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. 

Nowhere

Movie Name: Nowhere
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Albert Pintó
Starring: Anna Castillo, Tamar Novas, Tony Corvillo, Mariam Torres, Irina Bravo, Victoria Teijeiro
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another week, another exclusive Netflix release, this time around a Spanish thriller, from director Albert Pintó, who made a name for himself firstly with a series of shorts, before moving to full features with the well received "Matar a Dios/Killing God". This time around, the narrative focuses on Mia and Nico, a couple who is looking to escape a totalitarian regime, one that has brought nothing but imprisonment, torture, and chaos to the country they live in. That regime has also been responsible for the death of their young daughter Uma, and Mia is pregnant with another girl. They embark on a daring escape, paying an underground ring for the opportunity to be smuggled in cargo containers on a ship. However as they're making their way in the containers, the organizers of the smuggling divide them both, and worst of all, Mia's container gets uncovered by policing and everyone on it gets murdered as a result. She ends up all alone on her container, hidden and meager rations. As the ship sets on its way, it encounters a rough storm, which results in many of the containers being dropped off into the ocean, including Mia's. While she loses her senses as a result of the storm and being tossed around in the container, she also realizes fairly quickly she needs to figure out some way to survive, as one of the other containers also containing people sank to the bottom of the ocean. To make matters worst, her baby seems intent on being born at the most inconvenient of times. 

Claustrophobic thrillers, much like any thriller really, can go either direction when it comes to effectiveness of the storytelling. There's quite a few iconic takes on the genre, including David Fincher's "Panic Room" and even Rodrigo Cortés' "Buried". Albert Pintó's take on the genre is quite smart, particularly as the narrative unfolds and we get to witness Mia's resourcefulness tackling the challenges she's in. It's less well accomplished when looking beyond the predicament of the situation itself, since we never really get much of an understanding for who Mia actually is, aside from the trauma in her life provoked by the regime she's fleeing from, and the fact that she was a teacher at some point. Her relationship with her husband/partner Nico is briefly illustrated, and her mother figure appears as a static photo she presents to her baby during her time of storytelling. They're brief glimpses, ones that beg for a bit more development of the character itself, which sadly never materializes. However, the core of the situation, and how the director illustrates it is indeed quite successful, as the dangers in which Mia finds herself are portrayed in a very authentic and even visceral manner. It makes for a compelling view, since the director anchors his point of view on the talents of Anna Castillo, who is very effective as Mia, who goes across a range of emotions in this film, including sheer panic, exhilaration, and exhaustion. The production team is equally effective, including Unax Mendia's cinematography, Dídac Bono's production design and Miguel Burgos' editing. A fairly tense and watchable thriller. 

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Movie Name: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Yusuke Ishida
Starring: Eiji Akaso, Mai Shiraishi, Shuntarô Yanagi, Yui Ichikawa, Kazuki Kitamura, Mayo Kawasaki, Akari Hayami, Miwako Kakei
Genre: Action, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another Netflix exclusive, "Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead" is an adaptation of a popular Japanese Manga Series, which has already been adapted to an animated Manga series (also available on Netflix).

The story focuses on Akira Tendo, a young professional who has just joined a Marketing firm. Initially filled with joy and optimism, the environment in which he works and the way he is treated, starts taking away all sense of happiness he has in life. After three years of this constant abuse he's nothing but a shell of his prior self. Everything takes a turn when a zombie apocalypse strikes Tokyo. Akira's initially surprised, but then decides to enjoy life to the fullest. He decides to create a bucket list of everything he has always wanted to do, before himself becomes a zombie. In the meantime, he also tries to help some of the people who always treated him well, and while he fails to save one of his co-workers, he does manage to reach and save Kenichiro, his college buddy. The two of them are eventually joined by Shizuka, a woman who has a much more pragmatic approach to life in the zombie universe, and who initially only looks out for herself. As they set on a journey to leave Tokyo and seek another place without as many zombies, they encounter unexpected challenges.

I did not know this manga series or its various adaptations, before watching this feature film, which is in fact, Yusuke Ishida's feature directorial debut. While I was initially expecting something similar to Il Cho's "#Alive", this film definitely took a different direction. "Zom 100" definitely focuses its attention on the partnership between these central characters, and how they collectively decide to embrace what they think are their last moments alive (before becoming zombies). However this narrative is also illustrated in a way that's almost infantile or juvenile: Akira is a rather underdeveloped character, in the sense that he still feels very much a prisoner of his accomplishments in University, but also hasn't really matured much in terms of who he actually is as an individual (and that includes even his personal relationships, which are almost non-existent). The tone of the film is also a bit of this odd pairing, since it includes some graphic zombie gore and lore, and yet that also coexists with this rather naive stance that Akira perpetually seems to have. As the narrative continues to develop, and his nemesis eventually appears once again, the sudden shifts in characters' motivation seems drastic and not entirely well resolved (or even understandable). It's ultimately an interesting premise that is undone by a series of characters that are not particularly well developed (and Akira's nemesis in particular is a cardboard bully without any substance), and situations that are also puzzling and borderline surreal (the scenes with the shark are insane). There's nothing much to highlight on this cast, the same going for the production team. There really isn't much to commend on this feature. 

