Longlegs

Movie Name: Longlegs
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Oz Perkins
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Alicia Witt, Kiernan Shipka, Blair Underwood, Michelle Choi-Lee, Dakota Daulby, Lauren Acala, Jason William Day, Lisa Chandler, Ava Kelders, Carmel Amit
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review

Writer/director Oz Perkins is back, following the well received "Gretel & Hansel", released in 2020. "Longlegs" takes place in the early 1990s, and follows the story of Lee Harker, a newly recruited FBI agent who is possessed of a special intuition and ability to perceive details that many others don't focus on. In one of her first assignments she manages to detect where an assassin is, and eventually captures him, even if her partner fails to survive the ordeal. She then gets assigned a case that has been with the bureau for decades, one that has been designated "Longlegs", since each crime scene is left with a letter that is signed with that authorship. It's been a series of murder-suicides, and in each of those situations, the father murders the wife and children, before taking his own life. Those signed letters are found at the crime scenes, with Satanic coding, though the handwriting doesn't belong to any of the victims and there's no evidence of home invasion. Lee eventually understands the pattern surrounding all the victims, and the connection between all the dates in which the killings occur. She and her supervisor, Carter, uncover a doll buried in one of the crime scenes, and within the doll, a metal orb that emits high energy, despite being empty. Carter suspects that there's a connection between Longlegs, Lee and her mother Ruth, and encourages Lee to converse with her mother. Ruth, who seemingly lives like a hoarder, tells Lee she remembers nothing from her 9th birthday, but also tells her that she has kept everything in her room as it was since she was a child. While looking through polaroids she took when she was 9, she identifies a pale-faced looking man, and she realizes that it is Longlegs, and that he visited her when she was a child. After he is taken into custody, Lee finally speaks with him, and realizes there's more to his plan and that he hasn't been operating individually through his perfectly realized plan.

"Longlegs" is one of those rare features, that while displaying some of its filmic influences, it manages to create its own identity. In this particular case, there are obvious hints at the beginning of the narrative, that tie "Longlegs" with Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs", particularly in some of the similarities of the treatment of the characters Lee and Clarice Starling, but as "Longlegs" continues to reveal its narrative, the film goes in a different direction than what Thomas Harris' adaptation focused on. While Jonathan Demme's feature is both a procedural, but also the narrative of someone overcoming her fears and traumas, thanks to the relationship she establishes with a dangerous psychopath, in "Longlegs" the environment and the unsettling aspect of what is being depicted suggests a more horrifying scenario at hand, particularly for its central character. Another particularly arresting aspect about this feature, is the attention to detail and the styling Oz Perkins and his team bring to the narrative at hand (it situates the action in a specific time period, but it also hints at the 1970s and 1980s). The environment and atmosphere he manages to conjure is perpetually menacing, particularly for Lee, since no space seems safe or secure. While the level of detail for the characters is somewhat underdeveloped, the interactions that occur between them still resonate and feel authentically depicted. The cast is uniformly strong, with particular highlights going to Nicolas Cage who is truly unrecognizable, Alicia Witt who nearly walks away with the entire film, and Kiernan Shipka who has a small, but powerful part. The production team is impeccable, with highlights going to Andres Arochi's cinematography, Elvis Perkins' score, and Danny Vermette's production design. A very well crafted and worth watching film. 

Abigail

Movie Name: Abigail
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, William Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Goode
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

The directing duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, keep their prolific output going, following their back to back features "Scream" and "Scream VI", which came out in 2022 and 2023. "Abigail" follows the story of a group of strangers who are brought together to kidnap a young girl, whom they know nothing about. These 6 individuals, all with specific skills, are led by someone named Lambert, who informs them that in 24 hours they'll have a collective stash of 50 million dollars to divide amongst themselves. They all use fake names to address each other, and the group is comprised of Joey, a former Army medic and recovering drug addict, Frank, who is a former detective, Sammy, a well-off thrill-seeking hacker, Rickles, a former Marine sniper, Peter, a slightly intellectually challenged mob enforcer, and Dean, a sociopathic driver. Joey is tasked with overseeing the care of Abigail, the young girl who has been kidnapped, and they soon realize she's the daughter of Kristof Lazaar, a powerful crime lord. That scares them all, as they've heard stories of the brutality of his crimes and enforcements. When Dean is killed they suspect that one of Lazaar's killers is in the house, but much to their surprise, they discover that the killer is in reality Abigail, who is a vampire, and has been toying with them all along. They all decide to battle her in the hopes they can make it till dawn, so they can get out of the house in which they secluded her. 

