Sweetheart

Movie Name: Sweetheart
Year of Release: 2019
Director: J.D. Dillard
Starring: Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan Lawrence, Andrew Crawford, Benedict Samuel
Genre: Adventure, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review:

Prolific producer Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Pictures, continue to deliver a series of genre films with a remarkable cadence, something that has found a wanting partner with Streaming platform Netflix. "Sweetheart" is writer/director's J.D. Dillard's second feature, following his debut with "Sleight". The film follows the story of Jenn, a young woman whom we first encounter washing ashore on what seems to be a deserted island. She soon discovers another survivor, but he soon dies. Jenn goes about exploring the island, and assesses there had been people in there before, from some of the remains they left behind (she also finds corpses soon after). As she tries to survive and find ways to sustain herself, she notices that at night some creature comes lurking around the island looking for sustenance. Very soon she is fighting for her own life, when she realizes that creature is looking for her as the next target. As she scrambles to figure out what to do, two additional survivors present themselves, including her boyfriend Lucas. Jenn desperately warns them about what's taking place in the island, but is met with incredulity, until night comes around.

"Sweetheart" is a feature that can be typically defined as a B-movie, since its plot is rather straightforward, and features a group of up and coming actors. In this case, we have a series of survivors on a beach/deserted island battling a creature intent on killing them all. It's a film where we never get much insight into the characters themselves, and even what precipitated the shipwreck to occur. We mostly witness the ordeal and challenges the lead character goes through to adjust to her new reality, and try to survive, much like Robert Zemeckis' "Cast Away", only in this case, the time period is much narrower, and there is indeed a creature intent on killing her. With a concept such as this, the director smartly lets Kiersey Clemons be the host to the action, and while she manages to effectively portray someone who is resourceful (and almost resourceful in a manner that is cued from the "Predator" series), she is less effective in demonstrating the fear of both isolation and from an entity she doesn't even comprehend. The supporting characters that eventually do show up, introduce an element of additional discomfort to the narrative, which could have really enhanced the storytelling, but they're quickly tossed aside. It's a fairly entertaining and somewhat forgettable B-movie, with a solid production team, including Stefan Duscio's cinematography and Charles Scott IV's score. 

Hitchcock

Movie Name: Hitchcock
Year of Release: 2012
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Toni Collette, Danny Huston, Jessica Biel, James D'Arcy, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Portnow, Ralph Machio, Kurtwood Smith, Wallace Langham, Kai Lennox, Tara Summers
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review:

Writer/Director Sacha Gervasi made a name for himself firstly solely as a writer, having crafted the script for Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal". "Hitchcock" is his feature directorial debut, and oddly enough he's not the credited screenwriter, with that credit falling to John J. McLaughlin, who adapted the book from Stephen Rebello. The narrative focuses on Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville's, and their adventures in getting the film project "Psycho" off the ground. The film takes place right after the successful run of "North by Northwest", which came out in 1959. Hitchcock, then about to turn 60, fears the industry is looking at him as a has been, and he's in dire need to come out with another solid and iconic project. "Psycho" is their bet, but since no studio is willing to bankroll it, Hitchcock and Alma decide to bank it themselves, with Paramount Studios distributing it. As the casting gets underway, and Hitchcock's obsessions with his leading ladies starts surfacing, Alma gets an opportunity from a mutual friend of the couple, to work on a project on her own, since for the most part she's been always an integral part of her husband's creative process. As shooting on the film starts, and Alma's side project also begins taking shape, the director fears his wife is embarking on an adventure of her own, something that gives him pause (and even terrifies him) on the future of his own life moving forward.