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Movie Name: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Year of Release: 2008
Director: Rob Cohen
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, Michelle Yeoh, John Hannah, Luke Ford, Isabella Leong, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Russell Wong, Liam Cunningham, David Calder, Tian Liang, Albert Kwan, Jing Wu, Jessey Meng, Jing Guo
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Producer/director Rob Cohen rebounded from the poorly received "Stealth", by tackling a new chapter in the "Mummy" franchise, which Stephen Sommers guided to considerable success in the prior chapters, released respectively in 1999 and 2001 (Chuck Russell directed the less successful "The Scorpion King" in 2002 with Dwayne Johnson, but that one was an offshoot of the series). The narrative once again focuses on the lives of couple Rick and Evelyn O'Connell. The year is now 1946 (Rick and Evelyn originally met in 1926), and the couple is living quite comfortably by the English countryside. The British government sends a representative asking the couple for their help in one last mission, which involves taking a precious gemstone by the name of Eye of Shangri-La to China. In the meantime, their fully adult son Alex has uncovered the tomb for the Dragon Emperor. This Emperor, before his demise, had swarthy ambitions of ruling the world, and wanted to leverage ancient sorcery to give him eternal life. Turns out Alex's archeological findings have been funded by a rogue military faction who is intent on bringing the Emperor back to life. They manage to do so leveraging the stone Rick and Evelyn brought with them. The Emperor is brought back to life, but still needs the mystical waters of Shangri-La to fully recover his form and powers. Rick and his group realize that they need to travel to the Himalayas in order to try to stop the revived Emperor before its too late, but the battle is far more arduous and difficult than they anticipated, even if they now have the additional help of Zi Yuan (the original sorcerer who challenged the Emperor) and her daughter Lin. 

Rob Cohen has made a name for himself firstly as a producer of interesting material, including features such as Hector Babenco's "Ironweed", George Miller's "The Witches of Eastwick", and his collaborations with John Badham, "Bird on a Wire" and "The Hard Way", before starting his feature directorial career with the well received "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story". His career since then has been steadily declining in terms of quality of output, though he has an additional claim to fame, as the director who started "The Fast and the Furious" franchise. His take on "The Mummy" fails to capture much of the sense of humor that Stephen Sommers' previous installments had. Chapters one and two never took themselves too seriously, which is what always made them watchable, even if the characters were close to non-existent. Stephen Sommers knew he was piggybacking on what Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Philip Kaufman did with "Indiana Jones", and took his characters and narrative into over the top scenarios, relying on humor and charisma of the characters (and actors), to keep his films watchable. This chapter however tries to anchor itself on a more serious note, upping the action angle, and ends up missing the point about these films, which essentially is the silliness of the situations in which these characters find themselves in (chasing these mummies that are apparently unbeatable), and the whole fish out of water that is represented by both Evelyn and her brother Jonathan. Another aspect of this film that doesn't entirely work is the fact that Rick and Evelyn, are somehow parents to a mid 20s man, when they themselves seem like older siblings of that same character, and sadly Jonathan's character who was always the comedic value of the series, is relegated to a footnote on this one. The cast is a bit uneven on this chapter, with Brendan Fraser once again leading the group, but this time around missing the chemistry and talent of Rachel Weisz to provide a solid back and forth. While Maria Bello is a talented performer on her own terms, the film lacks the spark and vivacity Rachel Weisz was able to bring to the role. The luminous Michelle Yeoh is always fantastic, while John Hannah sadly has little to do. The production team is a solid one, featuring the cinematography of Simon Duggan, score from Randy Edelman, production design from the tremendously talented Nigel Phelps (he worked on Jean Pierre Jeunet's "Alien Resurrection" and Wolfgang Petersen's "Troy" to name but a few), and costumes by Sanja Milkovic Hays. It's a less successful episode from this series. 

The Grudge

Movie Name: The Grudge
Year of Release: 2019
Director: Nicolas Pesce
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Demian Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin, Lin Shaye, Frankie Faison, Jacki Weaver, William Sadler, Tara Westwood, Zoe Fish, Joel Marsh Garland, John Hansen, Stephanie Sy, Steven Ratzlaff, Bradley Sawatzky
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Nicolas Pesce made a name for himself with his first two directorial endeavors, namely "The Eyes of My Mother" and in particular with "Piercing", the latter of which featured two solid performances from Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska. This new version of "The Grudge", is once again produced by Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, much like the prior one that was released in 2004, from director Takashi Shimizu, which featured Sarah Michelle Gellar in the lead role. This time around the narrative focuses on the story of Detective Muldoon, who has just moved in to a new city with her young son, following the painful death of her husband. She and her veteran partner by the name of Goodman, are soon assigned a case of a strange death of a woman who is found inside a car off from a road that has very little traffic. The investigation leads them to a house, where Muldoon soon finds there's a lot of story to it, and one where Goodman refuses to set foot in. Turns out the house used to belong to a couple comprised of Fiona and Sam Landers. Fiona had been a nurse in Tokyo, and moved back to the US following some strange occurrences in the residence in which she was in. Turns out she brought with her whatever was haunting that residence, and herself and her family are killed as a result, something that spreads as well to the realtors who were working with the Landers'. As Muldoon sets foot in the house, she uncovers Faith Matheson's presence alongside the decomposing body of her late husband, William. As it turns out, they bought the house following the deaths of the Landers' and Faith, who suffers from dementia, became the next victim for that entity. As Muldoon continues the investigation, she also starts experiencing strange occurrences. She soon realizes why Goodman is both close to the cases, and why he refuses to go in the house.