The premise for "Abigail" is rather straightforward: a kidnap story that goes awry when the group realizes the victim is actually a ruthless predator, and turns out the abductors are set to become victims to the one they were originally terrorizing. The twist here is the fact that the victim turns out to be a vampire, and the group is comprised of very different personalities, all of which have their own agendas, scruples (or lack of), and ambitions. The concept reads very much like a B-movie, where these characters are briefly described, with their motivations very clearly outlined from the beginning. The filmmakers smartly avoid pretension, and recognize the silliness of the premise, walking a rather tasteful fine line, never falling into the silly carnage of Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk Till Dawn", but also not diving into the interesting and layered environment (and atmosphere) that Tomas Alfredson's "Let the Right One In" perfectly conveyed. It's a film that is polished in its execution, with a cast that is invested in bringing these characters to life, but where everyone is also clearly aware that this isn't the most memorable endeavor they've ever been on. As such, the surprises are few, but the filmmakers manage to keep the narrative compelling and the interactions between this group of characters minimally engaging. It would have been nice to devote some additional time to Abigail and her father, but that wasn't the case for this film, which is ultimately more interested in the blood fest that dominates the third act. Alisha Weir, Dan Stevens, and Kevin Durand are the highlights of the cast, alongside the scary cameo from Matthew Goode. The production team is solid, including Brian Tyler's score, Aaron Morton's score, and Susie Cullen's production design (the dilapidated mansion has great details to it). It's watchable, but ultimately forgettable.  

Glass

Movie Name: Glass
Year of Release: 2019
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard, Luke Kirby, Adam David Thompson, M. Night Shyamalan, Shannon Destiny Ryan, Diana Silvers, Nina Wisner, Kyli Zion, Serge Didenko
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

M. Night Shyamalan has assuredly been carving the career for himself that is governed by his tastes and strategy, as opposed to fitting into what the cinematic/film media was at some point trying to box him into (the new Steven Spielberg paradigm at some point). Since going back to the roots of lower budget features with "The Visit", Mr. Shyamalan has been able to film the stories he wants, with "Glass" being the closure of a trilogy he started with the underrated "Unbreakable" in 2000, which he followed with "Split" in 2016. The narrative focuses on the convergence of three characters, the multi-personality Dennis/Patricia/Hedwig and all the others contained in that body (or The Horde), David Dunn (or The Overseer), and Elijah Price (or Mr. Glass). The all find themselves confined to Raven Hill Memorial, where Dr. Ellie Staple wants to prove that they're all delusional thinking they are possessed of super human powers. David's son, Joseph, alongside Elijah's mother, Mrs. Price, and Casey Cook, who survived The Horde's captivity, all try to convince Dr. Staple that they are indeed possessed of superhuman abilities, but the Dr. seemingly debunks all their scenarios/explanations. While Elijah seems to be apparently catatonic, he has secretly been conducting additional research on David and The Horde, and has plans to escape the institute. Not only that, he also has plans to reveal humans with extraordinary abilities, by making The Horde and David fight at the opening of the Osaka Tower, a new skyscraper in Philadelphia. However as his plans start to take shape, some things also happen that fall outside of what he had predicted, including Dr. Staple who isn't everything she's been leading them all to believe.  

After the well received "Split" where Mr. Shyamalan went back to the narrative he introduced with "Unbreakable", "Glass" is the film where all the plot-points converge, and where the writer/producer/director finally exposes his vision of what superheroes consist of, at least in his own universe. Of all three films "Unbreakable" continues to be the most interesting one, since the director creates a progressive disclosure of what is taking place, and of how these characters are finding out who they are, much like the audience is. In the first film we also get to understand much of the characters' family dynamics, and why they are the way they are, and why they've always felt slightly off-kilter in whatever environment they found themselves in. "Glass" piggybacks quite a bit on what the prior films have established, and introduces the catalyst for their convergence in the shape of Dr. Staple. Sadly she isn't give quite as much dimension, or for that matter, attention as the prior films did for their central characters. She's an under-developed catalyst, since the director continues to focus on the three superhuman individuals, but now does so more in a superficial manner, as they're collected types who exist with the purpose of fitting into a different scheme (which initially seems to be Elijah's, only to be revealed another more sinister one). That's possibly where the film feels most underbaked or undercooked. The sinister organization at play in the hospital where they're all gathered, gets very little attention, and feels shallow and inconsequential. The cast is uniformly fantastic, with James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Spencer Treat Clark, and Charlayne Woodard, all creating solid interpretations of their characters. The production team is equally solid, with highlights going to Mike Gioulakis' cinematography, West Dylan Thordson's score, and Chris Trujillo's production design. The film remains watchable thanks to the commitment of this remarkable cast, but could have benefited of a refined character perspective. 