Films which tackle the process of creating films themselves, can be a challenging topic to illustrate. Richard Rush's "The Stuntman" was a good attempt at the topic, and Sacha Gervasi's goes an extra mile, since he attempts to document and bring to life the gestational process of how "Psycho" was brought to the big screen, in the process illustrating the creative dynamics surrounding Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville's partnership. With such a larger than life personality in the shape of Hitchcock, the challenge always lies in showing us the humanity and who the person behind the facade actually is, and sadly the film barely touches upon it, without truly investigating what always motivated that uniquely talented individual. The film for the most part, settles in giving an idea of Hitchcock the director, one that is squarely on par with what has been known from his cameos on his own films, and from several autobiographies and other books written on him since his passing (in 1980). Where the film does provide some interesting aspects, which are sadly not well explored, is his relationship with Alma, played impeccably by Helen Mirren. The particular dynamics of those two deserves a better film, one that fully documents their relationship, even if it is a particularly turbulent episode in their lives (that in itself would make for a compelling feature). This film hints at it, but goes in a different direction, choosing to focus on saucier details of the making of "Psycho", never truly giving much dimension to the supporting characters that populate Hitchcock's film or life. Anthony Hopkins who is typically such a brilliant actor, fails to bring Hitchcock to life, something that can be witnessed in his less than stellar physical mimicking, but particularly in how he sounds. The very talented supporting cast has very little to do, though James D'Arcy does manage to bring Anthony Perkins to life with what little screen time he has available. The cinematography from Jeff Cronenweth is stupendous, as is the score from Danny Elfman and costume design from Julie Weiss. It's a film with an interesting story to tell at its core, but one that fails to truly do justice to its characters or for that matter, be memorable. 

Die Another Day

Movie Name: Die Another Day
Year of Release: 2002
Director: Lee Tamahori
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Judi Dench, Rick Yune, John Cleese, Michael Madsen, Will Yun Lee, Kenneth Tsang, Samantha Bond
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review:

Director Lee Tamahori made a name for himself with his debut feature, the celebrated "Once Were Warriors" which had its premirere at the Venice Film Festival of 1994. His take on the adventures of James Bond, followed his previous project "Along Came a Spider", the sequel to the very successful "Kiss the Girls", which focused on James Patterson's character, Alex Cross, played in those two films by Morgan Freeman. This time around, James Bond finds himself in hot water when he is captured by the North Korean regime, following a mission where he is unmasked. Upon his release, he is intent on finding out how and whom was behind the sabotage, and that research leads him to Cuba in the pursuit of a charismatic villain by the name of Zao. While there he meets the beautiful Jinx, an NSA agent, who is also on the trail of Zao. They soon realize that Zao is working for a billionaire by the name of Gustav Graves. As Bond engages with Graves, trying to know more about his endeavors and plans, he becomes acquainted with his assistant, Miranda Frost, who is also an MI6 undercover agent. As Bond uncovers Graves plans, he slowly realizes where the treachery lies and how that has been undermining the bureau itself.

"Die Another Day" was Pierce Brosnan's swan song with the James Bond character. While the film was commercially successful, it ended up fairing quite poorly in terms of reviews. And it's easy to understand why: while the James Bond films have always had a somewhat outlandish and over the top aspect to them, they have still attempted to have some ties with procedurals/thriller formulas that are recognizable to audiences. In this case, while some of the formula is present, it's also presented in a manner that is borderline kitsch, which in the case of this film series, is saying something. With the appearance of characters such as Jason Bourne in Doug Liman's "The Bourne Identity", the pressure for James Bond to be more than a caricature has increased, and this film sadly veers more into the territory of James Bond, the Roger Moore years, more so than James Bond, the Sean Connery years (some would say, the silliness versus the edgier years). The film starts well enough, placing Bond through some arduous moments, being questioned in terms of his loyalty and endurance, something that is quickly dropped, once he gets to Cuba. From then on, things escalate rather quickly, from the typical villainous confrontation, to an over the top climactic third act, in what appears to be a fortress of ice (or a giant melting candelabra from Liberace's mansion). It's a film that for all the money that was obviously spent in bringing the action to life, it looks and feels remarkably cheap and with questionable taste level (and from all Pierce Brosnan's Bond films, it ends up feeling surprisingly the most dated). The acting is a bit all over the place, with Pierce Brosnan seemingly on auto-pilot at this point, with Halle Berry trying to bring some authority to her character, but sadly failing to bring some consistency to her actions, while Toby Stephens dials his character's tone to the max, overacting in the process. Judi Dench and John Cleese manage to save face, while Rosamund Pike, then beginning her film career, doesn't have that much to do. The cinematography from David Tattersall is solid, as is the score from the fantastic David Arnold. Quite possibly one of least memorable of recent Bond films. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Movie Name: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Logan Kim, Celeste O'Connor, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, J.K. Simmons, Annie Potts, Bob Gunton, Shawn Seward, Bookeem Woodbine, Sydney Mae Diaz, Hannah Duke, Olivia Wilde, Tracy Letts
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review:

After releasing two features in 2018, namely the underrated "Tully" with Charlize Theron and "The Front Runner" with Hugh Jackman, writer/producer/director Jason Reitman is back, this time around tackling a family legacy property, "The Ghostbusters" franchise, which his father started in 1984. The film follows the events which took place in the original feature, this time around specifically focusing on Egon Spengler's family. With Egon passing away, his family comprised of his daughter and her two kids, move back to the farm he owned in a small town called Summerville. Turns out Egon left his life in NY years ago, and abandoned everything and everyone he knew to move to that town,  in order to keep abreast of a menace he knew to be bound to happen and could destroy the planet. While the kids are initially unimpressed with the overall rundown state of the farm and the house, they slowly start getting acquainted with their family legacy, and the story of the town itself. They also start realizing the frequent earthquakes that the town suffers may have something to do with strange events that they start witnessing. 

Jason Reitman who co-wrote this feature with Gil Kenan (who started his career with "Monster House"), goes in a very different direction than Paul Feig did when he tackled "Ghostbusters", which was released in 2016. This installment of the franchise ties itself with the original feature, by acknowledging the legacy of the original group, but also giving it a life of its own, with the younger generation understanding their inheritance, embodying the spirit of the group, but still being their own selves. The film also smartly dives back to the mythology of the original, allowing for an enticing and dynamic third chapter of the film. While the fish out of water concept storyline which introduces the characters is somewhat unoriginal, it still allows to get an understanding of the city, and a bit of its history. Where the film does falter a bit, is in providing some additional dimension to the characters, where Carrie Coon's Callie for instance, reads somehow always a bit one note, carrying a grudge towards her life and family, in almost literally everything she says or does. Some welcoming levity comes in the shape of Paul Rudd's Grooberson, who is both capturing some of the energy of Rick Moranis' Louis, but also has the whole "Ghostbuster" fandom enthusiasm perfectly captured. It's a film that both pays homage to its original, but also carves a path of its own. The cast is uniformly solid, with Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd having apt support from McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, not to mention the original Ghostbusters themselves, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson (with great cameos from Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and Olivia Wilde). The cinematography from Eric Steelberg is impeccable as is the score from Rob Simonsen. An entertaining film from an interesting director.

Kajillionaire

Movie Name: Kajillionaire
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Miranda July
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, Gina Rodriguez, Patricia Belcher, Kim Estes, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Rachel Redleaf, Mark Ivanir, Michael Twaine
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review:

Artist Miranda July is back, following her previous feature "The Future", which was released in 2011. "Kajillionaire" which had its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, follows the story of a young woman by the name of Old Dolio. She and her family, comprised of father Robert and mother Theresa, are con artists, making a living or at least trying to make a living out of stealing, lying and generally speaking, figuring out an angle from whatever situation they find themselves in. Dolio has had a rather stunted existence, which manifests itself in her social awkwardness, mostly since her parents have never shown her much attention or love. She has grown up always involved in their grifting or conning schemes, and knows nothing from life aside from that. When they get pressed for rent money, Dolio figures out a way for them to travel to NY, using some tickets they got from a contest, and scamming the airline for insurance money by claiming some of their bags got lost. While the plan initially works out nicely, on their way back to LA, Robert and Theresa strike a conversation that quickly evolves into a partnership with the beautiful and lively Melanie. Melanie quickly becomes familiar with some of their grifts, and starts introducing the family to some of her elderly clients (she works at an eyeglass store). This new player in the family disrupts Dolio's existence, particularly as she witnesses her parents doting on this person, as they never did on her.

Since starting her career with "Me and You and Everyone we Know", Miranda July has consistently been crafting stories that are very specific to her universe. "Kajillionaire" is no exception, since it showcases a farcical take on a grifting family, while simultaneously focusing on the awakening of someone who has been emotionally robbed of a full life. It's a film that manages to showcase some truly monstrous behaviors and yet these characters come across as less than hateful, mostly because Miranda July manages to create a reality that while not completely alien to our own, it's also not necessarily the same. It's a film that creates a unique reality, one where these characters live these rather challenging existences, where humor comes through, perfectly married with some dramatic instances, mostly derived from troublesome and unresolved relationships. There's a sense of sadness, surprise and wonder which emanates from this narrative. The film is all the more wonderful thanks to the work of a phenomenal cast, particularly the always fantastic and underrated Evan Rachel Wood, the equally brilliant Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger and Gina Rodriguez. Even if these characters feel at times somewhat abstract constructs, there's also something profoundly humane in the journey they all take. The cinematography from Sebastian Wintero is fantastic as is the score from Emile Mosseri. A truly wonderful film, from a consistently engaging and unique voice in American cinema.