This new version of "The Grudge" manages to slowly peel away the layers of disturbance that the supernatural entity slowly and gradually brings to the specific residence at the core of the narrative, and everyone who sets foot in it. The film smartly jumps through different timelines, but illustrates the pervasiveness of that entity, and the destruction that it starts bringing into all these characters' lives. While most of these characters are thinly realized, they're still brought to life with some success courtesy of the very talented cast that has been assembled. The director realizes that some of the situations themselves may not be the most original ones, particularly when it comes to horror film scenarios, but he does take his time in building all the threads that eventually connect all these characters. And that's where the film actually builds its scares, from the notion that this entity is unavoidable, unmissable, no matter what happens, and wherever these characters eventually go, and whatever tribulations they have, this figure won't let them go. The definition of this atmosphere is particularly successful, making the film that much more intriguing, the same going for the cast who is truly fantastic, starting with the always underrated Andrea Riseborough, who has great support from Demian Bichir, John Cho, Lin Shaye, Jackie Weaver, Frankie Faison and the always great William Sadler (all impeccable performers). The production team is equally solid, including Zack Galler's cinematography, Jean-Andre Carriere's production design, and The Newton Brothers' score. While some character aspects beg for some expansion and development, overall this is still a watchable film from an interesting director. 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

Movie Name: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Year of Release: 2016
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, Harry Shum Jr., Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jason Scott Lee, Eugenia Yuan, Roger Yuan, JuJu Chan Szeto, Chris Pang, Woon Young Park, Darryl Quon, Veronica Ngo, Gary Young, Andrew Stehlin, Trevor Sai Louie, Angela Chan, Jermaine Yee, Shuya Chang
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Director Woo-Ping Yuen has a very lengthy career, both as a film director, but just as importantly, as a stunt coordinator/action director. He was responsible for the stunts on Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol.2" and Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle", to name but two features from 72 credits he has on his IMDB. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" is a sequel to Ang Lee's celebrated and award winning film from 2000, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", with the only remaining character and performer returning being the luminously talented Michelle Yeoh. The narrative focuses on Yu Shu Lien, who after the events of the prior film, still mourns the death of her partner Li Mubai. The legendary Green Destiny sword is being protected by a family and group whom Li Mubai trusted. However, a warlod by the name of Hades Dai has aspirations on the sword, and his counselors who themselves have an hidden agenda behind it, urge him to seize it. He leverages his power over a young man by the name of Wei Fang to retrieve the sword for him, but both Shu Lien, and a young woman by the name of Snow Vase prevent him from doing so. In the meantime, another well known warrior with whom Shu Lien also has a past with, by the name of Silent Wolf, gets involved in the situation, as he is informed that his rival Hades Dai wants to attack the locale where the sword is being held. He arranges for a series of skilled warriors to join him, and they head out to support Shu Lien. They realize they're outnumbered, but are determined not to let the sword fall into Hades' hands.  

What was so unique about Ang Lee's film was his ability to tell a story, which much like the best stories that are told, had multiple layers upon which it could be enjoyed. There was a perfect illustration of a kung-fu film with elaborately constructed fight scenes, married with an insightful and historical perspective on clans and rivalries in ancient China, multiple romances with diverse characters, and also a very relevant take on women's roles. There was also a lyricism and poetry to the scenes, that made the film that much more memorable and unique. This sequel does not try to emulate that style or concept. For that matter, it also doesn't try to illustrate the main characters in a fully rounded perspective. Meaning: the intent to this storyline is very clearly the protection of the sword, and preventing a vicious and villainous individual from getting it and wreaking havoc on everyone. The film isn't an array of fight scenes, there are indeed discussions on the honor of warriors, what truly means to be a master, lost romantic attachments that suddenly surface once more, but as far as the characters themselves are concerned, there really isn't much to them beyond what can be considered a footnote of motivation. While bite-sized type of characters can at times be interesting, in this film it ends up not entirely working, since the filmmaker is trying to tie it with its predecessor, which sadly can't really stand up to. In the end, it's not really an all out action film, and it's not a dramatic vehicle, it's something of a hybrid, that works better in its well conceived fight/action scenes, more so than in its dramatic moments. The cast is solid, with highlights going for the always fantastic Michelle Yeoh, who gets good support from Donnie Yen, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo. The production team is solid, including Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography, Grant Major's production design, and Ngila Dickson's costumes. While not as memorable as its predecessor, it's still a fairly watchable film. 