Freaks

Movie Name: Freaks
Year of Release: 2018
Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Lexy Kolker, Grace Park, Amanda Crew, Ava Telek, Michelle Harrison, Matty Finochio, Aleks Paunovic
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

The writing/directing team of Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein have made a career for themselves tackling a variety of genre material, including the fairly recent project of bringing "Kim Possible" to life in a TV movie. "Freaks" had its debut at the Toronto Film Festival of 2018, followed by a series of other film festivals, before premiering in the Fall of 2019. The narrative focuses on seven year old Chloe who has spent all her life in a somewhat decrepit house with her father Henry. Henry trains Chloe on how to deal with situations from the outside, including questions from strangers, but also keeps warning her of the dangers that lie outside their doors, with people who want to kill them both. Chloe in the meantime longs to go outside and misses her mom. She eventually learns of people on the outside who have superhuman abilities, who are named "abnormals", and also learns they're hunted by the government and sent to a containment facility under Madoc Mountain. Even though her father warns her not to go outside, while he's out Chloe ventures and explores, since she's wanting to get some ice cream from an ice cream truck that comes around. Turns out the ice cream truck driver, whose name is Alan, is in reality her grandfather, and her mother is still alive (something even her father does not know), but being held against her will at Madoc Mountain. Both Henry and Alan are revealed to be abnormals, as is the case for Chloe, who has the ability to control people's minds. As Henry discovers more about Chloe's adventures and the situation surrounding Mary, his partner and Chloe's mother (that he believed to be dead), they set out a plan to save her, however government agents are quickly catching up.

"Freaks" which bears the same title as Tod Browning's 1932 classic, has a tone that reminds Jeff Nichols' "Midnight Special", in the sense that it opts to minimize the whole aspect of the supernatural traits the lead characters possess. The writer/directors opt to progressively disclose what is prompting for this nuclear family to hide from the outside world, initially positioning the father character as someone whom we don't really know if he is telling the entire truth or not about how truly life threatening their situation is. As the narrative evolves, the more we understand about the context in which these characters live, though the characters themselves sadly remain very briefly illustrated, including some backdrop on how their supernatural abilities came about. Character details aside, the film manages to illustrate the fear/terror in which Henry, the father figure, lives that himself and his daughter are chased, persecuted and killed, solely for the fact that they are who they are (there's also many parallels to WWII and the extermination of minorities during that War). While the film also has traces of Stephen King's "Firestarter", it definitely goes in a different direction, as it becomes a quest to bring a family unit together. The leading cast is solid, featuring good performances from Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern, with Lexy Kolker also creating a solid central performance as Chloe. The production team also performs solidly, including Stirling Bancroft's cinematography, and Moe Curtin's production design (even as one can clearly tell the modest budget that was involved in the creation of this feature). It's an inventive take on the super hero genre that is worth watching.

Awake

Movie Name: Awake
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Mark Raso
Starring: Gina Rodriguez, Ariana Greenblatt, Lucius Hoyos, Shamier Anderson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Frances Fisher, Finn Jones, Gil Bellows, Barry Pepper
Genre: Drama, Action
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Neflix