Say Anything

Movie Name: Say Anything
Year of Release: 1989
Director: Cameron Crowe
Starring: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney, Joan Cusack, Loren Dean, Lili Taylor, Amy Brooks, Pamela Adlon, Jason Gould, Polly Platt, Jeremy Piven, Lois Chiles, Philip Baker Hall, Richard Portnow, Bebe Neuwirth, Kim Walker, Chynna Phillips, Lisanne Falk, Gregory Sporleder
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review:

Writer/Director Cameron Crowe originally made a name for himself as a screenwriter with Amy Heckerling's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (which was also based on his book), which he followed with the somewhat cult film "The Wild Life", from producer/director Art Linson. "Say Anything" is actually his directorial debut, and follows the misadventures of Lloyd Dobler, a sweet high school senior who falls in love the class valedictorian, the beautiful Diane Court. Lloyd lives his sister Constance, and her young son (Constance is a single mother), since their parents are currently in England. Lloyd asks Diane to an after graduation party, and much to everyone's surprise, she accepts. Diane in the meantime has gotten a fellowship in Britain to continue her studies, but much to her surprise, she finds out her dad is being investigated by the IRS on suspicions of embezzling money from his clients (retirement home residents). As Diane and Lloyd's relationship blossoms, their ambitions, families and even friends, question what future do they have together.

One of the most surprising aspects of "Say Anything" is how it marries some aspects of the typical teen comedy, something that John Hughes mined so well in his films, with aspects which in the 90s would become staple of many relationship driven films, namely, how different backgrounds, families, friends and all the pressure coming from these groups, can strain a romantic relationship. Cameron Crowe smartly peppers the narrative with colorful characters who surround the leads, giving John Cusack's Lloyd good support in the shape of Lili Taylor's Corey and Amy Brooks' DC, whereas Diane has the support and at times also a candid and yet troublesome relationship with her father, Jim. It's a film that while not necessarily the most original one, it crafts a narrative with characters that are more than a cliche. Lloyd's and Diane's ambitions go far beyond finishing this phase of their lives and attending parties. They're on their path of becoming adults and figuring out their life's journey. While some of the aspects of the narrative feel somewhat forced (the IRS investigation) and the supporting characters lack some extra dimension (particularly Joan Cusack's character, who has immense potential), it's nonetheless a film that dares to say a rather conventional storyline, with heart, humor and some depth. John Cusack leads the film with charisma and charm, with great support from John Mahoney and Lili Taylor. The cinematography from Lazlo Kovacs is wonderful, as is the score from Anne Dudley (from the band Art of Noise) and Richard Gibbs (from the band Oingo Boingo). Worth watching.

Little Evil

Movie Name: Little Evil
Year of Release: 2017
Director: Eli Craig
Starring: Adam Scott, Evangeline Lilly, Owen Atlas, Bridget Everett, Clancy Brown, Kyle Bornheimer, Donald Faison, Schuyler White, Carla Gallo, Sally Field, Rick Applegate
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review:

After making a name for himself with the horror comedy "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil", which has become something of a cult film, writer/director Eli Craig tackled some TV projects, until he eventually returned to the feature world, with this project he also wrote, "Little Evil". The film follows the story of Gary Bloom, who has recently married Samantha, the woman of his dreams, who has a son from a previous relationship. As Gary tries to bond with Lucas, all his efforts are unsuccessful since the child provides no response and clearly doesn't warm up to him. He also starts getting notices from different sources, his wedding videographer, the school principal, that there is indeed something wrong with the child, or that the child herself causes some strange occurrences. When Samantha confesses that Lucas was conceived as part of a strange ritual, during the time she was part of a cult, Gary quickly assumes there's something supernatural and evil with the child. As he tries to uncover more about the father of the child, and Lucas' true nature, things quickly escalate, much to Gary's despair and fear.