The First Omen

Movie Name: The First Omen
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
Starring: Nell Tiger Free, Ralph Ineson, Sonia Braga, Tawfeek Barhom, Maria Caballero, Charles Dance, Bill Nighy, Nicole Sorace, Ishtar Currie-Wilson, Andrea Arcangeli, Guido Quaglione, Dora Romano, Anton Alexander, Mia McGovern Zaini, Eugenia Delbue
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"The First Omen" is Arkasha Stevenson's feature directorial debut, following a few directing assignments for some shows as "Brand New Cherry Flavor" and "Legion". The film belongs to the series the late Richard Donner started in 1976, "The Omen" which starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. The film takes place in Rome, in 1971, and follows the story of Margaret Daino, who is an American novitiate who arrives in the city to help and work at a local orphanage. Cardinal Lawrence who has long been a benefactor of hers picks her up, and she soon meets a slew of people at the orphanage, including Father Gabriel, Abess Sister Silva, nun Anjelica, and her roommate and also another novitiate, Luz. Luz who is more worldly, invites her out, and they eventually find themselves at a Disco, where Margaret dances with a man by the name of Paolo, before blacking out. She wakes up with no recollection of what happened the prior evening. She is approached by Father Brennan, who reveals to her that there's a conspiracy happening within the church, aiming to bring the Antichrist to life, so that propels people back into the arms of faith and religion. He also explains to her that there's been attempts at spawning that entity for quite some time. Margaret suspects one of the girls in the orphanage has been a chosen one to be the vessel for that ritual. She uncovers hidden files documenting all the offspring that have been generated throughout the years in order to make the ritual work, many of which have not survived, save for Carlita, the young girl at the orphanage. And there's also another young girl who survived. As Margaret explores further, she is horrified to discover what's in store for her.

Richard Donner was a deft filmmaker who understood how to craft narratives that always had a high quota of entertainment, independently of the topic he was tackling. That was the case with "Superman" and "Ladyhawke" to name but a few. His original take on "The Omen" was also a smartly crafted suspenseful tonal piece, that had influences from William Friedkin's "The Exorcist", but was decidedly not as disturbing nor as dark as that horror watermark. It had more parallels with Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby", more so than Friedkin's feature. Arkasha Stevenson's film is a worthy follow up to Richard Donner's piece, mostly in the suspenseful and progressive disclosure it makes of the events taking place, particularly the ones experienced by Margaret, the lead. Since it is indeed a prequel, we already know what's the eventuality of the events taking place, but witnessing the lead character's journey to get there, is nonetheless where this director manages to make her mark. And for the most part, the suspenseful, and unsettling environment she manages to create is quite effective. Where the film falters lies in its ability to have compelling characters that make this journey that much more vivid and horrific. Ari Aster managed to take us on a disturbing journey with "Hereditary", not because the horrific events were totally unexpected, but primarily because he managed to create palpable and very vivid characters in the family that is at the center of the drama that is being unveiled. Margaret, Luz, Sister Silva, and even Fathers Gabriel and Brennan, are never more than just barely defined characters, which is sadly where this film could have gone a bit further. The tone is right, the characters just need extra sprinkles of veracity in them to make them palpably memorable to the audience. The cast is a bit uneven, with solid turns in supporting roles for Sonia Braga, the always stupendous Bill Nighy, Ralph Ineson, and Charles Dance, but with Nell Tiger Free failing to bring a consistent feverish energy to that character. The production team is solid, including Aaron Morton's cinematography, Mark Korven's score, Paco Delgado's costumes, and Eve Stewart's impeccable production design. It's a watchable feature debut for this director, in a series that has had its heyday decades ago. 

The Beach

Movie Name: The Beach
Year of Release: 2000
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet, Robert Carlyle, Peter Youngblood Hills, Paterson Joseph, Zelda Tinska, Victoria Smurfit, Daniel Caltagirone, Peter Gevisser, Lars Arentz-Hansen, Jukka Hiltunen, Magnus Lindgren
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following a trifecta of solid films, namely "Shallow Grave", "Trainspotting" and "A Life Less Ordinary", director Danny Boyle tackled a bigger budget with the adaptation of Alex Garland's "The Beach", with his regular creative team, including screenwriter John Hodge, who also worked with him in all of the films mentioned previously. The narrative focuses on Richard, a twenty-something American who is traveling alone, and is seeking adventure in Bangkok. While staying at his hotel, he casually makes an acquaintance with a young French couple, and a man by the name of Daffy. Daffy lets him know that there's a beautiful island in the Gulf of Thailand, that is sheltered from everything and seems like paradise. Soon after Richard discovers Daffy dead as a result of suicide, but realizes that he left him a map to get to that secluded island. He convinces the French couple to come with him to the island. He is also very much infatuated with Françoise. After making it to the island, they realize that there's a cannabis plantation there that is guarded by armed Thai farmers. They manage to evade them, and eventually get to the other side of the island, where they realize there's a small community of people from all over the world, who have been living there in a type of new age cult commune. Sal, the English leader of the commune, explains that the farmers allow them to stay on the island, as long as no one shares the location of the place, and no more travelers come to the island. The community lets them in, but some cracks start slowly manifesting themselves in the group.

What personally surprised me most about this film, is how little substance and actual plot points there are to it. This tale of youthful beautiful people looking for a sort of Eden, or respite to escape their boredom, or sheltered upbringing, could have gone in the direction of something similar to Jonathan Kaplan's "Brokedown Palace", but instead has vibes of "Lord of the Flies" mixed with Randal Kleiser's "The Blue Lagoon" and some of the lunacy Francis Ford Coppola captured on "Apocalypse Now" (the tribes living under the "leadership" of Marlon Brando's Kurtz). Sadly for the film and for all the talent involved, the plot just isn't that creative, or unexpected, the same going for the characters all of which remain rather shallow throughout the entire narrative. Richard, Sal, Françoise, and Étienne, are as much of an enigma at the beginning of the film as they are by its ending. The circumstances in which they find themselves in, doesn't serve to inform much more about who they are as individuals/characters. It's challenging to understand what their motivations are, and how they actually envision their lives progressing on the island or beyond that existence in the island. Unlike Danny Boyle's prior films, where there were anti-heroes who while flawed and even capable of monstrous decisions/actions, had an arc they went through, in which they eventually came to terms with themselves, this film in particular feels unresolved, and not because there isn't a "moral lesson" to take away from here, but mostly because these characters remain somewhat unaffected, and underdeveloped. The cast tries their best with the script, but Leonardo DiCaprio's intensity is wasted here, as is Tilda Swinton's ability to construct characters that are layered and nuanced. The production team is solid, including Darius Khondji's cinematography, Angelo Badalamenti's score, and Andrew McAlpine's production design. It's a missed opportunity for all the talent involved and ultimately not a very interesting film. 

