscillates between being reminiscent of a Star Trek episode, mixed with elements of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, with the director also failing to do much with the colorful supporting characters, including Bill Murray's Krylar (who quickly gets discarded) and even Corey Stoll's "M.O.D.O.K." (who gets grotesquely rendered). Visually the film is also a mix bag, with certain sequences failing to blend the overly CGI aspect of the feature with the actual set design. The cast certainly tries their best, with Paul Rudd, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas creating the most memorable performances, while Evangeline Lilly fails to register at all, the same going for Kathryn Newton. Jonathan Majors tries his best at creating a very underwritten villainous character, but ultimately it's just not particularly convincing. The production team is filled with talented professionals, including Bill Pope's pristine cinematography, Christophe Beck's score and costume design from Sammy Sheldon. In the end this film is once again formulaic, but also fails to register solidly from a character perspective and even a narrative building perspective. 

The Flash

Movie Name: The Flash
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Andy Muschietti
Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Maribel Verdu, Sasha Calle, Ron Livingston, Michael Shannon, Jeremy Irons, Ben Affleck, Kiersey Clemons, Temuera Morrison, Antje Traue, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Rudy Mancuso, Sean Rogers, George Clooney, Nicolas Cage, Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review

After directing the successful two parter adaptation of Stephen King's "It", director Andy Muschietti has returned with the long gestating solo film focused on the Flash character, which has made appearances in the Batman and Justice League films directed by Zack Snyder. This time around the narrative focuses on Barry Allen's discovery that with his speed, he can actually travel back in time and change the outcome of events that took place. Barry is focused in particular in changing the outcome of his mother's death, and the wrong imprisonment of his father. Though Bruce Wayne warns him of the possible unexpected consequences that can stem from changing the past, Barry decides to do so, and effectively does change the outcome of what happened with his mom. However as he navigates through time, he gets derailed by another opposing force, which drops him in a reality and on the day where he is meant to have the accident which transforms him into the Flash. As he contends with a younger and enthusiastic version of himself, he has to take that version of him to the crime lab where he was interning, so the accident that turned him into the Flash can happen again. He does manage to do so, but in the process loses his powers. The Barries suddenly become aware that in that period in time General Zod has invaded Earth and is looking for a Krypton survivor who has the genetic code of that race. They seek out the help of Bruce Wayne/Batman, though the original Barry suddenly realizes this Batman is quite different than the one he knows. It's up to them to convince Batman to help them locate the Krypton survivor, and try to defeat Zod's forces.

Andy Muschietti's films thus far have had a common thread where its central heroes find themselves in situations where they're not ready to tackle the challenges that are forced upon them, but have to come to terms with their own selfishness and fears, and overcome them in order to save themselves and what they cherish the most. That was the case with Jessica Chastain's character in "Mama" and the kids and their adult counterparts in "It": insurmountable odds that are vanquished by these unexpected heroes. The same happens once more with "The Flash", where Barry's good intentions are thwarted by unexpected consequences of his actions, which noble as they may be, don't account for the implications it has for everyone else in these multiple realities. The film smartly tackles the topic of time travel with humor and levity, bringing together the multiple versions of the Flash in a way that plays them both as the odd couple, with one brimming with enthusiasm and joy, versus the older version who is more dour and focused. The film also succeeds in the marriage of the nostalgia factor of bringing Michael Keaton's rendition of Batman with the notion of creating a time and space for what happened to that character since we last witnessed it onscreen. This part of the narrative of the film allows for that particular interpretation of the Batman character to continue in a way that feels like an organic continuation of what Michael Keaton did in the Tim Burton films of the late 80s and early 90s. The central characters are given enough bandwidth to exist beyond typical clichés, though the supporting ones, including Barry's parents and even Sasha Calle's Supergirl, aren't given that much to do. There's still quite a bit to enjoy in this film in the sense that it plays with multiple realities and versions of these well known characters, and though at times Andy Muschietti almost falls prey to the lingering effects of Zack Snyder and his third narrative arcs filled with empty visual and bombastic noise, he manages to restrain himself to allow for some of these characters to have a bit of some humanity to them. It's a film that does try to go in many directions, and though not all threads and characters are properly tackled, it still manages to create a fairly watchable and entertaining comic book film that does not fall prey to all the typical clichés and formulas. The cast manages to keep the film engagingly entertaining, with Ezra Miller doing a great job tackling multiple roles, with great support from the alway fantastic Michael Keaton, and additional great work from Maribel Verdu, Ron Livingston and Michael Shannon. The production team is a bit all over the place, with great cinematography from Henry Braham and score from Benjamin Wallfisch, though the visual effects are at times not very polished (the 3D renderings of certain characters in particular, reminded me of "Matrix Reloaded" which came out 20 years ago). Entertaining.