Synopsis and Review

Mark Raso made a name for himself with his first two features, "Copenhagen" and "Kodachrome", before tackling "Awake", which is definitely more genre specific than his prior features. The film focuses its narrative on Jill Adams, a former US Army medic, who is also a recovering addict. She currently works as a security guard at a local college where she steals drugs from the research lab and sells around the area. She has two kids, teenarger Noah and the younger Matilda, both of whom live with their grandmother. On the day of their pickup to stay with her for the day, Jill's car loses power and is hit by another car, which sends them into the bottom of a nearby lake. While Jill and Noah manage to get themselves out, the young Matilda drowns, but is revived by a police officer which saw what had happened and came to their rescue. He informs them that something has happened which has made all electricity stop working. At the hospital they realize a lot of accidents seemed to have occurred, and people are no longer able to sleep, and even those who were in a coma, suddenly reawaken. The psychiatrist Dr. Murphy, whom Jill works with, tells her that people seem to have lost the ability to fall asleep, and they will soon start dying from sleep deprivation. The only person who still seems to be able to sleep is a woman who is being studied at a compound by the name of The Hub. As it turns out, Matilda is also able to sleep, and her and Noah upon learning about The Hub want to go there for safety. Things start getting out of control very quickly, which forces Jill and her kids to find a way to get to The Hub. 

Another Netflix original film, Mark Raso's "Awake" is a quasi post-apocalyptic type of film, that plays in the tropes of that genre, but doesn't go fully overboard with the whole end of the planet and massive paranoia that some films tend to tackle and illustrate. The director smartly focuses the narrative on a nuclear family that is somewhat fractured, and how this unexpected and massively traumatic occurrence in a way becomes the catalyst for this family to have a new opportunity to reshape their relationships. For the most part this angle is successful, since Jill's attempts to redeem herself feel heartfelt and sincere, though the issue becomes the lack of information that is provided about any of the characters who have some focus in the narrative. Their introductory cue cards are very succinct, almost too succinct, leaving very little room to better understand some of their motivations and why some of the actions they perform take place. As much as the B-movie angle is welcomed, once again there isn't enough detail on central characters to fully make them more palpably realized, even if the actors themselves try their best in bringing them to life. As a result, the film flows rather straightforwardly but not entirely unexpected, including the final chapter where we finally understand a bit more about what has happened, and what may be the solution for the problem they're all tackling. The cast is solid, led by Gina Rodriguez who has great support from Ariana Greenblatt, Frances Fisher, Jennifer Jason Leigh (who is sorely underused), Gil Bellows and Barry Pepper. The production team is competent, but also unremarkable. It's a watchable but also quickly forgettable endeavor. 

Problemista

Movie Name: Problemista
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Julio Torres
Starring: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton, RZA, Isabella Rossellini, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully, Laith Nakli, Greta Lee, Larry Owens, Kelly McCormack, Eudora Peterson, Greta Titelman, Shakina
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Problemista" is Julio Torres' feature directorial debut, following a considerable lengthy experience as a writer for "Saturday Night Live", alongside other tv-shows he's also written throughout his career. The film focuses its narrative on Alejandro, a young man from El Salvador who dreams of becoming a toy designer for Hasbro. His mom is herself an artist who has always supported Alejandro's dreams, and he currently shares a small apartment in Bushwick, while applying for the Hasbro intern program with various ideas/concepts, which aren't really going anywhere. He perseveres nonetheless, and keeps a journal with him at all times, where he documents all sorts of toy concepts that cross his mind. He works at a company that cryogenically freezes people, in order to reawaken them in the future, but is fired, and as a result his status in the US is in jeopardy as he needs a work sponsor in order to stay in the country. Alejandro is told by his immigration attorney he needs someone who can sponsor him immediately, and also needs to get some money coming, even if he can't be taking any money unless he has a sponsor. An unexpected and possible solution comes in the shape of Elizabeth, the wife of a cryogenically frozen artist by the name of Bobby, who is having issues paying for his continued frozen maintenance. Elizabeth hires Alejandro as a freelance, with the promise of a sponsorship, if they can get Bobby's work collected and properly curated, and eventually have an exhibit around his work. Since Alejandro needs some additional cash, he starts taking random Craigslist jobs, which prove more challenging than he expected, the same going for Elizabeth herself.