Sous la Seine/Under Paris

Movie Name: Sous la Seine/Under Paris
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Xavier Gens
Starring: Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant, Sandra Parfait, Aksel Ustun, Aurélia Petit, Marvin Dubart, Daouda Keita, Ibrahima Ba, Anne Marivin, Stéphane Jacquot, Jean-Marc Bellu, Nagisa Morimoto, Yannick Choirat, Iñaki Lartigue, Victor Pontecorvo, Thomas Espinera
Genre: Action, Drama, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another release from Netflix, this time around, with a nicely timing of connecting the narrative with the upcoming Olympic Games which will take place in Paris. The film is the latest from director Xavier Gens, who is mostly known for starting the franchise "Hitman", which actually didn't go very far (the original one featured the always underrated Timothy Olyphant in the leading role). This time around the narrative focuses on the story of marine biologist Sophia Assalas. Alongside her team, they're researching sharks when something goes awry. Sophia tries to salvage the situation, only for her whole team to be killed by the strain of shark they've been investigating. A few years later, Sophia is in Paris, where she's been working with a local aquarium. An ecological activist by the name of Mika contacts her to let her know that the shark she and her team had been tracking is now in Paris, swimming in the river Seine. While initially in disbelief, Sophia eventually realizes that's the case, when the tracker she had on the shark indicates that it is indeed in Paris. The police crew in charge of checking what's happening on the river, starts noticing some strange occurrences. Sophia warns them of what can potentially happen with the shark being on the river, and how dangerous it can be. Mika in the meantime is trying to rescue the shark, by luring it to the ocean. She leverages social media to call out attention to what's happening, and gets a considerable number of people to go with her to the catacombs of Paris to try to rescue the shark. However they soon realize that this shark is in reality a mutation of the species, doesn't abide by its typical behaviors, and goes on a killing spree, which includes Mika and some of the police river crew. And that's only the beginning.

Xavier Gens' take on the shark genre, is not exactly as claustrophobic and suspenseful as what Alejandre Aja did with "Crawl" for instance. There are the obvious influences of Steven Spielberg's iconic "Jaws" on display (the mayor who refuses to cancel the triathlon games), but for the most part, "Sous La Saine/Under Paris" focuses on displaying the carnage that the new shark species produces, firstly with the well meaning activists and later on with the athletes. As much as this film and its director attempt to create a B-movie experience of this concept, one where the characters seemingly have no background, are immediately attracted to each other, and where everyone operates in a world of little order, this film unlike others on a similar topic such as "Meg" (from director Jon Turteltaub), has very little sense of humor, and takes itself rather seriously. This rather self-imposed seriousness that the film has, alongside the lack of actual dimension to these characters (Sophia apparently has no life outside of the Aquarium, the same occurring with Adil, the handsome/model like chief of police), makes the shark do the heavy lifting when it comes to commanding the storyline. Sadly as good as the visual effects are, the carnage just isn't enough to truly make this film memorable. The writers pepper the storyline with stabs at corporations and governments, their roles in the pollution of the oceans, global warming and every single pertinent and trendy topic, but they're a faint attempt at developing a conscience in a film where innocent and well meaning by-standers are chopped liver for a killing machine. The cast is fairly solid, with Bérénice Bejo making the best of an underwritten role, but Anne Marivin ends up stealing the show as the pragmatic mayor of the city. The production team isn't great, with the cinematography by Nicolas Massart in particular giving the film a look that is quasi apparent of being shot with a nice smart phone (even the catacombs are too brightly lit). It's not a dreadful film, but it's not a particularly memorable one. 

The Babysitter: Killer Queen

Movie Name: The Babysitter: Killer Queen
Year of Release: 2020
Director: McG
Starring: Judah Lewis, Jenna Ortega, Emily Alyn Lind, Samara Weaving, Robbie Amell, Hana Mae Lee, Bella Thorne, , Andrew Bachelor, Chris Wylde, Leslie Bibb, Ken Marino, Carl McDowell, Maximilian Acevedo, Juliocesar Chavez, Jennifer Foster, Raymond Patterson, Valentina Mandala, Amanda Cerny
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