Die Hard

Movie Name: Die Hard
Year of Release: 1988
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Alexander Godunov, Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, De'voreaux White, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Andreas Wisniewski, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Al Leong, Dennis Hayden
Genre: Action, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review

After the success of "Predator" director John McTiernan directed what has since become one of the most iconic films of the 80s. Based on the book by Roderick Thorp ("Nothing Lasts Forever" novel) and with a script by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza (this was the first credited script by Jeb Stuart, while de Souza had already to his credit films such as Walter Hill's "48 Hours", Mark L. Lester's "Commando" and Paul Michael Glaser's "The Running Man"), the narrative focuses on the story of John McLane who is traveling to LA to visit his wife Holly and his two kids. The family is divided, as Holly has taken a rewarding job opportunity in LA and John decided to stay with the police department in NY. John is dropped at the impressive Nakatomi plaza building, where his wife's company corporate Christmas party is taking place. While initially friendly, their get together soon becomes rife with friction. However before they can resolve their issues, a group of individuals, claiming to be terrorists take over the party and want to have access to the vault that exists within the main office. As the workers of the Organization, including Holly, John's wife are rounded out and ordered to stay put, John manages to escape to an area of the building that is unfinished, and slowly starts sabotaging the plans of the so-called terrorist group. However and the more John battles them out, the more he discovers they're not exactly who they claim to be. The police is soon also brought in to the situation, as John wanting to catch their attention attacks Al Powell, a mild mannered Sergeant doing nightly rounds. 

The best features hailing from John McTiernan have always focused on central heroes who manage to overturn dire situations, even though they're typically sole survivors against forces that are invariably much more powerful than themselves (at least at first glance). His best features are also essentially polished and remarkably taut B-movies, where characters are briefly defined, all with the intent of letting the narrative comprised of action set pieces and exchanges between characters to occur, and propel what is being illustrated on the screen. And that is the case of "Die Hard", quite possibly one of McTiernan's best features, where John McLane the central character, is defined as a caring but rough NY detective, with a constant smirk and sense of humor about everything in his life, including the rough odds he finds himself in. What is also very intelligent about this film is the fact that it takes a scenario that is a bit reminiscent of a disaster film (danger in a Tower Building), and keeps adding different layers to it, additional challenges for the character to contend with, all with the sole intent of saving his wife and himself. The director is also very smart about creating a sense of claustrophobia to the action set pieces, by essentially making everything take place in a locked up environment (and this is something that many action films have since tried to replicate without this amount of charisma and success). The cast is uniformly great, with Bruce Willis bringing to life a character that became like a second skin for him during his entire career, with fantastic support from the iconic Alan Rickman as his ruthless nemesis, Bonnie Bedelia as his no-nonsense wife and Reginald VelJohnson as the lovable sergeant who is brought in to the nightmarish situation. The production team is equally solid, featuring the cinematography from Jan de Bont (who would turn into directing in just a few years), score by Michael Kamen and production design by Jackson De Govia. A modern classic always worth revisiting. 

An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn

Movie Name: An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn
Year of Release: 2018
Director: Jim Hosking
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Emile Hirsch, Jemaine Clement, Matt Berry, Zach Cherry, Craig Robinson, Jacob Wysocki, Maria Bamford, Michael D. Cohen, Mellanie Hubert, Sky Elobar, John Kerry, Bettina Devin, Kirsten Krieg
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review

"An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn" is director Jim Hosking's sophomore feature directorial effort, following his debut with "The Greasy Strangler". The film follows the story of Lulu Danger, who is a waitress in a coffee shop that is managed by her husband Shane. One evening while watching television she notices an advert for an upcoming live show to be held at the town's hotel fronted by Beverly Luff Linn, whom she has had prior history with. Her husband in the meantime is on a quest of his own, wanting to rob Lulu's brother who has more money than him. He uses his employees to go through with the heist, though his brother in law soon realizes he is the culprit. Adjay hires a drifter by the name of Colin to retrieve the stolen goods. Colin and Lulu somehow find themselves tangled up with each other, while Beverly who is checking in to the hotel, with his assistant Rodney who is clearly in love with him. As Beverly's performance nears, all these characters relationships become clearer, including Lulu's past with Beverly himself.