"Problemista" is an interesting feature, one that mixes just enough dosage of realism with dashes of surrealistic metaphors, that keep it always interesting and unexpected. It's a combination of Michel Gondry/Charlie Kaufman's universe with a bit of Terry Gilliam tossed in for good measure. It is also very ostensibly queer sensitive, which makes it that much more diverse and closer to the lead actor/writer/director himself. The narrative itself has traces of Martin Scorsese's "After Hours", particularly as the situations in which Alejandro finds himself get progressively more complicated, only "Problemista" doesn't revolve around one single night, but more around a timeline in which Alejandro has to solve his immigration issues, and also address his dream job situation. It's a film that smartly plays with the archetypes of certain characters, namely Elizabeth's "difficult" personality which can to a certain extent be associated with the typical cliché of the New Yorker embodiment, and the supporting characters, all of whom fit the poseur/artsy vibe, and are just sufficiently flakey, self centered, and likable, even if they're teetering towards the obnoxious. Julio Torres smartly makes the situations a hybrid flow of realism and his surrealistic impressions/interpretations, which makes the film that much more interesting visually (and stylistically). The cast, largely dominated by Torres and the stupendous Tilda Swinton, with the additional narration of Isabella Rossellini are on point, with Swinton in particular creating a character unlike any of the ones she has previously embodied. She's in equal measures chaotic, neurotic, forceful, and also almost endearing in a rather warped way. The production team is solid, in particular the cinematography from Fredrik Wenzel, production design from Katie Byron, and costumes by Catherine George. It's a really interesting feature worth watching. 

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Movie Name: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Tom Gormican
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Tiffany Haddish, Paco Leon, Neil Patrick Harris, Ike Barinholtz, Lily Mo Sheen, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Katrin Vankova, David Gordon Green
Genre: Action, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" is Tom Gormican's sophomore directorial feature, following his poorly received "That Awkward Moment", which featured Zac Effron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordan in the cast. The narrative focuses on Nicolas Cage who is the midst of attempting a restart of his career, though he keeps telling everyone he never went anywhere, and has continued to work very steadily. A promising conversation with director David Gordon Green seems to lift his hopes that a big role is coming his way, but that turns out not to be the case. His agent Richard mentions to him that there's a well paid booking just awaiting his decision: a 1 million dollars to meet one of his biggest fans in Mallorca, the playboy Javi Gutierrez, who is celebrating his birthday. As Cage is in the middle of an emotional turmoil with his daughter and his ex-wife, he agrees to the meeting, after being reassured that nothing creepy or awkward is being prepared by Javi. The two men eventually bond over a mutual love of a few films, but Cage is soon approached by two CIA agents who inform him that Javi is a crime lord, and has in fact kidnapped the daughter of a Catalan anti-crime politician. They ask Cage for help, in the hopes he can indeed confirm that the young woman is in the compound. However Cage soon realizes not everyone on Javi's entourage is who they claim to be. 

This whole aspect of poking fun at himself and the path his career has taken, is actually the most compelling aspect to this film that is for all intended purposes a celebration of the talent and charisma of Nicolas Cage. And while he does indeed have plenty of both, this film while at times funny and entertaining, fails to capitalize on his whole persona, and also fails to take the narrative to another level. This film isn't as layered as Spike Jonze's "Being John Malkovich", it doesn't really deconstructs the ego of the actor, or surface the insecurities or fears Nicolas Cage actually has. It's a bit of a celebration with the mix of an actual action plot that by the epilogue seems to spark his energy once again. A slight variation on the unjustly maligned "The Last Action Hero" from John McTiernan, only in this case, the supposed real life is being rendered just like a Nicolas Cage action film. The film benefits from the exchanges and interactions between Cage and the always great Pedro Pascal, the same going for the underrated Sharon Horgan, however as the action set piece comes into play, the film also moves into more generic territory, and it becomes a bit of a less exciting parody, undermining all the winks at the films that have already been mentioned from Nicolas Cage's filmography. It ultimately lives from the persona of Nicolas Cage the actor/character, leaving very little room for anything else, though the supporting cast does add some solid work, including Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, and Neil Patrick Harris. The score from Mark Isham is solid, the same going for Nigel Buck's cinematography. It's a fairly watchable film, but once again one that could have gone so much further. 