After the well received "The Babysitter", Netflix quickly jumped onboard to create a follow up. For this installment the creative team changed a bit, with screenwriter Brian Duffield being replaced with 4 different writers, namely Dan Lagana, Brad Morris, Jimmy Warden, and McG himself. The film picks up 2 years after the events that occurred with Cole and his babysitter Bee. No one wants to believe him, save for his best friend Melanie who previously came to his aid, and who still does the same. Cole discovers his parents have enrolled him in a psychiatric school, and so he decides to take off with Melanie, her boyfriend Jimmy, and a couple of other friends to a party by the nearby lake. Joining them at the lake, though not in the same group, is the new high school student Phoebe. While playing a game on the boat, things quickly escalate when Melanie kills Boom-Boom, as she intends to use her blood for a ritual, very similar to what Bee had originally intended to do (leveraging the same demonic book, and Cole's blood with the same intent). The original members of Bee's cult also return, having been resurrected so they can take part of the ritual by sunrise. As they're about to sacrifice Cole, Phoebe appears looking for gas for her jet ski, which gives Cole just enough of a distraction to escape (with Phoebe). Cole explains what is taking place, and turns out Phoebe also has some traumatic past issues of her own, which coincidentally tie back to Cole and Bee. All they have to do is survive till after sunrise, which is when the ritual is required to take place. However the whole cult is aiming for them and will stop at nothing.

Sadly with the departure of Brian Duffield from the creative/writing team, some of the aspects that made the original so quirky and intelligent, left with him. This time around, the story feels a bit more like a reheat of a stale recipe, and less of a creative concoction. There's less context as to why certain characters return, and the attempts at tying some of the new characters plot points with the original ones, just don't feel quite sensical. The slasher vibe which tied so nicely with the original's comedic tone, feels much more diluted here (more gore, less suspense, less laughs), something that the "Mortal Kombat" references that are also peppered in the narrative, don't really solve either. The film feels less tightly woven around its concept, with the characters once more failing to have much of an arc or legitimate aspirations at all. The slapstick of the death scenes is almost cartoonish, even if the gore is still quite present. Again, more gore or more death scenes, doesn't necessarily solve narrative issues. While the film is indeed a continuation, it also feels like a downgrade, something that is also noticeable in the production values, which are quite generic in this case, save for Bear McCreary's score. The cast sadly doesn't have much to work with, and even Jenna Ortega feels very under-used in what's taking place. It's a forgettable endeavor for all parties involved.  

The Babysitter

Movie Name: The Babysitter
Year of Release: 2017
Director: McG
Starring: Samara Weaving, Judah Lewis, Robbie Amell, Hana Mae Lee, Bella Thorne, Emily Alyn Lind, Andrew Bachelor, Doug Haley, Leslie Bibb, Ken Marino, Samuel Gilbert, Zachary Alexander Rice, Doc Duhame, Jean Claude Leuyer, Miles J. Harvey, Chris Wylde, Carl McDowell, Jonathan Bray
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Director McG who has an extensive career in directing music videos, made a name for himself initially with the "Charlie's Angels"  diptych, which came out in 2000 and 2003. Following the critically derided "This Means War" from 2012 and the little seen "3 Days to Kill" from 2014, he started venturing heavily into directing tv shows. "The Babysitter" which was originally shot in 2015, and was intended for theatrical release before being purchased by Netflix, was released in 2017, and went on to be a significant success on the platform. The narrative focuses on the life of Cole, a 12 year old boy whose cool parents still leave him with a babysitter, whenever they have a social event or a date night. Bee, the babysitter, is good friends with Cole, protects him from his bullies from school, and they both have a common language which allows Cole to feel at ease with her, even if her beauty is starting to both excite and distract him. One evening when Cole's parents go to the city for date night, Bee and him play a series of friendly games, one of which includes Cole trying out some liquor which Bee offers him. He secretly pours it out. During that night, Cole who previously pretended to be sleeping, goes to check on what Bee is doing. Turns out she has a group of her friends in the house, and they're playing their own games, which includes spin the bottle. However and much to Cole's horror, Bee stabs and kills one of the people in the group, and during the exchanges in conversation, Cole realizes they're all members of a demonic cult. He also realizes they need him and his blood to perform a ritual. Cole panics and goes back to his room, but they soon realize he was not sleeping and has witnessed what's taking place, and what follows is a game of cat and mouse with lethal endings. 

One of the smarter things of this offering from McG, is the fact that Brian Duffield's script, deftly touches upon the typical clichés from the high school/babysitter genre, and flips them on its head by making a quasi slasher film, one that is also populated with characters that are somewhat self aware. The characters sadly don't have much to them in terms of motivation or even arc and are in fact as limited as one can expect, but the film also doesn't take itself, or the characters for that matter, very seriously. This type of indirect wink to the viewer from both the characters and situations themselves, pushes the film into a comedic and ironic stance (for instance, why is the attractive young man all of a sudden shirtless), without ever losing the tight grip on the blood and mayhem. It's a film that does fly by, one that is at times quite silly, but where the tone does work appropriately with the surreality of the situation itself. The cast is game for what is taking place, particularly Samara Weaving who is able to both represent the sunnier disposition of her character, and also her darker and more lethal side. The production team is solid, including Shane Hurlbut's cinematography, Douglas Pipes' score, and Hannah Jacobs' costume design. It is a bit of fluff, but it's watchable, and well executed. 