"Little Evil" has a very interesting premise: what would happen if "Rosemary's Baby" had indeed grown up to be a feisty demonic little boy, and Rosemary was suddenly in the singles market, looking for a new partner, who was completely blindsided by the supernatural inventory of events about to descend upon him. While this in itself can make for an interesting comedy, writer/director Eli Craig has a difficult time finding the right tone for his film. Mostly because he wants to push the boundaries of what a "problem child" can be and do, while also crafting a family comedy that is somewhat palatable for all audiences. In the end, the film has more of a tone of a pilot episode for a somewhat bland TV comedy, more so than what a dark comedy can actually be. The film fails to capture what exactly is that ties Gary to Samantha, since essentially there isn't much of her to clearly understand it, aside from objectifying her for her obvious beauty. The characters in the film are very faintly defined, and while Adam Scott is indeed a terrific comedic actor, who has somehow perfected on par with Paul Rudd, the whole "handsome regular guy with the constant irony in his stance", even him can't carry a film that is simply too uneventful. The third chapter does introduce a vicious ripple to this bland narrative, with Sally Field and Clancy Brown's characters, but their screen time is very limited, and amounts to something that is quickly tossed aside. It's a film with a good premise, but one that needed to be take to a darker level. This hybrid concoction is unsatisfying. The cinematography from Matthew Clark is solid as is the score from Marco Beltrami, Brandon Roberts and Marcus Trumpp. While not a dreadful film, it is ultimately a forgettable one.

Solaris

Movie Name: Solaris
Year of Release: 2002
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Viola Davis, Jeremy Davies, Ulrich Tukur
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review:

The immensely talented and prolific Steven Soderbergh, followed his highly successful (and big budgeted) "Ocean's Eleven", with another feature which once again teamed him with George Clooney. This time around, the film also teamed him up with James Cameron and his creative team from Lightstorm Entertainment. The film is an adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's novel, previously adapted by Andrei Tarkovsky. Its narrative which takes place in the future, is focused on Dr. Chris Kelvin, a clinical psychologist, who is approached by a friend of his, Dr. Gibarian, to come to the Solaris space station, and help understand an unusual phenomenon that is taking place. Upon arriving at the station, Kelvin is informed that his friend has committed suicide, and most of the crew has either died or disappeared. The only remaining crew members are Snow and Dr. Gordon, both of whom showcase some reticence in explaining what is taking place. Once alone in his quarters, Kelvin dreams about his late wife Rheya, only to awaken to her standing by his side, which terrifies him. After sending her on a pod to space, Snow explains that replicas of the crew's loved ones have been mysteriously appearing in the station. When Rheya materializes once more, Kelvin decides to investigate what is bringing her to life and what Solaris, the planet is doing to the station itself.

This version of "Solaris" is quite different from its previous adaptations, since Steven Soderbergh marries his own perspective and universe, with what the premise of the novel has at its core. The planet and what surrounds it, which in the novel is described as an ocean, has a way of exposing the deeper, hidden aspects of the personalities of the crew, transmuting them into something that is visible and palpable, and yet not human. Kelvin, who carries within the constant guilt of his wife's suicide, and the constant love he always has had for her, suddenly sees himself in the situation of being able to redeem his prior actions and try to save this embodiment of his former wife. Even if at some point she's self aware and confesses that she's not human, and that she can't be and provide him with what he wants to develop, he's undeterred in his quest to save her. It's a fascinating film, one that definitely has its own rhythm, something that audiences didn't completely embrace, and yet this is a film that mirrors what the director did with "sex, lies and videotape" for instance, particularly on the pacing, and character development. Kelvin, much like Graham (James Spader's character from "sex, lies and videotape), are characters who are desperately trying to live with choices they did in the past, and how those choices had a profound impact in who they are in the present. Whereas Kelvin's guilt is constant and to a certain extent, defines his existence, imprisoning him, never truly allowing him to escape, Graham's life is changed by Ann's presence, and by what her insight, love and ultimately relationship bring to his existence. It's a film punctuated by intimacy, loss, romanticism, and also some thriller-like elements, that at times don't necessarily gel perfectly. It's nonetheless a fascinating film, featuring great performances from George Clooney, Natascha McElhone and Viola Davis, with an impeccable production team which includes the beautiful score from Cliff Martinez, production design from Philip Messina and cinematography from Soderbergh himself. Worth watching.