Gozilla X Kong: The New Empire

Movie Name: Gozilla X Kong: The New Empire
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Adam Wingard
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen, Rachel House, Ron Smyck, Chantelle Jamieson, Greg Hatton, Kevin Copeland
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Warner Brothers' Monsterverse continues, with another sequel to Godzilla versus Kong, this time around with the two titans coming together to vanquish another foe. This is the fifth film in the series, which started with Gareth Edwards' "Godzilla" in 2014, followed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts' "Kong: Skull Island" in 2017, Michael Dougherty's "Godzilla: King of Monsters" in 2019, and the more recent "Godzilla Vs. Kong" also from Adam Wingard (from 2021). The plot picks up three years after the battle between Kong and the Mechagodzilla. Kong is now living in a territory known as Hollow Earth, where he seeks for others of his species, while still staying friendly with his human partners. On the Earth's surface, Godzilla keeps an eye for other Titans which may attack the planet. A signal is sent from Hollow Earth, which sets Godzilla in motion, as he senses an impending threat. Close to the gateway to Hollow Earth, Dr. Ilene Andrews realizes that her adoptive daughter Jia is also sensing something, as she is in fact that last known survivor of the Iwi tribe from Skull Island. Kong unexpectedly uncovers another one of his species, a little cub, and follows him to where others are living. He realizes they're living under the rulings of the Skar King, who controls a Titan by leveraging an ancient crystal. As Dr. Andrews and her team go to Hollow Earth to figure out where that signal is coming from, Godzilla is packing on more and more energy to battle the treat that is coming. Andrews realizes that there are more Iwi living in the Hollow Earth area, and that the Skar King wants to conquer the surface world leveraging its Titan. She also uncovers that Jia has a part to play in reawakening Mothra, and that Morthra will be essential to defeat that enormous threat. 

One of the biggest challenges in making monster films lies in telling a story that doesn't solely focus on the mayhem and destruction brought on by these immense creatures, but that somehow also has an interesting human element to it. Peter Jackson's "King Kong" was admirable since it did manage to create both an epic action feature, but one that was also about the connection between this creature and the woman he cared for. There was enough of these characters for that film in particular not to fall into the trappings of supporting characters simply being crushed by monsters. Adam Wingard's "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire" isn't quite as nuanced as Peter Jackson's opus. The human characters in this film do fall into the embodiment of your regular chichés, including the intellectual, slightly affected beautiful lead doctor, the romantic rebellious love interest who is also a genius, the comic relief who is also a genius, but can't totally function in the real world (and therefore is "quirky" and "funny"), and the young daughter/precocious child who is possessed of a special sense or vibe, which enables her to connect with the monsters. None of these characters in reality make this film particularly memorable or that compellingly watchable, even if Dan Stevens is indeed a chameleon. This film manages to make itself watchable by relying on superbly crafted visual effects, which render these monstrous characters with a realism and detail that is quite stunning to behold. Part of the challenge for this type of film as well, is how the writing never truly addresses the fact that while these creatures wreak havoc on these cities, one would assume millions of people would die in the wake of their carnage, but that is a topic that is always left out. This film in particular manages to have some successful aspects in the definition of the different worlds in which these characters navigate, at times going back even to Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but the characters and their relationships are never particularly convincing  and they're ultimately not an anchor for this storytelling. And as lovely as good special effects are, bits and bytes can't really replace the adventurous aspect of say, Indiana Jones, or even Ellen Ripley, as they battle some epic foes. The cast is competent, but doesn't have much to do, though Dan Stevens is always great in anything he does, the same going for Brian Tyree Henry. The production team is excellent, with highlights going to Ben Seresin's cinematography, Tom Hammock's production design, Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio's score, and the special effects teams. It's watchable, but also quickly forgettable. 

The Beekeeper

Movie Name: The Beekeeper
Year of Release: 2024
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, David Witts, Michael Epp, Taylor James, Don Gilet, Megan Le, Dan Li, Georgia Goodman, Derek Siow
Genre: Action
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director David Ayer is back, after back to back poorly received films, namely the Netflix original "Bright" (which was a big hit for the streamer, bad reviews aside) and the barely seen "The Tax Collector". "The Beekeeper" is based on an original script by Kurt Wimmer, who has made a name for himself both as a writer and director with films that have not fared particularly well, namely "Equilibrium" and "Ultraviolet", though he has written a variety of high profile features, including Phillip Noyce's "Salt", John McTiernan's "The Thomas Crown Affair" and also Len Wiseman's "Total Recall" remake. "The Beekeeper" follows the story of Adam Clay who lives a quiet life as a beekeeper in rural MA. He rents a barn from a retired school teacher by the name of Eloise Parker. Eloise falls for a cyber scam, that strips her from all her savings, and from a charity whose bank account she also managed. Desperate, she commits suicide, which leaves her daughter Verona shocked and enraged. Verona is an FBI agent, and while she initially suspects Adam, he is soon released, as he had nothing to do with Eloise's death. Turns out Adam is also more than anyone anticipated, he is in reality a Beekeeper, part of a specialized and highly trained program of operatives. Though he retired, Eloise's shocking death brings him back from his self-imposed retirement, and he goes on a vengeance journey, one that puts him on a track towards Derek Danforth, who has direct ties with the President of the country. And no one is able to stop him. 