"An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn" is a film that has a distinct point of view, one that may be filed under the moniker of surrealistic type of humor. And while the humor does appear courtesy of some characters and situations, it truly never goes beyond some situational awkwardness since the characters themselves are barely sketched out during the entire narrative's duration. As the film adds more characters to the narrative, including Colin who suddenly becomes tangled in Lulu's goals, and ultimately becomes her romantic interest, nothing substantial is ever actually revealed about him, aside from some of the awkward situations he's in, the same going for the additional characters who populate this universe (including for instance Rodney, Beverly's interesting assistant). The actors bring a bit of their trademark style and charisma to these characters, which makes the film more watchable, but doesn't necessarily hide the fact that there isn't much substance to what is taking place (even if what is taking place is somewhat absurd). It's ultimately a film where the style and its quirkiness are meant to overcome its narrative shortcomings, but one that sadly lacks in both, impacting the both the humor of the narrative and the distinctiveness of its characters (essentially a bit like a Wes Anderson type of film without the Anderson). Aubrey Plaza, Jemaine Clement, Craig Robinson while compelling and watchable, perform variations of characters they've delivered best in the past, while Emile Hirsch has very little to do. The production team is competent, with highlight going to production designer Jason Kisvarday. It's watchable but forgettable.

To Leslie

Movie Name: To Leslie
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Michael Morris
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Marc Maron, Allison Janney, Owen Teague, Stephen Root, Andre Royo, Catfish Jean, James Landry Hebert, Matt Lauria
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review

"To Leslie" created a bit of a surprise at the Academy Awards of 2023 when Andrea Riseborough appeared as one of the nominees for Best Actress, for a film that very few had seen, also due to the unconventional way with which her performance and the film itself was publicized to the creative community in Hollywood (Mary McCormack, the director's wife leveraged her contacts to make a push for the film itself). Either way, the film which is based on a true story, follows the story of Leslie, a woman in her early 40s with a drinking addiction. She won a lottery a few years back, but ended up spending it all on alcohol, alienating in the process her young son, her parents and most of the community in the small town she's from. The film follows Leslie as she's evicted from the motel where she was living, and how her drinking causes problems with her son, who has distanced himself from her and yet tries to help her, the same going with Sweeney, a motel owner in the small town where she returns to, and where people still resent her. Leslie eventually realizes her chronic self destructive behavior is further isolating her from everyone, including the relationships she primarily wants to salvage.

"To Leslie" is an interesting feature, in the sense that it is Michael Morris' feature directorial debut, after a lengthy career directing episodes for prestige TV Shows, including "Political Animals", "Smash", "House of Cards", "Halt and Catch Fire" and the list goes on, and also because it's a character study focused on someone dealing with alcoholism, which isn't necessarily new ground (one only has to be reminded of Mike Figgis' "Leaving Las Vegas" or classics such as Blake Edwards' "Days of Wine of Roses" and Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend"). Michael Morris wisely avoids falling into the traps of misery porn, though there are some instances where it borderlines on it, opting instead with capturing the unflinching portrayal that Andrea Riseborough creates of Leslie. It's a film that has some ties with what Patty Jenkins created with "Monster", in the sense that their central characters are not filtered through a sympathetic tone, but are instead viewed as deeply flawed individuals, in this case, someone who eventually comes to the realization that the consequences of every single action, only comes back to haunt her, and her line of actions will eventually leave her alone, uncared for and forgotten. It's a film that doesn't shy away from portraying its central character in an unflattering perspective, though it does fail to build up the supporting characters into fully dimensional ones, depicting them more as catalysts for the emotional catharsis that Leslie needs to go through in order to grow up, as opposed to individuals whose lives were also deeply affected by her behavior and actions. The cast really brings this feature to life, with the superb Andrea Riseborough bringing both authenticity, vulnerability and edge to what could have easily have become another self-indulgent and overacting type of performance. She has great support from the always solid Marc Maron and the fantastic Allison Janney, whose character is sadly underdeveloped. The production team is solid, including the cinematography from Larkin Seiple and score from Linda Perry. It's an uneven journey, but definitely a deftly acted one. Worth watching.