Living in Oblivion

Movie Name: Living in Oblivion
Year of Release: 1995
Director: Tom DiCillo
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, James Le Gros, Danielle von Zerneck, Peter Dinklage, Kevin Corrigan, Robert Wightman, Hilary Gilford, Rica Martens
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review:

After making his feature directorial debut with "Johnny Suede", Tom DiCillo further cemented his name in the Indie movie making world of the 90s with "Living in Oblivion", which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival of 1995, where it eventually won the screenwriting award. The film focuses on the story of Nick Reve, a film maker who is desperately trying to get his film shot. He has been shooting his low budget feature fast and furiously, but for a series of reasons, he simply can't get this scene between his leading lady, Nicole, and the actress playing her mother, to actually work. We come to realize that was one of his nightmares. As Nick continues to try to get his film done, his lead actor, who is a narcissistic, and a questionably talented individual, keeps making his life difficult, all the while making matters complicated with Nicole as well, whom he had a tryst with. As Nick continues to attempt to finalize his shoot, all sorts of challenges present themselves, including his mom who unexpectedly shows up.

"Living in Oblivion" is one of those films that simultaneously feels very time capsuled to the 90s, and specifically tied to the independent films from that decade, and yet, it also feels very universal in the sense that it also captures the irreverent energy that exists in low budget shoots and the personalities that sometimes coexist in it. It's a clever satire, one that mines the world of independent films for all the clichés that it has, exposing the egos, creative impasses that occur, and just how desperate everyone is to make it big (or at least desperately trying to avoid having to work in yet another restaurant). The film pokes fun at just how simultaneously pretentious and silly some situations are, and how all these people on a film crew, particularly a low budget one, seem to be on a verge of a nervous breakdown. While the characters aren't very detailed, they do stand on their own for the hilarious embodiments of these Indie Hollywood clichés that they are. The cast is uniformly great, with Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener and James Le Gros all crafting indelible performances. The production team is equally solid, including Frank Prinzi's grainy cinematography, and Jim Farmer's score. An entertaining film worth watching.

Les Affames/Ravenous

Movie Name: Les Affames/Ravenous
Year of Release: 2017
Director: Robin Aubert
Starring: Marc-Andre Grondin, Monia Chokri, Charlotte St-Martin, Micheline Lanctot, Marie-Ginette Guay, Brigitte Poupart, Edouard Tremblay-Grenier, Luc Proulx, Didier Lucien, Robert Brouillete, Martin Heroux 
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review:

Actor/Writer/Director Robin Aubert managed to get a lot of attention with this release, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and went on to play across a variety of other film festivals, including Beyond Fest, Molins Film Festival, Mar Del Plata Film Festival, to name but a few. The film focuses on a series of characters, all of whom come together following a zombie outbreak. Most of these characters converge on the rural regions of Quebec, including the young and resourceful Bonin, who has kept patrol of what is happening in his area. He soon meets Tania, a woman with a bite mark, who states she was bitten by a dog. They also pick a young girl by the name of Zoe, and they all go to the residence of a group of survivors, Therese and Pauline. Therese and Pauline have taken in Celine, whose family has been killed, and who has since been a lone crusader killing zombies at every chance she gets. They collectively realize the farm is on the path of the infected, and they decide to flee. As the go on their way, two additional survivors join them, including a bitten one. The group continues on their way, but the infected are getting closer and closer.

Unlike the flashier and gorier "Dawn of the Dead" from Zack Snyder or even the show "The Walking Dead" (from creator Frank Darabont, adapted from Robert Kirkman's comic book), Robin Aubert focuses his attention on the impact a zombie epidemic has on remote and rural communities in Canada. The film has a pace of its own, where as the situations evolve, we get acquainted with the characters, who are going to comprise the bulk of the resilient group itself. As the survivors come together, we also discover a bit more about who they are, what their lives were before the outbreak occurred, and how the new situation has forced them to change their stances and in some cases, has forced them to grow up and come to terms with their own responsibilities. It's a film that tries to craft a rather authentic approach to the aftermath of such a devastating occurrence, but still and for all its unique point of view, its characters are somewhat rather briefly defined, which ends up its biggest flaw. However, it's a film that manages to create and illustrate the compelling and dangerous situations the characters find themselves in, all the while successfully rendering the relationships that are established between all of them. The cast is uniformly solid, the same going for the score from Pierre-Philippe Cote and cinematography from Steeve Desrosiers. Entertaining and worth watching.