While watching "The Beekeeper" I couldn't help but think of some of Michael Winner's films with Charles Bronson, including "The Mechanic" (which Jason Statham also starred in a remake dated 2011), and of course the "Death Wish" series. That is to say, "The Beekeeper" works best when it assumes the mantle and legacy of a slick B-movie, where characters are swiftly described, and most of them also swiftly dispatched by the unstoppable Adam Clay/Jason Statham. While succinct/limited character definition can be at times a big issue when it comes to understanding the exchanges/relationships between characters, David Ayer manages to bypass these issues by making the film keep a steady momentum, where the lead character doesn't really exist beyond its intent to seek revenge. There isn't much that is known about his background, or what he has been through, he's an instinctual character who is reacting to an extreme situation. This of course has its own limitations in terms of making these characters more than just paper thin clichés, but thankfully the film doesn't take itself very seriously, though it does make some interesting political insinuations/allusions. Alongside some character dimension, the film could also have benefited from some additional humor, but overall, it's a film that moves at a good pace, never filling itself with fluff, even if some of the "Wolf of Wall Street" inspired sequences don't necessarily add much uniqueness to what is being staged onscreen. The cast is uniformly solid, with Jason Statham having great support from the always excellent Jeremy Irons, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, and even Josh Hutcherson, who is playing against type. The production team is solid, including Gabriel Beristain's cinematography and Ben Munro's production design. It's a fairly watchable film, even if it is ultimately a forgettable endeavor. 

Shadow in the Cloud

Movie Name: Shadow in the Cloud
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Roseanne Liang
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith, Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall, Byron Coll, Joe Witkowski
Genre: Action, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Shadow in the Cloud" had a fairly infamous start, as one of the credited writers of the script is Max Landis, who has been involved in all matters of bad conduct towards women since 2017, and whose name at least in the producing aspect of this feature was removed, as everyone tried to distance themselves from those issues. The film takes place in 1943 and focuses on RAF Pilot Officer Maude Garrett, who is assigned to travel with a top secret package from Auckland to Samoa. The team on the plane she's in treats her harshly and she soon finds herself in the ball turret for the takeoff. She refuses to separate herself from her package but has no other option. Maude notices a few things while in her confined space, firstly Japanese aircrafts, and secondly a winged creature, a gremlin of sorts that is clinging to one of the bomber's wing. She reports all of this but no one takes her seriously, and are extra vicious towards her. As it turns out, the Japanese aircrafts do attack, and Maude has to open fire in order to defend the bomber. She also drops her fake identity, and reveals herself to be American, while the cargo she's carrying is an unexpected one for everyone on the plane. However the gremlin attacks are not done, and the crew is soon fighting for their lives.

The script for this film tries to be a lot of things, a mix of monster film with WWII war traces, all wrapped in a feminist type of narrative, which makes for a concoction that is everything but coherent. Part of the problem is the fact that the film's tone is undecided, since while seemingly aiming for tense thriller vibes, it almost plays itself as a "Grindhouse" type of feature. The co-writer and director Roseanne Liang, mentioned she was inspired by James Cameron's "Aliens". And while both films do have a female central character, that's where all similarities end. "Shadow in the Cloud" is populated by an array of characters who actually have no discernible traits, and at some point most of the crew just feels like a big roaring misogynistic loudmouth of sorts. As for the central heroine, aside from the veil of secrecy she initially carries, once that is dropped, there isn't much to her. Her transition from wannabe Keira Knightley damsel to MacGyver of the air, to finally Rambo on land, is nonsensical and feels completely gratuitous. There isn't anything wrong with films playing to certain narrative extremes in order to elicit a response from their audiences, but this film tries to hit all the keys that is playing in the highest note possible, and eventually what happens is that everything becomes noise. Chloe Grace Moretz a talented actress who typically chooses interesting material, tries her best to create this wartime version of Ripley, but she feels trapped in the wrong film, whereas the supporting cast has basically nothing to do. The production team is fairly solid, with highlights going to Kit Fraser's cinematography, Gary Mackay's production design, and Kristin Seth's costume design. It's one of those features that is best to just ignore.