Vikingulven/Viking Wolf

Movie Name: Vikingulven/Viking Wolf
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Stig Svendsen
Starring: Liv Mjones, Elli Rhiannon Muller Osborne, Sjur Vatne Brean, Vidar Magnussen, Arthur Hakalahti, Marius Lien, Kasper Antonsen
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another release from Netflix, "Vikingulven/Viking Wolf" hails from Norway. The narrative of the film focuses on 17 year old Thale Berg, who recently moved to Nybo with her mother, a police officer, her younger deaf sister Jenny, and her stepfather Arthur. Thale doesn't gel much with people her own age at school, but is interested in Jonas, who invites her to a party with a few other high schoolers. During the party, which takes place in the woods near the bay, some of the kids get attacked, including the Mayor's daughter. Thale herself gets some injuries as a result of the attack of whatever creature that was. The body of the young girl is retrieved, and while being examined, there are suspicions a wolf may have been the cause for that attack. A specialist from the veterinary college is called upon to provide assistance, but before he arrives an unkown man appears at the police station and informs Liv (Thale's mom), that a werewolf is responsible for what has happened. He has been tracking the creature all throughout Scandinavia. Liv dismisses his warning, but keeps the silver bullet he has given her. When the autopsy confirms that indeed a large wolf may have been the cause for the death of the young girl, the mayor decides to send a hunting party to kill it. The expedition results in a series of casualties, including Liv that is hurt. In the meantime, Thale herself starts experiencing changes.

When tackling the werewolf genre one thing to keep in mind is always the angle you want to bring to the narrative, something that feels somewhat fresh from all the prior and more iconic views this type of material has had. On the positive side, there's of course the classics "An American Werewolf in London" from John Landis, and "The Company of Wolves" from Neil Jordan, and on the less successful side you have the troubled "Cursed" from Wes Craven, and more recently Joe Johnston's "The Wolfman". All this to say, the Werewolf mythology has been used and re-used across multiple film adaptations and versions. Stig Svendsen smartly shifts the narrative to Northern Europe, and positions it as a "curse" that has existed for centuries. However where the film starts to shift into more of a generic positioning is the present day context in which the characters operate and exist. Thale and Liv's relationship is not really expanded upon, and Thale for the most part comes across as the cliché angry and rebelious teenager, with all her defenses stacked up against the world, something she justifies by the fact that she has been taken away from everything she held familiar and loved. There's just not much coming from these characters, both lead and supporting, and as much as the environment in which they live (and that potentially threatens then), becomes an additional character in itself, it's simply not enough to make the narrative more arresting and compelling. Ultimately as the outcome and development of the narrative becomes more and more apparent, Stig Svendsen smartly plays with shadows to illustrate the movements of the terrifying creature, though it's simply not enough to energize this somewhat inert storyline. The cast tries their best to bring these characters to life, the same going for the production team, though Trond Tonder's cinematography is solid, the same going for Mike Berg's production design. While it's not a terrible feature, it's just an immediately forgettable one. 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Movie Name: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Year of Release: 2023
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, Karen Allen, Toby Jones, John Rhys-Davies, Ethann Isidore, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Olivier Richters, Martin McDougall, Alaa Safi, Nasser Memarzia
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the slightly less well received "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", Steven Spielberg decided to sit this last installment out, at least from a directorial perspective, as he still is credit as a producer. The film once again follows Indiana Jones, whom we find about to retire, as the year is 1969. He's recently separated from Marion, as they both can't seem to come to terms with the death of their son Mutt in the Vietnam War. Indy receives a visit from Helena Shaw, his goddaughter (daughter of his close friend Basil Shaw), who is researching the Archimedes Dial, an instrument that reveals time fissures, allowing for time travel. Indy and Helena retrieve half of the Dial from the college archives, only for them to be attacked by a posse bossed around by the nefarious Dr. Schmidt, in reality a Nazi whose real name is Voller, someone who has a diabolical agenda of his own (and whom Indy had faced before). Helena manages to escape with the Dial, but as it turns out, she's intent on selling it on the black market in order to pay off her own debts. Indy follows her to Tangier, where she's involved in a bidding auction for the Dial, only for Voller's posse to show up once again, and highjack the instrument. Indy, Helena, her young asistant Teddy, all go to Greece, as they figure that they need to locate the other half of the Dial, but in order to do so, they need another relic that provides that clear path. However, Voller is chasing them closely, and once again the group has to fight for their lives.