Eternals

Movie Name: Eternals
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Chloe Zhao
Starring: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Ma Dong-seok, Harish Patel, Bill Skarsgard, Haaz Sleiman, Esai Daniel Cross
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
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Synopsis and Review:

Writer/Director Chloe Zhao is back, following her celebrated and wonderful "Nomadland", which won her all sorts of accolades earlier in the year. This time around she's tackling a Marvel property, focused on a series of immortal beings, originally created by the late Jack Kirby in the 70s. The film introduces us to a group of super powered beings, known as Eternals, who were brought to planet Earth, in order to protect humans and life in general, from a species known as Deviants. Both Eternals and Deviants were created by these celestial creatures, who go from Universe to Universe bringing life to those spaces. As the Eternals manage to eradicate the Deviants from the planet, and they do so centuries ago, they go their separate ways, waiting to be called out so they can go back to Olympia, where they believe they originate from. In the present day however, Deviants appear once more, and start attacking some of the Eternals, starting with Sersi and Sprite who are in London. Ikaris, one of the more powerful Eternals comes in their defense, but the Deviant escapes. As they seek out the counsel and guidance of Ajak, their leader, they realize she has been killed. As Sersi becomes the chosen one to communicate with the Celestial, she soon realizes there's a much more sinister intent to both the Eternals and Deviants reason to be on the planet, and that the group needs to quickly unite to save the planet.

One of the most interesting propositions of this film, is the fact that Chloe Zhao definitely has a sensibility of her own when it comes to how she tackles material. While there are stylistic influences from Terrence Malick, unlike him, Zhao manages to build narratives where we connect with her characters plight, their challenges, their undaunted strength, demonstrating their humanity and also their dimension as fully fledged characters. "Eternals" for all its duration, and for all the diverse characters that are indeed brought together, fails to do so. While for some characters in the narrative, there's a somewhat economical way in which they are described, for the most part all the members of the group are as much of an incognito at the beginning as they are at the end. There isn't much of a journey for many of these characters, and while the intimacy between the central duo, portrayed by Gemma Chan and Richard Madden has some echoes of Terrence Malick's "To the Wonder", once again, it's never truly explained what prompts it, and all that remains is a series of vignettes, reminiscent of a travel guide reel, more so than an illustration of how two characters learn about each other. It's a film where there's a noticeable discrepancy between the type of storytelling Chloe Zhao yearns to accomplish, and the formula by which comic book films, particularly the ones curated and produced by Marvel function. The most successful films from this studio end up being ones where the directors understand this formula, and essentially toy around with it, while giving their characters enough room to actually unapologetically be more than a cliche and have a sense of humor, while deep down understanding there's a certain level of silliness to it all(good examples include for instance Taika Waititi's "Thor: Ragnarok" and even Shane Black's "Iron Man 3"). What we're left with is a lengthy film that hammers the same message repeatedly, and where once again this villain figure isn't quite well defined, and worst of it, is once again this massively digital/abstract creatures without much charisma or presence (the whole "Green Lantern" debacle apparently taught them nothing). Angelina Jolie as always brings her charisma and talent to the fray, with apt support from Gemma Chan, Brian Tyree Henry and Barry Keoghan. The cinematography from Ben Davis is beautiful as is the production design from Eve Stewart (and Chris Wallace). While not a dreadful film, it's not an enticing one. 

Equilibrium

Movie Name: Equilibrium
Year of Release: 2002
Director: Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Sean Bean, Angus Macfayden, Sean Pertwee, Taye Diggs, Dominic Purcell, William Fichtner, Christian Kahrmann, Matthew Harbour, John Keogh
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review:

Writer/Director Kurt Wimmer made a name for himself as a screenwriter, tackling big budget films such as Barry Levinson's "Sphere" and John McTiernan's "The Thomas Crown Affair", before bringing his original script for "Equilibrium" to the screen. The film, which takes place in the future, in a city-state by the name of Libria, follows events that take place after a World War III nearly destroyed the planet. In the society formed in its aftermath, all human emotions are forbidden. Those who violate those mandates, are sentenced to death. In order to keep everyone in check, the population is forced to take a daily injection which suppresses those emotions. A Council, led by this figure named "Father", runs the authority and the city-state, and one of his tools to control the population is law enforcement, where Clerics sit at the highest level of that structure. There is an underground faction trying to bring this authoritarian despot down. John Preston who is a high-ranking cleric, and whose wife was executed years ago, misses one of his daily injections and memories from his past start permeating and stirring up emotions. He intentionally starts skipping more doses, and soon finds himself trying to located the Underground movement, with the intent to make the powers to be responsible for the loss he has had in his own life.

Kurt Wimmer who has gone on to write some interesting screenplays for other filmmakers, including for instance Phillip Noyce's "Salt", has an interesting premise at hand, one that has some ties with George Orwell's "1984", in terms of how he defines the oppressive government at hand, and how it controls every aspect of that society and the effect that it has on the general population (and the resistance at hand). However, whereas George Orwell managed to craft and bring to life the lead characters of his narrative, Kurt Wimmer introduces his lead hero, John Preston, as someone who works and operates within the system, but who slowly realizes how nefarious and destructive it is, particularly as he stops taking the controlling drugs which pervade every day life. While Wimmer manages to depict and construct the city-state and its structure fairly well, the characters in it are fairly rough sketches, with barely any definition. John Preston's evolution from strict believer to fighter for the resistance is unsurprising, but the way some characters are introduced and poorly developed is one of the main issues with the film itself. Emily Watson's Mary, briefly appears, and turns out, she has very little to do, the same going for Taye Diggs' Brandt and even the main antagonist, personified by Angus Macfayden, who portrays the vice counsel DuPont. Preston's family life is never truly expanded upon, and neither are the goals of the villainous vice counsel, or his right hand assistant, personified by Brandt. It's a film that has a fair amount of promise, but fails in building a sense of motivation for its leads, and also menace or dread from its villains, since it essentially reduces all characters to cliches without much freshness or uniqueness. The actual saving grace for the film lies with its cast, which includes the always phenomenal Christian Bale and the perpetually underrated Emily Watson. The cinematography from the fantastic Dion Beebe is impeccable as is the production design from Wolf Kroeger and costumes from Joseph Porro. A promising, but ultimately forgettable film.

The Hunt

Movie Name: The Hunt
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Craig Zobel
Starring: Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz, Wayne Duvall, Ethan Suplee, Emma Roberts, Christopher Berry, Amy Madigan, Reed Birney, Glenn Howerton, Steve Coulter, Sturgill Simpson, Kate Nowlin, Vince Pisani
Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review:

Following some work directing episodes for a variety of shows, including "Westworld", "American Gods" and "One Dollar", director Craig Zobel tackled the original script from Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof, in what became his more recent feature since "Z for Zachariah". The film focuses its attention on Crystal, who finds herself alongside a series of strangers in a clearing, with gags, and having to survive a series of attacks from people they don't know and can't see. They manage to get a hold of some guns and survival equipment, but quite a few of them get killed almost immediately, while others make their escape to the nearby forest. Crystal manages to overcome whatever is thrown at her, since as we later find out, she's had military training. As the casualties pile up, Crystal comes to realize what is taking place, and why these people were selected (and herself as well). She eventually takes it up to the leader of the group, who was part of devising the morbid hunt party.

"The Hunt" is a feature that has similarities to previous films on the topic of hunting humans, which includes John Woo's "Hard Target" and even Ernest R. Dickerson's "Surviving the Target". "The Hunt" however differs from those previously mentioned films in the sense that it has a streak of dark comedy pervading the narrative, something that clearly differentiates itself from those more action driven vehicles. For all its intelligence and its take on what is politically correct or not, it's still essentially a B-film with a solid group of actors, who sadly don't get to do much, since the script is more focused on the message that is trying to say, more so than actually showcase characters, or even their journeys for that matter. In the end it's an interesting exercise, but one that is hollow of meaning and substance, since most of the characters either get discarded almost instantly, or never get an opportunity to be introduced and developed properly. Betty Gilpin tries her best to ground and bring some edge to her character, but for all her energy, it still feels very unidimensional, the same going for Hilary Swank, her nemesis. It's a film that indeed wants to pose interesting questions about conspiracies, and even more largely about the state of the world, but fails to be effective since in essence it forgets one essential aspect: in order for someone to discuss or care about a message, the messenger also has to have some dimension, some voice to be heard, and in this case, there's a lot of splatter and violence, but very little substance. The cast is uniformly solid, as is the score from Nathan Barr and the cinematography from Darran Tiernan. It's watchable, but also quickly forgettable.