There's always a joyful sentiment of revisiting a character and an actor as iconic as Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford respectively. Steven Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is a seminal film, one of the most inspired and iconic action/adventure films of all time, the one that firstly introduced the character to the world. And while the subsequent films featuring this character have been uneven in their quality, they've always been very watchable due to the combination of the inventive scripts, smart casting (hello Sean Connery and River Phoenix in 1989's "The Last Crusade"), and the impeccable directorial prowess of Steven Spielberg. This last episode of the series feels, and probably more so than any of the prior installments, expensive. Meaning, the budget is visible, in terms of the production design with its incredible detail, the visual effects, and even the impeccable costume design. It's however a demonstration that for all its superficially well rendered scenes, the script itself feels a bit forced and ultimately unnecessary. What always worked so well for this central character was the temporal context in which it moved: the late 1930s to the mid 1940s, when the Second World War took place, but also where Indy's journey of archaelogical discovery was entwined with preventing a much darker doomsday scenario to occur in the world. Both "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and now "Dial of Destiny", place an older Indy in later decades, one where the character is coming to terms with being older, with the passing of loved ones, and ultimately questioning if a life of adventure has left him alone. And while this pending mortality shroud does humanize him further, the stories themselves just don't feel quite as efficiently buttoned up, which includes paper thin villains, and situations themselves where the stunts keep getting higher, since ultimately the heart is no longer really there. And that problem pops up in "Dial of Destiny" as well, where the goddaughter (!) scenario feels contrived, with the character having a con-artist demeanor to herself (!), and where the characters who pop up to add some color, such as Antonio Banderas' Renaldo, has literally nothing to do. It's a film that looks good, but feels poorly resolved, with a rather pedestrian storyline, with another Nazi villain (the underused Mads Mikkelsen), who wants to travel in time to do worse things with the fate of the world. The original trilogy managed to hint at what would happen should evil triumph, these last two episodes tried to over justify themselves, and in a way, destroyed a bit of the mystique of the series. Harrison Ford is great as always, and he has good support from Mads Mikkelsen, Karen Allen and Toby Jones. Phoebe Waller-Bridge feels miscast (the part probably needed someone like Haley Atwell), and most of the supporting cast fails to register much. Phedon Papamichael's cinematography is impeccable, as is Adam Stockhausen's production design, Joanna Johnston's costumes, and John Williams' magical score. It's a minor episode in a great saga. 

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Movie Name: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Year of Release: 2024
Director: George Miller
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, George Shevtsov, Lachy Hulme, John Howard, Angus Sampson, Charlee Fraser, Elsa Pataky, Nathan Jones, Josh Helman, David Field, Rahel Romahn, David Collins
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
View Trailer

Synopsis and Review

After the wonderfully underrated "Three Thousand Years of Longing", director George Miller is back, focusing on another narrative in the "Mad Max" universe, this time around highlighting the Furiosa character, who made its debut on "Mad Max: Fury Road", with an iconic performance from Charlize Theron. The film takes place in Australia, years after a global catastrophe. Somewhere in that vast and radioactive space, life has found a way to resume and thrive once more. A place called Green Place of Many Mothers, where fresh water can be found and where agriculture has brought fresh vegetables and fruits to the small community who lives there. Two young girls are harvesting peaches, until they notice Raiders in the area. These raiders belong to a biker horde led by warlord Dementus. While one of the girls manages to escape, Furiosa is caught and is taken back to the biker horde's compound. Furiosa's mother follows her and the captor, and eventually manages to rescue her, but that rescue is short lived, as most of the gang goes in their pursuit. Dementus has taken a liking to Furiosa and doesn't want to let her go. Furiosa's mother is killed, and she starts tattooing a map to the Green Place on her arm. The biker horde in the meantime, tries to take over the Citadel, another settlement that also has fresh water and agriculture. The leader of the Citadel, Immortan Joe, isn't rattled by Dementus, and manages to keep him and his horde at bay. Refusing to acknowledge defeat, Dementus takes over Gastown, an oil refinery that supplies the Citadel with its much needed gasoline. Dementus wants to engage in a power play with Immortan Joe, and manages to do so. They come to an agreement, with part of that agreement including Furiosa. As she navigates the perils of the Citadel, Furiosa has her own revenge plans to focus on as she bids her time to put them in practice.

The best features of the "Mad Max" series, were always the ones where George Miller managed to balance the B-movie aspect of the narrative, with a clear, even if limited, understanding of who the characters in that universe actually were. "Road Warrior" and "Fury Road" are both films where the goal of the central characters is limited but also abundantly clear. They want to reach a certain destination, and need the means/resources to do so. The central characters (the Road Warrior and Furiosa) are possessed of a muted pain that both fuels their action, but also propels them in the pursuit of that destination. "Furiosa" starts well enough, but after a while it starts meandering off, and the script loses track of what has made these films always so interesting. Furiosa the character is a survivor, one who wants to avenge her mother, but also someone who wants to get back to her place of birth. In order to do so, she has to play the game with all these other players that are in this universe. And while this premise isn't necessarily an overtly complex one, the film takes its time to illustrate all these elements, inserting the horde of bikers, and Dementus, as an additional foil to Furiosa's journey. Turns out this layering of multiple antagonists, doesn't necessarily make the film more compelling, the same way this pseudo love/hate relationship between Dementus and Furiosa at some point is simply overdrawn (and that final exchange is simply painful). And that's one of the problems with this film, the lack of focus: there's a leaner, more to the point feature that exists in this self-indulgent experience that seems to go on forever. The casting of this film is also not the best: it was always going to be difficult to create something as impressive and as visceral as what Charlize Theron created on "Fury Road" (she obliterated everything in that film, including Tom Hardy who feels minimized in his efforts when compared to her), but Anya Taylor-Joy, for all her talent, gives the central character a very different perspective. There's determination, but also a certain passive engagement from her take on the character, which differs from both the hope and pained existence Charlize Theron played on "Fury Road". Chris Hemsworth on the other hand, is in full Monty Python throttle in this film. This is a performer who doesn't know how to do subtle, and for whom bigger borderlines on building caricatures, which is what Dementus ends up being. A clownish version of a villain, without much dimension, or much depth for that matter. He's hugely miscast and ends up undermining the emotional aspect of the film. The production team is top notch, featuring the amazing cinematography from Simon Duggan, score from Tom Holkenborg, production design by Colin Gibson, and costume design by Jenny Beavan. It's not a terrible film, but it isn't a very good one either.